Developed by the team behind 2019’s Terminator: Resistance, Teyon put their knack for the ’80s sci-fi cyberpunk genre to continued use with another beloved fan-favorite film property: RoboCop. Like Resistance, Rogue City is a first-person shooter with smaller open-world areas for players to explore and complete additional objectives on the side. You’re a cop after all. While you may have a primary task at hand, your duty is to uphold the law and serve the public trust when crime is afoot, and there will be plenty of opportunities for you to do so.

"We finally live in an age where development teams (mostly) take licensed IP seriously, and RoboCop: Rogue City is no different."

RoboCop operates a tad differently than your average shooter. This isn’t a modern run-and-gun affair. RoboCop is, well, robotic. He simply walks in his hulking metallic exterior with serious intent. Holding L3 on the PS5 picks up the pace a little but feels more like a brisk walk than a full-on sprint seen in most shooters. This absolutely makes sense for the character and doesn’t actually detract from the experience in the slightest. RoboCop is a beast and can take an extreme amount of punishment from hostile gunfire before eventually succumbing to the damage. Therefore, it’s easier to simply prioritize quickly targeting and eliminating hostiles over the need to find cover. OCP charges and parts can be found throughout the world for RoboCop to consistently repair himself. Being shot countless times is natural in this setting and all part of the experience, unlike most shooters. Holding your scan button enables you to zero in on any hostiles within your field-of-view. There’s no hiding from RoboCop. Of course, RoboCop can pick up and use any of the firearm hardware dropped by the criminals of Detroit in his bid for justice and order.

Instead of offering a linear-style story, Teyon structures the game much like Terminator: Resistance. So, if you’ve played that title, you’ll fully understand what I’m referring to. You will visit different areas of Detroit. While each area isn’t some big, expansive open world, there’s plenty of room to explore in each bubble within Detroit. You’ll often encounter side objectives that are crucial to gaining the XP necessary to upgrade RoboCop’s skills which include items such as Defense, Engineering, Vitality, and so much more. RoboCop gains access to more options the more you upgrade his skills. One skill at a particular level might allow him to unlock certain mechanisms offering additional tools, collectibles, or routes, for example. If you upgrade Vitality, you don’t just gain maximum health, RoboCop also gains the ability to use additional sources in the world to aid in repairing himself.

Rogue City doesn’t jump from shoot-out to shoot-out. Clearing a group of criminals is usually the culmination of a particular mission. In between these moments are slower more methodical elements such as detective work. But it’s never dull and only serves to flesh out the world of RoboCop. Speaking to people on the street can offer clues in your investigations. Additionally, you can choose from different dialogue options when interrogating witnesses of a crime. Rogue City even offers players a frequent choice between “upholding the law” and “serving the public trust” – RoboCop’s two primary directives. For example, you can follow the trail of a young lad who is vandalizing a building and eventually corner him in an alley. He pleads with you to let him off with a warning, but you can also choose to cite him with an egregious fine. If you issue the citation, RoboCop is upholding the law. However, the youngster promises to turn everyone he knows on the street against you. If decide to prove that RoboCop has a heart, you can let him off with a warning which is the option that serves the public trust. Despite having these two directives, RoboCop must often choose between one or the other adding a fun and engaging layer to the experience.

"Visually, the world is striking. The environments are rich in detail. This ’80s-style cyberpunk world is oozing with character. I was simply mesmerized as I saw the neon glow of street signs reflect in the puddles of water on the streets. Detroit has never looked more beautifully broken and dystopian."

Visually, the world is striking. The environments are rich in detail. This ’80s-style cyberpunk world is oozing with character. I was simply mesmerized as I saw the neon glow of street signs reflect in the puddles of water on the streets. Detroit has never looked more beautifully broken and dystopian. Despite the sci-fi theme, there are noir underpinnings with the nightlife of the streets juxtaposed against Robo’s detective work that he engages in throughout the neighbourhoods. Teyon expertly recreated the ’80s with great attention to detail like a police station full of bulky CRT monitors at every desk. The details are exquisite.

But while the world is utterly gorgeous, the human models leave a little to be desired. While the design of Detroit’s citizens and RoboCop’s comrades aren’t at all horrible, their facial animations can be as robotic as the man himself. The voice acting marrying up with the characters’ lip movements aren’t always on point, and sometimes the character models make glitchy movements during conversation. It’s not horribly frequent, but it’s noticeable and one area of the title that seemingly lacks a bit of polish.

Fans of RoboCop, however, will be thrilled to hear Peter Weller’s iconic voice behind the leading man – or cyborg. Other characters such as Sgt. Reed and Anne Lewis make a return. The soundtrack will undoubtedly appeal to RoboCop fans. The carnage during the fire fights even resembles the bloody, flesh-exploding violence that one can expect from the game. I could talk ad nauseum outlining the many intricate details, but we’ve already covered that ground thoroughly. However, it’s important to note the attention to detail and care that Teyon offers fans of RoboCop.

"oboCop: Rogue City is an experience meant for RoboCop fans made by RoboCop fans. While Teyon isn’t massive studio that has the resources to output AAA blockbuster titles, the team absolutely puts their best foot forward with the property."

At the end of the day, RoboCop: Rogue City is an experience meant for RoboCop fans made by RoboCop fans. While Teyon isn’t massive studio that has the resources to output AAA blockbuster titles, the team absolutely puts their best foot forward with the property. Long time gaming fans should understand the difference between an AAA and an AA title with the former typically being able to afford far more production value due to the backing of big publishers. With that in mind, RoboCop: Rogue City is easy to recommend to the most ardent fans of RoboCop, in particular.

RoboCop: Rogue City aims to deliver a fan-crafted experience, and it succeeds on nearly every level. With the understanding that this title comes from a smaller studio with limitations in the AA space, it’s easy to forgive the lack of polish in certain areas such as facial animations. Otherwise, Rogue City is a thrilling ride you should experience.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

Overpass 2 might catch the eyes of racing fans out there as it ticks a few boxes aside from racing gameplay including team management and customization. But going hands on with the experience will undoubtedly turn sour for many. Like its predecessor, Overpass 2 aims to nab the wild, offroading niche element of the racing genre. It puts drivers through their paces by tasking them with not merely punching the gas and steering from point A to point B, but also finding the most desirable path. Off-roading should be a thrill, but Overpass 2 stifles the momentum in more ways than one.

"Off-roading should be a thrill, but Overpass 2 stifles the momentum in more ways than one."

Let’s start with the controls. Racing requires finesse and accuracy. Punch the gas too hard, turn a little too sharp, or barrel over debris or obstacles and you can ruin your shot at the gold. Fans of the genre know exactly where I’m coming from so there’s no need to beleaguer the point. By the very nature of the sport, racing sims should meet high standards when it comes to physics and controls. The controls should never get in the way of a player’s experience. Yet, Overpass 2 struggles with lagging input. Simply moving the analogue stick to veer left or right would result in a slight delay in the movement of my vehicle. This cramps the entire experience forcing me to be less reactive and more predictive of paths I’ve never driven before. Cornering on mountainous switchbacks becomes a pain.

