Once jumping into arcade mode, I realised I should really have focused on its ladders because they have more of an actual story — or at least, an ending — and showcase the brutality that Invincible is known for. There, and in its other modes, you’ll see heads explode thanks to some truly graphic overkills, or entire bodies atomised in others...It’s here, though, that you’ll begin to notice the repetition — it’s either one or the other, heads or entire bodies. That same feeling of sameishness reverberates through VS‘ roster, which features 18 characters but only three or four real archetypes. It’s admittedly difficult to build a bunch of diverse styles around so many Viltrumites.

The true joy of Tides of Tomorrow comes from its cast of recurring characters -- survivors, pirates, and those of faith who make the world around them feel fully fleshed out.

My best piece of advice here is to take advantage of Living the Dream‘s publicly available demo; create a couple Miis, set them loose upon one another, and get the flavour of what’s going on. From there, it’ll be up to you if you want to go whole hog.

I was really impressed with what Capcom has achieved with an all-new title, building a unique and vibrant world, even on the barren surface of the moon.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with Forza Horizon 6 — it’s the high level of quality that we’ve come to expect from Playground Games releases — but I’m a little burnt out by it all. [Hands-On Impressions]

No matter which of People of Note‘s three pillars interests you the most, they’re all extremely well-crafted. You can see Final Fantasy‘s heavy influence in the way People of Note‘s RPG core looks and operates. Cadence, Fret, and the rest of her band are not only interesting in their backgrounds, but unique in the ways that they sound and play. And if the idea of puzzles on top of all this dissuade you, they shouldn’t — each of these pillars can be dialled up or down to present a challenge that you can set for yourself. Priced at $24.99 USD, this is an easy commendation for those who love old school RPGs, music, or puzzles. Give it a go for yourself.

While Marathon hasn’t grabbed me yet, I’m going to keep plugging away at it before bolting a score on to this review and calling it a day. There’s a lot here, most of it good, and as long as Sony backs Marathon through this teething phase I think we could have a gem on our hands – with some aggressive polishing, of course.

I’m not trying to yuck anyone’s yum here and realise that there are many Fatal Frame fans who will be as pumped for this remake as I was Resident Evil 2. To those people, I truly hope that you have a blast. To many others, most of whom have just experienced truly desperate and bleak survival horror through Grace Ashcroft in Resident Evil Requiem, I say simply that this ain’t it. You’ll end up far more frustrated than entertained.

At the end of the day, Monster Hunter Stories 3 is a game that wants you to spend a LOT of time playing it – but it respects that time also. Much like the mainline Monster Hunter series, Stories wants you to spend time thinking about and preparing your loadout before each big fight, fighting and crafting and hatching your way to the right configuration. Battles themselves also take strategy and forethought, making sure you memorise a monster’s patterns and weaknesses to come out victorious. But, once you’ve proved you can do that? It’s all about making life easy for you, rewarding that time you invested. With so many different systems at play, it’s almost a relief to be able to Quick Finish a battle, or easily search for a gene I want my favourite beast to have; I’m keento see what’s in store next, and Stories 3 is excited to show it to me.

By carefully honouring its past and deliberately weaving together the best of survival and action horror, Resident Evil Requiem finally reconciles the series’ genre identity. This is the most captivated I’ve felt playing a new Resident Evil story since booting up Resident Evil 4 on GameCube all those years ago. It understands why it got action right all those years ago and finally how that best integrates with Resident Evil’s more traditional horror roots – or at least the remakes and reimaginings of them. Leon remains an important ingredient as the poster boy for the franchise, but the real key is partnering him with someone without his courage who’s still determined to survive. Resident Evil is no longer choosing between survival or action. With Requiem, it’s finally mastered survival-action horror.

This is perhaps the Star Trek game most faithful to its source material, as just like Star Trek: Voyager, it’s a flawed gem that I can heartily recommend experiencing, just not without caveats. Both its greatest strength and biggest weakness is that it really feels like the kind of PC game that could’ve come out during the later years of the show’s run.

