Disney Dreamlight Valley had an interesting launch. Characters that appeared on the splash screen did not appear in the game. Nintendo Switch users had to deal with massive amounts of crashing, and some players found the content lacking.
The Disney Dreamlight Valley 2023 roadmap is giving us a look at what is coming in the new year. 2022 closed with the release of Stitch, and in 2023 it looks like we are going to see a plethora of new characters.
February
Olaf and Marabel will be joining the valley. Olaf is from Frozen and Marebel is from Encanto. We will also be discovering the secrets of the Frosted Heights biome! Along with all the new content updates we will be celebrating Disney’s 100th anniversary.
April
In April we can see that Simba will be joining the valley. It is currently assumed that the new realm is going to be the Lion King realm. The roadmap says that new character(s) will be arriving in the valley, so it makes sense that Simba is not the only character coming in April.
We will also be celebrating the Disney Parks for the April starpath. Currently, it is assumed that means we will be getting decorations from the parks.
Early Summer
In Early Summer we will be unveiling the secret to The Forgetting. A princess will also be racing into the valley. The community thinks Vanellope von Schweetz will be joining the valley during the summer update. You can also see a character in the window of the pumpkin house: It is currently assumed that the Fairy Godmother lives inside the pumpkin house.
More to Come!
Players will be getting multiplayer this year! Multiplayer is a welcomed addition to Disney Dreamlight Valley but there is no news on how multiplayer is going to work.
It is assumed we will be seeing more new characters. Belle is featured on the roadmap and we know the devs will put characters they haven’t discussed yet into the updates. Surprise characters are a given but there is no clue yet who could be joining the valley as a surprise.
Developed by Coatsink and published by Outright Games Ltd., Transformers: Battlegrounds was either going to be a success or an absolute waste of time. If you’re not familiar with Outright Games, they are a family-friendly gaming company. Not all of their games feel like a complete waste of time, so I was hopefully optimistic about Transformers: Battlegrounds. Sadly, this game fails on every major front for me. The combat is underdeveloped, the voice lines are cringy, and I could feel the lack of effort put into most of the game I had played.
Turn explanation
Low Effort
Everything about Transformers: BattleGrounds, aside from the art style, screams low effort and underdeveloped.
The production value appears to be extremely low, and although I recognize the games’ target audience is children, come on.
The combat system is inspired by XCOM but has none of the polish: The system is boring to play and provides little to no gameplay value. Instead of this combat system, Battlegrounds could have benefited from being a hack and slash game.
The art style is fine.
Microtransactions
The first thing to turn me off about this game was the number of microtransactions I could see from the moment I started the game. Most of them are skins, but it is never a good sign to me when the first thing I see for a new game is a ton of additions that frankly don’t make sense.
Eh
I find this game to be a massive disappointment in every way. The combat is stale, and all of the best parts of XCOM combat have been removed. Although the art style is fine, a lot of the game is static, and the environments are bland.
The setup for a human having to direct the transformers was weird and frankly lazy. However, I understand the target audience for the game is children. More effort could have been put in all around.
When you start Super Mega Baseball 3 you are not in for much of a treat. The menu is bland and the music is overbearing, do not let this turn you off. Super Mega Baseball 3 is one of the best sports games I have ever played, but not for the reasons you might think. Currently, Super Mega Baseball 3 is on gamepass and if you’re a fan of sports I highly suggest giving it a try.
Game Modes for Days!
You truly have your choice in Super Mega Baseball 3.
Quick Play
You will be able to play an exhibition or practice match in a local or online party.
Pennant Race
In Pennant Race, you are competing for the best record in a division over a timed period. In this game mode, you can rise through the global rankings.
The new online leagues
Here you can play multiple seasons against friends in a cross-platform online competition: This has standard and custom teams available.
Franchise
You can play through a standard or custom franchise.
This is one of my favorite franchise modes in any sports game to date.
