Reviews

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania reviewed on PlayStation 5 by Sarah LeBouef. Narrated by Ryan McCaffrey. Also available on Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC. With over 300 stages compiled and upgraded from previous games in the series, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania has plenty to do, but not enough of it is half as fun

Astria Ascending reviewed by Cameron Hawkins on PC, also available on Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch. This side-scrolling, turn-based JRPG from a team of Final Fantasy veterans attracts you with its art, keeps you interested with its combat, but may lose you entirely due to its bland story full of annoying difficulty spikes. #IGN #Gaming

Diablo 2: Resurrected reviewed on PC by Jon Bolding. Also available on Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch. Diablo 2: Resurrected updates the graphics of a great, classic action RPG for a new generation. It masterfully preserves the mood of a singular game, and at the same time it preserves the gameplay as it has been for

Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous reviewed by Rowan Kaiser on PC. Coming to Xbox and PlayStation in March 2022. Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous has to live up to the expectations of being a Pathfinder adaptation, a sequel to the fascinating if messy Kingmaker, and the next big ambitious isometric RPG. Perhaps shockingly, it succeeds

Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye reviewed by Tom Marks on PC, also available on PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. Echoes of the Eye is a wonderful return to the clockwork solar system of Outer Wilds, even if its occasional horror game sections aren’t quite as interesting as what came before. #IGN #Gaming #OuterWilds

FIFA 22 reviewed by Jordan Oloman on PlayStation 5. Also available on Xbox, PC, Switch, and Stadia. FIFA 22 heralds the next generation of virtual football, and while it doesn’t reinvent the ball, the attacking and defending gameplay gains moment-to-moment fluidity. Goalkeeping blunders and visual inconsistencies aside, this year’s FIFA is still one of the

Baldo: The Guardian Owls reviewed on PlayStation 5 by Gabriel Moss. Narrated by Michael Swaim. Also available on PlayStation 4, Xbox, PC, Apple Arcade, and Nintendo Switch. Under all the aggravating bugs and shoddy design, Baldo: The Guardian Owls is a vast action-adventure RPG filled with puzzles and treasures to find. If you stick with

World War Z: Aftermath reviewed by Travis Northup on PC and Xbox Series X. Also available on Xbox One and PlayStation. Aftermath evolves World War Z in some major ways that brought a smile to my face. Kamchatka is a stellar new episode and the improved melee options and first-person mode are great quality-of-life improvements,

Reviewed by Tristan Ogilvie on PC. Also available on Xbox. “The Artful Escape is a truly joyful musical journey through outer space in which the performances of its cast and the quality of its soundtrack are every bit as stellar as the eye-popping celestial realms it crisscrosses through. It’s not for those who’re after a

A new high watermark for Arkane and developers of similar games to aspire to, Deathloop is a game like no other. Here’s our Deathloop review, covering Deathloop’s single player and PvP modes. Reviewed on PlayStation 5 by Matt Purslow. Deathloop releases on PS5 and PC on September 14, 2021. #IGN #Gaming #Deathloop

Reviewed by Tristan Ogilvie on PlayStation 5. “A long list of quality of life improvements certainly makes the PS5 Director’s Cut the most feature-rich and accessible version of Death Stranding. If you’re yet to experience its gorgeous vistas and general sci-fi weirdness and you’re not turned off at the thought of a 40-hour fetch quest,

With its elegantly simple combat and beautiful world, Kena: Bridge of Spirits harkens back to the days of the N64/GameCube-era Zeldas, Okami, and Star Fox Adventures, while also adding modern sensibilities and a distinct personal touch. Kena: Bridge of Spirits reviewed by Mitchell Saltzman on PlayStation 5. Also available on PlayStation 4 and PC.

TOEM is a short but satisfying little photography adventure packed with witty writing and picturesque moments to capture. Reviewed by Rebekah Valentine on Nintendo Switch. Also available on PC and PS5. #IGN #Reviews

I Am Fish reviewed by Travis Northup on Xbox Series X. Also available on Xbox One and PC. I Am Fish is wacky, hilarious, and sometimes agonizing, but still well worth the time for those with a stomach for it. Its intentionally maddening controls and platforming are gimmicks that sometimes overstay their welcome, especially when

Reviewed by Luke Reilly on Xbox One. Also available on PC and Nintendo Switch. “Skatebird is a cute and original arcade skating game supported by great music, but the skating itself is crude by modern standards, the objectives are generally uninspired, and the camera is a regular hassle. It has a lot of charm, but

