Bug Fables is weaponized nostalgia. Moonsprout Games set out to make a game that would bring you back to the mid-90s and early-2000s, and if you played RPGs back on the SNES or N64, then this is going to unleash all the tingly feelings of your childhood stored at the back of your br

This dog has become somewhat of a symbol for Undertale as a whole. The dog is just a troublemaker and appears in short instances throughout the game. It plays a part in one of Papyrus’ traps, steals bones from Papyrus, is an actual bomb at one point, and absorbs an item you get for completing the difficult piano puz

The Rabbids kind of kicked Rayman out of his own franchise for a while, and the last true Rayman game before the Wii party game, Rayman 3 , didn’t live up to its predecessors. 2011 saw a return to form, however, with Rayman: Origins . The 2D side-scrolling platformer brought back all the charm, difficulty, and engaging gameplay from the character’s debut. Origins and its sequel are often seen as two of the best in the genre from the past ten ye

When I say this game aspires to be Paper Mario , I’m not talking about a few little touches here and there. From the second you load up Bug Fables, you will know that this is a Paper Mario game in practically every way except the name. Each character is a flat 2D model with big fat black outlines walking around a 3D world. The art style looks simplistic, as if it was drawn by a crayon-wielding kindergarten class, yet it’s bursting with life and personality. Even the music evokes the soundtracks of Nintendo’s games, with songs that reminded me of Final Fantasy games, Donkey Kong Country , Earthbound , and of course, the Paper Mario ser

In between battles, your party of three will travel to various locations that will require some platforming and puzzle-solving to obtain the next artifact. Each character has a special ability that can be used to get past hazards and giant gaps. Vi’s “Beemerang” can be thrown to activate switches and cranks as well as gather items that are out of reach. Kabbu can use his horn to move objects and cut through grass. Leif can use his ice magic to freeze water and enemies so they can be used as platforms. Figuring out which abilities need to be combined to traverse Bugaria’s harsh landscape was never very challenging, but it still managed to be a fun part of the g

Despite this flaw, it still manages to be one of the finest action games of the generation. It wasn’t until Metal Gear Survive when the final nail was hammered into the coffin. A comeback is always possible, but Konami shows no signs of pursuing the franchise any furt

One of the big selling points for the Xbox Game Pass service is the fact that it has all of Microsoft’s first-party games, and this includes the entire Gears of War franchise. Every Gears of War game offers local co-op for the campaign, and Gears of War 2 onward also features Horde Mode as well. Players can play through the entire Gears of War saga from the beginning on Xbox Adventure game Weapons Pass, all the way up to the most recent main series game, Gears 5 . The games have all aged well for the most part, offering players intense, action-packed campaigns that are a blast to play through in local co

Yet, there is one franchise within the Xbox’s library that could stand toe to toe with Sony and offer some significant star power if announced over the next few months. That is, of course, the heavily-rumored Fable 4 . Teased to be receiving a significant resurrection over at Playground Games – the developer of the Forza series – the rumors surrounding the fourth iteration of the popular British fantasy series have managed to drum up a lot of hype over the last few months. Some have claimed that Fable 4 will be a full reboot , stripping away the more industrial setting of Fable 3, while others claim it’ll be much more expansive than previous entries, with bigger worlds and more personalizat

You play as a team of three bugs who join the Explorers Guild in order to find the Sapling and gain fortune and glory. There’s the chivalrous, good-natured beetle, Kabbu; the overzealous, money-hungry bee, Vi; and the mysterious, amnesiac moth, Leif (because every RPG needs someone with amnesia.) Through fate, these three are bonded together and venture through the various lands of Bugaria, hunting down artifacts that will hopefully reveal the location of the Everlasting Sapl

With no prior announcement, Microsoft surprise-launched the beat ’em up Streets of Rage 4 on Xbox Game Pass. While some may have been concerned that Streets of Rage 4 wouldn’t live up to the legacy of its predecessors, the game has proven any doubters wrong. Streets of Rage 4 reviews have been mostly positive, with fans praising the game’s retro-style local co-op action. Streets of Rage 4 ‘s main story may be a little on the short side, but the game otherwise has a lot of content for fans of the genre to sink their teeth i