MonsterVine
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Latest Reviews
It was, and still is, really common for people to think of a film and say, ‘That would make a great video game.’ It was the bedrock of the video game industry for most of its existence, for better or (mostly) worse. It became something of an assumption, maybe even...
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...
Resident Evil Requiem is the culmination of everything Capcom has done with the series since Resident Evil 7 Biohazard. It offers some of the best survival horror action gameplay in the series, while finding ways to keep the more horror-focused sections still feeling tense. The story requires you to be...
It is a pleasure to encounter games that make me remember my youth, and Crisol: Theater of Idols is the kind of game that makes me fondly remember the 90s. In a world of constantly-launching and failing live service games, forced multiplayer, battle passes, and other ways to milk the...
Follow the story of a woman’s life from childhood through old age, presented in an entirely text-free format.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties does lose a few things in the process of remaking the underrated Yakuza 3, but the added content and more refined combat system make this a thoroughly enjoyable installment in the series. The story changes are a bit confusing, but being able to play...
Under the Island is a bright and colorful game, but much like the ominous and vast hidden undercity the heroines encounter, it isn’t all it appears to be. Under the Island is plagued by bugs, a lack of gameplay polish, and frustration.
Mario Tennis Fever stands out as a delightful tennis game, even to someone as uninterested in sports games as myself. A bit too much of the story mode is a very slow tutorial, but the plethora of match types to try and the rock-solid core tennis gameplay make this a...
