A great achievement, and that also applies to the overall picture of Indiana Jones and The Great Circle. Developer MachineGames knows exactly what a game of the legendary adventurer should look like: lots of puzzles, sneaking, dressing up and occasionally giving a good punch in the face of a Nazi. Although there were some bugs and the AI of the opponents is toe-curlingly bad, this is easily one of the best games of this year. With a surprisingly fun story, impressive graphics and challenging puzzles, the game offers an experience that will appeal to both fans of the films and newcomers. You have never come this close to experiencing what it is like to be Indiana Jones, and you definitely do not want to miss it. Quickly grab your hat and whip, the world of Indiana Jones is calling out to be discovered.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
The multiplayer with omni-movement makes a very good impression. Especially the new Kill Order mode is a welcome addition. The return to classic round-based zombies is a smart move and will get a lot of players back to Call of Duty. For the fans of Call of Duty, Black Ops 6 is one of the most complete and refreshing parts in years. With a campaign that is at least a lot better than Modern Warfare 3, a wide range of modes, new maps and the new omni-movement system, the series is recovering a bit. With Black Ops 6 you get a very complete package with many hours of content.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
The Silent Hill 2 Remake is an impressive upgrade of the 2001 original. For new players, this is the perfect opportunity to experience one of the best horror games ever in a modern guise. For fans of the original, it offers a beautiful, nostalgic journey back to the terrifying town that has previously scared the living daylights out of them. Despite the fact that modernizing the gameplay sometimes comes at the expense of the horror aspect, this remains one of the most exciting games you can play. Especially the moments when you walk through dark rooms with the most horrible background sounds stay with you for a long time. It will be a while before I dare to walk through a dark house with a flashlight again in any case. Bloober Team has managed to retain the story, the atmosphere and the psychological depth to a very large extent, which means that Silent Hill 2, even after 23 years, still stands as a very scary house.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
It's great to see that Blizzard has managed to win back the fans in the past few seasons and is taking the next step in the right direction with Vessel of Hatred. Whether you quickly stopped playing Diablo IV because there was too little to do or you are simply ready for new content, with Vessel of Hatred you will get an excellent expansion. If Blizzard can maintain this upward trend and quickly add new raids, the future of Diablo looks very bright.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
An absolute added value are the Hero Talents where every class and build feels different. It has been a long time since I had so much fun with my Restoration Shaman. In any case, we have become very curious about what the Worldsoul Saga will bring and how the current story of World of Warcraft will be brought to an end. For now, we can still enjoy The War Within and we log in every day with great pleasure. Blizzard has created a very successful expansion here and is recommended for new players and old fans.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
For fans of hero shooters, Concord can certainly provide some entertainment, but the question remains whether that will be enough to retain players in the long term. It is already noticeable on Playstation that the search for a game takes quite a long time, so soon after release. On PC, the peak on Steam is less than 700 players. Firewalk Studios will have to work very hard to add good content as quickly as possible, otherwise it seems that the only way to attract players is to go free-to-play, and that will not look good with paying players. go in. For now, though, Concord is stuck in the middle of the pack, visually appealing but with no depth and little reason to keep playing for any length of time.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
As a Star Wars fan, judging Outlaws is quite a difficult task. Very objectively speaking, there is still plenty to criticize about this game. Technically and in terms of gameplay it is really not high quality. The combat in particular is a bit too basic for the year 2024. Explosions seem to come from 2010 and we have also seen better facial animations. Then it is very doubtful that a paid season pass has been added where more missions will be playable later. Of course, you don't have to purchase this, but content in a single-player game that is behind a paywall is never desirable. But, and a really big but, as a Star Wars fan it is simply a pleasure to finally travel around and discover the open world of Tatooine and the other plants. These planets have been designed with so much love that it is a pleasure to comb every meter. There is a bizarre amount to do outside the storyline, without it becoming boring. Kay as the main character won't reach Kratos or Ellie status, but is fun enough. Together with Nix and ND-5 there is enough interaction to enjoy following the various conversations. Don't expect a groundbreaking game from Star Wars Outlaws, but fans will enjoy it from start to finish. Outlaws is not finished to perfection and it all feels a bit clumsy, but that gives exactly the right Star Wars feeling of the original trilogy.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
With the 20th Anniversary Edition, Ubisoft has clearly put more effort into it than just a graphical update. Some new missions have been added to unravel Jade's past, all as an introduction to Beyond Good & Evil 2. A speed-run mode has also been added to make the whole package even more complete. Despite its age, Beyond Good & Evil remains a worthwhile experience in 2024. Jade is still a great protagonist and the world of Hillys is unique to explore. The game focuses more on exploration than combat. Design, music and good writing together create an atmospheric experience where it doesn't really matter that the rest feels outdated. This remaster of Beyond Good & Evil is highly recommended for both new and old players. It is also refreshing to play a game where the gameplay is much more straightforward instead of all kinds of vague battle passes, microtransactions and difficult systems. For just €20 you can get this cult classic for modern systems, a no-brainer in our opinion. Let's hope that more information will follow soon about the successor.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
XDefiant will most likely not become the absolute Call of Duty killer, but there is definitely potential to amass a nice player base. However, they must quickly come up with more balance and make obtaining XP a lot better. We will see what the future of XDefiant will look like, but the game is basically completely free so it is definitely worth trying out for yourself.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
