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  7.        <title>GameSpot - Game Reviews</title>
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  13. <item><title>Dragon Quest 1 &amp; 2 HD Remake Review - One For All</title><link>https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/dragon-quest-1-2-hd-remake-review/1900-6418433/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f</link><description><![CDATA[<p dir="ltr">When <a href="https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/dragon-quest-iii-hd-2d-remake-review-history-repeats/1900-6418319/">I reviewed Dragon Quest III HD last year</a>, I talked a fair bit about what an important game it was to JRPGs as a whole and why its reissue was a big deal. One thing I didn't mention is part of why it had such a big impact: It was a massive improvement in scope, gameplay, and storytelling over the two preceding Dragon Quest titles. With DQIII HD's sales success and its chronological position as the first part of a story trilogy, Square Enix releasing a similar HD-2D remake of the first two titles made perfect sense.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-src="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfzVQCHiD4A" data-width="100%" data-height="100%">          <iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/dfzVQCHiD4A" height="100%" width="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr">And here we are now, with Dragon Quest I and II HD Remake--the other chapters in the Erdrick trilogy, now gussied up with Square Enix's lavish 2D-sprites-on-3D-backgrounds style of graphical presentation. Jumping into these games for the first time in well over two decades, I was surprised to see just how much effort went into "modernizing" them--not just in terms of mechanics, but also to build upon their basic "hero(es) take up arms against an evil force" narratives with more dialogue, setpieces, and story beats. Yet even with all of the enhancements, one game in this bundle clearly comes out as the superior adventure--but still not quite up to the heights of the previous release.</p><p dir="ltr">If you're at all familiar with Dragon Quest, you know what to expect here: classic fantasy JRPG adventures, packed with random-encounter turn-based combat, dungeon exploration, fetch quests, and vanquishing the forces of darkness with the light of heroism. Dragon Quest I is a strictly solo journey--it's just your brave little hero, going mano-a-mano with the enemy hordes--while DQII uses the series' now-traditional party system. Though the two games play similarly, having a party makes a world of difference in combat: extra meatshields and actions allow for distinct strategies to take shape, making for more dynamic and enjoyable fights.</p><a href="https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/dragon-quest-1-2-hd-remake-review/1900-6418433/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f/">Continue Reading at GameSpot</a>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 29 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">1900-6418433</guid><dc:creator>Heidi Kemps</dc:creator><media:content url="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/screen_medium/43/434805/4593145-dq.jpg" type="image/jpeg" width="480" height="270" /><relatedGames></relatedGames><category></category></item>
  14. <item><title>Escape The Backrooms Review - Haunting The Vibes Museum</title><link>https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/escape-the-backrooms-review/1900-6418431/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f</link><description><![CDATA[<p dir="ltr">If you don't know what The Backrooms are, you probably don't have kids of a certain age. Born as a more specific branch of the liminal-space genre, The Backrooms is the all-encompassing name for a horror lore bible of sorts that's been handcrafted by communities online over several years. Each inhuman monster and each unnerving location becomes a chapter of a horror universe that the internet built together. It's grown so big that it's spawned dozens of related games, an upcoming horror movie from A24, and what feels like an endless stream of YouTube content to watch. But through it all, <a href="https://www.gamespot.com/games/escape-the-backrooms/">Escape The Backrooms</a> has remained one of the most popular portrayals of the fictional world, and now plays like a labyrinthine museum to one of the internet's favorite scary stories.</p><p dir="ltr">Escape The Backrooms is a first-person defenseless horror game for up to four players in co-op. It's been popular as a Steam Early Access title for a few years, but its 1.0 version has finally arrived. In Escape The Backrooms, you'll explore a great number of the internet-created pocket universes of the wider Backrooms lore. Each "room" of The Backrooms presents a different take on liminal horror. This includes the iconic yellow labyrinth that kicked off the entire subgenre, as well as other popular landing spots, like Level Fun, the Poolrooms, and the Grassrooms. One of the game's best feats is simply the number of locations it explores. By nature of being owned by, well, everyone in a sense, lore is played fast and loose. Escape The Backrooms does well in involving many of these different rooms, giving players a history lesson on its unsettling universe.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/original/1632/16320660/4591682-escapethebackroomsscreenshot8.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-4591682" data-ratio="0.5625" data-width="3840" data-embed-type="image" style="width: 3840px"><a href="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/original/1632/16320660/4591682-escapethebackroomsscreenshot8.jpg"><img alt="Closely tied to analog horror, The Backrooms as a universe takes on many particular aesthetics." src="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/scale_super/1632/16320660/4591682-escapethebackroomsscreenshot8.jpg" srcset="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/original/1632/16320660/4591682-escapethebackroomsscreenshot8.jpg 3840w, https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/scale_super/1632/16320660/4591682-escapethebackroomsscreenshot8.jpg 1280w, https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/scale_medium/1632/16320660/4591682-escapethebackroomsscreenshot8.jpg 480w" sizes="(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px" data-width="1280"></a><figcaption>Closely tied to analog horror, The Backrooms as a universe takes on many particular aesthetics.