The means by which you operate the camera is entirely nonsensical. At one point I found that the camera was off to the side viewing my driver from the right after I crashed driving uphill. It took me roughly 30 seconds tinkering with it trying to just make the camera face forward from behind my vehicle so I can actually see what’s in front of me. When all was said and done, I realized that you can’t intuitively turn the camera 360 degrees with the right stick as you’d expect in most racing games or even third-person adventures. What I found is that no matter what angle my camera is facing, I have to push my analogue stick forward to set things back to normal – not pivot as most games do.

Out in the wilderness, you’ll take your UTV or ATV over the most rugged terrain. You’ll find that many of the paths are littered with rocks and you’ll be forced to slow down drastically. Often times, I found myself moving up mountain sides at a snail’s pace as my vehicle attempted to crawl over rocks. It is nice to see an off-roading racing title offer a bit of player choice when it comes to tackling the terrain. But this is where the path-finding skill should kick in as you seek out the path of least resistance. Most times, there really isn’t one. The time trials were an utter bore as my vehicle slowly crawled over rocks and gravel. I am all for slow and methodical stuff but the experience is clunky and not fun at all.

"Overpass 2 struggles with lagging input. Simply moving the analogue stick to veer left or right would result in a slight delay in the movement of my vehicle."

Career mode enables you to dive into the team setting. It combines elements from racing simulators’ core tenants with the actual racing scene. If multiplayer, tutorials, standalone time trials and free roam aren’t your bag, career is really your only core option. Being forced to manage your team’s staff, sponsors, and other mundane tasks if you’re only in it for the racing is really quite a drag. Racing sims are for a specific crowd and not every racing fan enjoys the elements in them. Instantly, you’ll be forced into an overly long tutorial guided by a dull voice over that feels as tired and bored with Overpass 2 as I did. Eventually, they will stop interjecting to clue you into all the menus and details of day-to-day operations. Sadly, the management element feels like an afterthought. In career mode, you’ll maintain a calendar of events while also fielding sponsors, headhunting for staff, and developing your vehicles among other things. For the average racing fan, it’s all unnecessary menus that complicate the experience with an added measure of tedium. Those who enjoy management sims will likely find that it misses the mark as it isn’t quite as extensive and layered as other options available.

Visually, there isn’t anything to write home about in Overpass 2, except for maybe the fact that the human animations during cinematic sequences nearly look like they’re from the PS2/Xbox era. Everything is rather bland aside from the outdoor tracks, and even then, the environment can feel a tad monochromatic in the most gravel and rock-laden courses. As this isn’t a triple-A title from a major studio, much of this is to be expected, despite its glaring lack of frills, detail, and smooth animations.

If you’ve read GamingBolt’s review for the original Overpass in 2020, unfortunately, none of this will sound like anything new. Most of the flaws from the first title were carried over to the sequel without any solid improvement in the game’s mechanics or offerings. At the end of the day, the core gameplay is often frustrating and dull leaving little room for any enjoyment in Career mode, multiplayer, and beyond. The parts where slow and methodical gameplay is required isn’t fun and the physics and controls will often be a hindrance to the entire experience.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox Series X.

So, what is SYNCED all about, first off? To summarize, it’s a futuristic sci-fi shooter that pits human character players against swarms of humanoid or creature-like monstrosities constructed out of polygonal shards called Nanos. No matter which game type you select, you have the capability of seemingly “hacking” one of these beasts and forming your own Nano to help you fight back. In effect, you “sync” with a Nano hence the game’s title. This third-person shooter offers two modes, a PvE and a PvP mode. The PvE mode, which enables online co-op play, is easily the more thrilling option that offers a sense of adventuring progression despite a thin story.

"This sci-fi action experience offers a great time at the shooting gallery, but not much else. SYNCED has all of its eggs in a couple baskets, leaving others pretty barren."

From a gameplay position, SYNCED is a well-oiled machine. The shooting and other tactics you employ in the field such as unleashing and recalling your synced Nano, tossing throwables, looting, and even power leaping long distances (with your Nano in tow), are all highly satisfying with intuitive controls and smooth action. To complement the gameplay, the visual design and non-linear maps within the world are detailed and exquisite. Perhaps, for these two reasons, SYNCED is likely worth your time trying out since it is free-to-play after all.

However, those two highlights of SYNCED are (currently) the best aspects of the experience. Despite its sci-fi backdrop and unique-designed characters, the story and lore are painfully thin and extremely dull. The characters follow suit with one-note dialogue and personalities. This, however, is a minor complaint for a game that still offers a decent draw with regard to great gameplay mechanics.

The heftier issues with SYNCED lie in its progression grind. This is obviously what will keep players returning for more playtime hours and potentially spend money on the game’s monetization efforts: microtransactions. While I’m on the subject, microtransactions don’t feel overtly intrusive – at least not from what I’ve seen in my time with SYNCED. The main menu doesn’t throw any big flashy advertisements at me immediately and I have to actually visit the vendor at the Haven to look through the bundles, skins, currency, and other items for sale. Of course, that can always change down the road. But for now, the monetization is respectable and largely stays out of your way if you don’t intend to give the shop a look.

Now, about progression. There is a “main campaign” that is central to SYNCED. Basically, it’s playing all of the PvE levels throughout the Dead Sector mode. At first, you’ll be tasked with clearing swarms. Do this enough times and your team will obtain the data that will lead you to a Tyrant Nano – which are, essentially, the boss fights of the game. You are allowed to play through Dead Sector solo, but that might make the experience feel even “grindier” if you catch my meaning. If you have friends that play or simply matchmake with folks over at Haven, you can strike it out as a team of three.

"From a gameplay position, SYNCED is a well-oiled machine. The shooting and other tactics you employ in the field such as unleashing and recalling your synced Nano, tossing throwables, looting, and even power leaping long distances (with your Nano in tow), are all highly satisfying with intuitive controls and smooth action."

The progression ultimately hinges on you battling your way through an onslaught of Nanos. With refined gameplay mechanics, this is good fun – for a while. The game lacks a range of diversity in its objectives, however. This can lead to rapid burnout. Furthermore, the game offers little incentive to return to areas you’ve already completed which begs the question: What happens to a newcomer down the road when most players are far beyond in more challenging levels? Perhaps, the game will draw in newcomers for quite some time, and that may not be an issue. However, the incentives seem to be lacking as they’re largely basic. It’s incentives, after all, that drive progression in most solid online experiences. Again, however, this is something that could always change with future updates to SYNCED.