Mario Tennis Fever is also a letdown as one of the first Switch 2 exclusives. There’s little that feels truly current-gen, and some of the visuals are surprisingly basic and rough.

There's something admittedly unique about Romeo is a Dead Man, but that quirkiness doesn't make up for its middle of the road design. In fact, it's not long before quirky is just there for the sake of quirkiness, not serving anything larger.

While the main story does feel a bit shorter compared to the other Kiwami games, the sheer volume of “stuff to do” in the world more than balances that out. By the time you’ve cleared the main story, bested the Coliseum, completed every bizarre sub-story, completed the photo rally, fought every beatdown target, unlocked every costume item AND forged a deep, emotional connection with every child in your care? You’ll wonder why Kiryu ever left the life behind.

At the end of the day, Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined doesn’t bring forward everything that’s been in previous versions of the title – but that’s not what it’s set out to do. This is a new 7 for a new generation, or even just long-time fans who want to re-experience this story with a bit more velocity than the previous versions allow, without trying to replace the still-excellent 3DS release. Seeing the team this willing to flip the script on the traditional formula leaves me very excited for the future of the franchise; if other remakes (or the distant future release of Dragon Quest 12) can take lessons from Reimagined’s mechanics or art style, I’ll be a very happy gamer indeed.

While fun from moment to moment, Code Vein 2 has a cookie-cutter plot, matching dialogue, and combat that isn't polished to the level it needs to be.

Simply put, this is $10 USD well spent.

Metroid Prime 4 Beyond is a familiar return for the series and a soft reboot that introduces a new story and revisits the best parts of the original game that dazzled us two decades ago.

Overall, Project Motor Racing just doesn’t quite reach what’s promised. A strong and visually impressive catalogue of cars and tracks is countered by poor default setups and samey handling. There’s definitely some good here – the career mode offering is robust and the competitive leaderboards are a nice addition – but they’re ultimately overshadowed by, well, everything else.

While Air Riders might not be my personal cup of tea, it feels like a faithful and loving reward for all the folks who loved the original Kirby Air Ride. Without the benefit of nostalgia, though, you may find it harder to get up to speed.

If Modern Warfare 3 fumbled its campaign directly after Modern Warfare 2, Black Ops 7 completely drops the ball following Black Ops 6. This tactic of rushing out direct sequels isn’t working for Call of Duty. Now all that’s left to ponder is where the franchise goes next after wearing out and devaluing its flagship Modern Warfare and Black Ops series this generation, like Marge Simpson’s tattered Chanel suit.

Issues aside, Europa Universalis 5 has been an utterly incredible introduction to a whole new gaming world for me. It’s wonderfully welcoming yet entrancingly absorbing, and I can’t recommend it enough to anyone interested in getting into the grand strategy genre.

What needs to be made clear is that Wreckreation has been built by a team of only 10 people with a few small titles under its belt — a far cry from when Criterion was building Burnout Paradise in its heyday. I made similar comments when I reviewed Danger Zone 2 back in 2018, praising the efforts of such a small team for creating something fun. When put into this context, what Three Fields Entertainment has set out to achieve is massive — I can’t imagine how much hard work has been put into Wreckreation. That said, some cut corners, bugs, janky mechanics, and limited content shows that a project of this size may have been too ambitious for such a small team.

The Outer Worlds 2 is more of everything I liked before in The Outer Worlds, but dialled up to 110% - just like a new and improved offering from Auntie’s Choice!

Persona 3 Reload is the best kind of remake: it honours the core of what makes the game great, but isn’t afraid to modernise the experience at the same time. It’s nostalgia done well, because it plays onscreen the way the original felt in my memory (without having to squint at a 4-inch PSP screen). It’s honestly a joy to see a game I loved brought to a whole new audience, while still giving me a deluxe version of something I already know I’ll enjoy. While it may not include every ingredient that every version of Persona 3 has ever had, it’s a confident and complete version all its own – and I can’t wait to keep climbing that tower.

