Let’s take a look at 10 games which are amazing and fun to play but still have their share of such flaws. Story spoilers for certain games follow so be warned.

Genshin Impact – Time-Limited Story Content

For all of its annoying gacha elements, Genshin Impact is still a pretty good game. The story takes some time to get going and having to grind out Adventure Ranks to access main quests can be a chore at first. However, you’re quickly swept up into a magical world of Archons, mythical beings, assassins, and regions rich in culture. New updates provide additional content and event quests, and they can be pretty good in expanding the overall story.

However, some are also time-limited, just like the events themselves. Not being able to revisit them is annoying enough for any player but new players are just straight out of luck. Big moments like the introduction of Scaramouche and Teyvat’s false sky in Unreconciled Stars are unplayable now. It’s done in the name of FOMO and whatnot – various other gacha titles are the same – but it’s just that much more annoying to become invested in the lore at your own pace.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Initially, you pity Daniel – he’s trapped in a strange castle with no memories of how he got there and with a murderous Shadow that’s out to get him. Nothing can stop the Shadow and it becomes more commonplace as time goes on. However, it’s revealed that Daniel accidentally unleashed the Shadow upon discovering a strange orb during an archaeological dig. With no other options, he would eventually be contacted by Alexander, a mysterious being who says he can help repel the creature.

Doing this requires gathering vitae from people suffering from immense pain. And so Daniel helped Alexander to capture and torture people (whom the latter claimed to be criminals but were in fact not), using amnesia potion to ensure they remain terrified throughout. Eventually, however, it’s revealed that Alexander is harvesting the vitae to return to his own dimension using the orb. Daniel is betrayed in the process and seeks revenge, using the amnesia potion on himself to push past his guilt.

Upon venturing into the inner reaches of the castle, where Alexander is conducting a ceremony to open a portal, the player can either let him continue and thus be killed by the Shadow, or disrupt it, causing the Shadow to only kill Alexander. The latter seems pretty good but given Daniel’s hand in the torture of innocents, it’s hardly all sunshine and rainbows by the end.

Another choice is to throw the head of Agrippa, a prisoner with knowledge of the orb, into the portal. Both Daniel and Alexander then die to the Shadow but the former won’t descend into darkness because Agrippa will help him…or something. Even if you were being kind and felt Daniel deserved to be saved, there’s no guarantee that the Shadow wouldn’t still be pursuing him.

Little Nightmares 2

Despite the numbering, it eventually becomes clear that Little Nightmares 2 is not a sequel. Rather, it’s a prequel with the ending revealing that Mono, the boy with the bag on his head, is actually the Thin Man…or rather will become him, following the Signal Tower’s corruption. Furthermore, it seems that Six became aware of this and chose to have him fall into the abyss. It gives a whole new meaning to the entire game with the Thin Man chasing Mono seemingly trying to prevent him from a similar fate.

Magus – Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy

Considering all of the flak that Marvel’s Avengers got, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is a nice story-based affair with good characterization, memorable set pieces and solid boss fights. Magus is perhaps the best out of all, towering over the Guardians and throwing entire planets at them. You’ll then fight his minions, dodge falling projectiles and in between, just outright mock the boss. Not the most mechanically crazy fight but a satisfying end to a fun journey.

Yami – Okami

The battle with Amaterasu’s archenemy Yami plays out over five different phases. Yami’s first form is akin to a sphere with an intricate glowing red design that can lash out with tendrils and launch missiles. Its second form takes on a greenish appearance which segregates into platforms and can use fire to attack. Hilariously, it becomes a kind of slot machine for its third phase while its fourth form is a yellow sphere that has legs and arms. All of this culminates in a giant claw extending from the sphere while the arena is covered in darkness, missiles and lasers.

Long-awaited sequel New Pokemon Snap had a very strong debut in the UK. According to Gfk (via GamesIndustry.biz), the Switch title topped the region’s physical sales charts for the week ending May 1st. It also managed to sell over four times as many units as the original game and is the third biggest Switch launch of the year, trailing behind Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury and Monster Hunter Rise.

Another new title in the charts was Returnal, which debuted in second place. Launch sales are lower than other big PS5 exclusives, which is understandable considering the limited appeal of a rogue-lite, bullet-hell shooter. As for Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139…, it tumbled from first to 22nd place with sales dropping by 78 percent week-on-week.

