Asif Khan
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ShackNewsLatest Reviews
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a delightful surprise in what has been an amazing year for Nintendo's iconic mascot. The game offers the right amount of challenges while remaining accessible to a wide cross-section of players. It can be enjoyed as a single player and also as something to be broken out in a party atmosphere. At its core Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a fun and fantastic escape from reality that will leave players smiling for years to come.
Octodad: Dadliest Catch is a bizarre game in many ways, and that is true of Bugsnax as well. The fact that there is no fail condition for players in this game is super encouraging while not holding back from the challenge of catching a Bugsnak or completing a mission. The interaction of all the gameplay mechanics with the variety of ways to catch Bugsnax makes this game supremely enjoyable. There were several times during my playthrough that something happened to work out and I just laughed. Bugsnax is a game that challenges the player while allowing them to play at their own pace. Young Horses has tapped into the essence of what made their first title Octodad so special with this second game, and the result is a truly emotional ending to the story of the century.
Vicarious Visions has a masterpiece on their hands with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2. They handled the remake of theses games with the right amount of reverance while still leaving their own signature on the work. THPS 1+2 combines awesome gameplay mechanics, impressive graphics, and an outstanding soundtrack in a complete package of skateboarding greatness. Some modes like the online multiplayer function could use more work, but the game makes up for any minor shortcomings with the overwhelming amount of things that are done just right. From nods to past versions of the game, to the pixel-for-pixel remakes of each iconic level, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 is one of the best games to be released in all of 2020. Congratulations to Vicarious Visions! I can only hope that the studio will be allowed to release a THPS 3+4 on the way to creating a brand new THPS 6 experience with the great framework that they have built here.
Tetris Effect is the best iteration of the game franchise since the New Tetris on Nintendo 64. The team at Enhance Games took serious risks with gameplay and the payoff is tremendous for gamers. Anyone who loves puzzlers will instantly be drawn in by the new feel of it and folks who are new to the series will be surprised and delighted by the absurd attention to detail found in every corner of this game. Tetris Effect is one of the best games to be released this year, and Tetsuya Mizuguichi's team has truly changed the game for the better. This is the update to Tetris no one knew they needed, but now that we have it, it is impossible to imagine stepping back.