Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is another action adventure triumph for PlayStation and Insomniac Games. It’s got a world that’s so full of colour and life, lovable new characters who bring clever diversity to a well-established cast, and an ever-changing gameplay loop that’s downright fun and engaging. Even if the game panders a little too heavily to a younger audience for my taste, it still excels in enough areas to make this an easy recommendation for nostalgic fans and newcomers alike.
Returnal comes in with some new ideas and finds a way to implement them incredibly well. The game has an attention to detail and a unique sense of style that goes beyond anything I would have expected from this comparatively small development studio. It’s a roguelike with a great deal of substance and scope and feels really good with a DualSense in your hands. Despite one decently sizable detractor in its lack of autosave functionality, Returnal proves to be a remarkably fun and satisfying experience from beginning to end.
It Takes Two is a one-of-a-kind experience. There is a joy and whimsy to the entire game and so much variety it’ll keep players entertained and surprised from beginning to end. The world is so detailed and gorgeous and the cohesion between storytelling and gameplay is incredibly impressive. It’s the kind of game that proves there’s still plenty of room for innovation in games.
I really really enjoyed my time with Curse of the Dead Gods and am happy to call this a great game. It’s an idea that’s been done before, but Curse of the Dead Gods executes on that idea almost flawlessly. The game is polished and deep with a really solid amount of content that’ll keep players entertained for hours. For those seeking a challenging combat Roguelike game, you won’t be disappointed with this release.
Gods Will Fall left me a little torn. It’s a game with interesting ideas and enough confidence to pursue those ideas even if they go against the status quo of typical game design. I love how the game creates this reactive and adaptive world and asks the player to deal with the consequences of their losses. It’s a highly replayable game too, and a game that creates a challenge worth pursuing. But some roughness and awkwardness in the combat, traversal, and design mean this won’t be a game everybody will enjoy. Regardless, I had a good time with Gods Will Fall and would love to see the concept iterated upon again in the future.
Cyberpunk 2077 is an exciting game. It’s very easy to put a huge and ambitious title like this under a microscope and point out all the ways it could be better. But at the end of the day, I enjoyed my time with the game and found some parts that I really did love. I can’t help but feel that if Cyberpunk 2077 was a more focussed game that didn’t try to do so much it could have been a better experience that was more achievable for the developers. Although in its current state there’s no denying that some elements work better than others. Ultimately though there’s no regrets in checking out Night City. If you have a powerful PC that can run the game comfortably then I have no problems recommending this daunting yet engaging experience.
I’m glad I was able to dive back into a game I genuinely consider to be one of my favourite shooters from back in the day. It feels a little more cliché now than it did back in 2007, but you can still see why Crysis was able to make such a name for itself. With more than serviceable gameplay and narrative, Crysis Remastered is worth a play for those who are yet to check this title out. Although with visuals that feel a little underwhelming, I wonder if those who already own the original would get much out of this remaster.
I sailed into Windbound with hope and excitement and unfortunately sailed away with disappointment. It’s not all bad, not by a long shot. But there were enough confusing design decisions and awkward control issues to put me off this game completely.
Risk of Rain 2 is definitely a content-rich experience. The game has ripened and matured throughout the Early Access process and has turned into a co-op game well worth experiencing. Even solo, the Roguelike elements keep things feeling fresh and fun with so much potential for satisfying chaos. Take a bit of time to get over the initial difficulty barrier of this game and you’re set for an incredibly cathartic experience.
When it works, Fall Guys is a remarkably fun experience. It’s a rich and satisfying romp that silly yet rewarding. It’s the exact kind of game we needed right now, a perfectly joyous distraction from a lot of the shittyness around us. Fall Guys has the structure of a delightful game with a lot of longevity. All it needs now is continued support and smart updates to propel it even further forward.
...Deep Rock Galactic finds a way to create one of the most compelling co-op games I’ve had the pleasure of playing in recent memory.
Very few games are able to make me feel as powerful as this one does. So bust out you gun, sharpen your blade, and get ready to wipe demon juice off the soles of your feet.
Bloodroots isn’t overly long but the game length was more than satisfying. There’s a story that will carry you through the game but it certainly isn’t the most important or noteworthy element of the experience. Impressively, Bloodroots mixes things up as you play with boss fights or sections of game that differ from what came before it. I particularly enjoyed the moments where the game would spice things up, alter the perspective, or change up the playing field to keep things fresh and stylishly new.
The Suicide of Rachel Foster has all the components of a great game. It has mature themes and storytelling, an idea for a mysterious and captivating narrative, and the ability to replicate a style of game that’s been embraced by gamers for the last decade. Unfortunately the game also stumbles across a few hurdles that it was never able to recover from.
Journey to the Savage Planet borrows from a bunch of different titles and genres but combines them in a way that makes a unique and engaging experience. The game is a testament to how a focused vision backed up by a talented team is a winning formula for game design. I found the game captivating, enthralling, exciting and wondrous. It’s a game I won’t soon forget and intend to return back to with a coop partner for another session of otherworldly exploration, humorous shenanigans and punting Pufferbirds across the gorgeous landscape.
Orangeblood throws you into an alternative history timeline where you control a party of girls taking on the dirty and corrupt underworld of a Japanese municipality. It’s a game that merges cultures and aesthetics in a uniquely interesting way, but also struggles to find its footing at the same time.
I can forgive the game for a lot of its shortcomings, although there’s something about Borderlands 3 that I absolutely cannot forgive – its technical problems.
DARQ certainly doesn't overstay its welcome, presenting a short and concise experience. But when is short too short?
It may not be a flawless victory, but Mortal Kombat 11 puts up one hell of fight.
...the longer you play the more problems you notice and the more you realise that the game simply doesn’t feel complete or coherent. I don’t think Generation Zero will be remembered fondly in the future, if remembered at all.