Ah, February. The month of love. As always, this is the month where Valentine's Day happens and you do love related things. Or you just play video games all day like the loveless schmuck you are. But it's all okay, because I got the one thing loved less than you: our opinions.

Yes, it’s the TechRaptor Game Review Roundup! Here we collect all of our reviews and previews into one easy to digest article. So let’s dive right in and show you what we hit up in the loving month of February

Reviews

The Walking Dead: The Final Season - Episode 3: Broken Toys

Summary: Broken Toys continues The Walking Dead: The Final Season's interesting story and great character development while serving as a triumphant return for a season thought lost. 8.5/10. You can read our full review here.

 

Riot - Civil Unrest

Summary: Riot - Civil Unrest portrays a political firestorm based on personal experience. It challenges players to make tough choices in hard times, ushering in uncontrolled anarchy despite its shallow gameplay. 5.5/10. You can read our full review here.

 

Astroneer

Summary: Astroneer nicely builds on the Early Access release. The world is much more polished and it finally gives players something to do beyond simply digging up the earth and crafting new techs. 8/10. You can read our full review here.

 

Monster Energy Supercross 2

Summary: Staying true to the sport, Monster Energy Supercross 2 provides thrilling racing. However, it's a standard package with little that stands out beyond the riding itself. 7/10. You can read our full review here.

 

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown

Summary: Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown has a few annoying elements, but that doesn't take away from the fact that it's exactly what the series needed for a great comeback. 8.5/10. You can read our full review here.

 

Steins;Gate Elite

Summary: Steins;Gate Elite is a fantastic version of 5pb.'s beloved visual novel. Not only do the animated sequences help bring its story to life while players read, but the phone trigger gameplay system has been intelligently streamlined as well. 8/10. You can read our full review here.

 

Eastshade

Summary: Eastshade is an immersive and contemplative adventure set in a quirky fantasy universe. In spite of some performance issues and underdeveloped mechanics, it achieves a memorable gaming experience. 7.5/10. You can read our full review here.

 

Beholder 2

Summary: Whether you're a fan of adventure games, the dystopian genre, or you're looking to spice up your evening with simulated paperwork, Beholder 2 is sure to please. The plot may be predictable, but that's easy to overlook in the face of superb character writing. 8.5/10. You can read our full review here.

 

Kingdom Hearts III

Summary: Kingdom Hearts III plays up to the series' strengths, leaving one hell of a closer for fans. 9/10. You can read our full review here.

 

Metro Exodus

Summary: Metro Exodus builds on the gameplay of the previous titles and expands it into a much broader world, adding new mechanics and expanding the narrative without padding things too much. 9.5/10. You can read our full review here.

 

New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe

Summary: As a carefree way to fritter away a few hours with friends, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe fits the bill. As an entry in one of the premier franchises in gaming, the adherence to tradition and generic "New" theming leave this one missing the mark. 7.5/10. You can read our full review here.

 

Crackdown 3

Summary: Crackdown 3 is forgettable, broken in places, extremely short and set in its ways. Still, I'd be lying if I told you I didn't have a hell of a lot of fun playing it. 5.5/10. You can read our full review here.

 

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire - The Forgotten Sanctum

Summary: While it doesn't offer much in the way of closure, The Forgotten Sanctum is a satisfyingly eccentric expansion with Cronenbergian elements and an atmosphere vaguely reminiscent of Planescape: Torment. 8/10. You can read our full review here.

 

God Eater 3

Summary: God Eater 3 manages to pull of a deep and enjoyable combat experience, despite some annoyances with the camera and missions repeating themselves. 7/10. You can read our full review here.

 

Still Not Dead

Summary: A love letter to classic gut-busting run and gun shooters from the 90s, Still Not Dead's has that spark that keeps you coming back for more. 8/10. You can read our full review here.

 

Anthem

Summary: Anthem's fast-paced shooting gameplay is a ton of fun, but it suffers from long loads, repetitive missions, bad filler, and an iffy story. Still, this is an extremely solid base for more content. 7/10. You can read our full review here.

 

Jump Force

Summary: Jump Force brings together some of Manga's biggest and best characters and instead of making you feel powerful leaves you fighting bad gameplay, an aggravating plot, and your own patience. Even big Shonen Jump fans may want to avoid this one. 2/10. You can read our full review here.

 

OlliOlli: Switch Stance

Summary: If you haven't played the series before then OlliOlli: Switch Stance is a no-brainer. There's not much reason to return, but the gameplay remains as satisfying as ever. 8/10. You can read our full review here.

 

Mage's Initiation: Reign of the Elements

Summary: Mage’s Initiation: Reign of the Elements acts as a spiritual successor to the adventure games of old, but its tedious puzzle design, underdeveloped combat, inconsistent tone, and awkwardly-voiced protagonist make it unfocused at best and cringeworthy at worst. 5/10. You can read our full review here.

 

DiRT Rally 2.0

Summary: Dirt Rally 2.0 is a great racing game that is plagued by online connectivity issues and some punishing design choices that keep it from being accessible. 3.5/10. You can read our full review here.

 

Ape Out

Summary: Short yet sweet, Ape Out combines a highly stylish aesthetic with enjoyable gameplay to make for an exciting experience. 8.5/10. You can read our full review here.

 

ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove

Summary: ToeJam & Earl: Back in he Groove is a straightfroward game that really struggles to find any form of relevance beyond its nostalgia factor. 4.5/10. You can read our full review here.

