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Dark and Deep is a focused and atmospheric title that doesn't outstay it's welcome. Most of this time is spent immersed in the unique aesthetic and it stands out amongst the many other copycat PT wannabes that flood the horror tag on Steam. The ending is interesting although some of the imagery felt too separated from the Doré influence and instead moved into more conventional folk horror. All in all, Dark and Deep is a well polished and fascinating indie horror that has a look and feel all of its own, and for that it deserves a wider audience.
With a multitude of Metroidvanias out there, a prospective new entry in the genre must stand out from the pack to get attention. Awaken – Astral Blade certainly stands out, but not in a good way. A poor story, poor collision detection, and overly floaty platforming combine to provide an unforgettable experience, just for all the wrong reasons.
Superbly immersive and packed full of action and chills, Metro Awakening is by far the best PSVR 2 game this year and should be in the top ten of all PS5 games of 2024.
Mario & Luigi: Brothership is a welcome return for the other Mario RPG series, taking a more straightforward, less gimmicky approach to bring new players into the fold. The rhythm of the brothers in combat is pleasingly engaging, as ever, and there's a solid adventure here, but it's just lacking that spark to match the franchise's very best.
Slitterhead is destined to be a cult classic, though mainly because of what it could have been, as opposed to what it is. The combat is functional but feels dated and gets boring before the end, the dialogue sections are unvoiced and feel cheap as a result, and the loop of finding and then fighting enemies through various forms soon becomes unfortunately one note. I enjoyed immersing myself in the world of Slitterhead but the game itself feels too much like a relic of a bygone era than a new title by industry giants.
Beautiful, contemplative and engaging, Empire of the Ants is a unique hybrid that will delight fans of the natural world.
Modern Warfare had a great run, but Black Ops is now back on top in their ongoing sibling rivalry. Fluid character movement, high-tempo multiplayer, evolved Zombies co-op, and an incredible campaign come together in 2024's most irresistible first person shooter.
Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered is a great version of the original that offers limited but welcome updates such as resolution increases, faster load times and a much requested New Game+ mode. The unique grindhouse aesthetic and over the top humour remains as distinctive as they always were and it is here that the appeal of Shadows of the Damned lives or dies. If the absurd humour and over the top ideas are your cup of blood then this is an easy recommend even if you don't have nostalgic memories of the original. Get ready to grab your Johnson and kill some demons.
Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered might not have been a wholly necessary overhaul, but there's plenty to like about it, from greater visual depths and details, to the majorly improved dialogues.
The Smurfs – Dreams is a welcome throwback to classic 3D platformers and makes for a good snackable game if you've already played the likes of Astro Bot or the Mario games (or don't have the relevant consoles for them). It'll keep you well entertained for the 7 or 8 hours it lasts and there are plenty of hidden secret collectables to hunt out. Whether you have any nostalgia for the Smurfs or are new to them you could do a lot worse than to have a snooze with the blues.
Life is Strange: Double Exposure is a very easy game to recommend. If you have enjoyed previous games in the series, this is doing enough of the same to scratch that same lowkey mystery vibes itch. The ability to shift between timelines can become a touch overwhelming at times, but there's several things in place across the UI, accessibility options, and narrative flow to keep the gameplay smooth. What's more, I think this game might have redeemed Max Caulfield for me too, so take that how you will.
One thing they never tell you about parenthood is that you should prepare to play a lot of Monster Truck video games. If that's you, you should do yourself a favour and skip straight to Hot Wheels Monster Truck: Stunt Mayhem. It's easily the best Monster Truck themed game out there right now. Most importantly, it'll keep your youngster busy whilst you wash the pots, order a food shop, and get the hoovering done – what's not to like?
Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred is a bit of a disappointment. After the story finishes, it feels like little has changed, though the structural systems of the game have had some upheaval. You hit max level far quicker now and, once you do, the fun of looting will evaporate for all but the most hardcore and dedicated loot hunters. Meanwhile, there's spam to buy loot in the chat constantly, the party finder invariably puts me in parties where my lower level character is useless and dies to a sneeze from a passing asthmatic, and the big co-op endgame dungeon doesn't really seem to understand what Diablo is. Why doesn't it seem to understand? Because this is an MMO, not Diablo.
It took me a little while to fully warm to Tormenture, but as the game started to show its hand, I was hooked and played much of it in a single sitting. Tormenture is a clever and novel approach to horror that makes excellent use of the limitations of the period setting to unsettle and immerse you in a unique experience.
Vendetta Forever is a new contender for my favourite VR game. Its high speed, intense, but relatively short levels are always somewhere between very cool, very over the top, and quite funny. It's a game that's in love with old school action movies and did it darnedest to let you shoot your way through countless classic set pieces.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake presents the series at its very peak. Despite turning back the clock more than 20 years, the end product feels like an evolution of ROTK's grand strategy format thanks to smart gameplay upgrades and its beautiful presentation.
Neva is almost brilliant. This is a finely crafted game let down by too much empty time-wasting, untapped potential in its puzzling, and a rather onerous desire to make people cry.
Sky Oceans: Wings for Hire needed a lot more time and work to get it into a proper release state. If this was an early access title, some of the issues would be forgivable, but it isn't.
Sonic X Shadow Generations is a great time. The remaster is exactly as you'd expect and the new game on top of it is better, more polished, varied, and refined. It's almost converted me to a 3D Sonic guy, which is shocking, and, because it's about Shadow instead of Sonic, you don't have to put up with anywhere near as many obnoxious voice performances. Shadow himself is just a bit broody and says things like "the ultimate power" in an almost-Keanu Reeves voice which really makes me laugh – especially with the Keanu voice pack coming in December for some top tier silliness.
I really wanted to write about the positives of featuring more cultures in this genre, and about how cool it is to have a famous actor play the protagonist, but sadly the gameplay gets in the way of anything interesting. Unknown 9: Awakening is just a bunch of gaming tropes loosely tied together with boring and uninspired NPCs lazily lurching from set piece to set piece, as the poorly designed game creaks and groans under the weight of expectation.