3 Up, 3 Down – July 2023
July 2023 was kind of a mid-tier month for videogame quality. There were a few big releases, but nothing comparable to the juggernaut games from June 2023. Nothing performed exceptionally well or exceptionally poorly. It was actually difficult to find games that COGconnected scored above 85 or below 70. But we’ve gathered the best and the worst for The Three Best (and Worst) Video Games from July 2023. Here they are:
The Good
Pikmin 4
***click here for our review***
Pikmin 4 continued the strategic gameplay the series is known for, while also evolving it in small, but important ways. The gameplay loop is extremely addicting, and exploring the game’s world is very satisfying. This game is for the kind of player who likes to see progress, and have boxes ticked. There’s no narrative, and the gameplay might be too simple for some. But our reviewer found “Slowly exploring every part of this game, gathering your tiny army, and looting every piece of possible treasure is its own reward.” Pikmin 4 is the highest profile release in The Three Best (and Worst) Video Games from July 2023.
Remnant 2
***click here for our review***
Remnant 2 was the biggest game left off The Top 5 Upcoming Games Arriving July 2023. It’s a sequel to Remnant: From the Ashes that improves upon the original in almost every way. A simple way to describe Remnant 2 would be Dark Souls with guns. There were some framerate issues and bug crashes, but our reviewer still gave Remnant 2 a 90, showing how much they enjoyed their experience. They concluded that “Remnant 2 makes creative and meaningful changes to the Soulslike formula, helping it to stand out from a deluge of copycat action RPGs”.
Viewfinder
***click here for our review***
Viewfinder is a first-person puzzle game that uses a camera mechanic to play with perspective. It has very similar ideas to Superliminal. The puzzles really impressed our reviewer, but they wished Viewfinder added more elements of narrative and exploration. They concluded “Viewfinder doesn’t have the tonal mastery of an exploration game like Myst, but its puzzles are second to none in the genre”. Viewfinder is a must-play for anyone looking for puzzle games with unique mechanics.