Nicholas Plouffe
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COGConnectedLatest Reviews
When MachineGames went back to Wolfenstein with The New Order back in 2014, they did the first-person shooter genre a great service. The follow-up DLC, The Old Blood, was a feather in their cap to celebrate their no-nonsense approach to shooting Nazis. Once more, this studio has struck Nazi gold with Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus. Suspense, violence, and some damn fine shooting await anyone ready to take up the torch and fight for good ol’ freedom and equality.
Chroma Squad is what you get when you combine Power Rangers and tactical RPGs, but lack the actual Power Rangers IP. Frankly I went in not expecting much, but have come away not only impressed but wanting more episodes and seasons to dazzle my fans with.
Deck 13 gave us Lords of the Fallen in 2014, and while it had some cool ideas it was also bug-ridden and awkward. These developers have taken what they learned and molded it into something new with The Surge, ditching the gothic look for something a bit more futuristic in the process.
It’s been a long journey, but after nearly a decade Owlboy is finally here! Usually such a long development cycle results in tragedy, but D-Pad Studio seems to know how to play the long con. Amazing art, fun gameplay, and a memorable cast await you in this 2D platforming adventure game.
It’s interesting to come across experiences like The Final Station that leave you grasping at straws in a good way. Do My Best Games has done a fantastic job at setting up a unique, mysterious world that teases you with tidbits of information as you ride the rails from town to town. Can you shuttle your passengers to safety as you flee the impending horrors?
If you’ve played Ubisoft’s Child of Light, you can expect a few similarities. The protagonist is a young girl looking for her family in a strange land, except this time you’re underwater in a submarine, and it’s not a turn-based RPG. Instead, you’ll find yourself slowly uncovering the vast labyrinth of caves and shipwrecks, upgrading as you go.
It’s nice and refreshing to get a roguelite that is actually engaging, fun, and has a wall you can throw yourself at until it crumbles. In Neon Chrome, you can expect hours of chaotic and destructive fun as you fight your way up a series of floors on your quest to stop the overseer, and it never seems to get dull.
We previewed 12 is Better Than 6 back in September, when it was in a pre-Alpha state and seeking funding on Kickstarter. Ink Stains Games has since finished and released this top-down Western shooter, delivering a brutal experience that any Hotline Miami fan shouldn’t miss out on. You play as a Mexican man suffering from amnesia. There’s a bounty on your head, and you only know one way to get the answers you need: with a fistful of iron and lead. You’re crass, you’re mean, and you’ll do whatever it takes to figure out who you are and where you came from.
So the latest installment in the Anno series is out, going even further into the future. New tech, new climates, and a visual upgrade await in this AAA-priced building game, but is that enough to justify shelling out the big bucks? While Anno 2205 on its own is a very cool and well-constructed city sim, as part of the Anno franchise I’m sad to say it falls incredibly short.
Sometimes when you play a game, you’re left wanting more. It was good, but not quite what it could have been. Maybe one of the core mechanics didn’t feel right or some of the level design was underwhelming but whatever the reason, you’re not satisfied. Unfortunately this is the case with The Swindle. It has a lot of right things going for it, but ultimately what’s wrong with it will really drive you crazy.