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Blackmill Games' dedication to history and realism is certainly commendable, but the result is a game that will only appeal to a very select audience. That said, Isonzo is capable of producing some incredibly tense and atmospheric gameplay.
Metal: Hellsinger's infectious blend of rhythm game and first-person shooter elements gripped me all the way through its story mode and beyond, despite its mostly disappointing boss battles. Its roaring metal soundtrack ebbs and flows around how well you deal death to Hell's denizens, constantly pushing you to do better.
Acting on those doctrines you've worked hard to bring in. Or should we say 'executing' them?
Not only does Two Point Studios manage to successfully build upon everything Two Point Hospital did right, with Two Point Campus it's added a whole new level of learning and given its flavour of sim game a more intimate aspect to management that's endearingly reminiscent of The Sims.
Stray is at its best when it lets you do the things you'd expect from a cat – sleeping on cozy pillows, meowing, or scratching sofas – but fails to build consistently compelling gameplay around these flavorful bits. Although it creates a believable world, I found it hard to connect with the robots you encounter across its forgotten city, making the game's admittedly grand climax feel hollow.
Starship Troopers: Terran Command is a pretty standard RTS game that manages to evoke the feel of Starship Troopers magnificently.
With The Quarry, Supermassive heads back to the woods with mostly positive results. The story is not much to write home about, and the paring back of physical control of characters' actions leaves some empty spaces. Still, the cast is generally likable, the presentation impressive, and there's plenty of joy to be found in manipulating the lives of these poor young souls. The Quarry has plenty of thrills, chills, and kills, but also an abundance of filler.
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.
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.