I wanted to love this game, anyone who knows me knows that I love samurai, ninjas, swords and the like, I was just bored by this game sadly. Rise of the the Rōnin doesn’t feel like a game that is worth $70 in my opinion, it is a hodgepodge mix of some of gaming’s biggest trends lately but never amounts to the sum of those parts.

I have played a lot of the current survival games including Grounded and I got to say that Smalland: Survive the Wilds ranks really high on the list about it. The amount of polish was surprising to see from such a small team and the number of systems and size of the map are just proof that they have wizards over at developer Merge Games. Smalland even simulates the 4 seasons and the storms that come with them and these are some visually impressive parts of the game. I loved every rainstorm, just the peacefulness of it…at least while I was in my base. If you enjoyed Grounded or are just a fan of a good survival game, I highly recommend Smalland: Survive the Wilds.

Alone in the Dark was a fun adventure that scratched an itch I always have. It is a solid survival horror game that sometimes suffers under the weight of its own technical shortcomings.

On the surface it appears to have little to do with the original, but the story does reveal some threads The bad thing is the combat and levels just feel so frustrating and difficult that most players will never even get to see any of it. This game didn’t make me feel like a “killing machine” with its clunky combat and constant difficulty spikes. I don’t know who this one is for, I just know it isn’t me.

WWE 2K24 is, as I mentioned above, the best-playing game in the series. The progress of the bell-to-bell of the series from undesirable to undeniable should make cover boy Cody Rhodes proud. Unfortunately, I had less fun with the game this year than last year, mostly I think because of fatigue with the flaws of the series. They have had years to correct the frustrating and often mind-boggling problems with AI wrestler behavior, clipping and collision detection, and reversal-heavy gameplay, and these issues continue to persist. The Showcase mode, a real highlight in last year’s game, has also taken a huge step back, which is a major disappointment. After taking this many years to finally get things right when it comes to the player-controlled action, it may be strange to hear me say that they need to think about some major overhauls of the franchise’s DNA, but I believe that may be what the series needs to feel fresh again. Just like a wrestling match the biggest sin a wrestling game can commit is to be boring, and for me that’s just what the WWE 2K series has become.

As a remake of one of my favorite games of all time, Persona 3 Reload had a lot more to live up to than it was reasonably expected to accomplish. Despite the lackluster PC port and not including all the desired content in the original package, P3R marks a significant improvement from the original across the board, providing the best way to experience this timeless tragedy for the first or fifth time.

The presentation remains the same from previous Gold Master games, but it works. There is a gamification of working through the entire timeline and hearing that chime when one is completed. The game museum is a little wonkier than this one, but I got used to it. Controlling the games is simple and digging through the entire collection is a breeze. It does suck that the audio is still out of sync on Xbox as game mode will cause that, but it isn’t awful. The Gold Master Series remains the gold standard for telling these stories. Living in the era when almost any game can be playable on modern consoles is truly great. I always get excited when Digital Eclipse announces a new one of these. I cannot wait to see what they cover next and hopefully this series never ends. Big game publishers would be wise to get in on this trend, no one does it better than Digital Eclipse.

Berserk Boy is a mix of a lot of my favorite retro games mixed with its own flavor of fun. I really enjoyed the nostalgia it delivers while also being able to stand on its own. Definitely recommend checking this one out if you enjoy anything Mega Man or the more recent Gunvolt Chronicles games. This is one that will entertain from start to finish. It isn’t overly frustrating, yet remaining challenging. The stages beg to be revisited and I had fun the entire time. With so many retro games dropping on a weekly basis, it takes a lot to stand out. Now if they would only put this on more platforms, I would be truly happy.

Ufouria 2’s only drawback is that it is possibly too simple. The game rarely presented a challenge and death was rarely an issue. The mechanics are also barren with only a few things to see and do, and the loop becomes repetitive relatively quickly. Still the music, visuals, and simple charm of the game carry it to completion. This is a game that I adore because of nostalgia, but I think even people unfamiliar with the developer will find plenty to love. The game just oozes that ‘video game’ charm we fell in love with back in the NES days, something that is sorely lacking in a lot of modern titles.

