End of Abyss has you tensely exploring a mysterious underground complex one minute, then wearily jogging over well-worn ground the next. At its best, it's a ferociously atmospheric and gripping survival horror; at its worst, an exercise in frustration that burns away all tension.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword reaches in a few too many directions in terms of storytelling and gameplay, and the edges of its identity blur as a result. Nonetheless, a responsive and rewarding combat system and an occasional sense of humor will carry you happily to the end.
The game surfs on waves of philosophy and existential questions.
If you've had a hankering for a solo twist on the loot shooter genre, you'll love this, as it does that extremely well. A successful non-PvP outing for the series, Splatoon Raiders has room for improvement, but nonetheless offers a fun adventure that's not quite like anything else.
She can resurrect you on the spot as many times as you like. For a price, that is.
Combat never really gets past 'OK', but excellent writing allows the experience to soar. It's a relievingly reasonable length, too; I finished the story in about nine hours with some extra stuff still to mop up (though the shine comes off a little when the busywork doesn't have the script to back it up). This is a beautiful gaming cake that I'd encourage you to devour – and I'm sure Kabi would be happy for you to pop in the kitchen and lick the spoon.
Jumps from silly to cynical to satirical to surprising.
The final hour or so is actually quite good.
Nioh 3 is tough – brutally tough – but it has a unique sense of accessibility.
There's a wonderful creepiness to the robots. They're superbly designed.
It's impossible to hate a game that offers experiences like these.
The dark side of humanity drives the entire experience.
Splitgate 2 is free, it has high production values, and there's a lot of fun to be had with it. All that considered, it's definitely worth your time. Nonetheless, it's incredibly frustrating to know that it isn't as good as it could have been, and by spending more time looking back, the team could have taken the Splitgate name several leaps forward.
Rainbow Six Siege now finds itself in the best position it's ever been in for player onboarding.
The experience is usually pretty smooth as a result, but that also means challenge is kept to a minimum. It's an experience with very few highs, but also almost no lows, and as such is perfect for playing with a young relative – or, if you prefer, to play as a relaxing low-stakes adventure by yourself.
"'It's up to you' is the philosophy at the heart of Atomfall"
A case of evolution rather than revolution, Sniper Elite: Resistance uses what came before to create something that's familiar, but consistently fun and occasionally tense. Plentiful collectibles and unlocks throughout the campaign, and a fantastic invasion mode, ensure this will last long past the final mission.
Despite a few lurches here and there and some so-so exploration, Mario & Luigi Brothership offers an enjoyable voyage with smooth sailing, and a punderful script that brings the laughs. It has a new developer and an extra dimension, but the same dedication to humor and brotherly love.
With the best Call of Duty campaign in years, and a tweaked movement system that comes to life in multiplayer, Black Ops 6 is both a return to form and a great entry point for new or lapsed players. Just don't expect it to do anything interesting with the Gulf War setting.
Ghostrunner deserved a sequel; specifically, a sequel better than this one.