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Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival has such sights to show you. Its graphically intense, fantastic gameplay makes the experience a spectacle for horror survival fans. If you can stomach it, of course.
Truckful has a surprisingly deep, dark story with a lot of enjoyable, entertaining characters. This carried me through the game more than I expected, and I’m glad I got to experience what it had to offer. The physics are hit-or-miss depending on your driving, but the core mechanics and handling are fun. The game excels in story, world-building, mystery, and, more often than not, the main gameplay loop.
Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen serves up a new land with a surprising amount of content. The move to the chilled north adds hours for returning players and sands off many of the rough edges of the base game. The downside, though, is that much of the friction is gone, and as much as I like streamlined experiences, I never once thought Dragon's Dogma needed it. The campaign is a surprising blast, with Norgan offering an excellent new land, a new loot system, and challenges to overcome.
While I'm glad that The Kingdom Hearts Collection [1〜3] exists, it has some caveats existing owners must consider, like the lack of save transfers (outside of the cloud versions), which is frustrating. There's no easier way to play the series to completion now, and frankly, it's about time current gen had its moment with these ports. There are hundreds of hours of games and cinematics to experience, with some of Square Enix'smost ambitious work from the early aughts on display.
Star Wars: Galactic Racer is a thrilling ride. Filled with exciting challenges and a roguelike structure, this game has more depth and content than I expected. I went in expecting a pretty standard racing game, but there are enough twists that every race feels like a thrill all the way to the finish line. Wins and losses are emotional, and hitting max speed and needling the final-lap obstacles while watching the Ram Jet's redline is unlike anything I've played, and it pairs so well with the Star Wars series.
The new content in Ghost of Yōtei: Complete Edition is unabashedly great stuff. After completing the platinum last year, I was excited to finally get new content, and it delivers: strong story paired with an addictive roguelike element. Between the new story expansion, Most Wanted, and Legends mode, there is no better time to dive into this tale of family and revenge. I just wish it came sooner.
Gears of War: E-Day feels like the first true Coalition Gears of War game. It's a shift away from Gears 4 and Gears 5, and it feels like the game the studio genuinely wanted to make, capturing what made the original trilogy special while finally pushing the series forward in its own way. They've taken the horror, brutality, brotherhood, and incredible gunplay that defined those games and used them as the foundation for something more modern. Expanded movement gives combat more freedom, while perks and modifications add another layer of experimentation, and the larger environments make Emergence Day feel like a genuine catastrophe happening around you. Gears of War: E-Day is incredible. Despite a handful of frustrations keeping it from perfection, it's one of the best games I've played this year.
Toem 2 is a stellar game. You can clear it in a weekend, and you'll come out the other end feeling great about your time. It's a bigger sequel, yes, but it also keeps the simplicity that made the first Toem such a must-play. Something We Made knows they've crafted a winning formula, and the result is a pair of games that I believe everybody must play.
Ace Combat 8: Wing of Theves is an immensely satisfying entry in the long-running series. Between the tense air battles and great plane roster, there's something so satisfying about picking a fighter jet and rocketing into the skies. Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, Bandai Namco's latest entry in the series delivers a best of entry with incredible single-player, thrilling multiplayer, and thrill of taking to the the skies wrapped into one game.
Another Eden Begins is a great step in the right direction for the series, but once you become strong enough, the challenge falls to the side. The cast you meet is great, and the game shows some strong elements, from the environments to the music. I had a blast exploring the places I visited and grew an earworm from the music. But that isn’t enough in today’s industry, and I wish they’d do something to bring a worthwhile challenge to the forefront.
Helix: Descent N Ascent is another quiet, engaging game. It won't hold your hand, but for most of the story, that's a feature, not a bug. I don't think the game's approach to tutorializing and storytelling will work for everyone, but I do think the clever puzzle design and the excellently designed world are something we rarely witness in games nowadays. That alone makes this a title worth checking out.
Silent Hill: Townfall mostly succeeds at emulating what makes the series so beloved. It captures the tension-filled town, dense fog, puzzles, and sense of dread; Townfall excels. While Simon's abrupt appearance in St. Amelia is jarring at first, the slow burn that follows builds the tension well. The atmosphere feels like the older games and skews closer to them than Silent Hill f, with so many classic elements returning. Screen Burn knows what makes these games tick, but it also struggles to find the right balance.
Well Dweller is a complete package of creativity, rewarding exploration, and an emotionally charged story filled with dozens of fantastic characters. It is an all-time great in the Metroidvania genre.
Control Resonant is one heck of a follow-up to Control, with a setting twisted by a paranatural force that's perverted Manhattan into a supernatural playground. Remedy's somehow taken what makes them so unique in the industry and applied it to an open world that becomes what I can describe as a ethereal rollercoaster throughout New York. What unfolds is unlike anything else you'll play this year. Without a doubt, Resonant delivers a memorable return to the world of Control.
Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter is a fantastic conclusion to Estelle and Joshua's chapters in the Sky series. The story is smart, with exciting reunions and dark moments that really stay with the player. You get to revisit and actually see the consequences of your past actions, where even smaller side characters are fun to see again. The core cast is as strong as ever, a joy to hang out with. Combat stays fun and engaging, with small tweaks that make it even better than before. Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter is a must-play for those who played its predecessor, and if you haven't, let this month's launch serve as a reminder to play 1st Chapter so you can experience 2nd Chapter properly.
Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave is an ambitious entry for the series, and it delivers a memorable experience that's hard to put down. Between the expansive Flame Lord campaigns, which feed into the Pale Raven campaign, there is a lot of story content to parse through. Many of the characters you meet are worth recruiting, and getting to know them over a meal is one of the better moments outside of training with them at the colosseum. What Nintendo has done with the latest Fire Emblem is nothing short of marvellous.
Marvel's Wolverine is a brutal, bloody return to Insomniac Games' Marvel universe, and it does a great job of expanding the existing world and scope. Logan may be an undeniably difficult character to play in a video game; however, the developers elevated what it means to play as Wolverine by crafting a mature story that jettisons the established expectations of an X-Men game. For all the blood and violence the character finds himself surrounded by, it's thanks to Liam McIntyre's performance that you can see how much Wolverine cares for those around him and tries to do right by them despite being an ultimate weapon. Marvel's Wolverine is easily Insomniac's best narrative work, with excellent character work to match.
Hot Wheels Infinite Rush builds on what came before with interesting open-world locations, awesome cars, and core gameplay that still feels tight and fast.
Halloween is a nostalgic dive for fans of the franchise and IllFonic’s 4v1 asymmetrical survival horror. Recreating the familiarity of now-lost titles isn't enough to justify the slew of technical and mechanical issues that plague this entry.
Orbitals is one of those perfect games you finish in an afternoon with the right person. It's not particularily ambitious, but it doesn't need to be; rather, it delivers a great co-op experience that'll take you across the stars in a bid to save a space colony in your trust. Sitting down to play Orbitals will likely serve as a catalyst for your childhood of watching anime on weekends, and its stunning animation is hard to ignore.