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KINGDOM of the DEAD is a pretty damned good horror FPS with enough compelling ideas to stand on its own. The monochrome, hand-drawn visuals really sell the game’s Lovecraftian-noir tone, without interfering with gameplay. Plus, its varied additional mission objectives make its difficulty settings feel more multi-layered. Still, with its short play-time, minimal plot, and lack of unlockable content, it won’t be engaging for everyone. However, for those looking for some retro FPS fun, KINGDOM of the DEAD is a unique enough experience to be worth the recommendation.
KungFu Kickball brings an unexpected amount of joy to the table. Between the simple controls, intuitive gameplay, cute art style, and banging tunes, KungFu Kickball could very well dominate your next house party. Despite the lack of diversity of the characters and stages, KungFu Kickball shakes up the arcade genre with something new and entertaining. Whether you are playing locally at home or playing online, the game has you covered, even for those playing across different platforms. If you are a fan of games such as Smash Bros. or Rocket League, I would highly recommend picking this one up and playing with both friends and family for an enjoyable night in.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is the future for Pokémon games. The graphics are disappointing and the combat is very simple, yet it’s undeniably fun to play. Exploring areas with roaming Pokémon has been a distant dream for a long time and it’s finally here. With improvements and tweaks, this is how the mainline series should stay.
Sifu is a game that could have been something amazing, with its fascinating premise and superbly crafted and fluid combat mechanics and animations. However, the game’s frustrating need to make the gameplay ridiculously hard just left me tired and annoyed. Sloclap really needs to think about how they can make this game more accessible, possibly by including more shortcuts, an adjustable difficulty setting, or just lowering the impact of health lost from fighting your average foe. Hopefully they will bring in some patches that will address these issues, but as it stands, I’d wait before investing time in the world of Sifu.
Without a doubt, OlliOlli World is going to be the skateboarding game to check out in 2022. It’s an adventure full of plenty of fun and is incredibly hard to fault. Where the challenge in the late game can be a bit much, plenty of accessibility options help you make do. On offer are luscious and vibrant levels to absolutely melt away into with rewarding easy-to-pick-up and at times hard-to-master gameplay. Roll7’s hard work refining their craft and genre niche over the years have well paid off, shaping one of the best and most joyous skating games in a long time. It’s well worth creating your own weird skating hero, diving head first into the wondrous weird OlliOlli World has on offer. You owe yourself that much.
Dying Light 2 Stay Human is a more than worthy follow up and worth the wait. Whilst not necessarily reinventing the wheel, it excels in being one of the best versions of the open-world formula we’ve known for some time. With silky-smooth parkour and combat mechanics, and plenty of things to see and do, I highly recommend the plunge into The City. Where there’s slight polishing to still be done and the story at times leaves a bit to be desired, shining moments and performances make it all the more worthwhile, standing as a stronger entry than its predecessor. This has become my favourite free roam zombie game to date and has me constantly itching to jump back in and tool around some more in its playground. Not bloody bad, Techland.
Sucker for Love: First Date is a really clever melding of both horror and romance that takes a totally different route from other popular genre mashes like Doki Doki Literature Club. A wonderful dash of comedy imbues the game with an extra layer of goodness. The game managed to make me scared and laugh at the same time, so it’s such a shame that glitches are still ever-present because they really drag the experience down. I hope that Sucker for Love: Second Date may come out someday, expanding on the very solid foundation to make something even better. Oh, and to give me more unknowable horrors to kiss, of course!
Not For Broadcast ambitiously challenges the player to reconsider their ethical framework, political values, and personal loyalties through its incredibly clever combination of stressful management sim gameplay and acid-tongued writing. It’s not for the faint of heart, but balances its dystopian terrors with biting satire. With exceptional performances from its cast, a unique and varied system of mechanics that changes with each broadcast, and tonnes of extra story content, any budding media mogul will be both delighted and horrified with all that Not For Broadcast has to offer.
Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection joins the Nathan Drake Collection as the best way to experience some of the greatest titles PlayStation has ever put out into the world. Naughty Dog truly are kings of their craft, having created many of the industry’s greatest games, and with Uncharted established a franchise that captures the movie-like-magic of adventure cinema and brings it into the interactive space. Who knows what the future of the Uncharted franchise has in store, but for now getting your hands on this collection is a sure-fire way to experience a platform-defining experience that should hold up for years to come.
Reverie Knights Tactics is a decent turn-based strategy RPG that fans of the genre will likely enjoy… for the most part. The Order vs Chaos system and optional side-quests provide additional depth to the game’s plot. Furthermore, the strategy gameplay fundamentally works very well, encouraging thoughtful planning and smart use of stage hazards. However, its balance issues, primarily the lack of post-combat recovery and limited character customisation and re-spec options, can lead to Reverie Knights Tactics’ gameplay wearing on you over time. It’s an imperfect game, but there are enough neat ideas to be worth checking out.
