Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is beautiful. The visual graphics, animations and atmosphere remind me a lot of classic animes from the 90's. The soundtrack provokes me the same effect, is just wonderful. I'm surprised how well animated the game is, and how good the gameplay is too. The gameplay is a mix of platforming, action and adventure, with intuitive puzzles here and there. You change forms between various species of animals and the human form. And the moveset of each animal form changes too. If you plan to collect everything ( for example the parts of a special golden armor), some areas can be tricky and require a bit of patience (in some cases) but nothing very hard or impossible (so far). If you enjoyed 90's animes in 2D, you're going to love it.
As many of you have, I enjoyed Streets of Rage 1 and 2 when I was a kid on the Mega Drive. I Never got to play the 3rd one. That being said, Streets of Rage 4 feels, mechanically and gameplay wise, like the first 2 games: perfect. In this new entry, there are a few more moves, but feels like classic Streets of Rage. Which is a very good thing. The new graphics are outstanding and fluent 2D, in high definition. You can find many details in the game, and many references to the first 3 games in the series. The music is great as well. Maybe not in the same level as in the first two games, but very good too. Just to point out that you can choose the Retro Soundtrack, to play the game with the soundtracks of the first games. That's an enormous and very welcome addition, considering how good these soundtracks are. There are 4 main characters and you unlock more by playing. And you'll be able to choose the characters in their old appereances from the previous 3 games: pixelated. Their habilities change too. If you enjoyed the first games, you're going to love this one. In my opinion is an excellent game. One of my favorites in GOG right now.
As a Banjo-Kazooie and old RARE WARE days fan, I couldn't be happier about the new Yooka-Laylee: And the Impossible Lair. In my opinion, the first Yooka-Laylee had big environments and a level design which I didn't enjoy at it's fullest. In this new entry I'm seeing a big improvement in all fronts. Although I prefer 3D adventures, this second 2.5D instalment is better than the first one. Loving the level design, the graphics, the music, the characters and the ton of content and unlockables that it provides so far. As others mention, the base platforming gameplay it's very similar to Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze. However there are many differences. The main HUB is particularly interesting, as you unlock your path, discover secrets and solve simple puzzles and challenges. Also talking to the characters to get clues or proceed. The platforming is the best part, and where you play almost all the time. But some parts, specially if you're willing to collect all TWIT Coins and quills, are a bit difficult. Nonetheless there are special tonics, which can be equipped and can make your playthrough easier. And if you fail a few times in a certain area, the game gives you the chance to avoid it and go straight to the next area inside the level. Overall I strongly recommend it, It's well worth it at it's normal price.
KoF XIV has surprised me in a very good way. And it's DRM-Free (with goodies: Soundtrack and Artbook are included in the DLC's). Gameplay is great, the series landmark. But note that I have only played the Story/Arcade mode so far: 58 characters roster (8 from the DLC's included). Many newcomers and the classic SNK characters (I'm glad that Rock Howard, Geese or Oswald are back). There is quite a vast range of fighting styles, and a LOT of special moves with the usual spectacular outcomes. The animations are great. Intense and quite fast battles, very fun. The difficulty level has been lowered down a bit this time, and an automatic combo can be executed by pressing the low punch button repeatedly when next to your opponent, which will end with a special move. But you can select many different difficulty levels. The dialogues between fights have been removed from XIII (although they could be skipped pressing a button), except in some specific fights were the 2 opponents make a brief talk, but these are exceptional and a nice addition. Graphics and art design are beautiful and crisp. The new 3D visuals in the franchise are a big step forward, in my opinion. XIII had great 2D visuals, but this one looks incredibly polished. They are not the summit in 3D visuals, but they are still excellent in it's own. Music and sound effects are excellent too. There are classic tunes from the previous chapters. And sound effects are the usual in the series. Every team has it's own location and music. Different colors for each character (and DLC 1 includes some alternate costumes, such as: Classic Kyo, Athena and Yori and some others). If you end the game with a particular team, you will see a "comic" sequence for each team, plus the CGI normal ending. The game is very well optimised. The only "con" I can see is that the game is a bit pricy. However, it's still worth it. And if it's on sale and enjoy fighting games or KoF series, I can't recommend it enough. It's great.
