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Dispatch is one of those rare experiences that you simply can't stop playing; before you know it, nine or ten hours have disappeared and the credits are rolling. It's a masterclass in storytelling, supported by gameplay systems that complement the narrative brilliantly.
It’s a city-management sim where the city actively works against you. It’s a roguelike where every benefit comes with a retaliatory punch to the gut. It’s a tower defence where you mostly watch and hope that the towers do their job. It’s cruel, frantic and so impossibly clever. It makes me feel a little inadequate about my own game ideas.
I breezed through Deer & Boy, wondering when it was going to grip me, but it never did. As someone who adores the genre, my final feeling was one of confusion. Deer & Boy felt like a game I was going to fall in love with. It was inevitable. But I ended up merely charmed.
LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight builds on strong LEGO foundations by incorporating the Arkham games and LEGO City Undercover. It’s become more sprawling and more engaging through combat, stealth and driving. But its accessibility has not been lost: anyone can dance with the devil in the pale moonlight, not just adults.
007 First Light is a triumph. It has a legitimate claim to the best James Bond game ever, managing to reboot the series whilst cherishing what makes it so special. It’s the start of a new era for Bond, which will leave you shaken, not stirred.
The real beauty of Forza Horizon 6 is in how the Japanese world feels alive, and how rewarding it is to just go bimbling about. FH6 was always going to be an easy sell, and a reskinned FH5 would probably have sufficed, but Playground Games have smashed it out of the park. The world is great, the cars are amazing, and the racing action, whether on the streets, on the track, or in the wilds, is second to none.
To call Mixtape a ride is a little one-dimensional, as there are so many feelings to be had on the way. A ‘joyride’ fits Mixtape slightly better. A joyride with a tailor-made Greatest Hits tape playing along.
Aphelion may stumble in its mechanics, but when it places focus on the storytelling, atmosphere and spectacle, it’s exactly the kind of experience DON’T NOD excels at. It’s intriguing, mysterious and clever - we just wish it was tighter in terms of save points and how the gameplay is handled.
At first, I felt slightly betrayed that Vampire Crawlers couldn’t offer more ways for me to die but, with some time to mull it over, I am thankful that I can complete it and leave it behind me. Vampire Crawlers was a fling, but an intense one.
Whilst you may well be drawn in to MOUSE: P.I. For Hire by the visuals and soundtrack, once in, you’ll discover a game that is so much more than just that - an investigative, story-focused, secret-hunting, first person shooting platformer that is an absolute joy to play.
I think I would change very little about Hades II. It’s a game that’s so easy to love that I can’t imagine someone disliking it.
I loved my time with PRAGMATA. Playing it genuinely feels like a breath of fresh air and fondly reminds of games from the 2000s.
I absolutely love the thoughtful pacing of Sumerian Six. Weighing up every movement and action, knowing that one wrong step could mean the end of your life and the level, is thrilling.
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection feels just like a turn-based Monster Hunter game. For the first time in the Stories series, they’ve nailed the feeling of every fight feeling like a boss battle.
Plant of Lana II is the success we suspected it would be. A brilliantly told tale combines with stunning visuals, cracking gameplay mechanics, intriguing puzzles and a soundtrack to die for. But it lacks wow moments and any sense of difficulty.
Is Dice A Million here to usurp Balatro? Not a chance – rolling dice lacks strategy, and the various unlocks are too chaotic to truly master. But there’s still a lovely alchemy in Dice A Million which means that the chaos brings fun. When a collection of dice works, it really, really works, and the ludicrous combos and resulting multipliers give you a satisfying pat on the back.
Resident Evil Requiem is a pitch perfect love letter to fans of the series. Capcom has absolutely nailed the dual protagonist mechanic which sits at the core of a truly incredible piece of storytelling. The result is a must-play title for those both familiar and new to the series. Put simply, it’s an absolute tour de force.
But it’s the unexpected that makes this a winner. The Souls mechanic, an upgradeable new artifact system, is a peach. It makes Monster Train 2 more overblown and ludicrous than it was before, all while tempting us to replay over and over. More of this in Monster Train 3, if you please.
Carmaggedon: Rogue Shift is chaotic, challenging and consistently fun - and that’s despite the absence of online play.
On balance I very much enjoyed Baseless and I honestly can’t pick many faults at all. However, the strenuous gameplay will prove make or break for some, especially when the control niggles only make things more problematic.