RYAN JOHNSON
Infinite: Beyond the Mind (Switch) Review
Infinite: Beyond the Mind is a great retro arcade style game, mixing platforming with bullet hell shooting, so long as you don’t think about it too much. Cracks begin showing when you don’t know how to play to get the best score, no leaderboards, and no drop-in multiplayer whatsoever.
Ministry of Broadcast (Switch) Review
Ministry of Broadcast is a puzzle platformer in the veins of the Oddworld series of games. Set in a strange dystopia a man tries to win the chance to get to the other side of the Wall to be with his family by competing in a twisted game show.
SnowRunner (Xbox One) Review
“More of the same” can be a great compliment or a detriment in a sequel depending on what the audience hopes to get out of it. MudRunner came out a year and a half ago and impressed me with it’s ability to depict a gritty, real-world variation on driving. Instead of speeding around a track or haphazardly shooting missiles at each other, MudRunner tasked players with completing a series of jobs using real-world heavy equipment and trucks and braving the rough terrain at the edge of civilization to get jobs done. SnowRunner is the official sequel to that title and definitely improves on it’s formula, but presentation is key and a few things frustrated me about this title. It’s still a worthy addition to the series and will be enjoyed by diehards but could use a little bit of tweaking under the hood.
Broken Lines (Switch) Review
Broken Lines is an alternate-WWII storyline that meshes turn and action based SRPGs with a dash of Mass-Effect choice making and rougelike permadeath. A quality title that could use an update to allow touchscreen in mobile mode on the Switch.
Element Space (PS4) Review
Element Space tackles the XCOM-style cover based tactical shooter genre with a dash of Mass Effect moral choices. As a budget title, it’s innovative, allowing multiple playthroughs based on your morality. It would benefit better from a traditional mouse setup than a controller, though.
Deep Sky Derelicts: Definitive Edition Review (PS4)
Deep Sky Derelictts: Definitive Edition accumulates all the currently available DLC and releases them on the home consoles. A unique mix of turn-based RPG and card game with a roguelike twist, this futuristic comic-book styled game is a neat strategic title with a dash of randomization to keep it interesting.
Operencia: The Stolen Sun (Switch) Review
Zen Studios, often known for their awesome pinball games, offers a modern take on classic turn-based dungeon crawling. Operencia is a game that wears it’s old school on it’s sleeve, but has enough of a modern twist to attract newer gamers into the fold.
Wartile (PS4) Review
Wartile is a unique game that plays like a single-player board game based on Nordic mythology with a hint of “Indian in the Cupboard” feel, as these playing pieces take on a life of their own.
Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories (Switch) Review
Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories has had a shaky time getting to retail, originally slated to release the day before the huge earthquake and tsunami crisis started in Japan a few years ago. The title was resurrected and brought back for PS4 and Switch, with PSVR and HD Rumble implemented, respectively. The time and experience allowed developers to implement information gleaned from real crisis teams to add to the experience.
Langrisser I & II (Switch) Review
Langrisser is a Strategy RPG akin to Fire Emblem, while still having it’s own unique flair that allows for unique combat. This remaster is done with love, being able to swap between classic and modern graphics and music.
3000th Duel (Switch) Review
3000th Duel attempts to merge Metriodvania with a Souls-like combat experience. It makes for some frustrating slogging through areas again when you die, but this indie title has plenty of karma to keep it going for a long while.
AO Tennis 2 (Switch) Review
Tennis games are always a good time, but the really popular ones tend to lean toward arcade or party style games. Mario Tennis Aces or the still-oft-played Wii Sports tennis matches can be enjoyable but don’t offer the Madden-level sim status that true tennis fans may miss. The AO (Australian Open) Tennis series brings the realism and customization in spades. It may deter players used to the prior mentioned titles, but with time gamers will find a satisfying, if perhaps a little too deep at times with the frantic pace of your average tennis match.
Tokyo Dark: Remembrance (PS4) Review
Tokyo Dark is a creepy tale in an amalgam of point and click and true visual novel experiences. Detective Ito must pay attention to how she interacts with the world and how it directly impacts her own sanity as she delves into a twisted world in the hopes of discovering what happened to her partner.
Shovel Knight: Showdown Review
Shovel Knight Showdown finishes off the Treasure Trove for Shovel Knight with an arena brawler. It’s not going to topple Smash, but it proves fun for gamers who have been with the title for the past six years. Strangely, it is also available as a standalone, which this reviewer got to try cold turkey with mixed results.
Monster Jam: Steel Titans (Switch) Review
Monster Jam: Steel Titans is a little rough around the edges and could stand to have some major updates for quality of life, but gamers looking for a classic monster truck action racer won’t be disappointed.
Touring Karts (PS4/PSVR) Review
Touring Karts attempts to bring the magic of a kart racer like Mario or Crash Bandicoot to VR. As a budget title, it is sufficient, but there are several design decisions that make you wish they would have been able to flesh this one out into a full experience, as courses and racers are bland as is the overall presentation.
Farming Simulator 20 Review
Farming Simulator 20 unfortunately leans more into the mobile market than the console games, resulting in a Switch title that feels like a downgrade from last year’s model. It lands somewhere between incremental sports upgrade and phoned-in sequel with not enough information to attract new players.
Everreach: Project Eden (Xbox One) Review
Everreach: Project Eden sadly Overreaches it’s boundaries by attempting to ape many great games without the polish needed to be put up on a pedestal with such greatness. If the developers take the time to iron out some very basic issues a great game can be found, but until then we are left with a buggy mess that spends as much time loading as being played. The PlayStation 4 edition of the game has been delayed into 2020, and sadly it looks like the rest of the editions should have stayed in the oven a bit longer too.
EarthNight (Switch) Review
EarthNight is a love letter to classic arcades done in a procedurally generated yet hand drawn world. This title attempts to expand on the endless runner in an arcade format. It could stand to have a bit more fleshing out, but once you start unlocking power ups EarthNight comes into it’s own and is a good bit of fun.
Sparklite (PS4) Review
Sparklite is Top Down Zelda meets Dead Cells. A cute and entertaining game that tests you by mixing up the familiar at every turn and adds more excitement to the usual hum-drum overworld, Sparklite’s wonderful visual style and homages to many classic and beloved videogame mechanics is a welcome addition to your library.