Season
You can play a full season in standard or custom mode.
Elimination
In elimination, you are working to knock out opponents and come out on top! This mode is a lot of fun as well.
This image was taken on the Xbox Series S.
Customization
You will be able to customize your teams and leagues to fit your play style. Custom teams can be used across a variety of different game modes: The customization options are fine and surpassed my expectations.
Gameplay
The gameplay of Super Mega Baseball 3 is straightforward and only has a couple of changes built-in. Some characters have a unique attribute that changes how they function or gives them a special bonus: Most of the time I ignored this feature because it did not seem to make a difference either way.
Super Mega Baseball 3 is a smooth experience and runs perfectly fine on the Xbox Series S. I did not notice any framerate drops and my experiences have been completely pleasant. Although the gameplay loop follows a typical baseball game the bonus game modes give this game a leg up.
Conclusion
Super Mega Baseball 3 is a fine baseball game that offers hours of entertainment for local and online play. The art style might not appeal to everyone, this is not a baseball simulator. If you’re looking for a fun sports game to kill time with, I highly recommend this one. Super Mega Baseball scores a 7/10, as of the time of writing this article you can try it if you have Gamepass!
Rainbow Six Extraction has a fantastic foundation.
The foundation of this game is strong, and the developers should be proud of what they accomplished. Rainbow Six Extraction has its own identity and feel despite borrowing most (if not everything) from Rainbow Six Siege.
As of this review, you can go out on missions in four locations (as of this review), complete assignments, and do the Maelstrom Protocol (ranked) game mode. You will earn cosmetics, tech, and new operators as you play.
Assignments
This screenshot was taken on the Xbox Series S.
An assignment takes place on any map and is of critical difficulty. Each assignment will be different, and they cycle every five days. Kick the Anthill has been my favorite thus far, but the game has not been out long enough to see what is planned for this game mode.
Assignments give you a generous amount of XP; I was able to get multiple operators to level 10 from Kick the Anthill: This is both a good and “bad” thing. Once an operator gets to level 10, the XP they earn is no longer useful.
Maelstrom Protocol
This screenshot was taken on the Xbox Series S.
Maelstrom is a fun but disappointing ranked experience that feels like last minute. In this game mode, you can move up to diamond class by completing a string of objectives that increase in difficulty as you play.
The XP is worth it, but the problem comes from the cosmetics. As you play, you earn a helmet that is put on a timer; you will have to achieve the same rank to get this helmet again at the end of the cycle. The helmet is not the only incentive to play; you can earn a small amount of premium currency from participating in the ranked mode.
However, I have the same complaint about using level 10’s in this mode. A level 10 earning XP feels useless, and since the roster is limited, you will have a couple of them on your roster.
The Story
You will travel from location to location, gathering intel about the threat. You will earn tech points, operators, and new locations to play in as you progress. The story is nothing spectacular, and I found it tedious to follow, aside from reading a couple of codex entries.
The lore provided in the codex is one of my favorite parts of the game! Though I wish they would explain a little more about what is going on. There is a lot of reading you have to do if you want to understand everything.
Character Advancement and Customization
Most of the character advancement feels the same. You’re going to get speed boosts, armor boosts, and new weapons across all characters. Characters began to feel different within their abilities. Getting an operator to rank ten should give them the boost they need to compete.
This screenshot was taken on the Xbox Series S.
You can change the characters’ headgear to match their body gear or mix and match: I appreciate this because I can make my operators look however I want. You can also give some guns a new skin, and the skins are cross-compatible with all firearms. If you have a skin for one gun, you will have it for all guns that can wear a skin.
Depending on your preference, some of the best operator outfits in the game are unlocked by completing story content, and others can be bought from the store.
Final Thoughts
You are given a healthy number of mutations to fight, they all do something different, and each presents its own challenge. Since the game just came out, I think the selection of “special infected” is at a reasonable amount.
