Ainsley Bowden's Reviews
At this point in time, this is the pinnacle, and it’s clearly the culmination of years of work and iteration. I say with absolute confidence: Forza Horizon 5 is the most complete racing game ever made.
Elden Ring is not only the best game From Software has ever developed, it stands firmly alongside the greatest fantasy-RPGs of all-time.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 & 2 is one of the greatest remakes we’ve seen this generation.
Underneath its issues, and often in-spite of them, Cyberpunk 2077 is a true masterpiece of a game.
With Psychonauts 2, Double Fine has firmly planted down a pedestal of their own, creating one of the best platformers of all-time.
As a spiritual reboot that maintains the current Halo timeline, Halo Infinite is everything I had hoped for and more. It's an emotional and heartfelt journey that sat with me for days after finishing it, and I'm already excited to experience it again.
Rogue Legacy 2 is an absolute delight. It’s charming, funny, unique, deep, and incredibly well-designed. Cellar Door Games knew what they had with the original Rogue Legacy and took their time to ensure Rogue Legacy 2’s official 1.0 release was something truly special.
Diablo 4 is a masterpiece. It's the culmination of decades of ARPG refinement and evolution, and it manages to pay homage to the IP's legendary namesake while successfully integrating modern RPG elements.
Very similar to the beloved Blood and Wine expansion for The Witcher 3, CD Projekt Red’s ability to vastly expand upon the core game while simultaneously implementing a wealth of quality of life features is impressive. The fact that they also added a story that could be sold as a stand-alone game on top of it is legendary.
“All I ask is that fans of the first one put faith in us and trust us. We’re going to do right by you.” When it was announced by Naughty Dog that they were making a sequel to The Last of Us, considered by many to be one of the greatest games of all-time, Creative Director Neil Druckmann offered the above quote. After spending over 35 hours on my initial playthrough, I spent the following couple of days reflecting on the game before sitting down to write this review. So in the end, did Druckmann and the team at Naughty Dog do right by fans? Yes….and no.
While Watch Dogs 1 and 2 were very good games, they felt like a collection of good ideas that never fully melded. With Legion, it feels as though the third time was the charm.
Village is one of my favorite entries in the franchise so far, and my favorite modern Resident Evil.
Biomutant is simply a joy. What it lacks in big-budget presentation, it more than makes up for by being unique, charming, and downright fun.
The way Deathloop presents the player with mystery, and allows them to uncover it at their own pace, is fantastic. It is easily one of the most enjoyable games I’ve played this year.
Hogwarts Legacy is one of the best surprises I’ve experienced in some time. Despite being a muggle through and through, it fully engrossed me in its world and filled me with a child-like charm that I haven’t felt from any other recently released game.
The Lost Crown is a gem. It is smart, beautiful, impeccably designed, and almost flawlessly executed.
One of the best games of 2020
In an industry overflowing with sequels, copycats, and remakes, Returnal is a beacon of originality.
With Motorfest, Ubisoft Ivory Tower takes The Crew to the next level. With a beautiful playground and countless ways to interact with it, Motorfest is some of the most fun you can have behind a wheel.
The Medium has very few jump scares and it's not about killing a bunch of monsters and then moving on to the next. It's deeper and more intimate, with notable imagery and symbolism subtly presented to the player along the way.