MonsterVine
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Latest Reviews
Super Meat Boy 3D is an overall tight adaptation of the iconic Team Meat platformer into the squishier third dimension. The visual style loses some of its unique Flash edge in the transition to 3D, but the stages themselves retain the teeth-clenching challenge and goofy humor that made Super Meat...
Thirty two years. That’s how long it’s been since the release of the original Marathon, a series that, after two additional games, went into hibernation while Bungie developed the Halo series. Well, it’s finally time to return to Tau Ceti IV, and it’s no less dangerous than it was last...
Life is Strange: Reunion is a solid attempt at sending-off series progenitors, Chloe and Max. Unfortunately, due to some pacing issues, Max’s power usage, and the handling of Chloe’s return, Life is Strange: Reunion feels like less of a send-off and more of a one-off, resulting in a weak series...
Screamer builds upon the impressive racing chops Milestone has developed with recent titles like Hot Wheels Unleashed, introducing a unique control scheme and focusing on an in-depth story. While some elements of the story drag or spin their wheels, there are enough strong character moments to propel you to the...
The Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection is a top-notch gathering of Mega Man DS games that never fully got their due. The games themselves are great, the remaster features are fantastic upgrades, and the bonus content is delightfully informative. If you never played the Mega Man Star Force games,...
Damon and Baby has some endearing qualities and decent gameplay at its core, but its repetitive nature and a few clunky mechanics keep it from being a truly grand AA game. The core gameplay and world are intriguing, but they can’t quite make the game truly stand out.
John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando has been a game that I’ve been looking forward to ever since it was first announced at Summer Game Fest in 2023. Throughout the years, Saber Interactive has mastered the art of throwing endless hordes of monsters at you, all while ensuring you’re able to somehow...
We’re only two and a half months into the year, and Pokémon Pokopia has already made an incredibly strong case for Game of the Year. The simulation and crafting elements ride the perfect line between easy to grasp and challenging to maximize, the Pokémon themselves are delightful to collect and...
I am known for my position that Disco Elysium is the best game ever, and I’m not sure if Esoteric Ebb is going to dethrone it, but it’s definitely going on the medal podium. This is Disco Elysium by way of Planescape: Torment, but with the humor of Discworld, a...
Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake is an immensely frightening and cleverly designed horror game, slightly held back by a couple of clunky aspects. Even so, the ingenuity behind the core concept and the freaky aesthetic go a long way in making this a very worthwhile remake.
What is the purpose of remastering an old game? Is it to preserve as much of the original product as possible? Should the team simply look to upscale the game so it plays on modern platforms, or is it important to make something new, to expand on something potentially missed?
Scott Pilgrim EX takes a different approach than the previous Scott Pilgrim beat-em-up, which works in some ways and feels a bit stiff in others. Despite the slightly wonky format, the aesthetic and gameplay are excellent, and there are lots of fun nods for fans of the source material to...