Ultimately, Ninja Gaiden 4 is fun, but not memorable -- something that extends into its general narrative. You're not there for witty banter though, nor for its plot twists and turns -- but instead to decapitate enemies as a bad-ass ninja. In that sense, Ninja Gaiden 4 does exactly what it says on the tin.

That fun sense of progression, coupled with 10-15 minute gameplay runs (that usually end up with you saying, “just one more!”) are enough to make me recommend Ball x Pit to just about anyone. With a $14.99 USD price tag to boot — and access via Xbox Game Pass if you’re not super-angry with Microsoft right now — this one’s not only a no-brainer, but one of the best games of 2025.

Rather than sticking to its guns, Battlefield 6 diverges from the formula. We could have had a steaming hot meal of scrumptious all-out warfare, but instead we’ve been served a lukewarm plate of I-Can’t-Believe-It’s-Not-CoD.

If you’re a fan of Little Nightmares, or similar games in this genre — and, are willing to overlook some pretty loose design — then you’ll find enjoyment in this; a $60 AUD price point also helps. Otherwise, you’re better off steering clear, or engaging with other co-op titles like It Takes Two. If you’re on the fence, a demo is available, though it doesn’t offer progression into the main game proper.

For those that played Super Mario 3D All-Stars, Super Mario Galaxy 2 is available separately and delivers a greater challenge. The original Galaxy was so good in part because it was something we’d never played before; all these years later, its sequel feels just as fresh and extends the experience to craft the best platformer ever made. Let’s just hope that when Super Mario 3D All-Stars Deluxe arrives for the 50th anniversary on Switch 3, it combines all of these games and more with the proper remastering they may not actually need, but definitely deserve.

If you like to dabble in Alien games and haven’t played Alien Isolation as yet, I’d recommend that over this. If you’re a true Alien fan and happen to love VR, grab that version of Rogue Incursion instead. If you’re still reading, don’t have VR, and don’t mind a $45 AUD price tag, then this one is for you, warts and all.

LEGO Party is a worthy contender to Mario Party; you’ll need to decide if its strengths and weaknesses appeal to you. With noticeable framerate drops during fly-throughs, even on PS5 Pro, I’m also a bit concerned about how this will actually play on a Switch.

I’ve been playing Hades 2 at the same time as Hotel Barcelona, and the former captured my attention more than the latter. Hotel Barcelona sure is quirky, but lacks some much-needed polish that could have truly elevated it. Know what you’re in for, and pull the trigger accordingly; though kudos to publisher Cult Games for setting this at a very digestible $60 AUD price point. I had a blast setting things to easy in order to blow through the lion’s share of its story (as in I missed a side mission or two) in roughly 6 or 7 hours.

And love Baby Steps I did. There are few ways this game could better achieve its aims; in what it is trying to be Baby Steps approaches perfection. Whether what it is trying to be is for you, well that depends on if you feel that a rapturous level of self satisfaction is worth braving a storm of intense frustration and inconsolable rage. For those with the resolve (or stubbornness, or self loathing, or masochism), you won’t find a better test of all of them than Baby Steps. If you have the resilience of a damp tissue and capacity for frustration of a tired toddler, keep on walking by.

Silent Hill f balances threat and reality in a way that kept me playing longer and longer per session.

For $21.95 AUD — what I’m assuming is the price of this title, as that’s the usual RRP of Wales Interactive’s FMV outings — it’s hard to go wrong with a bit of gory fun. Gore, though, is the keyword here; if you’re not into that kind of thing, Dead Reset isn’t for you. Try an FMV crime thriller instead. Whatever you do, grab some friends (and turn on Streamer mode so you can debate choices), pop some popcorn and have a night of it; you won’t be disappointed.

