There’s a case to be made for that kind of racer. It’s fun, and the art style on offer takes you back to a time when this was all a racer could do. It’s plug-and-play at its best, and the lack of a learning curve is probably among its most welcoming features. There isn’t even a minimap to let you know what’s coming. Instead, you’re going to have to rely on your co-driver’s inputs, anticipating turns based on what they’re telling you, and shaking off crashes that would total your ride in the real world, bolstered by their reassuring words that you’re doing a half-decent job despite the impact.

The cel-shaded graphics support that kind of insanity, working well to present #DRIVE Rally as a title that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The graffiti-like menus and UI, the minimalistic HUD, and the lack of complex textures are all factors that let you focus on what matters the most in this one: the road and your ability to maintain your dominance over it. That isn’t to say that this is an ugly-looking game, far from it. But it also isn’t going to win any prizes on the visual front. They’re there to service the illusion of roads that are designed to test your reflexes more than your driving chops, and that’s the end of it.

The races themselves are not too challenging to be inaccessible, but they’re decidedly biased towards you, the player. Generous time frames let you dominate local leaderboards, progressing through championship stages with impunity to unlock a bunch of new cars and wads of cash in the process. If rally driving were as simple as the races I’ve taken on in this one, I’d be quite a rich man by now. Alas, this one isn’t a reflection of the sport, and it doesn’t need to be.

"If you finish a race in one of the game’s many regions as part of a Championship, you’ve seen more or less everything that the region has to offer, barring a few surprises."

What it needs to be is fun, and it manages to do that reasonably well. At least for the first hour or so of playing it. Your co-drivers vary from region to region, and are a fun bunch up until you exhaust all of their available lines. They then become a symbol of the repetitiveness that creeps into every aspect of the experience. If you finish a race in one of the game’s many regions as part of a Championship, you’ve seen more or less everything that the region has to offer, barring a few surprises. I’m not going to forget barely avoiding a collision with a speeding train as I zoomed past a crossing anytime soon. But those surprises are too few and far between to make things interesting once the novelty wears off.

There’s a bit of humor in the mix, with your co-drivers often dropping quips about the situation. One of them even tells you that you’re driving with the consistency of a solid brick, for crying out loud. That one made me hit pause to chuckle to myself before I dove back into a race that felt like I’d done it a thousand times before, although it was only my third event in that particular region. I would have loved to see more variety in each region between races, but that simply isn’t a part of this one.

Of course, the Free Roam and Quick Race modes are there to break up the monotony, but they suffer from precisely the same problem. The former tasks you with finding all the letters of a specific word in a map that ditches fixed race tracks for a sort of racing sandbox, but it wasn’t enough to keep me invested in it long enough to spell out the word ‘pretzel’. Quick races are fun, but they’re also just more of the same thing that’s already on offer in Championships.

"The default controls were a tad too sensitive for my liking, and things don’t really get better from there despite a bit of tweaking."

The Party mode is something that I can see being a fun way to pass an evening if you’ve got a few buddies to pass your controller to. You decide on a track, and each of you picks a car from all the ones you’ve managed to unlock up until that point. You could also choose to spend some of your in-game cash on unlocking new rides if you really like one that isn’t available to you. Each of you then takes a turn racing through the selected track, trying to achieve a time that the others can’t beat. It could be a nice way to enjoy your downtime and spend a lazy evening with something fun to do, but serious competitors are going to find more to enjoy in other titles.

The default controls were a tad too sensitive for my liking, and things don’t really get better from there despite a bit of tweaking. You’re going to be relying on your handbrake a lot in this one, and the lack of a rewind feature is quite frustrating when you face an inevitable crash that adds seconds to an otherwise perfect run through a tricky track. The game ran fairly well on a base PS5, although there was a lot of pop-in that proved very distracting, and I did encounter a single crash during my time with this one.

The audio isn’t much to write home about either. It’s serviceable enough to get the job done, but don’t expect to hear accurately reproduced engine sounds here. The soundtrack did stand out, though, and is probably my favorite part about #DRIVE Rally. I did find my co-drivers voices to be muffled when routing the audio through my TV’s soundbar, but using a good pair of headphones addressed that concern fairly well.

"If you’re in the market for an arcade racer that’s aimed at more casual players, this one might be up your alley."

With all that’s been said, you’ve probably guessed that #DRIVE Rally isn’t something I can recommend if you’re a racing enthusiast. But if you’re in the market for an arcade racer that’s aimed at more casual players, this one might be up your alley. It’s a great option for young players and is probably going to keep them entertained for more than a few hours. Its asking price justifies what’s on offer, and picking it up on sale should make it even more attractive as an option.

However, it’s not something I can see many players returning to once they’re done with it, unless they’re specifically looking for something to pass a few hours with. Its repetitive nature takes away from the fun you could have if it had more variety in each region, and the gameplay loop doesn’t do too much to switch things up, even when you try racing in other regions. This one works best as a fun distraction, and is probably something you’d revisit when you wait on a more exciting title to download in the background, but that’s about it.

This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.