Arzette is a love-letter to those old CD-i games and I am all here for it. I adored revisiting this style of game and it is clear that the developers have a genuine love for those older titles, and not just a need to tick some boxes. For people that have memories of the Zelda CD-i games, this is a must. Heck, even if you have only seen them in YouTube videos from retro personalities, I still recommend this game. It is a charming platformer that wears its inspirations on its sleeve while also carving out its own path.

As I said I don’t know what cricket is, and to be honest this game helped me expand my knowledge of the sport. Knowing things like the fact the Queen got involved at one point and demanded a rule change about it being boring to try and hit the goal post. And they even took cricket to outer space and would play in zero gravity. It was fascinating to see how much the game of cricket has intertwined with human history. While Cricket thru the Ages isn’t a long game, it is quite a fun one, made even more so if players can find a player 2. And with its simple one button controls literally anyone can play.

Skull & Bones isn’t a horrible game at all, but its not the game that we wanted. I mean all they had to do was just remove the assassin’s vs templar story from what they had with Black Flag and let us be pirates. I don’t know, I am just a black guy with a laptop and a big mouth; I am certain that game development is more difficult than all that. Skull & Bones offers some fun and often times thrilling combat, but the downtime and story in-between all that is just not interesting. This game is going to end up being another victim of chasing that ole dragon which is live service game success. Its not for every game, and hopefully, prayerfully developers will stop trying to attain this high and just set this fad out to sea.

With Bandle City the developer Lazy Bear Games has done an excellent job of bringing the world of the Yordles to life. As I said the graphics are all bright and colorful with a whimsical vibe throughout and a soundtrack that’s among the greatest for the genre. I had no idea what to expect from this game when I started it but I ended up loving every moment.

There is so much more I want to say, but I do not want to ruin any part of this experience. Being such a huge fan of the original game, I could not be happier with how this sequel turned out. After being lukewarm on the first entry, this one squashes all my concerns and doubts about this remake.

Y’all know me, I am an optimist, I have high hopes for Skull & Bones and I am sure that Sony will step in and get this resolved and we can all get back to fighting for freedom and democracy together. But in the meantime, if you don’t mind maybe not being able to play when you want, or having random crashes and missing rewards then dive into Helldivers 2. These are all growing pains and can be resolved, at the end of the day this game is blast, made more so when you are playing with friends which is evident if you watch any of our gameplay videos. If you all pick this up and happen to be teamed with ZeroTolerance, just watch ya back because he is all about completing the mission, teammates be damned. LOL.

Banishers: Ghost of Eden is a unique title that just stumbles along the way. It has some severe pacing issues and clunky combat that really drag down the overall experience. I wanted to love it a lot more than I did. It feels like Dontnod’s usual unique take on a genre that feels just a bit undercooked. Still once it drops in price and perhaps receives a few updates, I think this could easily graduate to the status of hidden gem. There are a lot of cool concepts here that I really enjoyed. I just wish I didn’t have to wait so long to get to them.

Tomb Raider Remastered is a fantastic collection that checks all the right boxes. I adored these games and revisiting them has been a treat. I cannot recommend this collection enough if you are like me and have nostalgia for those original titles. They just don’t make them like this anymore. The sense of wonder and exploration mixed with the subtle music cues and adventure are truly unmatched. It was great revisiting these and I hope the next game in the series takes a few notes from the ones that started it all.

Lil Guardsman is a perfect palate cleanser in this sea of bigger releases in early 2024. Its heartwarming and genuinely funny story and cast of characters make multiple playthroughs a joy and not a chore to replay. I have become a huge fan of indie games in the past few years, and developer Hilltop Studios have come out swinging with Lil Guardsman. Perfectly walking that line between cozy and comedy, I loved every minute of this one and if you need a smile; I highly recommend it.

