It’s difficult to put into words my experience with this game. It offered a strange peace that was, all at once, a somber experience — one full of joy, sorrow, laughter, and regret. It explores the weight and comfort of memories, the impact they have on the world, and the importance of existence. It can be meandering at times, and some of the side characters’ voice acting pulled me out of the experience. If you aren’t in the mood for this kind of game — a walking simulator vibe with an emphasis on scrapbooking, bicycling, and photography — hold off on playing it and wait until the right mood strikes. When you go in with the right mindset, this game can get under your skin in the best way. Season: A Letter To The Future isn’t a perfect game, but it is a significant one, and one that I will carry with me for a long time.

An action-packed and emotionally-charged adventure through a breathtaking period in Japanese history.

Despite a few missed opportunities to really build on the great games it’s inspired by, Atomic Heart surprised me, with a remarkably inventive world that brings to life (the tears apart) the weirdest, wildest visions of Soviet propaganda. This is a game that’s been through over half a decade of development hell, and come out the other side as one of the best first-person shooters this generation.

Avalanche Software has meticulously re-created Hogwarts down to such minute details that it's sure to bring out the child in most of us — it is, doubtlessly, a gorgeous realization of the Wizarding World. Attending classes, taming beasts, exploring Hogwarts, and learning new spells could keep you occupied for hours, but it's nowhere near a groundbreaking experience. If you strip the Harry Potter IP away from Hogwarts Legacy, you're just left with another standard RPG that we've seen countless times before.

SpongeBob SquarePants nails the feeling of the source material and it does a great job of replicating the free and fancy fun of those old-school platformers. That being said, it's not a great game, at least if you're over the age of 12. It's lacking in challenge, it's rather short, and there's very little replay value. For the younger players who haven't been jaded by this wonderful and wicked industry, it's a serviceable platformer with authentic voice acting that gives players a chance to be part of their favorite show. For everybody else, it's a short distraction that had the potential to be so much more.

Jung’s theory aside, Persona 3 is all about the time we have, how we choose to spend it and who we choose to spend it with. In this light, the game’s true mechanics shine. The relationships that we forge can—and this is probably true in life—affect our ultimate outcome. And time? Well, it’s hard to think of a better way to spend 50+ hours than getting points for scarfing down takoyaki and fighting bad guys.

Forspoken is packed with flaws — be they outright missteps or simply middling executions — but there are definitely qualities to this game that can deliver an entertaining and sometimes thrilling experience. I did ultimately enjoy my time with it, all told and considered. There’s interesting lore here, and at times the story approaches compelling, but it was held back so much by odd design choices, an often bland world, and uneven pacing in both the story and moment-to-moment dialogue. On paper, it could and should be great, but nothing quite fits together to make a stronger whole. It’s crammed with so much, and beyond the combat and traversal, the whole experience just winds up feeling like something of a relatively enjoyable mess.

After a dozen or so hours in Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition, I can safely say that it's the real McCoy. This is not a watered-down port to give Microsoft an easy first-party Xbox Game Pass release. It's the real deal and as feature complete as the PC edition, which is quite an accomplishment. A myriad of quality-of-life improvements makes the original game, while still a classic, very much redundant. The only reason to keep hold of the original is to preserve those big beautiful boxes PC games used to ship in. We're in a new age now, and Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition is the perfect example of taking an ancient game and giving it just enough love to make it feel almost new, something that many other remasters and re-releases so often miss the mark on.

There are a lot of other things worth unpacking about this game (pour one out for Rob as I pitch a thousand Dead Space features), but as a cohesive whole? Dead Space Remake is damn good fun, with interesting ideas and appreciation of the greater franchise that most remakes lack. This isn’t some studio trying to massively reinvent an IP, but working to fit the best pieces together so it can grow anew. It's a fitting tribute to Visceral's best days - maybe not a perfect rendition, but few cover songs ever are.

Fire Emblem Engage is mostly a streamlined experience that gives you a taste of what the series has to offer, but doesn’t showcase its true potential as a strategy game. It lacks genuine innovation, and doesn’t quite meet the standards set by previous entries or establish a challenging and balanced system that reflects Fire Emblem's core identity.

