Life is Xbox
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I only expected Keeper to be a good and simple game, but it went well beyond my expectations, surprising me with its mechanics, visuals, and a Soundtrack that enhances the already prestigious reputation of Double Fine Productions. A very well-crafted journey through a mysterious world, with lots of wonderful surprises along the way.
With the base Just Dance now a free app and the focus shifting to paying for Just Dance +, I'm judging this one mostly on the included song-list and it just didn't manage to excite us this year, outside of the collaboration with Bluey. My recommendation remains the same as previous Just Dance releases: you're probably better off getting the cheapest physical version of a previous year you can find and pay for Just Dance +, over paying for what is essentially expensive DLC.
Yooka-Replaylee doesn’t reinvent the genre, but it refines it with confidence. Its open structure, responsive movement, and varied challenges come together to create a platformer that’s easy to sink into and satisfying to complete.
Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & the White Guardian is a fantastic brew of an RPG, with so many things to do, it almost boils over. And the many quality-of-life features make sure that every type of player can enjoy it.
A soulful journey marred by punishing peaks and shallow progress. Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree dazzles with painterly visuals, rich sound design, and heartfelt voice acting, but its roguelike loop wears thin fast. Combat starts strong but suffers from brutal difficulty spikes and clunky twin-stick controls. The emotional twist of losing a guardian after each run adds weight, yet limited progression and muddled combat feedback dull the impact. Gorgeous, soulful, but often frustrating.
Twins of the Sun swings for charm, but its Stone Hammer gets stuck in a gameplay rut.
With immersive audio, intense encounters, and a sprawling urban playground, Dying Light: The Beast delivers a relentless, adrenaline-fueled survival experience that walks the line on being the best entry in the series, but falls flat when it comes to character development and technical performance.
SOPA serves up a whimsical broth of hat-wearing frogs, stolen potatoes, and love for the adventure genre, but it feels just a little light on seasoning and should have stewed for a little while longer.
Hotel Barcelona is a blood-soaked fever dream where pop culture horror, time loops, and twisted minds check in, and sanity checks out.
Deadzone: Rogue delivers a tight, rewarding loop that’s easy to pick up and hard to put down. Deadzone: Rogue might not break the mould, but it sure knows how to fill it with bullets, scrap, and just enough chaos to keep you hooked. Between the crunchy gunplay, sneaky upgrades, and co-op nail-biters, it’s the kind of game that whispers “just one more run” until you realise it’s 2am and you’ve unlocked a perk called Double Dash. Worth it.
A quick burst of cosy fun and mystery is delivered to you by the Easy Delivery Co.
Survival horror at its purest: oppressive, unrelenting, and unforgettable. Bloober Team has carved out a new nightmare that merges breathtaking atmosphere with punishing challenge. It’s not here to coddle you; it will test your will, and if you endure the challenge, the reward is one of the most impactful games of the year.
Although Dead Reset is an incredible FMV (definitely one of the more noteworthy ones) with top-tier acting and cinematic properties, I wasn’t overly impressed with the choices element, gore, or scare factor. As an avid horror fan, perhaps I anticipated too much, but I do believe improvements could have been made.
Lost Twins 2 builds a beautiful world of shifting puzzles and quiet charm, but forgets to give its characters a soul. Without a spark between Abi and Ben, the game’s emotional promise feels like a story half-told.
Koira is an incredibly wholesome game, short but sweet, about companionship, trust, and working together. I cannot recommend this game much more if I tried; with its beautiful aesthetic (both visually and audibly), combined with an emotionally entrancing story that had me playing from beginning to end in one sitting. It’s certainly a hidden gem and a game I won’t be forgetting anytime soon.
Drag x Drive delivers fast, flashy fun in short bursts, but it runs out of steam quickly. The gameplay is fresh and exciting, yet the lack of depth and content makes it hard to stick with for the long haul. Flat visuals and weak sound design do little to elevate the experience.
What should have been a knockout game is instead lying on the mat, waiting for the referee to count to ten. Baki Hanma: Blood Arena tries so hard to be something it’s not, and unfortunately, it misses all the punches it throws and should instead have thrown in the towel.
Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion doesn’t just evolve the formula, it weaponises it, delivering a blistering mech shooter that’s as stylish as it is savage. If you’re after speed, customisation, and sci-fi chaos with bite, this one hits like a railgun to the chest.
Bendy: Lone Wolf is a perfect dive into the Ink Demon’s lair. With so much to discover and a lot of fun to be had for those of you who are fans of the franchise and a great wee stealth-type game for newcomers as well.
Discounty was everything I expected it to be and more