GAMINGbible
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It’s the type of game that you can dip in and out of, leaving behind your worldly woes for a whimsical sense of fun.
Kirby Air Riders may fall short in terms of track selection compared to Mario Kart World, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t the best racing game released this year, and one of the best first-party Nintendo games to launch on the Nintendo Switch 2.
Call of Duty deserves so much better, and if there’s anything that I’ve learned from Black Ops 7, it's that the annual releases need to come to an end ASAP, so that the developers can have more time to ensure that each new release lives up to the legacy of this series that has been built over the last two decades. Hopefully, the next entry will get the series back on track.
SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide gets so much right. Its instantaneous character switching system is brilliant, and Purple Lamp has once again cooked up an entertaining story, whisking players through several fun new locations. It could be longer and there are a few bugs present, albeit harmless ones. It’s hard, though, to deem the title as anything other than a thrilling 3D platformer that’s a blast to play through.
The Berlin Apartment does, as I said, undoubtedly offer an engaging narrative, even if you will have to endure several half-baked gameplay elements. It’s a beautifully considered look into the human experience, offering players a concept that is creative and engaging, even if it might not quite unlock its full potential.
With a roughly 10-hour runtime, Winter Burrow doesn’t outstay its welcome. It’s a charming little experience I warmed to returning to, night after cold night.
If you’re after a cosy evening’s entertainment, I can’t imagine you’ll be disappointed by Undusted: Letters From The Past. Its gameplay is incredibly moreish, pulling you right through to the credits in a single sitting. It’s a brief journey but one that packs an emotional punch and teaches you a couple of important lessons along the way.
I think Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted is an excellent remaster that respects what makes the original game fun without adding anything too contrary to that experience. The new content is excellent and doesn’t feel too out of place with the rest of the game. Meanwhile, the conversion to HD and new controller support is excellent for PC players, and it’s also great that this will be available on platforms such as Nintendo Switch. Having played most of my hours on Steam Deck, I see this as being a great on-the-go game.
It’s a huge shame that after so many years in development, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 has ended up not quite living up to its potential. The RPG features have been drained away, leaving behind a husk of an action-adventure title that sometimes passes as interesting. Set your expectations accordingly for this one, as it doesn’t live up to the series’ name, no matter how much it uses its compelling setting.
Overall, it’s the multiplayer that remains as Battlefield 6’s greatest strength, as it always has for this series. Well-designed maps and strong teamplay features make for interesting online rounds. This bleeds out into other aspects of the game; the gunplay, the weapon customisation, and the destruction mechanics. It’s punchy, direct, and exciting. It all feels carefully tuned to how players have wanted the game to be like since the golden era of the series.
It’s always frustrating marking a game down due to very simple, but easily fixable flaws. Arctic Awakening has been receiving frequent patches during the review period, so it’s entirely likely that a lot of these bugs have been squashed. Nevertheless, this was still my experience of the game after playing through to completion. I enjoyed the narrative, and quite liked seeing the mystery unravel over the course of the story. I just found it to be a frustrating experience on the technical side.
Given its relatively small scope but simple and fun premise, I can’t find much to fault about Kill the Brickman. If you’re aching for a new roguelike to play, and you’re on board with Poncle’s whole shtick by now, it’s a genuinely fun time that can easily fill the time you spend on your afternoon breaks.
In having a minimalist approach to its storytelling and game mechanics, Herdling is able to bring closer attention to its overarching message about hardship and found families within nomadic, unhoused groups. It does an excellent job at balancing these themes in a digestible way, leaving you room to sit back and really take in what it’s trying to say. That it also manages to be an interesting survival game is just the cherry on top.
Some small annoyances aside, Mafia: The Old Country is a great entry to the long-running series, and it’s done a fine job at adapting the formula to a brand new historical context. It does run the risk of alienating long-time fans, as the jump back in time makes it quite an adjustment. However, if you just let it tell the story it wants to, you’ll find it can match the quality you've come to expect from this series.
I would certainly recommend this to horror fans, particularly those who love a good creepy atmosphere and prefer it when scary things are implied rather than shown. The few shortcomings it does have feel antithetical to the story Solarsuit is trying to tell, but it’s by no means an immersion-ruining experience.
I’m finding it apt to compare Killing Floor 3 to Payday 3’s launch, which is another series I absolutely adore. Fans will remember Payday 3 launched with a lot of problems, many of which seem to have been repeated here. Tripwire Interactive has a long road ahead to persuade fans that making the jump to the third game will be worth it. And I truly believe there’s an excellent foundation here to turn it into something great, but I’m not convinced this is what that game is right now.
Is Super Mario Party Jamboree - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV worth the cost of the upgrade? Sure, if you can afford it. Without the camera you’ll be missing out on some fun features and minigames, and if you’re playing with a group of four then you’ll need an extra pair of Switch 2 Joy-Cons instead of using your old pair for the original Switch. Otherwise, expect to be missing out on a large chunk of content.
When the writing works, it really works. And when it doesn’t, it painstakingly doesn’t. From the looks of it, it seems as though Metal Head Games is planning for further expansions later down the line. I hope this gives the developer an opportunity to build on what makes the game good, while improving upon some of its more unsteady aspects.
Still Wakes The Deep: Siren’s Rest won’t convince anyone who found flaws in the original—as the same issues persist here, but it’s a good recommendation to anyone who enjoyed the original game’s twisted body horror extravaganza.
Although the constant need to be connected to the internet feels at odds with the Switch 2’s nature, when you manage to stay connected to Hitman: World of Assassination, it can be just as enjoyable here as it was before. With it now in its fifth year of regular content roadmaps and monthly updates, it’s got me excited for IO Interactive’s upcoming 007: First Light, which will be a perfect fit for the studio.