Reviewed by Tristan Ogilvie on Xbox Series X. Also available on PlayStation. “Despite its intriguing whodunnit premise, Lost Judgment’s main story fails to sustain its suspense all the way to the finish and its detective methods remain only slightly less superficial than those of the previous game. However, its meaty undercover side stories set in

NBA 2K22 reviewed on PlayStation 5 by Ricky Frech. Narration by Akeem Lawanson. Also available on PlayStation 4, Xbox, PC, and Nintendo Switch. NBA 2K22 makes some welcome changes to its on-court action. The new stamina system is a game-changer, leading to the series’ best offensive flow in years. Defensively, the tweaks to blocks and

Aragami 2 reviewed by Kyle Campbell on PC. Also available on PlayStation and Xbox. For everything Aragami 2 gets right about being a sneaky ninja assassin, several tragic missteps rear their ugly heads to thwart any fun before long. Levels are lovely to sneak about in initially, especially with good company, but returning to the

Lost in Random reviewed on PlayStation 5 by Gabriel Moss. Narration by Mark Medina. Also available on Xbox, PC, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. This sprawling action adventure has way more meat on its bones than you may first expect if you’re only looking for a quick dive into a Tim Burton-esque wonderland. Lost in

Tales of Arise reviewed by Terence Wiggins on PlayStation 5. Narration by Mark Medina. Also available on PlayStation 4, Xbox, and PC. Bandai Namco has hit the mark in reinvigorating the 26-year-old Tales RPG series. Tales of Arise brings to life a beautifully realized world with a story that isn’t afraid to tackle heavy subjects

Life is Strange: True Colors reviewed on PlayStation 5 by Taylor Lyles. Also available on PC, PS4, Xbox, Stadia, and coming to Switch later this year. Life is Strange: True Colors is a fantastic game that offers a great story with solid pacing, and unlike previous games in the series, it left me with the

WarioWare: Get It Together! reviewed by Tom Marks on Nintendo Switch. The multiplayer modes of Nintendo’s latest WarioWare game are a bit of a letdown, but chasing high scores is still a lot of wacky fun. #IGN #Gaming #Nintendo

Reviewed by Luke Reilly on Xbox One. Also available on PlayStation 4, PC, and Nintendo Switch. “Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions is easy to pick up and play but has very little to keep folks hanging around, even for Rocky and Creed saga superfans. It simply doesn’t have the modes, the content, or the atmosphere

Clid the Snail reviewed on PlayStation 5 by Jarrett Green. Narration by Mark Medina. Also available on PlayStation 4. “The moments when Clid the Snail are at its best are few and far between. Decent dialogue and a basic but satisfying story can’t make up for the shallow level design, dumb enemy AI, and aggravating

King’s Bounty 2 reviewed on PC by Leana Hafer. Also available on Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch. “The feeling I keep coming back to with King’s Bounty 2 is simply that it’s fine. And sometimes that bugs me more than if it were really flawed or broken in some kind of interesting way. The tactical battles

Reviewed by Luke Reilly on Xbox Series X. Also available on Xbox One, PlayStation, PC, and Nintendo Switch. “WRC 10 is a great rally game and a lovely, if a fraction flawed, ode to the… 49-year history of the World Rally Championship. The end result isn’t streets ahead of the already impressive WRC 9 –

Sonic Colors: Ultimate adds a pretty substantial amount of new content, though none of it really elevates overall experience beyond what it was on the Wii. That said, it still holds up as one of the best modern Sonic games to date thanks to its imaginative level design and clever implementation of its Wisp powers.

Welcome back to another episode of Reviews in Review, where we fill you in on all of the games IGN reviewed during August 2021. Here are links to all the full video reviews: Crowfall – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaEdedCkbWs Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: The Siege of Paris DLC – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rthqD7_CoK4 Maneater Truth Quest DLC – https://youtu.be/zBMrhXkyMZg Boyfriend Dungeon –

Maneater: Truth Quest DLC reviewed by Travis Northup on PC, also available on Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation. Truth Quest is a conspiracy-themed expansion with a few fun ideas and lots of repetitive quests that don’t differ much from the base game’s RPG campaign.

Psychonauts 2 reviewed by Tom Marks, also available on Xbox and PlayStation. As the long-awaited sequel to Double Fine’s original 2005 Psychonauts, as well as its 2017 VR follow-up The Rhombus of Ruin, Psychonauts 2 brings a bit of that mid-2000s action-platformer clunkiness along with it, but it’s still an excellent successor that has just