Hockey is family. Hockey is life. Hockey is a source of joy. NHL 26, less so. For all the good it does, this is an off year; this is certainly no NHL 17. I hoped for more.

While it may not be up there with the likes of Dead Space, Resident Evil, and Silent Hill, Cronos The New Dawn is still survival horror done well. Fans of the genre should absolutely give this one a go.

Ultimately, Metal Eden is a close to a great game, but falls flat. It’s short, repetitive, and gets in its own way when it comes to a core combat loop.

Shinobi Art of Vengeance is a fantastic start to Sega’s Next Level program, and one that’s easy to recommend. Priced at a budget-conscious $48 AUD and offering around 15 or so hours of gameplay, fans of the franchise or the likes of The Lost Crown will certainly dig this.

While nothing that The Rogue Prince of Persia offers is genre-defining, its pieces combine into an experience as rich as the Persian kingdom itself. Controlling the Prince is a joy, the progression path is smooth and the dopamine hits are delivered with a rhythm matching the thumping soundtrack. It might not have the depth at the highest levels of play to match the titans of the genre, but if you want a fun, beautiful and largely frustration free experience, spending some time with the Rogue Prince is well recommended.

Controlling your player is frankly difficult, and I can see people dropping off because they don’t enjoy the experience. Thankfully, that’s where some of Drag x Drive‘s mini-games come into play as they not only break up games, but try to encourage refining your ability to control your player.

Mafia The Old Country, visually, is a stunning success. Unfortunately… gameplay is best described as mediocre; serviceable, if not particularly enjoyable. Its story is a tragedy -- dull, linear, and so full of tropes that nothing feels new or fresh. Characters are flat cliches, generic representations of genre stereotypes, and nothing more.

When things are working, Ready or Not can be a lot of fun. The problem, is, Ready or Not rarely works, either as expected, as intended, or as I’d like it to. Some may enjoy its edginess, and others may find a completely different experience engaging in multiplayer. I’m frankly too concerned about toxicity from what I’ve heard in single-player to dabble in this exercise with randoms on mics.

Super Mario Party Jamboree Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV is a clever way to add fresh content to a recent multiplayer favourite, without coercing anyone to buy the more expensive edition just because they’re playing on Switch 2. For most players, I’d recommend buying the cheaper base game first. It includes some of the best Mario Party boards and mini-games in years and it runs well on Switch 2 without the upgrade. When you’re ready for more – and have enough Joy-Con 2s for four players – kick-on with Jamboree TV as DLC for a more precise afterparty.

Batman Arkham Shadow is a proper game with VR and not simply a VR game. This is a true must-have for Batman fans.

Bananza sets out to act as a fresh start for new and old fans alike, taking a fresh twist on what a Donkey Kong game feels like.

Death Stranding 2 On the Beach is a brilliant game which I largely do not care for. I think it’s inoculated me from the impulse to ever play a new open-world action game again, and I weirdly appreciate it for that. But also Chvrches ordered me to bring them a kangaroo at one point, and that was entirely delightful.

While Raidou himself is a silent protagonist, he’s still given a lot of character in the way he moves and dresses. I had a great time unpacking the game’s wild story, and knowing that a sequel to this game already exists has me hoping it will receive the same love in the future – because I want to see what Raidou the 14th gets up to next.

Easy to start, sometimes difficult to understand, and challenging to master, FBC Firebreak is nevertheless a fun little sideshow while we wait for Control 2 proper. An extraction shooter at its heart (though only to a different floor and not from the Oldest House proper), it’s a lovely juggling act that tasks you to balance shooting, puzzles, and environmental hurdles. Enjoyable alone, with friends, or randoms, Firebreak is either available at a low cost ($39.99 USD) or ‘free’ if you’ve got Xbox Game Pass or PlayStation Plus.

Unique, poignant, and one that will stick with you, The Alters also will win hearts with a $52 AUD price tag or availability through Xbox Game Pass. As a result, it's highly recommended and needs to be played to be properly understood and enjoyed.

