Assassin's Creed: Odyssey is a solid attempt to create a new epic, but it also falls foul of similar missteps to its predecessors.
A beautiful homage to the Disgaea and Persona franchises that tries to tread some familiar ground.
Overall, Nightingale is an engaging survival game and one that feels like you can have low commitment to in order to have fun. It’s easy to pick up and put down, and has some solid foundations. Even in its early stages, Nightingale has a lot to offer players, even if it is very clearly in Early Access. I’m eager to see what the game will be further down the line when some of these issues are ironed out, and what the core narrative of the game will eventually turn out to be. For now, I’m content logging into Nightingale for a few hours every few days just to hang out with friends and explore the vast wealth of Realms the game has to offer.
Diablo IV features a compelling antagonist in Lilith, and while it tries to present more interesting ideas into the series by the way of story, it ends up retreading old ground in more ways than one.
Darkest Dungeon II creates a new framework for the stress inducing cosmic horror series, and is just as challenging as its predecessor.
Tactics Ogre: Reborn is a remaster of a remake. It’s a game that persists through the wheel of time as it is ported from generation to generation, breathing life into the Ogre Battle series.
Ultimately, Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker marked the end of an era. Plot threads from A Realm Reborn onward come to a close. The story is rife with fanfare, paying homage to past expansions in ways that sometimes feel overmuch or hit in just the right way.
Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights begins with the soft pitter-patter of rain and text scrawling itself along the bottom of the screen. A short exposition accompanies a beautiful illustration that showcases the player character: a young girl fast asleep with lilies in her hair and a foreboding, sinister looking brand on her forehead. She awakens alone in an unfamiliar world with the spirit of a deceased knight to guide her. This paints an evocative picture of the world of Ender Lilies and sets the tone going forward.
Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers is, mechanically, the strongest entry in the franchise but the narrative falls short of being truly great.
Judgment brings new levels of narrative and mechanical intricacies to the familiar setting of Kamurocho in Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio's latest title.
Yakuza Kiwami 2 aims to recreate one of the greatest entries in the series, and it doesn't disappoint.
The story of Kazuma Kiryu comes to a dramatic and ultimately satisfying close.
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age soars onto the Nintendo Switch, proving itself to be another successful and highly entertaining port of a Square Enix classic.
Discover the world of Gransys on the go in this great port of a cult classic.
Kingdom Hearts III is a masterful game when it succeeds and a mediocre one when it simply doesn't.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a single player, narrative driven action-RPG that challenges the players to choose their own experience – from the appearance of their Arisen, their vocation, their party, how to approach different situations and more - in a truly immersive fantasy world. PC version reviewed. Review copy provided by company for testing purposes. Dragon's Dogma 2 is a marvel, and perhaps one of the best games within Capcom's catalogue of already impressive titles.
Theatrhythm Final Bar Line is a worthy successor and end to the beloved rhythm game franchise, and serves as a love letter to its OSTs.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion lives up to its legacy, setting a benchmark for Square Enix remasters going forward.
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak is a monster of an expansion and proves the series will remain a mainstay among international audiences.
Monster Hunter Rise is without a doubt one of the best Monster Hunter games I have ever played, if not the best outright. It caters to new and veteran players effortlessly, and while some accessibility issues holding it back from outright being a perfect game, it really offers the best of both worlds.