Routine grounds the player within this lunar base, and trusts them to get out alive with a fantastic diegetic presentation, compelling narrative and setting, and genuine creeps and tense atmosphere.
MARVEL Cosmic Invasion is yet another fantastic brawler, with excellent combat complimented by the dual character switching and combos, some brilliant A/V work, and plenty of reason to play it through multiple times. Some difficulty spikes ruin the flow a little, but get some buddies in and you’re in for a real treat with MARVEL Cosmic Invasion.
Strong multiplayer props up an otherwise poor showing from Call of Duty this year. The combat and movement is a good as ever, but a woefully dire co-op campaign drags the experience to one of the lowest points in years, and is only mildly mitigated by the End Game extraction mode that has some good to it, albeit marred by not being the main focus of the release of Black Ops 7.
Dispatch is a refreshing piece of gaming. Bringing back the Telltale-style choose your own adventure is great, but doing so with such brilliant style, technical proficiency and excellent script and performances has won me over entirely. Engaging from start to finish, Dispatch is easily one of my favourite games of the year, and a new standard in the genre.
Some weaker combat and a few UI problems aside, Tormented Souls 2 is a good love letter to the survival horror genre, with good exploration and puzzles to keep us wanting to see more.
Radiolight is an enjoyable sci-fi adventure where we’re constantly wanting to see what’s next, with great performances pulling us through to a solid conclusion.
Orbyss proves less is more, with a snappy runtime filled with decently balanced puzzles and continuous new ideas to keep things fresh. A slightly more robust hint system would be great for when players need it, but otherwise Orbyss comes with a hearty recommendation if you’re in the market for a few evenings of puzzle goodness.
Once again, it’s hard to really delve into 1000xResist without ruining the experience as the story is the main draw and driving force of the game throughout. It can get a bit confusing, and perhaps goes on a little too long at the conclusion, but all the same it is gripping and full of interesting twists and turns.
All in all, Battlefield 6 feels very much like a game of two parts; the campaign is an exhilarating spectacle that lacks any narrative interest whatsoever, while the multiplayer is just all out chaos is the best way. It will have its learning curve for new players, but DICE certainly has a very good online shooter contender this time around, and it’s something that will keep drawing me back for some time as I attempt to get even remotely passable at it. Hopefully before the next game…
Poor combat and stealth only serve to highlight the rest of the issues with Blood of Mehran, and far too soon does it become a slog to play rather than the epic Arabian adventure it could have been.
Bouts of input delay on Xbox ruin the experience, and it’s not something to play solo, but Wobbly Life, with co-op buddies, can be a surprising amount of fun. There’s a vast array of things to do, and the hilarity of the physics can make for some funny, rage-inducing moments.
Lego Voyagers is equal parts lovely to look at, simple yet engaging to play, and an all round good time for co-op players no matter their skill level.
After Streets of Rage 4, I wasn’t sure bringing back another of the 16-bit classics would have quite the same impact, but I was wrong. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is an incredibly fun action platformer, with fantastic combat design, enemy encounters, optional challenges, and the audio visual presentation to really make it sing. I’m done with the story but am already itching to get back and play the unlocked Arcade and Boss Rush modes, and whether you have nostalgia for the old days or not, this is quite simply one of the best games of the year, so get it played.
A bit of style over substance, with Zoe Begone!’s controls proving too big a hurdle in getting to the fun for my tastes.
Dead Reset is an enjoyable sci-fi horror story, with fun characters, great b-movie effects and gruesome deaths, and is ripe for several playthroughs to see how different we can make the outcomes of the crew. The time loop addition means we even get a small sliver of experimentation in our choices, as a bad one means we can try again almost without penalty - a rarity in these types of games.
Nine months is a bit too long of a wait for this DLC to truly recommend returning to the game for, but newer players who will have it folded into their organic playthrough are in for a tough but enjoyable addition to an already excellent game.
A stunningly presented psychological horror title with some excellent twists and turns that is only let down by a few obtuse puzzles, Luto is a strong debut title and easily makes its case as one of the better indie horrors in recent times.
Ra Ra Boom is a fun, colourful scrolling brawler/shooter that has plenty of charm and good replay value. Some small niggles in the combat and early game power levels aside, this is one for those looking for some couch co-op brawling good times.
Heartworm is a love letter to survival horrors of the 90’s, with a great look and feel that apes those older games brilliantly. Boring boss fights, an uninspiring tale, and some user interface niggles stop this being a full-hearted recommendation, but if you’re in the market for old school Resident Evil-like gaming, then this should fit the bill nicely.
A fantastic cast brings a very real light to harsh realities of the entertainment industry, accompanied by some brilliantly realised puzzle/horror gameplay that oozes tension and atmosphere throughout the entire story.