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Despite some of the mentioned issues, Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion is a significant improvement over its predecessor, where it matters most: the core gameplay. While the narrative is forgettable and the open world feels like a missed opportunity filled with tedious side content, the exhilarating Arsenal combat, robust customization, and excellent cooperative play more than make up for its flaws. The developers clearly focused on refining the moment-to-moment action, and that dedication pays off in a big way. This is a game built for mech enthusiasts, and if you came for the satisfying loop of building and piloting your perfect machine, you will not be disappointed. For all its faults, Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion is a must-play for anyone who loves high-speed, explosive mech action.
Hell Is Us is a game that dares to be different, and for that, it deserves recognition. Its refusal to hold your hand creates moments of genuine exploration, mystery, and tension. Puzzles and investigative elements shine, and the atmosphere is haunting in a way few games manage. However, the game’s ambitions come at a cost. Combat often feels sluggish and clunky, pacing is uneven, and storytelling can leave you scratching your head. The lack of guidance will appeal to some players while alienating others. Ultimately, Hell Is Us is a game of extremes. It will either captivate you with its boldness or frustrate you with its rough edges. There’s a lot to respect here, even if the execution isn’t flawless.
For a new generation of players, Gears of War: Reloaded is a fantastic introduction to one of the most important franchises in modern gaming. It’s a chance to see where the core mechanics of countless third-person shooters originated from, and to be able to witness just how revolutionary this game was. At the same time, some aspects may feel dated—like the somewhat clunky movement and limited gameplay variety—the game’s brutal action, memorable set pieces, and engaging co-op campaign make it a worthwhile experience.
So much love and attention to detail were put into Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, which, honestly, given Lizardcube did do Street of Rage 4, I shouldn’t be surprised by. But I am, and I’m thoroughly impressed by what the studio has created here. A game that pays homage to its legacy, while evolving it in every meaningful way. It’s a true love letter to the fans, capturing the spirit of the franchise in a new, modern tale that’s both faithful and perfect for newcomers to discover the legend of Joe Musashi.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is not just a remake; it’s a celebration of a masterpiece, a project made with so much love and respect for the source material that it feels like it was developed by the very people who created the original. And that, in itself, is a testament to its quality and why it’s one of the best remakes I’ve ever played.
Fans have been asking for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 for a number of years now and they should be mostly satisfied with the end product. The same addictive and refined gameplay is back from 1 + 2, but this time based on two entirely different games. There’s a lot of new content with the Pro Goals and few new stages, but the downside is that there were also some cuts when it came to content from the fourth entry, including entire levels and weird removals within existing levels like the lack of animals in Zoo. The soundtrack may also be a bit controversial due to the cut songs, but the development team did a great job putting together a replacement soundtrack mixing old and new. Even with some of the changes, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 offers top notch addictive gameplay that is highly entertaining and can be enjoyed by pretty much anybody.
At the end of the day, whether you’re a lifelong fan of the IP or simply someone craving an incredibly satisfying and exhilarating action experience, RoboCop: Rogue City Unfinished Business is a must-play. Teyon has once again knocked it out of the park, proving their mastery at crafting licensed games yet again. They’ve taken a beloved character, infused his world with a dose of relentless, gritty action cinema, and delivered a game that’s not just a loving tribute but a pure, unadulterated blast from start to finish. Rogue City was, without a doubt, the best RoboCop game ever made, and now, Unfinished Business stands shoulder-to-shoulder with it, cementing both as essential plays for every fan of the franchise.
Going into Elden Ring Nightreign, I admit I was skeptical, wary of FromSoftware venturing into unfamiliar multiplayer territory. Yet, after countless runs and shared triumphs with fellow Nightfarers, it’s clear my concerns were unfounded. Nightreign isn’t merely a multiplayer spin-off; it’s a testament to FromSoftware’s ability to innovate while fiercely guarding the essence of what makes a Souls game so compelling. It masterfully blends the unforgiving challenge and rich lore we’ve come to expect with a seamless, exhilarating cooperative experience that genuinely redefines what a ‘Souls game’ can be. While I hope the mainline series remains true to its roots, Nightreign proves that a bold new path can be forged, offering a fresh, addictive ‘one more run’ loop that will keep you, and your friends, coming back for more. It’s truly one of the standout titles of the year, a shared journey you won’t soon forget.
Blue Prince was worth the wait. It’s easily the best first-person puzzler since Portal (or its incredible sequel). With countless mansion layouts, dozens of rooms to discover and best utilize, plus a nearly constant drip-feed of lore content to absorb, this is an ideal first game for any studio. If you enjoy puzzles even a little bit, you owe it to yourself to check out Blue Prince as soon as you can. Bring a notebook or at least be ready to take a ton of screenshots as you work to unravel the game’s many layers of secrets when it launches on April 10, 2025 on Steam, PlayStation (free w/PS+ Extra or higher subscription), and Xbox Series X|S (also free if you have Xbox Game Pass).
I’ve longed for the franchise to go to Japan ever since the first game was released in 2007. It seemed like the perfect setting for the series, and although Assassin’s Creed: Shadows doesn’t quite live up to my lofty expectations, it still delivers a generally good and enjoyable experience. The world is stunning, brimming with feudal Japan’s rich culture that oozes into the atmosphere, and the core gameplay remains as engaging as ever. While it may not break new ground or take the series to the next level, and it certainly has faults, Shadows captures the franchise’s spirit in fresh and exciting ways that I’m sure any diehard fan will come to appreciate.