Toy Soldiers HD is a fantastic tower defense game that fans of the genre should definitely play. It's easy to learn, hard to master, and there's a ton of replayability with the lengthy campaign, the extra levels, collectibles, achievements, and survival modes, which I've spent a lot of time playing. The controls for vehicles can be a bit stiff and the lack of co-op multiplayer is a big disappointment, but given how few decent tower-defense games there are on console, it's easy to overlook the very few shortcomings Toy Soldiers HD brings to the table. Now, when are we getting Toy Soldiers Cold War?

Overall, this DLC takes everything that made the base game of Vampire Survivors such a surprise success story and gives you more of the same, but with a more involved map and a theme to bring the whole thing together. If you're one of the many who has been enthralled with the allure of Vampire Survivors, you're going to appreciate the additional content that poncle has thrown in here, and with a price point set at less than $2.00, there's very little reason for any fan to stay away.

As far as simulators go, it's not the worst. To the game's credit, it does offer the dull, mundane day-to-day routine that a lot of actual police officers call a career. If you want to spend hours writing tickets and slowly progressing in a meaningless career in law enforcement, you can do it here without the risk of being vilified on social media. But it could have been so much more had the systems in play been deeper and more robust, not to mention, fun. Instead, Police Simulator: Patrol Officers is a bit of a buggy mess that feels half-baked and not ready for patrol just yet. Back to the academy with this one.

Although it does have some redeeming qualities, it’s hard to justify paying full price for a DLC that barely gives you access to its biggest new addition and introduces even more arbitrary difficulty spikes.

It’s a little disappointing, and really quite surprising, that River City Girls 2 shows very little impetus to improve on its promising predecessor. The girls have still definitely ‘got it,’ and still make this colourful and characterful journey worth it through some rough patches, but there’s a little too much reliance on the assets of the original to make it feel worth the rather steep asking price. The original game made a fan of me, while the sequel just about manages to sustain my loyalty, though that will definitely be affected by how WayForward deal with its woeful frame rate issue in the coming weeks.

A beautiful, touching piece of work that’s bound to stick with you long after you finish it, Blacktail is a world worth getting lost in.

It's Marvel meets XCOM meets Fire Emblem, which isn't something I knew I wanted, but now I have it, I want the hell out of it. Firaxis deserve a lot of respect for taking risks and trying something new, especially with such a high-profile property. The dialogue and a few technical hiccups mean Midnight Suns doesn't quite stick the landing, but the rock-solid core gameplay and fun character moments more than makeup for it.

Once you get down into the dilapidated yet impressive levels of the Hive and start swinging, Darktide is as great a swarm shooter experience as any, but it needs to improve much of the surrounding infrastructure to make that core combat experience feel rewarding and meaningful. Who knows? I may even come back in a year to re-review the game (which is something that should generally happen with more game reviews), but in the meantime it’s a simmering cauldron of potential that still feels a little raw.

A bland sad protagonist with all the charisma of a rock with a frowny face, a mystery box-style narrative that only ends with more mystery boxes, a combat system that wants to be multiple entirely different games. The Callisto Protocol might function, and it’ll certainly have its launch issues patched out in due time, but in no way can I recommend it to anyone but the most morbidly curious. Everything was stacked in this game’s favor, and it still wasn’t enough. We didn’t need Dead Space 2.0 - we just needed a cohesive, focused game. Instead, it's an oddly soulless concoction of unfocused ambitions, poor planning, and inconceivably amateurish design. Whether you're winning or losing, Callisto Protocol never feels right.

Ultimately, these games were the result of Game Freak and Nintendo taking a risk and giving the fans something they've been begging for over a long while. It tries to mix Legends: Arceus with the main series, and it half-succeeds. Some things brought innovative and fun changes, while we learned others were better off they way they were before. If Pokémon fans can look past the obvious flaws and limitations, there's so much to appreciate here.

Ultimately, these games were the result of Game Freak and Nintendo taking a risk and giving the fans something they've been begging for over a long while. It tries to mix Legends: Arceus with the main series, and it half-succeeds. Some things brought innovative and fun changes, while we learned others were better off they way they were before. If Pokémon fans can look past the obvious flaws and limitations, there's so much to appreciate here.

For all its superficial swagger, it'd be remiss to call Evil West a case of style over substance, because there's a deceptive amount of substance to its combat system and the vibrant world its set in–just the amount you'd want in such a game. It's a good game for a good while, before its relentless pace runs of steam in the final third when repetitive, tiresome battles highlight the limitations of a mostly solid combat system. With the ability to play the entirety of the campaign in co-op however (with appropriately scaled enemies), I wonder whether spreading the relentless heat between two players could actually be the best way to play the game, and I plan on finding out soon.

