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Beyond the Dawn isn't an especially exciting expansion, but it's still a solid post-game experience for those who enjoyed Tales of Arise. It's guilty of treading overly familiar ground, and the storytelling can feel a bit tedious, but there's fun to be found in exploring all-new dungeons and taking on powerful opponents. The DLC may be dropping too late for many players, but Alphen and the gang's epilogue is worth the return trip if you've got the time.
While the console edition of Football Manager 2024 is admirable and certainly serviceable for those who can't play on PC, it's tough to recommend thanks to how stripped back it is by comparison. Entire features are missing, and navigating through menus is a slow, frustrating chore. This is a subpar port that's fine as a gateway experience, but it's hard to look past its flaws - especially when the grass seems so much greener across the way.
In short, Little Goody Two Shoes is an excellent life-sim adventure with some intriguing elements of horror sprinkled throughout. If you want to play a different take on this well-established genre, then this game might be for you.
The Talos Principle 2 follows in its predecessor's shoes by nailing down a brilliant philosophical puzzle sequel with new and improved mechanics. If the puzzle solving doesn't get your brain ticking, then the in-depth philosophical discussions surely will. With exceptional puzzle design, glorious presentation, and thought-provoking conversations, Croteam has created a follow-up to be remembered for years to come.
Like a Dragon Gaiden teeters on the edge of feeling tired and a bit predictable, but in the end, this is another memorable chapter in Kiryu's seemingly endless tale. It adds welcome weight to the events of Yakuza: Like a Dragon while also telling a great individual story, which is stuffed with typically engaging characters. Refined combat carries this 'smaller' title even further, and although its optional excursions can feel a little too grindy for their own good, Gaiden stands as a rock solid instalment, and a potent reminder of why Kiryu's such a beloved protagonist.
EA Sports WRC combines Codemasters' off-road racing pedigree with officially licensed cars, teams, and locations. The result is a confident and robust rally game that boasts super-fun driving, intense and challenging stages, and all the modes you could expect. It's only really let down by technical and performance problems. Here's hoping those will be ironed out in due course, because this is otherwise a rewarding rally game that gets (nearly) everything right.
The Invincible has a wondrous story to tell and dazzling graphics to match, but it's held back from greatness by gameplay that struggles to ever break away from the genre structure of old. Mostly walking and talking, it never feels anything more than serviceable. Still, there's an interesting narrative to experience, and with your own decisions changing events, The Invincible should still be played by sci-fi fanatics.
Soft locks, crashes, and bugs burden this gorgeously presented Christmas story. Until this nightmare before Christmas is patched, we'd suggest finding something else to place under your Christmas tree.
Star Ocean The Second Story R is exactly what it needs to be: a faithful remake of a classic PS1 RPG that greatly enhances the experience for both new and returning players. A wonderful visual overhaul combined with numerous quality of life improvements and expanded battle mechanics make this a borderline must-play for anyone who's looking for an old-school adventure. Although the underlying PS1-era design does still have some rough edges - particularly in the storytelling and combat balance - it's hard to knock such a well crafted revival.
While on the outside Thirsty Suitors seems like a tongue-in-cheek game about reconnecting with your past, it reveals so much more beneath the surface. That's not to say it isn't humorous, but it's also doing much more besides. It's a commentary on societal expectations, living as a second-generation immigrant in a different culture, finding yourself, and accepting others. It's a deep experience packaged in such a light-hearted box, and never feels overbearing. The story of Jala, her family, and friends, each with their own lived experiences, feels so important and relevant to today's society, and it's a joy to play through.
RoboCop: Rogue City does an admirable job of bringing the gritty universe of the films to life and of capturing the feeling of playing as the armoured enforcer himself. However, there are only so many cyberpunk lowlifes one can blast to bits before the repetition sets in.
Despite one or two missteps, Jusant hangs together thanks to a well-realised, unique location and, more importantly, a fun and engaging way to interact with it. The climbing at its core is wonderfully tactile and finds a balance between complexity and accessibility. The spire of rock you're ascending is an interesting place to explore, gradually shifting into new environments as you ascend. We're not totally sold on the story, and the animation and camera can be clumsy every so often, but the game remains a solid, meditative adventure throughout.
Other than the online tournament mode, it's a bare bones experience. Longevity of this will hinge on future content and more diverse play options (couch co-op in particular). In its current state, though, the bite-sized events offer a welcome alternative to the rat race of other party royale titles.
That describes the game on the whole, really. A give and take where one element of the game is great fun, but another is broken or unpolished. What you're left with is a game with a super fun core that's unfortunately too broken to put any meaningful amount of time into.
Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery is a short but very sweet trilogy. It's thoroughly silly, but manages to tell an earnest story as you enjoy its brilliant dialogue, great soundtrack, and endearing cast of characters. There's little replay value and the gameplay is minimal, but it'll win you over with real warmth, humour, and positivity.
Like a mystery once thought solved, Alan Wake 2 reopens the case for what's possible in its genre. It's a delight to relive classic horror titles through modern remakes, but what Remedy has cooked up here is something special - a gust of fresh air aiming to revitalise video game horror. There's expansive lore and a twisting story that might not be for everyone, but the developer packs so many exciting and unique ideas into this ambitious sequel that you can't help but play along with a nervous smile on your face. With stunning visuals, pitch-perfect tone and atmosphere, brilliant pacing, and a fascinating mystery to sink your teeth into, there are no twists or turns about it: Alan Wake 2 is an all-timer.
Sports games are pretty predictable. From one year to the next, you'll see one or two sweeping changes and then a number of smaller tweaks, but beyond that, you'll by and large be playing the same title. By that logic, it's actually impressive how much EA Vancouver has managed to change this year given how quick its turnaround is from game to game. Less impressive is the implementation of said changes. Selecting your pass targets is a wholly welcome inclusion and a rousing success. The majority of the other changes, particularly the new checking system, leave much to be desired. Why do so many things feel like they took steps backward? Isn't this kind of problem usually reserved for the dawn of a new generation? What happened?
Despite Inescapable having some similarities to visual novels and puzzle games such as Danganronpa and Zero Escape it can’t really be compared favourably to them. The narrative starts out so sluggishly that it quickly loses any tension and the handful of puzzles you get to solve are just too simple to be fun. It’s a shame as there are some interesting group dynamics but it all gets bogged down in so many pointless conversations that it quickly becomes monotonous, and the pacing saps any desire to replay for a different ending.
The Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection bundles together three of the greatest games ever made, but does so in a convoluted manner. Spread across five separate apps on PS5, it can be a challenge to locate the specific version or the bonus feature you need. The digital packaging surrounding the three classics doesn't quite feel like the labour of love it should do, but once you sink into the PS1 original, Sons of Liberty, or Snake Eater, it's abundantly clear there's still nothing quite like Metal Gear Solid. Konami's Master Collection gets by on the ever-lasting quality of its fallen series, not the means that have brought it back.
Ghostrunner 2 has some fun moments, though it can often be difficult to see past a lot of the performance issues and inconsistent level design. When the game's at its best, slicing through a horde of enemies and jumping around like a ninja, it can be an exhilarating experience. However, it might be worth waiting for a patch to address a lot of the core issues present at launch.