While we’re not quite at a hole-in-one or eagle quality, 2K once again builds upon their previous outings to be in birdie territory with PGA Tour 2K25. The gameplay is phenomenal yet again by providing about as realistic representations of the sport as you’ll find in gaming, but the downside is that what surrounds it is still rather bare bones and has a very sluggish menu to navigate when doing so. Even with a few major flaws, the true-to-life gameplay that is even further enhanced via the EvoSwing system makes up for the issues to provide players with yet another fun golfing simulator in PGA Tour 2K25.
At the end of the day, the remasters are exactly what you'd hope for out of a graphical update that remains faithful to the original releases. They are the definitive way to play through them, especially if you've never played through them before. Sure, I would have loved to see just a bit more in terms of enhancements and new features when it comes to some of the gameplay elements and options. Still, this is a splendid collection that retains everything I loved about the originals, though now with a shinier coat of paint that makes it feel fresh and exciting to revisit. I can't think of a better way to reexperience these gems of a masterpiece, and though I don't feel as fondly for the latter iterations, I do hope this remaster paves the way for more collections in the series.
Monster Hunter Wilds is a great entry in a fantastic franchise. While there are a lot of mechanics to consider, the game’s tutorials should help most new players to quickly acclimate and join the upper ranks of hunters in no time. A full-fledged, cinematic, occasionally surreal, campaign whisks players from biome to biome, with a meaty play time of 40-50 hours just for the main story, and probably hundreds of more hours to get to 100% completion, there is plenty of content to keep hunters entertained for a while to come. Monster Hunter Wilds comes highly recommended for gamers of all types, but especially RPG fans or fans of the series.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii may not be moving the series forward in much regard to its gameplay and story, but at the end of the day, it does what it sets out to do. It’s fun and provides fans with a wild, over-the-top adventure full of eccentric characters, absurd humor, and dramatic plot twists. If you wanted to spend more time in Hawaii after Infinite Wealth, Like a Dragon Yakuza in Hawaii has you covered, offering a unique spin on the Yakuza formula while keeping things as entertaining and chaotic as ever
Warhorse Studios has delivered a worthy sequel and set a new benchmark for what medieval RPGs can achieve. It’s clear that they’re not just creating a game—they’re crafting an experience that invites players to lose themselves in a rich, detailed world that never feels like anything less than a living, breathing testament to the past. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 kicks off the year as a top contender for Game of the Year, and regardless of its ultimate victory, its impact on the RPG genre will be felt for years to come.
Putting its flaws aside, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a fantastic adventure that delivers everything fans have come to love about the franchise. It’s a thrilling ride filled with action, mystery, and unforgettable moments, capturing the very essence of what makes an Indiana Jones adventure so iconic. From the heart-pounding chase scenes to the witty dialogue and historical intrigue, it’s everything you could dream an Indiana Jones game would be, and it leaves audiences eager for more. Being Machine Games’ first crack at the licensed IP, they’ve certainly managed to live up to the expectations that fans hold on to for the series; I look forward to what might be a glory-filled future for both the studio and the franchise.
Look, if you’re a fan of the Stalker franchise, then Stalker 2 is going to be everything you’d hoped and probably expected from it. It’s a spectacular game with enjoyable combat that is filled with challenge and thrills, with a story and world that will have you hooked the moment you step in. It’s not breaking away from the formula established by its predecessors, but despite coming out 14 years later, it’s impressive that GSC Game World still has that magic touch that made the original games so special. That’s with everything going on in Ukraine; it’s commendable that GSC Game World even managed to release this. It doesn’t excuse the technical aspects, as Stalker 2 needs more polishing on both bugs and performance, though if you can look past that or wait a few months, you’ll find Stalker 2 to be quite an experience. That’s, of course, if you can even make it into the Zone alive.
Metro Awakening is easily one of the best VR experiences you can play right now, which shouldn’t come much as a surprise, considering Vertigo Games’ previous work on the Arizona Sunshine series. Still, it’s impressive that the veteran VR developers were able to take an existing IP from another studio and transition it so well into VR while maintaining the very essence of what made so many fans fall in love with the franchise. They’ve absolutely knocked it out with Metro Awakening, giving us a whole new perspective on the franchise. It’s downright terrifying to the point that it sent shivers, and yet something about the world is so well crafted that it just kept drawing me back in.
At this point, it’s pretty evident that I am digging my time with the remake, and there’s not a lot of “buts” to go along with it, which is a testament to how Bloober Team revived this classic. Clocking in at around 14-18 hours long in your first playthrough, the game features eight endings which means repeated playthroughts are almost a necessity and further adds to its replay value. The outstanding horror remakes started by Capcom’s Resident Evil remakes, EA’s Dead Space remake continues with Konami’s Silent Hill 2, and horror gaming fans should be delighted, as Bloober Team manages to make this horror classic better in every way, and in turn become a classic of its own. Hopefully, this very promising start means we’ll see Bloober Team continue to remake the rest of the series’ games in the coming years. Regardless if you’re a horror fan or not, you owe it to yourself to brave the fog, paint the town bloody red in Silent Hill 2.
As much as it seems weird that a studio would release a single-player game based on their multiplayer IP, The Casting of Frank Stone makes that premise work. Will it draw player interest enough that they’ll want to play Dead by Daylight after playing this? Probably not, but taken on its own, The Casting of Frank Stone is a solid horror game, and could very well be Supermassive’s finest work to date.