Forever Illusive

Release Date: October 8, 2019 Platforms: PlayStation 4 

I’ve always had a great love and deep appreciation for art of all forms. Drawing and doodling have been some of my favorite hobbies for years, and when I was in grade school, I was quite the artist. Sadly, I never honed or improved those skills, and to this day, I still have the artistic talent of a seven year old. In recent years I’ve found that I’ve resorted to living vicariously through other people’s abilities, in the form of watching videos and other less interactive means, to get my artistic fix, which isn’t so satisfying. Concrete Genie appeared to be a game that focused greatly on creativity, so my biggest question going in was just how much or how little it would make me feel like I had some semblance of artistic talent. Let’s find out the answer to that question, shall we?

As Concrete Genie begins, we meet a young boy named Ash who is hanging out in a port town known as Denska as he draws in his sketchbook and remembers better times. This was once a beautiful, bustling place, but has become a rundown mess overrun by juvenile delinquents. As Ash continues to sketch, a group of these bullies start to torment him, eventually destroying his sketchbook and locking him in a tram destined for a “haunted” lighthouse.

Without getting into specific details, I just wanted to take some time to mention the story here. I will say that Concrete Genie does have an important message about bullying and friendship, but I also couldn’t help but feel like most of the overarching themes came across as predictable and cliché. This isn’t to say that it’s inherently bad, but I’ve seen this type of story told before and with better execution. I never felt any real attachment to any of the characters because of this, resulting in most of the narrative falling kind of flat for me.

Upon arriving at the lighthouse, Ash has an experience that ends with him wielding a magical paintbrush and being tasked with putting his sketchbook back together and bringing life back to Denska. To do this he will need to paint pictures all around town using the pages he finds from his book as inspiration. As he collects pages he begins to unlock a variety of landscapes that he can use to spruce up Denska. These range from trees and grass to the sun and stars and some can be absolutely beautiful at times. As art is added to walls and buildings, light strands will begin to illuminate in the area, and a new section of town will unlock once enough of these have been lit up. Then this process repeats until enough light has returned to Denska and Ash is able to create a “masterpiece” painting in each of the game’s three main areas.

These landscape murals aren’t the only things Ash paints in Concrete Genie either. As the title hints at, he’ll also be creating creatures called genies. These genies aren’t simply artwork though, as they serve a greater purpose in Ash’s world. He will need to use them to solve simple puzzles throughout Denska, usually as ways to open new paths forward. There are three types of genies, with each used to solve a different kind of puzzle. Red genies can burn tarps, yellow genies can generate electricity, and blue genies can create wind. Genies can only be created in specific areas and are automatically designated a color/type taking much of the guess work out of which kind will be needed in that area. While a genie type can’t be chosen at will, as Ash finds more pages from his sketchbook a number of customization options such as new bodies, tails, horns, and more will become available to outfit his genies with.

Ash’s main focus in Concrete Genie is painting and this is a pretty straightforward endeavor. Each painting starts by choosing one of the many landscape or genie pages found throughout the game and with each stroke of the brush an image inspired by the page will appear on Ash’s chosen canvas. There are slight changes to what is laid down by the brush based on how long each stroke is and mixing and matching landscapes is possible, but overall it’s a simple process that doesn’t allow for much real artistic freedom.

Painting using the Dualshock 4 can be done with or without motion controls. Holding down the R2 button will begin the paint process and, depending on the chosen control scheme, moving either the controller itself or the right stick will emulate brush strokes. Concrete Genie was clearly made with motion controls in mind and while I found both ways were intuitive and worked just fine, after the first couple of chapters I switched off motion controls and never looked back. Precision is never technically needed, as the game doesn’t care what Ash has painted just as long as something was painted in the locations that needed it.  Still though, I felt I could be slightly more precise using the right stick than I could with motion controls and overall it just felt more comfortable.

Unfortunately, this painting mechanic never clicked for me, in the sense that I quickly ended up getting bored with it. I was given dozens of landscape pages to use to express myself, but only a couple felt satisfying to paint with. Aside from the first few instances, each time I started a new painting section it felt exactly the same as the last and eventually it just felt more like busywork that I had to do rather than actual creativity. This was even more apparent to me when it came to the creation of genies. There are so many parts to collect, but in the end they felt like they offered only very minor differences, and by a point, I had a hard time creating genies that I felt were truly unique. I knew this game was never going to make me feel like I was an actual artist, but I was still left disappointed in what it did end up offering.

When Ash isn’t painting, he’ll be spending his time trying to avoid those bullies in more action-adventure style gameplay. It feels somewhat similar to the Uncharted games (without all the machine guns), as he’ll be platforming around town, going from rooftop to rooftop, and climbing all number of structures to reach new areas and escape the bullies. If Ash does happen to get caught by the bullies or miss a jump, the punishment for “death” isn’t harsh at all. He’ll always start from the last safe place he was, and at worst, may need to retrieve his lost paintbrush.  

This painting and platforming structure is how Concrete Genie plays for the majority of its six to eight hour length, but about three-quarters of the way through, the gameplay gets turned on its head. I can’t go into much detail without spoiling some of the story bits, but it ends up going from a game about painting to one about fighting. While this new focus on combat does mix things up, the result felt mostly like tacked on filler. Some parts in this final section were so tedious that it actually had me longing for the return of the boring painting.  

I didn’t hate my time with Concrete Genie. I can’t say I particularly liked it either and was left massively disappointed. Painting was interesting the first few times, but eventually ended up feeling like boring busywork. The platforming and exploration is fine, but if that’s what I wanted out of a game, there are dozens of other ones that do it far better. The ending’s focus on combat left me scratching my head and wishing I could just go back to the painting. That said, Concrete Genie does offer up some beautiful imagery at times, has mechanically sound gameplay, and delivers an important, if a bit cliché, message about bullying and friendship. Unfortunately, with all of its other shortcomings, that just isn’t enough for me to wholeheartedly recommend it.

It’s June and that can mean only one thing in the world of video games – E3 is upon us. It pains me to say it, but I can’t lie, E3 isn’t nearly as exciting as it was a decade ago when I got back into video games. That said, I’m not a completely jaded asshole (yet), so there were still plenty of titles that caught my attention. As I’ve done in years past, I thought I’d run down a handful of them.

Before I get to the games from this year, I thought it might be kind of interesting to see how the games from my 2018 list have come along. I’ll make this quick with just a few bullet points, so let’s take a look.

Beyond Good and Evil 2 – Still not released and no new information to speak of.

Cyberpunk 2077 – Still not released, but we now have a release date of April 16, 2020 and I’m still looking forward to this one.

Octopath Traveler – Held its release date and was great. It even ended up being one of my favorite games from last year.

Strange Brigade – Held its release date, but didn’t make much of a splash and I never ended up playing it.

Days Gone – Got pushed back a bit, but released earlier this year to mediocre reviews and I’ve decided to skip it for the time being.

Spider-Man – Held its release date and was well received, but I still haven’t had a chance to play it yet.

Concrete Genie – Didn’t make its 2018 release and is now scheduled for a fall 2019 release, but has sort of fallen off the radar.

The Last of Us Part II – Still not released and with Sony skipping E3 this year, there isn’t much new information to pass on. Here’s hoping Sony sticks to its word that it will still be a PS4 game and not pushed to its new console.

Resident Evil 2 – Held its release date and was amazing. I reviewed it earlier this year and it will certainly be in the running for game of the year.

I don’t know about you, but I like looking back and seeing how these things play out and how expectations and excitement can change over time. With all that out of the way, let’s move on to my list of games for 2019. Oh and while I’m still interested in Cyberpunk 2077, since we didn’t get much new in the way of gameplay (at least not for us plebeians of the public) I’m leaving it off this year’s list.

I’m also not really a Zelda or Final Fantasy fan, so while Link’s Awakening, the Breath of the Wild sequel, and Final Fantasy VII all look good, I wouldn’t say I’m excited to play them. I also decided to keep any games without gameplay off my list, so while I’m intrigued by something like GhostWire: Tokyo, you also won’t find it here. Now then, let’s actually get to my top 8 games of E3 2019, for real this time.

Super Mario Maker 2

Platforms: Nintendo Switch Release Date: June 28, 2019

I never owned a Wii U so I never had the chance to play the original Super Mario Maker. Well I guess that’s not completely true. I made the mistake of buying the stripped down 3DS version of the game and almost immediately regretted that decision, but let’s not talk about that. Super Mario Maker 2 looks like it’s evolving everything that made the original a great game with a larger assortment of level creation tools and even an expanded story mode. I’m not much of a level creator, but I look forward to seeing what more talented people are able to create. The wait for Super Mario Maker 2 is nearly over as, at the time of this writing, it will launch in just a few days.

Borderlands 3

Platforms: Google Stadia, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 Release Date: September 13, 2019

It’s a bit counter intuitive to say I’m not that excited for Borderlands 3 but still put it on this list. It doesn’t look all that much different from the previous entries in the series and that’s kind of a bummer. That being said, I love the Borderlands games and with new characters, abilities, and environments to explore, I know I’ll enjoy the familiar formula of shooting and looting.

RAD

Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC Release Date: August 20, 2019

I’ve found my enjoyment of Double Fine games has been rather hit or miss. With their new game, RAD, they are delving into one of my favorite genres, the Rogue-like, so I’m willing to give them a shot with this one. In RAD, each run will have you exploring a post-post-apocalyptic world (that’s right, the world has ended twice) with nothing but your trusty baseball bat, that is until you start mutating. With each journey into the wasteland, you’ll acquire random mutations that will add a variety of combat options, making each run unique. RAD is a $20 downloadable title, and for that price, I’m looking forward to trying it out this summer. 

