Destructoid

Pokemon Legends: Arceus, compared to the series at large, excels at showing us how things can move forward in a meaningful way. I hope Game Freak uses this blueprint to do even better next time.

From the perspective of someone who always respected but couldn’t penetrate the series, OlliOlli World feels just perfect. I was engrossed for long periods of time and absolutely ate through the title. I’m ready to move on, rather than push for completion, but I think that’s part of the beauty. There’s something for everyone, whether or not you’ve got a competitive edge or just want to reach for Gnarvana.

Dying Light 2 is safe in some respects, and bold in others; like its propensity to lean into some arcadey notions. The sandbox is the true heart of Dying Light 2. Not the characters, or the story, but the mere act of running around like an idiot, whether you’re doing errands or not.

Inti Creates can just keep making games throughout my lifetime. While a lot of studios are making retro-tinted projects, many of them don’t hold a candle to what the studio is doing right now. A lot of their works are slept on, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see a bunch of Gunvolt games end up on a lot of all-time platformer lists throughout the next decade.

Sucker for Love is a wholly enjoyable experience. The writing is hilarious and clever; especially a treat for anyone who has a Necronomicon on their shelf. Its approach to the genre is completely irreverent, and it pulls it off so well it’s flattering. It’s certainly not the longest visual novel you will find, but it’s worth forfeiting your sanity to summon. Just beware of the bugs that crawl beneath its skin.

The single-player is very challenging, but it can only hold up the overall product for so long. It’s also not as transcendental as something like Streets of Rage 4 was in its revival of an old formula. It is as it says on the box: a sequel. It might as well have come out in 1996 for all it adds.

And that’s basically all Rainbow Six Extraction has up its sleeve, and some of the replay value you’re going to wring from it relies on whether or not you have friends to play with. While it doesn’t execute fully with its foundation, it does take more risks than I expected, to the point where it’s going to be worth a look for some folks — but only just so.

I was a bit skeptical about Nobody Saves the World pulling off everything it tried to do, but it won me over very quickly. While the main questline lacks some meat on the bones at times, a lot of people will barely notice it as they unlock new transformations and start to mix and match old ones.

All of the right elements are here, but they’re not coalescing into what should be the optimal firefighting experience. I truly believe there is a great game buried somewhere within the lines of code that brings it all together. We just got to hold onto hope that Dejima Games will be able to find it.

Christmas Massacre is a seasonal treat. It might not have all the fine atmosphere and interesting design as something like Bloodwash, but it’s quick entertainment. It’s a bit of joy to inject into your holidays. And really, even when you’re battling with hit detection, it’s fun to be the slasher. Going around and killing ‘80s teen stereotypes while dressed as Santa is a great way to prepare you for spending time with the family.