James Paley
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COGConnectedLatest Reviews
Crushed In Time is a clever puzzle adventure full of weird meta twists that spins out of a single genius mechanic.
Outbound
In that way, Outbound is kind of like real-life camping. Freed from any burdensome goals, you’re merely soaking in the sights and enriching your experience. Rather than bingeing this game on a weekend, you’d be better served by checking in for a few hours a week. Stop by, light a...
Bubsy 4D
I had a lot of fun with Bubsy 4D. The platforming is frantic and flailing, but somehow still precise and forgiving. The writing is corny yet charming. And the visuals feel nostalgic for a world that existed for a handful of Saturday mornings. At the same time, this game can...
While this might not be my usual type of game, I had a great time with it nonetheless. Elder Gods is crammed with gorgeous set pieces, clever puzzles, and engrossing writing. I got stuck more than I would have liked, which threw off the pacing. Between that and the adventurous...
Although I love anime, and I love games, I often find the two somewhat diminished when combined. Etrange Overlord is an excellent story, with clever dialogue and wonderful voice acting coming together to keep you hooked for more or less the whole runtime. And yet, the actual gameplay falls a...
But this same focus means that the core audience for Twisted Redemption is the same as it’s always been. Outsiders like myself are unlikely to be converted to the cause. If you don’t have the patience and persistence needed to endlessly run that core loop, you won’t find your way...
You spend a lot of time in Pokopia just messing around, but it adds up to something satisfying. Making habitats, befriending Pokémon, exploring, and cleaning up the environment all feel like little tasks at first. But they slowly turn into something more significant. It’s a smooth process that feels perfectly...
Even though some of the peripheral bits were less polished, the core gameplay in Fever is red hot. Actually playing a match of Tennis in this game is downright excellent. The regular matches are excellent, the tournaments are intense, and the special matches are all awesome. If you’re looking to...
Obviously, any fans of the Paper Mario series will be right at home here. The mechanics and the art style are both familiar enough to draw you in, but it’s the original touches that keep you engaged. I’m fascinated by the anti-capitalist message, even if the soundtrack left me somewhat...
I don’t play Octopath games for the plot. This is more true than ever before with Octopath Traveler 0. This story spends several long hours being a gigantic bummer. It’s bad enough to mess up the pacing and sap my enthusiasm. On the other hand, the mechanical systems at work...
Once you strip away the needless open-world padding, there’s an excellent game underneath. The world is engrossing and beautiful, the boss fights are clever, and the new controls are seamlessly integrated into the rest of the game. There are some breathtaking sights to see, and Samus is sporting some awesome...
Fast & Furious: Arcade Edition is a lot of fun, for about an hour or so. After that, you’re running the same six courses with different vehicles until you’ve memorized them. Along the way, you’ll almost certainly get sick of seeing these races run over and over. While the essential...