I found myself more drawn to PvP match-ups against other players. This is ultimately what may have players returning in the future. With solid shooter mechanics, going up against skilled players makes for a fun and thrilling challenge. Each PvP match is a 3 versus 3 scenario. You can, of course, sync with a Nano and bring them into the fray.

Your character (referred to as Runners) and Companion Nano that you select while in Haven or in a pre-game setting (whether PvP or PvE) have their own sets of abilities. For instance, the Seer companion, while fused to your character’s arm (not unleashed in battle) can detect other Runners close by. When deployed, the Guardian Nano will utilize a shield to help defend itself and you. If it’s not deployed and fused to your arm, you can materialize a shield in front of you when aiming. Different Runners also have different abilities. Layla can use a cloaking ability to conceal herself while Dr. Stone can deploy a drone that heals himself and allies in a certain radius. So, there are strategic reasons behind your character and Nano selections that, when coupled with a team, could synergize well if you all coordinate.

"The progression ultimately hinges on you battling your way through an onslaught of Nanos. With refined gameplay mechanics, this is good fun – for a while. The game lacks a range of diversity in its objectives, however. This can lead to rapid burnout."

At the end of the day, SYNCED offers players a worthwhile shot at a potentially fun online free-to-play shooter. With any luck, future updates will refine the progression aspect of the game – it’s driving force in finding a returning audience. Still, fun and frenetic gunplay coupled with excellent visual design and the low, low price tag of “free” should at least earn an hour (at minimum) of your time just to see what the game is all about. It may not be the best free-to-play title out there, but you can easily do worse.

This game was reviewed on PC.

For starters, Madden NFL 24 makes all the right moves when it comes to refining the game and bringing this sports sim ever closer to the real deal. The fluidity of on-field animations hasn’t always been top-notch, and it still can use some improvement. But EA seems intent on marketing this latest edition of Madden with better and more refined physics via their trademarked FieldSENSE engine. This was introduced in Madden NFL 23 and, of course, makes a welcome return giving players more control over where the ball winds up when passing to receivers on the field. When running with the ball, the players run with far more agility giving you more precise control when faking out the other team or overtaking the defensive line. Essentially, FieldSENSE unlocks an element of skill that can drive the most competitive players.

"A revitalization of the brand is necessary and is something other sports sims have achieved in recent years to great effect. However, each new incarnation of Madden feels like a safe play rather than a solid push to convince fans there’s more to this gridiron gauntlet that they haven’t seen in recent years."

It was a powerful step forward for the franchise that is now only receiving slight improvements. Largely, the tackling animations and player contact is more varied and, at times, markedly improved over last year.

One failure that I found to be mildly frustrating and tends to entirely throw a defensive play is when a defender’s attempt at a tackle either slightly misses the runner despite clearly touching them during the act or the latter manages to recoil off the defender. It’s not a frequent irritation that occurs, but it happens enough to stick in my mind. And whether this element is intrinsically tied to the FieldSENSE physics engine or not is lost to me. Offensive running plays often felt slightly more empowered than the defensive side of things. I found it far easier to manage plays that’d cover receivers or blitz the QB than to bring down a runner.

Another couple of buzz words EA marketing will throw at fans is Sapien Technology. What is that exactly? Well, it’s described as improvements in player designs and animations. Does it succeed? Sure. It’s not a mind-boggling transformation, but player models do uniquely shine in all their individual qualities and differences. Most animations feel organic and fluid. The visual presentation of Madden NFL 24 is impressive. There’s not much to say here other than the development team has made all the expected improvements to the game’s graphical fidelity for an annual franchise such as this.

In terms of other selections outside of standard play, fans will be rather familiar with what Madden NFL 24 offers. The Madden Ultimate Team feels to be a copy and paste of last year’s addition with the exception of a new player catalog. Returning players have an option to skip the tutorial which says it all. Basically, you set out to create the ultimate team by obtaining players across the NFL. They each have their individual stats and you can dictate their positions within your team. It’s essentially digital card collecting with the video game component. After assembling your team, you can take on challenges, face others online, or purchase new players in the marketplace. This is where a major component of the microtransaction element comes into play. Of course, buying packs to obtain new players isn’t required, but the competitive nature of Ultimate Team makes it rather enticing.

"The visual presentation of Madden NFL 24 is impressive. There’s not much to say here other than the development team has made all the expected improvements to the game’s graphical fidelity for an annual franchise such as this."

The Franchise mode is one of the more attractive returning features in Madden 24. It has been modified slightly offering more variability with training modes and even trades. An additional three slots have been added for draft picks which brings your total to six slots when it comes to trades. This update affords more agency and offers players better immersion in the team-building process. In Franchise mode, it’s important to properly train your players by earning experience through mini-games that hone the skills of specific players on your team. Some of these mini-games are great fun like Target Passing which actually helps you hone your own skill at timing accurate passes. Other mini-games feel like a chore in the sense that they’re simple and feel short-changed. You can skip them entirely, but there’s a feeling of compulsion when it comes to doing them in an effort to strengthen your team. Your competency in each minigame will earn you a bronze, silver, or gold medal for each which is indicative of the XP your team is earning for the activity.

Team Relocation is another feature returning within Franchise mode that does just that, relocate your team to a new city. Madden NFL 24 adds more cities to the mix. But overall, this feature feels rather useless with little bearing on the end result. I suppose it’s there for those truly wanting to dive deep into the customizable efforts behind Franchise mode. But functionally, it seems irrelevant to the overall sporting adventure at play. But fans who have knack for management sims will find something to enjoy within this mode.

Superstar is the narrative-centric overhaul of Face of the Franchise from last year. It’s the mode in which you create a player from head to toe and thrust him into his professional football career. You’ll have to hit certain benchmarks with your fresh-faced player, and ultimately guide him through his career on the field. It’s basically the “story mode” of Madden 24. For all the efforts behind this refocused narrative, it still lacks in offering anything truly compelling. As far as sporting narratives are concerned, I still hold the story-based offering “Braking Point” in racing sims F1 21 and F1 23 in high regard. With great voice work, engaging drama, and a true-blue narrative focused around key drivers, it’s largely unmatched. Superstar lacks most of the elements that have you engaged in your own character’s destiny.

"As far as sporting narratives are concerned, I still hold the story-based offering “Braking Point” in racing sims F1 22 and F1 23 in high regard. With great voice work, engaging drama, and a true-blue narrative focused around key drivers, it’s largely unmatched. Superstar lacks most of the elements that have you engaged in your own character’s destiny."

At the end of the day, Madden NFL 24 walks a fine line between creating value for returning players and actually doing something truly substantial with the series. Madden 24 might have the monopoly on NFL games, but comparatively, it doesn’t feel as bold as other sporting games in the marketplace. Madden NFL 24 will undoubtedly inch players closer to an authentic football experience with greater detail in on-the-field play, but it lacks even a modicum of freshness from a franchise that has felt mediocre for a few years now.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

While RIDE might not be an annual franchise, modern platforms did receive RIDE 4 in 2021. With a little over two years apart, the hope would be that RIDE 5 goes above and beyond. In certain design elements, that is absolutely the case. However, career mode leaves much to be desired in comparison to advancements in other titles like F1 23.

