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Afterlove EP is a heartfelt project that looks to explore the theme of loss, grief, and moving forward after the death of a loved one. However, it is marred by some bugs that cause loss of key conversations, and you can get softlocked out from seeing the ending.
Whilst these remakes bring the second Tomb Raider trilogy to modern systems, but they simply can't match up to the original trilogy – Chronicles and Angel of Darkness in particular were let downs when they released originally. I can't see this remaster gaining these games any new fans, especially since they control like some kind of device that exists to torture game developers that specialise in traversal mechanics.
While not striking the same feeling of EA's golf games of old, PGA Tour 2K25 is HB Studios' best effort yet. There's enough here to keep you going for a while and if the PGA Tour 2K series continues on this trajectory, might just have the best take on golf games in years to come.
Two Point Museum is a great management sim that takes the Two Point game blueprint and tweaks it to another charming and whimsical setting. There's great strides to allow for more customisation and creativity, a revamped structure to make revisiting levels more rewarding, and great variety in the core disciplines, but there's also a few snags along the way and elements that could improved through updates and DLC.
Monster Hunter Wilds is the best Monster Hunter game we've ever had. The best storyline, the best visuals, and changes to the combat that revolutionise the way the game plays. That said, striving for the widest audience yet has dulled some of the series difficulty, and you may have to wait for the toughest parts of Wilds to fully reveal themselves.
With the mainline Musou series entering a new era, Warriors Abyss is a fun yet flawed repurposing of past games that feels like a sendoff, as if Omega Force is closing the book after a very long chapter.
Dog Man: Impawsible Mission is a light and breezy platformer that will keep fans of the books happy for a number of hours. However, parents might need to be on hand to get past some of the trickier sections.
Stories From Sol: The Gun-Dog is a decent visual novel, and a good opening salvo for what is supposed to be the first entry to a wider universe. While most of the story is self-contained, there are major plot points left open to be resolved in later releases. The different visual styles all look good, the story is fine if familiar, and you can get through it in an afternoon.
I really enjoyed Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector, especially travelling between different locations. The new dice system is a bit too much, though, and little would have been lost if only one of the broken or glitched dice concepts was used. The story and writing are still great, though being spread across a wider setting means it does lose some of the magic of the original.
Civilization 7 has made a lot of changes, and while some were positive, the shortcomings made me wish I was playing Civ 6. That said, for anyone getting into the series for the first time, this is probably a great place to start.
Avowed is an incredible RPG. Its vibrant world and stellar cast make every moment a joy to take part in, enhanced by a script that gives equal measure to drama, action and humour. Coming hot on the heels of Indiana Jones and The Great Circle, Microsoft's software revival is well underway.
Lorelei is one of the best puzzle adventures in recent years and deserves to be spoken about on the same level as the likes of Zork and Myst. On the surface it feels like an arthouse take on survival horror, but the depth and complexity of its narrative, combined with the superb puzzles and uniquely stylish aesthetic makes this a modern-day classic.
I have to say I'm not really a fan of rogue style games or Doom style shooters, but Robobeat has proven to be the exception to the rule. It's fast, slick, and once you have learned the mechanics, really quite easy to master.
The Legend Of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II is a fun and polished JRPG full of the most electrifying JRPG combat I've ever experienced, but it fails to weave its own compelling narrative, relying on filler to plug the gaps.
Ninja Gaiden 2 Black offers a comprehensive remake of Team Ninja's finest game, rendered in beautiful modern visuals. Combat is as bombastically brilliant as it ever was, though the awful camera will put off many of those new to the game, it really hasn't aged well. Still, as a reminder of how good Ninja Gaiden can be, this remake offers a tantalising taste of what we can all look forward to when Ninja Gaiden 4 is released later this year.
Coridden is quite simply one of the coolest concepts I've played in absolutely ages, and as a big fan of co-op games, is immensely refreshing. I adore this game, and I really hope we get more from this from the team at Aftnareld to shows off more of what they can do, because their first attempt is a triumph of ingenuity.
There's a lot to like about Big Helmet Heroes, it's a delightfully silly and fun side-scrolling beat 'em up, but substantial patches are required to fix the game before contemplating a purchase.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 continues to fulfil the uncompromising vision of the first game. It weaves together a world of lords, knights, peasants and bandits in medieval Europe, with poor Henry of Skalitz caught somewhere in the middle just trying to cope. It's grand in scale whilst being full of fine details and it sometimes gets in its own way a little bit, but if this is your kind of game it'll be one that you don't want to end because there's nothing else quite like it.
Bloomtown: A Different Story is everything I want from a video game. A hugely enjoyable story, slick script, bombastic battles, and the freedom to interact with the world in odd and inventive ways. It's pretty much essential.
There's a lot to like about Laika – Aged Through Blood with its motorvania concept that absolutely delivers, offering a fresh and compelling take on the often staid metroidvania formula. Personally, the high difficulty was not for me, the grind becoming so choresome that getting the bathroom cleaned became deeply alluring. Still, if you like a serious challenge then you might enjoy Laika – Aged Through Blood. Just give it a miss if you're playing on a Nintendo Switch Lite or in handheld more.