Gear.Club Unlimited 3 is a tough game to rate. At its core, the driving is sound, the graphics are decent, the game mechanics are interesting, and the career is meaty enough to bother. It even offers a 60 frames per second mode, something previous episodes did not – at least, on Nintendo consoles. On the other hand, it has various important flaws related to the overall racing, and the lack of online multiplayer is a huge step-down from the previous game which did, eventually, add said feature. What we’re left with is a mostly competent, not particularly memorable arcade racer with a handful of highs, but some baffling lows as well. It is a fun game, and on Switch 2 there aren’t too many better alternatives for this kind of racer. But if it follows the previous episode’s path, it may get new content, proper multiplayer and astonishingly deep discounts before long. Perhaps you’re better off waiting for all of that to happen, before jumping in.
God of War Sons of Sparta has a weak start, solid middle, and strong ending. If you can get through a tedious first few hours you will eventually be rewarded with solid combat and an emotional story.
High On Life 2 is bigger yet smaller. It’s both bold and more reserved in how it dishes out gameplay mechanics and story beats. I loved my 15 hours with it.
Tarsier Studios have taken their signature DNA and refined it - it's not perfect, but it's a sharp, confident experience. Bleak, beautiful and deeply unsettling - Tarsier certainly haven't lost their touch.
It took six entries, but the RIDE franchise has finally graduated. What used to be promising, enjoyable, but ultimately not particularly remarkable motorcycle racers, now gave way to RIDE 6 – a legitimately great bike racing game. Refined graphics, much improved handling, more variety than ever, great customization and a much more coherent presentation turn Milestone’s latest into one of the finest 2-wheel racers out there. If you slept on the RIDE series thus far, start paying attention – RIDE 6 is quite a blast for motorcycle fans.
Kotama and Academy Citadel is a good Metroidvania title that does its own thing when it comes to progression. Which is part of why I like the genre so much—the fact that there’s still so many ways to get players engaged with differing approaches to character upgrades, challenges, storytelling, and the like. Kotama’s game doesn’t always nail every aspect that same of the greats of the genre do, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t have a solid combat system, boss fights, and excellent visuals and information relaying. This is a solid Metroidvania title to add to your ever-increasing backlog.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 is a mostly competent remake of an original that needed an update. The combat and upgrade changes are welcome, though those in the ending and its attempt to justify the expansion are not. If you’re a longtime fan of the series, there may be enough here to drive you mad. If you’re a lesser fan like me or brand new to it all, there’s enough fun to be had here that it’s worth checking out.
Carmageddon: Rogue Shift is a mechanically satisfying destruction-based racer, offering high-octane and chaotic races combining bold weapons, lots of zombies and lots of crunching metal. Its roguelite twist offers high risk scenarios where you’ll have to think twice about excessively daring moves, but it also feels like something introduced partly to mitigate the game’s limited depth and variety. Completing everything may take quite a lot of runs, but it only takes a few hours to test virtually all the game has to offer, barring a few later unlocked weapons, cars and upgrades. Racing fans looking for a destructive experience will likely enjoy Carmageddon: Rogue Shift, but its array of content may prove to be a tad too slim for the $40 launch price.
Taking everything into account, Vampires Bloodlords Rising earns a very nice score. It’s a game with large, strong ideas and compelling vampire fantasy and systems that clearly support the long-term growth vision they have, from the arcane skill tree to castle building to followers and cooperative play. But it’s also a very much an early access experience. Some systems lack depth. Onboarding can be a little rough and polish is still coming. If you’re willing to grow with it, there’s something very special here. Just know what you’re buying into, which is potential just as much as what’s already present. [Early Access Provisional Score = 80]
