GameSpew's Reviews
As you'd expect, Forza Horizon 6 is the biggest and perhaps best entry in the series yet. Its recreation of Japan is absolutely brilliant too, with some truly scenic locations to visit and race across. It's just a shame that Playground Games plays it a little too safe, with this essentially feeling like Forza Horizon 5 and Forza Horizon 4 before it – but with a new map.
Supermassive Games takes the Dark Pictures series into space with Directive 8020, and with the introduction of new gameplay elements such as stealth, you're more immersed in the action than ever before. Add in its brilliant presentation and gripping story and you have one of the best Dark Pictures games yet, and a must play for fans of space-horror.
Beautiful and mysterious, Call of the Elder Gods is a must-play for any fan of puzzle games. It might not be quite as good as its predecessor in terms of story and setting, but it's still absolutely worth your time, as long as you've got your thinking cap on.
Stunning art direction and a stellar soundtrack are what makes Mixtape so wonderful. Its narrative isn't the most meaningful, but when everything else is so good, it hardly matters. This is a game that exists to be a short, enjoyable experience: its characters and story might not leave a lasting impression on you, but its music and visuals certainly will.
This console port of Lovecraftian adventure game The Shore fails to impress for various reasons. But ultimately, it's brought down by the fact that its story isn't particularly cohesive and its gameplay is unrewarding and clunky.
It's very short but oh-so-sweet: Duck Side of the Moon is a cosy adventure about repairing your ship after crash-landing on a rocky planet, and it'll warm your heart. It's just a shame that it's done with in only a few hours.
The worst thing about Adorable Adventures is its title: yes, it does indeed offer an adorable adventure, but it's far more than that. This heart-warming journey sees a young boar reunite with his mother and siblings after a forest fire, and thanks to meaningful gameplay and gorgeous visuals, it's an utter joy to play.
There's a fast-paced, fun and accessible combat system at the heart of Invincible VS, but it's let down by a lack of modes. It's disappointing that its Story Mode comes to an abrupt end, too. Still, you'll get plenty of enjoyment out of it if you're a fan of the franchise.
Bus Bound is one of the most accessible bus simulators out there, expecting you to drive with care but not bogging you down with too many intricacies. It works both for and against it: this will be enjoyable for many, but a lack of depth means that it soon becomes quite repetitive. Still, it's worth a look, especially with its budget price.
Thanks to a new rider-based handling model, the racing action found in MotoGP 26 both looks and feels better than ever. There are some welcome improvements to its Career mode, too, though there's nothing all that drastic. Ultimately, this is an evolution rather than a revolution.
A cosy and intriguing sim game that you won't be able to put down, seeing your store in The Last Gas Station come together is wonderfully rewarding. Add in the game's mysterious storyline and its beautiful pixelated graphics, and you've got something rather special.
Aphelion may not impress all that much on the gameplay front, with its traversal and stealth sections sometimes marred by its clunky controls, but its story and presentation pick up the slack, making it an enjoyable trek across an alien planet on the whole.
The Spell Brigade doesn't do anything wrong, but it also doesn't do anything to make itself stand out in a sea of survivors-like games. Its gameplay isn't all that exciting, its art and sound design is ho-hum, and any meaningful upgrades take far too long to unlock. There are plenty of other games in the genre that are far more rewarding to play.
Making your own pots in Kiln using the ever-growing range of options is delightful, truly allowing you to express yourself. And it's fun to take your pots into battle too, at least for a while. With just one match type currently available, Quench, things can soon get a little repetitive.
Free of challenge and peril, Moomintroll: Winter's Warmth is a cosy hug of a game; the type of thing you play when you need to destress and escape into a new world. Whether or not you're an existing Moomin fan, you can enjoy this wonderful adventure, filled with quests, exploration and collecting. A truly beautiful game no matter your age.
Housemarque is back with yet another fantastic fast-paced third person shooter. Saros builds on Returnal, delivering deeper and more enjoyable gameplay, as well as a new permanent progression system and modifiers which allow you to tweak the difficulty to your preferences. All in all, it's Housemarque's best game yet.
After the disappointing Vessel of Hatred, Blizzard redeems itself with Lord of Hatred, delivering an expansion that serves up a very enjoyable campaign, two new character classes, and some new features that truly enrich the Diablo 4 experience. There's a sense of completeness and finality to the this expansion that makes it a must for Diablo 4 fans.
Mixing together adventure, stealth and a gripping narrative makes Tides of Tomorrow a very intriguing prospect indeed. It's just a shame that its novel 'online story-link' mechanic isn't as enjoyable as it should be, leaving you feeling like you're existing in someone else's shadow rather than carving out your own path through this unique world.
Jay and Silent Bob are back in another side-scrolling beat 'em up. Though while Chronic Blunt Punch looks absolutely fantastic and is genuinely humorous at times, its gameplay lets it down.
Vampire Crawlers is a weird spin-off, as it has almost nothing to do with Vampire Survivors other than it exists in the same world and contains the same characters and items. And yet somehow, this fast-paced dungeon crawler manages to be just as moreish as the game it is derived from.