Satisfactory's full release has been long overdue and thankfully it's well worth the wait. It's at the tippy top of the automation genre and this is thanks to the hard work Coffee Stain Studios has been implementing over the years, implementing many a quality of life and following player advice. What it's resulted in is some of the most satisfying automation and resource pipeline mechanics and gameplay I've ever experienced in games. It's as deep as you want it for the hardcore players or as accessible and palatable as you need for the newbies. Additionally, its deliberately bespoke alien world is breathtaking in design and visuals, filled with many bite-sized adventures to be had no matter how few steps you take from your camp. Satisfactory is the final frontier for co-operative crafting and exploration games for me. Give it a chance and it might just be yours too.
Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is a great time largely thanks to the simple fact that the original game is so solid and timeless. It's still to this day a riotous schlockfest drenched in shopping mall Americana as you raid gun stores, run over psychos with a shopping cart or suplex a zombie. This all makes for some of the best and most joyful arcadey zombie-killing gameplay we've had to date, made better by a healthy dose of quality-of-life additions in NPC AI improvements and third-person handling. Though not all of the mall's residents fare the absolute best in their HD upscaling it is worth it for how gorgeously bloody and grisly the halls of that shopping district are. It's so damn good to be back as Frank West and this scoop is one well worth investigating.
Wild Bastards is more dastardly delicious gaming to come from right here in Australia. Blue Manchu Games have done some building upon their Bastards universe to create a thoroughly fun and explosive experience. Though the game can go on a little too long and be a bit one-note, I could never accuse it of not being some of the best FPS and roguelike fusion we've had for a while. What awaits is a weird and creatively designed cast with varied playstyles, quality strategic roguelike thinking and build potential that'll more than satiate you. It's well worth going on your journey across the stars and finding yourself some weird alien outlaw friends. Family found.
Sumerian Six will more than suffice in filling the tactics-shaped hole you may have in your heart. Though its story isn't all there and it's far from original, it's made up for with an electric cast with devastating and creative abilities. This sandbox nature of killing in inventive ways is only bolstered by intricate and smart level design that allows for many a cool Nazi-slaying moment. Artificer have pulled off the difficult mission of replicating the giants that came before them while showcasing enough of their own creative juices. Job well done.
Concord is a great shooter that will pleasantly surprise those willing to tune out the outside noise. Within is fantastic minute-to-minute gunplay and action, complimented by a diverse cast with diverse abilities that can mix up a game at a moment's notice. Though it's perhaps the least revolutionary game we've seen in a long time and still in need of small functions like leaderboards and a clearer vision for its future, what's here today is some of the best multiplayer gaming I've experienced in forever. I've found so many weirdo heroes I've grown a rich affinity for, whether it's via their deep-prosed lore or their chaos-causing gameplay. Concord's fate isn't quite written in the stars yet; it's far better than a majority are giving it credit for. I pray you join me and other Freegunners on this voyage. We need you.
Though a mere optimisation and balance patch from meeting its full ambition, Black Myth: Wukong is a really great action RPG, almost standing as high as the rest. The story and world of Journey to the West and all its mythos translate incredibly well into an action game, providing immensely captivating creature and enemy boss designs and encounters. Serving as one of the most demanding games of its ilk for a while, both graphically and in combat challenge, you'll be well vested in Black Myth's world as you crush powerful mythic beasts wherever you go with fantastical magical abilities. This journey to the west is a journey well worth the wait.
Cat Quest III is a fantastic game and is far better than it has any right to be. More than just a silly game with silly puns, it is an impressive showcase of simple but quality game design, where they leave clever and tantalising breadcrumbs of discovery to drive the player forward. It's a tight and easy-to-control questathon game that anyone can play. That's perfect too; it's some of the simplest and most fun couch co-operative gaming I've experienced in yonks. Many a joyful moment was had hacking, slashing and dodging with my partner right by my side, before taking to the luscious and gorgeous crystal blue seas. These are only some of the gorgeous sights on offer. The Purribean is your oyster. Set sail, Cat Quest III is a real one.
The Crush House might not be the perfect production players were hoping for but what's there is a really good time and at least always fun. The nature of working and grinding to line up the perfect shot to watch the numbers tick up as you satisfy weird audiences from all walks of life is novel and never gets old. Yes, this means you're not always authentically re-creating the filming of reality TV as you instead focus on props and the environment in the interest of points, hurting the spotlight on its cast. Though when you can focus on its characters they're all irreverent, queer and delightfully heinous. I found myself always ready to drop everything for them at the drop of a hat as I tended to their ridiculous tasks, slowly working to an enticing sinister narrative that was hiding underneath. If all else, I could never accuse The Crush House's beauty of being skin-deep. It is weird, extra, juicy and unapologetic as all hell. It's exactly what it should be.
Conscript is a good survival horror game but not the fantastic one it should have been destined to be. Its fierce and very apparent survival horror devotion is incredibly admirable, shining best when depicting war in quite simply the best way I've seen it in games to date. The sound design, art style and general mood make the vibes palpable like you're there on the ground in the thick of it. This loyalty to the genre is also a double-edged sword though, not quite having enough quality-of-life additions and progression slowing to a halt when you're hunting through a labyrinth for that one key to unlock that one door. For better or worse, Conscript is a homage to classic Resident Evil, through and through. Isn't that enough?
