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Dragon's Dogma 2 is a landmark release for open world action RPGs. From its thoroughly immersive world and its stellar combat to the incredible emergent gameplay its bevy of systems enable, Capcom's long-anticipated sequel delivers spectacularly in more ways than one. By definition, it's going to turn some people off with its many eccentricities, but it's those eccentricities exactly that make it such an utterly unique and unforgettable experience.
There are bright spots here that genre veterans can and likely will latch on to, but Alone in the Dark feels a bit too rough and unpolished in areas that are too critical to the experience to ever be able to truly meet its full potential.
Outcast – A New Beginning has moments where it can be a lot of fun, especially once you get your hands on an upgraded jetpack. Sadly, its archaic mission design and empty open world often means that there isn't really much in there worth flying towards.
Whether you enjoy character-driven action titles, fantastic visuals and music, or addictive combat, Hi-Fi Rush is well worth your time.
Winter Survival already has trouble standing out among its competitors this quarter. However, its foundation needs a lot of work, and the available content alone makes it hard to recommend.
Reveil isn't going to set the world of P.T.-inspired first-person horror games on fire, and issues with its writing and voice acting often drag it down, but with a strong aesthetic, surreal environments, and straightforward yet engaging puzzles and mechanics, it's still a solid experience that fans of the genre will enjoy.
Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection showcases how a streamlined yet content-packed shooter can still stand out today. Its AI problems and repetition can be a drag, but this is still an essential experience for Star Wars fans.
Whether you're an old-school fan revisiting the horrors of the Zone or a new player curious to dive in, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Legends of the Zone Trilogy offers excellent value for money with a gameplay loop that still holds up.
While WWE 2K24's attempts at celebrating 40 years of WrestleMania with its new Showcase of the Immortals mode fall flat, the game's excellent match types and the great new storylines in the MyRise mode will ensure that fans will have plenty to sink their teeth into.
When it comes to the joy of off-road driving, few games can capture the feel as expertly or effortlessly as Expeditions: A MudRunner Game. The lack of online co-op at launch, or even a central narrative might hurt it a bit, but it's still an excellent driving game owing to the thousands of small player-driven emergent stories that can pop up, and the sense of exploration is still downright fantastic.
Sons of the Forest can fumble with its narrative, but its survival crafting fundamentals and sandbox still warrant a look.
The Thaumaturge tells an interesting story and pairs it up with fantastic presentation, and one of the most interesting combat systems in the genre. However, its uneven NPC animations and the lack of combat encounters drag down the experience.
In addition to proving that many of the timeless qualities of the original have endured, Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster also shows once again just how much love and effort Nightdive Studios puts into the remasters that it works on.
Terminator: Dark Fate - Defiance is a strange game that doesn't seem like it would be all that fun at a cursory glance. Dig deeper, however, and you'll find that all of its smaller systems mingle together in a way that brings about one of the more fun and unique real-time strategy games out there. It's also the only one where I've had to count individual bullets on soldiers.
The Outlast Trials is brutal and unrelenting, constantly pushing you into the deep end and taunting you to stay afloat. Some aspects could use further touching up, but if co-op horror is your sickness, then this may be your kind of therapy.
Pacific Drive can be broken down easily into other genres, but it's unlike anything available in terms of tone, atmosphere and execution.
Nightingale is brimming with potential and can grow into something truly fascinating, but it has a long way to go.
While Wrath: Aeon of Ruin might give off the impression that it's just another boomer shooter in a market already well-past saturation, it manages to forge its own identity by being a throwback to classics of the genre with a flair of its own. And of course, the incredible level design and gunplay go a long way in making the game incredibly fun. The only real downside is that, for its wild settings and visuals, the weapons never really break the mold of classic shooter archetypes.
From its incredible story and how well it tells it to its wonderfully realized setting and more, all of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons' biggest strengths are present and accounted for in the remake. Given how faithful of a recreation it is though, those who own the original will likely wonder if the remake is worth a purchase.
Last Epoch offers a middle ground between its contemporaries in the action RPG genre, offering players plenty of deep character customization options while still managing to stay understandable and approachable. While its story might feel meandering, the endgame content is plenty fun on its own, and its dungeons are some of the most fun bits of content in the entire game.