Thick As Thieves is fun for a fiver, but it does feel like a small chunk of something far bigger and more interesting that we may never get to see.
Tides of Tomorrow is an experience that does an effective job at emphasising the connection between people, achieved in a way that feels particularly clever and responsive to how your own actions affect others, as theirs do unto you. Tides of Tomorrow delivers on making you feel like you’re part of a greater whole, while also providing a story that is wholly individual and intimate.
All of this is to say that Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss is an interesting AA detective game, with fun investigation mechanics and a gripping premise, but quickly falls apart in the second half of the story. It’s disappointing, because there are occasional sparks of ingenuity in some of the game’s later chapters, and it’s a shame to see the final quality so inconsistent.
After many hours playing Screamer’s arcade mode, I still feel like I’ve only scratched the surface of what this game offers. It’s challenging, fast-paced, and leaves no room for error, but it’s incredibly appealing to those who enjoy a good throwback to the arcade racers of the 1990s, even if a little flawed in some departments.
Cairn has now become one of my favourite games of all time. I absolutely love the game’s reactive climbing mechanics, the tough-but-fair difficulty, and its entire presentation is simply gorgeous. Even though there aren’t really any changes between playthroughs, this is a game I’ll be regularly coming back to, if only to continue experiencing the thrill of the climb over and over again.
All of this is to say that I think Inkle is on to another banger here. Narrative has always been one of the studio’s strongest points, but I absolutely love the way it unfolds here, where much of the backstory can only be pieced together by you. It’s a great method to tell a story in a way that only video games can, by emphasising the interaction between the player and the game, and is now one of the finest examples of doing this.
It doesn’t do much to reinvent the wheel, there’s nothing massive here that separates it from a game like Hollow Knight, but it doesn’t need to, either. I liked that it kept its features and ideas down to the simple fundamentals of the Metroidvania genre, where its appeal rides by on vibes alone. Even after reaching the end of the game, I’m excited to go back and see what I’ve missed, because I’ll bet there’s quite a lot of content I’ve still not seen yet.
Death Howl has been a fantastic time for me, and it’s been a wonder to slowly piece together how The Outer Zone managed to fit two rather opposing genres in a way that feels tangible and engaging.
So, perhaps Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow isn’t the triumphant return the series needed, even if the game itself is somewhat fine. In essence, virtual reality fans may enjoy it, while long-time fans hoping for a comeback in the vein of the original series may be disappointed. I hope whoever at Eidos is in charge of the Thief brand doesn’t shelve it for another decade, because I’m still holding out hope that the franchise will have a decent revival worthy of the Looking Glass Studios titles.
By the time the game came to its conclusion, I was left with an overwhelming yearning for a better future, and a feeling that that is something wholly achievable. Duskpunk is the kind of game that makes me feel hope.
Dead Rising’s gameplay was revolutionary back in 2006 and Deluxe Remaster proves that two generations later, the series still has a leg to stand on. With some modest improvements and an overhaul to the visuals, Capcom has effortlessly revived a cult classic in a way that feels like it never left. It just feels so damn good to be back in Willamette.
Similar to how I felt with the Age of Empires remasters, the quality-of-life changes to Age of Mythology Retold are welcome and help refresh it for modern gamers, even if it still does feel like a game stuck in 2002. In reality, I’d love to see a new Mythology game that builds upon the original in the same way Age of Empires 4 did. For now, the new 4k visuals, enhanced sounds, and improved AI make for an incredible reimagining of an old classic.
If there’s any way to summarize Tomb Raider I-III Remastered, it’s that it’s amazing to realize just how well those classic games have aged over the decades. I've enjoyed powering through the games with the new modern art, but it's the level design and gameplay that keep bringing me back. With minimal changes to the formula, the modernized appearance is all these games needed to gain a new lease of life. Tomb Raider was ahead of its time back in 1996, and this proves that even today Lara Croft still has what it takes.
However, the performance doesn’t feel like a dealbreaker. Hitman: Blood Money was a fantastic game in 2006 and is still as fantastic in 2024. Performance quirks aside, the Switch port is a brilliant way to introduce new players to the classic stealth game while also riding the wave of popularity World of Assassination brought in. It’s still able to prove it’s one of the genre’s best and will continue to be enjoyable for years to come.
A new lick of paint and some enhanced accessibility improvements bring the Super Mario RPG remake into the 21st century. While the game was already a great outing back in 1996, new players should have no problem jumping into Mario’s first RPG title, hopefully opening the door for next year’s Paper Mario remake and potentially more RPGs later down the line.
Payday 3’s high-octane action and extravagant heists make it another iconic entry into the heist shooter franchise, but it is ultimately held back by a lackluster user interface, matchmaking issues, and online DRM. While these problems can be addressed in later patches — as Starbreeze proved with its post-launch support for Payday 2, the game ends up feeling a little half-baked in its current state.
Amnesia: The Bunker has all these little pieces that work well, but doesn’t fully deliver on its main hook. Fans of the series may be set up for a No Man’s Land of disappointment, where just a few tweaks here and there might make it a much more enjoyable experience. With it also launching on Xbox Game Pass, that might be the best place for it to gain an audience.
It’s because of this that Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is now one of my favourite stories set in that universe. It’s bold, it’s brave, and above all else – it’s exciting. It fits in so well with what we know about the franchise’s overarching lore, while also offering enough new content that it could stand on its own.
It’s hard to really sell just how perfect Resident Evil 4’s remake is. You’d think after countless re-releases and ports that Capcom wouldn’t have the energy for this anymore, but not only has it treated the source material with the utmost respect, but has also paved the way for an experience that may even surpass the 2005 original.
I’ve raved about how amazing it is that we can play PlayStation exclusives on PC before, and with Returnal I feel that this is the very encapsulation of Sony’s goal. Returnal is a chaotic delight to play, and fits perfectly with the setup and mindset of a PC gamer. I’m already looking forward to trying my next run.