DeVuego

Call of the Elder Gods is a worthy successor to Call of the Sea in almost every way. Combining exploration with some stellar puzzles and gameplay the game manages to tell a wonderful story with a Lovecraftian twist.

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For fans of Black, Sigma, or even the NES originals, this is the closest we’ve gotten to the true spirit of Ninja Gaiden in over a decade.

Blades of Fire is a welcome return to MercurySteam and I think it’s one that is going to be a sleeper hit. The way the story unfolds and pushes the player to explore the environment that is littered with hidden fights and upgrades that will help Aran become stronger. Even the characters that players will meet along the way are fun and add something to the overall game, and I for one loved Adso but if players like to adventure in silence the developers have allowed for that which is neat. If you are a fan of big, adventure action-RPG’s with a beautiful land to explore and tons of weapons to make and use; then Blades of Fire is going to be for you.

I wanted to enjoy The Stones of Madness because I really loved The Game Kitchen’s other game series; Blasphemous. Aside from the incredible hand-drawn art style in the Madness game, I wasn’t really a fan of this game.

With its breathtaking art direction, engaging gameplay and moving narrative it is a game that will resonate with players on a personal level much like this years Tales of Kenzara: Zau.

Boasting a strange and evocative narrative that is presented with beautifully painted and animated cutscenes that look like works of art hanging in the Louvre, Blasphemous 2 is itself a work of art.

After Us had some lofty goals and it shows but sadly, they didn’t quite reach those highs. Incredible art direction and a dope soundtrack sadly don’t make up for the ‘tacked’ on combat and the very floaty platforming controls. The design choice to make it open world is also a head scratcher because the game absolutely does a poor job of telling players where to go next. I’m left wondering what could have been with After Us, had the combat been taken out I think this would have been a much better adventure.

I don’t hate Disney Speedstorm, worse I just feel kinda cheated. I didn’t mind that it was a F2P game, but the fact that the founders pack doesn’t unlock everything available at launch is disappointing. Especially when you look at how much grinding has to be done to get a toon up to a receptible level for multiplayer races. I loved the tracks and the music that blasted over them but being hit over the head constantly with so many of these free to play mechanics just makes this game frustrating to play and its really a shame.

Someone is going to ask why I scored this game so high if it had so many bugs and my answer to that is simple; the same reason that Skyrim and Fallout’s have garnered 9’s and 10’s; yet be so full of glitches and bugs – gameplay and the fun it provides. The gameplay loop in Evil Dead: The Game is so satisfying it can scratch two different type of genre itches. On the one hand you have the survivor game play, which plays out like a mix between a battle royale and a horde mode. Then you have the demon gameplay, which is almost like a tower-defense style RTS with its use of needing a resource to place units and traps around the fields. And then because why not; let’s throw an RPG system in here so people can level up skills and tweak their gameplay styles to what works for them. Beyond just the systems though much like the source material, Evil Dead: The Game is just fun. Even when the game is invoking ‘jump scares’ (of which there are a ton) heck, even when losing I still had a ball and was excited to try and take down evil again. And with a promised new map based on Castle Kandar from ‘Army of Darkness and a noticeably absent Ruby from the Ash vs Evil Dead show; I think its safe to say that the team has Saber is going to keep us battling the Evil Dead for quite some time.

I won’t say that GRIS is bad. It is not even remotely bad. What GRIS is is disappointing. It can’t decide whether or not it wants to be a fun platformer or art piece, and the reality is that it could have been both. There’s a lot of hyperbole out there right now about this being a must play and I have a feeling a lot of people that do will be disappointed by this title. If GRIS goes on sale I would say pick it up if the art style seems appealing, but otherwise don’t look to GRIS to be the new LIMBO or INSIDE because the puzzles aren’t as deep and the gameplay isn’t as prevalent.

Candle: The Power of the Flame is a beautiful game with a charming and emotionally resonant story. That may not be enough for players who don’t want to spend a good deal of time on challenging puzzles and helplessly wandering the play area for a long time, searching every nook and cranny. The overall design is good most of the time, but at times when it doesn’t translate to the player, it quickly crosses into frustration.

Despite the flaws with its pacing, Metroid: Samus Returns feels like true classic reborn- with all the polish expected of a modern release and stands proudly among the other fantastic 2D entries to the series.

Sexy Brutale is a title with an intriguing premise, backed up by a story well worth experiencing. However, the lackluster characterization and singular, uninteresting solutions to its puzzles hold it back from greatness.

Issues mentioned, I have been having a great time with Ginger Beyond the Crystal, warts and all. It’s got a lot of little issues or oddities, but it hard charm and heart, and at the center of it all is a decent platforming title.

Zenith is a game I wanted to enjoy more, and there are plenty of times I did have fun, but the combat was the most un-fun and unfair aspect of the game, and that’s what players will be doing the majority of the time. It has an ok soundtrack, some funny dialog, and some cool variation in environments. It just stumbles pretty hard in the combat department and really puts a smear on an otherwise silly, funny time. If funny games that make fun of fantasy settings are something that players can see themselves enjoying, Zenith isn’t a horrible experience, it just requires some determination to see it through for the parts that are enjoyable.

Anima: Gate of Memories is a solid action/RPG that would have easily slipped under my radar. It is longer than I expected, and continuously spices things up with new enemy types and puzzles throughout. I had a blast with this game, and it surprised me at almost every turn. I definitely recommend checking it out; the $20 price tag is more than worth the experience contained within.

