Salal Awan
Tamagotchi Plaza offers harmless, kid-friendly minigames wrapped in colorful nostalgia, but its repetitive gameplay and shallow progression make it feel more like a tech demo than a complete game. Younger fans may enjoy the charming characters and simple shopkeeping, but the Switch 2’s motion-controlled features do little to elevate this thin package. Cute, but ultimately forgettable.
Crysis Remastered is a missed opportunity for a cult-classic to rejuvenate on modern platforms. There are too many issues to consider this remaster worthy of its name.
SPY×ANYA: Operation Memories, a spin-off from the popular anime SPYxFamily, focuses on the charming antics of Anya, providing a lighthearted and visually appealing experience.
Bluey’s Quest for the Gold Pen feels less like a cash-in and more like a lovingly crafted interactive episode, thanks to a whimsical, hand-drawn aesthetic and creator Joe Brumm's signature warmth. While its simplistic, context-sensitive mechanics and repetitive loop won't challenge older players, its pure, imaginative heart makes it a family-friendly treasure.
Motorslice delivers a visceral, momentum-driven thrill when its chainsaw-powered parkour clicks, yet it frequently stalls due to finicky context-sensitive controls and repetitive level design. While its "Shadow of the Colossus" style bosses provide high notes, the thin world-building and average combat prevent this dystopian sprint from truly reaching its peak.
Koei Tecmo’s return to Minakami Village is a visual triumph that falters under the weight of its own legacy. While the Katana Engine creates a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere, the remake is hampered by sluggish movement, frustratingly tight combat encounters, and poor optimization, leaving the iconic sisters trapped in a technically uneven nightmare.
Suda 51’s latest is a gloriously absurd, mid-budget fever dream that prioritizes stylistic madness over mechanical depth. While the spectacle-heavy boss fights charm, repetitive combat and catastrophic PC performance leave this cybernetic Romeo DOA. It’s a cult classic in the making—if it can actually maintain a stable frame rate.
While Tomba’s floaty physics and obtuse objectives remain as stubborn as an evil swine, this Special Edition triumphs through generous QoL features and curated extras. It’s a nostalgic pig-pile of content that, despite its clunky combat, offers a definitive, legally sanctioned homecoming for our pink-haired hero.
This polished isometric stealth sequel delivers an engaging story and Aardman's trademark wit, making it a good fit for fans of the series. However, the clunky controls and awkward camera angles work against the core stealth mechanics, which already feel too simplified. It is a short and easy experience, but it still offers solid replay value despite its flaws.
Despite a satisfying core gameplay loop and a solid entry point for newcomers, Everybody's Golf is an unpolished release plagued by technical issues, a cumbersome camera, and a lack of the signature charm and polish of past entries, making it a decent but ultimately unremarkable return for the series.
Pac-Man meets Metroidvania in this bizarre yet bold experiment. Shadow Labyrinth mixes arcade nostalgia with punishing Souls-like mechanics, but uneven controls and a harsh checkpoint system take away from the experience. While its Pac-Man-themed platforming shows moments of creativity, the shallow world design and clunky combat make it feel more like a curiosity than a must-play.
Mafia: The Old Country delivers a competently crafted but ultimately underwhelming prequel that falls short of franchise expectations. While the early 1900s Sicilian setting offers visual appeal and the supporting cast provides memorable moments, the experience suffers from uneven pacing, a unconvincing central romance, and repetitive gameplay mechanics. Outdated enemy AI undermines stealth encounters, and the linear structure lacks the ambition of previous entries. Despite solid performance optimization and polished presentation, this mid-budget effort feels caught between being too safe and too limited, requiring series fans to significantly lower their expectations.
Urban Myth Dissolution Center offers a visually striking and intriguing mystery-solving experience with its nostalgic pixel art and modern twists. While the gameplay loop is engaging and the social media integration adds a fresh layer, the slow pacing, underdeveloped characters, and inconsistent case quality hold it back.
A solid but uneven return for a classic fighter, Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. shines with its deep, technical gameplay and excellent rollback netcode but falters with stripped-down content and a lackluster tutorial. While its 3D combat remains engaging, the absence of single-player modes and controversial customization cuts leave fans wanting more. A promising yet flawed revival.
A nostalgic trip down the survival horror lane, Enigma of Fear blends retro aesthetics with modern 3D animation, creating a visually captivating experience. Despite its charming art style, the game's interface and presentation can leave players lost and puzzled. With a focus on challenging puzzles and an eerie atmosphere, it demands keen observation and memory. While some aspects, like the navigation and UI, fall short, the solid writing and engaging combat make it a worthwhile adventure for old-school horror fans.
Metro Awakening ventures into VR with mixed results. The game offers detailed environments and immersive sound design but struggles with performance tweaks and long load times. While it answers key lore questions and provides solid gunplay, its linear and repetitive gameplay diminishes the overall experience. Though it doesn’t match the heights of VR titans like Half-Life: Alyx, it remains an engaging spin-off for Metro fans.
Park Beyond offers a unique and engaging park simulation experience with a focus on creativity and extravagant rides, making it a standout in a market with limited competition. However, it falls short in its economic management aspect, with the challenge of balancing park profitability often leading to frustration, and the controls can feel unnecessarily complex, detracting from the overall enjoyment.
The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR is an on-rails shooter with multiple paths but has subpar visuals. It offers immersion through haptic feedback, 3D audio, and eye tracking, but the puzzles can be frustrating, and it requires patches to fix technical issues before being recommended.
Overall, Jurassic World Aftermath Collection is a decent VR game that offers a fun experience for fans of the franchise. While it has some flaws, such as repetitive gameplay and limited environments, it provides a budget-friendly option for PSVR 2 users.
Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse's English localization has cleaned-up visuals, effective Camera Obscura gameplay, and gyro aiming support on PS5, but the grainy look, confusing story, and dated controls are drawbacks.