Dead Space has had a spruce up for the current-gen and while it looks shiny and new, the pants-wetting terror remains unchanged
With all that said, Diablo 4 succeeds at unabashedly returning to the franchise’s grittier roots without ever losing sight of what it means to make the constant pursuit for loot immensely satisfying and addictive. Combined with a much sharper focus on story, a true open world and classes being more flexible than ever, this is an excellently balanced mainline Diablo instalment that will no doubt occupy players for years to come. Your only real issue will be working out when to put it down, as there’s always sure to be another gear item, side quest or dungeon in Sanctuary waiting for you to find.
It isn’t lost on me, though, that Asgard’s Wrath 2 is very much the exception to the rule as opposed to the norm. VR games with this much budget and creativity behind them almost barely ever come around; hence why – despite an overwhelming amount of stuff to do and the relatively complex menus and control scheme needed to back it up – the game’s scope ends up working for it rather than against it. If you’re seeking a Skyrim-level RPG primed to keep you busy in VR, look no further than Asgard’s Wrath 2.
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is the kind of game we don’t get very often; the kind that does a lot with very little, yet in a way that speaks perfectly to my tastes as someone who enjoys video games as a storytelling art form. Don’t Nod’s latest effort transcends anything it’s made before, in my eyes, being a narrative-focused single-player RPG that places its characters firmly at the forefront, fully leaning into its unique premise to the point that Antea and Red’s nature as ghost hunters influence everything from dialogue options and combat, to the upgrade system and of course the world.
If someone were to ask me why it is I love video games, I’d immediately tell them to play Astro Bot. No other title in recent memory has done a better job at instilling the sheer wonder only a medium as interactive as this can provide. Much more than a super-loaded sequel with even more creative levels and mechanics, Astro Bot celebrates the entire medium by delivering unbridled joy distilled into a charming 3D platformer. I never cry at games, but one extended sequence based on one specific PlayStation series saw me come extremely close. That sort of magic doesn’t come around very often, but it’s a kind of magic Astro Bot frequently thrives on. Should you enjoy games in any capacity whatsoever, you absolutely owe it to yourself to share in this magic too.
Neva is a Ghibli-esque adventure of torture, triumph, and friendship that won’t fail to tug on your heart strings. Combining beautiful visuals, with precise platforming and combat that coats every action you make with endless heart, it’s easily one of the best games of the year and by far my favourite indie of 2024. I’ve never felt so emotionally attached to an animal companion – which is thanks to the carefully crafted bond Nomada Studios built between the wolf and the girl, and by extension, the player; none of them made me want to take as big a leap as the ones I took to protect her. My only criticism of Neva is that I won’t be able to play it for the first time again; but the memory will stay with me forever.
In whatever way you look at it, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a remarkable achievement. Taking place within one of the best realised, most immersive video game settings I’ve ever had the pleasure to explore, I commend Warhorse Studios for sticking to its guns, while not applying every lesson learned from the feedback and criticisms of the original game, finding a way to smooth and expand on them so that they make sense within a sequel that is far more ambitious.
Mio and Zoe’s growth really is where much of the focus is given – to the extent that you can guarantee heart strings will be pulled upon a couple times before you roll credits.
Super Mario Odyssey's unabashed sense of whimsy and charm is all too welcome in today's modern video game climate. Whereas other titles feel the need to overbear you with endless things to do, people to kill and towers to climb, Mario's latest globe-trotting adventure is all too happy to keep things simple — and in the most imaginative way possible
Killing Floor 2 is an in-depth shooting gore-fest of an experience whose addictive gunplay won’t fail to keep you coming back for more!
Whereas particular genre elements and features make a point of setting it in the past, 2064: Read Only Memories‘ outlook and perspective firmly place it as one of the best point and click adventure games of late.
Whereas particular genre elements and features make a point of setting it in the past, 2064: Read Only Memories‘ outlook and perspective firmly place it as one of the best point and click adventure games of late.
