Elden Ring is a game that has denounced the ‘normal’ way of doing things. The players hand is not held and is guided by one thing and one thing only… Mystery. While the game has a few quality of life issues with some minor performance complaints, the game is still stellar. It is a game that everyone should play.
God of War Ragnarök is magnificent. A true sequel that surpasses almost everything that the previous game had and more. It's grand story does not sacrifice any form of character development or subtlety and in fact somehow manages to enhance it. The fast and frenetic combat leaves you wanting more and every boss fight main story or otherwise leaves you on the edge of your seat.
Slime Rancher 2 is a stunning game. The visuals are incredible, the gameplay is fun and addictive and the world is fun to explore. It is the epitome of what a sequel should be, an improvement upon the predecessor with few drawbacks. Though the game suffers some frame rate drops and the 'combat' could be tweaked to be more creative. Slime Rancher 2 remains a fantastic game.
Pentiment is a slow and methodical title that encourages patience and a lot of thinking. The dialogue throughout the game is stellar and serves a long and intriguing plot that chronicles the period of 25 years. The game has an astounding attention to detail with its gorgeous art style, combined with exceptional UI and a cast of interesting and wonderful characters and Pentiment is a game that will be played repeatedly in the years to come.
This War of Mine: Final Cut is an incredible, heart-wrenching, terrifyingly real view into what war is really like. While its gameplay may sometimes be clunky and slow, the game still manages to capture your attention with atmosphere and purpose as you slowly gather supplies and materials in these emerging stories that will stick with you for a very long time.
Squad 51 vs. The Flying Saucers is a brilliant game. With tight fun combat, combined with that incredible 50's style makes it a title that is incredibly unique and fun in the medium. While the black and white image can sometimes detract from gameplay, it still manages to be an amazing experience.
Knights of Honour II: Sovereign is a difficult but rewarding game. A sequel nearly 20 years in the making that creates an intricate gameplay loop, improved with well-made interconnected systems all well tied together with fantastic UI and great sound design to create a full and unique RTS experience.
Crusader Kings III on consoles is, while cumbersome, a fun and dramatic journey through the world of medieval politics. Schemes and plots, wars, and diplomacy all coalesce to create a wonderful experience that is incomparable to other grand strategy games.
The Pale Beyond is a fantastic game. From the intense and methodical gameplay, stunning art style, and fantastic characters. Everything about this game is meticulous and shows in every aspect of the title. The gameplay can become repetitive, especially during longer playing sessions, but the depth of the characters and the marvelous atmosphere that this title manages to conjure seems to grip you as you attempt to survive the horrifying cold of the arctic.
Children of Silentown is a fantastic game that conjures imagery of a Tim Burton-esque world. The gorgeous visuals combined with the slow and methodical gameplay create a tight gameplay loop. These facets, interweaved with the fascinating narrative lead to a full experience. Though the slow pace and difficult puzzles may hold some players back, the title rewards players for persistence with an entertaining and intriguing title.
Swordship is a fun and interesting arcade title that flips the genre on its head. Its high intensity dodge ‘em and puzzle-style action creates a fun gameplay loop. The addition of upgrades and difficulty changes adds to the title’s replayability and while the game is somewhat difficult and lacking in accessibility features, the game still manages to be an exceptional example of arcade-like brilliance.
Windjammers 2 is a fast-paced arcade game somewhat held down by its slower-paced mini-games and exploitable character stats. But the gameplay stands tall, so the game is still an incredible thrill ride.
The Dominion Biosyn expansion for Jurassic World Evolution 2 adds a wealth of new content to the game. While the story may be poor, with poor dialogue. The wealth of content surrounding it adds too much to the game, from amazing visuals, great new dinosaurs as well as some new mechanics to keep the game fresh and beyond this, the chaos theory mode serves as a nice escape from the slow-paced base game and throws you into a more chaotic mix.
Planet Zoo: Twilight Pack is not the best nor worst pack released for this game. It manages to have the best construction pieces of the last three packs, whilst having some pretty good animals. The Fruit Bat in particular is one animal that could have earth shattering ramifications for the next DLC Pack.
Tortuga - A Pirate's Tale is a good game. While the combat can be frustrating and difficult to deal with at times, it can still be rewarding and the methodical process does reward ingenuitive and tactical thinking. The controls are a bit clunky which can spoil the experience, but the strong audio and the general atmosphere of the game are so well crafted that you will feel hours drift by as you sail the seas.
Medieval Dynasty is an interesting game with almost too much content. While not all of that content is exemplary, the game is still riddled with purpose filled chores and community management that makes this game stand out amongst its survival counterparts.
SpellForce: Conquest of Eo is a superbly average game. The combat is standard turn-based at best and, in some cases, can borderline be painful and tedious. The narrative has some interesting moments, and the unique RPG aspects make the game far more engaging, especially in those non-combat moments. It's a game that does not reinvent anything, and in fact, the biggest sin of this title is the sin of 'safety'.
Battle Cry of Freedom is an immersive simulator more than a shooter. Though it is marred by odd design decisions and Performance issues, the game still resides as a game that can be truly engaging for players willing to step into the past.
Sheltered 2 is exactly what it needed to be. A substantial improvement on its previous iteration. While it still retains some of its clunky whether it be gameplay or dialogue. It does also possess those gems of fun when you win a fight or craft something that makes your life way easier and slowly fleshes out this imaginary world that your characters are inhabiting.
Samurai Riot: Definitive Edition is a fun arcade-like title with a lot of replay value. The combat is fun and fast-paced, this in conjunction with the major differences between the characters lends itself well to a fun and energetic title. The story may be poor and the branching choices while a bold choice falls flat, the game still remains to be a wholly fun experience.