Bandle Tale is a grindfest that demands a huge time investment. While initially compelling, it quickly becomes frustrating and lacks the polish needed for long-term fun.

I accepted the story has its flaws and focused on its good parts, without paying much attention to the monotonous gameplay and overstuffed world. It’s a fun ride if you don’t take it too seriously, especially since the game itself doesn’t do that. But I won’t return to it until new content becomes available, and surely wouldn’t buy it for its full price.

Still Wakes the Deep tries to dig beneath the surface of Caz and his crewmates, but doesn’t go far enough. Without a sufficiently riveting story, we’re left with a horror premise that feels like it’s been done before and more questions than answers at the end of the slog.

The Career Mode revamp is a breath of fresh air, but F1 24 still feels stale.