Jeremy Peeples
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Hardcore Gamer Latest Reviews
We took a look at Capcom Fighting Collection 2 recently and in that time, our enjoyment of it has only grown. Like the prior two Capcom Fighting Collection entries, this second non-Marvel entry focuses on the breadth of Capcom's fighting game releases, with a particular focus on the late '90s and early '00s. It's a time that felt like another era of rebirth for both Capcom and SNK while highlighting 2D fighting games in new ways thanks to crossover titles and newer hardware allowing for polygonal titles and 3D titles to coexist. That aspect of the industry is somewhat lost to time as it's thought that 3D eradicated 2D games for a while, but as this collection shows, that wasn't the case.
WWE 2K24 was a massive step forward for the series as a historical wrestling game -- something that it was struggling with since returning with 2K22 . 2K24 saw the franchise return to its 2K19 -level of greatness when it came to replicating many different eras of in-ring action and that was showcased nicely with the legends roster consisting of Jerry Lawler and Bruno Sammartino, who excelled at doing little in terms of moves, but everything they did was done well and evoked passion from the crowd. Organic matches from many different eras allow a wrestling game to be more timeless and outside of the combos and rolling evasion, nothing really broke the immersion of that.
Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown offers up a lot of fun both on the track and in its simulated world. A lot of work was put in to make Hong Kong Island feel like a realistic place with far more exploration than one is used to in a racing game. Some of those elements don't hit perfectly, but the on-track performance is what counts the most and Solar Crown largely succeeds there. Races are fun and even on-foot exploration offers up something that helps Solar Crown stand out. Unfortunately, the online-only component of things complicates far more of the experience than it benefits and causes odd problems to occur that makes it tough to fully recommend Solar Crown.
Freedom Planet 2 takes everything that worked about the original's quick pace and diverse playable cast and improves upon it. The samey-feeling character play has been completely revamped allowing every playthrough to feel different, while keeping enough familiar elements across each character to make each runthrough rewarding. The gameplay has been tightened up while the blend of story mixed in with gameplay has been improved in terms of pacing and acting. The graphics have remained outstainding, but received a visual overhaul in terms of detail level that nicely improves upon the first.
Tomb Raider I-III Remastered finds itself in a tough spot because what it aims to do is replicate the original trilogy with all of its content on modern hardware and it does it well. The biggest problem it faces is that the new coat of paint is largely just that -- the core gameplay is still rooted in early 3D jankiness and feels awkward to play now -- and in some ways, it's harder to wrap your mind around it now since no control scheme offered up feelings as natural as anything featured in a Tomb Raider game since the PS2 days onward. The new visuals look good in theory, but have odd clipping problems in motion and the animations being rooted in the PS1 games hurts the modern-day wrapper as well. It very much feels like a lot of effort went into making this feel authentic to the originals -- but to a fault.
Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 takes everything that worked about the original and expands upon it. The core racing action is improved across the board with more kinds of races to partake in and a more in-depth story mode to keep things moving forward. There's always a goal to attain with XP gaining new vehicles and parts and every race feels like it serves a greater purpose. It controls like a dream, looks gorgeous and offers a satisfying, fast-paced racing experience for all who seek one. Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 is among the best licensed racers of the past decade and a must-play for racing fans.
Silent Hope is an outstanding dungeon crawler and one of the few on the market that are easy to recommend for players either burned by prior games or who are completely new to the genre. Having so many different kinds of characters to play as keeps every run fresh and encourages the player to not only keep trying with another run, but do so with a different character with every failure to see if their outcome changes. It controls wonderfully across the board with responsive button commands and accurate stick movements. It looks good enough too, with a consistent framerate and a complete lack of slowdown and should be a must-buy for anyone looking to get into dungeon crawlers or who wants to experience one that emphasizes player fun over pure loot.
The Crew Motorfest is easily the best entry in the series to date and serves as a new launching point for the franchise. It has needed an identity of its own for a long time and while it may seem odd, going back to what made the first couple of Forza Horizon games work well while keeping some of The Crew 2's vehicle variety intact winds up being a winning combination. Every race type is executed well, with the street racing and open-wheel being true standouts, while the visual design shines and accents the audio with a slick soundtrack and impressive sound design.
Rhapsody: The Marl Kingdom Chronicles is a must-buy for anyone seeking an RPG experience that makes it easy to see the beauty in the world around you. Its tales are celebrations of hope and happiness and in the case of the second game, are compelling from start to finish. The third entry going from one timeline to another feels disjointed as a result. They're each worth playing, though, and the collection as a whole does a great job of bringing the games to an English-speaking audience for the first time.
Atelier Marie Remake is an outstanding re-imagining that takes everything that worked about the original game while modernizing and creating a better-flowing experience. Combat is a lot snappier by default and gains even more of an advantage with auto-battle and fast-forward being added in. The adventure's usage of allies and friendship-building alongside quest lines helps flesh out character relationships and add drama to things while the redone graphics and art style are a big win. The original title looked fantastic for a tactical RPG on the PS1, but the remake looks outstanding for any genre on PS4 and PS5. The lushly-detailed character models and environments shine brightly and do look best on higher-end hardware, but still look impressive on older technology as well. The original and revamped soundtracks are impressive and other than the lack of English voice over, there isn't much to complain about with the audio. The whole presentation is top-notch and it's a fantastic gateway game for anyone new to the Atelier games or who just wants a new JRPG experience with a fast pace to the combat.