A bit confusing at first, High On Life is an experience that can finally be enjoyed once you put some hours into it. Regarding its purely FPS component, even though it works very well, it was a bit too wishy-washy. Among the notable flaws, we have the lack of impact in gunfights, a small and repetitive bestiary and bosses that are too easy to take down. On the other hand, the idea of the Gatlians is interesting to explore and this irreverent, vulgar, trashy and absurd humour finally won us over and made us forget some of the game design’s shortcomings. Beware, however, that the lack of ergonomics, particularly with regard to subtitles, could put off many non-English-speaking players from getting involved in the adventure. Although imperfect, Squanch Games’ title remains a solid base for a new licence and manages to take us into its totally ludicrous universe despite quite a negative first impression. Well done!

In terms of sensations felt when sliding, the number of missions, the humour, and the soundtrack, FoamPunch really is a great game. But the problems linked to clipping, framerate drops and collisions kind of taint our general enjoyment of it. The realistic physics of our rider during tricks truly is astounding and it forces us to be fully aware of the timing feature to perform one trick after another. An update is necessary to turn this game from something decent to something remarkable.

Piranha Bytes is known for its – technically speaking – old school productions with rich content. Elex 2 further confirms this reputation and remains a title that one loves as much as he hates it. It will take many hours of suffering before you can really enjoy it. Therefore, it’s hard for the average player to get involved in a game that is graphically outdated and whose gameplay transforms the combat phases into real torture. A title to be reserved for fans of the studio or pad masochists.

At first, the solid and engaging gameplay of Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin pushes us to invest ourselves. But very quickly, some unacceptable flaws appear, marred by multiple (marketing?) elements stifling the initial interest. Between a souls-like aspect that is clearly ill fitted to the gameplay, a bad staging, a narration cruelly lacking clarity and protagonists deprived of charisma and appeal, it ultimately becomes very difficult for a fan of the licence to be satisfied. On the other hand, if you focus solely on the gameplay and take this Final Fantasy simply for what it is, i.e. a rather unsound action-RPG, then you can find some satisfaction by playing it with friends.

We are delighted to welcome back a licence to which survival horror owes a great deal, if not everything. Despite the weight of time and a lack of originality in its very conventional gameplay, the title stands out thanks to the richness of its environments and the quality of its technical production. With a soundtrack and ambience that hit all the right notes, the studio manages to strike a chord of nostalgia and pleasure. THQ Nordic has succeeded in restoring the Alone in the Dark licence to its former glory. Edward Carnby can finally take a well-deserved retirement, without having to be ashamed of his last performance.

We enjoyed discovering each game mode in Call of Duty Black Ops 7. Thanks to its fun campaign one can play with others and that acts as a real stress reliever with crazy, well-designed bosses (or more like missions interspersed with cutscenes), Activision is taking the risk of disappointing some players looking for a solo experience. The multiplayer mode remains very classic in terms of what we expect from a Call of Duty game, and the omni-movement, introduced in Black Ops 6, comes into its own with its dynamic and rather successful maps. The Zombie mode will appeal to fans of the genre with its content, which is traditional but eagerly awaited. Finally, the return of Dead Ops adds a welcome touch of nostalgia to the title.

DoubleMoose Games missed their shot with their new outlet for steam as it simply doesn’t match the grotesque pleasure felt when playing its counterpart and role model, the one and only Goat Simulator. This results in a tedious experience that doesn’t have a lot to offer besides a short-lived and temporarily amusing multiplayer mode able before abandoning all hope and putting down the controller.

Whether on foot or behind the wheel, the developers of Volition’s reboot offer us a wickedly fun title where one can take a perverse delight in making everything explode around them. The new characters are endearing and make us forget the old ones. Despite some successful quest sequences, the scenario remains too short. From secondary activities to the extensive customisation of the protagonist, weapons and vehicles, the game’s content is quite rich. This Saints Row is a pleasant and entertaining game to blow off some steam, but ultimately, it sticks to its guns and does not take enough risks to really set itself as a master of the genre.

Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising is a substantial title, both in terms of its content and its inspirations. The developers have skilfully “popularised” the RPG mechanics while associating an efficient and accessible action aspect. A pinch of Metroidvania for the exploration and voilà a recipe worthy of appearing on the menu of a Michelin-starred restaurant. This is mainly due to the experience gained by the developers who contributed to the Suikoden saga. Although it was conceived as a prologue to Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, the title has a long lifespan and it takes around 20–25 hours to complete the main storyline. The side quests and the hunt for achievements obviously add to what the players are offered. It would therefore be a shame to miss out on this great introduction that will also be featured in the Gamepass as soon as it is released on the 10th of May 2022.

