After the evil Baron Dante arrives at their valley home and captures the tiny Gobbos, it’s up to Croc to venture forth and free the Gobbos from the evil baron and reclaim their land. Now, I never grew up playing Croc, let alone heard of the reptile growing up outside of one small Nintendo Power ad for the Game Boy game, so I was going into this game with no nostalgia in any way and, I have to say, right off the bat? This is a fun game and one I’m surprised I never got around to playing until now.
As I’ve stated many times, I grew up in an era when games for kids were well made, not rushed out, and designed so that everyone could enjoy them and that, lately, it seems games geared towards a younger audience have really been lackluster as of late, basically relegated to shovelware. Paw Patrol World, when I first saw this game, I thought it was going to be the latter but, to my surprise, it turned out to be the former. Yeah, this is honestly one of the better games for kids, for that matter a licensed game, that I played in a while!
Game dev has become so accessible over the past decade. With the advent of so many intuitive tools, code learning resources, and a community of passionate creators just like Zephyrix, who developed Ronny’s Climb and offered to let us give it a try, we as gamers are able to play so many games now as a result. Not every game promises to be as big as World of Warcraft or as high tech as Crysis 2 (throwback for the millennials!) but there’s nothing more pleasant and satisfying than a tightly crafted experience that oozes love and dedication to a vision, no matter how small. Ronny’s Climb is a perfect little example of this, as its platforming, writing, pixel graphics, and good, old fashioned 16-bit musical backing is a great experience all around.
Ever have a game come along that instantly you know you’re going to enjoy thoroughly, to the point of calling it one of your favorite games of the year, if not of all time? Well, that’s what happened to me with Tails Of Iron II: Whiskers Of Winter, a game I originally wasn’t too interested in but now I can’t stop playing. Seriously, I never found myself wanting to keep playing a game, even after the credits rolled, as much as I did with this one.
Outside of first person shooters, another genre of games I enjoy playing are the Fighting games. Games like Street Fighter VI, Mortal Kombat 11, Smash Bros. Ultimate, and the 2013 incarnation of Killer Instinct are some of my favorites to play (Not online as I am nowhere near THAT skill level yet to even attempt anyone online) now and then and I do get interested whenever a new fighting game is announced. However, sometimes, one can slip under my radar and go unnoticed by me for who knows how long and today’s game is one such game: Mostrocopy. I had no idea this was even in development until a friend told me about it and I gotta say? This is a fun fighting game though it has some minor issues that do affect my enjoyment.
I think of all the animals on this planet, Sharks are the ones that tend to be the most misunderstood, thanks to the many cheesy killer shark movies out there. According to a study by the Florida Museum of Natural History in 2023, in the States alone, even though there were 36 unprovoked attacks, there was only 1 fatality. In fact, you’re more likely to be struck by lightning than you are to be bit by Jaws himself. Yet, that hasn’t stopped film makers from making such “classics” like Sharknado, Deep Blue Sea, 5-Headed Shark Attack, The Meg series, and Planet Of The Sharks. However, one area that this hasn’t penetrated was video games. Sure, there was Jaws on the NES and the Xbox’s Jaws: Unleashed, but, most of the time, sharks are relegated to being just either an obstacle or a random enemy to kill. Enter TripWire with their 2021 game Maneater, where you finally control a shark and do what Hollywood thinks it does best: Eat, Kill, and Destroy. While the game does those three well, it kinda falters in the other areas and has a few design choices that, I have to say, I’m not a real fan of, but it wasn’t enough to make me hate this title.
I’m not going to mince words here, but between all three Turok games? Turok 2: Seeds Of Evil is, arguably, my least favorite of the trilogy, which is funny because, back when the HD remaster first came out, I actually enjoyed this one more then the first one and said that this is what the first game should’ve been. But, time’s a cruel mistress and, over the years, my thoughts on Seeds have drastically changed and, unfortunately, not for the better.
When looking for new adventure narrative games to play through, I want to know that what I’m starting is gonna be compelling enough to finish. It’s like opening a new book after reading the teaser on the back cover. What’s going to make me want to start that first chapter? Threefold Recital, the first release by developer Everscape Games, grabs your attention with a threefold story that revolves around a wolf-turned monk, a fox-turned-priest, and a snake-turned-artist. Its beautiful art is the backdrop for weaving a story within an oriental fantasy world that mixes magic, technologies old and new, and the tensions between humans, dragons, and the beastlings (like the ones we get to play as within the intertwining stories.) Though it takes a bit for the plot to really get going, once it does it becomes like a book that you don’t want to put down until you reach the end. With charming storytelling, a diverse cast of furry characters throughout, and enough inventive puzzle-solving minigames to keep things gamified enough, Threefold Recital had me hooked.
