3 Up, 3 Down – June 2022
It definitely wouldn’t have been possible to predict The Three Best (and Worst) Video Games from June 2022. Most of these games where lower profiles releases, and the one that had the most buzz wasn’t even given a release date until two weeks before it came out. The Three Best Video Games have a lot of genre breadth. The Three Worst Video Games are all victims of age-old video game doomsaying: non-video game franchise cash-ins, and free-to-play models. All that being said, The Three Best (and Worst) Video Games from June 2022 are:
The Good
The Quarry
***click here for our review***
The spiritual sequel to Until Dawn arrived in June 2022, and in many ways, it exceeded expectations. The game focuses on creating a more cohesive narrative, and as a result, achieves feeling more like an interactive film. The choices made by the player feel less janky, and more streamlined. The story is long, and demands to be played-through multiple times. The performances and performance capture are excellent. The Quarry was COGconnected’s top reviewed game in June 2022. Our reviewer concluded that “The Quarry is a must-play for horror fans”. So go play it.
Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga
***click here for our review***
The newest Fire Emblem game is very good, but Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga is better (it’s also a strategy JRPG). Although it’s a product of RPG Maker, Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga wears its Final Fantasy Tactics, Ogre Battle, and Fire Emblem inspirations on its sleeve. Although those are very beloved inspirations, Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga’s only failings are its boiler-plate fantasy story, and Fire Emblem levels of menu intuitiveness. Our reviewer found that the game “adds up to more than a sum of its parts”, and that’s the important quality that makes the JRPG genre special.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
***click here for our review***
When Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge finally dropped in June 2022, a legion of people in their 30s and 40s let out a collective sigh of relief. We all wanted the spiritual sequel to Turtles in Time to stand up to the perfect original, and it did. Shredder’s Revenge is as quality as a 2D beat-em-up can be. Fans of the original cartoon series and arcade games didn’t even need to look past the opening animation to know that they were in for a treat. Our reviewer concluded that “Shredder’s Revenge has a pretty specific target audience. But if you fall within that narrow strike zone, this game is amazing.” Now we’re playing with power. Turtle power.