Watch Dogs Legion

Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 Release Date: March 6, 2020

The fact that a Watch Dogs game made this list was a complete surprise to me. The original Watch Dogs was one of my most anticipated games when it was first announced at E3 2012, but with multiple delays and a somewhat mediocre reception upon release, I quickly lost interest and still haven’t played it. I also didn’t have much interest in the sequel after missing out on the first game, so when Legion was announced I never imagined it would have caught my attention like it did. The main gimmick of Legion is that you can recruit and play as almost any character you encounter in the new London setting. Maybe I’m a sucker, but once I saw an elderly woman beating ass, I was ready to throw down the cash to play this. We’ll see how it looks as it gets closer to release, but right now I’m interested and it might even get me to go back and try out the other games in the series.

The Outer Worlds

Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 Release Date: October 25, 2019

I’m a big fan of the Fallout games and The Outer Worlds is being made by guys that worked on the original PC releases and the studio that developed New Vegas. So I’m hoping for some of that Fallout writing charm and similar gameplay and elements from the more modern Fallout games. The Outer Worlds is a sci-fi shooter set in outer space, so there should be plenty of unique directions to go to differentiate it from the Fallout series. With the debacle that was Fallout 76, I’m more than willing to give a game in the same vein as a series I love a shot since Bethesda apparently doesn’t want to do the series right.

Pokémon Sword/Shield

Platforms: Nintendo Switch Release Date: November 15, 2019

Last year I slept on the Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! Pokémon games. I actually had no intention of playing either of them, but my love for Pokémon took over and I gave them a shot. Much to my surprise, Let’s Go, Eevee! became one of my favorite games of 2018. Moral of the story, I will never again sleep on a Pokémon title, so Sword and Shield make this list by default.

Remnant: From the Ashes

Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows Release Date: August 20, 2019

This was by far the biggest surprise of this year’s E3 for me. I didn’t even know this game existed before I saw it on some E3 coverage and I was instantly impressed with what I saw. Remnant: From the Ashes is inspired by From Software’s Souls games and normally that would be enough to turn me off because those games just never clicked with me. However, Remnant focuses heavily on ranged, shooter combat, and it just looks so satisfying. There are a variety of classes you can play as, dungeons to explore, and at least 20 bosses to fight, so it’s looking like a substantial game. I’m not sure if I have the skills to get through a game like this, but it just looks so good that I’m looking forward to at least giving it a try.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Platforms: Nintendo Switch Release Date: March 20, 2020

Release Date: January 31, 2019 Platforms: Switch (reviewed), Android, iOS

The Nintendo Switch eShop is packed with games and dozens of new ones release on a weekly basis. This makes it rather hard to not only keep up with all the new content, but also weed out the good from the bad. Every once in a while though, a game will stick out and catch my attention. Stray Cat Doors is one such game. Initially drawn in by its cutesy graphics and low price point, I decided to give it a chance and was lucky enough to find a rather delightful experience.

Stray Cat Doors is an escape room game. This means in order to finish each level you’ll be tasked with solving puzzles to open a door. The reason your solving these puzzles in Stray Cat Doors is rather vague as the game is light on story, but from what I gathered you’re a little girl trying to open these doors in order to find her missing cats. It’s pretty simple stuff, but this type of game doesn’t need a well thought out story to be effective.

The gameplay will be what draws most people to Stray Cat Doors, and while it’s similar to other escape room games, it’s also unique in plenty of ways. Most games in this genre are all about tense, pressure-filled situations, with most having a time limit where your ineptitude at puzzle solving will ultimately lead to your demise. Stray Cat Doors is a much more Zen experience. There are no time limits, no rankings or level grades, and no pressure. It’s all about chilling out and solving each puzzle at your leisure. To drive this point home, each level has its own serene environment (from the beach to a picturesque Christmas scene) and laid-back music track. This is the type of game that is perfect for decompression after sessions with more intense games.

The puzzles you’ll be solving are pretty standard for the genre. You’ll have to search for items in the environment that will allow you to interact with other items, find hidden patterns and codes, and unlock a variety of locked objects. Doing these things will usually find you a piece of a cat puzzle, and once you’ve found all the pieces (usually four), you can open the door and exit the level. The puzzles skew more towards the easy side but will still take some thinking to solve most. This makes it perfect for newcomers to this style of game or anyone just looking for a more casual experience. There are no obtuse, off-the-wall solutions that seem to pop up in other games like this, which was a huge positive for me. There’s even a hint system if you do happen to get stuck, so progression will never be an issue.

Unfortunately, there isn’t much progression to be had in Stray Cat Doors as the game only consists of six levels. Each level is unique and fun to work through while it lasts, but at most you’re only looking at a couple hours to see everything. There is a bonus mode that unlocks for each stage once you finish all six, but those only take a matter of seconds to complete, so there aren’t a lot of reasons to revisit stages. I would have loved a few more levels to play through, but at its price point (around $3) and with the quality of the levels that are offered up, I can’t fault it too much for the short length.

The Switch version of Stray Cat Doors is a port of a mobile game, so you’ll be able to play it in a couple different ways. You can either use the touchscreen or joy-cons to control the game. I found that touchscreen is the best way to go as it makes for a much quicker and more enjoyable experience. You can also switch between horizontal and vertical views, depending on your preference. It should also be noted that the pro controller is not supported.

Stray Cat Doors probably isn’t going to blow you away by any means, but it’s still a delightful little game. It’s not very long and the puzzles aren’t the hardest, but it’s adorable and weirdly therapeutic at times. If you’re looking for a laid-back, casual puzzle game I’d highly recommend giving this one a shot as it’s one of the best I’ve played in a while.

Release Date: January 25, 2019 Platforms: PlayStation 4 (reviewed), Xbox One, Microsoft Windows

It’s been 21 years since Resident Evil 2 released on the original PlayStation and to some, it’s regarded as the pinnacle of the series. Regardless of your feelings on the survival horror classic, it’s safe to say that most people would agree that the Resident Evil franchise has had some major ups and downs since 1998. We saw the amazing Resident Evil 4 change the series in drastic, yet positive ways, then had the series take a serious stumble when Resident Evil 6 tried to incorporate a few too many changes. There were games like Operation Raccoon City and Umbrella Corps that are probably best not even discussed. Finally, back in 2017 Resident Evil had a return to form when the seventh entry was released to much acclaim. Now, it has all come full circle with Resident Evil 2 getting a complete remake, but where does it fall on this spectrum of quality? Let’s find out.

If you’re unfamiliar with Resident Evil 2, it follows the stories of Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield. Leon is a rookie cop arriving for his new job at the Raccoon City Police Department and Claire is trying to find her brother Chris, a veteran of the RPD. They both arrive in Raccoon City to find it overrun by the blood-thirsty living dead and eventually join forces only to quickly be separated again, each looking for answers and a way out. This is where one of Resident Evil 2‘s best features comes into play. You’ll be able to play through the game as either Leon or Claire and then do a playthrough with the other that is completely unique from the prior one. In total, you’ll be able to play through four different scenarios, as Leon and Claire both have A and B versions of their stories.

The ability to play through the game four different times not only adds to replayability but helps pad out the time you’ll spend with Resident Evil 2. It’s a rather short experience otherwise. If you chose to simply run through one scenario, you’re looking at around a six to eight hour game. This may be a turn off to some, but the length and, more importantly, pacing is perfect for Resident Evil 2. You’ll also be able to unlock a couple other game modes after completing both an A and B scenario. Plus there’s plenty of other ways to experience the game like going for the best rank in each scenario, speedruns, no heal runs, no item box runs, and more. So if you end up enjoying the game, there will be plenty to keep you coming back if you so desire.

There are also three different difficulty settings to choose from that may help you add some time to your experience if you don’t opt to go for the hardest one from the outset. After giving each difficulty a try, I can say that each make the game feel like a completely different experience. If you’re looking for an easy run, Assisted Mode will make enemies weaker and let you utilize auto-aim. Ammo is also plentiful, so, by the end of the game, you’ll probably feel like an unstoppable badass. Standard Mode, is, well, pretty standard, but still has some intense moments. Hardcore Mode is where things really get wild. In this mode enemies will deal more damage, you’ll get fewer inventory upgrades, and you’ll need an ink ribbon to save your game (no auto-saves!). Old school fans of the series might be more at home with Hardcore, but this variety of difficulty settings makes Resident Evil 2 a game that almost anyone can pick up and complete.

If you played Resident Evil 7, then the way Resident Evil 2 looks should feel familiar. Both games are made in the same engine, so the user interface is nearly identical. That means RE2 is absolutely gorgeous to look at. Seeing memorable areas and gruesome enemies reimagined in this new engine really was a treat . The biggest change from RE7 is that RE2 makes the switch from a first-person perspective back to third-person. In a lot of ways, this makes gameplay feel very similar to Resident Evil 4. RE2 really is a perfect mix of the original RE2 story, RE4‘s gameplay, and RE7‘s look.

The third-person combat feels similar to most other third-person shooters. It controls great and I never had an issue with it from a mechanical standpoint. There’s nothing groundbreaking or revolutionary about it, but it always feels solid. Each scenario offers up a variety of weaponry that you can find (some can even be upgraded) and they are all satisfying to use. Leon and Claire each have access to different weapons, which makes their separate playthroughs feel that much more different. On top of your standard weapons, there are also a few defensive items such as knives and grenades. These will allow you to get out of sticky situations like being grabbed or mobbed by a group of zombies.

Exploration and puzzle-solving are the other gameplay aspects most important to the Resident Evil series and this remake gets them right. The puzzles aren’t the hardest to solve by any means, but when you’re being hunted by relentless creatures hellbent on killing you, even the easiest puzzle can be stressful. Exploring each area of the game is something I looked forward to as every location had a unique aesthetic and was filled with surprises. Sometimes you’ll find much needed health or ammo, sometimes you’ll find a new weapon/weapon upgrade, and sometimes you might even find a nice little Easter egg if you’re a fan of the series.