"With a little over two years apart, the hope would be that RIDE 5 goes above and beyond. In certain design elements, that is absolutely the case. However, career mode leaves much to be desired."

RIDE 5 is notably the first current-gen only title in the series. That’s important as we move further into the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S life cycle. Developers have clung to the past in hopes of retaining the largest audience possible while hindering their efforts by basing development on an outdated generation. RIDE 5 is visually impressive in some aspects, and lackluster in others. In terms of performance, however, the game is solid and runs at a high framerate. The bikes and circuit designs are flashy, vibrant, and detailed. The gravel and grass are notable both in their detailed textures and distinctions from the track and through the haptic feedback in the DualSense controller, something RIDE 4 did well, also. Everything looks all well and good until your rider removes his or her helmet. Human facial models are stiff, off-putting, and awkward. So, maybe just skip through those cut scenes and you’ll never have to see them.

The game’s presentation goes a step further with dynamic weather which you can switch on and off. The weather shifts organically and adds a stellar visual layer to each of the tracks. The water, the clouds, and the sky are all brilliantly realized as this weather system takes hold. It’s a slick new feature in the series – at least from a visual standpoint.

From a gameplay perspective, RIDE 5 endeavors to reach out to newcomers with substantial difficulty options and tutorial components. I noticed a significant difference in the mercy of the physics and the racer AI when switching between difficulties. Earlier this year, I reviewed another motorbike racer, TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 3 – a painfully difficult motorcycle racing experience. The development team made it clear that TT was meant to be unforgiving to reflect the harrowing nature of the annual event. But in comparison, RIDE 5 is thankfully far more accessible to fans breaking into the motorcycle racing niche genre.

"RIDE 5 is visually impressive in some aspects, and lackluster in others. In terms of performance, however, the game is solid and runs at a high framerate."

There is a wealth of Riding Aids available to help newcomers get a handle on the gameplay. Players can activate auto-braking to help with taking curves and turns much less haphazardly. Furthermore, there’s always the “ideal trajectory” along the road for the best path to follow with regards to the flow of the circuit. The menus are simplistic and easy to follow. Nothing in regard to the layout of the options feels overbearing. There’s off-track assistance, the option for semi-automatic transmissions, and even a rewind feature. If you make a blunder taking a corner and you’d like to give it another shot immediately, you can hit the L2 button to rewind and do the moment all over. It’s a helpful way to practice and hone your skill level.

The game offers a wide range of customization options with several brands and bike models to shop for (or earn in competitions). Take your favorite bikes to the garage and upgrade parts with your earnings for a better shot at the gold. As you race and progress through your career, you’ll earn plenty of in-game currency to customize your rider and bike the way you want. I never really felt like I was lacking funds to do what I wanted to do in the moment. Also, you can edit plenty of details including your rider’s gear both inside and outside of the racetrack as well as liveries for your bike. But at the end of the day, I get it. This is all pretty standard fare. However, in comparison to other modern racing sims the most hardened players may still find that the customization options, and least where the bike hardware is concerned, aren’t quite as extensive as other titles in the racing genre.

Perhaps the game’s biggest fault, however, lies in its lack of a storied career mode. Sure, a career mode exists with some rather dull, monotone narration. But it’s far from the gripping drama we can watch unfold in other sports games’ career modes these days. In the racing genre alone, F1 23 features a killer narrative that highlights a specific team with great voice work, cinematics, and a look at their dynamic as they set out to achieve their hopes and dreams. It gives players something more to invest in that just the simplified structure of a race followed by another race in yet another championship. This is becoming an antiquated structure for seasonal or career mode play in sports games as gaming fans want more from the overall experience. Of course, I’m not speaking for everyone, as there are those who are perfectly fine just hitting the pavement one race right after the other endlessly. But in terms of keeping a brand fresh, modern, and inviting to newcomers beyond the addition of Riding Aids, RIDE 5 suffers in that regard. Its oversimplicity could make the experience feel rather stale for some who are looking for more than just another simulation in favor of a wholistic experience.

"In terms of keeping a brand fresh, modern, and inviting to newcomers beyond the addition of Riding Aids, RIDE 5 suffers."

Many fans want a reason to put down RIDE 4 and pick up RIDE 5. With the fifth entry in the series, it’s not enough to tweak the graphical presentation, the motorbike physics, the weather system, and add accessibility options. Potential buyers want to be enticed by a fresh gameplay experience. Racing is racing. That part will never change. But how it’s presented, and the mode of play offered to players through progression structures, further management options, or cinematic storytelling with a modicum of choice will all go a long way to keeping fans engaged in the long term and invite newcomers simultaneously.

This game was reviewed on a PlayStation 5.

With that said, F1 Manager 2023 may not everyone’s cup of tea. But that absolutely isn’t a commentary on the title’s quality. The elements of this simulation that ultimately make the game what it is, but some players may find it to be tedious and, at times overwhelming. But this is a world that others may truly thrive in. And while some players may struggle with the entire sports management sub-genre from a preferential perspective, there’s no denying that F1 Manager 2023 absolutely excels in what it sets out to do.

"While I struggle with the entire sports management sub-genre from a preferential perspective, there’s no denying that F1 Manager 2023 absolutely excels in what it sets out to do."

From a gameplay perspective, those familiar with F1 Manager 2022 will easily understand the layout of 2023. Essentially, you’ll be split between the day-to-day work of maintaining your team as the appointed principal and the action that unfolds on race days. The former is represented by a series of screens and menus. Think of it like sitting at a desk and fielding emails while interacting with those you manage. One of the primary guiding points for those new to management sims will, in fact, be your emails. Often the staff on your team offer recommendations and suggestions and you get to choose how you respond. But the real nitty gritty comes when you manage your staff and make preparations for upcoming races. There’s a copious amount of options at your disposal. For starters, you’ll want to study the details of the upcoming circuit. This will help inform your decisions regarding car modifications. You may need to design or manufacture parts that boost the overall performance of the vehicles that best suit the track. For instance, one particular circuit may involve a lot of cornering that requires you to modify the handling of your team’s vehicles.

Managing your calendar and ensuring that you’re maximizing sponsorship engagement and also bringing in more funds than your expending is crucial to the survival of your outfit. Ultimately, you as the principal answer to the board of your team, and they can fire you in the event that they aren’t satisfied. Facilities must be maintained and you should look into investing in your facilities for further advantages. These buildings range from development locations for your vehicles to staff and operations facilities. The game informs you of your overall budget and every decision you make has a cost including monthly upkeep of these facilities. When you’re scouting for Technical Chiefs, Race Engineers, or any other position on your team, you must be cognizant of the time you’re expending on your primary scouts and the cost of bringing in these experts you’re seeking. Profiles for these folks indicate such details as to whether they’re willing to negotiate salaries, etc.