BrokenLore: FOLLOW

After UNFOLLOW, Serafini Productions now wants you to FOLLOW with its addition to the BrokenLore franchise. What exactly is happening? Well, we don’t know, aside from the fact that Anne is back and still dealing with extensive trauma, including but not limited to issues with her mother, bullying, feelings of worthlessness, and so on. And if that wasn’t bad enough, she contended with all kinds of horrors, like a giant gagged head shuffling through the halls and Mini Anne, a sentient doll. If this is truly the end of her journey before we move on to scary climbing in Ascend, then here’s hoping Anne finds some peace when BrokenLore: FOLLOW launches on June 1st for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth (Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2)

The second chapter in the remake trilogy features a much bigger world to explore, far deeper combat, enough mini-games to trip over, and of course, more Sephiroth. With Midgar left behind, Cloud and company venture across new locations, which are more expansive open-world-esque fields with enough enemies to test out the new Synergy attacks and Summons. And if you’re just here for the story, the Streamlined Progression features allow limitless HP and MP, easier ways to earn weapons, XP boosters, and much more, keeping the focus entirely on exploration and getting to know old and new friends, including Red XIII and Cait Sith. Currently available on PS5 and PC, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2 players will finally get their chance to join the adventure on June 3rd.

Gothic 1 Remake

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but regardless of the many clones over the years, nothing quite captured the feeling of the original Gothic. On June 5th, Alkimia Interactive is bringing the legend back to life, complete with contemporary visuals, expanded questlines, new abilities, and combat that promises to be more “fluid and dynamic.” However, the core experience of wandering around the Colony, which is a venerable ecosystem in its own right, and choosing which camps to ally with while uncovering this massive world and its stories, remains intact. If an open-world RPG that doesn’t hold your hand sounds good, then Gothic 1 Remake may be worth your while when it launches on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions

If you’re looking for a break from No Man’s Sky, perhaps a more structured co-op experience, then Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions may be your jam. It enters early access on PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X/S on June 11th, and diverges from the original’s terraforming gameplay loop in favor of more adventure. Through the ESS Starseekeer, you’ll meet other players, pair up for expeditions, and venture to various planets to complete objectives (along with materials and loot to earn). The twist is that you have a limited amount of oxygen and avenues for violence, so you’ll need to repel creatures, explore the environment – including diving into unknown depths – and work alongside your crew to survive. With a much more polished base and monthly updates planned, it could serve as a worthwhile co-op distraction…in space.

EA Sports UFC 6

Much like EA Sports FC, Madden, and College Football, you know what you’re getting into with a new UFC title. UFC 6 sports a few new modes at the very least, including Hall of Legends, which feels like it’s taking a page out of the WWE 2K Showcase mode with its mix of gameplay and live-action footage from famous fights across UFC history. Meanwhile, The Legacy has you playing as a prospect who fights all the way to the top to become champion, offering a more narrative bent. But you still have Career Mode, where you can create a fighter and plot their career with a much larger number of choices and the option to hold and defend two belts. With its June 19th launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, maybe it could break the mold and bring some excitement to an otherwise familiar formula. Just like EA Sports is renowned for!

The 7th Guest Remake

As obtuse and impossible as the old-school adventure games were, it’s nice to see the more contemporary remakes capturing their essence with updated visuals. The 7th Guest Remake, based on Trilobyte’s critically acclaimed 1993 adventure, offers the same mystery as before. You’re the titular seventh guest, investigating a mystery surrounding the previous six and the villainous Henry Strauf in a dark mansion. Numerous puzzles await, unraveling more of its secrets while bringing you ever closer to the truth. Perhaps more intriguing, however, is that the remake retains the original’s use of live-action actors in 3D environments, except with newly recorded footage that looks far crisper. The 7th Guest Remake launches on June 4th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, so if you covet adventure mystery titles with a dash of horror, this might just be another worthy addition to the collection.

#DRIVE Rally (Consoles)

Sega will continue dragging its feet and never give us a brand new Sega Rally title, so in the meantime, efforts like #DRIVE Rally will have to suffice. Currently available on PC, it’s coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2 on June 18th, packing six massive locations and 25 customizable vehicles in three classes. If you’re serious about competition, there are multiple Championships to earn and leaderboards to compete in (complete with ghosts), or you can kick back in Free Roam and add some sweet interior decorations to your collection. #DRIVE Rally definitely leans more towards the arcade side of racing, especially with its aesthetic, but it still offers some fun off-roading action.

NBA The Run

Remember the good old days of NBA Street? Play by Play Studios is seemingly trying to capture some of that magic with NBA The Run, a $30 street basketball title coming to Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. The main goal is to win the Run the World Tournament. Four rounds, knockout rules, winner is crowned the champion. Pair up with two other players, taking control of a single player in Knockout Squads or control the entire team in Knockout Solos. Private Tournaments are also possible in Knockout Friends, and you can either take on the AI alone, with other players, or organize a massive competition with a staggering 48-player limit. And even with the indie studio budget, there are still over 30 NBA superstars to control, as you make a run for the top.

Star Fox

The audible groan of certain communities when this was revealed to be a remake of Star Fox 64 was palpable. But the latter arguably remains the series’ peak, and Star Fox for the Switch 2, launching on June 25th, retains everything that made it so great, save for completely overhauled visuals. You can experience the story on three different difficulties, either solo or in co-op, or partake in Challenge Mode with different objectives. Even multiplayer has been revamped to support multiple objective-based modes pitting Star Fox and Star Wolf against each other. It may not be the next big Switch 2 exclusive, but personally, it’s great to see the franchise return and looking so good.

Hell Let Loose: Vietnam

After bringing the brutal conflicts of World War 2 into the multiplayer space with unrelenting realism and a massive scale, Expression Games has its eyes set on Vietnam. Hell Let Loose: Vietnam, out on June 18th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, leverages Unreal Engine 5 to deliver six massive maps where one side attempts to annihilate the other. With 17 different combat roles, new aerial units like helicopters, patrol boats, to battle across extensive rivers, dragging allies away to help them recover, revamped movement and the ability to tunnel for ambushes, this could be the definitive war sim shooter experience of the year.