Mick Fraser's Reviews
Payday 3 is designed around those emergent moments that only come with friends, when you're trying desperately to stay in control.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty is a masterclass in how to develop DLC. It slots in and out of the main story seamlessly but still manages to feel utterly essential and compelling.
Summum Aeterna is a decent roguelike adventure with a great aesthetic and superb music, but its gameplay loop and protagonist left me a little cold.
By all accounts Gloomhaven does a solid job of translating what's apparently a very deep and complex TTRPG to video game format.
Synced combines simple storytelling with effective shooting, interesting powers and a fantastic, almost roguelite, upgrade system.
Lies of P is a staggering achievement for Neowiz, and one of the very best "non-FromSoft" Soulslikes I've ever played.
Mythforce sounds pretty good on paper, featuring a team of mythic heroes questing to take down a dark lord and his minions.
Super Bomberman R 2 is as fun to play against people locally or globally as it ever was, but the story mode is a little dull.
Warstride Challenges is immensely compelling and endlessly fun - and an absolute must-play for FPS fans.
Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy is just as beautiful as the series ever was, and the same charm is present and correct, but it's definitely beginning to wear a little thin.
Despite a few hiccups, Baldur's Gate 3 remains the finest example of its genre available today.
Dust & Neon is an enjoyable twin-stick shooter with a cool cover mechanic set in a colourful world. But it's held back by a strong sense of deja vu and a lack of fresh ideas.
Immortals of Aveum is polished to a high shine and just deep enough to leave a lasting impression.
Blasphemous 2 is a bold step up for The Game Kitchen, and somehow manages to feel both familiar and brand new.
Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew is simply the best example of the genre MiMiMi helped create.
Hammerwatch 2 is a delightful enough RPG romp held back by some issues that seem to cling stubbornly to the era that inspired it.
As a dark, story-driven settlement sim, Gord offers a moderate amount of replayability and a pretty compelling central narrative.
Moving Out 2 looks pretty, the tongue-in-cheek humour is ever-present, and the accessibility options are great.
From the outside Atlas Fallen has all the pieces of an open world fantasy epic, but if you look a little more closely you'll see the cracks.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is a fantastic port of an excellent game that any genre fan will fall in love with.