Stay away from Serious Fun Football. Seriously, it’s not fun, and it’s certainly not football.

Jurassic World Aftermath's VR heritage looms large in this Switch port. Sections that no doubt feel thrilling in the confined space of a VR headset feel repetitive and dull on a flat screen. As a result, Jurassic World Aftermath feels like a walking-sim with some survival horror sections. The lack of enemy variety, the overly simplistic puzzles, and some frustrating stealth sections prevent Aftermath from staking its claim as the apex predator of its genre.

It was a bold move for the devs to try and move this traditionally 2D style of game into this hybrid 3D space, but I can’t help but feel that Jumpship would have been better off leaving it in 2D, because that extra dimension ends up just weighing the game down. It’s weirdly apt that right at the end of the game, when I’d got two different endings but was trying to unlock what I’d imagine was the ‘good’ ending, I experienced a massive bug that for a moment seemed like a creative decision, as I fell through the world, was reunited with my family on a grey platform in some empty void, then jumped off again to go into an infinite fall. In the end, Somerville’s admirable artistic vision and technical issues merged into one, poignantly showing that these two aspects of a game can’t ultimately be separated.

Pentiment is a shining example of committing fully to an idea without worrying about where it fits in today's gaming market. The result? One of the best games of the year, narrative and otherwise.

Among Us VR is a great execution of an extremely popular game - and genre - of recent years. It’s a perfect fit for the medium, and at a refreshingly low price too. As with the base Among Us however, it’s simple stuff - almost a proof-of-concept that this kind of game works in its respective medium - and it may be up to other VR developers to really build on this finger-pointing party game premise to take it to bold new places.

After eight long years of waiting, Bayonetta is back with all her flash and pomp intact. And while I expect this entry to hold my interest for quite a while, I hope we don’t have to wait another eight years before we see one of the biggest names in gaming return.

All things considered, it is still the same Sifu, and playing it in the palm of your hand is a satisfying and powerful experience that shouldn't be ignored if you have not played Sifu before.

Sonic Team has never been afraid to take risks and Sonic Frontiers is a good example of one that has paid off. There are some areas where it is lacking, such as the minimal number of Cyberspace settings and the Titan fights, but Sonic Frontiers is the best 3D Sonic games in a long time, with its open-world foundation offering something for the series to build on in years to come.

If you’re at all invested in these characters, this world, and their adventures through Midgard and beyond, God of War Ragnarok is a supremely worthy sequel.

Grind and jank aside, there is nothing else like a Mount and Blade game, and Bannerlord is undisputably the best one yet. Its uniqueness alone makes it worth playing. To talk about it that way is to do it a disservice though; the true marvel of Bannerlord is that it actually delivers on what is an astonishingly ambitious concept. The two halves of the game complement each other perfectly. It may be on a slow boil, but once it gets up a head of steam, you won't be able to put it down.

Borderlands has always been known for its likable characters, and the protagonists introduce in New Tales From The Borderlands continue this grand tradition alongside a well written story. The characters play very well off of one another and grow before our eyes as they each dive deeper into their own psyches. But the lack of innovation in the gameplay is disappointing after this many years, which makes New Tales From The Borderlands mainly worth checking out for fans of the series.

If like me, you're a Call of Duty fan, this is very much more of the same — but that also means you can't really go wrong. Some new features feel unnecessary, whilst others feel like a tutorial for Warzone 2.0. Modern Warfare 2 is certainly let down by repetitive gameplay and missions that overstay their welcome. But, that said, Infinity Ward has given fans what amounts to a gripping story and stunning cinematic experience that's peppered with a few flawed concepts and disappointing elements. [Campaign Review Score = 70]

Dragon Ball: The Breakers needs to work on its online infrastructure, but beyond that it's a fast, exciting romp best played with a party full of well-known friends, as opposed to silent strangers.