</figcaption></figure><p dir="ltr">The gameplay loop is very simple. You'll explore each eerie, liminal space while seeking different means of exiting. Mechanically, you'll hardly do anything at all beyond waving a flashlight around and consuming found cartons of almond water to restore your ever-draining sanity meter. Sometimes, you'll need to solve environmental puzzles, like learning which playground slide you can safely head down (since most eject you in several bloody chunks). Occasionally, key items, including literal keys, must be found to progress, forcing you to repeatedly head off in search of semi-randomly placed quest items. In an early level, you'll need to rebuild a ladder to reach a key to the exit door, for example, while in another, you'll search for elevators in a darkened parking garage that would be totally empty if not for the roaming "skin-stealer" monster hidden in the shadows.</p><a href="https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/escape-the-backrooms-review/1900-6418431/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f/">Continue Reading at GameSpot</a>]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 27 Oct 2025 15:54:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">1900-6418431</guid><dc:creator>Mark Delaney</dc:creator><media:content url="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/screen_medium/1632/16320660/4591681-escapethebackroomsscreenshot2.png" type="image/png" width="480" height="270" /><relatedGames></relatedGames><category></category></item>
  15. <item><title>Plants Vs. Zombies: Replanted Review - Classic Strategy Rises From The Dead</title><link>https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/plants-vs-zombies-replanted-review-classic-strategy-rises-from-the-dead/1900-6418430/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f</link><description><![CDATA[<p dir="ltr">It's surprising that Plants Vs. Zombies hasn't attracted more imitators. The charming and intuitive strategy game helped make a name for PopCap and spawned a massive franchise including merch, comic books, and interestingly, more competitive team shooters than strategy games. But while it lends itself to comparisons to tower-defense games, its key mechanics are still basically singular to PvZ itself. Plants Vs. Zombies: Replanted brings a nicely modernized facelift to the original game, and while this remaster offers only a few new frills, the game itself is still one of a kind.</p><p dir="ltr">For those new to the series, or who have only played the Garden Warfare spin-offs, the core idea of Plants Vs. Zombies is deceptively simple. You're the owner of a house beset by a zombie apocalypse, and your only defense is an army of living plants. You collect sunlight to power your seeds, which you plant across five horizontal rows as zombies approach from the right side. You can plant Sunflowers to generate extra sunlight, and you're constantly juggling priorities as zombies approach from the other lanes. If they reach your plants, they'll chomp down on them and you'll have to replant them, so it's best to keep them from reaching that far at all. As the game continues, it constantly adds new wrinkles, like nighttime levels where you have less access to sunlight and need to rely on fungi, or a pool where you need to plant lilypads for your other offensive plants to sit on. This is alongside a steady stream of new zombie types that demand different configurations of plant defenses.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-src="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZBc6FFI2gw" data-width="100%" data-height="100%">          <iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/kZBc6FFI2gw" height="100%" width="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr">And the zombies themselves, in this case, are far from threatening. They're goofy and often even kind of cute, with cartoonish affectations like a propeller hat or a disco outfit to signify which type of zombie they are. A zombie with a cone or metal bucket on its head will take more hits before you can knock the cone off and finish it off, a football zombie has heavy defense and also charges more quickly at you, and so on.</p><a href="https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/plants-vs-zombies-replanted-review-classic-strategy-rises-from-the-dead/1900-6418430/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f/">Continue Reading at GameSpot</a>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 24 Oct 2025 12:00:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">1900-6418430</guid><dc:creator>Steve Watts</dc:creator><media:content url="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/screen_medium/1585/15855271/4590462-ea_pvzreplanted_keyart_0624_revlawn_3840x2160.png" type="image/png" width="480" height="270" /><relatedGames></relatedGames><category></category></item>
