Dalton Cooper
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Game Rant Latest Reviews
Pragmata certainly starts strong, but it doesn't have quite enough to stay completely engaging all the way to the end credits. It's a highly-polished sci-fi game with fun combat and exploration, but its lackluster story and characters keep it from reaching its full potential. Still, it's exciting to have a completely original IP from Capcom, and while Pragmata doesn't live up to the high bar set by some of the studio's other efforts, it's a mostly worthwhile adventure.
Pokemon Champions is easier to tolerate because its monetization model doesn't seem to be predatory or egregious, like what we see with many other free-to-play games. It delivers fun Pokemon battles that look great, but the game's biggest issue is the lack of content. Anyone that needs a little more than endless Pokemon battles isn't going to get a lot out of Pokemon Champions, but at least those that do decide to play it regularly won't have to break the bank to enjoy it.
If you played MLB The Show 25, you can probably skip MLB The Show 26, but if you are someone that didn't check out last year's version, the new game will likely provide more value. MLB The Show 26 is iterative, not essential, and while it delivers fantastic core gameplay and enough content to keep hardcore baseball fans busy for hours on end, the franchise could definitely benefit from a more significant and daring upgrade soon.
With fun multiplayer and an addicting story mode that is virtually impossible to put down once you get going, Pokopia has absolutely nailed the concept of combining the world of Pokemon with the life-sim genre. It's as good as the best life-sims, and a must-buy for Switch 2 owners. And if you don't have a Switch 2 yet, Pokopia is one of the best reasons to go out and buy the console ASAP.
Crisol isn't a perfect survival-horror game, but that's not to say that it's not a solid time overall. I really enjoyed Crisol's combat and though the levels are a little bloated, the game still delivers a fairly solid rendition of the classic survival-horror gameplay loop. Genre fans should definitely make sure to give it a look.
At launch, Highguard has five maps, eight Wardens, and one game mode. Highguard's flagship Raid mode is a lot of fun, but there is so much potential here to expand into other modes that perhaps cater to other gaming tastes. There's no reason why Highguard's action and characters can't shine on smaller, more traditional multiplayer maps like those seen in Call of Duty and Halo. A mode that completely eliminates the looting and armor aspect would also be interesting.
Despite the fumble here, I think that an open world Metroid Prime game can work, but it can't be a half-measure like Beyond is. Beyond could have been a revolutionary step forward like Breath of the Wild was for Zelda, but instead it's a weird in-between that is only fun when it is recycling its old ideas and everything new it tries falls flat on its face. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond has an identity crisis and the result is a baffling open world surrounded by solid dungeons that still fall short of what came before.
Digimon Story: Time Stranger does some things right, but its repetitive quests and dungeons drag the experience down significantly, to the point where it becomes almost a chore to play at times. Still, hardcore Digimon fans may be able to overlook even its most glaring flaws, as the game was clearly built with love for the franchise.
Even so, LEGO Party is a polished, fun party game that delivers exactly what its title promises. It's basically Mario Party with LEGOs, but there is nothing wrong with that. Party game fans will get a lot out of LEGO Party, and while it may not have enough to justify playing it for hours on end in single sessions, it is something that will be easy to go back to on game nights.
Cronos: The New Dawn does some great things, but going into it expecting the same level of polish and quality as the Silent Hill 2 remake is a mistake. Despite a rather unique story concept and a few clever ideas, Cronos: The New Dawn is a fairly run-of-the-mill survival-horror game with a few key flaws that hold it back from being as good as its inspirations or Bloober Team's own Silent Hill 2 remake.