Omi Koulas's Reviews
Mixtape is an adventure specifically for those of us who grew up in the angsty 90s. For those players, the top-tier soundtrack selection and unpacking themes you may have been avoiding for a few decades is going to hit very hard. For others, the rose-tinted glasses and hammy dialogue may feel distant or indulgent. Just like an actual mixtape someone makes for you, not every track lands. But it’s so clearly made with love, and the tracks that do will stay with you long after it’s over.
SAROS delivers Housemarque’s best-in-class gameplay, backed by a genuinely intriguing narrative and a unique world. But it’s lacking polish, with performance and optimisation issues that are impossible to ignore for a game so reliant on precision.
Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred tries to make the game better in all the right places. The story hits harder, the new systems give you more freedom to play your way, and everything feels more purposeful. The systems may be getting a little too complex now, and there is still some recycled content, but if you’ve been a Diablo fan so far, this may be the expansion that pulls you back into the game again.
Marathon is a technically brilliant and satisfying shooter that nails the fundamentals but struggles to build beyond them. It delivers incredible moment-to-moment gameplay, yet lacks the depth and long-term pull to match its ambition. Right now, it feels less like a fully realised experience and more like the start of something new waiting to be expanded, a game that will live or die by how Bungie supports it from here.
Resident Evil Requiem is a confident and well-crafted mix of horror and action that continues the series’ modern era quality. Its back-and-forth between survival and power feels deliberate and satisfying, giving both Grace and Leon moments to shine. While a few decisions slightly dull the late-game tension, the environments, audio, and gameplay are crafted with care, making this one of the franchise’s strongest and proving Resident Evil can still reinvent itself while honouring legacy.
Romeo is a Dead Man is a loud and inventive action game that prioritises style and spectacle. Its combat may be basic by today’s standards, and its systems occasionally bloated, but the confidence behind its strangeness may carry it for some. It can feel very dated, but it’s unapologetic and unmistakably Suda51, and for the right player (you know who you are), that’s more than enough.
Omi Oh My AI has admirable intentions, but none of that makes up for how unfinished it feels. The CAPTCHA gimmick wears thin quickly, and constant technical issues make it impossible to tell when the game is being clever or simply broken. While it’s easy to respect the ambition behind the project, ambition alone isn’t enough.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is polished enough to function, familiar enough to feel safe, and dull enough to be skippable. There are a few nice surprises in here with fan-favourite returning maps and an interesting direction the co-op campaign goes into if you’re already invested, but little reason for anyone else to jump in.
PowerWash Simulator 2 is a refinement of a modern comfort classic. Every addition, from the home base to the abseiling harness, feels thoughtfully designed to deepen the relaxation loop rather than distract. It’s bigger and cleaner, but still surprisingly heartfelt. If the first game helped us survive the chaos of 2022, this one feels perfectly timed to help us slow down again in 2025.
BALL x PIT is a fun blend of old-school brick breaker and shoot ’em up games. Its creative ball fusions and frantic gameplay will sell you, but the variety will keep you engaged. It’s still a roguelite with some occasionally exhausting moments and very challenging bosses, but it’s ultimately inventive and full of personality.
Hotel Barcelona is a messy but ambitious experiment that often feels like it’s trying to do too much at once. Its style and inventive ideas, like Slasher Phantoms, branching levels and absurd characters, show flashes of brilliance, but the clunky combat and overstuffed mechanics make many runs more testing than enjoyable. In the end, it’s memorable for its imagination, but not for being a satisfying or polished experience.
Gears of War: Reloaded is the definitive version of Gears 1, but only by default. A faithful remaster of a remaster that keeps the series alive and opens the door to PlayStation players, but doesn't do enough to feel essential. It's both dated and timeless, clunky and exhilarating, simple and unforgettable. A solid nostalgia trip, but a missed opportunity to make the original shine for modern audiences.
At first, Mafia: The Old Country swept me up straight away. Its stunning world, compelling story, and rich sense of place felt like an Italian holiday. As I played on, the simplicity of its combat and stealth stood out more, but that's not what I valued most. Not the most inventive action game, but one of the most immersive you'll play this year. This is a leaner and more focused Mafia game that trades scale for storytelling and worldbuilding, and in doing so, delivers something quietly special.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 sticks the landing with a clean kickflip and a modern twist. Iron Galaxy may have sanded off some of THPS4's open-ended charm, but what's left is a fine-tuned tribute to skateboarding. With excellent controls, deeper creation tools, and a diverse music and character roster (shoutout to our Aussie legends), the game is accessible and ridiculously fun. Even with a few bails, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 proves the Birdman's legacy can still shred.
The GEX Trilogy won't convert new fans, but for those raised on tail-whips and TV parodies, it's a nostalgia-packed return. A solid, if safe, remaster that could've done more but still lets Gex channel surf once more with style.
Elden Ring Nightreign is a faster, roguelike remix of the Souls formula that swaps deep exploration for co-op urgency. Combat is more agile, pacing is relentless, and boss fights thrive on teamwork. Still, not every change lands. FromSoftware's familiar connection issues can spoil a good run, the storytelling lacks expected depth, and the Limveld map may be mastered very quickly. Overall, Nightreign delivers exciting high-speed battles and rewarding experimentation. It's a bold spinoff that breaks the rules and mostly gets away with it.
The Precinct is a campy love letter to '80s cop dramas, blending street-level patrols with high-speed chases in an open world. While it nails the tone with stylish set-pieces, exciting car chases, and a synthy soundtrack, the clunky implementation of mechanics and shallow upgrades hold back its more simulated gameplay. The Precinct may not always follow protocol, but it sure knows how to throw a siren-blaring good time.
DOOM: The Dark Ages swaps out space-age speed for steel-shod fury, and it works wonders. This isn't just a prequel, but a ballad sung in blood and fire where every flail swing and shield parry feels like gospel. Sure, the dragon rides and giant Atlan mech missions are very weak, and you might need the horsepower of a car to run it at maximum settings on PC, but when most of the time you're shredding armies of Hellspawn with a gun that grinds skulls for ammo, who cares? This is the Slayer in his knightly prime. Long live the king of ripping and tearing.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is a love letter to one of the most charmingly chaotic RPGs ever made. It’s not perfect and it doesn’t try to be. Instead, it embraces its jank with open arms, wraps it in beautiful new visuals, reminding us why Cyrodiil still holds a special place in RPG history.
Skin Deep is a wild, fun, and inventive immersive sim, rewarding creative thinking and playful exploration. Its unique look and comical approach to gameplay make it a memorable experience, despite a few mechanical issues and overloaded moments. If you love Blendo Games' offbeat signature style, blast off into this universe where cats are the real stars and space pirates are disposable entertainment.