Jamie Sharp
It’s one I’m grateful I experienced knowing so little, and urge anyone else sitting on the fence to wholeheartedly embrace until the darkness and biologically fueled light sources of its world envelop you in your beautiful, if slightly chilly, new home.
The Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores DLC is phenomenal. No game has ever made me feel so good about sitting down to play every time I load it up. Most titles have lulls or pain points, but I didn’t see anything in Burning Shores that didn’t feel incredible. It’s so many things, the culmination of hundreds of hours spent in this universe across two games, the most touching moment for a beloved character alongside the introduction of another who is equally adored, and a meaningful addition to the series that expands upon the lore laid out at the end of the main title.
Tears of the Kingdom is an incredible game and an experience I’ll never forget. Going in as blind as possible and uncovering everything for myself has been amazing. Even now, I’m still finding new quests, activities, and concepts to explore that I’ve never come across in dozens of hours of play time.
I believe it will help anyone who plays it understand themselves more, especially if they feel the darkness life can throw at them has changed them somehow. It’s a beautiful game, an essential game, and the groundwork for what I hope becomes a franchise that takes those things in life some of us have been taught to bottle up and presents them front and center.
Don’t pass up the opportunity to play them.
If you like games, then The Last Of Us Remastered is for you. It doesn’t necessarily fit into any one genre, but it is a must play for anyone who has a PlayStation 4.
This is a very chilled out game. It’s also one that I can see myself playing through multiple times. There’s so much to unpack, and for the price it really is a no-brainer. Don’t waste your time with other survival games, Windbound is all you need for years.
If you’re even remotely into cyberpunk worlds, Cloudpunk is a game for you. It’s cheap, but the production value is through the roof. I would happily have paid double what this game retails for and still say it’s worth it. Don’t let the screenshots fool you. The world is massive, and the story is all-consuming.
OTXO is fast-paced and endlessly replayable. Even once you’re finished with the main story, you can hop into a harder difficulty and find yourself fighting for survival all over again. The way the game contextualizes powers, weapons, and even the cycle of multiple deaths makes for a game you won’t put down quickly and will never forget. Despite it being an amalgamation of opposing genres, it epitomizes style and makes you eager to master it so you can push further in just one more run.
Amnesia: The Bunker is a meaty package that keeps giving each time a new game starts. The world feels lived in, the horrors don’t ever let up, and no matter how much players try to farm fuel for the generator, they’ll never feel safe. It’s short enough to be finished in an evening, but I expect fans to play this game for years to come. Analyzing the way The Beast behaves, the intricacies of the randomization mechanics, and the unrelenting setting that portrays just an iota of what it must have felt like to be a soldier on the front lines.
Meet Your Maker manages to streamline the asymmetrical base building and raiding genre thanks to proficient mechanics across both shooting and Minecraft-style construction. It’s entertaining to play, whether you’re hoping in to check on how many people your base has killed and reactivate it or sitting down to raid for a few hours. You never want more because the game always gives you just that.
A calm, cozy experience you can really immerse yourself in for a few hours while shutting out the world and enjoying somewhere somewhat strange yet utterly comforting.
Sparklite is a fantastic rogue-lite adventure title that provides a nostalgia hit for 2D Zelda fans without feeling like a bad copy. The game's rich world fuses mechanics and story without it feeling obnoxious, and the cast of characters are lovable and well-rounded, with each one standing out from the crowd. By the end, players will be begging for more, even if the final road is a little bumpy with some awkward difficulty spikes. Geodia is a world no one wants to leave by the end, but it's one that's enjoyable to return to again and again.
While it makes a point of poking fun at the state of the games industry, SuperEpic is also a lot of fun to play.
I had an amazing time with In Other Waters. It's a game I'd happily play over and over just for the overall combination of colors, sounds, and exploration. The story acts as a reminder of why we should treat our oceans, and each other, with more kindness. If you're even remotely interested in marine biology, you'll never put your Switch down.
Lonely Mountains: Downhill is a fantastic game. You don't need to be into bikes, mountains, or sports to enjoy it. The simplicity of riding down a mountain trail, even when you're trying to beat your personal best time, is an oddly relaxing experience that you can zone out to wherever you're playing.
For those who enjoy the intricate process of making something that they actually get to use in a world once it’s finished, this game is a dream. There’s enough here to keep you busy for dozens, if not one hundred, hours easily.
All survival horror fans will enjoy this, and they’ll play it through a few times as well. There’s something here, underneath some of the mud, that’s reminiscent of the original horror greats.
Overall, Genshin impact is a pretty complete package. Everything has been polished to the point of perfection, and to get it for free is ridiculous. There are just a couple of caveats, but they’re minor in my book.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is a great Star Wars game that's true to the lore of the universe. As a first step for the series into the soulslike genre it feels natural, though it also offers a more hardcore game mode for those that want a real challenge.