Tom Marks

Author
78
Avg Score

This author account hasn't been claimed yet. To claim this account, please contact the outlet owner to request access.

Writing For

Latest Reviews

Kirby and the Forgotten Land successfully warps the series’ already fun mix of ability-based combat, platforming, and secret hunting into the third dimension. The post-apocalyptic setting may not be as thematically interesting as Planet Popstar, but it is still lovely and vibrant, with cleverly designed levels that make consistently smart use of Kirby’s abilities. Despite the change in perspective, Forgotten Land maintains most of what I love about classic Kirby games – and if the future means more 3D adventures for our hungry pink hero, I’d be more than happy to swallow them up

Even if Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour were the pack-in game it feels like it was meant to be, the execution of its charming concept is a muddled collection of quaint tech demos and boring factoids dressed up as an uncompelling completionist checklist.

Blue Prince

Blue Prince

April 6, 2025
9

Blue Prince's ever-shifting halls and rich web of enticing mysteries easily secure its place as an all-time puzzle great.

Monster Hunter Wilds

Monster Hunter Wilds

February 23, 2025
8

Monster Hunter Wilds continues to smooth off the rougher corners of the series in smart ways, making for some extremely fun fights but also lacking any real challenge.

Wattam

Wattam

December 15, 2019
8

Wattam is a weird and wild fever dream of a game, but it’s the most enjoyable fever dream I’ve ever had. Its loop of using ridiculous, anthropomorphic characters to complete simple tasks in order to gather more ridiculous, anthropomorphic characters succeeds thanks to the silly and fun situations it puts you in, even if it’s not the most complex or challenging loop to begin with. I can’t help but feel like some of the most interesting ideas Wattam uses to shake things up aren’t fully explored, but being a part of this friendly world, however briefly, is a true joy.

Little Town Hero

Little Town Hero

October 15, 2019
7

Little Town Hero exudes charm from every corner of its adorable little village, and couples that personality with an absurd and utterly unique combat system full of combos I loved discovering. Its knack for turning exciting fights into slow-paced battles that sometimes hand you frustrating losses based on random dice rolls may have worn on me at times, especially before I unlocked some of my hero’s stronger abilities, but it’s still a town I was happy to have visited.

Untitled Goose Game

Untitled Goose Game

September 19, 2019
8

Video games have made me a god, a superhero, and a savior of planets, but rarely have I felt more powerful than in Untitled Goose Game. Being given control of this feathered menace and armed with a checklist of hilarious, dickish tasks to complete is some of the most fun I’ve had with a game all year. My only real complaint is its fairly short runtime – I would have gladly spent hours longer goosing around. But even still, the charming design of its world and the clever challenges within it had me laughing, smiling, and eagerly honking the whole way through.

A true beast of an expansion, Monster Hunter World: Iceborne adds a boatload of impressive new and returning monsters and improvements to an already incredible game. It’s almost big enough to be a sequel in terms of the sheer amount of content it adds – even if it leans a little bit too heavily on Subspecies and Variants of familiar monsters at times (though that’s an issue veteran fans may not be bothered by as much). Iceborne is exciting and creative throughout, reiterating Monster Hunter: World’s place as one of the very best games of this generation.

FAR: Lone Sails

FAR: Lone Sails

August 15, 2019
9

Far: Lone Sails is a gorgeous little game. Like the machine that acts as your stalwart partner the whole way through, it can be clunky at times, but any bumps in the road are easily paved over thanks to some beautiful environments, plenty of exciting encounters, and the absolutely stunning music that accompanies it all. Its full of stressful challenges that made me truly care for the vehicle that carried me through them, and very few games have matched the moments of absolute bliss that come from unfurling my sails and peacefully cruising along with its fleeting fair winds.

In yet another take on the Infinity Stone saga, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order is a fun and irreverent comic book story that pulls from an exceptionally wide pool of Marvel material. Its combat systems are fairly simple, but they were still surprisingly engaging as I excitedly experimented with different hero combinations while my roster of A, B, and C-list characters grew. Its vast array of post-game upgrades and other extras has been uninteresting so far, and there are (unsurprisingly) some inherited camera issues in co-op, but this superhero brawler is still a treat to play alone and with friends alike.