Song of Iron is a short and sweet Nordic adventure that tells a simple story which ends up much deeper than it first seems. With a range of gorgeous environments to explore and relatively satisfying combat, it only occasionally frustrates with some tricky boss fights and clunky movement resulting in some platforming pitfalls. Still, these grievances don’t last long, as I found the world created by Resting Relic to be a stunning one to explore and very thoughtful in its style and presentation. Mostly, I’m just astonished with how great it is that a solo developer is capable of creating this wonderful little journey, and I can’t wait to see what comes next.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a captivating and well-made affair with a big heart, and will surely scratch an itch for many gamers keen on taking part in a touching journey through one of the prettiest worlds ever created.
After a poor last effort, WWE 2K22 brings the long-running wrestling franchise back in a big way, proving that the extra development time is just what the doctor ordered. It successfully streamlines its in-ring action so that it’s more adaptable to players of different skill levels, removing archaic systems that previously bogged it down. Animations and presentation are top notch, and there really is a game mode for everybody, with a lot of variety. While not all the modes deserve to main event when you dissect them in detail, there’s still a very strong foundation to build from; the bottom line is that WWE 2K22 is the best wrestling game in over a decade.
When Ghostwire: Tokyo capitalises on its spooky surroundings by whisking you off into strange dimensions, fighting evil with powers you shoot from your hands, it’s excellent. The haunted, deserted Shibuya is a thrill to explore, and helping spirits with their final requests provides some engaging mini-adventures. Where it fumbles slightly is in the delivery of its open world, which regularly feels a bit old school as you chip away at the fog of the map, cleansing fast travel points as you go and repeating some filler tasks. Still, with a curious mystery laid out before you and a creepy atmosphere that will keep you on your toes, Ghostwire: Tokyo provides plenty of spooks and intriguing diversions around every corner that are just begging for your attention.
At the end of the day, WWE 2K23 makes a modest effort to improve on its predecessor, and the results are pretty bloody good. Some of the modes have received some genuine love and attention, while others could use a bit of a revisit in future versions. Regardless, what these modes and updates are building on now is an incredibly solid foundation that continues to impress, and once the bell rings, the quality of gameplay and the feeling of taking part in a bona fide WWE match looks like it's ripped right from a TV broadcast, and as a wrestling fan, that's still what counts the most.
With devilish puzzles under the theme of learning language, and being a new person in a series of unfamiliar places, Chants of Sennaar nails its concept. Piecing together different dialects using visual cues makes for a compelling mystery to solve, as you look to reconnect different communities through universal understanding. It stumbles a little bit however with stealth sections that feel out of place and some confusing backtracking that could leave you stumped. With gorgeous visuals that leap off the screen, not only is Chants of Sennaar one of the prettiest games we've seen this year, but it's also one of the most clever, no matter what language you're speaking.
A surprisingly well-rounded package, Fate/Samurai Remnant has lots of ideas, and somehow makes them all work together well. It manages to satisfy both musuo-style combat aficionados and tactical strategy folk alike, with fast-paced slasher combat mixed with numerous abilities and an overarching territory control component that is deeper than it looks at first glance. The Fate history and lore can be a lot to take on board, and long stretches of dialogue feel like a burden to the pace of things, but an intriguing cast make this a solid entry point for newcomers with enough content to make long-time fans incredibly satisfied as well.
Maintaining what made the original so special, Super Mario RPG provides a glow-up to an absolute classic RPG experience, with smart tweaks to combat bringing it firmly into the modern era. It's an utterly charming experience that sucks you into its gorgeous, colourful world. Still, in sticking firmly to its roots, it just doesn't provide the challenge or open-world gameplay to elevate it to the next level. If you're keen on a breezy nostalgic RPG with simple yet satisfying combat, the iconic Italian in a red hat has you covered.
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden heavily leans into the premise of challenging decisions with dramatic consequences, and manages to pull off an emotional and haunting love story where those choices do feel like they truly matter. Red and Antea feel like fully-fleshed out, interesting characters, forever linked to one another but struggling to let go. New Eden is full of communities plagued by supernatural creatures and dark secrets that make each of them intriguing to explore. An over-reliance on combat and a little too much hand-holding when it comes to solving cases is disappointing, but Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden can still be chalked up as yet another storytelling triumph for DON'T NOD. Life for the living. Death for the dead.
The Thaumaturge is a riveting mix of investigating gorgeous environments, weaving together narrative threads and battling through punchy, stylish turn-based combat. It's a story where it feels like the choices do matter, and that makes decisions feel weighty as you progress through the twisted and memorable supernatural setting. Some of the investigations hold your hand a little too much, and it's lacking some overall polish in some areas. Even so, The Thaumaturge absolutely nails the brief in every other way, making for a compelling RPG that stands on its own as unique, visually impressive and deliciously dark.
It's great that the WWE 2K series is in such a good place, where it doesn't need to change much and still remains a must-have for wrestling game fans everywhere. When the bell rings, WWE 2K24 still continues to have the best in-ring action, with a broadcast-like presentation that very much looks the part. It's filled to the brim with content that will keep you busy until Wrestlemania 41, but its Showcase mode, the key feature of its marketing campaign every single year, needs a serious rethink, as it's holding the series back from legendary status. It might not Finish the Story, but it's another damn good chapter.