From a horror standpoint, Resident Evil 2 isn’t the scariest game I’ve ever played, but it does create tense situations very well, especially on the Hardcore difficulty. Finding yourself low on health and ammo just hoping to make it to the next typewriter so you can save can lead to some intense encounters.  If you’re not usually into horror, I’d say RE2 is game you could still get through. There are some jump scares and plenty of gore, but it’s nothing that is going to psychologically scar you.

One thing for fans of the original game that I feel is worth mentioning is just how similar the remake is. Without giving too much away I’ll just say that there are plenty of nods to the original that fans will love including returning enemies and characters. But there’s also plenty of new stuff that make this a must play for any fan of the series. This feels much more like a reimagining of Resident Evil 2 than a remake, which makes for a quality experience that will always keep you on your toes.

I’d be hard-pressed to come up with any major issues I had with Resident Evil 2, but there are a few things that might be worth mentioning. The first is that the zombies are absolute bullet sponges. They don’t adhere to the normal rules of zombies as you are far better off taking out their legs than aiming for the head. I’ve seen some zombies take upwards of 7 or 8 shots straight in the brain and still keep coming. Not to mention that you’ll find plenty of zombies that you thought were certainly dead up and moving around the next time you visit an area. This can make your already finite resources even more limited if you’re dumping tons of ammo into these seemingly invincible creatures.

Enemy hitboxes and their ability to basically magnetize to your character can also be a bit of an annoyance sometimes. There were plenty of times I felt I juked a zombie only for it to grab me with its Stretch Armstrong arms and take a bite out of me. This issue is most noticeable in boss fights as it’s nearly impossible to avoid some attacks if you aren’t perfectly positioned. Some sort of dodge would have been a welcomed addition, but I guess that wouldn’t necessarily be in the vein of old school Resident Evil. These can result in frustration, especially on harder difficulties, but are just minor issues.

If you’re looking here for my final thoughts on Resident Evil 2, well, it’s amazing. It’s the best survival horror game I’ve played since Dead Space. It’s a perfect blend of Resident Evil 4‘s gameplay, Resident Evil 7‘s aesthetic, and Resident Evil 2‘s story. It’s familiar enough that it doesn’t lose its identity as RE2, but offers up enough new elements that old school fans will be surprised at times. It’s also a great place for newcomers to jump into the series thanks to its variety of difficulty settings and a backstory that doesn’t need much explaining. Resident Evil 2 just might be my favorite game in the series and that’s saying a lot because Resident Evil 4 has long been one of my favorite games of all-time. Only time will tell how these feelings hold up, but right now I’d go as far as saying that Resident Evil 2 is a must play.

I’m sure you all know the drill at this point. Everyone and their mother seems to post a list about all of their favorites from the year, so I’ll spare you the build up and just get into some of the games I enjoyed in 2018.

Games Crossed Off the Backlog

This year I’m going to kick things off with some of the great games I finally got around to playing from my backlog. A good amount of these games are ones that I mentioned last year as ones I wasn’t able get to. All of these games were great and a couple would have easily made my Game of the Year list under normal circumstances.

Horizon Zero Dawn | Injustice 2 | Kirby: Planet Robobot | Slay the Spire | Super Mario Odyssey | Titanfall 2 | Uncharted: The Lost Legacy | Wolfenstein: The New Order

2018 Games I Missed Out On

Next up, I’m going to highlight the games from 2018 that ended up on my backlog or that I still haven’t purchased yet. These are all games that I’d love to play at some point, and this is the reason why you won’t see them on my main list.

Below | Call of Cthulhu | Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker | Detective Pikachu | FAR: Lone Sails | Gris | Katamari Damacy Reroll | Mega Man 11 | Moonlighter Spider-Man |Spyro: Reignited Trilogy | Tetris Effect | We Happy Few

Honorable Mentions

This final section (before I get to my actual picks) highlights some of the games I played and enjoyed but not enough to feel comfortable writing about them or including them on my GOTY list. I look forward to digging into all of these more in the coming months.

Celeste | Dead Cells | Into the Breach | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Yoku’s Island Express

Top 5 Games of 2018

NBA 2K Playgrounds 2

I’m going to kick this off with a game that I can’t imagine will be anywhere near most people’s game of the year lists. NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 continues to be a divisive game due to its microtransactions and player unlock system, but at its core, it really is a fun arcade-style basketball game.

The gameplay harkens back to the NBA JAM games and it’s over the top and kind of absurd at times. With every game played, you’ll be leveling up players and earning currency that will allow you to unlock new players. So while the game does offer microtransactions, they aren’t necessary if you’re okay with a bit of a grind. It’s not exactly ideal, but that kind of gameplay is right up my alley. I feel like I’m making progress each time I play and it ensures I will keep coming back for more. If you’re an NBA fan and know what you’re getting into, there is a lot of fun to be had here.

Magic: The Gathering Arena

Arena was actually first available to play in 2017, but only entered into its open beta phase in 2018, so for that reason, it makes my list. Hell, when it officially releases it will probably make a future GOTY list again.

I was very skeptical about Arena because it looked like Wizards of the Coast was just trying to ripoff Hearthstone‘s aesthetic (and they kind of are), but this is actually a good game and once I played my first match I was hooked. It’s a great place for both newcomers and veterans of Magic to play. Arena is much more user-friendly and intuitive than Magic Online while also offering a far more authentic Magic experience than previous Duels games have.

The game is free-to-play, and I know that term gets a bad wrap nowadays, but Arena does it right. You can buy booster packs with real money or you can earn gold (and even single cards or packs on occasion) naturally through playing. I was able to build one of the most competitive decks in the format in a few weeks time and that was just by playing a few matches each day. Even in the early stages you’ll quickly earn a number of “starter decks” which will supply you with a decent selection of cards. So you’ll never be short on new things to try while you work towards building your card collection.

Arena is fantastic, and if you’ve ever even been curious about Magic: the Gathering, you should give it a shot.

Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee!

Over that past few years I’ve played a lot of Pokémon. Between revisiting Blue, Silver, SoulSilver, Pearl, White, White 2, X, Y, Alpha Sapphire, Omega Ruby and playing through the new releases of Sun, Moon, and Ultra Moon, as well as shiny hunting in a few of those games, I’ve spent nearly 1,000 hours with the series in the last three years. Needless to say, I was starting to feel a bit of Pokémon fatigue (which is why I still haven’t played Ultra Sun). If that wasn’t enough, I was also never a big fan of Pokémon Go!. So when the Pokémon: Let’s Go! games were announced I had zero interest and pushed them completely off of my radar. Then the games finally released and my love for Pokémon got the best of me. I started reading reviews, watching videos, and talking to friends about them. Eventually I looked past my skepticism and decided to give it a try and I’m so glad I did.

Pokémon Let’s Go! was a breath of fresh air for me. It was a laid back experience that I didn’t even know I needed. It’s far more streamlined than other games in the series as you can choose when to encounter wild Pokémon and you no longer need to battle in order to catch them (in most cases). This aspect was one of the biggest reasons I was skeptical of the game. While catching Pokémon is probably my favorite part, I do enjoy the battles as well. I was afraid I wouldn’t get the battle itch scratched, but that wasn’t the case at all. There are more than enough trainers to battle throughout, so it was almost the perfect blend of catching and battling for me.

I went with the Eevee version and oh boy, Eevee is a little badass. That little dude is completely overpowered in Let’s Go! and makes it a breeze if you choose to play that way. It’s definitely the easiest Pokémon game I’ve ever played, which is saying a lot because they’ve never been known for their difficulty, but that didn’t stop it from being the most enjoyable time I had playing a game in 2018.

Octopath Traveler

Another game that surprised me in 2018 was Octopath Traveler. I’ve never been the biggest fan of JRPGs, but I was immediately drawn in by Octopath Traveler‘s charming art. When I finally got my Nintendo Switch last year it was the first game I really dug into. As it turns out, by the end of my 80 hours with it, the characters and combat system became something I loved even more than the art style that initially caught my attention.

Octopath Traveler‘s combat is turned-based and revolves around a “break” system. Each enemy has certain weaknesses to specific weapon types or elemental attacks. If you hit them with one of those attacks enough times their defenses will break and they will be stunned the following turn, allowing you to deal increased damage. There is also a boost system that allows you to hit with multiple attacks each turn. Without delving too deep into the mechanics, I’ll just say all of this offers a ton of strategic options and makes combat a joy.

If the title wasn’t telling enough, Octopath Traveler‘s story focuses on eight different characters. Each character has their own set of chapters you can complete, a variety of traits and combat options, and a unique personality and story to tell. You don’t have to finish every character’s storyline, but I exhausted all story options because I found myself wanting to know more about each one of them. I’d even go so far as to say that there hasn’t been a collective group of characters I liked this much since the original Mass Effect trilogy.

I feel like Octopath Traveler got overlooked by a lot of people, so if you’re a fan JRPGs or just looking for a quality experience you should seek this one out. 

God of War

Continuing with the trend of games that surprised me last year, next up is God of War. I’ve dabbled a bit in the God of War franchise, but the 2018 release was the first game in the series I’ve ever seen through to completion. It is nothing like its predecessors as it trades in the linear gameplay and shallow, over-the-top brutality for an engaging and robust world, as well as a far more rewarding combat system.

Perhaps the biggest accomplishment of God of War is that it made Kratos into a character with depth and one that I was able to invest in. It also introduced his son, Atreus, and their relationship was something I loved watching evolve over the course of the game. Kratos is still a no nonsense badass, but his humanity is allowed to shine through in his interactions with Atreus.

