The RIG brand itself was picked up by NACON, a company who are fast making waves in the gaming scene by taking on a range of games and ideas. It is with them that the RIG 500 PRO HX has been slightly reworked, remodelled, and redesigned. It’s all the better for it.
If you want a game that focuses fully on exploring, chatting to animals and becoming absorbed in another reality then come on in, drink the Kool-Aid and wander around An Airport for Aliens Currently Run by Dogs.
Arrest of a Stone Buddha is a superficial and empty video game. Despite having some novelty in its setting and ideas, there is simply no semblance of coherent game structure or practical gameplay mechanics. It almost feels like a concept to what could have potentially been a very cool 2D action game, but as it stands Arrest of a Stone Buddha is a pretty meaningless one; one that has been poorly ported and presented on Xbox.
Once Biomutant gets going, you really get to feel it. The combat is the outstanding element, the chance to dictate your own route through the world is another, and even though visually things occasionally come across as hit or miss, on the whole the Biomutant adventure is one that is utterly engrossing. Give it time and this is one post-apocalyptic kung-fu RPG you won’t be able to tear yourself away from.
At the moment, it seems like the roguelikes just keep coming. The best part, however, is that we continue to see roguelikes throw in new ideas to mix everything up. Nongunz: Doppelganger Edition is no different. Even if some of its experimentation does not land quite right, it does enough to not only justify its existence but to provide an entertaining time as well.
If you’re a fan of the series and want a new challenge or have a real interest in Japan, then you’ll find the natural challenges of the new map a fun brain-teaser along with four different campaigns. If you’re new to the series, then you may wish to start with the vanilla Railway Empire, unless your Japanese geography is pretty good!
Rabisco+ feels like a tracing of other games, but without any of their colour. By trying to keep the controls to the absolute basics, it never feels challenging, varied or interesting enough. It’s neither enjoyable or unenjoyable - but we would have happily taken either, just so it could have stuck in the memory for more than five minutes.
0 Degrees’s two big guns, the creation and freezing of ice blocks, are loaded with blanks. By applying physics to its ice blocks, and not tightening up the ways in which you create them, it feels like you’re climbing a mountain with all the wrong tools. Adding insult to injury, 0 Degrees creates a complex obstacle course that would only have worked if those tools were fit for purpose. Somewhere in all that snow and ice, there’s a fun puzzler with precision controls. We chipped away as much as we could, but couldn’t find it. Then we went back to playing Celeste.
As a retro-throwback, Jay and Silent Bob: Mall Brawl does its job extremely well. Heck, in some ways it does it too well. If you were the type who grew up on these games, I can say with all due respect that you will probably have a good time with this if you want to connect with your inner child.
As turn-based battlers go, Guards is minimalist to a fault. You will wonder how it can possibly hold your attention for more than a few minutes. But let its few strong ideas sing, and persist past the stingy first few runs, and you’ll start to feel rewarded. Enjoyment might even creep in. Just pull the eject cord before the grind hits.
Infestor is a puzzle-platform snack that won’t leave a bad taste, but won’t fill you up either. Sure, popping humans never gets old, but it’s the bits between the popping that feel familiar and not particularly challenging. On balance, you might be better infesting your money elsewhere.
If you’re a deckbuilder convert who is looking for a fun distraction, a throwaway riff on your favourites, then you could do much worse. Rise of the Slime has some quirks in the side-scrolling and character movement, and just enough newness in the pet system. Just don’t be fooled by the presentation: it may look like this slime has its own personality, but most of it has been absorbed from other games.
The combat system and its associated mechanics are woefully under-developed, and the game’s tendency to use those very same mechanics in the platforming sections only emphasise the problems. Look for your high fantasy elsewhere. Mystic Fate is far too frustrating to be truly enjoyable.
Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance is a good game; one that is enjoyable almost despite itself. The visuals are very old-skool - and that’s being kind - the animation is ropey and fights don’t ever feel balanced, but it still provides a decent amount of fun; all helped along by the story that unfolds
There’s no getting away from the fact that Aerial_Knight’s Never Yield is a very short game. Thankfully, it’s a truly enjoyable experience that will likely tempt you back to play more than once. It offers something different from the vast amount of games that are released in today’s market, and deserves full credit for it.