This game is what you make of it. Literal! He has his flaws, but he also knows very nice things that can keep a person occupied for hours. The price of 40 euros, without an offer, is too high and should be increased to 25 or 30 euros. The expectation that expensive expansions will come again is not really a pleasant prospect. This game is packed with details, plays quite well, but does not offer enough variety to play through everything in one go. There is good controller support, and the game also plays well on PC and Steam Deck. If you like games with a fairly brisk pace, then this is for you.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
With Stellar Blade, Shift Up joins a solid list of exclusives from the Playstation 5, and does so properly. Their first console game manages to impress with challenging battles, where the boss fights in particular steal the show, and a fantastic world. And although the side missions lack quite a bit of creativity, the main mission manages to keep your attention enough. Stellar Blade has everything it takes to become a hit, but should not be mentioned in the same breath as the biggest Playstation exclusives. The South Korean developer has already hinted at a sequel and once they manage to address the weak points there, it will not be long until Stellar Blade will become one of the most important games for Playstation.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Outcast's return hasn't been as big as fans of the original had hoped. Where the game excels is the world and the ability to explore with your jetpack, but that's where the fun ends. Being able to personalize the weapons with the modules of your choice is nice, but on the other hand, the combat itself is not very spectacular. Add to that the bad jokes, the dramatic writing, the boring quests and the technical problems and you quickly end up with a very mediocre game. Outcast – A New Beginning falls short on almost all points, so you actually get bored after a few hours. Fans have had to wait 25 years for a worthy successor, but with A New Beginning they will be disappointed.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
It's clear, Helldivers 2 is fun. Very nice indeed. It is not without reason that this became the best-selling Playstation game on PC within a few days. The wonderful shooting, the spectacular Stratagems and the teamwork while playing makes Helldivers 2 one big party. There are few games that can give you so much fun and chaos, combined with perhaps not the very best graphics, but one of the most atmospheric. You often imagine yourself in a Starship Troopers or Terminator movie with all the explosions and bullets around you. It's a shame that the game was plagued by so many technical issues in the first few days, but the developer has done everything they can to resolve this and has already largely succeeded. The problems must of course be taken into account in the assessment, but make no mistake, Helldivers 2 is already one of the best games of 2024 and will only get better in the future with all the new free content. And for only €40 this is a no-brainer, get that trade!
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is a title that evokes mixed feelings. At times the game excels for its action and humor, but it also struggles with the challenges of its 'game as a service' model. The constant repetition of the same missions and the push for daily assignments can become quite frustrating at a certain point. The biggest frustration, however, is the wasted potential. It's clear that a linear single-player game is much more suitable for Suicide Squad. Rocksteady's attempt to get players to grind for better weapons and gear just isn't fun enough.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
The single player is extremely lousy, with the terrible open combat missions, and few fans will be really happy with the new zombie mode. Although the multiplayer plays wonderfully, it consists solely of old maps with a slightly modernized look. You can definitely have fun in the online part, it even plays better than the previous part. But in terms of content, Modern Warfare 3 is the absolute low point of the series in recent years and certainly not worth the full price.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
With RoboCop: Rogue City, does the developer know how to take the game to identical heights as the film series? Unfortunately not. It is clear that they are still on the upward trend. This is a first person shooter where you literally and figuratively go back in time. No understandable class structure, just shooting. It is of course possible to upgrade your gun and choose skills for RoboCop, but the essence is rough shooting and the game does that well. It is a shame that other elements are less well developed, such as the poor AI of the opponents. Major missed opportunities are also the detective work, which now only consists of scanning your environment, and the minimal consequences of your choices during the story.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Spider-Man 2 does a lot right and it is therefore difficult to highlight the lesser points, which are also quite scarce. Spider-Man 2 simply builds on the previous parts, and therefore largely plays the same as what you are used to. You also notice that the citizens in the city often look the same and are considerably less detailed than main characters such as Peter, Miles and MJ. Is this disturbing? Absolutely not. Developer Insomniac would also be crazy to change the entire concept when it has worked so well in the past. This new installment does everything you expect and even more.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Is Mirage worth it? Of course. Although it is again a typical Assassin's Creed and clearly an oversized DLC from Valhalla, it is a relief to really have to sneak around with Basim again. This is what made the series so popular and Mirage shows that it is still a lot of fun. With about 30 hours of gameplay, the game is a lot more manageable than the gigantic previous parts, but certainly no less. Moreover, you only pay €45 for Mirage instead of the full €70, for which we have to compliment the developer. The game starts off quite weak with an introduction that is far too long, but once you get past that you can really get on with it. Assassins's Creed Mirage is an excellent "snack" where stealth is back and you don't have to spend 150 hours to see everything. More is not always better, and that proof is provided here.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Avatar The Last Airbender: Quest for Balance is clearly made for a younger audience. The gameplay, puzzles and races during the story feel old-fashioned, without much challenge. You soon notice that the gameplay consists of one loop that repeats for about 15 hours. The story follows the original series and adds some additional story elements, but this is often shown to the player through mediocre cutscenes and plain text boxes. Avatar's license has a lot of potential and the developer could have gotten a lot more out of it.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
The gameplay of Mortal Kombat 1 is excellent and it is old-fashioned coarse. Blood, sweat and broken bones will dominate your screen for hours. This is also helped by the fact that the game looks more than fine graphically. The characters look detailed, just like the environments. The running of the characters in the cutscenes sometimes looks a bit crazy, but otherwise the game jumps off your screen. The story, especially for a fighting game, is also very rewarding and an excellent introduction to future games in this series. Invasion mode is nice for variety but not good enough to keep players busy for long.
Review in Dutch | Read full review