As I mentioned, the combat in God of War is so much more rewarding than it was in previous entries. While you might still be able to mindlessly hack-and-slash your way through on easier difficulties, if you truly want to master combat you’ll need to develop more in-depth strategies. Kratos wields the Leviathan axe this time around, which you can use for melee attacks or as a projectile. The most ingenious part is that you can recall the axe with the press of a button which not only adds to your strategic options, but also creates a very satisfying ebb and flow to combat. You’ll also have to incorporate blocking and parrying, as well as guiding Atreus to use his bow. Once I was able to start stringing together all of these moves and tactics, God of War‘s combat system quickly became one of my all-time favorites.

God of War also offers up tons of side content to keep you busy for hours. With the recent release of a New Game+ mode, I’m looking forward to running through it again. It was quite the experience and one I’m happy to call my favorite of 2018.

Most Anticipated Games

It’s always fun to look to the future, so I’m going to wrap things up with my most anticipated games. Some of these games have 2019 release dates and others I’m keeping my fingers crossed for.

Release Date: April 26, 2018 Platforms: Android, iOS, PlayStation 4 (reviewed), and Switch

Games in and inspired by the Rogue-like genre have become quite popular among indie titles. It seems like a new one is released almost weekly, so it takes a lot to separate from the pack. Survive! Mr. Cube falls into this category and while it has its fun moments, it doesn’t quite do enough to stand with the greats of the genre.

Survive! Mr. Cube is a self-proclaimed “Rogue-lite” that starts with a man named Mr. Cube being offered a mysterious pill from a stranger. He swallows the pill and ends up trapped in an unknown realm with only the goal of escaping and returning to his wife. The game plays somewhat similarly to a twin-stick shooter as you will move your character with the left stick and attack with the right stick. The goal is to make your way through a variety of stages finding portals that will transport you to a new area on the map until you’re able to locate the boss. It’s a simple premise with pretty simple gameplay loop.

Being a “Rogue-lite”, each run will be different, most notably because each playthrough starts with a random character with varying stats and equipment. Each character will start with a random weapon ranging from melee weapons like swords and maces to ranged weapons like magic wands and firearms. Weapons in the game all feel different when using them. Some are underwhelming and others feeling a bit overpowered. This means that the roll of the dice at the beginning will usually be key in how well your run goes, which can lead to some quick deaths or easy victories.

While the character you draw can play a major role in your success, overall Survive! Mr. Cube is one of the easier “Rogue-lites” out there. Your character has regenerating health and stamina which allows you to prolong most fights if you have patience. There are also treasure chests littered around each map that drop gold and potions with regularity. With those factors and the simple, intuitive controls, it’s a decent game for newcomers of the genre. Unfortunately more hardcore fans will probably find the game becomes tedious and boring pretty quickly. Once you get the hang of the gameplay loop and figure out what equipment works best, it starts feeling like a slog trying to make your way to the boss.

Survive! Mr. Cube is by no means a bad game and, in the beginning, I had some fun with it. Unfortunately it gets boring rather quickly. If you’ve never played a “Rogue-lite” game, this is a forgiving title that can be a decent starting point, but just know there are far better options available. If you’re a veteran of the genre or looking for a deep challenging experience, Survive! Mr. Cube is a game you can pass on without a second thought.

This year’s E3 is in the books and, as I’ve done in years past, I thought I’d discuss some of the best games I saw during the show. There were a number of really interesting games shown off and announced this year, but unfortunately a good deal of those seemed to focus heavily on multiplayer. This isn’t a bad thing, it’s just that these type of games don’t usually fall into my wheelhouse. With some of my favorite developers and game series going this route, namely with Anthem and Fallout 76, I was left to look a little deeper into upcoming titles. Luckily there are still plenty of games I’m looking forward to in the coming years. So, let’s have a look.

Before I jump into the actual list, I want to give an honorable mention to Media Molecule’s newest endeavor, Dreams. If you happen to have more of an imagination and creativity than I do, then Dreams is looking like quite the experience. It allows you to create your own games, movies, music, and more. As someone who used to dabble in making music, the music creation aspect actually got me pretty excited. I’m not sure it would be the kind of game I’d be willing to put the time into, but it’s one I definitely want to keep an eye on and one I think is worth checking out.

Beyond Good and Evil 2 Cyberpunk 2077 

Release Date: TBD Platforms: TBD

I’m going to kick things off by cheating a bit here. I decided to put Beyond Good and Evil 2 and Cyberpunk 2077 in the same spot because there just wasn’t a ton shown off for either at this year’s E3. They did have two of my favorite trailers from the show though. Both games also seem like they are a ways off from actually being released, so much so that I wouldn’t be surprised if they both ended up on next-gen hardware. Of course, this is just speculation at this point, but there are reports that Beyond Good and Evil 2 won’t have a beta until the end of 2019, which points to a 2020 release at the earliest. I guess we’ll see, but while we wait, feast your eyes on these sweet trailers.

Octopath Traveler 

Release Date: July 13, 2018 Platform: Nintendo Switch

As if I needed another reason to want a Switch, now Octopath Traveler is coming exclusively to Nintendo’s new system. I was initially drawn to the game because of its gorgeous art style, but after seeing it in action, Octopath Traveler looks like it will have plenty of substance to match its style. It seems like a classic turn-based JRPG through and through and I’m pretty bummed that I’ll probably never get to play it.

Strange Brigade 

Release Date: August 28, 2018 Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows

Before this year’s E3 I had never heard of Strange Brigade, which was apparently even at E3 last year. Needless to say, I was impressed with what I saw. It’s a third-person shooter with a bit of an Indiana Jones vibe that can be played with up to four players. Strange Brigade‘s difficulty is supposed to scale to the amount of players in the game, so hopefully it can be enjoyed solo as well. I’m not expecting it to blow me away or anything, but it looks like it could be fun and I’m looking forward to giving it a try.

Days Gone 

Release Date: February 22, 2019  Platform: PlayStation 4

This year Days Gone took a bit of a backseat to PlayStation’s other exclusive titles, but Bend Studios still showed up with a couple of gameplay demos. I’m a little worried that Days Gone may not live up to the quality of other recent PS4 exclusives, but it’s still a game that looks very much like my kind of experience. I’m hoping that in the coming months before its release that Bend is able to add the polish it needs to stand with the best.

Spider-Man 

Release Date: September 7, 2018  Platform: PlayStation 4

On the topic of PS4 exclusives, boy does Spider-Man look fantastic. I’m not the biggest fan of the web-slinger, but Insomniac’s take on the hero might just change that. From combat to traversal, everything I’ve seen thus far points to a must-play experience for me. I think what I’m looking most forward to though is just getting lost in New York City as I swing from building to building ignoring all the helpless civilians.

Concrete Genie 

Release Date: 2018  Platform: PlayStation 4

Concrete Genie really surprised me this year. I remember hearing about it last year and not thinking twice about it, but after seeing the game in action, I’m definitely on board. You play as a kid trying to bring life back to his abandoned hometown while avoiding encounters with relentless bullies. The ability to create your own works of art, from creatures to landscapes, looks both intuitive and enjoyable. Here’s hoping Concrete Genie is able to make its projected 2018 release because I can’t wait to play it.

The Last of Us Part II 

Release Date: TBD Platform: PlayStation 4 

I honestly don’t have much to say about The Last of Us Part II because I know it’s going to be something I need to play. The Last of Us is one of my favorite games from last generation and if I wasn’t already sold on the sequel, the clip shown at Sony’s E3 conference would have changed that. Hopefully it manages to hit a release date at some point in 2019, Regardless of when we get it, I’m sure it will be worth the wait.

Resident Evil 2 

Release Date: January 25, 2019  Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows

Please excuse my language, but holy shit does the remake of Resident Evil 2 look amazing. I was going to play it regardless because RE is one of my favorite franchises (and RE2 is one of my favorite games in the series), but I was completely floored with how Resident Evil 2 looked to be coming along at E3 this year. From what I’ve gathered, it is taking gameplay elements from RE4 and RE7 while using RE2‘s iconic story and setting as the backdrop. I don’t want to overreact or anything, but that honestly could be the recipe for one of the greatest games ever created. We’ll see if it all comes together like it should, but Resident Evil 2 is, by far, my most anticipated game right now.

Release Date: December 13, 2016 Platforms: Linux, Mac, PlayStation 4 (reviewed), Windows, Xbox One

The Little Acre is a point-and-click adventure that tells the story of Aiden and his daughter Lily. As the game begins, Aiden gets a lead on his missing father and ends up stumbling into a bizarre new world in hopes of finding him. Once Lily, an adventurer at heart, learns that her father has gone looking for her grandpa, she sets out on her greatest quest yet looking to bring both back.

The first thing that will probably strike you about The Little Acre are the beautiful hand drawn graphics and animations. This is probably the strongest aspect of the game. In a lot of ways, it reminded me of old Disney films and each new environment and character was a delight to behold. The voice acting, music, and sound design are all also top notch, adding even more life to the already lively animations. One thing that did baffle me was the final cutscene because all the polish was completely thrown out the window for some reason. This scene has some rough animations and was completely out of sync with the sound by a good second or two. With the rest of the game being so expertly crafted, this was a jarring finale that spoiled the ending for me a bit.

Most of the gameplay will come in the form of solving puzzles. If you’ve ever played a point-and-click adventure you’ll be familiar with the formula here as most involve finding certain items that will interact with other items which will in turn allow you to proceed with the story. The puzzles are all rather simple, so if you’re looking for a challenge, you’re not going to find much of one here. That being said, with Lily’s grandfather being an inventor, there are some rather inventive items that you’ll get to interact with and that adds uniqueness and charm to the puzzles.