  16. <item><title>The Outer Worlds 2 Review - Just As Good The Second Time Around</title><link>https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-outer-worlds-2-review-just-as-good-the-second-time-around/1900-6418428/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f</link><description><![CDATA[<p dir="ltr">The Outer Worlds was Obsidian's gutsy attempt at a spiritual successor to its lauded work on Fallout, but the game couldn't completely hide the developer's roots. The spacefaring retro-future was recognizable as a continuation of Obsidian's earlier game, though it had enough of a distinct setting and its own gameplay systems to feel fresh. The Outer Worlds 2 builds on that sturdy foundation, and while it's largely more of the same, it is also a confident and expansive sequel that suggests a bright future for The Outer Worlds as an ongoing series.</p><p dir="ltr">In Outer Worlds 2, you play as "the Commander." Whereas the first game had you play as a random colonist, this new role inherently imbues you with more authority as an Earth Directorate agent. In short, you're a fixer, dispatched to the Arcadia region that's being ripped apart by a factional war, corporate takeovers, and the emergence of rifts that have been cutting the colony off from communications with Earth. From the very beginning, you have your badge and gun, so to speak, along with your own fledgling crew and a spaceship base of operations called the Incognito. Of course, your very first mission goes terribly wrong (as these things tend to) and when you regain consciousness some time later, you set out to find the persons responsible for the botched mission, while also investigating the increasingly dire rift problem. Without getting into spoilers, it's a strong opening that propels the story forward with momentum and mystery.</p><p dir="ltr">When you're creating your Commander, you can select a number of different backgrounds like a disgraced gambler, a disgraced professor, a disgraced freelancer, or an ex-convict. You get the sense that most people become agents in the space FBI for lack of other options, except for the Lawbringer background, which is pure and straightforward Lawful Good. I chose Roustabout, which is a friendly way of saying "disgraced idiot."</p><a href="https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-outer-worlds-2-review-just-as-good-the-second-time-around/1900-6418428/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f/">Continue Reading at GameSpot</a>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 23 Oct 2025 06:00:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">1900-6418428</guid><dc:creator>Steve Watts</dc:creator><media:content url="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/screen_medium/1585/15855271/4589286-screenshot2.png" type="image/png" width="480" height="270" /><relatedGames></relatedGames><category></category></item>
  17. <item><title>Once Upon A Katamari Review - I Love Mess!</title><link>https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/once-upon-a-katamari-review-i-love-mess/1900-6418429/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f</link><description><![CDATA[<p dir="ltr">I once had a friend describe Katamari Damacy to me as a "cool uncle game"--a statement I found hilarious considering the person who introduced me to the series was, in fact, my cool uncle. What he meant by this, though, was that while the Katamari series has never quite reached a point of true, mainstream popularity, it's certainly managed to foster a cult following of fans who adore its peculiarity--fans who revel in absurd concepts like "rolling up the world," and seemingly always have some niche-yet-utterly-engrossing New Thing to show you. A fanbase of "cool uncles," if you will.</p><p dir="ltr">Though I can't claim to be an uncle and certainly won't claim to be cool, after playing Once Upon a Katamari, I am eager and ready to join their ranks. The newest entry in Bandai Namco's nonsensical action-puzzle series has converted me from a Katamari appreciator to a Katamari fan. Once Upon a Katamari is a joyous return for the long-stagnant series, bringing with it small tweaks that make moment-to-moment gameplay more fun and lead to a number of clever levels. A tighter narrative, more engaging overworld, customization features, and updated visuals help set the game apart from its predecessors, while its playful writing and whimsical nature retain that distinctly Katamari feel. While Once Upon a Katamari might stumble a bit when it comes to innovating, the end result is a highly polished (and fun) new entry in the Katamari series.</p><p dir="ltr">Once Upon a Katamari kicks off the way these things so often do: with our beloved King of the Cosmos doing something tremendously stupid. During one of the royal family's much-needed cleaning days, the King of the Cosmos stumbles upon a peculiar scroll. What ensues is an embarrassingly relatable sequence of events, as the king grows distracted by the scroll, decides he'd rather be doing literally <em>anything </em>other than cleaning, and ultimately ends up hurling the object into space after using it as a baton. Naturally, this action winds up destroying the entirety of the cosmos, prompting the king to recruit you, The Prince, to help fix this even larger mess.</p><a href="https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/once-upon-a-katamari-review-i-love-mess/1900-6418429/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f/">Continue Reading at GameSpot</a>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 22 Oct 2025 09:35:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">1900-6418429</guid><dc:creator>Jessica Cogswell</dc:creator><media:content url="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/screen_medium/1639/16394322/4589307-ff%285%29.jpg" type="image/png" width="480" height="270" /><relatedGames></relatedGames><category></category></item>
  18. <item><title>PowerWash Simulator 2 Review - Working Overtime</title><link>https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/powerwash-simulator-2-review-working-overtime/1900-6418427/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f</link><description><![CDATA[<p dir="ltr">Zen Buddhist monk and personal hero of mine, Thich Nhat Hanh, spent much of his life writing about mindfulness. He stressed that when we do anything, we should commit to it fully, giving it our undivided attention and allowing ourselves to become immersed in it, be it simply eating, walking, or anything else. "Drink your tea slowly and reverently," he said, "as if it is the axis on which the earth revolves--slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future."</p><p dir="ltr">Like its predecessor, <a href="https://www.gamespot.com/games/powerwash-simulator-2/">PowerWash Simulator 2</a> is a stage on which one can play out Thich Nhat Hanh's message. The simple pleasures of washing away the grime from dozens of walls, floors, cars, and couches act like an on-ramp to a flow state. For a while, I let the sequel wash over me, giving it my entire being and enjoying it thoroughly. But long before I sprayed away the last patch of mildew, I was back to my old ways, multitasking my way through a game that asks of me more patience and attention than I was willing to give it.