All up, Mario Kart World is ridiculous fun, alone or in a group… but as my husband said to me at 8pm on the launch day of the Switch 2, “there’s only so much Mario Kart you can play”. Nevertheless, we’re both keen to host friends to not only show off the new racer, but what the Switch 2 can do accordingly. Let’s just hope that Nintendo can broaden what’s available in-game quickly, akin to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. While we’re waiting for more Switch 2 games, we need more World.

Elden Ring Nightreign won't be every FromSoft fan's cup of tea, and this is especially true if you're a lone wolf.

AFL 26 is for the fans who love their footy enough to forgive the rough edges, push through the clunky gameplay, and accept the long-standing frustrations that have plagued AFL games for decades and likely always will, to chase their dream of lifting the Premiership Cup.

Regretfully, the remastering of Onimusha 2 is just an increase to the resolution and nothing more. There are no new textures, no improved lighting effects, and no changes to character animations. If anyone was going to criticise a remaster for being a cheap cash grab, this is a fine example.

I don’t enjoy this style of Doom compared to that of the previous two games -- it's just not the Doom I've grown to love. That said, The Dark Ages is in no way a bad game. Fans of classic Doom will really enjoy similarities in the larger areas, the high volume of slower projectiles to dodge, and the constant need to push forward.

Overall, this is a Forza Horizon game in every sense of the word, and shows off the best of what Horizon can be. It’s fun, only structured if you want it to be, and seems to exist purely to make sure you have a good time. What more could you want?

This is a kind of story that hasn’t been seen in modern RPGs, with a level and distinctiveness in visual presentation that leaves many franchises right now in the dust. All this plus a star-studded voice cast makes Clair Obscur Expedition 33 an amazing first outing from the studio, and a powerful statement that the RPG genre is still growing and evolving to this day. JRPGs have had their time in the sun, sure – but I say, bring on the FRPGs!

For long-time fans, it’s about the complete package, which is epic. It’s inspired me to rewatch the entire franchise — which only further endears the Great Circle — and kept me on the edge of my seat, glued to the expertly weaved story-into-gameplay structure. It’s a great adaptation by building gameplay into an elongated narrative that stays true to the character. The Great Circle is strictly for the fans, in all the right ways.

An incredible mix of exploration, story, and setting, South of Midnight certainly resonated with me. While its individual parts mightn’t be groundbreaking, the way in which Compulsion Games has combined them certainly is. This is definitely one worth checking out.

It’s immersive, compelling, yet is extremely respectful of your time. It can be a big exercise in survival, in shooting, or exploration — or any combination therein. I hope to see more of this from Rebellion.

Shadows is best played with hidden blades as a stealth-action game reminiscent of what Assassin's Creed used to be, but its greatest strength is choice.

An enjoyable romp, equal parts platformer, shooter, and puzzler.

With Monster Hunter Wilds, the developers are really trying. Trying to keep the formula fresh and interesting, trying to embrace the benefits that newer and more powerful technology brings and trying to entice new players into the oft cult-like fold of Monster Hunter die-hards. I’m pleased to report that Capcom have succeeded in all these goals to some degree, though the degree of that success varies. There’s never been a better time to dip into the Monster Hunter franchise than with Wilds. Hope to see you out there, hunter.

If a two-year cycle can work for golf, it can also work for a review. Two years ago, I wrote that, “small improvements to an existing formula mightn’t be looked highly upon in a yearly cycle, but PGA Tour 2K23 gets away with it because of its cadence.” The same is true for 2K25. If you’re into golf, this is for you. The same is true if you’re curious.

As it turns out, the Mad Dog of Shimano is a natural leader, by land or by sea. It’s interesting to see those same drives for justice and honour to come out, like the series’ other protagonists, but with all the safeguards off in Majima’s case. Anything goes on the high seas, and it makes for a fun victory lap through Hawaii for the Like A Dragon series.