While the story is charming and the characters are endearing, The Little Acre’s run time may be a bit of a sore spot for some people. You’ll be able to get through it in just a little over an hour without much hassle. Once you’ve seen it through to the end there’s little reason to go back unless you truly fell in love with it. So whether or not you’ll get your money’s worth depends a lot on how much you think you’d enjoy what I described above. Personally, I think if you’re willing to spend $10 to $15 to go see a Disney film then this is well worth picking up.

As with most games, The Little Acre isn’t going to be for everyone. It’s a short experience that isn’t going to challenge you, but its beautiful animations, fantastic voice work, and charming story just might win you over. If you’re looking for something different to break up the monotony of constantly shooting things in games, then The Little Acre is worth the price of admission.

On paper, 2017 was a pretty great year for video games. It was also kind of an odd one for me. I originally thought I had played a solid number of games and looking back, I did, but I quickly realized that only a handful of those had released in 2017. I actually reviewed more games for GAJ last year than in any year prior, but most of those games came from my backlog. I’d like to give a quick shout out to a few of those games. Uncharted 4, Ys: Memories of Celceta, Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, The Evil Within, and Enslaved: Odyssey to the West were all great games I was finally able to finish last year. With all of that out of the way, my actual list will only consist of five games this year. I do want to kick things off by mentioning a few of the games I wasn’t able to get to in 2017, so let’s get started!

2017 Games I Missed Out On

Every year there are always a number of games that I had my eye on and didn’t get to play. So before I get to my list of favorite games from 2017 here are a handful of games that have been pushed onto the dreaded backlog.

Cuphead | The End is Nigh | Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice | Hollow Knight  Horizon Zero Dawn | Injustice 2 | Persona 5 | Super Mario Odyssey

Top 5 Games of 2017

Little Nightmares

Little Nightmares is equal parts charming and disturbing. Playing as a child trying to escape unspeakable horrors aboard a ship is definitely unsettling at times, but it was also a joy to play. It’s a short journey, but one that’s well worth experiencing.

Mass Effect: Andromeda

Mass Effect: Andromeda got a ton of flack and I understand most of it, but that doesn’t change the fact that it was one of my favorite games from 2017. Across two playthroughs, I put nearly 100 hours into Andromeda. The story and characters were certainly lacking when compared to the original trilogy (still pretty good in comparison to most other games though), but it features my favorite take on combat in the franchise. The ability to tailor combat options to your play style and even change them up on the fly made for some of the most fun gameplay in the Mass Effect series.

Resident Evil 7

If you haven’t heard, Resident Evil 7 was the return to form that many long time fans of the franchise had been waiting years for. Gameplay, story, and horror elements all combine to create one of the best survival horror games in years. With the shift to first-person and what seemed to be a heavy emphasis on VR, I was skeptical that Resident Evil 7 would be much more than a gimmick. Luckily that wasn’t the case. So much so that, while I’m not officially picking a favorite game of the year, if you twisted my arm and forced me to, I’d probably give the nod for Resident Evil 7.

South Park: The Fractured But Whole

When The Stick of Truth first released I was pleasantly surprised with just how good it was. While The Fractures But Whole isn’t quite as funny or groundbreaking as its predecessor, it’s still a damn good sequel. With a more strategic combat system and that familiar South Park sense of humor, it’s yet another must play game for any fan of the show.

Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles

Release Date: July 8, 2015 Platforms: Linux, Mac, PlayStation 4 (reviewed), Windows, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch

If the Grim Reaper himself came to you in the middle of the night and told you that you only had three days to live, what would you do? If your first instinct wasn’t to soup-up your Rascal scooter and draw up a contract to race Death for you soul, then it’s been nice knowing you because you’re clearly doomed. This is the course that seven old folks at Sunny Pines Retirement Community took when they were faced with this decision in Coffin Dodgers, which is obviously based on a true story.

You’ll be able to choose one of these seven retirees to save from Death’s cold grip, as you battle it out in a combat kart racer. Each of the seven characters has a unique back story and personality, but they all feel exactly the same when racing. So much so that you actually use the same scooter across all races, regardless of the character you choose. The story mode of Coffin Dodgers is broken down into a total of 13 races that take place in five different areas. Your goal is to not be last after each area because that person’s soul belongs to the Reaper. That’s pretty much the gist of the game – beat Death and save your soul. Getting through the story probably won’t even take you a couple of hours, but there is some incentive to playing through a couple of times to see the alternate ending.

Races always feature eight racers and, if you’re familiar with Mario Kart, then you’ll know what to expect. Your ultimate goal is to come in first place, but you’ll be able to pick up a variety of power-ups throughout each track to help you out. These range from offensive items like rockets and machine guns to speed boosts and protective shields. It’s all standard kart racer stuff. You’ll also be able to utilize a melee attack that can even be powered up to one shot your opponents off of their scooters. One thing about races that I did find rather odd was that regardless of where you finished the previous race your character always started in eighth place. Not a huge deal, but you’re always starting at a slight disadvantage.

Outside of the story races there are a few other options including quick race, time trials, and some open world modes. The open world modes include explore, which is pretty self explanatory, and Crazy Granddad. In this mode, you’ll have to find an item on the map by following a giant arrow at the top of the screen. Your goal is to collect as many items as you can in one minute, and it’s really not much fun. Everything outside of story mode feels pretty pointless because you don’t acquire any kind of coins or XP. If you’re looking for a multiplayer experience with Coffin Dodgers, there’s also not much here to find. There is no online multiplayer and you can only do single race two-player split screen.

If you’re a completionist, the one thing that might keep you coming back are scooter upgrades. As you complete races in story mode, you’ll earn both coins and XP. Coins can be used in the garage to unlock a variety of modifiers for your scooter that will improve your speed, acceleration, handling, weapon effectiveness, and also unlock more paint colors. Even here there isn’t a ton to unlock as each category only has three options at most. As far as XP goes, I honestly still have no idea why it is in the game. I never saw any indication that it was associated with any kind of unlockables or leveling system.

As far as the technical aspects of Coffin Dodgers go, the game controls pretty much how you’d expect an arcade kart racer too. It’s not nearly as tight as something like Mario Kart, but it is completely competent. There are some issues with collision detection that can be a little frustrating though. Sometimes you’ll hit a wall and just be pushed along it, other times it will stop you in your tracks, and, worst of all, are the times that it completely wipes you out. I also encountered more than my fair share of slow down, stuttering, and just overall performance issues. This can be costly in close races if it happens, but with an upgraded kart, races probably won’t be that close anyway.

The difficulty in Coffin Dodgers is all over the place. When you first start, if you end up in the back of the pack or one of the AI drivers gets too far ahead there’s no coming back or catching up. There’s no equivalent to Mario Kart’s red or blue shells to slow down the leader and there’s nothing like a the star or Bullet Bill power-up that will allow you to catch up to the pack if you made a costly mistake. I restarted plenty of races because I knew I had no chance and that takes out a lot of the fun. On the opposite end of the spectrum, once you get your kart leveled up, the game becomes a cake walk. There is very little middle ground unless you want to set up your kart a specific way, but, even then, the AI is inconsistent in how it acts, so the challenge will vary.

Even with all the issues that Coffin Dodgers has, I kind of enjoyed some of my time with it. It’s just a silly kart racer that I could actually see being fun to break out and play with friends at something like a Halloween party. Still though, I can’t really recommend this for someone looking for single-player experience unless they are hard up for a new kart racer or are a trophy hunter looking for an easy platinum. You could do worse, but you aren’t really missing much if you skip out on this one.

Note: This series was never completed due to personal issues.

I’ve decided to go with a theme for this week’s entry of 31 for 31, so I’ll be covering the very divisive (live-action) Resident Evil movie franchise. The Resident Evil game series is one of my favorites and I seem to be one of the few fans that actually doesn’t hate the movies that have spawned because of it. I figured since the film franchise recently wrapped up its storyline with the sixth and final movie, now would be a great time to go back and see how each film holds up. So let’s check them out.

-9-  Resident Evil

2002 | R | 1h 40m

I feel like the first Resident Evil movie got a lot of hate because it didn’t incorporate a ton of elements directly from the video games. It seemed like people just wanted a shot-for-shot recreation of the first game. I honestly feel if you don’t go in with that kind of attitude, Resident Evil isn’t that bad. My biggest issue with it is that not much actually happens as the entire movie takes place in an underground facility run by the Umbrella Corporation, known as the Hive, and revolves around a small group trying to escape. It feels more like a set up for the rest of the series than anything else. There are few standout moments. Some of them are pretty cheesy, but a couple are actually pretty cool. Perhaps my favorite scene in the entire movie franchise (the laser room) takes place in this movie. A couple other things worth noting are that Michelle Rodriguez is a badass and the score is kind of dope.

Score: 3 out of 5

-10-  Resident Evil: Apocalypse

2004 | R | 1h 34m

The second film in the Resident Evil movie franchise, Apocalypse, has always been the one that I considered my favorite. After watching it again for this article, I’m not really sure why that is because it’s pretty bad. I think a lot of that comes down to it not holding up thanks to its sub-par special effects. Apocalypse does have a few things going for it though, as it opens up the world beyond the Hive by putting the cast in Resident Evil‘s famed Raccoon City and also introduces a few characters from the games including Jill Valentine, Carlos Oliveira, and Nemesis. This is also the movie where Milla Jovovich’s character, Alice, starts becoming the badass the series is known for. All that said, I don’t outright hate Apocalypse, but it certainly didn’t hold up to the memories I had of it.

