Colm Ahern's Reviews
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare's campaign is more throwaway blockbuster than challenging look at conflict, but its mission variety makes for an enjoyable few hours. And even with the disappointing Spec Ops, a wealth of entertaining multiplayer modes makes this a worthwhile addition to any Call of Duty fan's collection.
At times, Concrete Genie can be a little too pleasant, which makes the action-packed conclusion really jarring. Still, the contrast between Ash's fantasy and his reality is truly stunning.
Untitled Goose Game encapsulates the pleasure in poking fun without ever turning nasty. And you're a goose, which is great.
Everything works in concert in Sayonara Wild Hearts. It's sublime.
The Coalition has slightly fiddled with the formula, and whilst some adjustments need to be refined for future entries, Gears 5 is ultimately the gorgeous third-person shooter you want it to be.
Blair Witch is great at building tension and letting you get lost in its unforgiving forest, but sometimes it takes that too literally. It mostly overcomes that, however, thanks to your magic camcorder and superb pooch.
Man of Medan's story and characters fail to reach the heights of Supermassive's homage to the slasher flick, Until Dawn. The Dark Pictures Anthology isn't off to the greatest of starts.
Judgment tinkers with the Yakuza template enough that it provides something for fans, as well as those who have always thought about visiting Kamurocho.
While the rewards in hidden areas aren't as satisfying as you might expect from a game like this, Gato Roboto's tense, creative boss battles with a talking rodent are an absolute delight.
When you and your two pals are sharing item pick-ups, driving in each other's racing lines, and skimming past one another for a boost, Team Sonic Racing shines. It offers something different in the kart racing genre.
Granted, the chase sequences are frustrating and the story falls a bit flat, but there's some wonderful attention to detail in Close to the Sun's environments, and tension is present even in the game's calmest moments.
Hypnospace Outlaw is a perfect recreation of what the internet once was, and in some ways still is: a glorious mess of friendship and anarchy. It's probably good we don't have auto-playing music anymore, though.
Shooting the bad men and tinkering with your loot in The Division 2 is good enough to keep you coming back to something that's regularly monotonous and lacks any real message.
Whilst the concept is there in the title, the intricacies of Ape Out's are revealed the more you play. Every aspect creates a dazzling jazz mixtape that reverberates from eyes, to ears, to thumbs. And you're an ape. Which is great.
The mission structure is repetitive, the story's utter wallop, and the baddies are there for shooting practice. But, damn it, it's fun being an over-powered superhero scaling a building in Crackdown 3.
Far Cry New Dawn is your regularly scheduled stop-gap Far Cry, with some lovely tweaks like the ranked enemies and weapons, and a fantastical element that reaches its natural conclusion.
This puzzle-platformer's puzzles and platforming might be merely alright – and the music is a proper irritant – but Pikuniku is full of so much cheer and loveliness elsewhere. It's bursting with character in a story that's equal parts silly and uplifting.
Gris plays to your aural and optical senses by delivering something exquisite in that area, but lacks a compelling story to prop itself up alongside equivalents.
When combat is between you and one other, Darksiders 3 can provide some decent, button-mashy fun, but the real fight is with the baffling world design and some cheap deaths.
Hitman 2 walks familiar ground and provides the type of delightful moments you expect in the maps on offer, as well as a multiplayer mode with bundles of potential.