Lauren Bergin
Despite its confusing fast travel system and misbehaving yo-yo, Animal Well is a bizarre yet brilliant neon-bathed adventure, characterized by tricky puzzles, intense platforming, and a host of cute animals - almost all of which are out to kill you.
Ghostrunner 2 improves upon everything that made its predecessor great. Framed by a stunning, neon-bathed city with a soundtrack that's to die for, One More Level's latest is a high-octane parkour adventure that you really don't want to miss.
While at first glance Lies of P might seem like 'Bloodborne at home,' Round8 Studio's clockwork adventure writes its own unique story, filled to bursting with expansive Steampunk environments and defined by its well-balanced combat. In some cases, though, it gets a little too clever for its own good, tying itself up in opaque systems.
Where life finds a way, Exoprimal has lost its purpose. Defined by boring combat and a lack of innovation, I'm left feeling like that Brachiosaurus in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom – hopeless and yearning for more.
Diablo 4 embodies the essence of what makes Diablo so great, taking the best elements of its predecessors and sewing them together to create an ever-changing, ever-evolving chimera that we can't wait to play for years to come.
While I’m only in the opening stages of my journey, I’m already intrigued by what’s going on in the Dragon Isles. Following the death of one of my favourite characters thus far – no spoilers, don’t worry – I’ve made my way into Alexstrasza’s inner sanctum, and it’s absolutely stunning (as is she, but that’s a side note). An earthquake has just shaken the entirety of the Waking Shores, and our adventurers are off to investigate just what mischief these Primal pains-du-derrière have cooked up now. Check back here soon for a fuller verdict on the expansion as I progress through the story and experiment more with the new features.
A Plague Tale Requiem is much the same as Innocence in terms of gameplay, but its character development and blood-soaked universe make it an absolute pleasure to play.
While Overwatch 2 adds a host of heroes and features to Blizzard's iconic FPS game, its PvP feels more like a simple content update than a full blown sequel.
Trust me when I say I really want to love Diablo Immortal more than this, but morally I struggle to recommend this game. Suffocated by microtransactions that bleed players dry, the latest chapter in the Diablo saga feels like a pay-to-win gacha game that’s meant to tide us over until Diablo 4. While longtime fans of the franchise will be lured in by the story and spectacular universe, the cost of saving Sanctuary is simply too much to pay (as we’re sure your accountant will confirm). I walk away from Immortal disappointed and angry, hoping and praying to the High Heavens that Blizzard do something to bring it back from the brink.
Card Shark est vraiment magnifique, transforming the regimented style of the digital card games into something truly magical. Quirky, daring, and beautifully crafted, Nerial has created a one-of-a-kind masterpiece that would draw the ire of the Mona Lisa herself. While we likely won’t see it in The Louvre anytime soon, this game is an absolute steal and is perfect for whiling away the hours in true period drama style – just don’t get too cocky, after all — history taught us how that’ll end.
I truly wanted to love this game, and beneath the muddled surface lies the bare bones of an awesome detective RPG just begging to be let loose. Unfortunately, it looks like that skeleton will remain in the closet. Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong is plagued by more than just the undead: its systems aren’t fun, puzzles are irritating, and the lack of depth seals the deal. I want to learn more about our protagonists, I want the story to be Criminal Minds but with vampires, however, it simply isn’t. Having waited so long for VTM to return triumphantly, Swansong is quite the letdown. For avid fans it’s a must, but if you’ve been brought here by Bloodhunt we’d suggest just sticking to that.