With four classes with distinct powers to upgrade and over a dozen weapons, each with a bevy of unlockable attachments, players will have no trouble finding a build that appeals to them, so long as they’re passionately invested in mass-murdering zombies and the various mutant gunk creatures that come along for the ride. With a fast pace, extreme replayability and irreverent tone, Toxic Commando is a blast from beginning to end — I just don’t understand why it’s not called Toxic Commandos — because, again, there are four of them.
Space Warlord Baby Trading Simulator is the perfect antidote for my financial market apathy – I felt the rush when I won, and felt the pain when I lost. It’s an amazing title that simulates both feelings equally.
Without the insane sense of humor and quality retro styling, I probably wouldn’t give it a moment’s thought. But, it does have those qualities, and uses them to excellent effect, even while the gameplay is disappointingly pedestrian. It has some neat quirks, amusing throwbacks and charm aplenty, but overall it’s nothing to brainwash a princess over.
It took me a dozen hours to beat Resident Evil Requiem the first time, and I don’t think more than twenty minutes ever passed without absolutely flooring me with some new surprise, reveal, or thrilling setpiece. It’s violent, scary, and funny, and everything good about the series all rolled up into one. We’re 30 years into the Resident Evil franchise, and not only is it not getting long in the tooth, the developers are doing their best work yet. It’s a masterpiece from beginning to end, and an absolute must-play.
While its mechanics never quite cohere into a truly transcendent experience, the developers’ understanding of their protagonist helps to bolster Styx: Blades of Greed against becoming just another anonymous sneak-‘em-up. They’ve provided a play space that’s free of judgment and agnostic to the moralistic implications of player behavior, and I felt no pangs of guilt as I went about systematically murdering a fortress full of guards and staff, stealing all I could in the process – after all, it’s what Styx would do, and they probably deserved it anyway.
As it stands, the framework of a promising tycoon game flickers beneath the strobe lights, but it struggles to justify the cover charge. Moments of satisfaction are undercut by clumsy onboarding and a lack of personality, leaving the whole experience feeling flatter than it should. Unfortunately, Disco Simulator hints at a better party than the one it ultimately throws.
The workaday plot aside, the fact that my main complaints about Relooted boil down to wanting more of it says something about its quality. The heists are satisfying, the escapes are exciting, and the characters that get a chance to shine are charismatic. Relooted has the bones of an all-timer, but it falls short of building the perfect reliquary to keep them in.
Mewgenics is sure to be a hit with Binding of Isaac fans, roguelite fans, and tactics RPG fans. It has McMillen’s signature ugly-cute Newgrounds flash art, a toe-tapping soundtrack, and an unfathomable number of ways for players to approach its chaotic, layered grid combat — just be prepared to see many, many, many cats expire as nine lives are not included.
Carmageddon: Rogue Shift offers a handful of bosses that manage to be enjoyably challenging, and unlocking the series’ signature vehicle was a treat thanks to a a pleasant wave of nostalgia. However, there’s not much to boast about past those meager positives. In the end, Rogue Shift is a shiny-looking ride that offers very limited mileage.
Its recipe is a simple one — take rock-solid FPS and survival fundamentals, and flesh them with high-level, imaginatively distinct, and powerful horror. It’s not a subtle experience, but met on its own terms, warts, Wranglers and all, it hits like a sledgehammer in the best possible way. Brace yourself.