Score: 2 out of 5

-11-  Resident Evil: Extinction

2007 | R | 1h 34m

Of the few people that actually admit to watching Resident Evil movies, it seems that quite a few of them point to Extinction as their favorite film in the series. I wasn’t a huge fan of it when I first watched it, but it is far better than I remembered and I see why some point to it as the best. Extinction opens up the cinematic universe even more, showing how the T-Virus has completely ravaged the entire United States and turned it into a desert wasteland. It also introduced video game mainstays Claire Redfield and Albert Wesker for the first time in the film franchise. Extinction blends action and horror together very well, having some of the best examples of both genres in the series. It was nice to have the opposite reaction that I did for Apocalypse, as this one actually held up quite well and surpassed the memories I had of it.

Score: 4 out of 5

-12-  Resident Evil: Afterlife

2010 | R | 1h 37m

Afterlife starts out with my favorite opening credit sequence of the movie series, but man oh man, it is all downhill from there. The entire movie revolves around Alice and friends trying to reach a mysterious place called Arcadia and nearly every scene and dialog sequence is a cringe-worthy mess. They relied way too heavily on 3D effects and when you’re watching in 2D it just comes off as cheesy and out of place. Also, the amount of slow-motion going on is completely absurd. On top of all that, Afterlife tries way too hard to incorporate more aspects of the video games and most just don’t make much sense in the cinematic universe. Speaking of the games, we get introduced to Chris Redfield for the first time in the films and the casting of Wentworth Miller to play the part boggles my mind each time I see him. Needless to say, Afterlife is bad and easily my pick for the worst movie in the franchise.

Score: 1 out of 5

-13-  Resident Evil: Retribution

2012 | R | 1h 35m

It may not be saying much, but the first 20 minutes of Retribution are better than the entirety of Afterlife. This time around Alice is trapped in yet another underground Umbrella facility and must find a way to escape. There is quite a bit of fan service in Retribution as they finally decided to add video game fan favorites Leon Kennedy, Barry Burton, and Ada Wong into the mix. Actress Michelle Rodriguez (among others) also makes her return to the series, which was a pleasant surprise. Unfortunately, Retribution still exhibits some of the same problems that plagued Afterlife. While not nearly as prevalent this time around, the reliance on 3D effects and slow motion still pop up a little too often. The dialog is also still as bad as ever, but I will say that it’s more on par with some of the campiness of the games making it at least kind of funny. All told, Retribution isn’t amazing by any means, but it has a B-Movie feel and plenty of nods to the games, which make it a mostly enjoyable watch.

Score: 3 out of 5

-14-  Resident Evil: The Final Chapter

2016 | R | 1h 47m

The Final Chapter is the only movie on this list that I watched for the first time when preparing to write this article, so all of these thoughts are my initial feelings. I also had a hell of time getting my hands on this movie, as it was pretty much impossible to find for rental. I actually had to buy it just so I could make sure I had access to all six films, but I digress.

As far as the movie goes, I was kind of disappointed right out of the gate. As Retribution ended we got a pretty cool scene with Alice, Wesker, Leon, Ada, and Jill all standing atop the White House looking out over the hordes of the undead. I thought we might get those five teaming up for the next installment, but nope, that wasn’t the case. In fact, Jill, Leon, and Ada don’t even make an appearance in The Final Chapter. Instead, Alice makes her way back to the Hive to try and stop Wesker and Umbrella once and for all. It’s pretty much what I’ve come to expect from a Resident Evil movie – decent action scenes and some pretty bad dialog. I will say that it was an interesting way to end this nearly 15 year story arc and was a fine way for the series to go out. Although, it definitely felt like they left the door open to make further movies in this world, so I wouldn’t be all that surprised if we do see another sequel. If you’ve watched the rest of the Resident Evil movies, there’s really no reason not to check out The Final Chapter, but if you’ve never been a fan, I don’t see this changing your mind.

Note: This series was never completed due to personal issues.

31 for 31 (not to be confused with ESPN’s 30 for 30 movie series, which I totally didn’t rip off) is a series of articles where I cover a different horror movie for each day in October. A few years back I tried something similar to this feature where I attempted to watch and review a movie every day throughout the month of October. That idea quickly ran out steam as I couldn’t keep up with the task, so this year I’ve decided to try something a little different. This time around, I’m still planning on covering 31 different movies, but it will be broken down into four parts that will go up about once a week throughout the month.

I’m also not trying to break down each of these movies or write in-depth reviews. Instead this is just going to be a more laid back series of articles. I’ll still give you my final score for each movie (because people love scores), but think of this more like a blog. So with all that out of the way, hopefully I can help guide you towards something worth watching during my favorite time of the year.

-1-  The Conjuring

2013 | R | 1h 52m

Based on one of the real-life cases of famed paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, The Conjuring tells the story of a Rhode Island family that is being tormented by what appears to be a demonic force. I’m normally not a fan of possession/exorcism movies (I think The Exorcist is one of the most overrated movies ever made), but when I watched The Conjuring back in 2013 I loved it. I have to say, after watching it again for this article, it definitely holds up. Even though I’d already seen it and was watching it in the middle of the day there were still parts that creeped me out and had me on edge. It’s the perfect combination of psychological and jump scares and also features some pretty decent acting. It’s honestly one of the best horror films I’ve seen in the last decade and I think everyone should watch it.

Score: 5 out of 5

-2-  The Conjuring 2

2016 | R | 2h 14m

The Conjuring 2 takes things across the pond to England where another family is being tormented by a demonic force and is based on the real-life Enfield haunting. The first half of the movie is about on par with its predecessor, as it creates a palpable tension and is genuinely frightening. Unfortunately, as the film progresses it starts to go a bit off the rails. Most of the scare tactics were used up in the beginning, so repeated scares had little affect. I mean, you can only be scared by something suddenly appearing on screen accompanied by a loud noise so many times before it gets played out. There were also times where the film just felt downright campy, which I normally don’t mind, but it felt out of place in this particular movie. All that said, The Conjuring 2 still tells an interesting story and is better than most other horror films from recent years. It’s good and deserves a watch, but It does fall short of living up to the original.

Score: 4 out of 5

-3-  Don’t Breathe

2016 | R | 1h 28m

Three thieves, each with their own motives, decide to break into the home of a blind veteran in hopes of nabbing an easy $300,000. That’s the simple premise behind Don’t Breathe, but when the blind man turns the tables on the would-be thieves and they end up trapped in his home, simplicity goes out the window. I wouldn’t say it’s a groundbreaking moment for the genre, but with a few twists and a lot of tension, Don’t Breathe is a damn solid film and one I’d highly recommend checking out.

Score: 4 out of 5

-4-  Ghostbusters

2016 | PG-13 | 2h 14m

The original Ghostbusters is one of my favorite movies, but unlike many other “fans” I was actually looking forward to the Ghostbusters reboot from last year. Unfortunately, all the whiny little internet trolls got their wish and said reboot turned out to be pretty bad. The pacing is atrocious and the writing is even worse. I have zero problems with the cast. In fact I like each member of the Ghostbusters team quite a bit. It’s just a shame that the writing is so terrible that none of them could actually shine. I did feel that, if written properly, these characters could have been the perfect collection of new Ghostbusters. There were some small glimmers of hope like the variety of new weapons and gadgets at the busters’ disposal, as well as the talented cast, that I know a possible sequel could be great. I guess we will have to see if it ever manifests though. Until then, I think it’s best to just forget this particular entry even exists.

Score: 1 out of 5

-5-  It Follows

2014 | R | 1h 47m

Until I watched It Follows, it seemed like a film that people either loved or hated. I guess I bucked that trend because I fell somewhere in the middle and thought it was just okay. The premise is basically that characters are pursued by some sort of supernatural entity and the only way to free themselves from its pursuit it to pass it on to someone else through sexual intercourse. There were some genuinely creepy and disturbing moments, but there were also plenty of moments that just fell flat thanks to sub par acting. If I had to point to one thing that I found particularly great, it would be the soundtrack which was done by Disasterpiece, who worked on the games Fez and Hyper Light Drifter. If you’re a horror fan, I think It Follows is a movie you should watch at least once, if for nothing more than to see what all the hype is about.

Score: 3 out of 5

-6-  Krampus

2015 | PG-13 | 1hr 38m

Two things I particularly enjoy in the horror genre are movies with a Christmas theme and those that integrate comedy. Krampus does both of these nearly perfectly. There’s nothing more unsettling than seeing people being terrorized during what is supposed to be one of the happiest times of the year. While it’s not the scariest movie you’ll probably ever see, between homicidal gingerbread men, grotesque children’s toys, and freaky little elves there’s just so much to love about Krampus.

Score: 4 out of 5

-7-  The Midnight After

2014 | NR | 2h 2m

I originally watched The Midnight After on a whim and I’m glad I did because it’s kind of fantastic. Set in Hong Kong, a group of strangers catch a late night ride on a minibus and soon realize they are the only people left in the city. What follows is one wild ride of a movie filled with a ton of bizarre and off-the-wall moments. Some of these moments actually kept me thinking about the film days after I watched it. It really is a movie that has to be seen to best understand and, if you have Netflix, you should definitely give it a shot.

Score: 4 out of 5

-8-  Train to Busan

2016 | NR | 1h 58m

Prior to watching Train to Busan I had heard great things about it and I’m thrilled to say that it did not disappoint. In a genre that has been over saturated by zombies in the last few years, Train to Busan feels like a fresh take. It displays one the most brutal and relentless depictions of zombies I’ve ever seen in a movie and it also features a cast of endearing characters that I actually came to care about. There were also a handful of jaw-dropping moments that I wasn’t expecting to see. I can’t say enough good things about Train to Busan. It’s absolutely a movie that all horror or zombie fans should check out.

