Licensed

2024 · Action / Adventure · PC / Steam

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is the best thing to happen to the license in decades, in any medium, a first-person adventure that understands its hero as a punching archaeologist rather than a gunman. Troy Baker channels the role so completely that players forget the recasting, the Vatican and Giza hubs deliver disguise-and-discovery sandboxes dense with puzzles, and the whip-and-shovel brawling produces slapstick the films would approve. Its combat runs shallow against stealth this generous, enemy AI cooperates a bit too politely, and the final act hurries. As licensed-game resurrections go, this is the reference case.

2023 · 2 Players · 30-45 min · Competitive

Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game does something most licensed games don't bother attempting: it finds a mechanical concept that actually fits the property. The tug-of-war between Rebel and Empire decks creates a thematic, competitive experience that captures the asymmetric struggle of the films. Card market variance can swing games in frustrating directions, and the two-player-only format limits its audience. But for couples and gaming pairs who want a fast, thematic head-to-head game, this is one of the stronger Star Wars tabletop offerings in years.

2021 · Strategy

The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War captures the scope and atmosphere of Middle-earth through a geo-strategic framework that rewards patient, coordinated play within active fellowships. The seasonal reset structure erases progress in ways that devalue long-term investment, and pay-to-win dynamics concentrate power among spenders in ways that mirror the Ring's corrupting influence a bit too accurately. Tolkien fans will find a world worth inhabiting for a season, but the game asks more than it gives back over time.