</p><p dir="ltr">PowerWash Simulator 2 is exactly what it sounds like, though if you haven't played the first game, its title alone may not make it apparent why it can be so much fun. In this first-person job sim from FuturLab, you'll live out a career as a powerwasher, taking on nearly 40 jobs in solo play, split-screen, or online multiplayer with other soapy experts. You'll begin with a few simple tools--hoses with different nozzles that provide a range of spraying intensities and patterns, almost like an arsenal of guns in a traditional shooter. In essence, this <em>is </em>a shooter, but rather than zombies or Nazis, your targets are buildings, furnishings, and vehicles absolutely blanketed in filth, with each mission ending when you've completely cleansed the area of its grime.</p><a href="https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/powerwash-simulator-2-review-working-overtime/1900-6418427/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f/">Continue Reading at GameSpot</a>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 22 Oct 2025 07:00:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">1900-6418427</guid><dc:creator>Mark Delaney</dc:creator><media:content url="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/screen_medium/1632/16320660/4589103-ss_957c73a43443d0dae03bb7815b2b3908b48e09ff.jpg" type="image/jpeg" width="480" height="270" /><relatedGames></relatedGames><category></category></item>
  19. <item><title>Ninja Gaiden 4 Review - Master Ninja</title><link>https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/ninja-gaiden-4-review-master-ninja/1900-6418426/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f</link><description><![CDATA[<p dir="ltr">Using Ryu Hayabusa's signature Flying Swallow attack, I leap into a crowd of enemies, slicing a daemon's head off with a clean strike before turning to the rest. As rapid combos transition into powerful Izuna Drops, Guillotine Throws, and charged-up Ultimate Techniques, I deflect and counter incoming attacks, lop off numerous limbs, and spill gallons of blood in the most exhilarating and stylish way imaginable. Co-developed by Team Ninja and Platinum Games, Ninja Gaiden 4 revives the character-action staple by nailing the fundamentals of the series' high-octane combat and then iterating on it in a number of interesting and exciting ways. It feels distinctly like Team Ninja's Ninja Gaiden, but Platinum's DNA is also undeniably present, making for a thrilling sequel that's well worth the decade-long wait.</p><p dir="ltr">Set in a near-future Tokyo, the once bustling city now lies deserted, blanketed by a perpetual downpour of miasma caused by the skeletal husk of the Dark Dragon looming over it. Ryu might've defeated the Divine Dragon God before, but peace can't be achieved until this cursed rain is stopped, kicking off a quest to resurrect the Dark Dragon and defeat it once and for all. For the majority of this adventure, you play as a new protagonist named Yakumo, a young ninja from the shadowy Raven Clan. He's stoic and broody, and emotes far more than Ryu ever has, but like the rest of the series, Ninja Gaiden 4 struggles to tell a compelling story.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6466444" data-src="/videos/ninja-gaiden-4-everything-to-know/2300-6466444/" data-width="100%" data-height="100%" data-video-start="0">          <iframe height="100%" width="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen id="-embed-568667513" class="optanon-category-C0004" data-src="/videos/embed/6466444/"></iframe></div><p dir="ltr">Yakumo has a team in his ear, adding some texture during moments of downtime as they chat about the state of the world and establish the stakes. This offers a new perspective on the world of ninja clans, but they're a one-dimensional bunch, and the narrative is still relatively light. Yakumo and Ryu are at odds with one another, despite ostensibly sharing the same goal, but this thread is paper-thin, and Ryu's section is disappointingly inconsequential. There are some pacing issues, too, including a stretch where the story grinds to a halt for three chapters as you chase after an interdimensional shark. It's not unexpected, but Ninja Gaiden 4 tells the sort of tale you'll likely forget about once the final credits have rolled.</p><a href="https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/ninja-gaiden-4-review-master-ninja/1900-6418426/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f/">Continue Reading at GameSpot</a>]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 20 Oct 2025 16:00:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">1900-6418426</guid><dc:creator>Richard Wakeling</dc:creator><media:content url="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/screen_medium/43/434805/4588126-ninjagaiden4promo.jpg" type="image/jpeg" width="480" height="270" /><relatedGames></relatedGames><category></category></item>
  20. <item><title>Keeper Review - This One&#039;s A Keeper</title><link>https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/keeper-review-this-ones-a-keeper/1900-6418424/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f</link><description><![CDATA[<p dir="ltr">Keeper is strange. This may seem unsurprising given that it's the latest game from developer Double Fine, which has for years carried itself with a distinct oddball identity, but Keeper is unusual even by the studio's standards. It doesn't fit cleanly into a traditional genre, and at some points feels more like a prestige art project. But this is also Double Fine at its most uncompromising, and the experience is better for it.</p><p dir="ltr">The closest analog for Keeper is 2012's Journey--the two games share a wordless approach to narrative, an emphasis on movement that is at times slow and deliberate and at others joyfully fluid and fast, and even the seeming objective of making your way to a distant mountaintop. But that comparison feels reductive, because whereas Journey is a straightforward parable, Keeper keeps evolving, reinventing itself and its themes, and going to unexpected places. While you can quickly size up and understand the basic contours of Journey's world, the world of Keeper feels more alien, and the natural order of it isn't always clear.