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While it was absolutely great to have a traditional Yakuza game again and I really enjoyed it, I don’t feel Gaiden actually adds all that much to the canon. However, I certainly hope we see more releases of this scale.
I've relished my time with the game and hope more people will give it a chance in the coming months. It has some great visuals and fun gameplay and never takes itself too seriously; I hope we see more games like this in 2024. If you missed this one release, pick it up if you see it on sale; just don't expect to find it for a dollar.
Alan Wake 2 had me gripped from start to finish; the level of detail and quality of animation is remarkable and paired with an epic level of storytelling and audio, it amounts to an experience unlike any game I’ve played recently.
Ghostrunner 2 is a wonderful game thanks to its fantastic level design and dialled-in mechanics. Although we are experiencing a hectic period of the year in terms of game releases, I highly recommend giving it a try. Be prepared, however, to “git gud” or in my case, be rubbish and keep trying till you get lucky.
Turn 10 are fantastic developers, and I was hoping for more from this rebirth of Forza. This is a game I’ll sink countless hours into going forward, but I genuinely hope it gets the updates and fixes it deserves. Unfortunately, these issues I’ve had drag the score down on this game, but that doesn’t detract from how much I love the gameplay loop.
Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty, despite its rocky predecessor, manages to deliver a visually stunning and immersive experience. The production value is completely off the charts. I spent 25 hours in Dogtown and I still have a few things to mop up and another two endings (of five total) to see. There has been some great additions to games over the years, but for me this stands on top of the pile as the best expansion to date.
To sum up, I’ll quote myself from a tweet I posted when I happily traded the game in after finishing it. “Bloated beyond any resemblance of fun, unlikeable characters and incoherent pish for a story.”
I’ve enjoyed my time with Immortal of Aveum, and although it has issues, I don’t want to be too harsh with a new franchise that gets so much right. It’s not going to be for everyone due to the way the game is written, but I’ve had a great time with the game, and it has some fantastic set pieces that grow in scale as the game goes on. I’d love to see what they could do with a sequel, should the game do well enough to get one.
Sea of Stars is an outstanding title, if any newcomers were curious about turn based RPGs, this is the game I would steer them towards. Old hands will also have a great time revelling in this nostalgic quest. Although it may lack the full heft of a classic RPG, there is still enough meat on the bone to satisfy the seasoned RPG connoisseur. In a year already packed with future classics, this stands tall among them. Sabotage’s Kickstarter project has delivered exactly what the fans wanted and took no shortcuts in delivering their promised vision.
What we have here is a short, but memorable adventure. The world has been crafted with excellent attention to detail harnessing the power of Unreal Engine 5.2 and the small cast deliver believable, memorable performances. If you are a fan of games that put narrative at the forefront, then Fort Solis is an easy recommendation.
For a new IP, and a game that I didn’t know a great deal about prior to playing it, I really enjoyed my time with it. If this is the beginning of a new franchise, then I will look forward to what Deck 13 have to offer as their previous outings in The Lords of the Fallen and The Surge games have certainly cemented them as a solid hand in game development.
DAVE THE DIVER begins off pleasantly and lays out new mechanics at a steady pace. The joy never dwindles and it’s a pleasure to play through. Whether you’ve settled in for a long or short session of play, you will get a sense of achievement thanks to the structure of the day and night cycles. I played this primarily on Steam Deck and it feels right at home there. An incredibly endearing adventure and one of the easiest game recommendations of the year.
Aliens Dark Descent is currently my favourite game of 2023, which is a massive surprise as it’s one of the most challenging games I’ve played in ages. That’s not usually my style of game. It has exceptionally well-realised game mechanics paired with challenging difficulty, all wrapped up in an engaging little story that adds to the ever-increasing lore of the Alien franchise. If you get the chance, please try this game but be warned, be prepared for pain!
Those two stick around more than half a dozen hours will likely just be playing exhibition matches with friends or against the AI. If that doesn’t sound like enough, AEW Fight Forever may not be for you. However, if like me you are here for the gameplay then you will likely get many hours of grappling fun from a title that successfully pays tribute to the golden age of wrestling games.
Diablo IV is an excellent game that delivers on the promise of being a worthy successor to the Diablo series. It has all the elements that fans of the series love, such as fast-paced combat, a deep loot system and a compelling story.
Needless to say, this is a Game of the Year contender. It took one of the best games on the market and improved it in ways we wouldn’t have thought possible until we got a controller in our hands and played it. A joy from start to finish.
Super Mega Baseball 4 is a highly addictive, arcade sports game that removes the fat and delivers a truly fun experience that is as customisable as it gets. The EA Sports BIG banner may be gone, but under its new publisher, Metalhead Software is doing a fantastic job of carrying the legacy it left behind.
I’m a positive person when it comes to games, happy to overlook minor issues when the overall result is worthy of both my and your time. Unfortunately, Gollum is not a game I could recommend to anyone, even if you were the world’s biggest Lord of the Rings fan.
Walkabout Mini Golf is a fantastic package. The game is an absolute joy to play, managing to strike the perfect balance between being inviting for newcomers and constantly rewarding for hardcore fans. I have been a big fan of VR dating back to the launch of the PS VR in 2016, playing most big titles in the years that followed. Walkabout Mini Golf is hands down my favourite VR game to date. A must-buy.
Respawn set themselves a challenge: follow up and improve on their surprise smash hit Jedi: Fallen Order in only three years. They should have, though, taken four.