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An absolute master class in game design, storytelling, and world-building come together to make Elden Ring the game to beat in 2022. It can be daunting knowing the history of From Software producing difficult games, but if you have the patience to learn the rules of engagement in this tough but fair experience, you will achieve some of the most exhilarating achievements a video game can offer.
n true Borderlands style, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands features the same graphical flair we all love, with its heavy outlines and amazing cel-shaded models. It has amazing vibrant and contrasting colors and the visuals are equally rivaled by the audio. The audio is as epic as always and smoothly transitions between the high-action insanity to the calm adventure tunes when exploring the lands. The only thing that trumps the soundtrack is the insanely good audio casting! Andy Samberg (Brooklyn 99, The Lonely Island) joins us as Captain Valentine, Wanda Sykes (Over The Hedge, Bad Moms) joins as Frette, Will Arnett (Bojack Horseman, Parks, and Recreation) is the menacing Dragonlord, and Ashley Burch reprises their role as the ever-insane Tiny Tina. There are also a few other roles that have been reprised and returning characters but you’ll have to experience the game and find out for yourself.
I was really happy to hear that Road 96 was coming to console. I loved playing it on the Switch and while playing again for this review, I fell in love with the game all over again. I recalled certain choices I had made in the past and went with another option so that I could experience all-new moments, and this had me hooked again. Road 96 is a great game and one I will urge people to try out. You will not be disappointed.
In the end, I can say ‘Cult of the Lamb’ is a funny, cute, and highly enjoyable game that makes me want to sell my soul to ‘The one who waits’. Its ability to be action-packed with a peppering of a building simulator gives players the best of both worlds. Now excuse me, while I figure out how to start my own cult.
God of War Ragnarok is a prime example of how to continue a franchise and is yet again a contender for game of the year for me. Sony Santa Monica has done an outstanding job at delivering an incredible sequel with a great story, unforgettable characters, amazing visuals, and combat that I couldn’t get enough of.
For anyone even remotely interested in puzzles, mystery, and an engrossing deck-building card game, Inscyption is a must-have title for the Nintendo Switch. The very nature that rouge-like games offer re-playability in itself, and it made my last few days with this game hard to put down. I took my Switch with me everywhere I went for a few quick hits before I could immerse myself fully when I got home.
Attack of the Karens though full of genres is a perfect example if you put time and precision into the development of a game you will have an exceptional and functional product. The retro aesthetic of visuals and sound make for a perfect trip down memory lane for those who owned a Gameboy. The challenge on offer with the replayability options, and the addictive one-more-run gameplay make Attack of the Karens highly enjoyable.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 explodes onto the scene with its engrossing war-torn world. This one will keep you coming back for more in the pursuit of absolute perfection and domination on the battlefield. It will rope you in with its huge array of characters that each face their own triumphs and revelations in the pursuit of a greater purpose. With a road map of expansions already lined up, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is set to be the most immersive entry into the long-running franchise.
All in all, a solid performance, and I did appreciate the fact that they had some of the iconic lines scattered throughout. I'd almost go as far as to say that LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga could be the best LEGO game I have played so far, and I am pretty keen to see where they will go with some of the other licenses.
Monark has to be one of my favorite JRPGs I have reviewed so far and I love the tactical gameplay that encourages you to change up your play style depending on what characters you have, and like chess, keep your main character alive, like the King. I found only one true annoyance for me while investigating the mist areas – you can get a phone call to go to the Otherworld and fight level 90 enemies.
Taking place around 6 months after the events of Horizon Zero Dawn, Forbidden West begins with a recap cutscene of the events of the previous game before Aloy heads off where she must rebuild a super-AI called the Gaia in hopes to save her world. This is the part where I say, if you’ve never played Horizon Zero Dawn, I strongly suggest you go back and play through that first. Horizon Forbidden West is easily my current contender for game of the year. It’s got everything you need, an interesting story, satisfying combat, and visuals so good you’ll be forever in “Photo Mode”. Horizon Forbidden West is a must-own for anyone with a PlayStation 4|5.
Kirby’s new adventure is a home run of epic proportions! It is more than just a successful entry into the long-running franchise, it is also a fantastic addition to the Nintendo Switch gaming catalogue in general. Kirby and the Forgotten Land is yet another reminder that Nintendo can continue to be a consistent powerhouse, despite the limitations of the Switch console. The dream is built on the powerful exclusives and Kirby is officially back in business!
This game is as every bit of fun as it looks. Each mission gives you as much time as you need to drive vehicles into walls or just drive a front-end loader straight through a house. The first mission makes you take down a house for a land development company and I didn’t swing the hammer once, instead, I was straight in with the front-end loader, but after a few runs, I lost the bucket and started taking damage. Costly, but in the end, it was all worth it.
Having a team of six Sentinels rain down clusters of missiles, bust out special finishers, and slink in and out of combat to repair was like watching a neon rave party on screen. Building a diverse team pays dividends and perfecting your strategy to time your cooldowns or minimise damage to the city, and with the addition of a bit of party management, all lead towards a ranking system per engagement.
One thing Rebellion does well across all of their games is the level designs, and this is another perfect example. As you travel across the war-torn European locations, the occult references are heavily present. If you keep your eyes out, you may be able to find some sneaky easter eggs, from typewriters that will print out references from classic horror movies to evil dolls that haunt the player, leaning towards a very Annabelle-like appearance. There are also collectables to find and shoot, like comic books and zombie hands that dance around.
So does Nintendo Switch Sports keep the flame alive for Wii Sports? Yes. It delivered an amazing throwback. I look forward to playing this with friends at gatherings because it will be a barrel of laughs and hours of entertainment. I do feel that with badminton being just a two-player Tennis, it took a core slot from a mode that would’ve been unique, but since there are already announcements of new game modes coming, I can’t even say I am disappointed that “X” was not added – they may just add it in the future.
There were no spoken words to explain the story, yet they were still able to convey emotions through body language. Small cutscene moments would play out as you found statues that revealed the character’s life journey to the player. To bolster the impact of these moments, the orchestral melodies became a major contributor to emotional impact. It was amazing to be led down the garden path as the atmosphere would shift from mysterious yet hopeful to immediately hitting me with a pang of sadness. Even when things seemed to be at their lowest, they still managed to circle back the feeling of happiness with the addition of collectable hand-drawn memories of his happiest moments with his partner.
Sniper Elite 5 is the latest installment from the team over at Rebellion. Set in Nazi-occupied France and taking place just before the events of D-Day, you once again play as Karl Fairburne, where he finds himself sneaking past the Atlantic Wall to rendezvous with the French Resistance. Sniper Elite 5 is easily the best entry in the series. Hats off to the team over at Rebellion for sticking to what works and building on an already amazing and fun franchise. If you’re a Sniper Elite fan, this latest entry won’t disappoint.
The plot is the shining star of this game as you interact with a plethora of characters all developed with incredible backstories and details. The characters have their own unique personalities and charms, all laid out by expert futuristic writing. It is so beautifully pulled together through many twisting tangents that this space pirate-like community is very reminiscent of the cult class tales of ‘Cowboy Bebop’. Each cycle brings new and exciting revelations in the story.
This game has me super excited. I really am enjoying it, and as much as I do feel it is amazing, I feel it could still be better. This has probably been the thing I wracked my brain over the most as good and fun as it is, there was always something missing. Something not quite complete. Even now I am having trouble putting my finger on it. It is like every aspect that you could rate this game is only just off a perfect score. Maybe if it had a slightly bigger budget, or if it was backed by another studio or company that could have funded it more, I do not know that could have hurt it.