Cosmoteer is a surprisingly deep and satisfying space sim. Its many systems complement each other beautifully, and, although its grinding gameplay loop may not be for everyone, I really enjoyed the time I spent with it. Exploring is fun, and combat is simple yet satisfying in its execution. The meat of the gameplay is found in how well you manage and assign your resources, and once these systems get their claws into you, they sink deep. [Early Access Review score = 80]

Easy to learn, intuitive to play, with hours upon hours of new toys to play with, Spirits Unleashed is a real labor of love. For a franchise that’s long struggled with a consistent margin for quality, Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed goes above and beyond to answer the call. Now if someone can just convince them to incorporate some ghosts and levels from the IDW comics, then it’ll be darn-near perfect.

Despite the limited drawing aspect, this is one of the most varied collections Jackbox Games has produced, and other than a few functionality issues with Junktopia. A lot of these packs see one or two games become party standards and the rest fade into obscurity, but this time around, I can see most if not all of the four brand-new games finding their niche as long-running titles, and it's nice to see Fibbage get its revival after so long. On top of that, every game now has a variety of content controls to keep responses as clean or dirty as you see fit, and they're also equipped with the option to turn off U.S.-centric questions, so there's no need to worry about unfair advantage based on geography and cultural upbringing. Anyone looking for casual laughs with a group of friends, whether from the same living room or spread across the globe, will find something to appreciate here.

I’m not a huge fan of how bulky the environment feels at times, and the walking sections can become tiresome, but the truth is, Requiem had me engaged from start to finish. Sure, the game has its flaws, and it’s not a very malleable experience, but that doesn’t stop it from being a good time all the same. At its heart, A Plague Tale is a narrative-driven atmospheric experience. Everything else is just icing on the cake.

Scorn's ways are obscure, and often frustrating in a way that gamers who didn’t grow up in the 90s may struggle with more than myself. It's a work of breathtaking vision and uneven execution - from its combat, to its unsatisfying ending that sadly doesn't do justice to the gruelling yet oddly poignant odyssey you embark upon. But for its flaws, Scorn makes a hell of an impression, filling me with equal parts immense curiosity and dread. I don't want to return to it any time soon - maybe ever - but I will be scouring the Subreddits and the Steam boards in an attempt to decipher it for a long time yet.

NBA 2K23 at its core is the same great experience that players enjoy each and every year, while also still mired by the unpleasant microtransactions for your MyPlayer. This year's return of the Jordan Challenge, however, takes the game to new heights that it has not felt for a number of years now thanks to the level of authenticity found in the presentation and gameplay surrounding the GOAT Michael Jordan.

Overall, the survival genre is very saturated. Grounded is a unique take on a tired formula and is genuinely a breath of fresh air in the space. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel but it doesn’t have to, it’s chosen a premise and has adapted it beautifully and skillfully. While some improvements can be made in combat and other areas, the game is a well-made experience that survival fans will love. I personally can’t wait to jump in with three friends following the full launch. It can get lonely out there all alone in suburbia.

Splatoon 3 builds upon the excellent foundation that was previously laid out by the prior two games, now offering the most balanced experience between its multiplayer and single-player content. Even though it may not be groundbreaking, the numerous improvements and extra content in the game make Splatoon 3 the best entry in the series to date.

Steelrising is a good if challenging time. If you’re thirsting for your next Souls-like after milking Elden Ring dry, then the combat here will feel oddly familiar and you’re sure to find something to enjoy, but it isn’t without its faults. Overall Steelrising hits way more than it misses, but a forgettable story and a few repetitive boss battles hold it back from achieving true greatness.

I really do love it when games manage to reach beyond the screen and into the living room, and that’s something Kirby’s Dream Buffet does really well.

Joel's redemption is bittersweet, and come the end credits, you may wonder what it was all for. I know I did the first time around, but with the benefit of time on my back, I've come to appreciate the nuanced storytelling that much more, and for me, that's where The Last of Us: Part 1 finds its worth; it's the best possible version of Naughty Dog's best ever game.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise rarely had a miss with games back in the ’80s and ’90s and this compilation exemplifies that. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection is a love letter to fans of that era that can be equally appreciated by old and new generations of Turtles fans alike.

Destroy All Humans! 2 – Reprobed is a really good game that doesn’t take itself seriously. In some ways, it’s a relic from another era, a reminder of how simple and fun games used to be; a time before the endless grind. Heck, there’s even couch multiplayer, once a standard feature in games that has slowly faded out over the years. Despite its heritage, Destroy All Humans! 2 – Reprobed feels and plays modern enough with refined controls, decent visuals, and enough over-the-top fun to easily overlook the few shortcomings.