 

Previews/Impressions

The Way Remastered

Summary: Despite this, I found it hard to hate The Way Remastered. It has issues, sure, but it feels like it was aiming for a very specific kind of game, and it manages to hit the mark pretty well. Before long I felt like its issues were more quirks with the style, and I even came to appreciate them. It’s not going to be for everyone, but as far as throwbacks go, this one seems to know the way to your heart. You can read our full impressions here.

 

Megaquarium

Summary: Overall, Megaquarium is a pretty good game. Other than the problem of scaling and zooming in on the graphics, everything operates like a fairly standard simulation game. While it’s not that innovative and doesn’t add anything new, Megaquarium is a fun time with fish! You can read our full impressions here.

 

UNLOVED

If you’re not super fond of pure first-person shooting, Unloved may not be for you. I enjoyed my short time with the game, but I certainly can’t see myself playing it throughout an entire day like I could with some other shooters. It does pack in a lot of things to do in one neat package, though, so it isn’t a terrible value prospect if you don’t mind a relatively simple first-person shooter without too much in the way of a narrative. You can read our full impressions here.

 

Dimension Drifter

I think Dimension Drifter will eventually turn into a good game once the developer puts out a more complete product. I much prefer the fast-paced science fiction theme over the frightening, often claustrophobic horror of Unloved. As it stands, the current Early Access build of the game makes for a poor value prospect, especially when you compare it to Unloved. For now, I’d say it’s best to avoid Dimension Drifter until it provides more content and pick up Unloved instead. You can read our full impressions here.

 

Subnautica: Below Zero

Summary: For the moment, I don’t think Subnautica: Below Zero makes for a good value prospect. There just isn’t enough content there to justify the price, especially when you can get a robust, complete game in Subnautica. I’d advise waiting until at least another one or two Early Access updates have dropped before picking it up. You can read our full preview here.

 

The Division 2

Summary: However, it would certainly be misleading to say that The Division 2 solves all of the problems with the original. Or to say that it’s outright better than competing games of the same genre. What it does offer is a fun third-person shooter experience with a high emphasis on gunplay and moderate emphasis on teamwork and abilities. If you want to feel like a god who squishes enemies with raw power, then this isn’t for you. If you want slower and more methodical gameplay, then look no further than The Division 2. You can read our full preview here.

 

The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibbia

Summary: It’s all a shame because I honestly really want to like The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibbia. When it all clicks, it clicks in a really nice way. Sadly, the crazy difficulty spike and the tendency to delete my saves stop me from really enjoying it. My only hope is that a reworking can transform this into a story worth telling. However, for now, the only thing that needs an exorcism here is the .exe file. You can read our full impressions here.

 

They Are Billions

Summary: For the moment, though, the game’s rather thin. It’s been in Early Access for two years and still feels like a proof-of-concept. The concept is a resounding success, but there’s still not a full game here. Although you can check out the cool stuff people are working on in the Workshop-supported level editor, the Survival mode is the crux of the experience and it gets old pretty quick. There’s a captivating experience here that seamlessly blends strategy and survival, but some major updates are in order before They Are Billions gets a confident recommendation. You can read our full preview here.

 

The Lost Legends of Redwall: Escape the Gloomer

Summary: While it’s a totally different kind of game, I appreciate The Lost Legends of Redwall: Escape the Gloomer. It shows that the world of Redwall still manages to work as you extend it in multiple directions. Beyond that, I didn’t think it was possible to make a modern text adventure that’s actually fun and pleasant to play. However, it seems like I was wrong, and this is all the proof I need. Fans of either the books or the genre should find a lot to like here. You can read out full impressions here.

 

Heaven's Vault

Summary: Near the end of my demo, there was a conversation that really caught me off guard. Aliya asked Six if robots felt hope. Six responded that robots, by calculation the odds, knows which outcomes should be possible. As such, taken to its logical conclusion, hope is a mathematical certainty. Conversations like this are why I could quickly become attached to Heaven’s Vault and its cast of characters. If there’s one mathematical certainty here, I believe it will be my enjoyment when the full release comes around. You can read our full preview here.

 

Pathfinder: Kingmaker

Summary: Kingmaker is an odd duck. It’s imitating RPGs of old with an added twist. Sure, there are hundreds of hours of dungeon delving, grave robbing, and monster killing, but you must come back to the capital. You have a country and citizens to care for. If you’re looking an RPG to consume your life the same way Skyrim did, Pathfinder: Kingmaker won’t disappoint. You can read our full impressions here.

 

Dark Hill Museum of Death

Summary: Dark Hill Museum of Death is a wonderful mini experience for a cheap price. It might miss the mark with some of its puzzles, but this is a game you’ll be glad you tried. You can read our full impressions here.

 

2084

Summary: If you treat 2084 like a remix or a mod of Observer then you’ll probably find it interesting. If you’re looking for a solid FPS, then 2084 has a blueprint that should be worth keeping an eye on in a few years. I’d love to see what this full game turns into, but when the prototype is this much fun then that’s a really good sign. You can read our full preview here.

 

Discolored

Summary: Discolored seems to follow in the footsteps of that game as a similar first-person puzzle adventure in the tradition of Myst. Based on Steam reviews, it could have some of the same issues as The Search, being too short and too easy. The highlight of the demo for me was seizing the moon with a toy crane. It’s a nice touch in an otherwise realistic game. If the rest of the game includes more quirky puzzles like that, count me in. You can read our full preview here.

 

Interested in any of these games? Pick any up? Got feelings? Let  us know in the comments below!