Machine Games' "adventure-action" game is one of the most alluring experiences on Xbox and delivers one of the best games of the year.
It’s a miracle that we’re even playing Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl right now, yet GSC Game World has crafted a world so packed with detail and excitement that you’ll yearn to explore its mysteries from the moment you step foot in The Zone. While bugs are as rampant as its mutants, Stalker 2 outshines its adversities in every way, forcing you to face its darkest moments with courage and resilience — something its developer knows all too well. If you’re looking for a challenging survival shooter to lose hundreds of hours of your life to, this is it.
Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is yet another great example of Capcom's ability to breathe new life into a dated game. While it doesn't add any significant new additions to the original content like we've seen the company do with Resident Evil, the visual and quality-of-life improvements make this a fantastic game for Dead Rising veterans and a must-play for new players. If you're yet to experience the thrill of literally mowing down zombies with a lawn mower while suited and booted with a horse mask on your noggin, now is the time to dive in.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 lives up to the precedent set by the original Space Marine for the most part, offering a storyline and co-op experience filled with gore and action brought to life with excellent visuals. It's held back by irritating AI companions and a campaign optimized for co-op, leaving an un-balanced experience for solo players. However, if you're looking for a game to live out a Space Marine fantasy, and want some co-op fun, you'll be in for a real treat.
Overall, Tekken 8 is a blast and hits all of the right notes for players of all skill levels, and with plenty of modes available, you'll be kept busy even if the endgame PvP zone isn't your cup of tea. With 32 fighters at launch and more to come, there is bound to be a favorite hidden in the roster for everyone — I've grown fond of King, Nina Williams, and Brian Fury myself — and a fairly customization suite gives you the tools to make each character your own. Without a doubt, Tekken 8 has the muscle to lead the way as my favorite fighting game to release in recent years.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is a fantastic entry into the platforming and Metroidvania genres. While it falls short in some areas, which can leave you feeling somewhat frustrated, the overall experience is a sequence of satisfaction-inducing challenges. As the first new entry into the franchise we've seen in some time, The Lost Crown is a fantastic place for Ubisoft to start, and I'd like to see more.
All-in-all, Trepang2 is a pretty darn good ride, especially if you don’t sweat the completion, and I will be recommending it to anyone who will listen for a long time to come. If you enjoy a bit of light horror and gallons of gore with your first-person shooters, it’s a perfect substitute for hardcore horror games throughout the spooky season. Trepang2 is a must-play for all fans of FPS games. Now, go forth and paint the walls red!
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is as gorgeous as it is brutal, terrifyingly unpredictable, and offers intense moments of dread as you attempt to escape the blood-stained clutches of the Slaughter Family. It's an exciting game to play on either side, and the love for the IP is apparent everywhere you look. While there are a few technical issues that can sully the experience, this is a game that any horror fan should play.
Atlas Fallen is a feast for the eyes and a sand-surfing ride filled with plenty of high-octane combat encounters.
Park Beyond offers a delightful theme park sandbox to challenge your imagination. With a vast number of attractions and the possibility to turn them into stomach-churning experiences with Impossification, Bandai Namco has built a theme park management game well worth visiting. It's held back slightly by some poor performance issues, but following some post-launch support, Park Beyond has the potential to make an impact on the genre.
Lego 2K Drive is, without a doubt, a fun, chaotic arcade racing game for anyone that's a fan of the franchise. Its open world is enjoyable to explore and there are plenty of activities to get stuck into. While the story can be a bit of a slog due to its difficulty, Lego 2K it offers an inviting entry point for children interested in racing games, mixing in a dash of humor and a sprinkle of over-the-top mini-games. There isn't anything revolutionary to be found, but it offers hours of entertainment and a good few laughs — Visual Concepts has the building blocks of an awesome new series with Lego 2K Drive.
Was Dead Island 2 worth the wait? Hell yes! The sheer carnage you can cause on the streets of LA is marvellous to witness, and with Dambuster's attention to detail, uncovering hidden caches of weapons, meeting the colourful variety of survivors around the city, and hanging with friends is a ton of fun.
Hogwarts Legacy is a magical experience that is bound to go down well with fans of the Wizarding World.
Blacktail is beautiful, from the sun-kissed rivers found in its summer-themed areas to its foreboding spider-infested caves, every inch of the world has been a pleasure to explore. While the morality system doesn't offer the impactful experience we had hoped, it's a lovely way to measure your interaction with the world, adding to the game's overarching enjoyability. Combat is fun and well-balanced but sits behind Blacktail's explorative elements as the most exciting feature on offer. It's stunning to look at, exciting to explore, and enjoyable to play... charming.
Gungrave G.O.R.E proves that keeping with a series' core elements, no matter how old, can be a positive weapon to use when bringing an older franchise back to the masses. Its arcade-style gameplay loops offer quick ten-minute bursts of explosive action that are thrilling to play out while challenging to master at higher difficulties or chasing top ranks. Iggymob has created a game that brings nostalgic PS2-era mechanics to the latest generation of consoles and Xbox Game Pass, and you should definitely check it out. Grave remains the badass hero we need in our lives.
Evil West feels like a fresh take on the typical 'Old West' settings we see, offering a satisfying combat system and enough gore to sate the appetite of the most bloodthirsty of vampires. Its dark narrative and compelling characters are both engaging, but some questionable level design choices hamper the experience a little in places. There is no doubt, though, that Evil West should be played by anyone with a love for the Western setting and occult references. In good cowboy fashion, this is a tale filled with sadness, pain, action, and perseverance through adversity, and it does a damn good job of it!
Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed brings a welcoming and whimsical approach to the asymmetrical multiplayer genre while ensuring that it remains faithful to the franchise's incredible history. Taking on the Busters as a Ghost offers you plenty of opportunities to be cheeky at every turn, just as you would expect from the creatures in Aykroyd's universe. While a couple of issues have stopped me from scoring this a little higher, I have no doubt that fans and newcomers alike will have a great time with this well-crafted gem. If you've grown a little tired of the dark and foreboding theme found in similar games, I highly recommend you pick up the phone and call the Ghostbusters now to apply as a new recruit. It's time to get busting!
Bright Memory: Infinite is a promising new entry from a small studio, with visuals and a gameplay loop that give it the opportunity to sit alongside some of the heavy hitters in the genre. While it's lacking in a few elements that could carry it through to greatness, it's also dripping with potential and could be the start of a successful franchise if FYQD-Studio polishes some of the game's foibles. All-in-all, it's a short romp through action-focused levels that's sure to offer any FPS fan a burst of fun and have them feeling like a killing machine in the process.
With a fantastic roster of stories to play through and characters to interact with, Weird West is sure to please any fan of the Old West. Its mix of fantasy and spaghetti western tropes blends beautifully to create a memorable experience that twists and turns around the believable and magical. While there are a few niggles here and there, the overall experience feels polished throughout and WolfEye's attention to detail is noticeable in all aspects.
Horror fans looking for an adrenaline rush, though, won't find anything here to sate their appetites, unfortunately, but some fairly gruesome scenes certainly lean into the psychological horror tropes, and never cheap out on the gory details.