Jordan Andow's Reviews
Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival might borrow heavily from some of the best horror games on the market, but it combines those familiar ideas into something that is still enjoyable from beginning to end. It doesn't reinvent survival horror, and some of its individual systems have absolutely been done better elsewhere, but as an adaptation of Hellraiser, it understands exactly what fans are going to want to see.
Jonathan Blow has always had a talent for making puzzle games that are much more complicated than they first appear. Order of the Sinking Star very much continues that trend, and in many ways feels like the biggest example of it yet.
Forever Ago tells a deeply human story about grief, love and the memories we carry with us, without becoming overly sentimental or constantly reminding you what emotions you are supposed to feel. At a particularly stressful point in my own life, it gave me something unexpectedly comforting, and that is an experience I am unlikely to forget anytime soon.
Ultimately, Star Wars: Galactic Racer surprised me. I expected an enjoyable Star Wars racing game, but what I got was something with far more depth, progression, and staying power than I anticipated. The roguelike campaign structure occasionally gets in the way of its surprisingly ambitious story, the similarities between tracks on individual planets can become noticeable, and some of the walking sections feel unnecessary from a gameplay perspective. None of those issues change the fact that the actual racing is exceptional.
Gears of War: E-Day is everything I wanted from a prequel and more. It finally delivers the Emergence Day story fans have waited two decades to experience, while deepening the relationship between Marcus and Dom and returning the series to the darker, horror-inspired tone of the original trilogy. With the best gameplay the franchise has ever had, incredible visuals, excellent pacing and memorable characters, E-Day isn’t just the best Gears game yet; it’s one of Xbox’s strongest exclusives in years.
Ace Combat 8 surprised me in almost every possible way. Its arcade-focused flying remains incredibly easy to pick up while providing enough depth to make mastering its aircraft and dogfights immensely satisfying.
EA Sports FC 27 delivers the best on-field gameplay the series has produced so far, with more rewarding manual defending, smarter attacking movement, and a stronger sense of control across every match.
CONTROL Resonant is a fantastic follow-up that expands on almost everything that made the original great. Dylan becomes a compelling protagonist, melee combat offers impressive depth, traversal is a joy, and Remedy’s signature weirdness is as strong as ever. Some uneven difficulty, limited enemy variety, and occasional visual clutter hold it back slightly, but this is still one of Remedy’s strongest games.
Marvel’s Wolverine proves that Insomniac understands there is far more to Logan than claws and violence. Brutal combat, an excellent Rage system, strong stealth, and outstanding performances from Liam McIntyre and Troy Baker are complemented by a surprisingly personal story that explores the humanity underneath Wolverine. Limited enemy variety and mechanically similar boss fights hold it back slightly, but they do little to diminish what is an excellent and appropriately focused Wolverine experience.
Ultimately, NBA 2K27 doesn’t completely reinvent the series, but I honestly don’t think it needed to. Visual Concepts has instead concentrated on improving the actual basketball itself, and that was exactly what I wanted from this year’s game.
The Blood of Dawnwalker is an excellent dark fantasy RPG that combines meaningful choices, a clever time-management system and satisfying combat with a world that constantly encourages another playthrough. Rebel Wolves wears its Witcher 3 influence proudly, but this is a game with a strong identity of its own.
Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy proves that this universe doesn’t need to belong exclusively to Amicia, Hugo or even the rats. There are other stories worth telling in this world, and if this is what Asobo can do with Sophia, then I genuinely hope the A Plague Tale Legacy name becomes an opportunity to explore even more of them.
Mortal Shell II is my favorite Soulslike since Elden Ring, and considering the titles that have released since then, it’s my highest recommendation that I can make. Cold Symmetry knew the assignment, and absolutely nailed it.
Beast of Reincarnation is a good action RPG with some excellent ideas, but it needed a more focused collection of systems and a stronger final act to become the exceptional experience it occasionally threatens to be.
Halo: Campaign Evolved is an incredibly faithful, visually spectacular, and technically impressive remake of Master Chief’s original adventure.
The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales is the classic Zelda alternative that players have wanted for years. It captures everything that made traditional top-down action-adventure games so special, including rewarding exploration, memorable dungeons, clever puzzles, satisfying progression, and an endless stream of secrets to discover.
Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is a brilliant remake that modernizes one of the franchise’s best entries without losing what made it special. With stronger stealth, improved mission design, stunning visuals, excellent PC performance, and an even better pirate fantasy, this is easily the definitive way to experience Edward Kenway’s adventure.
Turning World of Tanks into a hero shooter could have easily felt forced, but Wargaming has managed to create something that feels surprisingly natural once you’re actually in a match.
UFC 6 gets far more right than it gets wrong. Flow State adds meaningful depth to the roster, Time Dilation Assists makes the game more approachable without sacrificing challenge, and the presentation package is the strongest the series has ever seen. Add in an addictive Career Mode and a handful of welcome new ideas, and UFC 6 feels like the biggest step forward the franchise has taken in years.
With Forza Horizon 6, Playground Games has done what I thought was impossible and improved upon the near-perfection of the previous two Horizon games.