Otherwise, the other best-selling titles should be very familiar by now. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury was in third place followed by Mario Kart 8: Deluxe in fourth and Animal Crossing: New Horizon in fifth. Check out the Gfk’s top ten in full below:

1. New Pokémon Snap
2. Returnal
3. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury
4. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
5. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
6. FIFA 21
7. Minecraft (Switch)
8. Grand Theft Auto 5
9. Ring Fit Adventure
10. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War

NieR fans, rejoice- Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139… (or, you know, just NieR Replicant for convenience’s sake) is out now. As a remake (or close enough to being a remake anyway) of the original game, it’s perfect for newcomers, for longtime series fans, and for those who jumped onboard with 2017’s incredible NieR: Automata. In short, if you’re a NieR fan, this one is worth jumping into.

To celebrate the action RPG’s launch, Square Enix have released a launch trailer, which also serves as an accolades trailer, highlighting the praise the game has received from critics so far. In our own review of the game, we awarded it a score of 7/10, saying, “NieR Replicant’s upgrades put it nearly on par with NieR: Automata, and while it doesn’t live up to the tight package Automata provided, it’s a great addition for anyone who missed it the first time around.” You can read our full review through here.

NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… is out now for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Meanwhile, Square Enix has also started staffing up for future NieR projects, so fans of the series will definitely have more to look forward to down the line- not that that was ever in doubt.

The vast majority of Replicant hasn’t changed in its transfer to new consoles. The visuals and performance have been much improved, but in content it’s mostly the same experience as it was back in 2010, specifically the version released on PlayStation 3. A short prologue sets up the events of the world more than 1300 years later, where you play as the older brother of a sick young girl named Yonah. At first, she’s not inflicted with anything concrete, more so a general illness, but soon she contracts something known as the Black Scrawl, which is rare and previously incurable.

"It’s clear that the upgraded Replicant tries to narrow the gap between it and Automata, and while the new and old features don’t always mesh, nor does it ever really match Automata’s peaks, Replicant is a great new reason for any fan to jump back into NieR’s terrifying and high-octane world."

While the attempt to find a cure is the general goal from the start, it’s not long until you’re roped into a bunch of other missions and questions to answer. The story is split into two parts separated by 5 years, though everything is primarily centered around Yonah and her illness, and the first half mostly acts as a setup for the second half’s journey instead of an entirely necessary part of the plot. I like the way the story is structured, making the most of its limited environments by sending you through them each multiple times with different goals and obstacles along the way. Not all of the environments are entirely unique, especially with some of the grassland areas starting to blend together, but they each strike a delicate design balance between being open and allowing you to traverse them quickly.

One of the key ways Replicant is somewhat more engaging than Automata is its impressive cast of characters. While the cast is relatively small, each is distinctly well-written, with notable arcs for almost everyone. Grimoire Weiss, the floating magical book that accompanies you, has genuinely funny quips for almost everything, and Laura Bailey as Kaine is a true highlight. The script is mostly the same with a few touch-ups, but the voice acting is deeply expanded, with most characters having more spoken dialogue from the original voice cast. The visuals overall are updated as well, and, while not up to par of brand new releases, they complement the story’s tone well enough to get by.

The story doesn’t hit as many of the philosophical notes as Automata and isn’t quite as interesting, but there is a lot of complexity and morality to explore, nonetheless. It’s easy to get lost in the lore of the world, especially given the different endings you can find through multiple different playthroughs. It’s not quite as fleshed out as Automata, where you could play the game as three different characters for each playthrough, but there’s still a lot of diversity in the ending possibilities, and it’s admirable how the game doesn’t throw all the information at you at once.

"The story doesn’t hit as many of the philosophical notes as Automata and isn’t quite as interesting, but there is a lot of complexity and morality to explore, nonetheless. It’s easy to get lost in the lore of the world, especially given the different endings you can find through multiple different playthroughs."

Gameplay has also not changed much from the original, though the updates do their best to bring Replicant up to par with Automata. While it prioritizes third-person action, Replicant includes interludes of everything from 2D sidescrollers to isometric action games. Regardless, the action consists of a mix between physical and magical attacks. Physical attacks are fast-paced and require you to block and dash out of the way of many different enemies and attacks at once, while magic is often more distanced and comes through the Grimoire Weiss book that follows you around. It’s directly comparable to Automata’s gameplay, so anyone who missed Replicant the first time around will feel the familiarity.