</p><p dir="ltr">Let's back up. Keeper begins when a lighthouse shines its light to save a bird from an encroaching swarm of parasitic darkness. The lighthouse itself topples, snapping into pieces, but then reforms itself and grows a tripod of spindly, wobbly legs. You play through these awkward first steps, frequently face-planting--does a lighthouse have a face?--as you learn how to move around the world.</p><a href="https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/keeper-review-this-ones-a-keeper/1900-6418424/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f/">Continue Reading at GameSpot</a>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 17 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">1900-6418424</guid><dc:creator>Steve Watts</dc:creator><media:content url="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/screen_medium/1585/15855271/4586443-keeper-screenshot-006-friends.jpg" type="image/png" width="480" height="270" /><relatedGames></relatedGames><category></category></item>
  21. <item><title>Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 Review - Aged, But Still A Fine Wine</title><link>https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/vampire-the-masquerade-bloodlines-2-review-aged-but-still-a-fine-wine/1900-6418425/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f</link><description><![CDATA[<p dir="ltr">Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines has always held a special place in my heart for many reasons, but certainly the most prominent is this: It was the first time I remember playing a game and thinking, "Wow, I am <em>absolutely </em>too young to be playing this."</p><p dir="ltr">I was 11 years old when I took my first stroll down the streets of Bloodline's Santa Monica--when I clumsily WASD'd my way through rooms filled with empty pill bottles, condom wrappers, and other bits of paraphernalia that I can only recall with an accompanying blush. I was too young (and timid!) to be sucking on necks, canoodling with the scantily-clad Jeanette, and traversing the Ocean House Hotel's utterly horrifying floorplan. And yet, I <em>loved </em>it. I loved knowing games could be... <em>this</em>: dark, mature, and wicked.</p><p dir="ltr">Alongside 2002's Neverwinter Nights, Bloodlines turned me into a die-hard fan of both TTRPGs and CRPGs in equal measure. So, needless to say, you can count me among the thousands of us who have been waiting--impatiently and a bit nervously--for Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2.</p><a href="https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/vampire-the-masquerade-bloodlines-2-review-aged-but-still-a-fine-wine/1900-6418425/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f/">Continue Reading at GameSpot</a>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 17 Oct 2025 06:00:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">1900-6418425</guid><dc:creator>Jessica Cogswell</dc:creator><media:content url="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/screen_medium/1639/16394322/4586531-ff%283%29.jpg" type="image/png" width="480" height="270" /><relatedGames></relatedGames><category></category></item>
  22. <item><title>Pokemon Legends: Z-A Review - A Battle Revolution</title><link>https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/pokemon-legends-z-a-review-a-battle-revolution/1900-6418423/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f</link><description><![CDATA[<p>For the past few years, developer Game Freak has been experimenting with the Pokemon formula. 2021's Pokemon Legends: Arceus redefined what it meant to catch a Pokemon, and 2022's Pokemon Scarlet and Violet broke from the linear structure to let you take on gyms in any order. With Pokemon Legends: Z-A, Game Freak sets its sights on rethinking the battle mechanics. For the first time, Pokemon battles are real-time, with attacks utilizing a cooldown system and positioning playing a key role. This fresh take on the battle system keeps Legends: Z-A engaging from start to finish, but a bland presentation leaves Legends: Z-A feeling like a relic of the past.</p><p dir="ltr">Pokemon Legends: Z-A exclusively takes place in Lumiose City, the crown jewel of the Kalos region that is heavily inspired by Paris, France. A canal bisects the city, cafes can be found on nearly every block, and the Prism Tower--modeled after the Eiffel Tower--sits directly in the center. It's odd to play a Pokemon game set within the walls of a single town, but Lumiose City is probably one of the only places in the Pokemon universe that could support an entire game. That's not only due to its size, but also thanks to its rich history, which was established in 2013's Pokemon X and Y. Taking place only five years after the events of Pokemon X and Y means Legends: Z-A feels like a sequel rather than a spin-off.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/original/1512/15120939/4585985-11_plza_talkingtovinnie_completingsidequests.mp4.00_03_42_37.still001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-4585985" data-ratio="0.5625" data-width="1920" data-embed-type="image" style="width: 1920px"><a href="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/original/1512/15120939/4585985-11_plza_talkingtovinnie_completingsidequests.mp4.00_03_42_37.still001.jpg"><img alt="No Caption Provided" src="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/scale_super/1512/15120939/4585985-11_plza_talkingtovinnie_completingsidequests.mp4.00_03_42_37.still001.jpg" srcset="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/original/1512/15120939/4585985-11_plza_talkingtovinnie_completingsidequests.mp4.00_03_42_37.still001.jpg 1920w, https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/scale_super/1512/15120939/4585985-11_plza_talkingtovinnie_completingsidequests.mp4.00_03_42_37.still001.jpg 