As a PC player of Rimworld, I’ll be returning to the more bespoke experience I’ve turned the game into on its home platform, but I’m also delighted that games like this are coming to consoles, and being ported with this much care and attention. This is one of the best management sims and story generators around, brought to console in almost all its glory. The quality of this console implementation should be a guiding light for other games in this traditionally PC-only genre to do the same.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is filled with interesting areas to explore, heartfelt character interactions, and an engaging narrative. While having knowledge of the previous games is handy in some respects, this is by and large its own game and can be enjoyed by all players.

The game is certainly not afraid to throw curveballs at you with story twists and main character deaths being pretty prevalent.

The writing style and dialogue is unique in each chapter, correlating to how the characters would speak in that time period. The poetic choice of words in the Middle Ages chapter, and the old western Lingo in the Wild West chapter were the most impressive in that respect.

Barring these minor user interface issues, Bear and Breakfast was a joy to play. It doesn’t do anything revolutionary for the genre, but it successfully carves out a niche by perfectly matching its tone, gameplay and narrative. Bear and Breakfast accomplishes exactly what it set out to do, it’s a charming little management sim that doesn’t take itself seriously. It might not be for everyone, but I think a lot of people will find joy in this wholesome project.

There’s value here, for sure, as a visceral stomp through a beloved fantasy world that offers the rare luxury of being entirely playable alongside a friend. It’s swift, slashy, and simple, but comparing it to other games of this era that have been ported to modern platforms – Okami, Resident Evil Remaster, and Silent Hills 3 and 4, to name a few – you’re paying double to quadruple the price. Buying it at this price point feels like it could set a precedent that shouldn’t be supported, tempting though it may be…

Hell Pie isn’t the funniest game around but it really doesn’t need to be, because its solid gameplay and fantastically disgusting world is more than enough to carry its not-so-lovable hero through the duration of this not-so-family-friendly adventure.

The subtle and ambient piano music goes well with each scene and it adds another layer of immersion in the princess’s situation. The fictional world doesn’t leave much of a lasting impression, but the characters, their bonds, and their intertwined fates are compelling, making Long Live The Queen an exceptional choice-based game with a depth of possibilities that makes it far more than just your usual ‘princess maker’ game.

Remember the old adage, less is more. But I still would have liked a little more. There’s always room for pudding. Just saying…

I’m conflicted when it comes to PowerWash Simulator. On one hand, it’s an absolute bore and a chore with one-dimensional gameplay – can I even call it gameplay? – but on the other, it’s still strangely fun and moreish, and seeing the grime trickle away and the percentage done counter ticking slowly upwards was enough to keep me wasting water for hours on end.

Redout 2 has no time for the casual player and, sadly, that means it's often an infuriating and frustratingly un-fun experience.

Stray captures the cat experience perfectly, but is bogged down by boring platforming mechanics and an unengaging narrative experience which leaves the game feeling dull.

That aside, Sonic Origins is the best collection of Sonic games around. As ever, the games are accessible and easy to play, and the beautifully animated cutscenes breathe some new life into it.

After all that, it seems a bit dreary to talk about things like price (bleh), but at $8/£6.79, it really is a generous price that pretty accurately reflects the price of a dessert in relation to the main course. Despite calling itself ‘The Last Course,’ it’s hard to imagine that this is the last we’ll see of Cuphead, though the prospect of seeing what else Studio MDHR could come up with is no less tantalising as a continuation of this series.

As a fan of the original arcade coin-suckers, I can say that Shredder’s Revenge hits the right notes in all departments. However, modern gamers who didn’t grow up with cartridges that needed a good blow and a bang might find the admittedly simple and one-direction gameplay a bit too basic. Basically, if you’ve used a VHS player in real life, you’ll get what Shredder’s Revenge is all about. If you’ve never touched a floppy disk, you might get bored of button bashing by Episode 6.

Fans have been waiting for a follow-up with the tone of Until Dawn and it has finally arrived with The Quarry. The very likable cast and the enthralling story will keep players entertained in what is one of the most fully fleshed-out games of this genre to date, but the only question remaining is will you survive the night?

