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Refining the formula that has brought it such success, Borderlands 4 is the definitive looter shooter of this generation. Some technical hiccups take the sheen off what is otherwise a very polished experience that delivers poignant story beats, hearty belly laughs and a smorgasbord of slick, violent action. Despite its technical issues, this is the incremental evolution that Borderlands needed and rewards long time players with callbacks we've waited years to see. A true delight.
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is perhaps the biggest surprise of the year for us. Not because it's good, because it's genuinely great. Full of life, vibrancy, joy and celebrating the long history of the blue blur, this is a kart racer that's heavy value for its asking price. Unlike others.
Descending from a hillside house to a rural Japanese village, only for it to enveloped in fog and an evil haunting is just about as good as survival horror gets. Silent Hill f confidently lives up to the franchise name in quality and exceeds many of the later entries. Perhaps the f is meant to imply a spin off, rather than a numbered entry, so that the intense and satisfying reflexive combat can be accepted and praised rather than compared.
Leagues ahead of last years iteration, FC 26 puts the power in the hands on the players and says 'just go have fun with it'. The difference is startling, and it's credit to EA Sports that they took as much as they did back to the drawing board to deliver an experience worthy of the Champions League. The additional monetisation is not welcome, though. And we can only hope that what's been added in that regard is rejected by the audience and removed for next year.
With intentionally difficult physics-based gameplay, Baby Steps can bring out the worst or best in you. If you're willing to gel with the QWOP-style controls for a sense of self-accomplishment, with an absurd but impactful story, then it may just be worth tripping over yourself for.
Though troubled and caught up in transition from expansion to a fully fledged game, Dying Light: The Beast still excels in the core fundamentals of combat and parkour. The story is forgettable, while the lack of night-time scenarios feels disappointing, but The Beast will give Dying Light fans more of what they most desire: decimating infected crowds and dashing across skylines with reckless abandon.
A brief, pacey and regularly unsettling pastiche of Steamboat Willie, Bad Cheese will unfortunately stop short of sending a shiver down your spine. For fans of teen-horror, it’s still worth a few hours of your time, but its rigid structure and lack of real depth will prevent it from joining the horror classics.
Whilst the market for something neon-soaked and high octane may be lacking, Cyber Clutch: Hot Import Nights isn't going to be the game to reignite that spark. Shallow content, lacking multiplayer and just overall poor performance will see this one up on the blocks.
Flashy, inspired but flawed, Hotel Barcelona is a blood-drenched, frenetic but clunky action roguelite. Leaning towards style rather than substance, its creative story, breadth of replaybility and brilliant horror-inspired art direction make this one for the cultists.
Otherwar unsuccessfully pulls off being a tower defence game or bullet hell, and instead is just my hell. Slow waves of enemies, long periods of downtime, and a broken in-game economy that doesn't make working towards anything feel fulfilling.
The seemingly strong foundations of Arctic Awakening's opening give way like an icy lake with one too many cracks. Where the narrative struggles with inconsistent performances and an underwhelming concluding chapter, the music and visuals elevate and lift the experience far beyond its basic walking simulator beats. Even if you may take a freezing bath or two along the way, I'd still recommend daring the trip across the Arctic for the sights and sounds alone.
Charming, spooky and just the right amount of cosy for the autumn period, Gloomy Eyes is a fun self-coop puzzler with an even better sense of style. It isn't without its flaws, like its gameplay being a little buggy and puzzles staying the same throughout, but the worldbuilding, visuals and tone are so inviting that you can't help but get lost in the gloom.
NHL 26 is a terrific iteration of the series, bringing together immersive, in-depth gameplay thanks to the ICE-Q 2.0 AI system, terrific visuals and a huge roster of modes.. It's puckin' great.
Indiana Jones and The Great Circle: The Order of Giants delivers more of what the base game so excelled at, albeit in a trimmed down fashion. The puzzles and tombs in this DLC deliver some of the best you'll find, but the new location being so sewer-orientated is a let down. Pulled up by the scruff of the neck by some fun storytelling and more excellent gameplay, this expansion does just enough to make you want to don the famous explorer's hat once more.
NBA 2K remains the most refined, content heavy and reliable sports gaming franchise out there, and 26 is no exception. With improved mechanics, gorgeous visuals and a cracking career mode, this is an essential purchase if you’ve ever picked up a basketball.
A real blast from the past, Space Adventure Cobra - The Awakening is as classic an anime as it gets. Whilst it seems like a niche game for the fans, it's an accessible action platformer for old and newcomers a like. Interspersed with original animations and corny dialogue, it's a fun little romp through the golden era of anime and space adventuring.
We don’t get enough science fiction survival horror games, so when one comes along it’s a real treat. Cronos: The New Dawn merges effective brutal combat and excellent charging gunplay, with a design, atmosphere and aesthetic that is next level memorable. If you felt the void after Dead Space, this will fill it. And then Merge with it, and make something new and spiky and horrible.
Daemon X Machina Titanic Scion suffers from too many systems and not enough depth. Sure, there’s a lot to do and a lot of mech customisation, but it’s all set in an underwhelming and cliched story and a barren open world devoid of compelling content.
Metal Eden’s hyperkinetic and challenging gameplay that tested age-old strategies was appreciated, even if it’s science fiction city and story was too safe and generic to be memorable. It is not Metroid however much it might want to look like it on the shiny spherical surface.
Hirogami has a bright world to explore and some interesting gameplay ideas to fold over. However, the art of it all is a little lost when the developers' over ambition doesn't come to fruition in the game. It plays old, feels like it too, and despite being a throwback to the PS2 era, it doesn't have the tact and precision to pull off this nostalgia trip.