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Yuki's Wish and Zagan's Ritual are two good pieces of DLC that adds to the overall lore and gameplay of Shadow Gambit. Both provide quite a few additional hours of content, with six missions each, plus their badges to earn too. If I were to pick one of the two to go with first it would be Yuki's Wish.
A Highland Song is a very different kind of game visually to Inkle’s previous work but is very much in keeping with their narrative focus. Combined with satisfying mechanics and a beautiful aesthetic this is a real treat, all topped off with folk music that’ll have your feet gaily tapping and a central performance brimming with personality. All in all a perfect game to curl up with on a cold winter’s night with a glass of single malt, or, perhaps, an Irn Bru.
Worldless is a fun and challenging action platformer that has a great minimalist style, and a battle system that is fun to master. However, there are bits that need tightening up to make it truly great.
Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria has the potential to be a challenging and enjoyable multiplayer experience. The loop of mining, crafting, and exploring is a satisfying one when overwhelming hordes of goblins aren't haranguing you. There doesn't seem to be any real optimisation for solo players so I'd probably stay clear unless you can get a band of dwarves together to brave the darkness of the mines.
Talos Principle 2 is the best puzzler since 2011. This is as good as the genre gets and absolutely essential for puzzle game fans.
SteamWorld Build will scratch that itch of town builder and dungeon crawler alike. It's an easy game to pick up and play, gradually introducing each layer of society and underground mining at a steady pace. A few elements could be improved to help levels flow better, but overall it's a very good experience that digs up yet another new genre for the SteamWorld franchise.
Gangs of Sherwood is exactly what it needs to be: fun for everyone playing it. It's definitely a game you'll want to play with friends for the best possible experience though, so do keep that in mind if you're more of a single player kind of person. I've been having a blast with it though, and if I can convince some friends to join me, I'd imagine I'll be playing it for a fair bit of time to come.
American Arcadia takes The Truman Show's core concept and updates it for the 2020s with a two-sided tale of escape, freedom and corporate control. The gameplay is mainly there to help deliver this story, but I always wanted Trevor to keep running to get me to the final moments and grand reveal.
Flashback 2 is a shameful nostalgia cash-in that is an affront to the classic original. Unfortunately awful in every way imaginable, do not buy this game.
Valfaris: Mecha Therion is another awesome addition to the series that takes the aesthetic and soundtrack of the earlier games and transplants them to a new genre. While not the longest of games (I completed it 3 times in my 12 hours) there is a lot of replay value with the various difficulty settings, weapon upgrades and some devilish achievements to challenge you. Whether you are already a fan of Steel Mantis' adventures or new to the series Mech Therion is a fantastic slice of heavy metal mayhem and comes highly recommended.
Bang-On Balls Chronicle is a well designed 3D platformer that has plenty to keep you occupied and benefits from really good level design but its puerile sense of humour isn't as edgy or funny as it thinks it is and often holds the game back. I would have liked a little more complexity in the controls and challenging trophies that required mastering them rather than the 'LOL random' ones included. Maybe that makes me a grumpy old man but I would still recommend taking these balls out for a spin. Um, oo-er matron etc.
Assassin's Creed Nexus VR is an outstanding interpretation of the series' iconic action into virtual reality, bringing the franchise to life like never before.
Berzerk Recharged is a great game if you have ten minutes to spare. You don't have look up the controls, search massive maps for crafting materials or remember the plot, just dive in, shoot robots and chase high scores. Great fun in short bursts.
You Will Die Here Tonight begins as a great indie homage to Resident Evil and then develops to be a fantastic take on survival horror in its own right. While there are a few unpolished aspects here and there the overall experience is a stand out in a genre that is so often defined by slavish adherence to tropes and traditions. Any self-respecting fan of survival horror owes it to themselves to face the evil residence and find out the true horrors awaiting within.
With its enhancements over the original release, Risk of Rain Returns is an excellent game to spend some time with, whether that's on your own or playing with mates. It does make me want to go and play more Risk of Rain 2 though, as I do miss the extra dimension, but that could just be a me problem.
At best, the Metal Gear Solid HD Master Collection is a cynical cash grab that is trying to repackage and resell you on nostalgia. There are very few reasons to part with your cash at this point: wait for a proper ground-up remake.
Backpack Hero is an excellent roguelike that should be on everyone's radar. Every moment of the game is fun to play, the story is solid, and the meta progression is deeply satisfying. It's everything a good roguelike should be, and I'm going to continue playing it as soon as I finish writing this paragraph.
Asterix and Obelix: Slap Them All! 2 could have been a tremendously fun arcade-inspired side-scrolling beat 'em up. Instead, it's a boring, lifeless, repetitive, and unfinished mess. Avoid like a menhir to the face.
Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realm of Ruin is a great-looking, well-tuned RTS that will keep Games Workshop fans happy for many hours.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 isn't an outright bad game, but it's also not a particularly good one. Taken on its own, it's a slightly above average first person shooter with a poor campaign, but in context, you can see how hurried and limited in scope this game really is. The multiplayer is effectively a classic map pack, Zombies and Open Combat Missions are game modes built within the existing Warzone map, and the campaign's pacing and story come up short. It all adds up to a lacklustre experience and even a sense that Call of Duty is at risk of losing its identity.