Red Barrels should be commended for trying a different approach to their sequel, but unfortunately it’s just not the instant horror classic the first game was.

Slay the Spire 2 is more about refinement than evolution. By honing in on the elements that made the first game so addictive, Mega Crit has elevated the deck-building experience to consistently deliver more of those unforgettable “I can’t believe I just did that!” moments. Don’t let this game being in early access deter you from playing it; even in its current state, potentially years out from its full launch, this is an all-time classic that you won’t want to miss out on. [Early Access Score = 100]

Sons of the Forest is an utterly engrossing game, and in losing myself in it, hours went by as I explored. For me, the main concerns are in content density, lack of direction, and a lingering feeling of being unfinished which, to be fair, is totally understandable from an early-access title. The building is a little clunky. There are visual issues with certain animations. It’s also given way to many hilarious glitches, including a physics issue that launched my character into the sky while chopping down a tree. If you can tolerate these issues, it’s absolutely still worth playing. [Review in Progress]

The key takeaway is that Mass Effect fans will be happy; this is the same Mass Effect we fell in love with all those years ago, painstakingly polished and wrapped up in a neat ribbon. To those who have never played before, though, fair warning: for all its charm, Mass Effect Legendary Edition still plays like a game from the ’00s. But if you like RPG games with rich sci-fi settings then you’ll have a ball. [Impressions]

33 Immortals is so much of what I love about gaming mushed into a tight package, one I can make a tiny dent in while I wait for my partner to return home from work before inevitably recruiting them to join the fight. Should I ever try 33 Immortals on Steam Deck, it could very well consume me. And I’d welcome it with open arms. [Early Access Review]

I’m not going to beat around the bush here: Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak is the greatest RTS I have played since I first started flirting with StarCraft II. It’s blessed with the detail of Wargame, the interesting terrain of Company of Heroes and the iconic style of its space-based predecessors. Diverse, distinct units; a genuinely compelling sci-fi story of mythic proportions; and absolutely the best sound design in the genre work toward making it a stand out RTS.

With Masters of Albion, Molyneux and 22cans have achieved what they set out to do. Is it going to be a game for everyone? No, but that's the nature of god games, and strategy games more broadly. Is it a game you should spend some time with, however? Yes, yes you should, if only for the rush of dopamine and the creative new insults you'll learn along the way. [Early Access Review]

Ubisoft have done a solid job with For Honor, then, forging it from worthy materials and engraving it with a few details that place it above other games from similar scale publishers. There may be the odd occasion when it feels like it’ll buckle, but in the end its blade always seems to strike true. [Tech review: Pass]

The marketing materials surrounding Lightfall built it up to tell the story that would lead us to the space game’s final chapter. But Bungie should know one thing: if it wants to keep its players happy, it should never make a promise it can’t keep. [Review in Progress]

The shooting is sharp and impactful, and the slow and snipey set pieces feel as slick as they did all the way back in All Ghillied Up, but it feels like the ratio behind this tried-and-true formula is a little off this time. It’s more stop-start than any COD in recent memory, and the highlights are diluted by a few too many drab stealth missions. It’s not one of the best Call of Duty campaigns, but it’s far from a bad one. [Campaign review]

Q.U.B.E. 2 takes the first-person puzzler in a direction I can only hope Portal 3 might someday go.

No matter where it falls on your moral compass, Palworld has given the static formula of Pokémon a clear shake-up, both mechanically and ethically. On a technical level, I can’t say it’s good. However, its sheer playability is carried by just how bizarre it is from moment to moment. It’s certainly not bad going for a game that many people dismissed as vaporware at best, or forecast to go the same way as Fntastic’s The Day Before at worst. Anyway, my Pengullet’s feeling down because of the bad working conditions, so if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to chuck him into a hot spring. [Early Access Review]

Indeed, Prey is the best performing triple-A game I’ve played for many months. It’s incredibly rare to be able to boot up a game at maximum settings and get consistent reports of 90+ fps when using mid-tier hardware, but here we are. No matter how many benchmarks I ran, the reports came back clear and consistent: on a GTX 1060, an average of over 100 fps is easy to attain. [Tech Review]

For the time being, though, it’s a beautiful and mechanically impressive city builder that still has plenty of room to grow. [Early Access Review]

First Light looks incredible, too. The level of detail in both the linear and open areas blows IO's other games out of the water, with the shifting of the camera closer to Bond's back, compared to that in Hitman, really elevating the immersion. Bond also moves unbelievably realistically and smoothly. Clambering along Icelandic cliffs and pushing his way through busy museum crowds looks so natural, with Patrick Gibson's performance emanating charisma and a hint of immaturity. [3-Hour Hands-On Impressions]