Setting off on a journey with Pax and all her gang was undoubtedly a superb adventure thanks to a good-looking artistic direction with a perfectly transcribed comic book theme and a gameplay that knows how to renew itself. The experience was fun and entertaining, with colourful, engaging characters with strong personalities. Thanks to a touching story that sometimes dabbles with difficult themes, the title remains captivating throughout the chapters, despite moments that drag on a little and combat phases that are enjoyable at first, but quickly become repetitive. The experience is marred by a few bugs that sometimes require you to restart the game, but there is nothing blocking it or that a patch cannot fix. Dustborn is indubitably a title not to be missed if you like narrative games with a story dealing with strong, committed topics, original gameplay, an alternative punk rock vibe and, of course, comic books.

The Casting of Frank Stone plunges us into a captivating, immersive story thanks to a solid script that skilfully blends horror and the supernatural. The necessary dexterity and elements from Dead by Daylight are a breath of fresh air, all enhanced by remarkable sound design and soundtrack. Despite a few pitfalls and texture problems, we enjoyed unravelling the threads of this time-based intrigue. Without revolutionising the genre or equalling the cult classic Until Dawn, this title follows in the footsteps of Supermassive Games’ previous works. Will their next opus, Directive 8020, which will inaugurate season 2 of Dark Pictures Anthology, mark a decisive turning point? Only time will tell.

Martha is Dead is a successful dive into the abyss of a family drama filled with mysteries. Within a historical context that is as interesting as it is gripping, its careful and controlled narrative easily keeps the audience on their toes. One needs to see whether the clumsy movements, the sluggish gameplay and the frequent back and forth will not obstruct the immersion, even if they are far from overshadowing the game’s myriad of qualities.

Dragonkin: The Banished is a good attempt at the Hack'n'Slash genre thanks to an original universe and an interesting modular gameplay. Its skill system and strategic approach via the Ancestral Grid offer a great deal of freedom for customisation and exploring its vast world gifts us with some visually brilliant moments. However, the game sometimes suffers from what feels likerushed main content, a level design that encourages exploration but offers little reward in compensation, and a lack of polish in certain aspects, notably the boss fights and balancing the difficulty with level scaling. While the experience is still quite enjoyable for fans of the genre, the lack of a multiplayer mode and a gameplay loop that is currently running out of steam relatively quickly kind of hinders its long-term appeal. It is worth mentioning that the game is, for the time being, in early access and nevertheless shows interesting potential. Additionally, the announced updates could well enrich the experience between now and its final release. So, let us see what happens next by the end of 2025...

Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions has the merit of offering an entertaining adaptation of the sport with flying broomsticks, but do not expect a magical experience. It is a shame, because the feeling of moving around is pretty enjoyable and even leads to a few moments of wonder, especially in multiplayer. However, after many games, the polynectar potion no longer works! It is clear that the game's content is as thin as a house-elf and that, in the end, every match looks the same because of the lack of any real tactical management. All that is left is to hope for a host of additions to save the title from an unforgivable curse...

Romancelvania is a unique metroidvania, particularly funny and really addictive. The kind of game that you will come back to regularly, whether for one hour or ten, just to experience some of that wonderful recipe.

New Tales From The Borderlands is not a bad game per se, but this format feels a tad’ ancient. The formula it uses is outdated and we expected much more from it. Let us be honest: it has some good arguments, especially in terms of its narrative, but its nowhere-to-be-found gameplay might irritate many players. Except for those fond of the Borderlands license who will be able to overlook this aspect and sincerely enjoy the universe, recommending the title to the rest of the players does not feel like the right thing to do.

Despite some wishy-washy fights and a somewhat empty open world, Gotham Knights is a title that honours the licence. Perfectly blending action gameplay and RPG mechanics, fans and other players will be delighted. Even if the 20 hours necessary to complete the adventure are not enough to satisfy our thirst for more content, the presence of numerous side activities will suffice in deceiving our need for more. The arrival of a more complete multiplayer mode on November 29, 2022 should also contribute to supplementing the initial offer.

Greak: Memories of Azur truly is a lovely production that largely deserves to be acknowledged. The delightful and hand-drawn sceneries and animations are completed with a mesmerising soundtrack. Whoever is fond of Ori should also be satisfied with the title’s main gameplay. But Greak: Memories of Azur was not keen on being solely a simple Metroidvania. It allows itself the luxury of drawing some inspirations from Trine and offers us to play as not one, but three characters with different abilities. Unfortunately, this addition doesn’t run smoothly and the simultaneous handling of the three heroes quickly lost us, especially during the boss fights.