You also must keep up with your staff. Because you don’t actually have the experience of personable interactions with your team, the game simply tells you how their morale is holding up. You must schedule practice sessions for your pit crew. But if you overwork them, they’ll become tired and their performance will suffer as a result. You must also boost the confidence of your primary drivers. This is done through rigorous practice on the circuit and making any necessary tweaks to improve your advantage. Your drivers’ confidence plays a hefty role in their eventual performance during the qualifiers and the big race day. On race day, you have to select your strategy for pit stops. And you, of course, want to ensure you stagger the pit stops between your drivers so you don’t have them both pulling in at the same time.

"All of this is to say that there are a lot of details, menus, and aspects of your business to manage."

All of this is to say that there are a lot of details, menus, and aspects of your business to manage. For some, like me, all of these menus, submenus, and important data become overwhelming. But in reality, it’s organized well and will speak to those who thrive in this work environment – just like in real life.

You can choose whether you want to be hands-on for practice sessions, or let your team handle it which results in a breezy load screen. Viewing the practice allows you to see the performance of the car so that you can make any changes. The drivers will test the steering and handling. So, while going in hands-off may be the simpler method, it may not always be best for the race ahead.

Race days are ultimately the big payoff. It’s a chance to see if your work paid off in enabling your team the best chance at success. Sponsorships offer incentives for high performance during race events. Meeting those marks ensures a substantial cash influx for your team. Furthermore, if your Pit Crew and drivers are happy and healthy with a winning attitude, everything should go swimmingly. You’re given the opportunity to then watch the race as you would in real-life, albeit with stats on the screen in real time indicating your drivers’ lap speeds and car performance and everything in between. You can switch views to watch the race from various camera angles on each of your drivers’ cars or simply get the televised version. If you don’t have time to watch these cars run 60 laps, you can crank up the speed of the simulation to 16x. Though the game will put the speed back to 1x every time an event happens such as a collision. At the end of the day, you’ll be inundated with an analysis of your team’s performance following the race which should help inform you for your next go at it.

F1 Manager 2023 really only falters in its visual presentation. Animations are rigid, and the in-game design of staff and drivers is washed out and unimpressive. While the cars and tracks look great, even the animations of the cars racing are a tad stiff. Cars weaving in and out doesn’t always feel organic. However, the bland graphical display isn’t a real detraction from the thrill of rooting for your team and hoping for the success you’ve been working toward.

"F1 Manager 2023 really only falters in its visual presentation. Animations are rigid, and the in-game design of staff and drivers is washed out and unimpressive."

This may all sound very familiar to you if you’ve played F1 Manager 2022. However, you have the added benefit of roster updates and commentary regarding the actual real-world 2022 season as you head into the 2023 season of your own making. At the end of the day, F1 Manager 2023 accomplishes its goal of being a meaty management simulation. Those who are new to the world of team management can indicate as such when starting the 2023 season which will offer plenty of guidance in-game. If you have played a couple of management simulations in the past, you will need all the help you could get. And while this sub-genre may not rank high in your favored gameplay types, it must be recognized that it largely succeeds in what it sets out to do. F1 fans will undoubtedly be thrilled with what F1 Manager 2023 offers.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

Double Dragon Gaiden’s primary objective is to honor the tradition of classic arcade-style beat ‘em ups. With that said, Gaiden has a distinctly different aesthetic from its predecessors opting for a far more exaggeratively cartoony approach with character heads that are nearly the same size as their bodies. The pixelated design is fun but hardly distinguishable from other modern pixelated side-scrollers. Truthfully, fans may feel that this is visually all too familiar with games like Scott Pilgrim and River City Girls that actually do it much better. As a result, Gaiden’s art-style feels remarkably bland. It’s not horrible, but it certainly isn’t memorable.

"Gaiden’s art-style feels remarkably bland. It’s not horrible, but it certainly isn’t memorable."

With that said, the onus is on the gameplay to truly elevate this title in the eyes of genre fans. Gaiden focuses on a more youthful version of the franchise duo, Billy and Jimmy Lee. These two fighters alongside their law enforcement friend Marian, their mentor Uncle Matin, and a host of unlockable characters are tasked by the Mayor with quelling the threat of four deadly gangs on the streets of a post-apocalyptic 1990s version of New York City. You can tackle any of these four missions in whichever order you choose. You are able to select two characters that you can switch out via a tag-team system during your adventures. This tag-team operation enables you to manage your health. While your life bar depletes, there is a blue shade within the life bar that shows you how much life your character can recover if he (or she) is tagged out of the fight and rests. This is a pretty neat mechanic that encourages you to switch between two characters. Each character has their own distinctive move sets, stats, and special abilities. So, this method of play encourages players to shake things up as they move through each mission.

The combat is the button-mashing extravaganza that you’d expect from a beat ‘em up. However, with an incredible showing from modern beat ‘em ups like Streets of Rage 4, game development has improved on this classic mode of play by offering each fighter in these games more options than a simple single or dual button smash. However, in this regard, Gaiden feels hollow, not fully embracing this expansion as seen by its siblings within the genre. You can grapple enemies with one button while punching and kicking with another. A third button performs special moves with a few variations depending on which direction you’re using during the action. But this seems to be the extent of the combat aside from picking up weapons.

Playing as Uncle Matin or Marian act as an “easy mode” of sorts as Matin delivers heavy damage with each punch and Marian’s primary action is a firearm enabling her to attack most enemies from a distance without getting in harm’s way. When you create your tag-team partnership, you can mix and match between the martial arts, brawler, and shooter play types. But seriously, Marin really makes things dull and rather breezy with her overpowered attack situation. Her big special maneuver is a rocket launcher which has a wide splash damage spread and instantly knocks out casual enemies. This makes it supremely easy for her to obtain “crowd control” bonuses which we’ll get to in a minute. All of this is to say that the fighters themselves aren’t balanced which very well may be an intentional move on the developer’s part for the sake of added difficulty options.

"You can grapple enemies with one button while punching and kicking with another. A third button performs special moves with a few variations depending on which direction you’re using during the action. But this seems to be the extent of the combat aside from picking up weapons."

The highlight of Gaiden is playing co-op with a friend. I played the entirety of the campaign with my son and often, we found opportunities for our attack strategies to complement one another. For instance, I previously discussed the “crowd control” boost. You receive a bonus health item every time you take out 3 or more enemies with one special attack. The more enemies you take out, the better the health item is. When we were in need of health, one of us could switch to Marin and blast a group of enemies with the rocket launcher to obtain the health boosts we needed. As you progress through levels, you earn money that you can either spend on stat or attack boosts at the end of a mission or save to buy a revive if you die. Here there are opportunities for you to pool the money together and buy the boosts your co-op team needs the most.