1280w, https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/scale_medium/1512/15120939/4585985-11_plza_talkingtovinnie_completingsidequests.mp4.00_03_42_37.still001.jpg 480w" sizes="(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px" data-width="1280"></a></figure><p dir="ltr">By day, you're tasked with uncovering the truth behind Rogue Mega Evolved Pokemon popping up all over the city, and by night, you're climbing the Z-A Royale tournament ladder. Before long, these two goals become intertwined and missions alternate between hunting down Mega Evolved Pokemon and raising your rank in the Z-A Royale. Each rank introduces you to a new opponent who represents a different faction in Lumiose City. Over the course of the tournament, you'll spend time with a martial arts club and a crime syndicate, as well as mingle in aristocratic society. As you're getting to know these characters and their backstories, Rogue Mega Evolved Pokemon will threaten the city and you'll need to defeat them before ranking up in the tournament. It's a predictable structure, but one that affords Game Freak the opportunity to delve into the different sides of Lumiose City and its eccentric denizens. Ivor is a hulking man with long blond hair who wants to tear down the Wild Zones so Pokemon and people can live together in harmony. Corbeau is a sharply dressed mob boss who's dedicated his life to making Lumiose City a safe place.</p><a href="https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/pokemon-legends-z-a-review-a-battle-revolution/1900-6418423/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f/">Continue Reading at GameSpot</a>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 15 Oct 2025 14:04:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">1900-6418423</guid><dc:creator>Jake Dekker</dc:creator><media:content url="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/screen_medium/1512/15120939/4585974-large.jpg" type="image/jpeg" width="480" height="270" /><relatedGames></relatedGames><category></category></item>
  23. <item><title>Battlefield 6 Review - Good Company</title><link>https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/battlefield-6-review-good-company/1900-6418420/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f</link><description><![CDATA[<p dir="ltr">At its best, Battlefield 6 is everything you could ask for from a Battlefield game. Intense, close-quarters firefights transition into long-range skirmishes as control points change hands and the action moves from the tight confines of half-destroyed buildings to open stretches of land. As fighter jets and helicopters swoop overhead, a medic pulls out a defibrillator and rushes into a hail of bullets to revive a squadmate who was just blown up trying to destroy a tank with a handful of C4.</p><p dir="ltr">Elsewhere, a sniper taking residence in a high-rise building is snuffed out by a well-placed RPG, blowing a hole in their nest until the entire building eventually collapses in on itself, while just a few yards away, the burnt husk of a helicopter drops out of the sky as its previous occupants parachute to the ground amidst a salvo of gunfire. Battlefield 6 is a return to form for a multiplayer shooter that thrives on emergent chaos.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/original/43/434805/4582400-3.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-4582400" data-ratio="0.5625" data-width="1920" data-embed-type="image" style="width: 1920px"><a href="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/original/43/434805/4582400-3.jpg"><img alt="No Caption Provided" src="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/scale_super/43/434805/4582400-3.jpg" srcset="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/original/43/434805/4582400-3.jpg 1920w, https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/scale_super/43/434805/4582400-3.jpg 1280w, https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/scale_medium/43/434805/4582400-3.jpg 480w" sizes="(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px" data-width="1280"></a></figure><p dir="ltr">For myriad reasons, Battlefield 2042 didn't evoke these moments often enough, leading Battlefield Studios--the collective name for developers DICE, Criterion, Motive, and Ripple Effect--to look to the past for the series' future. It's well-documented that Battlefield 3 and 4 were key inspirations in designing the series' latest iteration, and that's certainly reflected in how it plays. It's a safe approach, which isn't surprising given the negative reception to Battlefield 2042, especially when so many fans have been clamoring for a direct sequel to the series' fourth mainline entry. As a result, there's very little about Battlefield 6 that feels particularly fresh or new, but there's also no denying that it's quintessentially Battlefield. There's still nothing else quite like its multipronged chaos, so a return to form is more than enough to get pulses racing, even if it doesn't necessarily push the series forward.</p><a href="https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/battlefield-6-review-good-company/1900-6418420/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f/">Continue Reading at GameSpot</a>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 15 Oct 2025 11:43:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">1900-6418420</guid><dc:creator>Richard Wakeling</dc:creator><media:content url="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/screen_medium/43/434805/4581762-1515322092-battl.png" type="image/png" width="480" height="270" /><relatedGames></relatedGames><category></category></item>
