Nightdive has, once again, to no one’s shock, delivered another stellar remastering effort. Whilst The Thing is far from being considered a perfect game (for some, even a straightforward “good” game), or even something I would have personally chosen to get the remaster treatment, it’s still a solid title that did its best to recapture the essence of the movie. If anything, I am glad that Nightdive went the extra mile to remaster something that wasn’t exactly good, but surely needed to become widely available once again; it felt like finally being able to experience a forgotten piece of video game history.
As a whole, Threshold is a delightfully bizarre and engaging little game, but the odd pacing and structure might not be to everyone’s liking. The core main gameplay loop borders on tedious, and there’s a frustrating amount of bugs, however, it’s getting to the bottom of that mystery that makes it an utterly engaging experience. If you’re looking for weirdness, you should give this one a go.
A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead is a better game than I expected. It’s good, but it could have honestly been a lot better, even great. The developers have, for the most part, successfully managed to translate the movie’s unique and engaging premise into game form. However, uneven level design and repetitive gameplay holds it back from being truly great. I hope we get more from A Quiet Place, as there’s so much untapped potential in bringing it to gaming form, but this is a solid enough first effort.
Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is a very interesting remaster, keeping the same core gameplay whilst deploying vastly better tech that allows a much greater level of detail. It’s not perfect, and I would have liked to see a few more changes to Franks’s adventure, but as the title suggests, this is still nothing more than a remaster, with not that huge of a budget. Regardless, this is a great addition to the series, and perfect for newcomers. Hopefully, this leads to some bigger Dead Rising projects at some point.
When I mentioned that Mouthwashing may be one of the weirdest things I’ve played in a while, I definitely did not meant it in a bad way. Its bizarrely unique structure pushes what would have otherwise been a bog standard horror title to a next level of unsettling. The plot is wild, the scares are effective, and the weird presentation just kept me on edge. It’s not perfect by any means, with the gameplay feeling bland and some attempts to mix things up falling flat, but I had a pretty good time with it.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is one of the best games I’ve played in the past few years. A game that calls back to the glory days of Xbox 360 gaming, being nothing more than just an absolute blast to play. Even if it is a little light on content, its core gameplay loop was addicting enough to keep me busy for many hours, never making me ever hope to reach its very end. This is straight-up a must-play and an easy Game of the Year contender. Praise the Omnissiah!
I wanted to like Hollowbody more than I did. It’s a game clearly made with a lot of passion for the likes of Silent Hill and Resident Evil. A classic-style survival horror. There’s a fair bit to like, however lacklustre encounter design and a disappointing final boss let down some excellent world-building and a really tense atmosphere that lasts throughout the whole game.
Despite the red flags, I was actually rooting for Concord. It could have been a fun new hero shooter, but it just feels lifeless and soulless. It plays well enough but there isn’t anything in here that would keep you busy for long stretches. It’s a shame as there is a solid enough core.
Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail had a lot to live up to following the excellent legacy left behind by Shadowbringers and Endwalker. It doesn’t always hit the mark with incredibly slow opening hours and odd choices that permeate the entire expansion but there’s a lot to like about it as well. The battle content, soundtrack, and some impactful moments all come together to help push up an otherwise struggling expansion and this makes it a mostly excellent addition.
MudRunner VR sees a fairly successful conversion to the VR space. The Meta/Oculus Quest 2 hardware is really starting to show its age, though. It’s incapable of larger scale maps or high fidelity visuals. What MudRunner VR does exceptionally well is recapture the core into a more bite-sized look into the MudRunner gameplay. Hopefully, this is the stepping stone to a more feature-rich VR title.
Destiny 2: The Final Shape sticks the landing on a rocky saga. Just as all hope was lost with the disastrous Lightfall expansion, Bungie somehow turned it around. A heartfelt and epic story that brings a ten-year narrative to its conclusion. It’s not perfect and it certainly falls into the trappings that have plagued the franchise since it first released in 2014, but it is a good time.
V Rising is not only an exceptional survival game but a great ARPG as well. With great combat, boss design mixed in with a healthy dose of well-balanced and meaningful survival crafting systems that make progression fun. This makes for a uniquely engaging experience that lets you live out the ultimate vampire fantasy.
Heading Out combines genres and styles which might sound incompatible at first glance, but did so in a very interesting manner, resulting in a truly unique roguelike experience. I, for one, really liked the presentation as well, with its slick visuals and soundtrack. It’s not entirely perfect, as the driving could have been more polished, and the pop-in glitches really took me out of the experience at times. That being said, it’s a game unlike any other out there, which wlll definitely keep you engaged through a good few runs.
It does have a lot of issues, but Outcast: A New Beginning also features its fair share of saving graces. It is flawed, but a somewhat good time in smaller bursts. It’s a shame its open world design felt generic, never succeeding at captivating me, because the core combat mechanics and admittedly great visual design did a lot of heavy lifting. It’s an unapologetic old-school game in its premise and content; it doesn’t try to be anything else, nor does it try to punch above its weight. Whether you think this is commendable or not is up to your opinion.
Alone in the Dark had the potential to be a truly great game; I was really rooting for it. All the ingredients are present for a great cosmic horror story with interesting characters and a horror environment that could have been one of the best in years. If that’s all you want, then I would recommend picking this up on sale. However, the lacklustre gameplay, bugs, and weak horror segments bring this experience down. Maybe this franchise should be left Alone in the Dark.
Despite some issues, Ereban Shadow Legacy is an entertaining stealth experience that takes a novel concept and pushes it throughout the entire game. Sneaking around in the shadows is always a good time for stealth fans, and this one will certainly satisfy that itch.
Children of the Sun is a truly unique game worth experiencing that had me hooked for its entire runtime. An engaging puzzle-centric design mixed with an addictive gameplay loop and extremely high replay value. If you are looking for something a little bit weird, then this is the game for you.
Buckshot Roulette is a very short experience, but one that is worth trying out. A uniquely interesting premise that will keep you busy for a couple of hours. Hopefully the developer can expand on this some more, as there is potential for expansion here.
If it wasn’t clear already, Shines Over: The Damned is a really bad game, which isn’t worth your money or your time, even if it lasts just half an hour. It’s a short, but definitely not sweet experience, completely lacking in scares, story, atmosphere, or neat ideas. To make matters worse, it costs way too much for something so short. The easy platinum trophy you can get from it is not worth the pricetag. At its worst, it was a frustrating gameplay experience. At its best, it was an experimental snorefest.
To put it plainly, Helldivers 2 is one of the best cooperative games in recent years. An uncomprisingly fun shooter, which may even stand up with the titans like Left 4 Dead 2, Monster Hunter World and Halo Master Chief Collection. Games like these, as well as Helldivers 2, are the ones I have spent hundreds of hours in, and will most likely continue to play for years to come. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to spread some managed democracy. Freedom don’t come free!