Anger Foot is a good shooter but it's not always a compelling shooter nor the best it should be. I feel it important to give flowers to the unique use of hardstyle music and the fun implementations of new abilities granted by the different pairs of shoes you unlock. Though the polish and sheen are undeniably present with its gorgeous presentation and frenetic and fun gameplay that sees a symphony of flying kicks, bullets and grenades, it's let up by ways the game could've been better refined. The humour found within gets old after a while and it has some of the most dull and uninspired boss designs I've seen in a shooter for quite some time. Yes, the minute-to-minute is good but the pitfalls feel like a square, hard kick in the head. Ouch.
With Trails Through Daybreak, The Legend of Heroes name is the best it's ever been. With an incredible and sweeping story that pays off by the end, a vibrant cast of characters that will steal your heart, some of the best of turn-based combat, and streamlined mechanics, this is quite simply just a damn good and comfortable RPG well worth your time. It may ask a lot of you with its long runtime, breadth of content, and layered lore to wrap your head around but stick with it and you're in for one of the best from the genre this year. Job well done.
Until Then is a must-play for lovers of narrative-focused games everywhere. The game already depicts living the life of a teenager in the Phillippines in the 2010s beautifully with its thoughtful and authentic writing, combined with a picturesque world. That alone would be enough, but it goes above and beyond, adding breathtaking pixel animation, an intriguing mystery and a palpable geopolitical subplot. The cast of characters is incredibly endearing and you'll grow to love them all, building to the final emotional gut punch of the game that takes the wind out of you. Joining the plethora of quality narratives in 2024, Until Then is a game you won't soon forget.
Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble's offerings are exactly what you'd expect, a fun and bananas time that is easy to pick up and hard to master. The new gimmick of the spin-dash feels quintessential and juices the experience of working through 200 arcade levels just that little bit more. Though there's room for improvements with online matchmaking and some levels perhaps being a bit too hard for hard's sake, there are just as many quality additions in gameplay assistance tools and the ability to doll your monkey up in dozens upon dozens of cute fits. There's no monkeying around here when it comes to quality- Super Monkey Ball as a franchise remains the belle of the ball.
If Capes' biggest crime is that it isn't the most original game and that its fights require more thought than some might like, then I'd call Spitfire Interactive's debut a hearty success. Within its deep tactics gameplay is plenty of exciting and creative party DNA to tool around with. It even has a surprisingly refreshing tone and take on the superhero genre that is the most authentic I've seen in a while. So why not go save the world? I promise a super duper good time awaits.
Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is well worth the wait and is a serious game of the year contender. Senua's follow-up journey is the best exploration of mental health that we've seen in games to date, using incredibly striking visual imagery, metaphors and immersive soundscapes to have you feel right there next to her. In what has to be the most photo-realistic game of all time, you're guaranteed to be constantly taken by the hero's adventure as you take in the beautiful and often haunting Viking Iceland. Through mud and dirt, blood and bones, Senua and Ninja Theory in turn bare all to you, the player. A masterpiece, benchmark and magnum opus, Hellblade II is crucial storytelling you won't soon forget.
Another Crab's Treasure is a Soulslike hit and another win for Aggro Crab. Proving the genre can be more than just darkness and grit, offering colour and whimsy all within a memorable nautical world. Though it might not always be the most original, that's easily forgiven thanks to damn good action RPG combat, a healthy dose of accessibility and thoughtful environment design you'll get lost in for hours. Ducking in and out of shells, toppling great big bosses and zipping around with a grappling hook is SO. MUCH. FUN. This journey to the deep is well worth the plunge.
Life Eater is a game I'm a little sad I can't rate on concept and premise alone. Snooping through timelines of activities of potential targets and investigating tidbits to try and correctly take down those requested is good on paper, offering the same highs of franchises such as Hitman. However, its execution is a little underbaked. The qualifiers for targets are equally too vague and too simple with little variety, leading to friction and distrust about whether or not you're on the right track. There is quality design in the way you're managing meters to avoid suspicion and maximising your time, along with some stellar returning performances from the likes of Xalavier Nelson Jr. However, Life Eater needed a little more time bunkering down, taking notes, and just getting every little thing right. The perfect hunt it is not.
Children of the Sun is an incredibly vivid and creative puzzler-shooter. It is thoroughly engaging to find the perfect thread of headshots to line up, poking holes in a setpiece cultist encampment, linking each bloody kill to the next with both finesse and inventive solutions. It is quite simply the best sniping game I've ever played and, better yet, it has a story, vibes and atmosphere you just want to bathe in, much like the blood of your enemies. In the plethora of 'cool' video games to have graced our screens over the years, Children of the Sun is near the tippy top.
I'm so glad Konami are in the business of publishing good video games again. Entrusting the Contra franchise to WayForward for Operation Galuga was an incredibly smart decision, resulting in a thoroughly replayable and enriching return to the grandfather of the run-'n'-gun franchise. There is so much fun to be had learning levels, dying and grinding it out as you become familiar with level design patterns and weapon skills. Challenge levels are also fantastic gauntlets that'll make any seasoned Contra player sweat. Though the story is neither here nor there and the HUD driving it is a bit barebones, none of that gets in the way of the romping and stomping good time you'll have fighting for liberty and taking it to the alien threat once more. Contra is back.
Pepper Grinder is a good video game but it doesn't feel like a complete video game. The mechanic of burrowing away through different biomes is always satisfying as you make platforming leaps of faith between different bodies of ground. What exploration, world and mechanical growth is there is really strong, it's just limited and brief. Fun throughout but over before you know it, Pepper Grinder is a charming title that is just missing that extra little spice.