Some may call it woke, but Assassin’s Creed Shadows has turned out to be slightly better than you’d expect. While the gameplay remains engaging despite some repetition and technical hiccups, the story is passable with sluggish pacing and mixed voice-acting. Long-time fans will enjoy the experience, but it may not win over sceptics of the franchise.
A triumphant blend of co-op gameplay, diverse genres and solid storytelling; Split Fiction makes every moment fresh and exciting. With its tight pacing, addictive mechanics and generous online/couch co-op features, Hazelight Studios has easily delivered their strongest title yet. If you've never played a game from this developer before, now is a better time than ever.
This reboot of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? has failed to modernize its lauded 80s formula, offering only a repetitive and shallow experience that leans too heavily on nostalgia without enough depth or innovation.
It may not be the best one yet, but that doesn’t mean Monster Hunter Wilds isn’t awesome! This new release balances accessibility with deep endgame challenges, featuring smoother gameplay, quality-of-life upgrades and a more engaging than usual story, even if veterans may find it less taxing than previous entries.
Avowed delivers satisfying combat, engaging exploration and fun weapon-switching combinations, making it an enjoyable action RPG despite its generic story, weak soundtrack and frustrating technical issues. Whether this is Obsidian’s greatest is debatable, but its strong side content and Game Pass availability make it at least worth a playthrough.
Dynasty Warriors: Origins is the most refined entry in the series, blending hyper-musou gameplay with strong strategic depth and a solid 60 FPS on PlayStation 5. While the story and lack of multiplayer hold it back from legendary status, the game shines with its impressive fighting mechanics and exhilarating grand-scale battles.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle blends stealth, satisfying combat and classic adventure puzzles in a globe-trotting, action-packed journey. While its AI and stealth mechanics occasionally falter, the game excels in capturing the magic of the films, delivering top-tier voice acting, engaging side quests and a well-optimized PC experience.
From fast-paced, tricky time trials to relaxing photography sessions that are more chill than yoga, this simulator is an aviation fan’s wet dream… Well, when it wants to work, that is. Not only have people had issues simply reaching the main menu after installing the game, but it takes a good 2-3 minutes to start flying on PC every single time; even longer if your internet's as fast as a sleepy koala.
While the graphical enhancements, quicker load times and bundled Frozen Wilds DLC make for a strong package, they don’t exactly justify the Horizon Zero Dawn Remaster, given how polished the original 2017 release already was. However, through all the repetitiveness of its open-world structure and exposition-heavy dialogue, this game certainly has its moments of magnificence.
Ys X: Nordics introduces an interesting combat system with Duo Mode, but it quickly becomes repetitive due to limited party dynamics and a lack of damage type mechanics. While the exploration and improved graphics are highlights, the slow-paced story, Saturday morning cartoon villains and so-so gameplay make the experience fall short of expectations, especially when compared to previous entries in the series.
Bloober Team have triumphantly maintained the essence of Silent Hill 2, all while adapting its gameplay and graphics for today’s audience. With its expanded exploration, tense combat, great puzzles, gripping story, music and atmosphere, this remake has fully realised the original’s true potential.
Despite FC 25 introducing a host of few new features, it still mostly feels like a retread of last year’s entry. That being said, the gameplay remains incredibly solid both online and off, with added realism to make passing and shielding truer to real life. Albeit, you will occasionally stumble upon issues like erratic goalkeeper behaviour and glitching/crashing on PC.
Even with the help of three Square Enix vets, Reynatis has regrettably fallen short. Its dated PS2-like graphics, copy-paste environments, blatantly reused boss fights and annoying mechanics inevitably damper this 12-hour action RPG. While Shibuya looks lovely, the combat is flash and the narrative about wizards overcoming oppression is intriguing, the gameplay, story and certain characters could’ve been fleshed out further. The drama does have its moments and the Japanese voice-acting is high quality, it’s just a shame that the experience leaves much to be desired.
The Plucky Squire features a beautifully charming aesthetic, blending a children’s storybook style with inventive, varied gameplay inspired by Zelda: A Link Between Worlds.
Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions has bolted down the formula with an exciting game of broomstick ball, featuring a diverse cast of Harry Potter characters, various positions to play, and simple-to-pick-up, hard-to-master controls. However, it severely lacks major gameplay modes and a dedicated story, while also suffering from highly repetitive commentary and a required internet connection just to start the game. Blimey!
Age of Mythology Retold is an awesome remake of a classic RTS, staying true to its roots with a bunch of modern enhancements
Concord's story isn’t particularly intriguing, the characters aren’t memorable, half of the game modes don’t exactly fit and the progression is lacking at best. Does this sound like a live-service that has staying power? Probably not.
Hellblade II is an unequivocally bland game, with repetitive combat and puzzles that lack any overarching sense of excitement.
Being a homage to the classic Suikoden series, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes contains a PS1-like nostalgic appeal, a decent story and varied dungeon designs throughout. However, it’s held back by tedious recruitment processes, lacklustre battle systems and pacing issues that drag down the potential level of enjoyment.
While my sentiments about this title may seem overly negative, the core gameplay of TopSpin 2K25 is nothing but addictive. Seeing those timing metres land in the ‘Perfect’ zone, as you smack a winner down the line after an intense rally really gets the blood pumping. It’s practically everything else around 2K25 that stops it from being amazing. Whether it be the bland MyCAREER mode, clay-looking graphics or completely missing matchday commentary, these aspects inherently diminish the overall package.