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We Are OFK doesn't quite hit the mark as an interactive experience, but it excels with a compelling narrative hook built on fantastic character and dialogue writing. It also doubles as a genuinely great EP by a virtual band that benefits immensely from the context its five episodes provide. This is a stark example of a game that is truly special, even if it's not perfect.
In what is effectively Tony Hawk's Pro Skater meets The Running Man in a war of attrition, full of guns and vibrant colour, Rollerdrome is a well-crafted arena combat-survival game set atop jam skates. Though as solid as the core loop is, the game is let down by a narrative that fails to measure up to the game's pulsating setting as well as a disappointingly sparse range of arenas that you'll see far too often.
Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered on PC is still the fantastic experience that it was on PS4, but now with a little bit of extra polish and shine from a graphical standpoint. If you haven't played this game, jump in, and if you played it on the PS4/PS5 it might just be time to get swinging once more.
Cult of the Lamb is sure to be a homegrown success on the back of its tremendous presentation, which is helped along by captivating notions of cultism and devotion. I just wish there was more of an accord between the game's working parts, which ultimately feels like a game of two individually brilliant halves.
Two Point Campus is another excellent entry from Two Point Studios that showcases not only more of the team's penchant for humorous and accessible management sim gameplay but genuine love for the genre. With a new spin that makes for a distinctly new-feeling gameplay loop and moment-to-moment decision making there's something here for both hardcore sim fans and casual onlookers. Some missed opportunities and controller-specific issues aside, there's never been a better time to create a ton of student debt.
There are a ton of great reasons to get into Frogun. It’s got a nice level of challenge, charm for days, a fun and breezy trophy/achievement list, a silly but compelling hook and unlockable hats! I wasn’t entirely in love with all of the half-dozen boss fights with a lot of them feeling a bit safe, but as a whole this is a great little package that even includes a local multiplayer “duel” mode. If a game that has you play as an abandoned child that gets around by pulling the trigger on a taxidermy-Kermit-head-turned-projectile-weapon sounds up your alley, definitely give this one a go.
MultiVersus is a fantastic foundation for a great platform that will only grow with time. It combines a solid fighting system with an excellent starting roster of characters to offer a platforming fighter like no other. There are some kinks to be ironed out, but MultiVersus is in a prime position to hit the ground running.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is another great entry in the long-running series. Combat is complex, but well enough explained to readily understand and feels fantastic to play with. It has interesting characters, an intriguing world and an engrossing storyline that had me always wondering what was going to happen next. Whether you're new to the series or a veteran, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is stylish, intriguing, super fun, and well worth checking out for RPG fans.
Live A Live leverages a fantastic visual overhaul with an already compelling and inventive narrative structure to offer an RPG experience like no other. It's aging for sure – the slower nature of the turn-based battles and some strange logic to get the story moving – but it's such a unique experience that any RPG fan owes it to themselves to try.
Stray is a brisk and relentlessly charming adventure that offers a very unique window into a gorgeous sci-fi world. It won't challenge your mind or your reflexes too much but it'll absolutely delight your senses. Importantly, it's a video game with a dedicated 'meow' button, and what could possibly be better than that?
As it ran its course, I realised I quite adored As Dusk Falls. As a decades-spanning crime thriller throughout America's western plains, it's well acted and admirably realised. Although the cliffhanger beckons another chapter, my journey through As Dusk Falls felt whole, though I can't wait to explore all of the possibilities on offer.
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak takes an already meaty game an expands on it even further. Despite a few missteps, Sunbreak sports a roster bolstered by sheer quality, smart improvements to the Switch Skill system, and the introduction of Follower Quests which coalesce together to propel Rise into the upper echelon of Monster Hunter titles.
Capcom Fighters Collection is yet another example of the utmost respect Capcom has for its back catalogue. Even worse, it'll make you sad that Darkstalkers is dead.
For Cuphead fans, The Delicious Last Course is an essential add-on adventure that more than delivers enough content for the price of admission. The art is sumptuous, the fights are fanciful, and there's effort crammed into every nook. I expect some might say The Delicious Last Course under delivers considering the time between drinks, but I'm a cup half full kind of guy.
Sonic Origins keeps the focus on the hedgehog's early core entries, polishing them up to a fine sheen and creating an addictive ecosystem around them that breathes new life into each title. There are a few missteps and grubby mechanics to forgive, but otherwise this is well worth diving into for old-school Sonic fans.
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes feels tailor made for the relatively small cross-section of people who are both hardcore fans of Musou and Fire Emblem. That isn't to say you won't enjoy this if you liked Three Houses, there's a lot that Three Hopes has to offer on a first playthrough, just be ready for the repetition to set in if you want to see it all through to the end.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge is the gaming revamp equivalent of the time Donatello took a perfectly good Volkswagen bus and upcycled it into the high-tech, tubular AF Turtle Van. Hitch a ride, dudes.
Mario Strikers: Battle League is a fun time that is easy enough for anybody to pickup and play but still without depth to mean it should keep an audience engaged for a long period of time. It's a little lacking in the single player department, but it's doing some interesting things in the online space to make up for it.
All in all, The Quarry is an intriguing story that's paced well and is tense from beginning to end, aside from a middle chapter that drags. I wouldn't go as far as to say I didn't enjoy it because I did. It feels like such an oversimplification of everything that Supermassive has achieved so far. I can't see it as standing above their pedigree in many respects.
Card Shark succeeds at establishing wild stakes within its wonderfully weird take on 18th century France. It serves up a memorable cast, a story that rewrites history in a fantastical way, all the while arming the player with tricks of the trade that'd make Penn and Teller blush. For a game that's more about playing your opponent than your cards, Card Shark is a memorable adventure.