Darksiders: Genesis is a neat concept with a frankly bizarre execution. While the isometric viewpoint is cool during certain scenarios – namely Strife's twin-stick shooter gameplay – everything else doesn't really fit, especially the awful platforming. It's not a bad game, it's just not a very good one.
Two Point Hospital is a most excellent return from the abyss for the 'hospital simulator', one that is wholesome, colourful, incredibly creative and a joy to behold. It does tend to get a little repetitive after a while, but up until that point you're in for a real treat.
Bleeding Edge is a fun game, but one that lacks any real content and depth to keep players interested for the long-term. You'll be entertained for a few hours, for sure, but if you're looking for a multiplayer experience to invest in over the coming months, you might want to look elsewhere.
Telling Lies is almost the perfect metaphor for real-life: inane bollocks for the most part, with some really interesting things happening every so often to stop you from falling asleep.
Manifold Garden is a stunning puzzle game, one that will leave a lasting impact on you, not just for its thought-provoking puzzles, but by virtue of the fact that you're essentially playing an actual piece of art. It's bloody delightful!
Cyberpunk 2077 is an incredible but hugely flawed video game. At its core lies a deceptively deep-RPG, set in one of the most wonderous cities ever created in video games and it’s genuinely an experience I’ll never forget. It’s just a shame it’s such a bloody bugfest, though.
The third act is often the hardest, and with Hitman 3, IO Interactive has managed, somehow, to mix things up and make it feel fresh. Some will celebrate the lengthier, curated stories, but those who love Hitman for its replay value will be slightly dismayed at Hitman 3. Nonetheless, it's still a great bloody video game.
Buried beneath Lake's innumerable mundane tasks are some really cool characters and stories. It’s just a shame you have to dig deep to really reach them.
Life Is Strange: True Colors is a return to form for the franchise, which delivers a captivating story from start to finish, one that will see you go through all the emotions. Just like Alex Chen herself.
Alan Wake is a fantastic game, while Alan Wake Remastered remains just a great port. Yes, it loses something with the new shiny visuals and a few things have not withstood the test of time, but everything else is still fantastic. Especially that story!
A definite improvement over Steep, thanks to the Mass Races and the new bike discipline, but Ubisoft Annecy have still got a lot of work to do if they want to break into upper echelons of gaming. It should look to Playground Games and how they craft an elite open-world sports game if they want to reach that next-level, then maybe they too could be mentioned in the same breath as SSX Tricky. Fingers crossed, the potential is definitely there!
From racing through the cobbled streets of Guanajuato to flying off the side of La Gran Caldera, Forza Horizon 5 is a slice of sheer racing brilliance. Again.
Battlefield 2042 is DICE’s most average Battlefield yet, one that despite boasting two new modes to discover in Hazard Zone and Battlefield Portal, clearly forgot about the core of the experience. With some weird design decisions, plenty of bugs, and more crashes than a destruction derby; the future of Battlefield, this is not. It’s still fun, but we hoped for so much more.
While Halo Infinite's campaign structure is new territory for the series, and will likely divide opinion, it tells a good story, and creates moments that rank it in the top half when it comes to good Halo campaigns. Throw in a phenomenal multiplayer arena and some stellar shooter mechanics, and it's safe to say that 343 has finally put their stamp on the wonderful world of Halo.
A bit of a ham-fisted attempt at a sequel that feels more like a balance update to the original than anything else. Overwatch 2 is a lesson in how not to do a free-to-play sequel to a much-loved and established franchise. Other than that, it still plays pretty amazingly, but this is ultimately a disappointment.
A Plague Tale: Requiem is a mighty fine follow up to Innocence, and will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Sure, there’s the odd interesting design choice littered throughout and the game has the odd technical issue, but other than that, Requiem is a great way to spend a weekend.
Persona 5 Royal is easily one of the best JRPGs on Xbox, which isn’t bad for a game that originally came out in 2019! A perfect blend of real-world shenanigans, mixed with some intense dungeon-crawling sections, and put together in one of the most perfectly presented packages in video games - what’s not to love? Buy it, play it on Game Pass... just make sure you experience it.
Pentiment is an incredibly enchanting adventure game that really is like no other. It doesn’t quite have the same depth and ingenuity that Disco Elysium has, but what it lacks in depth, it more than makes up for in charm. After a slow start, this murder mystery really becomes the talk of the town.
Marvel's Midnight Suns is a strangely complex game to explain. It’s equal parts isometric turn-based RPG, social simulator, and deck-building card game. But you know what? It actually works! Sure, it’s not as tense and as gripping as Firaxis’ XCOM series, but this is a nice action-oriented offshoot.
High On Life is easily Squanch Games’ most ambitious project, but aside from the environments and the world-building which match that ambition, the first-person shooter itself is incredibly generic, and not funny enough to make up for it.