For the most part, gameplay is well-balanced, though there isn’t much diversity in enemy types. You’re mostly fighting either Shades or robots controlled by Shades, and I never felt the need to use much strategy other than button mashing and dashing away when they wound up. It’s frustrating that the game’s frequent way of encouraging you to use different play styles is to make enemies impervious to either physical or magic attacks, since it feels more like a cop out for a couple enemies at a time than any reason to really learn every type of attack. In the same way, I never felt like Replicant’s RPG elements were ever as fleshed out as Automata, since I rarely felt a need to upgrade any weapons or use any items aside from the basic Medicinal Herb. There’s a new auto-battle mode that matches Automata’s, as well, which is useful for those who want just a story focus, but even without many upgrades, I rarely felt much challenge aside from a couple of late-game boss fights. Most enemies go down quickly and have attacks that are easily avoidable with a simple dash, and it mostly turns into a battle of will.

Boss fights are easily the most unique gameplay experiences of the entire game, especially those who are big enough to make the scale feel epic. Aside from a few mostly scripted, story-focused ones, bosses are plentiful and highly unique. They often feel like true tests of your actual skills, though they as well are often highly forgiving and go down pretty easily. In the end, though, the sheer number of bosses you fight, as well as their diverse move sets and designs, make it feel like you’re always doing something new, and I looked forward to fighting bosses much more than casual combat.

"Boss fights are easily the most unique gameplay experiences of the entire game, especially those who are big enough to make the scale feel epic. Aside from a few mostly scripted, story-focused ones, bosses are plentiful and highly unique."

It’s clear that the upgraded NieR Replicant is acting in the wake of Nier: Automata’s success, and while it isn’t as refined or fleshed out as Automata, it’s another great entry into the series for anyone who didn’t get around to it originally. Everything about gameplay, from the dual-threat combat to the switches between 3D action and other, more unique gameplay formats, will be familiar to anyone who’s played a NieR game before. The upgraded Replicant doesn’t reinvent the wheel or do much that the original’s 2017 successor didn’t, but it nearly lives up to the bar that Automata set so high.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 4.

Next week, we will get to revisit the beginning of one of the strangest, and perhaps most surprising, franchises under Square Enix’s belt with NieR Replicant. The game is a remastering of the original title, and it also seems to be bringing back some cut content, even if you have played it in the past. The game has officially gone gold and looks to be primed to go for when it launches, and today we got a nice sneak peak at what to expect.

Nearly 16 minutes of gameplay has been released from PlayStation Underground. There is commentary here, which gives some break down on the combat variety as well as locales you’ll be going through, but if you prefer, you can mute and still get a good idea of what the game will play like. You can check out the full video below.

NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… is set to release on April 23rd for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. Fans of the game’s sequel also seem to be getting some free costumes, which you can read more about though here.

Outriders

People Can Fly’s looter shooter has seen its share of delays but it’s finally, finally gearing up for release. Outriders takes place in the future where humanity travels to Enoch for colonization. While investigating a mysterious signal, it’s hit by a powerful storm. Many die but others, including the player character, gain powerful new abilities. With the signal manifesting once more, the player sets out from the First City to discover the truth and hopefully ensure humanity’s long-term survival.

Though Outriders is a third person shooter with cover mechanics, it encourages players to enter the fray and slay foes, providing health on kills. There are four classes – Pyromancer, Devastator, Trickster and and Technomancer – with different skill trees that can fit varying play-styles, from tanking to support.  With a fairly large campaign, end-game Expeditions and support for three player co-op, that too without no microtransactions or live-service elements, there’s plenty to look forward to. Outriders is out on April 1^st for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC and Google Stadia. It will also launch day one on Xbox Game Pass for console.

Oddworld: Soulstorm

A re-imagining of Abe’s Exoddus, Oddworld: Soulstorm has also been a long-time coming. After Abe freed the Mudokons from slavery, he must now lead them while fending off the Magog Cartel. Whether Abe can find his voice and lead the revolution or the Mudokons fall depends purely on the player. Oddworld: Soulstorm throws in the same sneaking, puzzle solving and platforming that defined its predecessor but on a larger scale and a 2.9D perspective.

You also have the opportunity to command your Mudokon followers to help, as they can act passive or aggressive depending on the situation. Craft items, gift them to followers, amass an army and scavenge from foes in order to survive. Just make sure that none of your fellow Mudokons die in the process. Oddworld: Soulstorm is out on April 6^th for PS4, PS5 and PC with PlayStation Plus subscribers getting the PS5 version free for the month.