  24. <item><title>Digimon Story: Time Stranger Review - The Digivolution Is Up And Running</title><link>https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/digimon-story-time-stranger-review-the-digivolution-is-up-and-running/1900-6418422/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f</link><description><![CDATA[<p dir="ltr">When it comes to games about human kids partnering with cute critters that can evolve into powerful monsters, I've always been a bigger fan of Digimon than Pokemon. But most of that preference comes down to what's outside the video games: Digimon has more interesting monster designs, for example, and a far superior anime. Pokemon has always had the video games I prefer to play, usually having more engaging gameplay loops and satisfying battles.</p><p dir="ltr">Digimon's latest foray, however, <a href="https://www.gamespot.com/games/digimon-story-time-stranger/">Digimon Story: Time Stranger</a>, has finally shifted the needle for me. While its story and characters don't rise to the heights achieved in the best moments of the Digimon anime, Time Stranger is a consistently fun turn-based RPG with great voice acting and rewarding, strategic team-building.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/original/1587/15875866/4585055-digi1.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-4585055" data-ratio="0.5625" data-width="1920" data-embed-type="image" style="width: 1920px"><a href="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/original/1587/15875866/4585055-digi1.jpg"><img alt="Time Stranger has a lot of callbacks to both seasons of Digimon Adventure." src="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/scale_super/1587/15875866/4585055-digi1.jpg" srcset="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/original/1587/15875866/4585055-digi1.jpg 1920w, https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/scale_super/1587/15875866/4585055-digi1.jpg 1280w, https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/scale_medium/1587/15875866/4585055-digi1.jpg 480w" sizes="(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px" data-width="1280"></a><figcaption>Time Stranger has a lot of callbacks to both seasons of Digimon Adventure.</figcaption></figure><p dir="ltr">In Time Stranger, you play as an agent of a secret organization that works in the shadows of Tokyo to find, study, and confront urban legends, many of which turn out to be a strange lifeform the higher-ups have nicknamed Digimon. During your latest mission, you witness the emergence of a terrifying behemoth that destroys the city and begins spreading devastation across Japan.</p><a href="https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/digimon-story-time-stranger-review-the-digivolution-is-up-and-running/1900-6418422/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f/">Continue Reading at GameSpot</a>]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 14 Oct 2025 12:15:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">1900-6418422</guid><dc:creator>Jordan Ramée</dc:creator><media:content url="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/screen_medium/1587/15875866/4585054-digi.png" type="image/png" width="480" height="270" /><relatedGames></relatedGames><category></category></item>
  25. <item><title>Absolum Review - A Sleeper Hit</title><link>https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/absolum-review-a-sleeper-hit/1900-6418419/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f</link><description><![CDATA[<p dir="ltr">I have a pet theory about roguelikes: The play-die-repeat loop has been fused with almost every genre imaginable, but the ones that pair best are genres that have always revolved around repeated play. Balatro's gonzo approach to poker or Hades' riff on the isometric action game took the core of games that had been built from the start to accommodate repeated runs and then added the incentives of stacking, iterative power-ups and progression on top of them.</p><p dir="ltr">Absolum is a game that is fundamentally built around the classic beat-'em-up. That genre is among the earliest, virtually a cave painting in video game history--the classic quarter-muncher. Beat-'em-ups were built for repeated fun because they needed to keep attracting you back to plunk in another coin, but they were also built to be remarkably hard. These qualities, which developers have sometimes struggled to modernize, make the roguelike element fit like a glove. As a result, Absolum is an absolute blast to play, over and over again.</p><p dir="ltr">It shouldn't be surprising that Absolum hews so closely to its beat-'em-up roots. This is an original world from Guard Crush Games, the studio behind Streets of Rage 4. But rather than cleaning up the mean streets in a retro-modern setting, Absolum borrows liberally from swords-and-sorcery classics like Golden Axe. This is a fresh fantasy world in which a cataclysm resulted in the outlawing of all magic in the land of Talamh. A totalitarian ruler, the Sun King Azra, rules the land with an iron fist, and he hypocritically instrumentalizes magic to keep rogue wizards in check. As a small band of rebel wizards, you wage war on the Sun King, making your way to his imperial tower with the blessing of the Root Mother Uchawi, who revives you after each unsuccessful run.</p><a href="https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/absolum-review-a-sleeper-hit/1900-6418419/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f/">Continue Reading at GameSpot</a>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 09 Oct 2025 06:00:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">1900-6418419</guid><dc:creator>Steve Watts</dc:creator><media:content url="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/screen_medium/1585/15855271/4580759-keyart2.png" type="image/png" width="480" height="270" /><relatedGames></relatedGames><category></category></item>
