Azfar Rayan's Reviews
Gears of War: E-Day doesn't completely reinvent the series, and it doesn't need to. Its biggest changes come from movement, encounter design, customization, and the decision to focus the campaign around a single city and a short period of time. Those changes work because they strengthen the parts of Gears that already mattered.
Minecraft Dungeons II ultimately feels like a much stronger foundation than a finished long-term ARPG. The sequel takes the original's straightforward formula and gives you a larger world, more customization, a new dimension, additional activities, and more ways to approach combat. At the same time, it leaves much of that potential sitting unused once the story is over.
EA Sports FC 27 doesn't completely rebuild the series. Instead, it takes the existing formula and makes several adjustments that gradually become more noticeable the longer you play. For a yearly football game, that may not sound dramatic, but these changes can make a difference once you're controlling the players rather than reading about the features.
Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave is an ambitious strategy RPG packed with memorable characters, deep combat, and time-management systems. Its enormous scope can lead to pacing and grind issues, but there is plenty to keep you invested.
Marvel's Wolverine delivers brutal combat, a strong emotional story, excellent performances, and memorable set pieces. Some stealth and enemy variety issues hold it back, but it is still one of Wolverine's best games.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword is a superb samurai action game with exceptional combat, memorable bosses, strong characters, and a striking horror tone.
Elden Ring Tarnished Edition brings the complete Lands Between experience to Switch 2 with solid performance and portable convenience. The price and a few technical compromises hurt, but the core game remains exceptional.
Darkest Dungeon: The Fire's Edge is a small but worthwhile expansion that adds two excellent heroes and new tactical depth without disturbing Darkest Dungeon's brutal formula.
Mortal Shell II may not deliver the unforgettable bosses, intricate storytelling, or constantly surprising world design of the genre's best games, but it does not need to. Its combat, character building, atmosphere, and approachable design give it enough of an identity to stand on its own.
The Sinking City 2 is ultimately a bold genre shift that mostly pays off. It retains much of the detective-heavy structure of its predecessor without completely abandoning the investigative identity that helped define the series.
Sovereign Tower is a game built around genuinely interesting ideas, a time-rewind system with real narrative teeth, a cast of knights who feel individually crafted, and a setting that has more to say about power and rulership than it initially lets on.
Beast of Reincarnation delivers rewarding, parry-focused combat and a genuinely likable partnership between Emma and Koo. Repetitive enemies and pacing issues hold it back, but there's real ambition and craft on display.
DIVE or DIE – Children of Rain nails the loneliness of its flooded world with remarkable confidence on a visual level. Sunken buildings, abandoned infrastructure and dimly lit ruins quietly tell the tale of a civilization that disappeared long before the player arrived. The destruction feels real because the places you’re destroying feel real, like they were once the sites of normal lives.
DOOM: The Dark Ages - Revelations doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, and doesn’t need to. Instead, it confidently builds on what worked, adding better exploration, meaningful progression, challenging PvE encounters, and a story that gives the Slayer’s journey more weight than you might expect. The result is a substantial expansion that feels substantial from beginning to end.
Stonemachia works despite these issues because it's ambitious. It's a game that feels like it was made with a clear artistic vision in mind, not just following a list of trends in the genre. There's a lot to like about this game for people who like exciting action RPGs with moody settings.
LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight feels like a return to form for TT Games in many ways. It follows Arkham's lead, pulls in decades of Batman history, and slathers it all in the well-trodden LEGO formula that values accessibility and charm.
MotoGP 26 launches at a standard AAA racing game price point, putting it in direct competition with other annual sports and motorsport titles. At that price, expectations naturally shift toward noticeable innovation or significant feature additions. That’s where MotoGP 26 becomes a harder recommendation for returning players.
Aether & Iron isn't trying to be all things to all people. It's a slower, more thoughtful game that depends a lot on its story and systems. That strategy won't work for all players, especially those who want action all the time or rewards right away.
Crimson Desert is one of the most interestingly different games one would have played in a long time. There are times when it's grand without always being graceful, kind without always being thoughtful, and so full that respect and tiredness start to go together. The game sometimes feels like an exciting next step for fantasy action games.
MLB The Show 26 is a clear step forward for players who care most about gameplay. The Road to the Show mode offers a more in-depth, immersive career experience. The Diamond Dynasty mode lets you compete against other players, and the Franchise mode gives you a detailed strategic sandbox for long-term management. The game is well-made and meets the high standards we've come to expect from the series. It gives you a real baseball experience, all in all.