Critical Hit
HomepageA slow-motion bullet ballet extravaganza, The Hong Kong Massacre is a lean and mean action gameplay whose core gunplay makes for a satisfying and challenging loop that'll leave you feeling like a hardboiled action star after every face-off.
A beautiful twist on the city-building genre, Airborne Kingdom is a fascinating journey with innovative gameplay mechanics, a stirring soundtrack, and a sense of exploration that flies high.
Morbid follows the Dark Souls formula pretty closely despite it having a retro charm, but the boss fights are an undeniable highlight of the game. Disturbing bouts of danger that will snuff your flame out with a single lucky blow, these encounters boast an incredible art direction, fascinating gameplay quirks, and a challenge that'll leave your controller moist with hand sweat.
Cyberpunk 2077 tells a compelling story with an excellent assortment of characters but fails to deliver on the promises of a living, breathing open-world. All of these faults are amplified by a messy user interface, unengaging combat, and shoddy performance across multiple platforms.
Releasing early in the new gaming generation, Call of the Sea sets the benchmark for story-driven adventure puzzle games moving forward. It's an experience full of surprises, from its lush game world that takes advantage of next-gen graphic capabilities, to its emotionally impactful story that puts a fresh spin on the Cthulhu Mythos. It's also surprisingly challenging; so much so at times that the frustration over its obtuse puzzles damages your sense of immersion, and goodwill towards the game.
Fitness Boxing 2 isn't a bad way to keep your body energised, but the few improvements it has loaded into its gloves can't hide its flawed punching technique or its disappointing lack of beats to bounce around to between uppercuts.
Remarkably flexible, frantic, fun and funny, Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?! serves up a cooking sim that's great value for money, and entirely what you make of it. All the ingredients are there, whether you want to stick to comfort food with very little mental nourishment, or dial up your ambitions with complex culinary masterpieces that must be served to the second. Micro-management skills aside, you're given the freedom to determine how engrossing your experience is.
Chronos: Before the Ashes is an interesting collection of ideas, but dead average implementation, aging visuals, and flawed gameplay make for an underwhelming package that barely rises above being just fine at best.
Mortal Kombat 11's Ultimate Edition is NetherRealm's finest hour polished up further for a new console generation. Packed with content, further refined, and open to a wider audience than ever before, Mortal Kombat 11 is still a violent masterpiece that draws first blood with its new roster additions.
A consistently compelling progression curve, gorgeous world, and a staggering amount of fun content makes Immortals Fenyx Rising a truly fantastic game, even if it is rather derivative at times.