I thought I'd pretty much seen everything in the strategy gene and I'm delighted to say Frostpunk while hard and unforgiving is rewarding and a breathe of fresh frozen air to of the strategy genre, with and great story. Underneath the cold harsh tone, difficulty, and slightly tricky interface lie the warm beating heart of a strong and surprisingly deep game.
Observer is a love letter to cyberpunk and Blade Runner in particular, but if you look past that it's also a really great game in its own right. We are taken on a graphic and dark journey, in a bleak but believable world, meeting all manner of interesting and isolated characters as Dan searches for his son. Dripping with atmosphere, blood and chrome, this game is a slow, dark deliberate journey through the dark heart of a hellish future and the nightmares within. Observer is available from the Nintendo e-shop for £26.99
If you're looking for the latest graphics and a deep, gritty game, you won't find it here. However, you will find carnage, power-ups, weapons galore, a well thought-out multiplayer mode, hundreds of bullet sponges to mow down, huge levels and tonnes of style. It's an irreverent retro murder fest that doesn't take itself too seriously and manages to not only be funny, but most importantly be FUN - because that's why we play games, isn't it? For fun? PEW PEW!
Despite some minor gripes, Impact Winter is an otherwise solid game. It has the look, feel and general gameplay of an almost perfect game. However, its poor controls and clunky interfaces do ultimately bog it down. Impact Winter is a game about exploration and managing resources and, whilst difficult, it is a very rewarding experience if you invest the time and immerse yourself in its cold, frozen depths.
Overall, I found Kingdom Come: Deliverance to be an innovative, breathe of fresh air. It has a different pace to Skyrim but if you don't mind a challenge and can master the skills, it offers a complex and well crafted world with a great story that's not just interesting to history buffs but appeals to all RPG fans.
While it doesn't revolutionise the gameplay, the Sparks system and free movement really do add so much to the combat that makes it much more engaging and allow you to create seemingly limitless combinations. The bigger focus of exploration is a great move from Ubisoft with lots to see and do making Spark of Hope feel more like a Mario game instead of just a game with Mario in it. Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope seems to just nail the balance between complex tactical combat and a fun lighthearted romp that since playing the preview and reviewing, I've been dying to get back into. Combined with the more in-depth story and greater emphasis on exploring and Sparks of hope acts as a perfect sequel keeping enough that works and is recognisable and that works from Kingdom battle, and expanding on it and adding some brilliant elements.
Even after 4 years this game still looks incredible, plays well, and has aged really well. It's fantastic that more people will be able to experience the definitive version of one of Sony’s strongest titles.
While picking this up may not be worth it for those who own the PS5 version, for those who played it on PS4 the PC port is a visual feast, it offers significant improvements over this already legendry title and the definitive way to play God of War.
The game may not be perfect but given CD project Red's reputation for fixing and updating games Cyberpunk has a bright neon-lit future. It can proudly sit among its influences of Ghost in the Shell, Blade Runner and Neuromancer (as well as games like Deus Ex, System Shock) with its augmented head held high. It's been a long wait, but the end result is a massive sprawling RPG with an incredible story, heart-pounding action, solid mechanics and customisation, offering you unparalleled player choice in a deep, atmospheric world that I can't wait to plug myself back into.
If you love RPGs, reading or fancy something different - and I mean really damn different - then track down Disco Elysium.
4A has taken so much of what worked well from the previous games and improved upon them. Where possible it also switches up so many established concepts on their head, meaning you're never completely safe. This leads to some memorable, intense experiences with plenty of leeway to play the game your way.