Elevated by its stop-motion-inspired animation style, South of Midnight is an enthralling experience that avoids open-world bloat to tell a deeply touching tale.
Atomfall is a distinctly British take on the sci-fi apocalypse, but it’s so much more than that. The different parts of the game work together to provide the player an open-ended experience that’s both thrilling and rewarding, in a harsh world that’s begging to be explored.
Assassin's Creed Shadows takes ideas from previous entries as well as some bold experimental swings to create a defining entry in the franchise – perhaps as series-defining as Black Flag.
If you allow yourself to take in the vibes and slowly meander to the conclusion then Lost Records will reward you with character development, laughs and a satisfying experience.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle isn’t just a masterful execution of a licensed game. It takes everything that MachineGames has learned from the Wolfenstein series and The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay to create a deeply fun cinematic experience that explores Indiana Jones as a character and will really have you hooked as you take up the call to adventure.
In a world of stellar remakes, it sits up there with the best and sets the bar high – recreating the source material with a level of passion that can only come from fans of the series, while still having the bravery to expand upon it in ways that will no doubt be dug into for years to come.
Every moment and action is meticulously thought-out, the art style is beautifully tactile as you can almost feel the pores of each page of the book, and with characters like Moonbeard always a joy to interact with, The Plucky Squire is a classic we can only hope to see more of.
Outlaws is a Star Wars story worth experiencing. There’s a fun story with some engrossing world-building and stealth exploration to be had if you give it a chance, and I really hope the team at Ubisoft Massive gets a chance at fleshing things out even more with a sequel.
Dungeons of Hinterberg is an absolute delight to experience. It's challenging enough to keep you on your toes, but never so frustrating that it drops the ball on its cosy core. We were hooked from start to finish and can't wait to jump back in for another holiday in Hinterberg.
Crow Country is one of the best experiences of the year so far, and we think it will be talked about in the same tones as last year's Signalis for its sheer creativity and efforts to reignite passion for the survival-horror genre.
Stellar Blade is a hard game to pin down in the end. The combat really sings in its moments and the boss fights are some of the most memorable you’ll encounter in this genre, but it’s bogged down by a bland story, uninteresting characters and the need to make boobs wobble in every second of every cutscene.
Tales of Kenzera: Zau is a stunning, impactful and exciting first outing for Surgent Studios and, for us, a classic in the Metroidvania space that could go toe-to-toe with recent big hitters like Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and Blasphemous 2. Surgent Studios has delivered a beautiful story that resonated with us as we explored the world of Kenzera, and we couldn’t recommend it more highly.
It may be a fairly simple and straightforward experience, but there’s so much to see and do, and it’s hard not to suggest this to Nintendo fans of all ages.
Alone in the Dark isn’t a perfect experience or a five-star return to form. However, the game really nails the tone, and it is just a joy to explore Derceto and drink in the spooky vibes of this Lovecraftian detective thriller. There’s enough twists and turns to have you hanging on until the end, even if the latter half of the game feels a little too reliant on action that isn’t quite up to snuff.
With some unexpected twists and turns along the way, plus some confident changes, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is utterly massive and really is the ultimate way to experience this much-loved story. It's a must for PS5 players.
Another Code: Recollection is a heartfelt experience that’s unique and fun, despite it not being the most challenging game around, and it's hard not to recommend. Now, let’s hope we see Hotel Dusk and its sequel Last Window released in a similar package soon!
The bottom line feels as disappointing as the game itself. Rocksteady has a game on their hands that’s 20% filled with flair, flourish and joyous moments, but is bogged down by the other 80%, with braindead live-service stuff that no one really asked for and that might have been influenced by the publisher.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is another rich entry in this long-running series, which clearly still has more to offer before it runs out of steam.
After 2023, a year in which the games industry saw so many people removed from their jobs due to what can only really be seen as corporate greed and an obsession with profits before people, assets before art, it’s good to see a big studio create something smaller but no less special. And we can only hope this happens more often and leads to a more stable industry for the talented and passionate people that makes these things possible.
Lies of P is an addictive Soulslike with a unique take on the genre and is certainly one not to be missed (especially if you have Game Pass).