Borderlands 3: Director’s Cut DLC

Included with Season Pass 2, the Director’s Cut marks the final piece of DLC for Borderlands 3. Hemovorous the Invincible is the latest end-game raid boss, requiring 500 Eridium to battle and whose power scales with the player and Mayhem level. Ava also features in the new story missions which see players venturing to different planets to investigate murders tied to the supernatural. Visiting crime scenes and piecing together clues is important with the results apparently “sending ripples” throughout the base game’s story. Finally, the first of three Vault Cards arrives, bringing over 100 challenges to earn cosmetics, powerful gear that scales to your level and more. The Director’s Cut DLC is out on April 8^th for all platforms.

MLB The Show 21

As the first title in the series to release on Xbox platforms, MLB The Show 21 isn’t simply providing improved visuals. It has a Casual Mode for learning the ropes, tons of new animations for everything from bat tosses to fielding, streamlines progression for the March to October season and much more. Current-gen versions even get the new Stadium Creator which allows for designing your own ballpark from the ground up with more than 1000 pieces. Of course, you can also share your stadiums and play those created by other users. If that weren’t enough, MLB The Show 21 will even have cross-play and cross-progression. It’s slated to release on April 20^th for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4 and PS5.

Century: Age of Ashes

Playwing LTD’s Century: Age of Ashes is a free to play multiplayer title that enters early access in April. What sets it apart from the competition are the dragons. As a Dragoneer, you choose a class and dragon and incinerate, maul and/or decimate your foes. Three modes are available from the outset – Carnage, a 6v6 team deathmatch mode; Survival, which sees three 6-player teams battling to be the last team standing; and Gates of Fire where one team must deliver a flag, passing through gates and earning points while doing so. Leveling up unlocks cosmetics for your character and dragon while additional classes will be coming in the future.

MotoGP 21

The MotoGP series returns with its yearly iteration, offering over 120 riders and 20 tracks from the 2021 season. And while it may be more of the same, MotoGP 21 lets you customize pretty much everything, from racing conditions to various parts and accessibility. Some of the more interesting additions include bike retrieval – falling off your bike now has you picking it up and manually getting back into the race – and the long lap penalty, providing more nuance to races. Extensive customization for one’s rider, the event creator and so on are also here with more features. MotoGP 21 is out on April 22^nd for Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, PC and Nintendo Switch.

NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139…

Following the incredible success of NieR: Automata, it seemed only a matter of time before its predecessor was remastered. Based on the PS3 version released in Japan, NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… is more than just a remaster – it heavily revamps the visuals, from character models to environments, while improving the combat. Fully voiced characters, rearranged music and new tracks also round out the excellent presentation as players venture the world to discover a cure of the Black Scrawl. Along the way, they’ll discover the meaning of existence, and what it truly means to be alive. Releasing on April 23^rd, Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139… will be available for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Returnal

Housemarque’s high-octane arcade shooter action marches to a stronger narrative beat in Returnal. Deep space ASTRA scout Selene crash lands on a strange planet called Atropos, only to discover constant hostility, shifting environments and a Groundhog Day-like cycle of death. Utilizing 10 different weapons with over 90 mods to customize them with, Selene must learn the secrets of Atropos and try to escape. Interspersed in each run are unique narrative events that provide more background into her past while audio logs detail the more terrifying occurrences on the planet – like Selene encountering and killing another version of herself. Returnal is out on April 30^th for PS5.

New Pokémon Snap

It’s been roughly 12 years since Pokemon Snap launched on the Nintendo 64, providing a unique spin on “catching them all” by focusing on Pokemon photography. New Pokemon Snap follows the same principles with improved visuals and more than 200 Pokemon to photograph. Venturing to the Lental region, the player assists Professor Mirror in investigating the Illumina phenomenon. Using the NEO-ONE, they’ll journey through various environments like deserts and beaches, with Pokemon exhibiting different behaviors at different times of day. Use Illumina orbs to make them glow or Fluffruit to lure them out and take pictures, with higher rated shots improving Research Levels and unlocking new areas. Along with photo-editing, players can share their snaps online – amass enough likes and your work could be featured in-game. New Pokemon Snap is set to release on April 30^th for the Switch.

Terminator: Resistance Enhanced

Of the many games one expected to garner a positive following after mixed critical reviews, Terminator: Resistance was probably low on the list. Nevertheless, the first person shooter, which takes place in the franchise’s Future War scenario, offered up some fun combat and interesting mechanics like changing the fates of different characters. A new mode, Infiltrator, was also added as players control a T-800 and taking out resistance members. The Enhanced version promises loads of improvements, from lighting and shadow improvements to 4K/60 FPS gameplay and faster loading times. It’s exclusive to PS5 and launches on April 30th.