There’s just something about Avowed that makes it feel very much like a product built for a subscription service. Not in a live-service game kind of way, but in a Netflix Original Movie kind of way.

There is so much more I could say about Civilization 7, but this review would run 7,000 words, and I think you already get the idea. Civ 7 isn’t just good, it’s the real deal. It’s a sequel that thinks like one of the matches it contains – a lot of small but significant strategic decisions that, when added up, create a winner. It feels different enough from previous iterations to justify the 7 in the title, and it thoughtfully builds on what came before. Civilization 7 is one of 2025’s first must-play titles.

Fans of the original will surely enjoy this — keeping what I’ve said in mind — while those that are intrigued by its concept should get out the original first. Engage accordingly.

Sniper Elite Resistance is hilarious, chaotic fun. I encourage players to jump in — with a plan or otherwise — and just see how things play out in Rebellion’s expertly-crafted sandbox. Experiment, take risks, and above all else: fight the Nazis.

I had a lot of fun playing through this game again, even after giving it a shot back in its Wii days. The ability to pick it up and put it down for short bursts was a perfect fit for the game, and helped keep my blood pressure under control for some of the endgame levels that really got me boiling over. Frustrated as I get at my own stupid thumbs for not keeping up, I could never snap my 3DS shut for more than a few minutes before giving it ‘just one more shot’. Give it a try, you’ll be pleasantly surprised (and angry).

After a few decades with an ageing Indy, the Great Circle is a delightful return to Dr Jones in his prime. Strictly for the fans, in all the right ways.

If you’re looking for something to add to your fitness routine, and don’t mind a bit of repetition in some soulless instructors, this one certainly fits the bill.

The fact that STALKER 2 is complete and ready for an imminent release is nothing short of a miracle. It’s just a shame that my experience... is damaged by a constant stream of ever-present bugs and issues. [Provisional Score = 50]

Tetris Forever is the most joyful and wondrous experience I’ve had with a video game all year and I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone and everyone. Its only crime is that it does such an intensely good job of getting you keen to consume every weird version of Tetris that’s out there that it can’t help but bring a twang of disappointment at its inability to deliver most of them as playable builds within itself. The folks at Digital Eclipse are doing remarkable and important work with these collections and I hope we continue to see many more of them.

With so many bespoke moments for each little mini-story, complete with unique minigames and interesting character arcs, Brothership is bursting at the seams with fun things to do.

It’s eminently clear throughout that Slitterhead suffered a messy development. It’s an incomprehensible slog to play through and I regret spending so much of my week with it.

Call of Duty Black Ops 6 is a spectacular return to form, after Modern Warfare 3 fumbled blurring the line between expansion and sequel. We were ready for something different, and that’s exactly what it has delivered with speedy and satisfying multiplayer and a highly engaging and well-paced espionage thriller campaign that’s one of the best in the Call of Duty series. With excellent gunplay across all modes and an addictive combat loop, Black Ops 6 is the best Call of Duty game so far this console generation.

Dragon Age The Veilguard is the epitome of 'better than the sum of its. It’s been so long since I experienced this level of joy in a long-form RPG; I have a compulsion to keep playing and finish one more quest.

Darksiders 2 Deathinitive Edition isn’t for those who’ve played the original release, but its a great way for those who missed out to get on board before Nordic Games makes some original content.

Unknown 9 Awakening is a competent title with some outdated and flawed designs, but with a larger universe and lore that is undeniably compelling. It’s well worth dealing with the rough edges if that idea excites you (especially at its reduced price tag!).

Priced at $80 AUD, you know what you're getting into with Super Mario Party Jamboree. If you need to freshen up your party game experience, this one should be a good fit.