Evil Dead The Game is one of the best and biggest surprises of 2022 so far. It’s a fantastic multiplayer experience that has enough quirks and unique features to stand out against other asymmetrical titles like Dead By Daylight. A field-of-view slider and jump button would have been appreciated, and the new Castle Kandar map can’t come soon enough. Players are also right to worry about its online-only infrastructure as the game is wholly dependent on an internet connection even though it has content that should be playable offline. However, despite its few drawbacks, it’s a near-perfect tribute to Sam Raimi’s creation as the game is groovy fun whether you play as a survivor or a demon. It has a great foundation so here’s hoping Saber Interactive keeps us coming back with plenty of post-launch updates.

I think the words "pure joy" perfectly encapsulate Kirby and the Forgotten Land. It was immensely successful in targeting its younger audience, while still accommodating older fans of the Kirby franchise. It’s full of personality, absolutely endearing, and at times just downright hilarious – what more could you ask from a Kirby game?

LEGO games have found a very unique niche in gaming and yet have still managed to continue to get better and better. Even though it likely will not change the minds of those who do not enjoy the LEGO series of games, the stellar presentation, humor, and overall joy found in these recreations of each movie make LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga one well worth picking up.

Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is a unique concoction of the classic Borderlands formula mixed with a Dungeons & Dragons experience all in one package. The relatively small core voice cast and charming story will keep you captivated as you take down hordes of enemies with your guns and magic in the very worthy spin-off Tiny Tina's Wonderlands.

The gameplay won't let you down, and the combat never feels lacklustre but, unfortunately, Ghostwire's story isn't what I hoped it would be.

Gran Turismo 7 is a welcome return for the series after the lackluster GT Sport, even though there are some flaws that are mostly associated with microtransactions. The visuals and racing physics are top-notch as always and the game’s unique campaign that teaches you about the history of the automotive industry will keep car enthusiasts and newbies alike engaged for hours as they play through Gran Turismo 7.

Despite its frustrating shortcomings, WWE 2K22 is a solid foundation for the series’ future. Entrances are spectacular and the combat is nearly flawless. The main improvements needed are the replayable modes like MyGM and Universe.

The Pokemon series has rarely been known for taking major risks over the years, but Pokemon Legends: Arceus definitely goes against that trend and gives us one of the most exciting games in the franchise.

There's no doubt about it, Dying Light 2: Stay Human is a sequel of epic proportions. Everything fans loved about the original title is still very much present, but now with a bigger story, new features, and a vast open-world filled with areas to explore and loot.

Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain really shines due to the well-designed and thought-provoking single-player activities, despite a rather lacklustre multiplayer offering.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary, it feels almost poetic that Halo Infinite is its biggest, boldest, and most creative launch since the series released. Bringing a return to form for both the campaign and multiplayer, the entire experience is a Halo tour de force for the Xbox brand.

Shin Megami Tensei V is easily one of the best entries, if not the best entry in the series. After over 30 hours with the game, I’ve been constantly amazed and Atlus definitely managed to bring back the franchise to new heights. Now here’s hoping Shin Megami Tensei manages to reach the same popularity Persona did. [Review in Progress]

The storytelling and unravelling mysteries at the heart of this game is the elixir that keeps the camera rolling in its neat runtime, but the clumsy basic controls and mundane filler scenes hold the survival horror back from truly being a horrific work of art.

Guardians of the Galaxy is everything that Marvel's Avengers should have been, offering players a single-player focused adventure with some of your favorite comic book characters. Mixed in with solid gameplay and continuous witty banter between your teammates, Guardians of the Galaxy will leave you already excited for what you would expect to be the inevitable sequel.

Age of Empires 4 is a game that you will never get tired from playing, regardless of whether you're an old-school fan or a rookie. There are always new plans to follow and new strategies to take into account and it's worth the 16 year wait.

Supermassive has an incredible talent for creating gripping narratives of a horror persuasion, and despite some technical bumps in the sand, my retrospective opinion on House of Ashes still remains the same: It’s a bloody good creature feature.

CyberConnect2 fulfills all our expectations with Demon Slayer Hinokami Chronicles. The title is great for fans of the manga and newcomers alike, however, there is definitely room for improvement.

Far Cry 6 successfully manages to reinvent the formula into the best version of the series. If you have never touched a Far Cry game, or have been irked by some of the changes since Far Cry 3, this is your entry point. Even better, it is one of the few games that have come out since the launch of PS5 and Xbox Series X to deliver a full AAA experience that doesn’t feel rushed or unfinished. Along with the buttery smooth framerate from the Xbox Series X, this feels like one of the first games made with next-gen as a priority. Far Cry 6 is an amazing journey in one of the most expansive iterations of the series to date. With explosive performances from the whole cast, it’s a game that old fans and intrigued wannabe guerrillas shouldn’t sleep on.

