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There's not much about Sniper Elite 5 that's particularly remarkable. That, however, didn't stop the visceral X-Ray kills and the simple act of mowing down Nazis to see me through to the end of its campaign. There are plenty of other games out there that do stealth, action, or World War II better, yet the series' formula is very much its own and does manage to carry a game that otherwise struggles to do anything interesting.
We Were Here Forever gives no quarter in its cooperative puzzling, fully trusting players to get on with it and work together. At its peak, the wondrous structure of this game is simply sublime, and perhaps the most invested I've felt in a co-op game since Portal 2. It doesn't always hit those highs, and matchmaking was personally hit and miss, but We Were Here Forever generally dazzles.
Saber Interactive has crafted a highly entertaining asymmetrical multiplayer game in Evil Dead: The Game, and a lot of that is down to an understanding of how best to implement the quirks of the source material into game form. With possession, slapstick, gore, violence, chainsaws, and malevolent trees, Evil Dead: The Game is as Evil Dead as it could be.
Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters' focus on clarity and aggressiveness allows for a calculated, more active approach to its tactical battles. A varied enemy roster that consistently outnumbers you coupled with the Bloom's effects make each fight feel like a battle against the odds. This feeling extends to the campaign as a whole, your barracks consistently housing Knights recovering from their wounds earned in painstakingly won battles.
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga does a fine job of reinvigorating the Lego game formula, even if it continues to be mired in gargantuan amounts of busywork. Most importantly, however, it's a highly entertaining Star Wars spectacle that brings humor and joy in Sarlaac-sized portions.
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands plays it safe, never leaning enough into its fantasy elements or bringing any significant changes to the Borderlands formula, but offering more of the fun looting and shooting the main series is known for. It boasts better writing and humor than Borderlands 3 while throwing in interesting spells and class powers that spice up its otherwise familiar combat system.
With a few of its existing rough edges smoothed out, Death Stranding Director's Cut manages to be a more approachable experience than its previous incarnation, and for those coming back to it, there's just enough new to warrant a second journey across America.
Ghostwire: Tokyo's mechanics aren't fleshed out enough to support its open-world gameplay, failing to come together and form a cohesive experience. It has a premise that could easily hook you but doesn't do anything to capitalize on its eerie rendition of the Japanese city.
When Expedition Zero is at its best, it's a tense battle against the elements as you scavenge and try to get out of the surreal zone. At its worst, it's getting killed by annoying monsters. Unfortunately, you do more of the latter, making it more frustrating than scary. If Expedition Zero still interests you with its problems, get ready to grit your teeth.
The Darkest Souls are often the brightest
Launching an invasion on an independent colony, only to have the reputation penalty trigger an internal uprising and independence movement across my colonies.
While there's plenty to applaud in ELEX II's freeform open-world approach, it comes at something of a cost. Technical issues, inconsistent dialogue quality, and some wonky combat do much to muddy the good that can be found in Piranha Bytes expansive RPG.
Far: Changing Tides largely sticks to the same recipe as its predecessor, making its vessel more complex and sending players on a journey through a different world. Its description as a companion game is fitting – although you will get slightly more out of it if you play the series in order – and while I loved the original, the sequel didn't grab me as much.
After more than 55 hours spent playing, I'm still awed by just how great God of War is. This is the result of a clear, determined vision, its separate elements harmonizing almost perfectly to deliver an experience that understands the series' blood-soaked origins but is also not afraid to push it into a more mature and nuanced direction.
Total War: Warhammer 3's only major "downside" comes from it being the final part of an established trilogy that (successfully) iterates on its predecessor's structure without changing it fundamentally. If you're not a fan of its streamlined empire management, fantasy setting, and sometimes floaty-feeling combat, there's not much here that will change your mind.
With so many studios trying to hit the coveted MMO market, one thing is clear if you want to succeed - your game has to be unique. You can make up for tonnes of mistakes if you can just carve out a market for it. Although it has its own issues of identity - with a Diablo-like fighting system and enough extra activities to feel full - Lost Ark is a game that I'm looking forward to seeing grow.
Crusader Kings 3: Royal Court adds plenty of flavor and introduces new ways to obtain bonuses for your realm while fleshing out how deeply you can interact with it. The feature that gives it its name isn't as grand as it could be, due to repeating events and a 3D space that becomes a bit boring to look at even if you change its architectural style.
Dying Light 2 was my first contact with the series and it can certainly be an exhilarating open-world game. Its gorgeous city, intense chases, fluid parkour, and visceral, meaty combat are well worth experiencing. Although they never completely overshadow its accomplishments, boring gear, repetitive side missions, and a story that never finds its focus do, unfortunately, keep it away from greatness. But, if you keep some of your expectations in check, all these missteps can easily be drowned in an ocean of freshly-cut zombie limbs and peaceful paragliding.
A lean and mean addition to the Serious Sam family that experiments with a few new toys, and offers more of the same Serious Sam goodness we've been accustomed to. It has the odd instance of unnecessary padding via one too many gunfights, but overall keeps a breezy, brutal pace.
Nobody Saves the World's form switching and punchy, responsive combat carries the game where its other elements let it down. The star of the show is its surprisingly dynamic twist on aRPG mechanics that makes figuring out builds to counter the dangers of its dungeons rewarding enough to warrant spending 20+ hours killing monsters and helping its sometimes oddball NPCs.