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It's perhaps ironic that in a game where so much of the exploration and world building physically exists in a space without any atmosphere, that Deliver Us The Moon is absolutely overflowing with the stuff. From the claustrophobic sensation that almost every minute of its playtime exudes, through to the detailed modelling of its real-world adjacent world and the carefully constructed yet involving plot, Deliver Us The Moon is a slow-paced, if thoroughly captivating adventure thriller that is living its best life on PlayStation 5.
With superb emulation, a range of remixed soundtracks, beautifully optimised Rollback netcode for all titles and a smattering of museum extras such as special illustrations and more, Capcom Fighting Collection really does feel like a labour of love that boasts a degree of value that's impossible to deny. Honestly, just for Red Earth alone, Capcom Fighting Collection is worth the money but look beyond that and you'll find a treasure trove of rarefied two-dimensional fighting goodness.
Sonic Origins is a fantastic celebration of 30 years of SEGA's spiky blue mascot, offering four of the best platformers money can buy and chucking in a bunch of great extras that long-time fans can appreciate. Regardless of where the Blue Blur head next, Sonic Origins is a reminder of just how damn good these timeless classics are.
Though the technical presentation of the three games encompassed in the Shadowrun Trilogy is modest, each of them nonetheless provides an entertainingly told narrative wrapped up in an old-fashioned CRPG shell with involving, but not especially sophisticated turn-based combat. If you're after a whole lot of cyberpunk RPG goodness with a very unique cyberpunk setting, great world building and entertaining writing, then the Shadowrun Trilogy is just the fix that you need.
Despite its small steps toward evolution and innovation, Final Vendetta feels like a wistfully romantic and well executed, if ultimately conservative take on those side-scrolling brawlers that held our attentions (and quarters) so rigidly in years gone by. Nonetheless, despite the fact that Final Vendetta doesn't push the genre forward with any sort of strident vigour, it's certainly true that it's still a lot of fun all the same and that enjoyment is only amplified when played with another friend locally.
The Quarry is a pulse-pounding teen slasher packed with strong characterisation, amazing atmosphere, and scrumptious visuals. Yes, it's not exactly the most challenging game thanks to dumbed down QTE events and interactions, but with a great story and heaps of replay value, you won't really care. If you're a fan of Until Dawn, then this is a must-have.
Tribute Games and Dotemu have officially brought back the beat-'em-up genre into the spotlight. Shredder's Revenge channels the greatness of arcade beat-'em-ups from the 80s and 90s to create an exceptional experience. Teaming up with friends and taking on the Shredder and his ninja Foot army will definitely put a smile on your face. With plenty of quality-of-life additions like unlockable skills and mission-to-mission quick saves, the only thing holding the title back is the lack of any unlockables and only two game modes to play through.
Spiral Circus creates a spellbinding world of undersea dread and wonder with Silt. From the distinct hand-drawn visual style to the ambiguous mystery of its protagonist and setting, this is an engrossing experience only marred by sparse checkpointing.
Kao the Kangaroo is a fairly decent, if unspectacular, platformer that harks back to a golden age of the genre's 3D era in many ways. Sadly, it falls short of being a notable addition to a heavily stacked part of gaming's history. That could well be its strength when it inevitably becomes an unexpected platforming touchstone for a new generation of young gamers in the way Croc, Gex, Crash, et all did for previous ones.
Sniper Elite 5 is the series at its strongest to date. It's not a radical paradigm shift by any stretch of the imagination, but it doesn't need to be. Instead, it builds on what Sniper Elite 4 did so well by expanding on the scale of maps, stuffs them full of things to do, and polishes its already-compelling combat. If you're looking for a tactical, rewarding World War II-era shooter, Sniper Elite 5 comes highly recommended.
Salt And Sacrifice is every bit the sequel I could have wanted for Salt And Sanctuary. Everything about the gameplay has been elevated a polished better than any previous title from Ska Studios. With excellent combat, and a flexible progression system that lets you alter your build and playstyle how you like, mixed with amazing art, creature design, and atmosphere, this is the latest must-buy indie title.
Dolmen attempts to add some potentially good ideas into the Soulsborne formula. Unfortunately, it misses the mark far too many times in important areas to make it worth the effort you need to play it. Great level aesthetic and enemy design are wasted on far-too-flawed combat. With so many other Soulsborne clones available, Dolmen can easily be passed up.
It's not the biggest multiplayer experience you could find right now, but Evil Dead: The Game makes use of its streamlined nature to deliver a darkly joyous romp that taps into everything Evil Dead with great success. Saber Interactive follows up its solid World War Z game with another well put together multiplayer horror title.
In the end, despite its penchant for occasionally boring puzzles, rough character animations and wildly varying voice performances, Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong is nonetheless a roundly fulfilling detective adventure with a vampiric twist that will appeal greatly to anyone that follows the World of Darkness setting. For others, Swansong makes for a fine, if occasionally clunky introduction to that sprawling world of supernatural politics and generation spanning stories.
Unpacking is like wrapping yourself in a warm blanket as you gently watch the years roll away in front of you. Though much too short, the relatively brief experience that you'll have with deconstructing the emotional narrative of characters that you'll never see via its block fitting puzzles, cements the fact that Unpacking won't quickly be forgotten and will be an experience that you'll likely go back to time and again whenever you need a precious smidgen of soul affirmation
I cannot overstate how much fun I had with Soundfall. It has a few shortcomings along the way, but absolutely nothing stopped me from jamming out while I shot up baddies. Drastic Games combined two different genres into one engaging and entertaining package. Soundfall is a 2022 sleeper hit!
As battle royale efforts go, Bloodhunt is surprising; which is more than other like-minded efforts can lay claim to. Though cross play remains unbalanced against more capable PC players and concerns over balancing and map variety remain, Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodhunt nonetheless brings a scintillating blend of furious traversal, inspired PvE design and neat lore from the World of Darkness setting to fashion one of the most refreshing battle royale efforts in quite some time.
A great start to what I'm hoping will be a great franchise. Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising doesn't do anything to move the side scroller action RPG genre forward, but it does everything to make it fun. Rising reminded me a lot of old school 2D action platformers but with an entire town-building mechanic. It's also one of the most visually impressive indy titles I've seen in a while. Overall, Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising is a great starting point for what's set to be an epic JRPG, with Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes releasing in 2023.
Short but ever-so-sweet, Trek to Yomi is a pretty linear affair that respects your time. The combat is nuanced, evolves over time and is entertaining to learn. Small bursts of exploration are rewarded with collectables and upgrades but your main path is never obscured. It's cinematically beautiful and what's done with perspective and setting up each scene is really unique. Trek to Yomi is unlike anything else I have played recently, it's not bloated, pure and I appreciate that a lot.
RiffTrax: The Game has all the tools to be a highly entertaining party game experience. Its simple and streamlined approach will make it an accessible option, even if that does make the whole package feel a little light.