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God of War is a great port of one of the PlayStation 4's biggest games. PC gamers have all of the graphics options they could really want, and the game's origins mean that even fairly modest gaming PCs can push for high frame rates and resolutions. If you've not already played the game on PlayStation, this is a great chance to catch up ahead of Ragnarok's highly anticipated release.
Monster Hunter Rise on PC is the best place to play this incredible creature battler. If the series was looking for a permanent home, PC players would be more than happy to see it moving in.
Rush Duelling is a great idea, but Yu-Gi-Oh! Rush Duel: Dawn of the Battle Royale!! is a poorly executed waste of time. While it could be a fun entry point to the franchise for 5–7-year-olds, the frustrating pace of play, coupled with the issues where things just don't work as they are supposed to, makes it far more trouble than it's worth. Do yourself a favour and let this one pass you by.
Exo One is an enjoyable other-world experience that challenges players with the mastery of an alien spacecraft. Tight controls and great physics more than make up for the odd repetitive spot, making Exo One an absolute must for anyone with an Xbox Game Pass subscription. Even without one, I’d still recommend picking it up.
Once you're past the horrendously long queues to actually get into the game, Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker was an almost flawless experience. This conclusion to a decade-long tale is told with a visual, musical and narrative artistry that isn't often seen in any medium. Endwalker doesn't quite reach the heights of earlier parts of the series, but it sure as hell ends the current arc with a bang and everyone involved with this game should feel damn proud of themselves.
Halo Infinite marks a clear moment in 343 Studios' handling of the series. They finally have a grasp on what makes Master Chief tick, and they bring all of that knowledge to bear in often-spectacular fashion. While some issues nag, it's clear that Halo Infinite is a brilliant new entry in the series, and one that makes this particular sci-fi FPS relevant once again.
The Gunk is an entertaining adventure with a message about pollution and industrialisation. with a likeable protagonist. The pacing is a little drawn out toward the end of the six to seven hour journey, but there's a great visual style and an enjoyable game to experience.
After the Fall is a fun co-op zombie shooter in VR, but with a lack of content at launch, awkwardly randomised attachment unlocks, and constantly separating parties between levels, it's not without issues. I really want to love After the Fall and, honestly, I would be at peace with all of its flaws if it had more content.
Annihilation Line is a good DLC expansion, but will do nothing to change your mind about Terminator: Resistance. If you enjoyed the setting and the gunplay then there is more here to get stuck into, but there is no deviation from the core gameplay to be found. Not quite 'I'll be back', but neither is it 'Hasta la Vista'.
White Shadows might have a short run time and be fairly by the numbers as a platformer, but it packs a lot in for you to experience. If you enjoy your dystopian fiction then you will find a game that sets up a world which raises questions, though the the Animal Farm influence is clear to see. White Shadows hits on a lot of dark themes, but does so in such a way that is not overwhelming.
A brief fumble in the darkness of space, Heavenly Bodies is designed to beguile you with floaty, physics based puzzles. It will scramble your brains as you perform the most straightforward of tasks, at times testing your sanity and (if playing in co-op) the strength of any relationship.
There's a lot to like about Surviving the Aftermath and I became genuinely invested in the continued existence of my survivors, fighting and struggling with all I had to get them through the many hardships of living in a post-apocalyptic world. It's unfortunate that I was constantly forced to return to exploring the turn based world map, rather than having fun building stuff. Also, if you do decide to pick up Surviving the Aftermath, it's probably best to go for the PC version to avoid the contradictory brain-melting console controls.
Solar Ash is one of the best games of the year. It looks gorgeous, its story is pretty unique and surprising, and its set-piece moments get really intense, as you might expect from skating along the back of a black goo and bone dragon. It's a nice surprise to end the year with that any "skating combined with combat and gigantic monsters" enthusiasts, which is definitely already a thing.
Wolfstride is the rule-of-cool - it's a game all about vibes and style and sick robots, and it never gets old or feels out-of-touch. That hefty amount of style certainly carries the game through it's slower moments, but those are also smartly broken up by some of the most interesting turn-based battles I've seen in an RPG. There are rough spots to Wolfstride, for sure, but it's the coolest game I've played in years, and it absolutely knows it.
Fights in Tight Spaces is a really unique and stylish take on the deck building genre with a level of strategy on offer that will be enough to keep people coming back for a long time. Fights in Tight Spaces is worth your attention.
Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain is a pleasant little diversion for your grey matter, but it’s one that doesn’t do enough to justify its asking price.
Farming Simulator 22 is the new pinnacle of farming simulation. Seasons and Production Chains are a breath of fresh air away from the repetitive cycle of preparing, planting, harvesting and selling that featured in previous games, while the new activities means farming has never been more diverse. There's so many new things to do and thanks to crossplay improvements, you can enjoy multiplayer with more friends too.
Backbone had the potential to fill a bit of a void for a noir style game, but it comes up short. It opens with a strong prologue, but the story that follows tries to hit too many different themes meaning there's a lack of focus by the time it comes to a conclusion.
Conway is a solid detective game that ticks a lot of the right boxes and fulfils standard sleuthing expectations. It leans well into the crotchety-old-protagonist stereotype which more often than not creates an interesting tension between Conway and his ensemble cast of neighbors, as well as with you as a player. It's not tremendously challenging in terms of hard solves, but it's more about the journey. You could do worse than spend 10 hours immersed in the small and all too human miseries of Dahlia View.
I've had an absolute blast with Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, and I know there's plenty more for me to see thanks to their sheer size. With changes that lean mostly toward quality of life improvements, this is a firm reminder that Pokémon games can be extraordinary and one of the most enjoyable remakes I've played in a long time.