You can play this game your way; if you want to go in loud, you’re going to have trouble especially depending on the mission type. However, if that is something you want to do it will work for most missions below the two highest difficulties.
The operator health mechanic is something I thought would get in the way and make the game feel like a chore. Honestly? It works fine. You are encouraged to change operators and try new things while you go out on missions.
The tech is okay, and honestly, I wish more thought would’ve gone into what tech will be used. Some of it is clearly more useful. The tech you take will also depend on what your teammates have, so I guess you can mix and match as you please.
This screenshot was taken on the Xbox Series S.
The operators all feel the same for the most part. Some of them have more armor, and some have what I consider to be better abilities. Some operators get a better selection of weapons, but that will depend on your preference. You can pick who you like and level them up as you please.
This screenshot was taken on the Xbox Series S.
Scoring
Rainbow Six Extraction earns a solid 7/10 for what we got on release. I am not taking into account what is coming.
Score Breakdown
Solid amount of operators to choose from, and although I do not like them all, there appears to be something for everyone. I wish each operator felt more unique during their advancement.
The game offers you a good amount of information through the codex. However, I wish we could have gotten more cutscenes or something explaining what is happening. There is a lot of reading in this game, and most people won’t take the time out to do it.
A healthy selection of missions and with two extra game modes, you will always have something to try while you play the game. None of these game modes offer special, permanent rewards for playing. The ranked helmet is on a timer. You always get XP but that starts to feel like a waste if you’re playing a level 10 and have all the tech.
The game is fun, you do not need advancement, and you can unlock skins just from playing the game. Doing the “story mode” will give you new lore to read in the codex.
The “special infected” are cool, and some of them present a major challenge. Apparently, you can watch YouTube videos on them, but upon further discussion, I think these videos should be in the codex.
You can feel the care put into this game, even if it’s supposed to be a spin-off or something. Each map feels unique, even the ones I hate playing on. I also appreciate that you have to think about how you approach an objective. However, I do find it odd that the map is not on your screen while you play. They could add it to the screen and present fog of war to keep the surprise of the map.
The content that they have provided feels solid enough, however parts of the game still feel unfinished. The story also feels like it was cut in a couple of areas but the last cutscene you get provides a solid jumping point for future content.
Rainbow Six extraction is a fun game with friends that will keep you wanting more. Stealth gameplay is rewarded with a healthy amount of XP, and the variety of game modes will give you something to do each time you load the game. However, everything appears to come to a standstill once you hit level 10 on your operators: This is only a problem for people who want constant progression. The future of this game looks bright if support is continued! Once you run out of things to progress on, play anyway. The gameplay loop is solid, and I look forward to what comes next.
Talking scrap of paper: Taken on the XBOX Series S
Yooka-Laylee is part of games with gold for September, so I thought I would give it a try! I am still early in the game, but it feels like pulling teeth so far. Before diving into this post, understand that I will continue to play this game. I refuse to discard a game so early.
Characters Talking Is Extremely Annoying
When you speak to any NPCs or, god forbid, you listen to a cut scene, you’re hit with this awful sound. It sounds like they didn’t know what sounds to use, so they jumbled something together and made it as high-pitched as possible.
The weird sounds they choose also carry over into the menu for some reason. Instead of having a simple beep, or nice background music, you’re greeted with awkward grunts and squeaks.
You can adjust the volume in the options menu, so this is just a nitpick at the end of the day.
The Platforming Feels Old
A lot of the animations feel off-putting like the game is fighting itself. Sometimes the character moves too slow, and other times too fast. Usually, this would not bother me, but I am starting to get a little annoyed with the awful sound effects.
This photo was taken on the XBOX One S.
I could not finish this game.
Something about this game drove me away. The menu sound effects are awful, and despite the game being pretty, I could not trudge through the clunky feeling of the gameplay itself. There are so many better platformers; this game just feels like a waste of time and effort.
Titanium Gaming 