GameOnAUS's Reviews
I find myself feeling thoroughly ambivalent about Ty The Tasmanian Tiger HD. On one hand, it’s nothing special gameplay wise, but on the other hand, it is Australian themed and set, and in a good way, and we really don’t see that enough anymore.
Forza Horizon 5 doesn’t veer too far from the tried and tested open-world racing formula of the series, only now we get to explore the biggest land expanse in the franchise utilising the power of Xbox Series X/S.
Escape Simulator is a fantastic and challenging puzzle game that really makes you think. It’s one of the more challenging puzzle games and some of the puzzles are so bloody clever once you figure them out.
Far Cry 6 is an explosive action-fest which represents a welcome return to form for the series, and despite a few mis-steps still manages to be one of the year’s standout releases.
Hot Wheels Unleashed is the definitive arcade racing experience that shows off just how cool these Hot Wheels car collections and whacky tracks can be realised for both young gamers and old nostalgic legends alike.
Astria Ascending is a beautifully hand-drawn JRPG with tactical and strategic combat, rewarding dungeon exploration and the ascension tree gives you much versatility in how you specialise party members.
Sheltered 2 is a fantastic survival management game with good crafting and resource expeditions. Combat was of lesser quality but still interesting enough, though it wasn’t my focus if I could avoid it.
Dice Legacy is a fun take on the city-builder genre with dice as your workers, though it did take me several hours to get my head around all the main mechanics and research better build/research orders.
I had a great time with Deathloop and really enjoyed the experience overall. It’s fun, it’s stylish, it’s rewarding, and it’s a very good game which I hope we see more content (and sequels) for in the future.
Golf Club: Wasteland is a fantastic golf game with an amazing sound track, but geez did it tilt me at times. It’s easy to chill out and play with a good level of challenging pars for the 35 holes across the game. However the controls are frustratingly inconsistent, especially on console.
Paw Patrol The Movie: Adventure City Calls is another enjoyable game in the Paw Patrol universe for all ages. There are however some niggling issues such as long load times on Xbox One and missing interaction icons in main missions.
I really enjoyed Psychonauts 2; it was funny, it was quirky, it was imaginative, and it was well designed all around.
There’s a lot of potential in Humankind, and hopefully the developers will keep working on the game, but right now it’s still only a pretender to the Civilization throne.
If for whatever reason you didn’t previously have Ghost of Tsushima, then this is the time to rectify that shameful oversight. If you’re already a legendary ghost, then the chance to visit Iki Island is a worthwhile one – and even moreso if you’ve got a PS5 and a decent TV that can show off the enhanced visuals and features too.
Lawn Mowing Simulator turns the mundane everyday task of mowing lawns into a relaxing, zen-like experience that I can play for hours.
Song of Horror is a decent horror game with enough scares to make me a jump a number of times, and should satisfy most horror game fans. There’s no combat in the game but be aware of permadeath. The option can be turned off, however this added some extra tension to the game making you care about your character(s).
Hell Let Loose is an outstanding WWII first person shooter with the most authentic experience I’ve had in a game. The sounds and visuals are incredibly detailed and immersive, and the battlefields have been faithfully designed to reflect key battle locations.
I didn’t expect to like Jupiter Hell as much as I did with a good mix of nostalgia and fun, yet challenging gun-play. Being a roguelike with permadeath, planning your moves was key and I enjoyed exploring the procedurally generated levels, clearing as much as I could before eventually being overwhelmed. The permadeath was an opportunity to learn for the next run and it’s a game I can come back to with alternate modes to change up the gameplay.
Omno is a beautiful puzzle game I enjoyed playing with my daughter that’s fun to explore and not too challenging. There are some mind bending challenges towards the end, but often looking at them from different views will help reveal the solution. It’s really impressive that this game was made by just one person and I look forward to his future projects.
The Ascent is one of the best games I’ve played this year with amazing visuals, story and gameplay that sucks you right in from the opening scenes. Playing co-op is a heck of a lot of fun and single player is just as good with challenging gun fights and so much of the world of Veles to explore. I hope Neon Giant have plans for either DLC or a sequel because I will buy the heck out of it to keep supporting them making such great games.