Even for eight bucks, I don’t recommend this title. It’s buggy, annoying, frustrating, and really just not fun to play. If there is one redeeming quality I could possibly give it is I like the art style of it. That’s about it. The mere fact there is an achievement for playing a race with six people locally is laughable. If you want a fun arcade racing game like this, I say stick to Super Off Road. The fact I’m suggesting playing an NES game over a current generation game says it all.

Story elements in episode one don’t miss a beat, and things get much darker and twisted then I ever expected. Before I knew it, I had already played and finished the game in 100 minutes, and it left me wanting more. Blues and Bullets was a title I had very little expectations of, and it blew me away with a fantastic first episode. Now I wait with baited breath, a glass of whiskey, and the hope that each episode here on out is only more of the same quality or better.

Tachyon Project seems to take a lot of inspiration from Geometry Wars but puts its own spin on things. Taking cues from one of the best twin stick shooters ever made, isn’t a bad thing in the slightest.

Red Goddess: Inner World is kind of a mess technically, and that just drags down the experience. I truly hope the developers get a working patch to sort out the issues, but as of now it is just too much to recommend. The ideas are sound, and the story is interesting, but too much holds it back. I feel like it should have waited for release, as once again this title will likely be forgotten long before it is fixed.

Spy Chameleon is simple and easy to recommend to players. What it does, it does well, and the price point is spot on. There isn’t much to the game, but there is plenty to keep me coming back. Earning better times is fun, and competing with friends is a blast. This is the perfect solution to one of those “I have no idea what to play tonight” moods. Snag it for $5 and thank me later.

With its simplistic nature and decent soundtrack, I found Funk of Titans refreshing to play. Sure it gets repetitive after a while, but I couldn’t help but keep playing. It has an interesting formula that just works. Of course, it’s not going to blow anyone’s socks off, but it’s not a bad game either. If you’re looking for a fun distraction for about 4 hours and have nine bucks to spare, give it a shot. You may actually have a fun time like I did.

Fans of Kevin Smith's work will be just as disappointed as adventure game fans, and players in general will do well to avoid this one.

Scourge: Outbreak is a solid game, either single player or co-op. While it has some quirks (like starting me from the wrong checkpoint when I resumed a game), for the price it’s a solid and fairly lengthy experience. There’s nothing Earth shattering here, but for 800 points it’s a good option for players who enjoy the style.

Alien Spidy would be a fun and challenging game, but the combination of a difficult point system, inaccurate controls and constant loading screens between restarts bring this game down to a frustrating chore.

I had a lot of fun with Mirror of Fate. It feels like a big game that works very well for portable play, which is a significant accomplishment. While the combat wasn’t always engaging, the soundtrack and presentation were always enough to keep me into the game. Boss fights are fun and varied, and the excellent checkpointing system kept the big encounters from becoming frustrating. Castlevania fans and 3DS owners alike will find a lot to enjoy here.

As someone who has never really played turn based strategy games, Legends of War: Patton was initially intimidating, but the tutorials explain things well and I was able to find my bearings pretty quickly. The combat was good, although hardcore strategy fans may find the single player lacking AI depth. Having your troops rank up is cool though, and I actually started to get weirdly attached to some of the guys I had since the beginning. It’s not without fault, but as long as you turn most of the audio off it’s a solid, enjoyable game.

Deadlight tries to do something new with the zombie genre by paying more attention to solving puzzles and using platforming elements to get away from zombies. While I applaud the effort, it just falls flat. Dodging the fast, pack-forming zombies is extremely frustrating, and if caught by one, you are as good as dead. Topped with jumping that requires absolute perfect timing, the result is multiple retries that add frustration and suck the fun out of the game.

For the most part, Zack Zero is a rather entertaining game. Even with the combat and platforming problems, I can’t help but like the game. The powers are really nice and the overall feel of the game is fun. The game just has so much heart. The levels can take you around 30 to 45 minutes to complete, so the game can last you a good 6 hours. If you don’t mind getting used to platforming issues, and have a little patience with the game, Zack Zero is a decent package for thirteen dollars. I’d say give it a chance.

Despite it’s challenges, The Next BIG Thing is an enjoyable, comedic point and click adventure. As long as you are willing to roll with the dialog and narrative quirks, it’s a fun ride. It isn’t perfect, but it does capture the magic of the genre with entertaining characters, interesting puzzles, and a current of humor that runs throughout the game.

Creating and sharing levels is as easy as you would imagine, and there are quite a few online already that really show off the creativity of the game. It is really impressive how much dedication and work has gone into this game. If you are at all a fan of puzzle games I recommend giving this title a look. For five bucks it stands out as one of the most polished and addictive Indie games I have played thus far. This is one of the reasons I really love the idea of Community Games on Xbox Live. Rotor’scope is good enough to be a full-fledged Arcade game.

Wanted: Weapons of Fate is not a terrible game by any means; in fact it has a lot of cool gimmicks that are executed fairly eloquently. The problems arise when you realize the game is able to be finished within one sitting and there really is no reason to go back through outside of unlocking some Gamerscore. If ever a game warranted a rental it would be Weapons of Fate, but if you are looking for a unique take on the cover mechanic, and enjoyed the over-the-top action of the film you will likely enjoy the short stint that is Wanted. Everyone else would be satisfied with a weekend rental.