Black Ops 6 does enough differently to stand out in the recent wave of Call of Duty games, bringing one of the best campaign and multiplayer modes in the long-running franchise. While we need to wait and see how Zombies pans out, it’s a solid entry - so much so, that I can say “Call of Duty is back”.
Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO is an excellent Dragon Ball game that delivers plenty of deliciously intense arena fights, with a great amount of content too. It feels familiar yet remarkable, but the performance issues are problems that need to be quickly rectified.
Living in the shadow of Rocksteady's Arkham series, Gotham Knights can't seem to leave a mark for even the biggest Batman fans. A wave of performance issues only makes the decent combat and terrible traversal worse, and a good story won't help it alone.
Splatoon 3 doesn't fix what isn't broken, and it remains one of the best franchises on the Nintendo Switch. While server issues and a lack of changes may bring the score slightly down, Splatoon 3 offers a huge amount of content, great core gameplay and more. I have an Inkling this may be the best Splatoon game yet.
The Capcom Fighting Collection faithfully brings some retro and classic games to a modern era, with much-needed contemporary mechanics and qualities. Capcom has crafted an incredible collection of titles here that is sure to surprise you. While it’s still unclear how the online functionality will fair once more players buy into the game, I’m happy to say the Capcom Fighting Collection lands every punch it throws.
Stray may offer a heartwarming narrative, alongside some great visuals, but it truly shines when it allows you to simply be a cat. Not only is it a fantastic game for cat and animal lovers, but it's also one of the most unique experiences in gaming yet.
Outriders: Worldslayer can be boiled down to "more Outriders". It's a highlight reel of what makes Outriders so fun, tightening the combat, gameplay and build to it's best yet. And with an exciting endgame too. But those who didn't enjoy the base game won't find anything new to love here.
DNF Duel is a beautiful, twisted, and chaotic fighting game that matches style and substance. With a blend of incredible visuals and solid gameplay, DNF Duel aims to be one of the best fighting games in the market, and if it can keep a solid playerbase, it could be a must-have for fans and newcomers alike.
Neon White is a concoction of incredible game design, beautiful visuals, a stunning soundtrack, and a great story to top it all off. Every moment I was playing Neon White put a smile on my face, and the only negative I can think of is that I've now finished the game.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredders Revenge is a testament to the Beat 'Em Up genre. If you ignore some issues that the game (and the genre) has, you'll find a turtley fun time worth picking up in an evening when you're free.
Dolmen is devoid of any soul, any passion. It feels like the product of burn-out and boredom halfway through development, as the game is pushed through the finish line.
Bloodhunt makes some refreshing changes to an overdone genre, offering a vampiric twist on a multiplayer Battle Royale that is unique and distinct. Graphically gorgeous, extremely fun to play, and with no pay-to-win makes Bloodhunt worth trying. But one bite, and you'll be playing constantly!
Postal 4: No Regerts is an attempt by developers Running with Scissors to recapture whatever magic (if you can call it that), that Postal 2 had. But it suffers from an abundance of performance issues, terrible gameplay mechanics, and poor jokes. It certainly left me with plenty of regerts.
Godfall's "Ultimate Edition" is the biggest package yet, but simply puts on a fresh coat of paint over the marks and scuffs to try and hide. There's a fun core, which is brought down by other mistakes.
Ghostwire: Tokyo is one of the freshest new IPs I've played in years. While its open-world clutter comes off as frustrating at first, the fun combat, great enemy design, palpable tension, and intriguing plot create a unique, and great, experience.
Elden Ring's very nature is a conflict of beauty and brutality. If you can face the nightmares that FromSoftware has conjured up, you'll find an engaging and riveting experience from the start to the end.
The Witch Queen is an exciting, and much needed, addition to Destiny 2. While it doesn't reinvent the wheel of Bungie's MMO experience, it gives a wonderful story while also opening up the doors to future expansions. The future of Destiny 2 is looking up, and The Witch Queen is why.
The multiplayer offering is equally broken, with the same gameplay mechanics married to a lack of variety and strategy. Its maps are varied, strategic, or fun enough to be replayed and its take on existing or new game modes for the genre are half-baked. Every fun moment CrossfireX offers is squandered by a couple of cons.
Legacy of Thieves is just in an odd place. Its arrival is clearly well-timed for Tom Holland’s cinematic iteration of the franchise but rarely offers much to either intrigued players or Uncharted fans. If you’re new to the series, you’ll likely be playing the first games through backward compatibility with the Nathan Drake Collection of remasters first and foremost, and fans are already aware of Nathan’s story. That being said, Legacy of Thieves is still a great duo of games. Both A Thief’s End and Lost Legacy are superbly written, narrative-focused, and most importantly, entertaining games which offer some of the best action and plots that PlayStation has seen throughout its history
Chivalry 2 prides itself on its chaotic, yet comedic world. It's a glorious battle cry for gaming, with its spectacularly vicious combat, amazingly detailed maps and particularly awesome performance on PlayStation 5. An early contender for Game of the Year for sure.