I’m not kidding when I say that the possibilities are endless in Blockbuster Inc. Players have the freedom and tools to create a movie of their dreams. With a large variety of costumes, sets and more at their disposal there are thousands of films to be made here. It can be almost overwhelming if I’m honest, however the game has a great tutorial that will help to ease players into the swing of things. I loved my time with Blockbuster Inc, filled that hole that The Movies had left so long ago. Its awesome to see this underserved genre in gaming seeing a resurgence; Hollywood Animal, Movie Tycoon among others, has fans of movie-making games eating good this year. Don’t sleep on Blockbuster Inc, as the first one out the gate; its an utter blast to play and create movies in this world.

I came into Astor: Blade of the Monolith with all the hope and promise simply because it was NOT a souls game. I still love it for that, but as much as I enjoyed the bright and colorful vistas, the vivid and detailed graphics and the cute characters; I just can’t get past the clunky feeling of the combat. Late game weapons and abilities make things feel better but never perfect. Despite the combat and the forgettable story, I did have some fun in Astor: Blade of the Monolith at the end of the day; the cuteness of the characters won the day.

I know I have been critical of the developer in the past, and while I, myself didn’t really vibe with their marketing techniques; at the end of the day developer Digital Cybercherries’ freshman offering is a joy to play with others. It can be rather difficult alone due to having to defend multiple towers, but with others, online or split-screen I cannot deny this is a fun game. Its not going to set the world on fire, but for a group of buddies on a weekend; this one will definitely make you smile.

While not for everyone, Abiotic Factor is a fun, new addition to the survival games space. Drawing a lot of inspiration from the more science nature of Half-Life, is something that I think a lot of people will appreciate. There are some bugs here and I don’t appreciate the lackluster controller options, but if you are looking for something new in the survival genre, then Abiotic Factor might be for you. It is currently in early access with no firm date for 1.0 which means it can go through some changes but for now; its pretty fun to play. [Early Access Provisional Score = 70]

I came away impressed with Fabledom, it offers something unique and new to the city builder genre. Some of the humor was a little dry for my taste, but its impossible to deny this games cutesy charm. It’s a very likeable and chill city builder and aside from the AI still needing some work; despite being in EA for a year, Fabledom is a relaxing and wholly enjoyable game.

Even with my somewhat minor complaints, I walked away from Killer Klowns from Outer Space wholly impressed with the gameplay, the faithfulness to the movie and the graphics. For a budget title this is a great looking game, textures on the klowns faces are lifelike and creepy, cotton candy that is literally on everything as the match progress has a light and wispy look as one would expect. With everything that this game is doing, for me; Killer Klowns from Outer Space feels like the best version of these asymmetrical multiplayer games. I love, love that the team at Illfonic found a way to keep players engaged even after they died in game. With a great balance between puzzles, scares and fun; each match was a blast to play, even if I have yet to escape as a teen. Burnt out on DbD, tired of being turned into chili by Leatherface and his fam? Killer Klowns from Outer Space deserves your attention, I just hope it retains its player base.

I was surprised that I came away from Crow Country enjoying myself. As I said, I am not a fan of these PS1 graphics games, I lived thru this era and I am ok that we don’t have blocky and shiny graphics again. But Crow Country smartly focuses on the puzzles and its creepy atmosphere, which it absolutely nails both of these aspects. Combat feels like an afterthought by comparison but honesty its not even a problem at the end of the day. If you are nostalgic for survival horror games of yesteryear, then head down to Crow Country.

Hellblade II: Senua’s Sacrifice is an amazing achievement visually. The performances are second-to-none and the music is just as impressive as the visuals. For anyone that loved the original and knows what to expect going in, this will be a treat on so many levels.

PO’ed is a game most people have never heard of, and even those of us that do rarely talk about. It was always relegated to that game where you hit farting butts with a frying pan on the schoolyard, and since nobody (outside of myself) had a 3DO, most people had never even heard of it. Still, I love revisiting these classic shooters, even the ones not so fondly remembered. It was a different time and games like these were an exception instead of a rule, and that made it exciting. Keep doing what you do Nightdive, I will buy and play each and every one of them.