Hell Let Loose can often feel slow-paced and tedious, but if you’re a strategic thinker looking for rewarding and realistic gameplay, then this could be the game for you.

Alan Wake is very much a product of its time. While its story elements hold up well, much of the gameplay feels dated when compared to the games of today. This engaging narrative will only take it so far, as cumbersome controls and repetitive, paint-by-numbers gameplay mean at times, players may be left a little bit bored or frustrated.

NBA 2K22 is a great game in pretty much every facet, over than the overbearing VC issues that have been present for years now. Combining MyCareer with The City was a genius decision and the introduction of Seasons across multiple game modes will keep NBA 2K22 fresh moving forward throughout the next year while waiting on the next annual entry.

The occasional bug and missing stamina upgrades are really the only negatives I can lodge at Sable. I can think of very few games that have presented such a beautiful harmony of its attributes. Everything supports everything else. The story implores you to go out into the world, to see all that there is to see. The gameplay ensures that the focus is always on the vistas that lay before you, and it's all stylised beautifully. The game creates a view of which I cannot tire. This is truly one of the most well-conceived and executed games that I have seen in a very long time. It's one of those games that truly is using everything to its maximum potential.

With its Pixar-like characters and beyond stunning animation, Kena: Bridge of Spirits is as charming as it is dark with plenty of surprises that will not only keep players enthralled for hours but also captivate their hearts.

The appealing character designs and settings, carried over from its predecessor, have lost stylistic flare alongside repetitive missions. However, Two Feathers’ score, pretty backgrounds, and smooth sneaking are the sequel’s saving grace.

Deathloop is a game that will be talked about for a long time and one that will undoubtedly be in the running for Game of the Year 2021. Its well-crafted systems, gripping narrative threads and quasi-choose your own adventure style gameplay make it the best Next-Gen title so far.

In its culture-infused entirety, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s eastern feature has something for everybody scattered around every Japanese street corner and Lost Judgement is also a great example of what a “next-generation” title should look like.

Eastward leans on fantasy to flavor its story, without forgetting about its core, real-world values. Its fluid, well-paced progression, and control movements thankfully allow you to explore and admire the view before continuing because Eastward is all about the journey despite its fascinating destination.

I had waited with bated breath to play Life is Strange's next narrative adventure and I can honestly say I wasn't let down. Every expectation was met and then some. From the deeply impactful writing, the consequences of choices, and the attention to every detail, True Colors was an experience that I can't wait to start all over again.

For Sonic purists there’s undoubtedly a great time to be had with Sonic Colors: Ultimate. For those who are more fairweather Sonic fans or are looking for a new adventure to dive into, the game might be a little more of a challenge to enjoy.

If you’re looking for 10-15 hours more of Ghost of Tsushima but with a greater emphasises on the inner struggles of Jin and an exploration of his backstory coupled with some meaty side quests, cat petting and disgustingly stunning scenery, you really can’t go wrong with taking on the island of Iki.

No More Heroes 3 rarely feels stale and keeps players coming back for more with the over-the-top story that they have come to expect from the series. Fans were a little worried after the lacklustre spinoff, but No More Heroes 3 brings the series back to form.

King's Bounty 2 is worth every penny for RPG enthusiasts. It's an enjoyable experience that you won't regret playing and one in which the more you immerse yourself, the more reasons you'll discover to continue playing.

Aliens Fireteam Elite is a title that will likely disappoint you during the first few hours, but once you get past the first chapter, the game starts to open up to its potential more. If you have a squad ready for some challenging scenarios in a decent, albeit familiar, co-op shooter, then you could see yourself with an enjoyable few of hours on your hands.

All in all, I really enjoyed the tension Twelve Minutes implemented even with its sometimes wonky animation and frustrating elements. I found myself constantly thinking about it when not playing and trying to come up with new ways and ideas that would allow me to finally get to the crux of what was happening and why. It’s also well worth getting another mind in on the action to help guide the storyline along in angles you haven’t thought about which essentially turns it into a brilliant two-player game and a real talking point.