For every bright spot in Gaiden, however, a misstep exists. Often I found the characters’ movement speed slow and clunky. Of course, genre fans might argue that this is the case with many beat ‘em ups. However, it felt like a true hindrance here. Sometimes, I’d miss a jump and fall off a ledge losing precious health thanks to an awkward movement speed or what felt like a disconnect between my visual judgment of where the edge of a platform is versus where the ledge would actually end underneath my feet. Additionally, some common enemy combos felt entirely unfair. For instance, if you get caught in a hail of bullets by one enemy that carries a pistol, the final shot could knock you back off a cliff if you’re next to one. That entire string of damage would take more than half of your life if you find yourself in that unlucky position.

"The highlight of Gaiden is playing co-op with a friend."

At the end of the day, Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons does what it sets out to do – provide a capable couch co-op beat ‘em up for fans of the classic NES and SNES titles within the franchise. Unfortunately for Gaiden, it exists in a world where we have Fight ‘N Rage, River City Girls, and Streets of Rage 4. And while most beat ‘em ups are rather short, Gaiden manages to be the shortest one yet. However, there is a certain replay appeal available here as the boss characters and difficulty circumstances in each of the four gangs’ territories change depending on the order in which you tackle them. While there is certainly fun to be had here, especially if you have a friend to enjoy co-op with, Gaiden is neither the best nor the worst experience you can find in the genre.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox Series X.

Ironically, the game takes place during the Edo period in Japan. For those not well-versed in Japanese history, this period lasted over 200 hundred years between the 17^th and 19^th centuries and was largely known for the peace that Japan enjoyed following the strife occurring between warring clans in the feudal era. But there’s not much peace to be had here as zombies have risen to claim the flesh of the living. This theme aside, the narrative is largely absent. There are loading screens with static images featuring dialogue and small tidbits of lore throughout. But there really isn’t any overarching plot to write home about.

"Ed-0 takes the nature of rogue-likes and seemingly attempts to capture the intensity of Souls games, making this one a particularly dicey affair."

Because of this, that means the gameplay is central to this experience and is really what the title should thrive on. But does it? First, let’s start with the game’s fundamentals. As with any game in the rogue-like genre, each world is randomly generated and death results in a restart of the mission which also resets the layout. Each mission is designated by conquering a number of “floors.” In each “floor” or level, you’ll have to find and potentially unlock Torri gates to continue to the next floor. Torri gates are color-coded by what potential boosts they offer during your small reprieve between floors. For instance, Yellow Torri gates will offer you a food item to boost your stamina or “Zen.” Zombies are littered throughout each floor and you’ll engage in a typical hack n’ slash approach to defeat them. You can acquire special moves called “Secret Arts” throughout each floor. Your character can equip a total of four Secret Arts per mission. Furthermore, if you acquire pick-ups of the same Secret Art you already have equipped, you can use that to boost the special attack in various ways.

While you travel from floor to floor, you must also manage your stamina by eating food, taking strength pills, or consuming any other boost that helps you maintain Zen. If you run out of stamina, the game will let you know you are hungry. In this state, your life will start whittling away, and yes, you can die from starvation.

Your ultimate goal for a given mission is to make it through a series of floors, usually 10 in total. The last floor often contains a boss character you must fight. While you can rush from Torri gate to Torri gate and climb to the last floor rather quickly without fighting many zombies, you won’t have the boosts necessary to take on the final boss and you’ll die miserably. So, in effect, you should explore and seek out boosts, Secret Arts, and consumables along your journey. Ed-0’s problems lie in the game’s method of shepherding you through a given mission.  Ultimately, the developers want you to be challenged. And you will, indeed, be challenged. But it’s not necessarily a good thing. Other rogue-likes and Souls-type games that amplify the difficulty do so in a way that employs strategy, player education, and growth. Ed-0, unfortunately, grants all of its enemy characters an egregious amount of vitality in the wake of your standard attacks. On the flip side, a traditional zombie dealing a melee strike cuts through your life bar swiftly. This, in effect, forces you to find the necessary means of boosting your Secret Arts attacks and finding powerful consumables. However, since the game is randomly generated, it’s essentially a crapshoot. I’ve had runs where I’ve largely gained nothing. Conversely, I’ve had runs where I was dealt a decent hand.

"Ed-0, unfortunately, grants all of its enemy characters an egregious amount of vitality in the wake of your standard attacks. On the flip side, a traditional zombie dealing a melee strike cuts through your life bar swiftly. This, in effect, forces you to find the necessary means of boosting your Secret Arts attacks and finding powerful consumables. However, since the game is randomly generated, it’s essentially a crapshoot. I’ve had runs where I’ve largely gained nothing. Conversely, I’ve had runs where I was dealt a decent hand."

Each mission must be completed in this manner in order to proceed to the next mission. Therefore, if you’re stuck, you’ll simply have to keep trying. The game does offer forms of permanent upgrades. There is a hub village where you go in between missions. As you gain coins from a quest, you keep them as long as you survive. You can even opt out mid-way through a run by taking a Homebound Torri gate to retain what you’ve collected without risking death and losing it. You can then deposit it in the bank to keep it safe or spend it at the Dojo on valuable buffs.

While some might find satisfaction in this gameplay loop, most will regard the combat as overly repetitive and tedious. When you have to slash an average zombie – without using Secret Arts attacks – upwards of 15 times or more to kill it, you know this zombie-killing ride will eventually become a real bore. While most enemies are easy to run away from, the bosses provide a steep challenge. Eventually, quicker and more deadlier enemies will be introduced in the normal floors including boss characters from previous runs. One misstep could cost you a third of your life or more in a single blow. Before you know it, you’re finished.

The controls are tight and responsive. Your character moves quickly, though sometimes you might forget which Secret Arts button combo you’ve assigned the action to as it will change with each mission. Some controls are a little awkward such as holding L2 and pushing the up button on the D-pad in order to throw an object. Aside from a few non-standard schemes such as that, there really aren’t any major hang-ups with the controls.

"The models for the zombies are often far too simple, jagged, and infinitely repetitive. Zombie clones will be noticeable at every turn. Aside from character combat, animations are robotic. The labyrinthine pathways of each floor in a given mission are rather dull and uninspired."

