After spending 50-plus hours playing it, I can confirm Elden Ring is the most developed and welcoming Souls-series game ever made, with the added narrative and open world making Elden Ring feel far more accessible to From Software newcomers.
Back 4 Blood is an excellent co-op zombie shooter, with a card-based perk system and wonderfully satisfying gunplay building upon the fantastic foundations of the Left 4 Dead series. But if you’re planning on playing solo you may want to stay clear, with a design clearly optimised for multiplayer.
Alan Wake Remastered is a solid visual update to a classic survival horror game that first debuted on the Xbox 360. Though the gameplay does on occasion feel a little dated by today’s standards, the game’s solid writing and upgraded graphics make it an excellent game nonetheless.
Psychonauts 2 is a fun, endearing puzzle platformer full of quirky challenges and entertaining dialogue. If you’re a fan of the original, or just enjoy platformers, Psychonauts 2 is a great purchase. The only downside is that its graphics and combat mechanics can feel a little outdated.
Resident Evil Village is a great followup to Resident Evil 7: Biohazard that will delight any horror fan looking for a new game to scare the [censored] out of them. The only downside is that its increased focus on combat can feel a little jarring, especially when playing at lower difficulties.
Outriders is a competent third person shooter with solid gunplay and a surprisingly developed story. This makes it a great game for any player on the hunt for a compelling third person shooter.
Beyond Light oozes potential and I can't wait to see how Bungie develops the narrative it has started. But, by cutting so much legacy content out at once and failing to replace it, the endgame feels shallow and is already starting to feel a little too repetitive for my liking. Bungie also has brought some balancing issues into the game's PVP modes with the new Stasis subclasses, which need addressing sooner rather than later.
Godfall currently feels very familiar: it unashamedly borrows the loot system that made Destiny and Borderlands great, attempting to mix it with hardcore Souls-like melee combat. In the first few hours, this makes the game feel a little dull. But the core mechanics feel well built and could act as a stable base for the game's more interesting character building and co-op dynamics, of which I've currently only scratched the surface.
Serious Sam 4 repackages, rather than reimagines the iconic shooter's core mechanics in a way that will amuse fans of the original games. Sadly, a lack of innovation and outdated sense of hmour will undoubtedly put off newcomers.
Wasteland 3 is a solid tactical RPG that will keep fans of the genre entertained for hours upon hours. But it doesn't do enough to bring the genre forward to a mainstream audience.
Remnant: From the Ashes remains a fantastic game with a healthy community and is a great purchase for any hardcore gamer looking for a new challenge. Sadly - it's first major expansion is somewhat light on content to keep existing players satisfied.
XCOM: Chimera Squad does enough to keep fans of franchise entertained while they wait for XCOM 3, but niggling bugs and unforgiving time management elements will put off newbies to the genre.
Gears Tactics is a great game that is sure to delight fans of the series. More hardcore gamers will find it a little lightweight to be considered an XCOM rival.
Phoenix point is a little rough around the edges, but if you manage to look past its bugs you'll be treated to one of the most nuanced and entertaining turn-based strategy games to arrive in quite some time.
Even though it requires oodles of storage space and I'm yet to find a mix of parts that can run it at 60fps in 4K with the graphics cranked, I can't help but be impressed with Final Fantasy 15 Windows Edition. Featuring all the charms of the console version, plus the DLC, customisable graphics and improved frame rates, Final Fantasy 15 Windows Edition is the best version of Square Enix's latest epic that money can buy.
Featuring reworked combat and open-world story mechanics, Dynasty Warriors 9 is a definite step in the right direction. But even without the technical issues around its framerate, Dynasty Warriors 9 feels like a fundamentally compromised game that lacks depth. Fans of the franchise will likely be able to see past its shortcomings, but everyone else looking for a hack-and-slash fix would do better to look at one of Omega Force's other titles, like Berserk and the Band of the Hawk.
Destiny 2 is one of the most fun games I've played this year, and it does well to tackle one of the biggest issues I had with the original. Featuring a stellar, albeit easy, single-player campaign, excellent combat and class mechanics, and the most enjoyable cooperative multiplayer I've seen in a shooter since Gears of War 4, Destiny 2 is a must-have game.
If you're looking for a challenging, retro-style FPS that takes no prisoners, STRAFE has you covered. It has the replayability and difficulty of a perma-death roguelike wrapped in the style and attitude of a classic nineties shooter. Yet where Wolfenstein: The Old Blood and Doom 2016 revived old-school action in a way anyone could enjoy, STRAFE is a hardcore experience, through and through. Sign up if you think you're hard enough, but not if you don't have the skills.
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is the ultimate fan experience. The game magically manages to retain the anime's epic feel, and faithfully recreates the fast-paced combat using surprisingly intricate fighting and character-development systems. If you’re a Dragon Ball fan, Xenoverse 2 is an awesome game.
ReCore has a lot of great things going for it. Joule is a likable protagonist and her robotic companions are outright adorable. The platforming exploration is an absolute blast.