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Chorus is an exceptional space shooter, especially when it comes to the gameplay. It has such tight controls it’s ridiculous. Once you add in the superhuman powers and an incredible universe to explore, then there is even more fun to be had here. The one problem however, is the narrative. Even though it’s a lot of fun to play, there just isn’t enough story content to drive you on, leaving the player feeling empty well before the credits roll.
Death’s Door is a prime example of what a dedicated indie team can achieve. It flows incredibly well with incredible combat mixed with some breathtaking visuals. The contrast between the colourful attacks and the bland world works fantastically well, and the controls are crisp and precise. Death’s Door has to be in contention for not only one of the best indie games, but one of the best titles this year in general.
Pokémon Shining Pearl effortlessly captures the essence of the classic handheld titles. And while there is plenty of new content and Pokémon to discover, it can’t help but seem stuck in the past somewhat. Frequent random encounters, a bland story structure and a low level of difficulty can quickly drag down the experience.
Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One successfully puts you into the shoes of London’s greatest detective, albeit with crippling, pace-killer conveyance issues. However, the precision-based combat, fun crime scene investigations and decent story help to mitigate the general lack of direction. Holmes is also as sassy as ever.
Forza Horizon 5 easily cements itself as one of the premier racing titles of 2021. Playground Games have implemented a multitude of fantastic features and quality of life improvements that make this game so hard to put down. The story and characters are largely forgettable, but practically everything else about this open-world racer is top class.
Fatal Frame: Maiden of Blackwater is a disappointing horror venture. It gets the creepy, Silent Hill-type atmosphere just right but drops the ball in so many other key areas. The story and characters are vapid, the movement controls are as stiff as Harry Potter’s broomstick and the general gameplay loses its lustre well before the credits roll.
Relic Entertainment have outdone themselves with Age of Empires IV. They’ve dramatically improved the visuals and world-building of the series whilst keeping most of the tried-and-true Age of Empires gameplay intact; throwing in an incredible amount of historical content to not only play, but also learn from as well. Ultimately, their main ambition was to modernise the Age of Empires formula – and they’ve absolutely nailed it here.
House of Ashes belts out some decent cinematic horror, but at the same time, the whole adventure is rather forgettable. The characters are quite fun to watch and the variety of death animations are certainly amusing. Although since the story itself isn’t very memorable, it’s hard to stay invested.
The Caligula Effect 2 is another great JRPG. From investigating several different locations to exploring the challenging yet rewarding dungeons, there’s heaps of content here to keep you going for a long while. The combat system is brilliant, especially with its preview system and how it deliberately lets you take on tougher enemies. And to top it all off, the game’s backed up by one exceptional soundtrack featuring both outstanding instrumentals and vocals alike.
Metroid Dread raises the classic formula to new heights, with a cat and mouse gameplay hook that makes it extremely hard to stop playing. The sprawling level designs, tough-as-nails boss fights and hidden collectible locations help Metroid Dread easily rank in the upper echelons of the series.
Far Cry 6 sets its player up for hours upon hours of unadulterated, open-world, action-adventure goodness. While it does contain some very rough glitches and a few story beats that fall a little flat, the over-the-top charm of the series has never been as refined as it is here. Far Cry fans, make sure you’ve got the 6th entry in your shopping cart.
Nickelodeon All Star Brawl is an easy to approach brawler in the same vein as Super Smash Bros. Whilst it does have some extremely intricate mechanics and technical aspects for high-level gamers to get stuck into, the average player may find it’s lack of core game modes and party-style options a major cause for concern.
Alan Wake Remastered is a prime example of just how a remaster should be done! Featuring a sinister narrative coupled together with some simple, but fascinating gameplay mechanics, Alan Wake Remastered is definitely worth picking up!
FIFA 22 brings a smidgen of interesting additions to the series, although a few of them recoil – for lack of a better word – upon closer examination. Manager mode is relatively the same, Ultimate Team still heavily prioritises micro-transactions and Volta Football only edges slightly closer to the glory days of FIFA Street. A decent entry overall.
Hot Wheels Unleashed has a well-constructed base, as each aspect Milestone has implemented functions exactly the way it should. However, given that there are too many obvious similarities to a certain other track-building racer, it ultimately doesn’t do enough to set itself apart. Couple that with a serious lack of variety and a litany of added “gimmicks” that serve no real function, and there’s very little incentive to play continuously.
In Sound Mind nails a majority of the typical survival horror elements and then some. It’s just a pity that a couple of rotten game design aspects drag down an otherwise top-notch presentation and puzzle construction. It’s an easy pick-up for horror fans, but be warned – there will be several moments of frustration.
Diablo 2: Resurrected proves that you can’t really improve upon perfection, but you can make it look really pretty. Despite some combat that hasn’t aged quite so well, the overall experience is well worth a step back in time for the atmosphere and unparalleled freedom it provides.
Though Sable may have a fantastic art style and a large open world, with a variety of environments, its lack of a strong narrative and underwhelming gameplay fail to impress. The game may seem intriguing at first, but ultimately, it will leave players disappointed.
SkateBIRD’s attempt to create a Tony Hawk-esque style skateboarding game with birds, is largely underwhelming and struggles to impress. With unresponsive controls and a camera that seems to flip all over the place, SkateBIRD fails to provide any reasons to be worth picking up.
Aragami 2 improves on many aspects of the original. Listen mode enhances the flow of gameplay, moveable bodies grant the player additional stratagems and the modernised controls feel much better overall. Even though the combat mechanics are absolutely horrendous and the story/characters are as basic as it gets, Aragami 2 is still a great time for action and stealth game fans alike.