Release Date: July 18, 2017 Platforms: PlayStation 4 (reviewed), Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch

Certain games come along at the right time in life and click with you when they may otherwise not have. While it may be a rare occurrence for some, I think this fact is true for everyone, as a game you love now is something you may have been indifferent about or even hated under different circumstances and vice-versa. Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles is one such game for me. Had I played it a few years ago, I may have brushed it off as boring and childish, but as we grow and evolve as people so do our tastes. As I’ve grown older I’ve found my appreciation for more laid back, “casual” experiences has greatly increased and Yonder certainly falls into that category. While it’s always important to read the entirety of a review and not just use the final score, with a game of this nature it is imperative.

Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles opens with a simple character creator that basically allows you to choose your character’s gender and body type. Soon after, your nameless character finds themselves on a boat traveling towards the land of Gemea to uncover the secrets of their past, but along the way the waters get rough and they end up shipwrecked. They are then visited by a mysterious creature that informs them that Gemea has been enshrouded by an ominous cloud called murk. Now they must not only learn about their past, but also help free Gemea from the blight that has overtaken it.

Yonder is a game all about adventure and exploration. There is no combat to engage in, no experience to earn, no attributes to enhance, and no skill trees to develop. It’s all about discovery and helping to return Gemea back to the paradise it once was. In order to do this and clear away the murk, you’ll have to search out and find small creatures known as sprites, as they can be used to help dispatch this evil fog. Sprites can be acquired by completing quests, solving simple puzzles, or just by finding them hiding out in the world and you’ll need to recruit as many as you can because each area of murk will require you to have a specific number of sprites to clear.

Sprites are only able to clear out smaller areas of murk around Gemea, so your character will need to find a more effective method to free the entire world. This is where the Cloud Catcher comes into play. Your main goal in Yonder is to repair this device that can be used to completely wipe out the murk that the sprites cannot. Completing this task is surprisingly simple and if you’re just running through this main questline you could probably complete the game in just a few short hours. I was honestly surprised with how little there was to do as far as the main story beats go, but Yonder definitely makes up for it other ways.

While your main goal is to clear away the murk, there are a plethora of other things to do in Yonder. You’ll be able to build farms that will allow you to grow crops and trees, as well as adopt a variety of animals that you can find around Gemea. There are also tons of sidequests that you can pick up from the people you meet in the numerous towns you’ll visit. There are a number of resources available to gather by chopping down trees, breaking apart rocks, picking flowers, fishing, and more. Thankfully all of those resources will go to good use as you can join a handful of guilds which will enable you to build and create a number of items, ranging from buildings and decorations for your farm to clothing and food. If you’re looking for things to keep you busy in Gemea, there is certainly no shortage of things to do.

Even with all of the things to do, perhaps the most fun I had during my time with Yonder was when I was venturing off the beaten path and exploring every nook and cranny of Gemea. The map you’ll have access to is surprisingly large and the sheer number of places to explore caught me a bit off guard at first. If you’re the type of person that enjoys finding secrets, Yonder probably won’t disappoint, as there are tons of things out in the world to find ranging from treasure chests to hidden coves and much more I won’t spoil.

What made exploration particularly exciting for me though is just how beautiful this world could be at times. On the surface, it may look like a simple game in terms of graphics, but there were plenty of times I found myself enjoying the view as much as anything else. Standing on a cliff overlooking the ocean while the sun set in the distance was a sight to behold. The ambient noise of birds, wind, rain, water crashing, and other environmental sounds also added much to the experience as Gemea truly felt like a living, breathing world.

While there is plenty to gush about in Yonder, it isn’t without a few issues and the most significant is the way it handles fast travel. Once I had explored everything I wanted to and was just trying to finish up quests as the game was winding down, fast travel became something that I was in desperate need of. Unfortunately, there are only seven or eight spots in the game that allow you to do this. These are known as Sage Stones and once you’ve opened one (by completing a simple quest) you can enter it and exit from any of the others that you have unlocked. The problem is that even when using this method of travel you still have to travel on foot great distances to reach most of your destinations as most of the stones are tucked away in areas that aren’t close to any kind of point of interest. I feel like having a way to travel between your farms or each town you’ve discovered would have been far more convenient. Luckily, this only became an issue in the last couple of hours when I had seen all I wanted to.

Another small issue was with the way the game handles inventory. Your character is outfitted with a backpack, and while its appearance can change, I never found a way to increase the capacity. In a game where collecting items is all too important, needing to micromanage the inventory got quite cumbersome at times. Each farm you build does contain a shared inventory box (with what seemed to be unlimited space) that allows you to have access to all of your stored items no matter which farm you are on, but with the travel distances between them and the aforementioned fast travel system, getting to one was usually a pain.

On a related note, I wasn’t a fan of the way currency was handled. It is impossible to sell off your excess items and have a surplus of cash because all transactions in the game are done strictly by trade only. This led to a few different problems as sometimes I would have a backpack full of cheap stuff and wouldn’t be able to buy what I wanted, which led to trekking back to a storage box or hoping I could craft something of value that I wouldn’t need later. Other times I would have to sell off something worth more than the items I wanted because I didn’t want to make that long trek to a box. For a game with such a laid back feel, all of this tedious micromanagement felt completely out of place.

I’ve said this about plenty of other games in the past, but I feel like with Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles, it’s more important than ever; this game will not be for everyone. The lack of combat and instant gratification from things like XP will certainly be a turn off for some, but if you’re okay with exploring the simplistic beauty of Gemea and uncovering its numerous secrets, it is well worth your time.

Release Date: July 20, 2017 Platforms: Nintendo 3DS

Mononoke Forest, as the name might suggest, is a game about Mononoke. You might be asking, what are Mononoke? Well, they are little creatures that thrive on making humans happy, collecting “happy orbs,” and trying to create paradise. Unfortunately, not all Mononoke are good, as there is a group of Hazard Mononoke looking to wreak havoc. As Mononoke Forest begins, you’ll find out that the Grand Mononoke has fallen into a deep sleep and has been kidnapped by the Hazard Mononoke so that they can freely do their bidding to destroy paradise. It’s your job to train a new Grand Mononoke and make sure to restore and sustain the human’s small community.

At its core, Mononoke Forest is a simulation style town building game but with a bit of a twist. You’ll be responsible for cleaning up debris and trash, creating forests, coal, and gold to use as resources, and build a variety a facilities to accommodate the humans. These tasks aren’t done in a traditional fashion as you’ll need to use Mononoke creatures to accomplish most of these goals. The main gameplay mechanic involves pairing up Mononoke on the bottom screen of the 3DS and shooting them up to the map on the top screen to create your town. It’s a bit tricky trying to properly explain this, so I’d recommend checking out the trailer below.

Over the course of the game, you’ll collect a number of unique Mononoke that will play a role in developing the town and each is used to create specific types of resources. There’s no guess work when trying to figure out what each Mononoke is able to do thanks to an in-game journal that will tell you what each creature is capable of once you recruit it. Each of your Mononoke will also collect XP as you use them allowing each to evolve up to twice throughout the course of the game. Evolving a Mononoke allows it to spread more energy with each use and boosts its unique stats, which will help when combating Hazard Mononoke.

Building up your town won’t be as easy as just completing projects; you’ll also have to sustain and protect what you’ve built. This means dealing with everything from normal consumption of resources by the humans, natural disasters, and, most commonly, invading Hazard Mononoke. There are a handful of Mononoke that will try to destroy what you’ve built by using garbage, fire, pests, and more. When these Hazard Mononoke arrive, you’ll have to go to battle using the Mononoke you’ve collected by launching them into the Hazards with the hopes of chasing them away.

Mononoke Forest is broken down into two parts – day and night. During the day, you’ll be able to build facilities (if you have the resources) and also acquire wishes from humans. These wishes are usually small tasks like build a certain number of one resource or clean up a certain area of the town. Each of these wishes you grant will score you Happy Orbs. These orbs will allow you to evolve your Mononoke and build certain facilities. At night is when you’ll do your building, cleaning, and wish granting. You’ll only have a certain amount of turns before the night is over, so efficiency is key. After each night, the season will change and this will affect what wishes you can grant and what resources you can build.

Mononoke Forest‘s gameplay can be fun at times. It comes with its issues, the biggest being how finicky it is. You’ll need to use a stylus if you want to optimize the control you have, but even then, it still leaves a lot to be desired. If you move even slightly in any direction as you are lifting the stylus, it will completely screw up your shot. There were also plenty of times when I would be trying to move my Mononoke into a better position, only to have them launch off to the side. This is rather annoying when you’re trying to set up your town in a certain way only to have some random tree or road in a place you don’t want it. This is even worse when you are battling the Hazard Mononoke because you just can’t be as accurate as you need to be. This isn’t so bad in normal encounters as you can take multiple nights to chase away the Hazard, but there are a handful of “boss battles” where they need to be defeated in a single session or you can’t continue. These fights, especially later in the game, were tests of patience more than anything and completely killed the flow of the game.

Another issue I ran into was just how tedious the gameplay became. The first few hours were fun and had me coming back trying to build up a perfect town. Unfortunately the more I played, the more I got bored with the gameplay. With each night basically being the same as the last (because the gameplay never changes regardless of what you’re doing) and the constant barrage of Hazards messing up what I had built, I eventually got burned out on the loop of doing the same thing over and over.

As a town building simulator, Mononoke Forest can be a pretty entertaining game for the first few hours. Unfortunately, finicky controls and tedious gameplay make the middle to late game more of a chore than a game. If you’re into these kinds of games, I’d recommend checking it for the $3.99 price as you’ll easily get 15+ hours out of it, if you don’t get burned out before that. For everyone else, I’d say this is one you can safely pass on.