Graphically, Ed-0 looks like what you’d expect from a budget studio and publisher. This isn’t a AAA affair. The models for the zombies are often far too simple, jagged, and infinitely repetitive. Zombie clones will be noticeable at every turn. Aside from character combat, animations are robotic. The labyrinthine pathways of each floor in a given mission are rather dull and uninspired. Sure, you’re here to slay zombies and survive, not sightsee. But the foreground should at least have some appeal and at least be interesting to a degree. The developers did, however, include an EDO Shader that you can apply to the graphics that ultimately make things a little more refined. It’s a cel-shading style that helps the world feel a bit more animated

At the end of the day, Ed-0: Zombie Uprising doesn’t fully respect your time as the player. While some may find enjoyment in its painstakingly rigorous combat with the undead, most will feel frustrated and exhausted with its unrewarding and unbalanced difficulty mechanics. It’s a game that lives in the shadows of challenging rogue-likes and Soulsborne titles. While budget graphics, sound design, and animation don’t necessarily make or break a game, poor difficulty balance and a subpar combat grind absolutely will.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

Now, Activision enlisted the development studio Toys for Bob to craft a wild multiplayer experience set in the Crash world. Crash Team Rumble is the result of their efforts. The real question, however, is whether it’s fun and engaging enough to pull in players for extended play.

"The controls handle just like any Crash Bandicoot platforming experience. You can run, double jump, and attack. From a control perspective, everything handles nicely and is tight and responsive."

Crash Team Rumble is a 4v4 strategy game that pits two teams of characters in an arena where they must collect Wumpa Fruit and deposit them in their respective team goals. The controls handle just like any Crash Bandicoot platforming experience. You can run, double jump, and attack. From a control perspective, everything handles nicely and is tight and responsive. As you collect Wumpa Fruit, you must deliver them to your team’s bank which is a circular blue pad. The first team to reach 2,000 Wumpa Fruit in their team’s bank wins. It sounds simple enough, but it is far more nuanced than you might expect, and strategy is everything. For instance, there are platforms containing gems. Teams can jump on these gems and attempt to hold them for a few seconds in order to capture them which results in a score boost for a period. Of course, the opposing team will likely be trying to knock you off of the gems and claim the boost for themselves.

To stir the pot even further, there are purple relics appearing all across the map. Collecting these relics is an important task given that they enable you to activate bonuses around the map. There are several minor relic stations that may require 8 relics to be deposited to activate. Their results might include effects such as enabling your team access to spikey roller balls or rocket-boosted jumps.

Then there’s one ultimate relic station on every map. This relic station requires several relics and players on any given team will have to make several trips depositing relics to activate it. But once activated, it’s a real boon for the team of the player who claims the station. The effect is different based on the map as it is unique to the map’s themes. For instance, Calamity Canyon’s ultimate relic station enables one team to summon a UFO that chases the opposing team around with a giant laser for a period. In the Just Beachy map, the unique relic station can summon Uka Uka who brings down a hail storm of fiery meteors that only affect the opposing team. Other maps include torrential upsets in their ultimate relic stations that include a tornadic sandstorm, drones that chase and attack the opposing team, and even a dragon. There are 10 maps at launch in total. So, that means there are 10 unique relic stations for you to discover. Keep in mind, that as you deposit relics into the station attempting to claim it, the other team may be trying to fill the meter on their end. Everything is a game of tug-o-war in Rumble.

"Everything is a game of tug-o-war in Rumble."

Collecting fruit is hardly you’re only motive here. Stopping the other team from scoring is equally just as important. This is where the “rumble” aspect of the title comes into play. If a player’s life bar is depleted from being attacked, they will respawn but they lose all the Wumpa Fruit and relics they were carrying. There are even specific classes of characters designed for different aspects of the game. Crash, Tawna, and Catbat are all considered Scorers. They move quickly and can hold a higher maximum of Wumpa Fruit than the other characters. Dingodile, Dr. N. Brio, and Dr. N. Tropy are all blockers. They have brute strength attacks that enable them to go to an enemy’s bank and be a royal pain for any opposition attempting to deposit fruit. Then there’s Coco and Dr. Neo Cortex who specialize in supporting the team. They’re known as Boosters. They are able to capture gems for score boosts quicker and snag more relics for those game-changing relic stations. Despite the fact that these characters are designed for specific roles, they can still score, block, or retrieve boosts like all the rest. Your selected character just might not be as efficient as the other tasks other than the one designed for them. Each character also has their own attack patterns. Just because Crash and Tawna are both Scorers, that doesn’t mean they do the exact same attacks. Toys For Bob ensured that each character is unique in their individual performances and abilities. Players will no doubt find their favorites and latch on to them. The characters do feel rather balanced from both an attack and movement perspective. Dingodile might be slow and plodding, but he packs a wallop of a tail whip. Where Crash lacks in strength, he makes up for in speed.

With that said, strategy comes into play right from the get-go before a match even begins. While in the lobby, it’s important to even out the team. If you have a team full of Crashes, they might have an awfully hard time scoring if the other team employs the brute force of a character like Dingodile. Even though you might have a favorite character, it may not always be the best choice given what the rest of the team has selected. Aside from the character, you also have the opportunity to select a Power. This Power is separate from the character and it charges up throughout the match. The quickest way to charge your power is to perform the task your particular character class is assigned. For instance, if you are Crash (a Scorer), collecting Wumpa Fruit and scoring will speed up the charge on your power.

So, what powers can you select from you might ask? Well, you can summon a Flytrap plant that spits at enemies within range. Or you can bring down a locker that heals you or your teammates within a certain radius. Based on my experience, a current fan favorite seems to be the Gasmoxian Guard. Players with this power can summon this beast to induce shock attacks in a contained area. Popular Strategies are to plant this beast on enemy banks so guard inherently blocks the other team from scoring for a short period. Additionally, you can plant him on your own bank to keep enemy players from jumping on to block you from scoring. Or maybe, both teams are extremely close to depositing enough relics in the ultimate relic station that you wish to close the deal by placing your guard on this station keeping enemy players off it for a period while you obtain the remaining relics you need. There are many ways to strategize even the use of one simple power. This wild card is just another layer in this chaotic thrill-ride.

"Each of the 10 maps inspired by the world of Crash Bandicoot are rather exquisite."

Each of the 10 maps inspired by the world of Crash Bandicoot are rather exquisite. Most of the maps contain a significant level of verticality and they still require players to run, jump, and smash crates just like the platforming Crash titles of yesteryear. Of course, they’re inspired by the various locales of past Crash games and are just as colorful and fantastical as one could expect. From a gameplay standpoint, Crash DNA is strong despite this being an online player-versus-player structured game. Each locale is as colorful and wild as the one before it. Once you begin learning the maps, the real fun begins as you can strategize your collection patterns and modes of attack more efficiently.

From a progression perspective, players can level up each of the characters and earn character-specific rewards. Additionally, there is a Battle Pass that everyone who purchased the base game has access to. Future Battle Passes will likely cost you just like any other title. All of these rewards seem to be totally cosmetic, however. It’s clear, the way the game is structured, that Activision and Toys for Bob plan to bring more content to the title by way of maps, characters, and Battle Passes. Progression seems quick, but the Battle Pass is lengthy. There’s enough there to keep players engaged for quite some time during a “season” (if that’s what they’re calling it). Future support of the game with enticing rewards, events, accolades, and Battle Pass content will ultimately determine whether players are inclined to keep returning for the long haul. With several customizable options for each character, however, it shows promise.

