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Powerhoof deliver one of the most engaging and compelling tales you're likely to experience this year. Joining Mick on his journey filled with emotional stakes, peril and thematic intrigue is a pleasure, and one I'd encourage you to embark on for yourself. Aside from the occasional technical issue, The Drifter is a wonderfully crafted noir point-and-click adventure from start to finish.
Like any creative 4-chord song, Fretless - The Wrath of Riffson makes good on the promise of a turn-based RPG that melds a great tune with a stylish bassline. Also much like a 4-chord song, it quickly becomes easy to predict and master, lacking that extra depth to elevate it beyond its accessible design. Even so, it's hard not to play it without a smile on your face and an appreciation for its colourful visuals.
From a solo player's perspective, Phantom Squad is a frustrating and unbalanced trial of patience that doesn't pay off enough to make it worth it. Rope in a couple of friends to squad up though, and the game completely transforms into an intense, intricately designed and frantic sandbox to have a blast in. Just make sure you don't go it alone, this unit was meant for a team, not an individual.
Your Personal Chill Apartment works best as a tool in your daily life, rather than a game in the traditional sense. Reward yourself with new products for your apartment as you go through your daily life and create the quiet hub of your dreams. With lovely visuals and ambient music it's a relaxing, enjoyable experience, but the lack of depth or replayability will mean this is a one or two hour effort that offers little outside its core mechanic.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skate 3 + 4 uses the same gameplay formula as its predecessor, making it almost as fun. 4's redesign feels intuitive, the soundtrack befits the new coat of paint and the core gameplay is heaps of fun. With that said, character creation and career progression is hollow and unfulfilling, with nothing "new" to get stuck into outside of its 19 levels.
At its heart, Front Mission 3 Remake is a mostly-faithful adaptation of the 2000's original. It retains the same tactical mech action, with some smoother transitions and polished graphics. But with the looming accusation of AI asset usage, and not much else being done to draw in newcomers, it may be a slightly harder sell than expected.
Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition launches a decades old crusade to reclaim the glory of 2002 and by all the knights and eunuchs does it succeed. An incredulous bounty of new content, alongside gloriously enhanced visuals and quality of life improvements make this an almost impenetrable castle. Storming the walls and setting kingdoms aflame has always been spectacular, but Firefly Studios have set a new gold standard for their own series, and for remasters everywhere.
TRON: Catalyst presents a myriad of ideas within its gameplay, but never utilises each facet astoundingly, leaving the game to feel lacking. Whilst nothing is bad about Catalyst, there isn't a moment that felt inspired and exceeded the bar of quality I set myself after the opening hours. If you're a Tron fan or new to the genres Catalyst apes, there maybe something for you here, but the code runs thin on this one.
It seems miraculous that one of the most graphically intensive games that gave the PS4 a headache is available on Switch 2. But here it is and CD Projekt Red have worked wonders to bring this game to life on a handheld device.
Star Overdrive shines when you’re on the board, delivering fast, fluid thrills. But clunky on-foot sections and weak combat drag it down, leaving a game that’s half brilliant, half forgettable.
Charming pixel art, level design and world make Outrider Mako an eye-opening prospect, but once you enter this Yokai realm and start making deliveries, it’s repetitive structure and chaotic combat underwhelm.
Locomoto is a perfectly pleasant cozy experience that will scratch that itch if you're looking for something a little different to do than start a farm. Full of whimsy and fun characters, you've definitely had a worse train experience than this one.
Rooftops & Alleys has a great foundation of parkour gameplay. But with a handful of levels and no great variety of missions that'll have you tripping over your feet, this won't keep players around for long; unless they're hardcore into parkour.
Despite some inconsistent framerate issues in certain modes, Street Fighter 6 Year 1+2 Edition is a fantastic package, playing brilliantly on Nintendo's new system and showcases that the console can run with the big boys when it comes to line-up and performance. The magic of Street Fighter remains strong and shows no sign of slowing down here.
Another remaster to Capcom's belt, Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny Remaster is what you'd come to expect from them. Spit and polish have given this twenty-plus year old classic a nice gleam, as well as some additions and quality of life improvements to make it accessible. It may not appeal to newcomers as much, but to the old school crowd, it's a welcome palate cleanser until Way of the Sword arrives next year.
Taking design cues from a whole spectrum of sci-fi games, The Alters has crafted a wholly unique and engaging survival management adventure. With a thought provoking narrative and an addictive gameplay loop, I couldn't help but be lost in space, just like Jan.
Heartfelt, charming and very on-brand for Keita Takahashi, to a T is a fun episodic journey of a teenager stuck in the T-pose. However, with an emphasis on narrative and cut scenes, the gameplay takes a backseat, making those fleeting moments of T-posing minigame shenaginans feel less impactful as a result.
FromSoftware have tried their hand at an entirely different style of game in Elden Ring Nightreign. The stripped-down, condensed and multiplayer-orientated focus leave a title that has many thrilling moments, but feels devoid of the life and soul that made the original Elden Ring such a special experience. Entering this fog alone is folly, but with a couple of like-minded Souls vets, there's plenty of great moments to be had amongst the repetition.
Architect Life is a well made and intensely detailed look at the world of house design, and those brought up on The Sims will feel that creativity pouring through the screen. Just be prepared to pay extra if you feel like you're missing a cinema.
A fun, unique little Zelda-like with all the quirk and style of a 90s heyday Game Boy game, Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo is going to scratch that itch if you like 'em retro. However, tricky controls and high difficulty are going to see many leave it languishing on the shelf after a few hours, alongside their old Yoyo.