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All in all, Gears of War: EDay is the best thing Gears since Gears of War 2, and we say that having very much enjoyed the majority of the franchise. The Coalition have done a superb job making the Locust feel fresh – and frightening – all over again, the combat is easily the best in the series, and despite knowing how the general gist turns out for Marcus and Dom, they’ve crafted a genuinely completing story to follow along with. Excellent stuff all round, and if this is the marker of a new beginning for XBOX’s first party titles – exclusive or otherwise – then we’re in for once hell of a renaissance.
DYNASTY WARRIORS 3: Complete Edition Remastered is exactly what a remaster should be. It modernises the look and feel without losing the spirit and charm of the original, and it reminds everyone why they fell for the series in the first place. Some parts still show their age, namely the shortage of combos, but it never gets in the way of how much fun the game is to play.
Overall, We Were Here Tomorrow is another solidly designed co-op puzzle title that tests brain power, skill, and teamwork. It’s a lot of fun to work as a team to solve the tests, and adds enough new ideas to the mix to make it well worth a look even if you’ve beaten the rest of the series.
All in all, Forever Ago is a wonderfully told tale of love, loss, and how we manage our emotions through the passage of time, even when we’re thrown a curve ball. The relationship between Alfred and Audrey feels genuine, and it genuinely hit me in the feels multiple times. A few technical hiccups mar things slightly, but anyone looking to have a short but sweet experience should absolutely add this to their life plan.
It’s been a long time since I’ve played a DLC that felt this engrossing, deep, and genuinely more like an expansion than just a handful of new missions. Not only has Dark Arisen given us loads of new gameplay in both the new area and the challenge dungeons, it’s proven the perfect excuse to head back to Dragon’s Dogma II to remind us just how great of a game it is.
I loved the art style and relaxing nature of Woodo and had a great time playing a level at a time. I wish that Woodo was supported on the ROG Ally as it would be an ideal game to take on the go and play on vacation or towards the end of the day. If you are looking for a puzzle game for a younger gamer or a relaxing game to play for a few hours, Woodo is a fantastic option.
The Relic: First Guardian is messy, buggy, with a bad story, bad voice acting, it should be the kind of plucky Z-tier game I fall in love with. Instead it is marred by a lot of (presumed) clanker nonsense. There are better bad games to spend your time with.
Sadly, I feel The Walking Dead: Streets of Survival misses the mark in some key areas. While the combat is fine, and fans of the show will be glad to reunite with the core main characters, the lack of voice acting and general atmosphere I associate with The Walking Dead meant it didn't quite engage me as much as I'd hoped.
Rivage requires willing on the part of the player to really get invested in the world, but let it sink its hook in you and it’ll be an immersive adventure that you won’t soon forget. Excellent stuff all round, and another notch in the already impressive bow of Raw Fury’s output.
I have to be honest that I was excited to play a dinosaur game that had the potential to give some scares and provide that action I've been missing recently, but FEROCIOUS couldn't deliver. I could have got past some of the blandness walking around and fighting the enemies while I went from outpost to outpost, but it technically wasn't all there. Too many bugs (some of which caused me to lose unsaved progress) and performance issues brought down my enjoyment of this one. Maybe next time.
That seems to be the prevailing feeling towards Normal Golf Game as I sit and think about it. It’s maddening, frustrating, and simply ridiculous at times, and yet, all I want to do is keep playing and trying the harder challenges. I wouldn’t go so far to say it’ll be a game of the year contender, but it absolutely will be one of my most memorable experiences, and one that I’d recommend without hesitation.
In some ways, The Blood of Dawnwalker feels a bit old-school in its design, but once we settled into its rhythm, we found a satisfying, if slightly clunky RPG that is well worth a recommendation from us. The time limit means we can’t be the all-in-one hero, and there’s a story here that…ahem..sank it’s fangs into us early on.
Sniper rifles usually spell disaster for those on the wrong end of one, but in Sniper Dan it becomes a tool to help people. That the game manages to pack so much to do within what is a singular method of interaction is excellent, and there are so many extra challenges to find that it’ll last you quite some time indeed.
WWI - Gallipoli brings more intense WWI-era multiplayer shooting, with realistic depictions of all things war. It can be grim, and certainly makes us respect those who had to do this for real even more, but it’s a good way to remember the horrors of the past whilst still having some fun with large scale matches. It’s unique rhythm might not suit all, but if you’re after a shooter that feels different to almost everything else out there, then this comes recommended.
It might not be the Aussie Rules simulation that people want, but Pro Jank Footy is an accessible sports game, that ended up making me appreciate some of the finer points of the real sport. Perfect for beginners that have no idea about this sport, or any sports for that matter.
No More Room In Hell 2 has won us over with fantastic objective based gameplay, letting us pair up with up to 8 players to survive the madness. The maps are huge and offer plenty to explore, the new Survival mode is a great change of pace, and the constant risk of losing it all feels well balanced. If Torn Banner can sort out the buggy menus, we’ll have one of the best online multiplayer games we’ve played this year on our hands.
Should you play this if you loved the original: yes. Emphatically. And I say that as someone who's usually the first in the room to say a remake didn't need to exist. This isn't a lick of paint — the weather, the seamlessness, the diving, the combat all change how the game plays, not just how it looks. If you've never played Black Flag: this is where you start, full stop. Don't go back and play 2013 first out of some sense of duty — you'd just be signing up for stiffer combat and loading screens for no reason. You actually get the better deal here: the rest of us are quietly mourning a couple of cut things, and you get to just play the best version with no ghosts abord the vessel. Slightly jealous of you, if I'm honest.
Sodaman is not bad but it too excitedly front loads a lot of the fun, and when that has been exhausted there isn’t much more to discover. There is plenty of content, but that it feels like a so much gruel slopped into a bowl instead of a bountiful feast.
While it’s not a perfect remake thanks to a few niggles (and a distinct lack of PvP), there’s no denying that Halo: Campaign Evolved takes what was so beloved about the original and improves on it in many ways. It looks incredible, the quality of life improvements and reworked levels are welcome, and whether you’re back after 25 years or brand new, this is still a standout FPS that needs to be played.
Fun, bright, packed with challenges and with one of the year's best soundtracks, Denshattack! is a joy to behold at all times.