As an online-only title, one element that is of utmost importance is the quality of matchmaking. Rumble keeps things simple. At the main menu, you either select to play online or start up a private match. Selecting the former instantly puts you into matchmaking for the game’s one and only mode. In my experience, matchmaking has been rather quick with no hiccups. I’ve always been placed in a match with full teams within a matter of seconds. For what the game is – a singular mode – the matchmaking is quick and efficient.

With all that said, Crash Team Rumble is fun and far more engaging than a game with this premise has any right to be. If you would have explained the basis of this game to me a year ago, I would have scoffed at the idea that this could be engaging and successful. But I’m genuinely surprised at how much fun there is to be had. There’s a real competitive edge to the gameplay that hooks me match after match. My only true complaint is that the game still feels like its lacking content. This mostly boils down to the game mode offering. The one and only game type is solid and fun, but it a little more diversity as far as game modes, events, or even slight adjustments to the current mode would go a long way. For instance, a mode totally focused on controlling relics and assaulting the other team might be a fun twist that shakes things up a bit. The game has great potential for future modes, iterations, and various content, however. While I have had a great time with Crash Team Rumble, only time will tell as to whether my engagement wanes playing the same game mode on repeat. For now, however, I’ll see you in the arena collecting that sweet Wumpa Fruit.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

But as Sonic Mania proved, the powerful little hedgehog fits right at home in the 16-bit format. His side-scrolling, platforming ways in the 2D space are an unshakeable formula that will keep fans coming back for more every time. In 2022, the original adventures of Sonic and his pals were shipped to gamers as the Sonic Origins package. Now, you can retrieve the Plus expansion or buy the base game and the expansion in one complete entry entitled Sonic Origins Plus.

"When playing these games in the new Anniversary Mode, you might be thrilled to find that the display has been modernized with a 16:9 aspect ratio."

If you’re new to Sonic Origins, there are a few things you should know about the updates to Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic CD, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and Sonic 3 & Knuckles. When playing these games in the new Anniversary Mode, you might be thrilled to find that the display has been modernized with a 16:9 aspect ratio. You don’t have to select options to stretch the picture to fit your screen or have those tacky side bars boxing in an old 4:3 display. Furthermore, the games are infinitely more accessible in this mode. Limits in both time constraints and the number of lives you have until a game over have been removed. So, if you played these games in their heyday and never completed them due to the grueling difficulty of classic platformers, now is your chance.

However, if you are truly longing for the Sonic of yesteryear, then you can play the Classic Modes of each of these titles which restores the time and life limits as well as the 4:3 aspect ratio while maintaining the remastered video and audio elements.

What Sonic Origins proves, and what was already stated in GamingBolt’s review of the base release in 2022, is that there is a timeless quality to these original games. The 8-bit and 16-bit eras are now considered artistic choices in the modern age. It’s a style all on its own, not simply a game development limitation of a bygone era. And complimenting the vibrant and colorful pixel art are deep and complex level designs throughout each experience that will keep you coming back to perfect your run toward the end goal. The Anniversary Mode’s removal of the “game over” limitations even allows for endless exploration in these extremely vertical and layered gauntlets.

To add icing on the cake, the Sonic Origins base game includes a host of content that might give you a reason to play and replay each of the games. As you earn coins (similar to earning lives in the original), you keep these rewards outside of each adventure to spend toward unlocking art, behind-the-scenes videos, music, and more. Everything from classic box art to comic book covers can be unlocked for the die-hard Sonic fan.

"Let’s be honest here, just because we’re getting 12 games from a 3-decade-old catalog, that doesn’t mean these are all heavy-hitting must-play classics."

The Plus addition to this collection only expands the classic Sonic pantheon of games from the ‘90s. Now, fans can experience 12 Sonic games that were exclusive to the Sega Game Gear – you know, that enormous black brick some of us carried around as kids to get our Sega fix on the go. You can now play games like Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble, Sonic Blast, Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine, and so much more originally exclusive to the Game Gear handheld now on a modern platform. It’s a wealth of content for the most ardent fans to dig into. But let’s be honest here, just because we’re getting 12 games from a 3-decade-old catalog, that doesn’t mean these are all heavy-hitting must-play classics.

It’s quite the contrary, in fact, as many of these games were considered stinkers even at the time of their release. Sonic Drift and Sonic Drift 2 were originally only released in Japan. They were later included in other Sonic entries as unlockable bonuses. Yet, with bland and uninspired gameplay., they’re painful reminders that the magic of Super Mario Kart can’t be easily replicated. Sonic Labyrinth is an isometric slog that ditches platforming in favor of puzzles and random pinball elements. In the story, Sonic is quite literally stripped of his most thrilling feature: his speed. With action-oriented gameplay featuring puzzles and pinball elements, this mish-mosh was and still is a complete disaster.

Of course, among the selection of Game Gear offerings, there are a few would-be gems including Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and Sonic Chaos. The first two, while sharing the same title as its counterparts, do not share the same levels and challenges. All three are typical platforming romps of their era with an intense difficulty spike that is thankfully aided by the addition of save states. Lives aren’t unlimited, but save states will grant you all the retries in the games’ toughest spots enabling you to push through. Even though titles like these were hits for the time, they are dumped in this Plus expansion in their original form with no modern comforts added. As such, they are a bit rough around the edges compared to modern Sonic entries, including the stellar quartet of Sonic games in the original Origins release. Most will likely access some of these games for mere moments if only to behold the nostalgia of the sights and sounds before quickly returning to the main menu for the vastly more enjoyable and engaging remastered titles or a different game entirely.

"Most will likely access some of these games for mere moments if only to behold the nostalgia of the sights and sounds before quickly returning to the main menu for the vastly more enjoyable and engaging remastered titles or a different game entirely."

The Plus expansion also makes Amy Rose a playable character in the Origins remastered trilogy and Sonic CD. Her addition might offer some a reason to entertain additional playthroughs of these games utilizing her special hammer ability. Furthermore, Knuckles is also playable on Sonic CD. The daring echidna’s glide and climbing capabilities might lower the difficulty a tad by enabling players to cruise over obstacles with ease. If you find yourself struggling in any of the four primary offerings in Origins package, jump on the Knuckles train.

When all is said and done, however, the Plus expansion doesn’t offer much for the average fan. Adding 12 Game Gear games might seem like a fairly solid number, but there’s little reason to even approach much of what’s provided in this listing. Whether it’s the simple fact that these titles were never any good to begin with or have simply aged poorly, they leave little room for a lasting Sonic experience with modern players. Though, it seems like this all-in-one release is an attempt on Sega’s part to offer a more complete package for the die-hard fans. If you fall into this category and don’t mind the Game Gear catalog, warts and all, this collection was put together with you in mind.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.