Dynasty Warriors 9 had already strongly disappointed us and this new “Empires” episode was our last hope for the license to turn things around. Unfortunately, it won’t happen any time soon as Omega Force relies on its assets and barely reworks its franchise. Technically speaking, the game is just as dated as its predecessor, which was already a big problem four years ago. This could’ve been overlooked if one could at least find happiness elsewhere. But with a strategic dimension smeared by menus that are far too confusing and a weariness that quickly grows on us even during combat, it is difficult to recommend this game. It’s high time for Omega Force to wake up and offer us an experience worthy of what gamers expect in 2022

Skull and Bones is not the shipwreck that many people made it out to be, but it is not a masterpiece either, and we are a long way from a title that is supposed to represent the AAAA classification that has been claimed so far. The game doesn’t really offer a storyline, but rather a series of missions with little variety, culminating in an endgame mode that we found too time-consuming and repetitive. Fortunately, the combat aspect is pleasant and works well, and the atmosphere is there, with sailors shantying in calm weather and shouting during confrontations. The customisation of your captain and your ship is extensive, although some elements remain blocked behind the infamous “credit card barrier reef”. It must be said that the technical aspects of the title remain stuck in the past, with a game that is aesthetically displeasing, terribly rigid animations and very little interaction with the environment.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong proposed an adventure riddled with small flaws that prevents you from fully enjoying its scenario despite the latter being interesting once you manage to get into it: this truly leaves a rather bitter taste. It is in its last part that the game gives us all its assets and finally rewards you for having held on until then – if you managed to do so…

Sonic Frontiers leaves us rather puzzled. On the one hand, the novelty of an open world full of activities and combat zones, the diversity of the paths through the portals and the number of collectibles enchants us. On the other hand, the outdated graphics, the mediocre dubbing and the poor story is disheartening. Striking a balance, the speed phases are successful, both visually and with the controller. Sega’s title suffers from shortcomings that could have been avoided, thus categorising it as nothing more than an “average and decent game”. What a pity for the long-awaited return of our blue supersonic hedgehog.

NARUTO X BORUTO Ultimate Ninja STORM CONNECTIONS is ultimately a big disappointment, regressing on many points compared to previous CyberConnect2 releases. Admittedly, it boasts the largest roster in the series, but there is no excuse for the title’s lack of ambition, even less so when you consider that seven years separate this episode from Ultimate Ninja Storm 4. At best, it is a snack designed to keep fans waiting for more content (if not new content). For the rest of you, skip it.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League isn't the foreshadowed disaster it was meant to be, but it has too many flaws to be fully enjoyable. Its gameplay, while very energetic and relatively easy to get to grips with, is as basic as it gets. Worse still, the missions are repeated over and over until the game bows out. The same is true of the loot and character statistics, which boil down to percentages in tables. In the end, it is only the incredible direction and the four-star cast, buoyed by the omnipresent humour, that salvage this more-than-mixed review. All that remains now is to see whether the next seasons will bring a breath of fresh air, although it is hard to imagine Rocksteady remedy this.

This campaign for Call of Duty Modern Warfare III does not cut the mustard. Lasting only 4 hours, it is far too short, and the storytelling is not as good as in the last few games. The visuals are as polished as ever, and the classic missions are well staged and packed with action. Unfortunately, the new type of open-ended missions introduced this year is barely convincing and is far too present in the campaign. It is quite hard to recommend buying the game at full price for someone who only focuses on the single-player experience, and you cannot help feeling that it is more of an extension of Modern Warfare II than a title in its own right. The same is true of the Zombie mode, which is closer to a variant of the DMZ mode than a truly original experience. Fortunately, the multiplayer side of things picks up the slack, with sixteen very good maps at launch, and some welcome in-game improvements.

It is important to highlight that Wanted Dead offers an old-fashioned experience on every aspect. The shooter part of the game is not very well done, unlike the hand-to-hand aspect which is much more qualitative. In many ways, you can feel the lack of balance between next-gen and old-school games and that the development had to meet certain specifications, which absolutely failed to seduce us. Be warned that Wanted Dead proposes an experience for gamers whose credo is retro gaming. If you are a nostalgic of the Dreamcast, PS2 and Xbox era, go for it, otherwise it might be painful.

Crown Wars: The Black Prince is a very likeable X-COM that unfortunately (and probably) suffers from a lack of resources to make the most of the studio's ideas. Despite a few glitches and a tedious storyline, Artefacts Studio's title managed to keep us coming back to the game several times to improve our domain and our troops. The gameplay does not in any way revolutionise the genre, but it does offer a complete and enjoyable experience, which ultimately provided us with a good time: guilty pleasure is back on the menu.

The darkness of Gord reminded us of the excellent Cult of the Lamb, but without the irony. The Polish studio Covenant has delivered a first quality title that we clearly did not see coming! The mix of survival, management and horror topped with solid gameplay mechanics works wonders. Additionally, the random events and the way the game unfolds tend to be reminiscent of a board game. However, we do regret the player's lack of involvement in the confrontations, during which we are forced to remain passive with no possible interaction to change the course of the automatic battles.