Gaming Nexus
HomepageGaming Nexus's Reviews
Madragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree provides the perfect blend of Souls-like and Metroidvania. An engaging story and satisfying combat will keep you coming back even though there are going to be things that annoy you and force you to step away from time to time. In the end, there is an excellent adventure to be found here and I look forward to more like it from this development team.
Kaya's Prophecy is a simple and short deck builder game, with fun tribal village theming that moves the story along. This game isn't for the intensive gamer, but rather for a quick and frivolous break from life. Uncomplicated and silly, Kaya's Prophecy would make a great introductory game for anyone who wants to learn more about this particular style of gaming.
The second Tape of Lost Records is a big step up from the first tape with a great conclusion to this coming of age story of a group of friends. Some technical issues still linger here and there, while a very confusing sequel bait ending leaves us with more questions than answers.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a thunderous debut from Sandfall Interactive. Its palette is brimming with cleverly engaging turn-based combat, impeccable art direction, and voice performances that rival feature films. The result is an incredible work of video game art. This game is worth more than the asking price, and I highly recommend it.
Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds is proving itself to be eternal. Here we are, more than a decade from the game's initial release and it is as addictive and enjoyable as ever. This has truly become a beat 'em up classic and has demonstrated that it can stand the test of time. The Ultimate version is just that-the ultimate version of the game. It looks, sounds, and plays better than ever. Fans of the genre must experience this one and they will find a game that they'll keep in rotation forever.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a new entry into the tomb raiding genre that takes its cues not from the games themselves that have come before, but the films of its namesake that originally inspired it all. This is the authentic Indy experience, immersing you in a new narrative adventure worthy of the legacy of those classic movies. It is so faithful to the source material that there are times little annoyances creep in. While those annoyances betray the game achieving perfection, they don't spoil an otherwise excellent experience overall. Any fan of Indiana Jones will be well rewarded giving this game a try.
I think the group at Firaxis Games had their hearts in the right places when they tried to overhaul this series, but so much of this lands with a thud, I cannot tell people to buy this game. There's plenty of things I like, but the bad outweighs the good. The condensed age system coupled with a modern era that seems to be condensed for the sake of simplicity is a huge disappointment. There are some good ideas, but this game needed another six months to a year of cooking. I hope patches and DLC can help this game out, or else I worry about what Civilization VIII is going to look like.
Shadows may not reinvent Assassin's Creed, but it's still a fun game and another great entry in the series. Exploration in this beautiful locale is great. But for those who are tired of the Assassin's Creed formula, this one isn't going to change your mind.
Star Overdrive is an enjoyable open world experience, but it can become a bit tedious, specifically when it comes to upgrading the hoverboard. While you're shown the recommended stats for each area, they do change depending on the area you're in and if you waste your materials, it can be time consuming to get more. That said though, I still enjoyed my time with Star Overdrive and if you enjoy open world games similar to the Legend of Zelda on the Switch, Star Overdrive might be right up your alley.
The absence of multiplayer is a slight drawback, and the cosmetic ticket system could use some loosening, but all of that detracts very little from the sheer joy of this package. The new basement setting is fun, stylish, and packed with potential. This is the best these tables have ever looked (and played), and the feeling that you are really playing them is undeniable.
Promise Mascot Agency is a delightfully bonkers blend of Japanese crime drama, business management sim, card-battler, and open-world collect-a-thon. No aspect of the game goes very deep, but developer Kaizen Game Works has threaded the needle here, creating an engaging "lite" version of several video game subgenres.
South of Midnight has a good story, and is a good action adventure game. It may get a little repetitive at times, but the story keeps you in enough to keep playing. I gave it all the time I could, and maybe it deserves another playthrough, since I walked away asking more questions then I started with. I only need to hear the music once though, I guarantee.
As the game has updated visuals, new additions to modes, and more microtransactions than a Prime advertisement, WWE2K25 has some bright spots. But it just feels like a superstar that dominated NXT and then was snuffed out when they joined the Main Roster. Better than last year's, but not by much. WWE has a credo: Then, Now, Forever, Together. I want now, now.
A beautifully rendered but ultimately familiar adventure game, Karma: The Dark World is neither scary nor thrilling. Meticulously build and gorgeous to look at, the gameplay is nonetheless a slow roll through a pre-rendered Kafka-inspired story, with little in the way of interaction beyond some environmental puzzle solving. I can appreciate the artistry at work here, if not the final product.
Atomfall is a delightful surprise in a year packed with big game releases. I haven't felt this amount of joy from discovery, or this level of player agency in a game in quite some time. Wherever it is on your list of games to play in 2025, move it up.
Assault Suit Leynos 2: Saturn Tribute can be a bit rough at times, mainly due to its high difficulty, especially if you're unfamiliar with this type of game. There's plenty of customization you can do with your mech between missions and this version's extra options help tone the difficulty down a bit, but this isn't necessarily going to be a game you'll master out of the gate. However, once you put some time into understanding everything you can do and how you should take each mission, Assault Suit Leynos 2: Saturn Tribute becomes a lot more enjoyable, but it's difficulty may take you a while to get to that point.
This sweet little comfort game is an adorably cozy little farming simulation. Difficult to learn at first, but easy to play as you continue on. Grow crops, sell them to the townspeople, make money, restore harmony to the island. And best of all, adopt cows and chickens! But unfortunate technical issues that cause the game to randomly lock, resulting in a repeated loss of progress, eventually took their toll. I'm hoping the game's issues are resolved so players can actually enjoy the charming experience at the core of Sugardew Island.
Split Fiction is one of the best genre crossing, action packed, adrenaline rushing, heart wrenching games both Jason and myself have ever played. A few hours in, we were dodging ogres and shooting down ships. By the end of the game, our friendship became stronger, our hearts grew three times larger, and we realized that Split Fiction is one of the best games of this era. Anyone saying otherwise, is spitting fiction.
The latest iteration of Under Defeat shows just how solid the original game was and remains to this day. It's simple yet effective take on the shmmup genre still provides a great challenge with fun gameplay that drives you to keep coming back again and again to better your score. Unfortunately, if it hasn't hooked you in the past, this version isn't really going to do much else to suck you in. The new additions help sweeten the pot for long-time fans but just don't do enough to pull in any new ones. All in all: fans of the game will enjoy coming back and appreciate having access to a shmup-great on modern consoles.
Monster Hunter Wilds delivers a ton of incredible new content, buried underneath the usual UI nightmare plus a long, interminable campaign. The new features of the game are fun and exciting once the game opens up, and there are a ton of awesome new monsters to battle. The graphics, as always, are stunning. But wading through the mud of this story for 15-20 hours is downright painful, and the franchise's tradition of not explaining itself is getting extremely old. There is a fabulous Monster Hunter game here, but sooner or later this franchise is going to have to wake up to the need to wipe the slate clean and open the doors for new players. Instead, Monster Hunter Wilds feels like it is going in the other direction.