Ammunition-fueled ATV trips, Mech piloting sequences and taking down squid-operated choppers levels of insane action can’t save Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem. No matter how varied the environments or silky smooth the gunplay and weapons may be this time around, it’s clear the franchise is in need of more of a shakeup. Blowing through waves and waves of extraterrestrial threats doesn’t take long to blur together and once more feels like going through the motions. It’s frustrating too; creating a game with the help of loyal fan modders is arguably as true as the franchise can get. Still, it struggles to impress. Maybe it’s high time the Serious Sam series take notes from its most recent setting: traipsing away on ice for a little while.
Windjammers 2 is a great update to a nostalgic arcade wonder that many will welcome with open arms, just like they would a frisbee. Definitely take this one for a spin if you love air hockey-style games but crave that bit of extra button mashing. The characters, arenas, and soundtrack all hit the mark brilliantly. It’s not an easy game to master, allowing dedicated fans to hone their skills and improve. There’s a missed opportunity for better tutorialisation and a lack of a structured tournament/career mode is disappointing, though the game overall still feels like a nostalgic romp.
Pupperazzi isn’t difficult or cerebral. This photography simulator doesn’t have the budget or serenity that other games in the genre might provide, but handily makes up for it with charm, personality, and hundreds of dogs being big goofballs. Even playing the same level multiple times will give you a random assortment of dogs and toys to mess around with, so the game doesn’t grow stale easily. It’s a fantastic example of a video game letting you live out a simple real-life fantasy: walking around without a care in the world, taking photos of endless dogs, and their fluffy, scratchable butts.
Blackwind presents a sci-fi platforming world that is fun to smash through and fly around its desolate landscapes. However, it sticks with its formula of killing enemies and unlocking areas so tightly that it lacks spontaneity and becomes too predictable too fast. Repetitive music, awkward dialogue and unvaried landscapes all lead to a pretty lackluster experience that even the fun combat can’t fix. Blackwind needs more time taking risks and experimenting with the very versatile genres it encompasses in order for it to stand out amongst the crowded population of action games.
Gravity Chase is not the most ambitious or creative racing game, but it offers a competent and fast futuristic racer. With a decent variety of tracks that are all easy to unlock, three game modes to pick from, and a satisfactory roster of ships and music to race with—there’s a handful of fun in this package.
RPGolf Legends leans too much into its influences to be really entertaining in itself. As a fan of Sports RPGs, RPGolf Legends demonstrates there is some wiggle room to experiment with the formula. I’d be doing a disservice to not congratulate the developers on the boss fights that succeed at demonstrating how RPG mechanics and golf mechanics can integrate well to make some unique and special gameplay moments. However, it must be said that outside of those boss fights, the game is largely satisfactory, but not exciting. It’s not the worst game I have played in recent memory, and it’s not a bad game to kill time on. Yet, for the ambition on display, I find it hard to get particularly enthusiastic about RPGolf Legends.
I can’t praise Nobody Saves the World enough for both its undeniable style and interesting game mechanics. The world is fleshed out and detailed, which allows the characters and environment to come to life. The Forms available create a unique class system that I personally haven’t seen before, especially because the character designs are so eccentric and interesting. The dungeons are all thematically compelling with tough challenges that make you have to experiment with different abilities and combinations. Add to this co-op compatibility and you’re left with a remarkable release that’s ready to bestow you and a friend with unrivalled joy.
Rainbow Six Extraction ran the risk of being labelled as an expansion or an unnecessary spinoff, but confidently proves that there is more than enough room in this universe for a survival horror tactical shooter built on the foundations laid down by Siege. With a mixture of enjoyable objectives, a diverse range of Operators and a compelling gameplay loop filled with aggressive enemies and intense action, the addictive nature of the experience shines through with a constant struggle between playing it safe or risking it all for greater reward. Rainbow Six Extraction is full of truly exciting and memorable moments, continually testing your skill and perseverance around every dark corner, which makes it an incredibly gripping experience that doesn’t let go easily.
Aery – Dreamscape is an interesting game. But with five Aery games already out, has EpiXR Games already flown too close to the sun? Dreamscape’s storytelling is quirky, by looking into the dreams of those around us, we can understand each other more. With different levels and a unique hub world, it’s clear there’s passion. But considering that subtitles are sometimes missing, objects glitching, and markers not showing at all, maybe it’s best to give Dreamscape a miss.
Despite the lack of friendly UI and lacklustre storytelling, Rescue Party: Live! is still a great addition to the popular co-op party genre and delivers a unique gameplay experience.