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Deathloop is Arkane operating at the height of their powers, offering up a simpler remodeling of their past approaches in a stylish, refined package. Upheld by virtuous world design, punchy combat, and a thrilling spin on the current time-loop trend, Deathloop deserves its place in the echelons of first-person-shooter greatness.
Chivalry 2 is extraordinarily blood soaked fun, that can be enjoyed solo or with your merry band of knights. Featuring some of the most addictive combat in any game from the last few years, hours of gameplay are guaranteed to be granted upon entry to these vastly enormous maps. Pick up your sword and fight.
Aerial_Knight’s Never Yield is nothing short of an incredible vision and idea executed perfectly. It’s this that makes the reality of Never Yield’s origins a mix of upsetting and uplifting; Neil Jones has spent the last decade as a Black developer doing his best to make it in an industry that he recognized wasn’t making space for him, so he decided to do it himself. If you’d like to learn more about Neil Jones and his journey, I highly recommend reading his recent interview with GamesIndustry.Biz. More than just signing his work by putting his username in the title, Jones is fully stating to the rest of the world that he quite literally will never yield when it comes to doing what he loves to do, and releasing this game is proof of that.
If you are a fan of RPGs, this game is an absolute “must experience.” It completely rewrites the possibilities of what a role-playing game can be mechanically, and does so while also providing a fascinating and twisty narrative and characters who will test your resolve and allegiances. Combine all this with a revolutionary skill system, and you are faced with the best game of the year so far—and one of the greatest RPGs ever made. So get up, detective—it’s time to dance.
If there was one word to describe It Takes Two, it would be charming. The journey me and my partner experienced was at times silly, hilarious, whimsical, tragic, gorgeous and, above all else, always fun. Not since the days of Portal 2 have I been so blown away by how well a co-op focused title committed to the idea of partnership so fully, never once being afraid to present the wackiest ideas it has up its sleeves. It Takes Two may lack a mature narrative to allow the simple tale to really nail an emotional landing, yet what it lacks in storytelling it more than makes up for in gameplay, making for one of my favourite gaming experiences in recent memory and one I am desperate to re-visit as soon as possible.
In a time where young people find themselves trapped in the familial home for much longer than their forebears through no fault of their own, Zagreus’ hellish plight is unexpectedly resonant. The very real struggle to simply strike out on one’s own and escape the shadow you were born under is eerily reflected in the roguelike structure of Hades. Repeated failure is crushing… until you figure out how to learn from it. Until you move forward, inch by inch. Until you win.
Cyber Shadow is the quintessential 2D retro-style ninja platformer. Aarne Hunziker has absolutely outdone himself with this title in every sense of the word. I genuinely don’t have anything negative to say about it, and even the one thing I did have a slight problem with I wouldn’t change (that being checkpoint frequency). The difficulty can feel frustrating at times, but it is in no way insurmountable, and honestly just gives it more of a retro vibe. Cyber Shadow excels in every way through its beautiful presentation, a soundtrack that slaps harder with each new song, a touching story, and absolutely thrilling gameplay. This is an absolute must play for any fans of 2D platformers.
You should play this game because it’s a good game, and could actually teach you something about photography. But if you looked at the last year and felt ambivalent about it all, maybe there’s a lot more you can learn from the red sky generation.
Studio Koba calls their game ‘a poetic, subtle and beautiful handcrafted experience’, and honestly, it’s hard to disagree. What they have created here is a stunning platformer that you will enjoy every second of being in – and whilst I enjoyed my time playing it on the PS5, I feel like it’s a perfect game to boot up on your Nintendo Switch, cozy up in your favourite gaming spot, and get completely lost in. And with the full soundtrack available on Spotify, you can get that nostalgia hit even when you’re not near your console.
Kingdom Hearts III is an incredible game, and a worthy successor to its last numbered installment, the series’ best Kingdom Hearts II. Newcomers will be lost in its story but in love with its realized, exciting worlds and riveting combat. Veterans will find strategies to master new gameplay elements and hang on every word and plot beat as almost two decades of storytelling draws to a close while also laying an exciting groundwork for the future of the series. Kingdom Hearts III is in many ways a triumph, and the sheer number of things it does so right outnumber what it does wrong.
Spider-Man Miles Morales makes good on the first game’s tagline to “be greater.” It features a snappy, emotionally fulfilling story occupied by characters that feel real and is anchored by a perfect protagonist, has perfectly refined combat complete with new abilities, and makes the little things meaningful. It perfectly toes the line between fan-service and fulfilling storytelling, and it’s one of my favorite gaming experiences of the year. It’s also a game that’s unapologetically itself. It doesn’t fix what isn’t broken while streamlining and adding other elements to create a near-perfect gaming experience. From its young and diverse cast to its hip-hop inspired soundtrack, this game carves its own path and cements itself as one of the best launch titles in recent memory. Leave some space for the new guy, indeed.
OlliOlli World is a complete revitalization of the franchise. Packed with personality, methodically designed levels, and tight gameplay, it establishes itself as a premiere sports series and one of the very best skateboarding games ever made. It invites you to be yourself and glide on your board to the beat of whatever you feel—and results in an ascendant skating experience that is not to be missed.
The Witch Queen expansion brings an incredible amount of new content and lore to Destiny 2, all wrapped in an engaging and often awe-inspiring experience. The campaign missions are more robust than ever, the Throne World is full of secrets to uncover, and it implements game-changing mechanics that will define the experience for years to come. There is no doubt in my mind that The Witch Queen is the best expansion in the series, finally surpassing The Taken King, and ushering the series into a new era. Long live the Queen.
Gran Turismo 7 is nothing less than essential. It sits in a class entirely on its own and is truly a benchmark that other racers must aspire to raise
Packed with heart, surprising twists, emotional depth, and bombastic, tactical combat, this is an experience that’s not to be missed. Here’s hoping we get back in the Milano with these heroes really flarking soon.
Rainbow Billy: Curse of the Leviathan caught me completely by surprise. It’s a really fun puzzle-platformer-RPG with really nuanced writing and beautiful presentation.
No More Heroes 3 is a great action game that’s really kinetic and stylish in a way that not many games are nowadays.
We fight together against those who consider life to just be a game, we look after each other when we need it most. Long as it may be, I don’t regret any second I spent in Shibuya. The world is a big place, but NEO knows it doesn’t end with just you.
I hate playing against every character on the cast—even the mirror match—and that’s a beautiful thing.
I left it emboldened in my refusal to cause any kind of harm to someone else for the sake of “art”, because it will leave me with nothing but solitude.