Princess Peach: Showtime! finally gives our first Nintendo Diva the spotlight she has long deserved, and almost shockingly, once again brings us a Nintendo experience that feels both comfortably familiar and thrillingly different. Despite some weird frame-rate issues and a few costume changes that are less memorable than others, the amount of charm and satisfying simplicity oozing out of Princess Peach: Showtime! makes it a stage performance worthy of applause and adoration. Let's hope this first true starring role for Peach isn't her last.
Even though some of the puzzles outstay their welcome and can throw the pace off a bit, MADiSON doesn’t linger too long overall and the horrific atmosphere makes it a haunted house ride more than worth the price of admission. There’s plenty of moments that had me screaming and then laughing, my heart racing and palms sweating as I dreaded turning another corner, knowing that something awful was likely waiting for me. The soundtrack is particularly effective in making you feel tense at all times, with loud noises blaring at just the right moments, as shadowy figures loom just out the corner of your eye and a puzzle solution lies just out of reach. While MADiSON doesn’t tread a lot of new ground, its creators clearly have a love of horror and know what makes the genre tick, resulting in a solid spook-fest that will haunt your thoughts.
Live A Live is an incredibly unique and endearing adventure, with multiple engaging storylines and strong combat throughout. Some of its ideas are so forward-thinking and intriguing that it’s almost shocking that this was originally released almost 30 years ago. While it maintains some weird quirks reminiscent of the SNES era that it came from and the pacing can be a bit strange from chapter to chapter, the beautiful visuals and catchy soundtrack propel Live A Live into the modern era and gives everybody the opportunity to experience a classic RPG that has a whole lot of heart. I’m incredibly grateful I’ve had the opportunity to play it, and am left dreaming about what other hidden gems just like it might be waiting to be unlocked and shared with the world.
On the surface, Steelrising looks like “just another soulslike with a twist”, but the more I played, the more I felt enamoured by its gorgeous aesthetic, its likable robot protagonist and its variety of horrifying, angry automaton enemies. By incorporating cutscenes, a linear narrative and traditional RPG quest structure, it keeps the action and progression feeling very focused throughout, with no real roadblocks aside from the difficulty itself. Then, if that’s bothering you too, you can turn on Assist Mode and still enjoy the experience your own way. Despite some simplistic combat and unmemorable boss fights, Steelrising is a satisfying robot action romp that earns bonus points for being one of the most accessible soulslike titles on the market, meaning more gamers will be able to enjoy its haunting vision of alternate history Paris overrun by dastardly machines. Bon travail!
Gotham Knights smartly puts focus on some iconic DC Villains and showcases a new threat with an interesting story full of conspiracies and secrets. It does a good job of establishing this story with underrated heroes, tying in fun action which is enhanced greatly by playing with a friend. Other elements, like boring diversions from the main story, a tacked-on crafting system, and an over-reliance on throwing piles of long, repetitive battles in your path towards the end are less successful, but I still enjoyed my time exploring Gotham City overall. Especially if you have a sidekick, this is a superhero adventure that is well worth suiting up for.
An intense atmospheric adventure with an intriguing premise, The Callisto Protocol delivers a solid horror game that focuses largely on its satisfying combat. It doesn't have much variety and is lacking a bit of creativity, but it makes up for that with impressive visuals and disgusting, intimidating monsters. It might not meet the expectations of its obvious inspirations, but The Callisto Protocol lays a strong foundation of terrifying atmosphere and crunchy combat that makes it satisfying and spooky nonetheless.
Dead Island 2 is a silly, slaughter-filled take on the zombie apocalypse that is very entertaining without pushing the envelope of game design beyond the expected. HELL-A is the perfect bright setting to soak the streets in blood, and the little visual details ensure that there's always something eye-catching that grabs your attention. Some of the objectives can get repetitive and combat itself could use a little bit more variety, but considering its painfully long development time, Dead Island 2 still makes for a satisfying adventure with a good sense of humour stitching together its various generic zombie parts into something worth celebrating.
With a truly unique concept that's different from any other horror game out there, Killer Frequency mixes just the right amount of campy thrills to keep its serial killer narrative moving along swiftly. As you're saving civilians using clues around the radio station while cracking jokes and enjoying some retro-inspired tracks, it's hard not to get invested in the story and setting, especially as it features such strong performances from its wacky cast. The pace can be slow at times, but the twists and turns kept me eager to speak with every new caller. You can trust me as a seasoned producer and presenter: this is one radio program worth tuning in for.
AO Tennis 2 is quite an upgrade and a marked improvement from the previous game, with more features, a surprisingly deep career mode and refined gameplay that feels dynamic and engaging from point to point, especially once you’ve gotten used to the timing and flow. There are still some issues when it comes to the overall polish of the experience and the lack of licensed content overall that hold it back from being a total ace, but with minimal competition in this genre, AO Tennis 2 is an entertaining and fun tennis game that is easily the best of this generation.