When everything comes together, Doom Eternal’s combat, mobility and levels combine to create one of the most satisfying gameplay loops and FPS campaigns in years. The Doom Slayer came, he sawed and he lived up to his reputation.
It's hard to remake a beloved game.
Crash Bandicoot fans have waited well over a decade for a proper follow-up that honored the legacy of Naughty Dog's classic trilogy.
Marvel's Spider-Man perfectly revitalized the Spider-Man gaming franchise back in 2018 and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales is an excellent follow-up.
Sackboy’s legacy was always tied to LittleBigPlanet and its creation tools. Media Molecule no doubt created a PlayStation icon, but he always played second fiddle to the tools. That perception is no more thanks to Sackboy: A Big Adventure. Sumo Digital has successfully excised Sackboy from the creation tools and given him his own platforming game. The game is gushing with character and charm thanks to its wide array of imaginative levels. The transition to 3D platforming has allowed for more precise and varied gameplay, providing a solid level of fun for players of all ages. As a PS5 launch title, the game delivers a colorful and detailed presentation, though it remains no slouch on PS4. The story isn’t anything special and chocked to the brim with cliches, but a solid voice cast combined with great level design will keep you playing the entire length. While playable solo, Sackboy is best when played co-op, and unfortunately at launch, co-op options are limited. As a complete experience, though, Sackboy: A Big Adventure is a fun platforming adventure that’ll leave you with a smile on your face.
Call of Duty: Black Ops lost its way post-Black Ops III. While Black Ops III and 4 were fun in their own ways, they were also a massive departure from the core Black Ops experience.
Returnal stands as Housemarque's most ambitious title yet, taking the studio away from the arcade genre and into uncharted territory.
The sole piece of new content, Episode INTERmission, provides a decent 4-5 hour adventure starring Yuffie. While INTERmission doesn’t push the overarching VII Remake narrative forward, it’s a fun slice of content that delves deeper into VII Remake’s world. Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade won’t make the wait for Final Fantasy VII Remake Part II any easier, but it does at least make its best moments look and play better than before.
Far Cry 6 finds itself sitting close to the excellent titles thanks to its strong plot, characters, world design, gameplay and presentation.
The Crysis trilogy gained fame for its presentation more than anything else, which is a shame because underneath all the high-quality textures, models and environments lurked fun shooters.
Sledgehammer Games clearly had high ambitions when approaching their third solo Call of Duty project.
Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection might not be the shiniest of Sony’s remastered treasures, but it’s a treasure nonetheless.
If you’re a fan of classic Castlevania, you’re gonna like Infernax – and it’s so refreshing to play something that isn’t a soulslike or a roguelike and instead offers a true return to the days of old.
Destiny 2: The Witch Queen is a good expansion, combining an excellent campaign and raid with a decent content offering, even though not much of it feels exactly new. Destiny 2: The Witch Queen may not be the best overall expansion in Destiny history, but this queen sure does put on a good show while it lasts.
The Last of Us Part I’s real problem is that The Last of Us Remastered exists and doesn’t provide a substantial reason to choose it over Remastered given its pricing and missing content. The Last of Us remains a timeless classic, but The Last of Us Part I isn’t quite the must-have definitive version of the title.
Avalanche Software had a mighty challenge when it came to adapting the Wizarding World into a game.
The Theatrhythm series has always been a celebration of Final Fantasy and the iconic music associated with each title.
Guerrilla Games already proved once they could deliver a compelling expansion and they have done so again.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order built a solid foundation on which to build a sequel, and Respawn Entertainment has happily obliged.
Launching a live service game in today’s environment is a risky proposition. Not only are the market leaders incredibly entrenched, but launching a brand new one without a satisfying gameplay loop, content variety and character could doom a game right out of the gate. Helldivers II bucks the trends with highly satisfying gameplay, a good variety of planets to explore and objectives to complete, unique hooks and hilarious improvised moments. Gunplay is punchy, smart and requires some thought to be effective, though it can also just be chaotic fun. Unique hooks like the Galactic War where you’re just another cog in the war effort rather than the “Chosen One” adds more stakes to every match. It’s also fun to hop into a match with friends and unleash all forms of chaos. It’s not perfect with Helldivers II unable to escape every Live Service pitfall. Progression feels unnecessarily padded with multiple currencies to juggle, the fun factor doesn’t extend to playing solo and technical issues plague the post-launch week. Still, Helldivers II delivers where it matters and leaves us excited to see what Arrowhead can bring to the game next rather than leaving us pondering if the game can be saved. Helldivers II is one galactic conflict players can happily dive into.