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Boredom quickly sets in as you run around gorgeous yet incredibly lifeless locales, embark on tiresome quests, and get treated to a storyline that’s entirely forgettable. Godfall’s quality combat mechanics, healthy offering of cool looking loot, and slick looking Valorplate armors are sadly stuck within a lackluster shell of a game.

Getting to play around with his and the original trio’s flashy maneuvers in Turbo and Legendary Dark Knight Mode is an experience you’ll never forget. Having to leave your prior save progress behind and start anew is pretty disappointing, of course. But first-time players and returning veterans will get an equal amount of enjoyment out of this excellent special edition.

watch dogs legion, like most of ubisoft’s big budget games, is disposable – a value-sized bag of chips. the gameplay experience is pleasurable and addicting by nature, making you want to play even if you don’t feel like it. and when you get sick of it, you just throw it away.

The litany of issues present within Bright Memory will keep you from enjoying yourself for too long. Here’s hoping that Bright Memory: Infinite irons out all the kinks and realizes its full potential in 2021. You might be better off watching a playthrough of this teaser and waiting for the full release instead of ruining your hype for it by playing this disappointing first episode.

As a remaster, this one falls a bit below today’s standards in two key areas. The graphics don’t look that much better than they did back in 2010. And the unchanged open-world free roam option is still a total waste of time. Hot Pursuit Remastered has a ton of fun things to do and feels great when it’s time to hit the road.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon largely succeeds at moving the series forward in a bold new direction. Kasuga and his band of unlikely heroes are incredibly interesting and make it so easy to care about their crazy antics. The new main locale is massive and plays host to so many compelling things to do.

DiRT 5 ends up being a quality feature-rich racer for current- and next-gen console owners. My only criticisms of the game come from its supremely unfun Sprint car races and unnecessary use of famous voice actors for its Career Mode. All in all, DiRT 5 excels as an arcade racer that feels like a natural evolution of DiRT 3 and DiRT: Showdown.

the game’s demanding difficulty can definitely increase one’s salt levels, though. some of the game’s latter stages and all of the flashback tapes fall into the realm of overly punishing at times. but crash 4’s high fun and replayability factors will keep you in the race, even in the face of the game’s toughest challenges. this fresh crash adventure is just too damn fun to pass up and stay mad at.

As for the overall balling itself, it feels as good as ever. Yet the Pro-Stick shooting feature gets in the way of the fun you’re used to getting from NBA 2K. NBA 2K21 does the bare minimum in most areas, but it still offers the best (and only) basketball gaming experience on the market today. Let’s just hope the next annual follow up does enough to truly kick things up a notch.

Tony hawk’s pro skater 1 + 2 is another shining example of activision’s dedicated effort to properly revive its most beloved ip’s. vicarious visions not only improved upon the first two games’ visual and audio aspects but it also threw in a wealth of modes and changes that make it approachable for both past and modern-day gamers.

What keeps Marvel’s Avengers from being a complete home run is the presence of several technical issues, repetitive mission types for the multiplayer portion of the game, and the reliance on grinding in order to get to its finest unlockables. Marvel’s Avengers is still worth a recommendation and looks to be even more worthy as it throws free DLC at players over time.

EA Sports UFC 4 attempts to right the wrongs of past entries and succeeds in the process. This sequel’s career mode is a far more enjoyable endeavor now that the Fighter Evolution and relationship systems have been added to its proceedings. The RPM Tech enhancements offer a wealth of new body animations and grappling exchanges that move farther away from the series’ more awkward motions.

That’s not to say that the main story elements are a bore – they’re told well and give you the chance to involve yourself in their most exciting battles. Issues persist, such as dialogue box errors, oversexualized character interactions, and missing fan favorites from the show. But Fairy Tail still manages to be worth a look thanks to the strong RPG elements put in place by Gust Co. Ltd.

Disintegration is an interesting amalgamation of FPS and RTS elements that’s a visual splendor when your battle plans are carried out successfully. The single-player campaign especially shines as it transports you to different environments, gives you access to several weapon/troop loadouts, and allows you to upgrade your outlaw army over time.

From an audio standpoint, the original soundtrack has its moments here and there. But those brand new songs simply don’t measure up the far more superior tracks included from the first two series entries. The lack of a 4-player online co-op option is certainly disappointing. Yet Streets of Rage 4’s awesome presentation, fun combat, and clever Easter Eggs for series fanatics still make it worth a recommendation.

While the story hovers around 20 hours, there is plenty to do after it’s wrapped up, whether it’s going back to complete the other optional objectives, leveling your characters up, or even playing through the game again on a higher difficulty. Aside from some minor bugs, a lack of interest in the story, and some annoying enemies (looking at you Ticker), Gears Tactics is a very solid title and is worth a try for fans of the genre.

The side quests structure will have you wanting more and encourage you to explore every nook and cranny within Midgar. And the game’s combat mechanics are deep enough to offer a ton of player choice when it comes to character class specialty and usage. A few graphical hiccups and camera issues can be a nuisance, but the rest of Final Fantasy VII Remake makes those nitpicks easy to ignore. This game is a must-play.

One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 makes itself approachable and worth sticking with for the long haul thanks to an incredible use of its source material, a huge cast of characters to master and the type of mission structure that offers tons of fun in small/large doses. The sometimes uncooperative camera, missing playable moments from the story campaign, and lack of an English dub are problems worth mentioning, but they don’t take too much away from what makes this Musou spinoff so much fun.

DOOM Eternal is an adrenaline shot of pure, hyper-intense action that will constantly keep you on your toes. Mixing classic FPS gameplay with modern visuals and upgrades keeps DOOM Eternal’s repetitive loop of killing demons and hunting for collectibles constantly engaging. While I do wish the story was told in cumbersome text logs, id Software has crafted a gorgeous, macabre world to fight in. If you’re looking for

My Hero One’s Justice 2 feels less like a sequel and more like a DLC expansion. Fans of the source material will likely enjoy what’s being offered here but be let down by the lack of the game’s evolution. The next My Hero One’s Justice needs to add something major if it wants to ascend to “Plus Ultra” status.

Even with the various technical errors I encountered, Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a triumph. A superb, emotionally raw game that expertly builds upon the foundation Moon Studios laid in 2015.

One-Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows is a complete waste of a great manga/anime property. Instead of creating a worthwhile game for the series in the vein of a fun action RPG or spirited beat ’em up, fans are instead treated to a lame arena fighting game. The combat system is far from complex and the fights devolve into special move spam fests.

Arc System Works has produced another great anime fighter that does its job of bringing in beginner fighting game players and showcasing Granblue Fantasy to a larger player base. Its graphics are amazing, its orchestral soundtrack is pleasing on the ears, and its deceptively simple combat mechanics offers a limitless serving of entertainment.

The Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection is worth delving into even if you’ve already completed each of its featured titles. It’s especially endearing to gamers who’ve always been curious about the Mega Man Zero and ZX games but were always put off by their intimidating level of difficulty. All of the titles featured within this collection are enjoyable experiences in their own right and are more enjoyable than the weaker entries in the Mega Man X Legacy Collection.

Zombie Army 4 isn’t breaking any new ground, but it’s engaging gameplay and wacky sensibility carries the 10-hour campaign. Even if you aren’t motivated to keep playing after the credits, there’s just enough rotten meat on the bones to justify giving this title a try. Thanks to its creative level design, horrific zombies, and satisfying weapons, Dead War is a brief, but ultimately enjoyable experience.