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Avowed moves Obsidian Entertainment even further toward the action side of Action-RPG with a satisfying combat system and vibrant world stapled to an unengaging narrative and surface level roleplaying systems. Despite its initially promising setup, Avowed never rises above a binge and forget experience.
Terry's bite-sized, open world adventure is absurdly hilarious and hilariously absurd in equal measure, providing a few, thrilling hours of goofy fun with some of the best video game comedy in recent memory. If you missed this on PC last year, now's your chance on PS5 and Switch.
Afterlove EP pulls from a deep emotional well to weave threads of grief, love, hope, resentment, forgiveness, identity and more through a mostly-good mix of choice-driven visual novel and rhythm game. It has some issues with flow, and the rhythm stuff isn't amazing, but stick with it and you'll fall in love with this little slice of Jakarta.
Ninja Gaiden II Black is an impressive remaster in terms of sheer visual fidelity, but the gameplay and design haven't aged quite so gracefully. It's an important relic of the past, but just that.
Sid Meier's Civilization VII introduces some much-needed shake-ups to the formula with welcome changes. However, at times, it feels like something is missing. For fans of the long-running series, there's plenty to get excited about, and it's as addictive as ever. It's also probably one of the more approachable entries for newcomers. Overall, plenty to love now, and hopefully, some changes to make certain aspects more lovable in the future.
This is more Kingdom Come: Deliverance, just a bit bigger and better. Warhorse's second tour into medieval Bohemia should be on your 2025 travel itinerary if you can survive it.
Returning to the gorgeous yet brutal world of Tails of Iron was a blast thanks to some improvements that makes Whiskers of Winter a brilliant sequel that excels in what makes the series standout.
Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap is a fun and engaging tower defence roguelike that features many choices that will have you using your brain to think of unique strategies to survive every wave. Although it has some quirks you will be guaranteed to have hours of fun solo or with others.
Sniper Elite: Resistance is a reasonable continuation of the franchise, its sniping highs remain as amusing as ever thanks to some neat environmental gameplay, but much of its content rehashes what came before instead of evolving the series concept for a true next-gen sequel.
Despite it feeling really late in the game to drop this HD re-release, the simple fact is that Donkey Kong Country Returns is a masterclass in tough-yet-exhilarating platforming, and the Switch is now the best place to play it all over again – or for the first time.
With genuinely funny writing, superb voice acting and animations, Loco Motive is a modern homage that is sometimes a little too faithful to the LucasArts adventure games that pioneered the genre back in the day.
Completely Stretchy is a wacky single-player 3D platformer that features fun quests, weird characters and plenty of secrets. Thanks to its simple controls and story, you'll be laughing, having fun, and swinging about for a joyful couple of hours in Grombi Isles.
Critter Café is a visually charming cosy game ranging from play that is casual to heavily engaging. While the world is not full of excitement or depth it has moments of charm through its environmental puzzles and the unique designs of its critters.
With its stunning hand-drawn, graphite visuals and meditative tram driving gameplay, Short Trip is the respite we all need from the chaos of our current zeitgeist. If only it offered a deeper experience to fully escape into.
When Indiana Jones and the Great Circle plays to its strengths it's a captivating adventure led by Troy Baker's exceptional performances, but sadly some design choices bog it down and stop it from being a generational treasure.
This definitive version of a charming, inventive throwback to peak Sakaguchi might still feel like a game best suited to an iPad, but it works well enough that it's absolutely worth a look-in for PS1-era Final Fantasy fans who've been unable to play it thus far.
Never traditionally fun, needlessly painful, and almost always breaking down, I love S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2: Heart of Chornobyl. Despite its many issues, I doubt any other shooter in 2024 could match it on atmosphere, vibes, or ambition.
With a fresh and varied campaign and the fantastic omni-movement system, Black Ops 6 is another solid entry in the juggernaut franchise that refuses to go gentle into that good night
Lego Horizon Adventures will find an audience in its target demographic of young kids wanting something easy to pick up and play. But a short campaign and a lack of originality hurts the finished product for everyone else.
Blackheart is a satisfying mix of magic shooting, passive-aggressive family dynamics, and intense fight sequences that will keep you dying and respawning for more.