Darryn Bonthuys's Reviews
Without skipping a beat from the original PC game, Frostpunk's console port is a slick and efficient strategy game of misery and compromise in the coldest apocalypse. You could say it's the cold standard in console strategy.
John Wick Hex is a sharp-dressed, tactical, dog eat dog shooter that offers an unforgiving challenge with smart action and an authentic layer of style.
If you were waiting for a Dark Souls inspired game to set your heart aflutter with vampiric themes and pulse-pounding combat…then you might want to wait a bit longer, as Code Vein definitely isn't that game.
Its world is magnificently detailed, the story is fascinating and while the bones may not have much meat on them for now, Hunt: Showdown is showing some promising signs of fattening up as it doubles down on adding to its creepy world.
Borderlands 3 may be a braindead story of already dead on arrival memes and a cast that is largely forgettable (Save for Tannis, I still love you for being my socially inept spirit animal), but it's easily the most satisfying power fantasy of the year thanks to its amazingly tuned gunplay and a sophisticated flow of action that picks up the juvenile slack.
What more could you ask for from a themed pinball experience? Zen's love for the most entertaining sport and its source media is unquestioned at this point, and with their latest foray onto the Nintendo Switch they've more than proven their passion. They've created the ultimate Star Wars pinball experience for fans old and new alike, a collection of nostalgia that has unlimited pinball power.
There may be some rough edges, but for anyone looking for some fast-paced mobile suit action and who don't mind a repetitive grind, Daemon X Machina is a big mech with cheese that's worth sinking your teeth into.
The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors is that kind of slice of classic cake that brings with it the pros and cons of a bygone era, but at least it's the kind of game that makes you lust for the nostalgia-tinted days of funnelling coins into an arcade stand and engaging in some cathartic mayhem. Easy to pick up action, retrotastic visuals and a chance to feel like a hero with a power fantasy that works delightfully well on the Nintendo Switch.
Ion Fury knows what it wants to be: A satisfying romp through the past, emboldened by the future and metal to the max.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses doesn't change how it plays on the battlefield, but its greatest advancements lie in the moments between the horror of war. The bonds forged between comrades in arms, the drive to really get to know the cast who you spill blood with and the opportunity to truly learn about the finality of death all combine across a vast and sweeping fantasy epic that'll leave you breathless by the time the credits finally roll.
They Are Billions is a game based on just a single trick that's up its undead sleeve. But it's a hell of a trick, one that'll keep you ensnared in its tangled web of survival for dozens and dozens of hours as the undead march upon your best base-building efforts.
A beautifully designed love letter to the heyday of video game arcades, 198X uses its passion for a bygone era to tell a touching story that is also a reminder of just how powerful video games really are.
Dynamic and dangerous, there's no other fighting game like Samurai Shodown on the market. After a decade away, this latest chapter proves that idea once again with the sharpest swordsmanship combat around that manages to unleash a barrage of modern cuts while still retaining the magic of the original game.
A glorious and brutal ballet of blood and bullets, My Friend Pedro is a symphony of action that will leave your thumbs aching for more of its completely bananas fun.
Good but not exceptional, Warhammer: Chaosbane is a solid and confident slice of medieval melee action. As Gothic as it is repetitive in the endgame phase, it's still an enjoyable romp in the same vein as many an action RPG from yesteryear.
Packed with features, more challenging than ever before thanks to its crafty new Neural AI and still a love letter to an adrenaline-charged sport, MotoGP 19 is an amazingly complete package that is just one spark short of being a motorcycle legend.
A scrappy and bloody brilliant strategy game that builds further upon the idea of survival strategy, Conan Unconquered doesn't stray too far from its primary influence but it does offer plenty of unique substance that gives it its very own flavour. Now that, is what is best in life.
Void Bastards is many things when you get your hands on it, but the most important influences that it draws from all combine to form a game that feels uniquely witty, addictively compelling and satisfyingly deep to explore thanks to tight gameplay, a colourful comic book visuals and a style all of its own.
Akane always ends in violence, bloodshed and the death of the titular hero. It's the journey towards that inevitable conclusion, that makes this retro-styled experience one of the finest examples of its genre as it deftly weaves a subtle strategy with some of the tightest action on the market today.
Sniper Elite V2 Remastered is a decent package, and while it does show its age in some mechanical instances, this slice of nostalgia is still a great appetiser for the next big chapter in Fairburne's European safari.