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With better exploration, fantastic combat, and emotionally-resonant story, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a must-play adventure marred only by some performance issues.
I absolutely adored Live A Live from start to finish with its beautiful presentation, enthralling soundtrack, engaging combat system, and plentiful short stories. From light-hearted adventures to heart-breaking tragedies, nearly every story in this game had me invested in their well-written plots and characters. This game is a must-have for any JRPG enthusiast whether they’re a newcomer or a stalwart fan of Square Enix’s 16-bit era titles.
Dead Island 2 is everything a Dead Island fan could ask for. Between its addicting combat mechanics, excellent character and gear progression systems, hilariously satirical writing, and goretastic presentation, this long-awaited sequel has proven it was worth the wait.
Minecraft Legends is a wonderful addition to the expanding Minecraft universe, perfectly encapsulating its character while exploring a new, unique action-strategy genre. Its two halves aren't always perfectly balanced, though, and there are certainly ways the game can improve.
Forge of the Chaos Dwarfs is a must-buy DLC for any fans of strategy games looking to challenge themselves, but the difficulty and higher price tag should be noted.
Ghostwire: Tokyo is an atmospheric and somewhat ambitious game, with a vertical semi-open world gameplay arena dotted with ghoulish nasties and side-quests steeped in folklore, atop a supernatural thriller plot. The game's combat is sluggish initially, but it becomes increasingly satisfying as you unlock more powers. Weaving elemental magic sprinkled with some stealth elements for good measure. Sadly, everything new and fresh Ghostwire: Tokyo brings to the table is hamstrung by the game's awful performance on Xbox, which makes the game a true slog.
Resident Evil 4 is a true technical marvel on Xbox Series X, with utterly stunning visuals and wonderful ray-tracing implementations. While the game is a bit thin in the "survival horror" department, Resident Evil 4 is an absolutely spectacular action horror game with varied and satisfying combat, memorable characters, and a meaty amount of content.
Between its horrible story, subpar post-campaign quests, and lackluster raid, Destiny 2's Lightfall expansion is a massive step backward for Bungie's live service shooter. There is some good here — Strand is fantastic, and most of the new gear is strong, too — but overall, Lightfall will leave most dissatisfied.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is the fastest and flashiest game from Team Ninja yet, featuring awesome offense-focused melee combat with some distinctive twists. I'd have liked some slower storytelling and more unique pieces of loot, but overall, this is a must-play for any Soulslike fan.
Atomic Heart nails the art design and core gameplay loops but loses focus due to its vast array of game mechanics and untailored open-world segments. Inconsistent writing quality and inaccessible game design will likely frustrate many players, but Atomic Heart can still manage to be an incredibly fun adventure.
World of Warcraft: Dragonflight is somehow a breath of fresh air and a celebration of classic design principles in equal measure. The return to more dynamic, old-school talent trees enhances the class fantasy with a seasoning of new abilities across the board. At the same time, the retreat of pressuring, artificial power-gating systems promotes a more healthy gameplay loop. The game is also gorgeous, with a more promising storyline, elevated cinematic delivery mechanics, and deeper core systems which make for one of WoW's best expansions in years.
It is a shame that Wild Hearts launched in the state it is in. The gameplay loop of hunting monsters and using their parts to create gear is addictive, the weapons are entertaining to use, the Karakuri system is deep and filled with secrets, and the world of Azuma is beautiful and immersive. Yet the horrendous optimization issues bring down the experience and, in worst cases, render the game unplayable on certain platforms.
There are plenty of small little details in each area that work together to create a magical experience. From the unexpected ways that stairs appear before me to the NPC interactions that I come across while running through an area, everything works together to create a full and rich world filled with magical creatures, movie references, and fun wizarding world facts. I highly recommend this adventure to anyone who loves open-world games, satisfying combat, and rewarding puzzles.
From beginning to end, Hi-Fi RUSH is a rhythmic thrill ride replete with stunning art design, fantastically fun gameplay, and a surprisingly evocative narrative of friendship and determination.
Seriously, if you're the kind of person who loves to think strategically and is interested in history then you'll get sucked into this RTS game. See just why it's been seen as one of the best strategy games of all time.
Motive Studios delivers a remake that isn't just a faithful adaption of Dead Space for the modern age, but a love letter to the entire franchise. New narrative tweaks, the addition of a talking protagonist, and open exploration across the ship add up to a stellar horror experience.
Valendis is a beautifully pixelated world with a rich history in this story-driven RPG. The initial introductions drag on a bit long, but once the story picks up it pays off in the end. Chained Echoes manages to introduce useful mechanics to its combat with the Overdrive system that work with the player while challenging them to change up their gameplay and strategy at the same time while still affording plenty of room for customization and accessibility.
Warhammer 40,000: Darktide has a deeply satisfying core loop, with amazingly faithful art direction and audio. There's a wide variety of optimization and server problems right now however, so the technical side of the experience may vary wildly.
Criterion has managed to create a vibrant, beautiful, high octane Need for Speed entry that dares to breathe new life into a franchise that desperately needed it.
Striking Distance Studios' debut title is a horror game that delivers a high-quality experience all the way through. It won't sway anyone new to scares and frights, but fans of the genre should make this a priority.