Release Date: June 20, 2017 Platforms: PlayStation 4 (reviewed) and Windows

I Want To Be Human is a score attack action platformer about a vampire girl and a hat boy. With love being banned and the girl and boy being caught smooching, they are arrested and subjected to genetic manipulation which turns them into the aforementioned vampire and hat. What follows is their attempt to find a way to change back to normal and that involves grabbing a shotgun and blasting a bunch of bad guys to bits. The story is described as tongue-in-cheek and if they stopped at the initial idea it would have been fine, but it quickly began to feel like they were trying way too hard to be funny and edgy. With boss names like Toweljerk and Sir Major Dick Hipster, it’s easy to see exactly what kind of “humor” is offered up here and most of it falls flat.

Questionable design choices also plague I Want To Be Human. The color palette consisting solely of red, black, and white makes crowded fights a complete incomprehensible mess. With the background, bullets, and blood all being the same color, figuring out what is going on is tough when there are more than a couple of enemies on the screen. There are also a lot of odd level design choices as well. The most glaring being the placement of items in the foreground that just randomly block what is happening in the background where your character actually is. As far as I found, there is no mechanic that allows you travel between these different planes, so these objects seem to be there solely to screw with your vision. Also messing with your vision are constant text bubbles from both your character and enemies. These pop up all the time and do nothing but get in the way of the action. Even worse is that they consist of such fantastic one-liners as “You suck at life” and “You tampon.” As well as my personal favorite, “You are such a dildohead.” This is comedic writing at its absolute best here.

Surprisingly, one thing that the game does pretty well are its platforming controls. I’m very picky about how platformers control and I Want To Be Human actually feels good with solid handling and even decent wall and double jump mechanics. It’s just unfortunate that the design choices almost completely negate them. This becomes glaringly apparent in the second world thanks to a huge difficulty spike. In the first world, there is little in the way of challenge, but as soon as you move on to the second the game becomes one giant troll and actually feels nearly impossible. Instant deaths, unavoidable traps, and enemies that will quickly destroy you are all too prevalent and you aren’t eased into how they work. Instead, you’re just thrown into the fire to die one frustrating death after another. It goes from being mildly entertaining to nearly unplayable and that’s just not fun.

Another sore spot comes in the form of the sound design. From the shitty pop punk song that plays on title screen to the god awful sound effects, I Want To Be Human is better played with the sound muted. The music during the actual levels does improve over the grating title screen song, but the sound effects remain an annoyance throughout. Whenever you get hit, and that’s going to happen a lot, your character yells out the same shrieking “Ow!” I was honestly afraid someone would think I was torturing a small child while I was playing. Then there’s the pause screen that sounds like someone is just randomly banging on shit. It’s like the entire goal of the sound design was just to drive you insane. Well, mission accomplished.

I don’t say this lightly because I know someone actually spent time making I Want To Be Human and they’re probably proud of it, but it’s a terrible game. It’s neither fun nor funny and I feel a little ripped off only paying $2.49 for it. I truly feel bad for anyone that bought the Steam version for $14.99. Do yourself a favor and act like I Want To Be Human doesn’t exist. If I could erase it from my memory, I would.

Release Date: July 7, 2017 Platforms: Linux, Mac, PlayStation 4 (reviewed), Windows, Xbox One

If you’ve never heard of Save the Ninja Clan, then we’re in the same boat. I only decided to buy it on a whim after watching the trailer because of its $2.99 price tag and obvious Super Meat Boy influence. Little did I know that not only was it influenced by Super Meat Boy, but it out-and-out ripped off one of the best platformers of the last decade. From traps and hazards to mechanics, far too much of Save the Ninja Clan feels way too similar to Super Meat Boy to be coincidence. Hell, even two of its three boss fights are blatant copies from SMB. So while Save the Ninja Clan isn’t a particularly bad game, it set itself up for failure right out of the gate because it failed in every way to live up to the lofty expectations created by the game it wants to be so badly.

Save the Ninja Clan is a 2D side-scrolling platformer where you play as three ninjas on a quest to rescue some of their ninja brethren from some guy who also looks kind of like a ninja. I really don’t know the lore behind the game because all you get is a bare bones story that’s there to give you some sort of reason to be traversing these deathtrap laden levels. The fact that there are three ninjas is the most important aspect of the story as it leads to the game’s biggest gimmick.

Each ninja has their own special ability that will need to be used to get through certain sections. The green ninja can double jump, the blue ninja can sprint, and the black ninja can utilize brief periods of invisibility. Why they couldn’t just put all those abilities into one ninja is beyond me. Not only was implementing this separation of abilities rarely used in any kind of creative ways, but all it did was create a more convoluted system on top of a game already lacking in its controls.

Right off the top, a huge setback for controls is being unable to use the D-Pad and being forced to use the analog stick to guide your ninjas through each level. The choice to do this is a bizarre one as most platformer fans are going to instantly go to the D-Pad for control. Making things even worse is the fact that the D-Pad isn’t used for anything throughout the game.

Outside of that, the controls felt slightly off as the jumping felt stiff and imprecise. This is something you can eventually get used to, but it was a constant cause of death as new hazards were added into levels. Speaking of hazards, the “hit boxes” of where most traps would instantly kill you also felt off. There were a number of times where I felt like I was killed when I hadn’t even made contact with a saw or a fan blade. That coupled with the imprecise controls quickly led to some frustrating sections throughout the game.

Much of the frustration in a game like this comes from the trial and error nature of it. Part of the feeling of accomplishment you get from playing a tough platformer is learning specific sections of a level and putting all that you’ve learned together to make it to the end. Save the Ninja Clan actually nailed that feeling, it’s just a shame that most of the trial and error deaths came from trying to get your ninjas to control the way you wanted rather than actual good level design.

Save the Ninja Clan is broken down into three different worlds, each with 10 levels and a boss fight. Oddly enough, none of the worlds really seemed to have a specific theme. They just added in new hazards and got slightly more difficult. I managed to get through the game’s 33 levels in just a couple of hours, so there’s not a ton of content here, but for the price it isn’t too bad.

I would like to point out that while I had plenty of issues with the game, there were a few levels that were actually enjoyable to play through, so it’s not a complete waste. There are also some pretty interesting secrets to find throughout the game as well, if you have the patience.

With all that said, I can only really recommend Save the Ninja Clan to hardcore platformer fans that are hard up to get their next platforming fix and have exhausted most of their other options. Even then, I’d honestly just recommend playing through Super Meat Boy again or shelling out the extra $12 for it if you haven’t already.

Release Date: May 5, 2016 Platforms: Android, iOS, and Nintendo 3DS (reviewed)

Game Freak may be most well known for the Pokémon series, but they’ve also released their fair share of other quirky titles. One of the latest to be added to that list is Pocket Card Jockey, a mash up of horse racing and solitaire. If that sounds a little weird to you that’s because it kind of is, but I’m pleased to say that it works.

Pocket Card Jockey opens on a down on his (or her) luck jockey who has a passion for horse racing but is terribly bad at it. After an incident during a race leaves him near death, he is visited by an angel that gives him a the goal of becoming a better jockey. In order to do this, the angel inquires about what he is actually good at. His answer is solitaire, so the angel allows him to use his solitaire skills to perform better in horse races. Yeah, the story is a bit out there, but it explains the premise and offers up some mildly entertaining dialog. Honestly though, none of that really matters because Pocket Card Jockey is all about the gameplay.

The game revolves mostly around a simplified solitaire game, where you’ll just have to remove cards in either ascending or descending sequential order (so if you pick a six, you can clear a five or a seven). Suits and colors do not matter, which allows for a much quicker gameplay experience compared to a traditional game of solitaire. Each race will consist of anywhere from two and five games of solitaire, depending on the length of the track. The better you do (i.e. the more cards you clear) the better your horse will perform in the race. Clearing more cards will help with your energy and stamina, which will in turn determine how fast your horse runs and how long it can keep up higher speeds. You will also have the ability to move your horse around on the track between games of solitaire to put them in better positions to gain energy and reserve stamina.

The gameplay is simple on the surface and the solitaire is easy to pick up and play, but getting used to when and where to move your horse can take some time to get used to. Even then I found that most of the time your success comes down to luck more than anything. Between the random nature of the cards you’re dealt and making the right choices in moving your horse, there’s so much that’s left to chance that I never really felt like any one strategy worked. I had races where I would do great in solitaire and have tons of energy, but then hemorrhage stamina resulting in a terrible finish. But I also had times where I’d do so bad in solitaire that my horse wouldn’t respond to my commands, yet I’d still win by a large margin. I found this aspect odd in both bad and good ways, as losing is never fun, especially when you felt you either did better than your result indicated or you had no chance from the start thanks to bad luck. On the other hand, the races felt fresh and addictive because I was always ready to jump into the next to try and do better and see if I could improve.

The majority of your time in Pocket Card Jockey will be spent in Growth Mode. Here you’ll pick a horse and be able to level it up through a series of races. Each of your horses will eventually reach maturity and no longer be able to level up though. Once this happens you can use them in Maturity Mode. In this mode you can race them a few more times to increase their prestige or you can immediately retire them. Once a horse either finishes Maturity Mode or just outright retires, they will be sent to the farm where you can breed them to create horses to use in Growth Mode. If you have two prestigious horses with great stats and breed them, you’ll likely create a strong contender. It’s an interesting loop that will keep you coming back if the gameplay hooks you.

Getting a horse from its first race to retirement probably won’t take you much more than an hour or so. The good thing is that you’ll be able to pick new horses to use in Growth Mode to your heart’s content. Whether they are horses that you’ve bred yourself or they are given to you and sponsored by a variety of owners, you’ll always be able to take a new horse on the race circuit. In that regard there’s really no end game, meaning you can play practically forever.

Pocket Card Jockey is a lot of fun if you’re a fan of card games, but due to its heavy dependability on luck, it can be a little frustrating at times. Thankfully, the gameplay loop of growing your horses and breeding to create better contenders for the future, as well as the fast paced nature of the solitaire make Pocket Card Jockey an addictive and fun experience that will continually have you coming back for one more race.