Daniel Starkey
Never Alone carries the sensibilities of its inspirations, and it feels and looks just as it should.
Always Sometimes Monsters isn't the first game to get clever with morality. It's not the first game that's had a few grey areas. It also isn't about either of those. It's about perspective. It's about empathy. It's about who we are and why we do what we do. That narrative is one of contradiction and hypocrisy, because that's what real people are about.
Velocity balances platforming and shoot-em-ups as well as modern aesthetics and retro play to create a nearly perfect action experience
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is among the best fighting games ever made.
A richly satisfying and wonderfully executed masterpiece.
The Warhammer universe blends with the tactical gameplay of Total War to create one the best real-time strategy games ever.
Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak is a prequel to the famed Homeworld Strategy series. It follows its inspirations closely, but adds its own touches to create something new and wonderful.
Offworld Trading Company trades nukes and armies for stocks and commodities--without losing any of the thrill.
Torment: Tides of Numenera is a fascinating old-school RPG that doubles down on the concept of role-playing.
Building upon the sturdy foundation laid out by XCOM 2, War of the Chosen sets a high mark for an already exceptional sci-fi strategy series.
Total War: Warhammer II is a hybrid turn-based strategy and real-time tactics game that stands among the best of both. Its emphasis on campaign pacing, fantastical battles, and complex battlefield tactics easily positions itself as an all-time great.
Frostpunk is a brutal city-survival sim that thrives on forcing you to make tough choices in harrowing scenarios.
Dead Cells is an incredibly satisfying mishmash of genres that's more than the sum of its parts.
A brilliant, addictive downloadable that is designed to target and trigger the happiness center of your brain.
Fe is a fantastically gorgeous game that invites you to get lost and discover life.
Persona 5 Royal makes the jump to PC, and delivers the same thrilling gameplay and touching moments as its original release, but now with a new mode, fresh characters, additional music, and all previous DLC.
As someone that simply waits and arranges the location of towers, I felt as if I was incidental. Any other character in the game could just as easily have replaced me, and the plot would remain largely the same. Still, there's something special about waiting. About that patience. As I saw wave after wave of alien soldiers ground to shreds by my turrets, I was sad. I wasn't out for blood. I wasn't revelling in the destruction of my enemies. I was defending myself. I was waiting.
Cloudbuilt succeeds remarkably in proving that how a game feels and what you do within it can tell stories all on their own. The monologues contextualise the gameplay, and knowing that Demi is pushing through her own recovery maps cleanly onto the difficult jumps, complicated wall-runs and well-placed shots. Cloudbuilt is a game in which you'll die a lot, and that's not an accident. Demi's progress is slow and painful. Yours will be too, but that in itself carries meaning. Sometimes the quiet, narrow victories are the most meaningful.
If you'd like to pick up just one of the new factions, that'll only run you 10 pounds, and with that you can start playing one of the best World War 2 strategy games ever made... alongside its near-perfect predecessor, of course.
Apotheon builds a wonderfully modern game upon classic Greek tragedy.