Darryn Bonthuys's Reviews
Dreams is so many ideas at any given time. It is ambition given form, imagination given vibrant life and unlimited possibility waiting to be shaped with your hands. Unique and inspiring, there's no other game that even comes close to reaching Dreams and its intuitive approach to creating content and an experience that you never want to wake up from.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is a story of endings and new beginnings, of the birth of legends and the consequences that come with creating a myth. It's all wrapped up in an immaculate presentation, told over dozens of hours and adventures that leads to an inevitable conclusion: Red Dead Redemption 2 raises the bar for the sandbox genre and stands tall as the definitive western game of this or any other generation.
DOOM Eternal is the most metal game in all of creation. It is rage and fire, the purity of armed combat dialled up to eleven and unleashed on a horde of eyeballs that simply aren't ready for the retina-searing action that's about to burn a new circle of hellish good fun into those ocular organs. Long live the Doom Slayer, long live the king of first-person shooters.
Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition proves that it is still one of the best examples this genre has to offer. A new coat of paint and smart gameplay changes brings this classic up to date for a new generation of gamers.
There's a fine line between a remake and a remaster, and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 doesn't just expertly balance on it, It pops a 50-50 nose grind, rides that line with a devil may care attitude, and lands the trick perfectly. The biggest name in skateboarding is back, and better than ever.
I think it's impossible to put down your controller once you finish Rift Apart for the first time, and not have a smile on your face. It's a game that's chicken soup for the soul, nourishing and positive content that's just incredibly wholesome to consume. Loud with its setpiece moments and surprisingly introspective with its emotional haymakers, all of its style and substance comes together to create not only a colourful, and wonderfully mad showcase for the PS5, but also the definitive Ratchet and Clank adventure for the next generation of gaming.
Choice is the driving theme in Far Cry 5, a game which opts to venture out of its comfort zone while fine-tuning every aspect of what makes the series so great. It's incredibly relevant, Montana is a gorgeous slice of new terrain that is fraught with peril and the road ahead that Far Cry Arcade represents is exciting to say the least. Simply put, the fifth numbered chapter in Ubisoft's series of madness, freedom and exploration is Far Cry perfected.
Diablo 3 may have been first on PC, but it is most definitely better on console.
Infamous: Second Son wears its rebellious heart on its sleeve. Brimming with attitude, unrelenting and massive to take in, the game never forgets the most important aspect of game design however, and remains consistently fun.
It's one of the best Tomb Raider games ever made, and it'll live up to the Definitive Edition moniker for those gamers who never set foot on Yamatai Island last year.
Super Mario 3D World is vibrant, fun and reaches a new level of excellence for the franchise, creating the right kind of cat-astrophe.
Ori and the Blind Forest doesn't add anything new to the genre of gaming that it was inspired by, but few other games can match the polished gameplay and humbling difficulty of this charming little fella.
Reinvigorated and ready for the ultimate fight to save Gotham City, Rocksteady's Batman is going out with the biggest of bangs in the definitive Dark Knight game.
Bayonetta 2 is something new blended with something familiar, improved in every way possible. Few other games can top it for sheer audacity and ballsiness, and if this is the last time we'll ever see the leggy witch, then she's going out with one hell of a bang.
DOOM is unrepentantly old school. It's gore porn to the max, a ballet of bullets and blood that I can't get enough of. Satisfyingly brutal, solid and most importantly, fun.
Far more than a simple remake, Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire returns players to the past, with all the new bells and whistles intact in this latest installment.
Hitman Episode 2: Sapienza distills the entire Hitman experience down to one homicidal happy level, resulting in some fatal fun in the sun.
Agent 47 is back and better than ever. The first season of Hitman has produced the definitive Agent 47 experience in a world of intrigue, espionage and murder. Not only the best Hitman game ever made, but also one of the top contenders for game of the year.
The sensation of rubber recklessly drifting across the sand, of splattering across your face and a grumpy Scotsman calling out the course before you as you violently swerve around corners. Rally racing is mental stuff and Dirt 4 captures that manic joy perfectly. The full fearless package of graphics, guts and glory.
Destiny 2 is action at its finest. An improved expansion you'd say, but a magnificent one at that which nails the idea of what it means to forge a legend.