Life is Strange: Double Exposure brings back Max Caulfield with new time-manipulation powers, but struggles to capture the original’s emotional weight. While the dual-timeline mechanic is engaging, the story’s weak twists, forgettable characters, and technical issues hold it back. A nostalgic revisit, but not a standout entry in the series.
Lego Horizon Adventures transforms the serious world of Horizon Zero Dawn into a playful experience geared towards younger gamers. With a lighter story, fun character twists, and familiar machines recreated in Lego form, it serves as a charming introduction to Aloy’s universe. While hardcore fans may find it a bit basic, it’s ideal for friendly, family-oriented play with loved ones of any age.
Sony revisits the 2017 classic with Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, aligning it visually and technically with its 2022 sequel, Horizon Forbidden West. While the remaster provides cleaner character models, enhanced lighting, and improved animations for NPCs, it doesn’t add new content. Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is just providing options to those who want that extra bump to the experience from a technical and graphical standpoint. If that’s all you want out of this remaster, then you won’t be disappointed at what Nixxes has done in this version of the game, especially with it being a $10 upgrade for those who own the original.
Metaphor: ReFantazio is now my favorite title from the Persona team by far. It’s one of those rare games where its main pillars work harmoniously, and you get lost in its charm. It’s a pristine JRPG, with enough style and substance to satisfy hardcore JRPG fans, Persona fans, and even those who rarely touch JRPGs.
Ballistic Moon’s Until Dawn remake polishes the 2015 horror classic with impressive visual upgrades and little additions. However, beyond the sharper visuals and slight changes, the core experience remains the same. Fans seeking a fresh take may find little reason to pick this up over the original, as the gameplay and story haven’t evolved beyond minor improvements.
Dead Rising Deluxe Remastered is a fun but flawed revisit to a zombie classic. It stays true in delivering its quirky and chaotic spirit, and was given a fair amount of polish to make it more appealing to modern players. While it’s a treat for longtime fans of the series, newcomers will feel the game’s age through its flaws.
Warhammer 40K Space Marine 2 is a fantastic third-person shooter that I highly recommend not only for fans of the franchise, but anyone who’s curious about it. It’s one of the more solid shooter campaigns released in recent years, with co-op features that make it a real treat with friends.
I've traversed vibrant planets and chased after the promise of the ultimate big score. But as the novelty wore off, a harsh truth emerged: beneath its polished surface, Star Wars Outlaws is a missed opportunity, bogged down by repetitive gameplay and a narrative that struggles to find its footing. It’s a game that tantalizes with potential but ultimately leaves much to be desired.
This is one of the meatiest expansions I’ve ever encountered in a video game. It could be its own game. All of the additions Shadow of the Erdtree makes are everything a Soulsike fan could hope for. While many think the price point for the DLC is a bit steep, I can clearly say what you get here more than justifies the asking price, and if you love Elden Ring, you should definitely not skip Shadow of the Erdtree.
Hellblade 2 feels like a living, breathing shapeshifter, manipulating its surroundings around the player with precision and consistency, making it one of the most visually stunning video games of this generation. This is an amazing title that carefully balances its artistic and gaming ambitions, a masterpiece that I encourage any gamer to experience.
Stellar Blade’s potential was clear, but as its ambitions expanded into something greater, it lost focus. As soon as Stellar Blade tries to bring everything together, it merges into a single figure that looks deformed and uneven. The quality is unquestionable but it wasn’t the final product I was slowly building in my head as I went through the game’s first half.
In the grand scheme of things, Capcom has delivered a sequel to make Dragon’s Dogma fans happy and wishing for more, but this isn’t a massive upgrade. Rather, it’s a modernization of the overall concept as the highs and lows of the first game mirror the sequel. If you can weather the storm that is Dragon’s Dogma 2, you might come out as one of the players who consider this one of the best RPG experiences they’ve ever played, or simply the worst.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth was a joy to play from start to finish and is a title every FFVII fan should play as they’ve done an exceptional job at bringing to life the world outside Midgar. There are a lot of changes to the original, but they’re changes I find myself welcoming, as this has now been one of my favorite JRPG experiences in recent years.
Arrowhead Games Studios has delivered an impressive sequel that elevates the concept they introduced back in 2015, and has established a commendable foundation for a live service title. I can already see Helldivers 2 being at the top of people’s minds when they are faced with the question – do you have any co-op shooters to recommend?
I took my time with Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s latest entry in the long-running Yakuza franchise. The turned-based combat has greatly improved, the myriad of activities feel endless and entertaining, and the overall story left me teary-eyed and wanting more. I’m now more invested in the series than I ever was thanks to Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth with Kasuga leading the charge.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora features a familiar open-world formula that is a perfect match for this adventure, as this is a planet with so much care and thought put in that despite its flaws, I found myself itching to explore what’s beyond all those floating rocks. But if you’re not on board with how Ubisoft does open-world games, then you’ll be struggling with half of the game’s core pillars right off the bat.
It’s tough to recommend Final Fantasy XVI’s first DLC called Echoes of the Fallen as it doesn’t deliver much to the core experience, or even something completely different. At the current price point, I was expecting a bit more to stand out, maybe focus on one aspect of the game we haven’t seen before, but sadly this isn’t the case. You’re not missing much here as it would be best to wait for the second DLC called Rising Tide coming next year.
If I’m comparing Persona 5 Tactica against the original game and the other spin-off, it’s my least favorite of the bunch, but the effort didn’t feel like an afterthought, as the story, character designs, and level designs make it an entertaining strategy game for those already well-versed in the Persona 5 world.
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name isn’t Ryu Ga Gotoku's best work, as combat feels bland and we’ve seen these side activities before, but this is a nice distraction for hardcore fans and a more touching and satisfying sendoff to Kazuma Kiryu as the leading man.
This is how you bring back a classic to the spotlight with a remake treatment that respects the original team’s vision, improves the game where it's needed, and understands the key points as to why The Second Story is still embedded in people’s minds as one of the greatest JRPGS they’ve played years ago. Hopefully, Square Enix will use this as a blueprint for future projects similar to The Second Story R as they nailed it.