Stalker 2 is brutal, unforgiving, and not for the faint-hearted. While its storyline is poised for new players, its gameplay feels the opposite, providing a hardcore experience for anyone looking to dive into the Zone. Nevertheless, Stalker 2 is the kind of game that ages like a fine wine, getting better, richer, and slightly bolder as you push through its 35-hour campaign. That being said, the performance issues and missing features do leave a somewhat bitter taste.
Frostpunk 2 doubles down on all the harsh, ruthless, and disturbing choices needed to save humanity from destruction, but leaves itself vulnerable to some key pacing problems.
As much as I wanted to enjoy it, Skull and Bones feels like an underdeveloped, unpolished, and unnecessary game that was better left on the cutting room floor. With awkward quests, little incentive to explore, and far too many problematic features, it’s left us wondering how this took 11 years to release and how quickly it’ll drown in its own seas.
Thanks to chaotic battles, a variety of gameplay styles, and an epic environment, Helldivers 2 is the perfect amount of brutal satisfaction. While it may be let down by server issues and slower wait times at launch, this multiplayer shooter is a guaranteed laugh and brings with it all the enjoyable nature of just blasting a few bugs into oblivion – for democracy of course.
Despite the lackluster combat, Assassin’s Creed Mirage is a brilliant homage to those that came before, highlighting just what makes the franchise so popular. With any luck, Mirage will set a precedent for future releases, incorporating the best aspects from Assassin tales old, and new. It’s not perfect, but Assassin’s Creed Mirage is about as close as the franchise has gotten for years, hopefully highlighting a new age for the Hidden Ones’ future.
Ultimately, Wild Hearts feels like it was made for a group of hunters. Playing solo isn’t beginner friendly, and is relatively time-consuming. While the gameplay and battles are enjoyable as a whole, combining building with tactical fighting, we couldn’t help but feel like the stutters and slow pace held us back from the fast-paced experience we looked for. Nevertheless, for any Monster Fan, new or experienced, this is a fantastic addition to the genre — although it doesn’t seem to have quite garnered a podium position just yet.
Two Point Campus: Space Academy introduces a new degree of fun to its base game. The three added levels are the perfect combination of challenging, enjoyable, and unique, while additional courses add new spins on core mechanics. Ultimately, if you're a fan of Two Point Campus, this DLC can't be missed and will bring you back to the hours spent building a working university - only this time on an asteroid made out of cheese.
Harvestella is a rather blurry but calming and eventful RPG farming simulator that fails to capture the beauty in its two primary genres. Its gameplay is busy, often distracting, and ultimately leaves plenty to be desired. While this game is definitely enjoyable to play, it just doesn’t quite hit the mark, nor does it bring the exciting unique style it so adamantly promised.
Hugo and Amicia's story remains just as compelling as it was in Innocence, but A Plague Tale: Requiem swings for the fences by offering more of almost everything that made its predecessor great. Some curious design choices dampen its impact a little, but overall, it's a great return for a duo that are fast becoming some of our favorites.
Spider-Man Remastered perfectly blends open-world action and stealth mechanics with complex fighting controls to create a superhero experience that will stick with you. A few patches and bug fixes and this game will be truly spectacular.