Having never played the original, I can say that I enjoyed Freedom Planet 2 even if the combat annoyed me at times. The Sonic like speedy traversal of each level was a joy to complete, the real issues only crept up when combat was needed. While it was nice to have some advanced moves, given how fast FP2 plays; the combat kind of felt out of place. Floaty combat with the high speed makes the boss battles frustrating; If people can get around that, they will find that Freedom Planet 2 is a peek into Sega’s heyday, with a cheesy story and heroes that ‘gotta go fast’ if you are in the need for some Genesis vibes, take a trip to Freedom Planet 2.

Braid was an iconic game for its time and revisiting it has been a treat. Say what you will about its creator, but most of the issues are not present in this package. This is still a game I think about regularly. It really defined a service and elevated indie games to a new level when it came out. Solving these puzzles still felt magical all these years later. If you have never played this title, do not skip it, even if you have it is worth revisiting. There are certain games that feel timeless, and Braid is easily one of those.

By far and away the best thing about Tales of Kenzera: Zau is its narrative, Surgent Studios have proven themselves to be quite the masterful storytellers. A story tackling grief, acceptance and loss is rare in this day and age and the team have done extremely well of making it relatable. Not only that but the world and imagery in Kenzera is some of the best I’ve seen and I hope that this is just the beginning for these tales of Kenzera, as I am certainly ready for more.

El Shaddai is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. If you never had a chance to check it out, it is now available on Switch and PC, or you can dig up a copy on 360 or PS3, but the main point is, you should play it. It just oozes creativity and some of the best art design in a game. I was excited for each new area, the combat, while repetitive, is fun, and it has a story that remains interesting throughout. Find a way to play this game, it is more than worth the price of admission.

I hadn’t heard anything about Heading Out before it landed in my lap for review, and I am so grateful it did. I absolutely loved the gritty, 70’s feel of the racing and multiple vehicles. And I already gushed over the awesome soundtrack and radio personalities, as a fan of the talk radio in the recent GTA games this felt right up there as far as production value, content, and laughs. Mix all those things together and you end up with one mesmerizing road trip, that fans of the genre will be glad they took.

I’m so glad that Top Spin has made a return after such a long hiatus, but I wish it had come back in a more polished and rounded-out form. The game feels rushed to market and comes up short of its full $70 price tag (up to $120 for the Grand Slam edition that includes the Centre Court passes and some other cosmetics). It’s saved by its excellent on-court gameplay that stands among the peak sim tennis games and the amount of fun you can have playing local multiplayer with friends. If you’re a huge tennis fan, you’re going to have a blast smacking backhand winners and lobbing shots over charging players’ heads. A solid foundation has been laid here for a future release that expands the mode selections and puts some more meat on the bone. As it stands, all but the most hardcore should probably wait for a sale.

The one thing I was most excited about with Sons of Valhalla was the city-building aspect but sadly this ends up being a really shallow experience. As a fan of StarCraft, WarCraft and any number of games like that, I had hoped this would be similar but on a 2D plane. There is no real depth or strategy that takes place when building the city or training units. If you have a lot of big units, chances are you will prevail. I didn’t hate my time with Sons of Valhalla, I had just expected more from it.

I enjoyed my time with Sand Land, the adventures of Beelzebub and team was often times funny but really had a great story to tell. I loved the banter between them, and even helping to build up Spino City, which opens up new venders. I wish the team had put in more interesting side quests and enemy types but even though it felt kind of repetitive, as I said I had fun in Sand Land and that’s what it really is all about anyway.

As a first-time console and genre effort from a developer best known for making the self-proclaimed, “one handed shooting game”, Stellar Blade is an extraordinary effort that impressed from beginning to end with an expert mix of story, combat, and exploration.