A Rose in the Twilight is best described on the surface as being an undeniably bleak, somewhat charming, but consistently creative 2D puzzle platforming experience.
Is this One-Shot Adventure an essential replay? Absolutely not, but as a nice primer for the upcoming leap into Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, this chaotic dose of cell-shaded action-fantasy is well worth the short return trip.
In the end, Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club successfully bridges the gap between classic and modern visual novel formats with ease. Because while, on the surface, it appears to share a lot in common with the revitalised Famicom Detective Club duology for Nintendo Switch from a few years back, there’s also some slightly new changes made to its mechanics and presentation that makes it ripe for relative newcomers to the genre. While it’s true that some lines of enquiry outstay their welcome and the correct dialogue action isn’t always made blatantly evident, the story of “Who is Emio?” didn’t disappoint me by the time the final credits rolled.
Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 is one of the biggest surprises of 2024 – one we all maybe should have seen coming. Not only is it a bigger, better sequel that improves exponentially via its visuals, gameplay, and sheer mode variety, it’s also a reminder that there can still be a place in everyone’s gaming palate for a rough-and-tough shooter that doesn’t care about being high art if treated with enough time, care, and passion. Sure, the reliance on lore will leave newcomers flummoxed and some Xbox 360 era sensibilities still bleed their way into mission design, but the crunchy combat, impressive graphics, and generous suite of game mode options stave off these minor quibbles. Regardless of whether you’re a Warhammer 40K person or not, Space Marine 2 is an essential addition to any avid shooter fan’s diet.
Black Myth: Wukong is an exceptionally well-playing and slick Soulslike adventure stacked to the rafters with memorable boss fights, an in-depth upgrade system, and some seriously good-looking environments. The fluidity of its staff-based combat combined with the litany of spells, spirits, and creature transformations make it a truly unique entry in the genre, offering more than enough challenge for FromSoftware veterans while still offering just about enough leeway for newcomers to be able to enjoy this epically grand mythological story. Bar a few small niggles with location layouts, and my disappointment with the stance system, Game Science has still crafted a new way to experience Journey to the West in the highly polished and gratifying-to-play Black Myth: Wukong.
I went into The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom wondering about where the direction of more classic Zelda games might go. Now, after rolling credits, I was delighted to see that Nintendo has (mostly) been able to find a nice middle ground about how to best pay tribute to this classic adventure series’ past while also incorporating elements of where it is now, thanks to the likes of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and its sequel. While it’s true that echo summoning is full of potential it also has its limits, as proven by that last pesky dungeon and many of the 127 featured echoes doubling up for one other. This, combined with the Nintendo Switch continuing to show its age via some less-than-ideal technical performance, holds Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom back from achieving true legendary status. However, Zelda’s time in the spotlight is still a refreshing and often surprising top-down adventure that, thanks to its central idea, comfortably stands apart from what’s come before.
Cygni: All Guns Blazing might not entirely reinvent the idea of what a vertically scrolling twin-stick shooter can be, but it does do an excellent job of offering genre fans something slightly different by playing with depth, shield/gun prioritisation, and some seriously punishing, yet rewarding, sections. Yes, you’ll likely be done with the story in just a few short hours, and the narrative largely comes off as melodramatic, but Cygni: All Guns Blazing still sits comfortably as an impressive visual treat compared to its peers and one of the most cinematic genre entries I’ve played in recent years.
Dungeons of Hinterberg could have easily buckled under the weight of its many systems, locations, and most important of all, dungeons. Perhaps against all odds, then, the team at Microbird Games has done a wonderful job keeping its debut game’s various plates spinning with exceptional flair, creating a truly memorable world in the Austrian-inspired Hinterberg that is fun to explore, thrilling to be in, and packed with some of the most inventive (yet never stressful) dungeons I’ve played in a third-person The Legend of Zelda-like such as this in ages. True, while combat isn’t especially spectacular and it would have been nice to see Luisa’s customised gear better represented on her person, Dungeons of Hinterberg is still absolutely one of my personal indie game highlights of 2024. It's a cosy slay-cation worth taking.