The EA NHL franchise has seen of lot of change in the last few years, both positive and negative. Despite EA throwing terms like ICE-Q at us, it finally seems like big gameplay changes from the last few years are starting to gel with one another. X-Factors plus pressure systems plus smart AI? It’s a literal gamechanger. I’ve had a blast so far and I hope that continues in weeks to come.

All up, Dead Season is a fun mix of genres provided they’re in your wheelhouse. I very much enjoyed plunking away at a mission or two between titles like Until Dawn and Silent Hill 2 — again, all perfectly timed for the spooky season.

Metaphor ReFantazio sets out to blend the best of its predecessors’ gameplay with an all-new setting, and the result is far greater than the sum of its parts.

The issue here is that Until Dawn didn’t need a remaster. Or a remake. I would wholeheartedly recommend everyone reading this buy and play the 2015 original, and I would equally recommend you banish this remake from your mind to never think of again.

The Silent Hill 2 remake is close enough to the source material for fans, yet modern enough for those who’ve not played it before. It’s a great way to honour the 2001 original.

The outlook is good though, and the past 15 months have shown the commitment the Diablo developers have towards making this the best game they can. Here’s to another year of Diablo 4.

It admittedly features some pretty average voice acting — most notably one Aussie who is absolutely speed reading though his lines — but that feeds into the entire package, giving it a quaint, Twin Peaks-like vibe where you’re aware that something’s off, but you’re willing to go with it nonetheless. If you’re interested in the weird and unusual, or just after something that’s different from the norm, it’s hard to go wrong priced at $8.99 AUD accordingly. Give Burn a go and help Nina sort her demons.

The Legend of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom is a unique new addition to the Zelda family. It’s wonderful to see the same boundless creativity celebrated in a smaller-scale title.

While both Astro Bot and The Plucky Squire are about creativity and joy, the latter manages to get in its own way in comparison. The result is jarring.

All up, Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster felt like going home for this veteran player. And with a retail price of only $70 AUD, it's all the better.

The amount of dedication and passion that’s gone into Astro Bot is obvious in every pixel of every texture; there’s not a single bug, glitch, or texture issue to be seen. Its controls are easy to understand and incredibly tight, with Astro moving exactly how you need him to. In the 15 hours I’ve spent so far in finishing its campaign and going back to replay levels to pick up missing Bots, I’ve not encountered a single moment of frustration. It’s beautifully designed both in its self-contained levels and those dedicated to much-loved, Sony-exclusive franchises.

The Venn diagram of Dead by Daylight player and Supermassive player is ultimately one that’ll decide if you should splash the cash to play. If you enjoy Dead by Daylight and the likes of Until Dawn, then this one’s a no brainer, but if you’re only in the camp of the former, it becomes a harder sell.

I had a great time with Kay Vess and crew. The story has all the heel-turns, reveals and double-crosses you could hope for from a heist story, and even a few surprise twists you won’t see coming. Seeing the Star Wars world from a more boots-on-the-ground perspective also casts it in a very different light – an AT-ST is a much more intimidating thing to see when you don’t have access to midichlorians....It’s exciting to see how much is possible in this universe without leaning on the Jedi or Skywalkers. That said, fans are sure to enjoy some of the nods and name-drops scattered throughout that link this game to the greater canon.

The bottom line is this: adjust your expectations about Black Myth Wukong as a proper Soulslike, and jump on in if its setting and mythos interests you.

Herein lies the appeal of The Crush House: it can function as a Big Brother camera operator simulator for those looking for that (especially on lower difficulties), but it also offers up a compelling dark side for those with a bit of patience. That, paired with an incredibly low price tag of $24.99 AUD, makes this title one that I’d happily recommend to those in either camp.

Ultimately, I’d imagine most players will likely get about an hour’s worth of satisfaction from Nintendo World Championships NES Edition before finding themselves exhausted, though parties with a bunch of players will help sustain that feeling. Players who are utterly focused on besting their own scores — or those of others online — will likely spend far more time with things. It’s ultimately up to you if that offering is worth its $50 AUD asking price.