TMNT Arcade Wrath of the Mutants wears its inspirations on its sleeve, and it is nice to get this once arcade-only port on home consoles. I just wish the replayability was there. Online co-op would have gone a long way, but I do appreciate the new content. It is fun and fits right into the mix. This is a solid game that just has too many shortcomings to make it an easy recommendation.

Felix is a fun game; this package just doesn’t pack a lot of punch. One game with variations does not feel worth the asking price. Unless you have an extreme affinity for Felix the Cat this is a hard retro release to recommend. I had a good time revisiting this game, but it just falls short when it comes to value. Only bother if you are a huge fan of the original games.

Deceit 2 is billed as an online social deduction horror game and it definitely is. Players will have to play attention to their surroundings as well as make sure they aren’t being to weird as to make someone think they are the traitor. I really enjoy Deceit 2, its feels like a ‘grown up’ version of the great game Among Us. With a rewards track that includes costumes and even skins for tools there is always something to unlock, not to mention all the various tools that are unlocked as players progress as an innocent. Deceit 2 is a great game to play with friends or randoms, and being the perfect price of Free makes it even better.

Aside from the repetitive enemies and locations, I enjoyed my time with Inkbound. It’s a different breed of rogue game, one that not only allows for layers upon layers of strategy with how players can approach each battle but the inclusion of 4 player co-cp makes for even greater strategizing with friends. With a whimsical graphical style and a great soundtrack to match, Inkbound can for sure be a fun game, if you are alright with fighting the same types of enemies again and again.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a fantastic experience that comes with a lot of baggage. I suspect it will get those things ironed out over time, but if you can get past all these issues, this is an experience unlike any other. The world feels more alive than 99% of all other games. The sense of discovery is amazing, and there truly is nothing else like this out there. I highly recommend checking it out, or at least dipping your toes in with the extremely cheap original game. Capcom has done an amazing job of creating another unique experience that everyone should see at least once.

I loved these games back in the day, but I got to say that time has not been kind here. At $40 this is a tough sell considering there wasn’t a lot of TLC shown here. There are some enhanced sprites, widescreen support and even a hard mode in Grandia II. But that’s really it, there is no quality-of-life features to speak of, and the game desperately needs the ability to speed up gameplay. Because while it was cool to see each character in your party climb down a ladder back then, doing it now just shows feels slow and monotonous. I mean there isn’t even save states here, which means players will only have access to the save points. Grandia HD Collection takes two classic JRPG’s and makes them more readily available but with little in the way of extras and a big price tag this one isn’t going to appeal to anyone but the most hardcore of fans.

Sadly, The Outlast Trials just didn’t live up to the hype for me. With monsters that didn’t really feel scary, and maps and objectives that just start to feel repetitive really quickly, I can really only recommend this one for the real Outlast fans.

Outcast: A New Beginning is a weird game. On one hand it looks and feels great at times, while other times it feels a little janky. Still there is a lot to love here, even with all the talking. Seriously can we wrap it up? If you have nostalgia for the original, this is a no-brainer, for new fans I think it is worth checking out. It feels like a game we don’t often get anymore, and it is just fun to play when it is clicking. Recommend keeping your eye on this one, just maybe not at full price.

This pains me to say this but I cannot recommend Star Trek Legends on Steam in its current state. Issues with missing progress is the real killer for me, with so many games and not enough time I can’t keep replaying sections. The version on Apple Arcade is much better and if you are able and love Star Trek players should try that version. Maybe after a few patches the developer, Emerald City Games can get the Steam version on the right track so that more fans can go boldly where no one has gone before.

Overall, Pepper Grinder is a very good game. Some stages have unique gimmicks that blend well with the base move set, others just challenge players with the basics. I like Pepper, she has a lot of character for a silent protagonist and the soundtrack is quite good too. There’s a lot to like with Pepper Grinder, I just really wish the boss battles were better or absent because they weigh down the rest of the experience.