Valhalla would’ve benefited from being smaller in scope. This is something that is blatant throughout. Even at 20 hours in (a third of the overall 60-hour length), the game begins to feel repetitious.
If you persevere, there may be some small enjoyment to be found in Stranded Deep. After all, it is (mostly) functionally playable. But most, including myself, won’t be in a hurry to load it up again after their first few hours.
While there’s fun to be had with the deep combat and competitive multiplayer, Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown is let down by underwhelming graphics, poor sound design and the critical lack of any story.
A Plague Tale: Innocence is imperfect. The repetitious and unoriginal nature of its gameplay does hold it back and might be a deal breaker for some. Even if it is technically sound. But I would still recommend it for its story and atmosphere alone.
Returnal is the game the PlayStation 5 needed. It demonstrates every aspect of the new console’s technical prowess and sets the standard for future games. On top of that, it packs in a thoroughly enticing story with fantastically fluid gameplay.
For people who have the time to sink into it, they’ll likely find some enjoyment in Hunter’s Arena: Legends. The steep learning curve will unquestionably put casual players off, though. And if it wasn’t a freebie, I wouldn’t recommend it for that reason.
Death Stranding Director’s Cut is a refined experienced. From the memorable sound design to the meticulously detailed open world, it has stuck with me – even more so than when I played the original back in 2019. If that was Hideo Kojima’s intention with this re-release then bravo. Mission accomplished.
I doubt I’ll be playing Knockout City long into the future. But I think I’ll enjoy it for a few more weeks. And as a PlayStation Plus freebie, I’d certainly recommend you check it out.
Call of Duty: Vanguard does everything except Zombies very well. The problem is, we’ve seen it all before. Over and over and over again. While WWII can still be enjoyable in CoD, it very much feels like Activision relies on the same bag of tricks.
If you played RollerCoaster Tycoon back in the day, you’ll no doubt love Planet Coaster. It takes the same concept and brings it into the current generation. And despite some console limitations, it’s a thoroughly enjoyable package and an absolute steal as a PlayStaion Plus freebie.
If you can master it, Sifu is every wannabe martial artist’s dream. However, its brutal difficulty can impact the fun factor and will likely force many to give up.
Horizon Forbidden West is a phenomenal game. It does everything it aims to do to a very high standard. However, it does very little to expand upon Zero Dawn outside of refining the formula.
Ghostwire: Tokyo‘s biggest flaw is its one-dimensional gameplay. I cannot stress enough how simplistic and repetitive it is. And that diminishes any replay-ability once the main story is over. Unfortunately, this makes Ghostwire: Tokyo a largely forgettable experience and one I’m in no hurry to revisit. This is a game best left until it receives a substantial discount.
Unfortunately, unless you’re a hardcore looter-shooter fan looking for something free, this sci-fi take on Escape from Tarkov simply doesn’t cut the mustard. Bountiful glitches, a tedious gameplay loop, and an uninspiring and empty world make The Cycle: Frontier a truly mediocre experience.
Best of all though is the experience of playing as our cat hero. In that regard, Stray really is a game like no other. And the team at BlueTwelve Studio have done a tremendous job at realising the feline fantasy. Even though it’s disappointingly short, Stray is a must-play game this summer.
Saints Row is one of those hilariously bad games you have to experience for yourself. But it’s not ‘awful’ – just excruciatingly generic and downright dull.
Due to its launch proximity to Elden Ring and the sheer quality of AAA Soulslikes, I suspect Asterigos may be unfairly overlooked. Nonetheless, it is a resoundingly enjoyable experience that I would recommend to any Soulslike fan.
A Plague Tale: Requiem more than justifies its existence thanks to a brilliant continuation of the series’ story and general improvements all round.
Scarlet and Violet would probably go down as two of the best games in the series if not for these [performance] issues. Instead, all anyone will likely remember are the viral glitch montages that have swept across social media. And that’s regrettable because at their core is an imperfect yet charming and highly enjoyable adventure.
The Callisto Protocol is about as close to Dead Space as it could possibly be without bearing the same name. And for many players that will be more than enough to leave them satisfied... Nevertheless, the more you play of The Callisto Protocol the more its flaws stand out.