Evil Inside is yet another failed attempt to recapture the brilliance of PT in a “full game” format, but it ends up missing the mark in every single way you could possibly imagine. This isn’t scary at all, it’s just boring, uninteresting, and most importantly, annoying, mostly due to the overabundance of loud noises and jump scares. There are much better PT-inspired horror games out there, so don’t fret with this one.
DOOM Eternal: The Ancient Gods Part 2 is a brilliantly designed expansion providing some of the most fun and fast-paced shooting action I’ve ever seen. Each of the DLC’s main missions provide plenty of variety and challenging encounters to really dig into.
Even with its blatant pacing issues, as well as the fact that this is, at the end of the day, an upscaled port of a game originally released three console generations ago, Stubbs the Zombie is still well worth checking out today. The charming story, carefree attitude and unique gameplay is something we really don’t see a lot of these days.
It’s been a surprisingly long time coming for CrossCode: A New Home, and it was definitely worth the wait. It’s an excellent excuse to dive back into the world of CrossCode with its interesting characters and phenomenal combat system. If you are fan of the base game then this DLC will give you a lot more to dig into.
It feels like this game was built purely because of the memes and to attract the streaming and YouTube crowds, just like Hello Neighbor and other tinyBuild games released in the past.
The PC release of Nioh 2 may not be perfect but it’s still well worth visiting. The locales are stunning, the combat is as great as ever and the boss fights will have you on the edge of your seat most of the time. I’ve died much more than I’d like to admit, but I’ve loved every minute of it.
The Medium is right on the edge of being a great horror game, in many ways being the closest we’ve got to a true Silent Hill successor. Returning to the classic camera angles seen years ago has been a treat, whilst the dual reality pushed the genre forward in clever ways. Sadly, uninspired puzzles and stealth encounters bogged the game down quite a notch.
Hitman 3 is an absolutely stunning ending to this trilogy, finally delivering a story that, whilst not mind-blowing, did subvert my expectations in the best of ways, all while delivering the same high quality gameplay and level design that fans have come to expect. It may not innovate on the previous titles’ core gameplay, feeling more like an expansion than a new standalone game, but it’s still worth your while, offering plenty of new content to dig into.
SYNTHETIK: Ultimate is a fun, fast-paced twin-stick shooter with a ton of gameplay variety that will keep you busy for hours. Even though the Switch version does fall behind the PC version with missing features and a few minor technical issues. It’s still a perfectly serviceable version I’d recommend if you want some chaotic single player fun.
Super Meat Boy Forever is a disappointing return to a beloved game in the ultra challenging platforming genre. Forever does manage to re-create that challenge, but the auto-run approach just feels lacklustre. You are in a lot less control over our red meaty hero and the game feels much worse for it.
Haven won’t be for everyone, but I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a relaxing experience with some charming characters. The amazing soundtrack is the icing on the cake. I was not expecting this kind of release coming from the developer of the high-octane Furi, but I’m glad that we got it nevertheless.
Godfall is this generation’s very own Ryse: Son of Rome. Beyond the beautiful graphics is a game that has no depth whatsover.
Visage isn’t just a simple a PT clone, but an evolution of that concept. Its scope is significantly bigger and it doesn’t feel like it’s just trying to copy it, as it clearly tries to implements its own ideas and become its own thing. Visage is a homage to countless survival horror games and movies that came before and it’s utterly terrifying and challenging. This is a horror game for horror fans and doesn’t hold back.
ScourgeBringer is a roguelike in an overly saturated genre and it does just enough to make it worth a look. Whilst it didn’t grab my attention for too long, it’s still a worthwhile game. The fast paced combat is smooth and easy to pick up, but difficult to master.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is a game that doesn’t innovate on the franchise’s formula, but instead focuses on refining it. Valhalla is a game worthy of your time and if you haven’t played an Assassin’s Creed game before or are looking at jumping back in then this is a perfect new entry point.
Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered does the bare minimum a remastered should do (yet some don’t). There are small but subtle visual improvements in here and the performance is excellent. It’s a blast of a game due to how well it still holds up, as the remaster itself didn’t bring new elements to the table. It’s a touch disappointing not much has been done to this game, but at the same time, it still remains near the top of my favourite Need for Speed games.
Transient had the potential to be something great, fusing a gorgeous cyberpunk setting with a Lovecraftian-inspired story. However everything else besides the world and its visuals just falls flat. The gameplay is uninspired and tedious, managing to make a relatively short game drag on for longer than it needed to.
As an adaptation of a beloved classic, Grey Skies: A War of the Worlds Story won’t do anything for anyone. As a standalone game, it still won’t do anything for anyone. The incredibly slow paced stealth sections, poor level design and insane difficulty spikes makes for a broken and frustrating gameplay experience that is simply impossible to recommend.
Ghostrunner is one of the most fun games I’ve played this year. The fast and difficult one-hit-kill gameplay is constantly thrilling, whilst a surprisingly decent story and progression system help keep things interesting. Not to mention the killer soundtrack and fantastic visuals. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got my times to beat. I won’t stop playing this one for a while.
Amnesia: Rebirth is a return to Frictional Games' breakthrough franchise. It might not be as terrifying or tense as the original game and this will surely disappoint some fans. But for me, there was enough horror mixed into the top notch storytelling to provide one of the best survival horror experiences I’ve played in years.