Paul Hunter's Reviews
As a first effort for Pulsatrix Studios, FOBIA St. Dinfna Hotel is commendable. The hotel has exquisite level design and the numerous puzzles kept me interested and engaged over the campaign. I also love the camera alternate reality mechanic, it's a neat twist on a familiar concept. Combat needs improvement, as does the voice acting, but overall FOBIA is an easy recommend for fans of classic Resident Evil or Silent Hill.
Mario Strikers: Battle League is the perfect multiplayer sports game to get your family's adrenaline pumping. It's the best Strikers entry to date with its exceptional graphics, smooth animations and numerous gameplay enhancements. If you like arcade sports action, you'll get a hyper *kick* out of Nintendo's latest Strikers game.
MADiSON starts out strong with pristine graphics, scary audio, an intriguing story, great level design and interesting puzzles. It's a shame then that the latter half unravels to a degree as you recognize that the creaks and shrieks are a harmless audio loop, a few puzzles become obtuse and the narrative gets messy with poorly explained demons. Overall, I did enjoy the game though, perhaps because it so closely scratched that P.T. itch.
Little Noah is the kind of surprise you always hope for. I had no idea what to expect going into this but it's ended up being one of the best roguelikes I've played in years. The gameplay is simply wonderful and the adorable graphics are a nice change of pace. I do question the game's longevity as there's not a whole lot of endgame content, so I am hoping for DLC or new modes down the road.
Stray is simply divine. It's indie games like this that can rival the quality and sheer joy of playing of AAA games ten times the budget. The game is everything I had hoped for and then some. In the future whenever I'm thinking back to my 2022 gaming year, Stray is going to stand out as one of the year's highest quality games.
In my family, DC League of Super-Pets: The Adventures of Krypto and Ace is a tale of two gamers. For me, I thought the game offered decent fun, the type of game I'd play and platinum over the weekend and likely not touch again. But my child's experience was much better, he's totally into the game and had incredible fun playing it.
Captain Velvet Meteor: The Jump+ Dimensions is a fun and innovative tactical adventure that introduces some cool mechanics to the genre. Any fan of Jump+ manga will love this game, as will younger players or seasoned veterans looking to flex their tactical skills in low-pressure combat missions.
Every aspect of Spider-Man Remastered is a masterclass in game design from the edge-of-your-seat story to the fluid gameplay to the eye-popping ray-traced graphics to the near-endless accessibility options. The game gets a perfect score from me because really, what more could a Spider-Man fan ask for?
Cult of the Lamb is a naughty and evil game that had me laughing and enjoying myself the whole way through. If you've ever dreamed of creating your own personal animal cult where it's perfectly fine to brainwash, cannibalize and unnaturally resurrect your followers—this is the game for you.
Once you get into that Rollerdrome zen state it's hard to pull yourself away. Easily one of the best indie games of the year and a must-play for PlayStation and PC fans alike.
I had a great time with Thymesia, from it's Bloodborne-inspired atmosphere to it's buttery-smooth gameplay. I only wish the game was longer—its three worlds can be completed in about 6-8 hours. At its budget price though, it's certainly worth the cost of admission.
Destroy All Humans! 2 - Reprobed is a saucy game full of foul-mouthed characters and silly antics. Fans of the original, which I'm definitely one of, will love this new remake that totally revamps the graphics while retaining the classic gameplay. It's too bad the game is so bug-ridden though as those moments stunk of serious Ark-doo-doo. Still, with probing this fun, I was easily compelled to see this invasive operation all the way through.
The Last of Us is arguably the best video game ever created, and this PS5 remake is better in every single way. So if the original game was a groundbreaking 10/10 experience, there's absolutely no way this game could be scored worse. Naughty Dog is in a league of its own, and this remake just reaffirms that.
Much like how Psychonauts 2 had quality rivalling the biggest and best AAA games of the year, Tinykin is one of the standout games of 2022. Pikmin fans will adore this game, as will fans of classic 3D platformers like Super Mario 64 or Spyro the Dragon.
NeverAwake kept me awake long hours as I felt compelled to binge-play the more than 80 levels in the game. The luscious graphics and innovative level-looping gameplay instantly hooked me and separates it from the crowed shoot 'em up genre. The best surprise, though, was the thoughtful story that tackles tough topics with sensitivity and elegance.
Alfred Hitchcock – Vertigo is a fantastic narrative adventure worthy of the Hitchcock license. Pendulo Studios has created a chilling thriller layered with captivating themes told through characters oozing with personality. If you're looking for a story-focused title that'll keep your attention from the beginning straight through to the shocking finale, this is the game for you.
Scorn frustrated the heck out of me at times, but the world and art style are so darn interesting I just had to push myself forward. And while it was tough at times, I'm glad I made it all the way through. This is a very unique experience offering disturbing-yet-breathtaking visuals and a story that will make you think during and long after it's over.
While I wasn't too thrilled about the Court of Owls storyline, thankfully the villain subcases featuring Harley Quinn, Mr. Freeze and Clayface are top-notch. Batman fans shouldn't hesitate to grab this game and step into the knight.
Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed delivers on its promise of fulfilling your ultimate Buster ghost-zapping fantasy.
Resident Evil Village Winters’ Expansion is a great add-on with its new third-person mode and new story campaign, but I thought The Mercenaries Additional Orders was the best new content. If you enjoyed RE Village, I'm convinced you'll be lycan this DLC expansion.