It’s really quite a shame because at its core, Uni 2 is a wonderful fighter with incredible depth and plenty of style to spare. The sheer amount of freedom in how I can control my character is second to none in all the fighters I’ve played but the awful PC port and the numerous game breaking issues on launch that have resulted in a dwindling player base makes it harder to recommend than it should be.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is full of potential. The game is a blast to play. The story is one of the best in a video game in a while, and there is a lot here for those that enjoy looter shooters. This almost feels like two games in one. I loved the campaign, but had little interest in the end game, while others will likely breeze through the story just to grind. I hope they continue the flow of content for both audiences because I would love to revisit it down the line. Also patch in that offline mode ASAP. Being mid boss fight for the server to disconnect is a huge bummer and makes me not want to play.

In 2024 there is an abundance of games in both our future and our past. I can’t recommend Turnip Boy Robs A Bank when there are better games to play, even if the game released into Game Pass there’s better ways to spend time and much better ways to spend time doing what Turnip Boy Robs A Bank is trying to do and in my opinion only just succeeding at. A passing grade is not a compliment. I promise the Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion review is more positive as this game made me go back and actually finish it because I wanted to make sure I didn’t misremember the hour I played when it came out (the button layout was messy so I put it aside) and I was glad to find out I wasn’t wrong. Turnip Boy deserves better.

I hope Turnip Boy returns to this format because I think this is a better canvas for the ideas the developers have character wise, but I also think it allowed them to be more creative with gameplay than Turnip Boy Robs A Bank (which the review for should be up alongside this one). I think Turnip Boy is worth people’s time, it just comes down to dollar per hour value because I think I finished most of what this game had to offer in about 3-4 hours and while I think $15 is worth that, other people don’t.

Phantom Abyss can be a run roguelite with its free-running, puzzle solving, and trap avoiding adventures. But throw in the phantoms of real-world players who act as a guide of what to do and not do through these temples takes things to another level. Mileage can vary though as a lot of the puzzles, temples and traps are reused and thus can make the game start to drag on and feel repetitive. Being in early access for so many years though there is quite a lot of content here that players can dig through before fatigue will set in. And with all the talk about Indiana Jones lately, why not start practicing your whip skills.

Despite its tumultuous development cycle, Granblue Fantasy: Relink is a grand achievement that impressed from beginning to end with its fantastic presentation and thrilling set pieces- brought together as a total package with a cast of unique playable characters and satisfying combat that I can see myself continue to “Zeta Dive” back into for many more hours to come.

With a full explorable River City, a story with multiple endings and the surprise Double Dragon fighting game; there is a lot on offer in Rivals Showdown. Unfortunately, it’s held back by an overly repetitive soundtrack which will start to grate on one’s nerves, and some very uneven combat until the late game. These games are usually good for some fun beat-em up action but it takes so long for this entry to hit its stride with the combat that by the end I was just running on auto pilot. I think there is a lot here for fans to discover but this isn’t going to bring in any new fans, especially when the last two entries in the River City Saga were much better.

I really wanted to love Rogue Trader, especially with how much I love the universe but more so because I had just come down from the high that is Baldur’s Gate 3. And perhaps this is unfair but the majority of my playtime was me grumbling because what is 1 step in BG3 was 5 or 6 in Rogue Trader. I do realize that both games are built on different rule sets but I just didn’t have fun playing with the one in Rogue Trader despite how much I love the universe. All of the bugs and issues I ran into didn’t help anything either, if you are interested in this one, I would suggest waiting for a few patches before really digging in.

For a game that is all about puzzles it was a pleasant surprise to find so much of it set against a philosophical backdrop. Various conversations with Elohim (which is the Hebrew name for God) and characters from Greek mythology led to some genuinely thought-provoking questions. But for as much as this game made me think with its questions and musings about life, death and everything in between it was the puzzles that really pushed me. Players will come across quite a few difficult puzzles throughout their time in Talos Principle 2 but I can assure you that the hit of dopamine that you will get from your brain for the reward is well worth it.

Tekken 8 is an outstanding entry into the series with a ton of content for both online and offline players. This is how you pack a game with enough content to keep players invested. The plethora of modes, customization, and superb game play create a package that any fan of the genre should not miss.