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Bond is back and he's in fine form. 007 First Light is an excellent stealth game, and a brilliant James Bond game, offering up the best 007 experience in franchise history.
Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar makes efforts to condense the farming sim formula down to something simpler and more manageable. The game map is small, which keeps everything you need just a few seconds away at all times. On the other hand, the game doesn't allow you to upgrade anything, which forces you to focus on what you have and not what you can build. It may not be for everyone, but Grand Bazaar does make for a nice entry point into this genre.
Bubsy 4D has the makings of a modern classic, helmed by a team that has a clear ambition and design philosophy. It's issues are more fundamental, and in the fabric of Bubsy himself. I can take self-deprecation, but there comes a point where it stops being funny and becomes borderline pathetic. A mismatched level approach to level design means that both feel weak in spots, and I think you could have done more to bring those together. This is the best Bubsy game, but I can't say it isn't without fault.
A stylish, systems-driven sci-fi action game that blends intense combat, strong traversal mechanics and atmospheric world design into a cohesive whole. Held back slightly by combat readability issues and occasional visual softness, but Luna Abyss still delivers a highly engaging experience overall.
Beethoven & Dinosaur has crafted the finest example of a narrative driven, interactive experience, melding elements from both film and video games as art forms, with a killer soundtrack at its core, Mixtape is a smash hit.
Ultimately, at launch NTE just lacks sufficient content to keep it interesting past a few days of playing, especially the abrupt story end. What's there is decent quality for a free-to-play game, and you're not forced to spend any real money, as everything is doable through in-game progress. You can't go wrong with checking it out, but don't expect a huge RPG or an offering which meaningfully separates itself from the rest of the gacha pack beyond its city setting.
It's dingy and it's not without some mutations, but Directive 8020 is definitely worth exploring - just expect the mundane along the way.
Constance by itself is a perfectly solid Metroidvania with a brilliant message at its core. Unfortunately, that message is too often lost in its dedication to the status quo when it comes to mechanics. I too often felt like I had played this game before, and I shouldn't have. Constance is a game full of brilliant ideas, wonderful design, and a great overarching fabric that deserves to love itself more.
If you're after an accessible and welcoming bus simulation title, Bus Bound fits the bill in a serviceable fashion. Riding buses, collecting passengers and managing routes are all well implemented, and the handling of each vehicle makes each journey slightly different. Hardcore sim fans may be displeased with the lack of esoteric manual features and the inability to walk outside of the buses, but ultimately Bus Bound is a welcome aboard for anybody who wants a sim offering without the torturous nitty gritty technical graft.
Though Adorable Adventures is extraordinarily simple for older gamers and seems to lack ambition, its impact arguably extends beyond its offering as a video game, at least to younger folk anyhow as it seeks to expand their knowledge of their relationship with the natural world that surrounds them and, of course, the sprightly boars that serve as Adorable Adventures protagonists. A great introduction to open world design for new games and the young folk alike, Adorable Adventures also makes a good case for itself as a relaxing refuge from the worries of the world, one where you can get lost in the beauty of nature, smell flowers and frolic about with your boar siblings. I'm not sure about you but to me, I need that sort of wholesome in my life right now.
Aphelion is very much a compelling, though mechanically nuts and bolts narrative adventure that embraces linearity and spectacle above all else. Though its embedded dynamic of interpersonal relationships is engaging, the technical flaws, occasional clunkiness and aged-like-milk stealth sections sadly do much to undercut its otherwise impressive qualities.
The moment-to-moment FPS gameplay is flawed courtesy of its boxy repetition and lack of kablam in places, but even though it isn't fully accomplished, Mouse: P.I. For Hire is nonetheless an outstanding curiosity that doffs its sleek fedora to Disney and the noir genre.
Ground Zero plays its cards very early on, showing you exactly what it wants to do from the get-go. It channels its inspiration from old-school survival horror games that made the PS1 so special, even leaning into pre-rendered backgrounds and offering tank controls. Visuals get blurry in certain areas, and frame rate takes a hit in weird places. Then there's the old-school need to actually conserve your ammunition for boss fights, which can put you in a position where you can't defeat the boss without enough weaponry. Overall, Ground Zero makes for a good time and has a good gameplay loop as long as you know what to expect from it.
A blistering, rapid-fire epic without peer, Saros confidently delivers a dual masterclass in third-person shooter design and roguelike sensibilities all wrapped in a delectable veneer that elevates it to one of the best looking games on PlayStation 5. To quote the kids - Housemarque cooked here. This is their masterpiece and it is next the must have, utterly essential PlayStation exclusive. Carcosa beckons.
Tides of Tomorrow boasts an interesting world, and has great foundational ideas, particularly with its approach to asynchronous multiplayer. However, it feels more inconsequential and disjointed than it should, and as a result doesn't fulfill its potential.
Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss does ample justice to its grim source material, fashioning a compelling investigative adventure which generously drips with atmosphere but one which is sadly somewhat undercut by a wealth of technical issues that take the sheen otherwise what is a highly enjoyable Lovecraftian romp.
There is a timeline where the developers behind Dead Cells didn't have the opportunity to use their ample talents to create a thoroughly excellent Prince of Persia. Thankfully, this is not that timeline, because in this timeline The Rogue Prince of Persia exists and isn't just a great spiritual follow-up to Dead Cells, but also one of the best Prince of Persia games to ever be released. Period.
Proving that effective, heart-stopping horror can emerge from even the chonkiest pixels and cobwebbed 8-bit audiovisual presentation, Faith: The Unholy Trinity is a disturbing, skin-bumping terror that embraces its technical limitations and plodding pace to deliver the kind of genre offering that many larger studios wish they had the gumption, imagination and freedom to pull off.
Pragmata marks something truly special for Capcom; an experience that manages to marry action, conflict, and story into a cohesive whole that more than justifies the long wait for expectant fans. It juggles a variety of mechanics and miraculously blends them together. Every facet of this game is explored to its fullest, with still more room to grow. For all I can say in this review, Pragmata is very special.
Honestly, Hades 2 is a great game. It feels wholly like a game while still maintaining a narrative for those of us who need that narrative element. It balances all of the roguelike factors in such a way that you always feel like you are progressing, even during setbacks. The premise is a blast, and so is the gameplay loop. Auto aim works well for what it is, but the lack of aiming could put you in precarious situations. All in all, Hades 2 could easily be in the running for Game of the Year, just like its predecessor was in 2020.