  26. <item><title>Little Nightmares 3 Review - Recurring Dreams</title><link>https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/little-nightmares-3-review-recurring-dreams/1900-6418421/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f</link><description><![CDATA[<p dir="ltr">While waiting for <a href="https://www.gamespot.com/games/little-nightmares-iii/">Little Nightmares 3</a> to arrive, I went back and replayed the first two games, and I was reminded just how much creepier the first one is than its sequel. The Janitor, with his sinisterly stretched arms that could seemingly reach the silent protagonist, Six, wherever she hid, was the stuff of children's night terrors. The chefs, with their unsettling fleshy masks, taunted me with the truth that was veiled behind them. It's a reveal the game never offers, leaving my imagination to run wild. The second game was still one I enjoyed very much, but it felt like Tarsier Studios had toned down some of the grotesque, haunting displays in the sequel. It failed to create memorable villains on par with the original. Little Nightmares 3 changes hands to the horror veterans at Supermassive Games, and though the addition of co-op is a great fit, it feels similarly sanitized and overly familiar at times. It's as though it looked to the sequel more than the original for the blueprint.</p><p dir="ltr">Little Nightmares 3, like the previous games, is a cinematic horror-platformer, now newly built for two players--or one player and an AI companion. Without loading screens or virtually any prompts on the screen, it's extremely immersive, dropping you into a world that runs on nightmare fuel. Both this game's story and the broader universe are purposely vague, and this has always been the series' best attribute. Scurrying through dark apartments, rundown schools, foggy beaches, and haunted libraries nails the intent to present the world as an ever-present threat that is effective not just because it looks and sounds scary or because you'll reliably find yourself dashing away from monsters.</p><p dir="ltr">Instead, the world itself is so hard to grasp, operating on dream logic, like someone has extracted the real memories of kids' nightmares and put them into a game. This means every creepy encounter with its monsters of different shapes and sizes always comes with bewilderment. What is this, and how do I evade it? The rules of the world are always changing, and with uncertainty comes fear.</p><a href="https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/little-nightmares-3-review-recurring-dreams/1900-6418421/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f/">Continue Reading at GameSpot</a>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 08 Oct 2025 06:00:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">1900-6418421</guid><dc:creator>Mark Delaney</dc:creator><media:content url="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/screen_medium/1632/16320660/4581780-littlenightmaresiiikeyartpng.jpg" type="image/jpeg" width="480" height="270" /><relatedGames></relatedGames><category></category></item>
  27. <item><title>Fire Emblem Shadows Review - Emergency Meeting</title><link>https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/fire-emblem-shadows-review-emergency-meeting/1900-6418418/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f</link><description><![CDATA[<p>The release of a new Fire Emblem game is usually a big deal, so I was more than a little intrigued--but mostly confused--when I happened to glance at the Nintendo Today app calendar on September 24 and it said "Fire Emblem Shadows Available." There had just been a <a href="https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/nintendo-direct-september-2025-all-the-biggest-announcements/2900-7026/">Nintendo Direct on September 12</a>, after all, where Nintendo announced the next mainline entry in the series for Switch 2, <a href="https://www.gamespot.com/articles/fire-emblem-fortunes-weave-coming-to-switch-2-in-2026/1100-6534686/">Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave</a>. There was no mention of Fire Emblem Shadows. And after playing it, I can see why Nintendo wouldn't showcase it on that big stage</p><p dir="ltr">I assumed it was referring to Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon, the 2009 remake of the first game in the series, and went on with my day. It was only later that evening I learned that Fire Emblem Shadows was actually a brand-new mobile entry in the series: one where players manage "real-time strategy and social deduction at the same time."</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/original/43/434805/4578404-9957206684-FireE.png" data-ref-id="1300-4578404" data-ratio="0.56221889055472" data-width="1334" data-embed-type="image" style="width: 1334px"><a href="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/original/43/434805/4578404-9957206684-FireE.png"><img alt="No Caption Provided" src="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/scale_super/43/434805/4578404-9957206684-FireE.jpg" srcset="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/original/43/434805/4578404-9957206684-FireE.png 1334w, https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/scale_super/43/434805/4578404-9957206684-FireE.jpg 1280w, https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/scale_medium/43/434805/4578404-9957206684-FireE.jpg 480w" sizes="(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px" data-width="1280"></a></figure><p dir="ltr">The idea of a new game in the long-running tactics series arriving out of the blue had me eager to install it and see what it was about. I had a decent time with Fire Emblem Heroes, Nintendo's previous attempt at translating Fire Emblem to the world of free-to-play mobile games (and one that would go on to become <a href="https://www.gamespot.com/articles/fire-emblem-heroes-is-nintendos-first-mobile-game-to-hit-1-billion-in-revenue/1100-6505005/">Nintendo's first mobile game to hit $1 billion in revenue</a>). As such, I was curious to see how Shadows, which is also free to play, would differ. Unfortunately, the monkey paw soon curled, and I found myself dumbfounded by all the ways Fire Emblem Shadows is Fire Emblem in name only.</p><a href="https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/fire-emblem-shadows-review-emergency-meeting/1900-6418418/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f/">Continue Reading at GameSpot</a>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 01 Oct 2025 11:50:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">1900-6418418</guid><dc:creator>Cameron Koch</dc:creator><media:content url="https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/screen_medium/43/434805/4578401-1811854570-fire-.jpg" type="image/jpeg" width="480" height="270" /><relatedGames></relatedGames><category></category></item>
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