Some monstrously lovely set pieces are let down by a bit too much padding, some broken mechanics, and an overwrought story.
ELEX is a mixed bag so far, and that 'so far' refers to the starting area. The game density plus a min-max stats system means I haven't got further yet.
Assassin's Creed Origins has vastly improved combat and an astoundingly beautiful world to explore, but it felt a little afraid of going all in with its new direction.
A good core game of cool Star Wars battles on fun and interesting maps is bogged down by clumsy, convoluted progression systems, and the single player is interesting but unfinished.
Reigns: Her Majesty manages to defy a lot of your expectations, and will keep adding more surprising cards into its deck as you play.
Life is Strange: Before the Storm, despite a great second episode, ends feeling rushed and loses the focus on Chloe and Rachel's relationship.
If you like cats and you like visual novel dating sims then you will 100% like Purrfect Date.
More online testing to be done, but so far Dragon Ball FighterZ is indeed pretty... super
This long standing series makes an outrageously good current gen debut. The size and scope of the environments, and the monsters in them, is awe inspiring, making Monster Hunter: World a true (lizard) king of games.
A cyberpunk exploration of humanity, manipulation and getting tanked, The Red Strings club is lovely and melancholy and well worth a look.
Kitty Powers is back, and she's giving you a lot to grab onto. Love Life isn't paced quite as well as Matchmaker, but organising the entire relationship of a town full of couples is a great challenge. Kitty always leaves you wanting more.
Dynasty Warriors 9 still has the 'levelling hundreds of dudes without breaking a sweat' core loop so you feel like a badass, but the open world removes some of the depth. Fans can still enjoy, but it won't win any new hearts this time.
The Station is futuristic sci-fi puzzling delivered with polish, but the trouble is that what you receive doesn't feel very new.
Fe is all very lovely and (literally) harmonious, with fun layers of platforming. Coloured flowers and singing is a nice enough way to spend a rainy afternoon.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance has some nice ideas and pretty countryside, but is ultimately still buggy, broken and, perhaps worst of all, boring.
A game about a game within a game, Legendary Gary is weird and cool and utterly, genuinely unique. Some parts may be frighteningly familiar, and surprisingly emotional.
Rare's piratical playground looks lovely, but you have to make a bit too much of your own fun. The sound and the fury of the waves is lovely, but for Sea of Thieves to be properly good it needs to give the players more to work with.
God of War achieves a very impressive balance between the epic and the mundane, between the ultra violent and the domestic. It's undoubtedly the coolest and most interesting God of War to date.
The Thin Silence has a satisfying, creative approach to puzzle solving, alongside a sad story told in equally sad snippets. Though you can reset puzzles and try again as often as you need, you might sometimes still be left at a loss.
State of Decay 2 has some fun additions that can keep things interesting. Just not quite interesting enough (especially when contending with a clutch of performance issues).