Cory Wells
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Hardcore Gamer Latest Reviews
San Diego Studios is celebrating the 20th Anniversary of MLB The Show this year. MLB The Show 25 is also relieving the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One of its duties by making the game prioritized on current-generation consoles (outside of the Nintendo Switch version). Some new things have been added including a new gameplay system known as Showtech, a new boardgame-inspired mode in Diamond Dynasty, good presentation elements and more. At the core of MLB The Show 25, even going completely to a new generation and noting meaningful changes, the series just feels left on second base. A dynasty of a bygone era.
Ten years ago, many would wonder if an officially-licensed PGA Tour game would ever happen again. Fast-forward to today and the genre is eating better than it ever has. There's competition in PGA games and if developer HB Studios was told in 2017 that this is where The Golf Club series would be today, everyone would probably faint. 2K picked up the reigns of that series and transitioned it over to the PGA 2K series. PGA 2K23 saw tremendous growth and improvement over time as the development team would wait two years until the series' next release. PGA 2K25 is now here and is only on current generation consoles along with PC. The strides are substantial.
Football is played on the field and this is clearly where the development team focused with Madden NFL 25. The changes to the physics are meaningful and can create opportunities that weren't previously available in the series thanks to BOOM Tech. Getting a perfect hit with Hit Stick 2.0 can be satisfying thanks in part to sound of the pads and the visual cue. Receiver and defender interactions when going for the ball are engaging and the offensive line play is fantastic. The steps EA has taken to make Madden look and sound like Sunday are clear. The holdback comes down to the same experience with the modes in the game, albeit some surface level changes. The new broadcast options and the presentation updates help Madden NFL 25 to feel different.
The removal of content hurts this year's official Formula One game. F1 24 went in a bold direction with its physics, but now the game borders on a casual racer due to the lack of difficulty for simulating a Formula One car. Racing will be more aggressive because these cars stay glued to the track with minimal punishment for pushing the car. The graphics and audio options are where the game stands out the best. The ongoing bugs will continue to hamper the experience, so here's to hoping these things are addressed. It's neat to take one of the Legendary Drivers into the career mode, as Senna hasn't been playable in years in the series. The changes to Career Mode are subtle, but a good bit of the modes come down to the same experience previously seen or just a mode to get rewards or a high score. Maybe the overhaul needs to begin with focusing on current-generation systems.
Anyone who is a fan of South Park needs to play SOUTH PARK: SNOW DAY!, especially if they really enjoyed Stick of Truth. The cooperative gameplay with the action/adventure combat element actually makes this more approachable to play with others compared to Stick of Truth, which was a turn-based RPG. If you are not a fan of South Park, some of the gameplay limitations may inhibit the experience as it seems the development team didn't want to over-complicate the gameplay while also focusing on the story being told. With post-game options and the ability to play with others, this adds replayability, but currently it's hard to tell if the longevity will be there unless there are plans for narrative DLC down the road. The horde mode option helps to add to this. The art and combat design here does work, but the main issue comes with the audio complaints with mixing and repetitive lines. The world of South Park is the driving force of SOUTH PARK: SNOW DAY!.
San Diego Studio focused on a few primary additions for MLB The Show 24. Adding two Storylines and the way this was produced and the pacing of the gameplay opens the door for the future. These docu-series without taxing gameplay that provide rewards will keep players occupied early, on top of learning about baseball history that includes one of the greatest dynasties of all time. Other changes to Road to the Show and Franchise are noticeable at the surface level, but the experience of both remains unchanged. The same goes into the other modes that are here. The game still feels dated, but the addition of more animations and the emotion that's felt from individual player's faces animations help with upping the experience of each game played.
If you're a returning player of the Payday franchise, you'll like what Payday 3 offers with multiple heists and keeping its core gameplay design intact. Increased visual fidelity is a big bonus and adding cross-play to increase the player base allows for even quicker matchmaking when the servers are actually online. The first two weeks were difficult, but once in, the confined sandbox design of cooperative heist play is still fun and addicting. Going above those means and looking for something more will mean you will be introduced to the grind of unlocking skills and more guns, no matter how much money you make on a heist. When Payday 3 is clicking on all cylinders, it's a proper upgrade to the previous game and you won't care about the grind, but rather the fun that is had on each mission.
Turn 10 Studios and PlayGround Games have improved the simulation racing aspect with Forza Motorsport. The racing is clearly the focus and the results are best experienced with a wheel as the tire model physics have helped to push this more into sim racing territory. The game still offers accessibility to those who need it while helping players new to car culture and racing better understand the elements of it. The Builders Cup is the bulk of the game, but the way cars are upgraded and the slow progression will probably offer a mixed reaction. The selection of cars is excellent and the game also offers a great variety of circuits with notable American circuits not typically seen in games, but some other questionable ones are missing. The graphics requirements are pushed, but it doesn't seem like a large upgrade, if any, over Forza Horizon 5 at launch. There are other cars on the track and a lot more going on then Horizon, but to take advantage of Ray Tracing requires a lot, and to maximize the visual experience on the Series X means the racing is done at 30 FPS. The updated multiplayer options is welcoming and Rivals allows...