Elden Ring is a crowning achievement for FromSoftware and undoubtedly the very best gameplay experience they've yet delivered - and that's really saying something given this developer's incredible back catalogue. The Lands Between deftly combine breathless open world exploration, stunning artistry, immaculate world-building and wondrous adventure with classic Dark Souls combat and dungeon-crawling, resulting in not just the best Souls game to date, but a candidate for one of the very best video games ever made.
Starfield is Bethesda's best RPG to date, an enormous space odyssey that serves up some incredibly evocative and engaging exploration, satisfying combat, and a narrative that had us hooked right to the end. Yes there are issues here with the usual jank, and some very messy and fiddly menus and interactions, but all of these problems feel minor when compared to everything this game gets right. In a year that's been packed full of absolutely essential games, Starfield manages to sit right up top with some of the best of them. After all the hype and bluster, this is just a very, very good RPG and a game we'll be playing and replaying for a long time to come.
Episode 4: Metamorphosis has a lot resting on its rotting shoulders and, for the most part, it does an adequate job tying up all the loose ends. The real revelation comes about unexpectedly, in the form of either a good or bad ending. And while we did feel a bit cheated getting the bad ending the first time through, it's hard to fault the rest of the episode for it. If you managed to do everything right, then this finale wraps things up really quite nicely.
It's a half-hearted attempt at bringing the series into the current generation, and is only barely recommended for the absolute die-hard fans of the original. This is a real shame and even if you can get past the bare-bones approach to remastering that Omega Force have taken, you probably won't get past all the bugs.
As penultimate episodes go, Episode 3: Judgment does a rock solid job of keeping players engaged in its story as it leads into the game's final chapter. We're now eagerly anticipating the finale, but we're also a little bit apprehensive about where things will go next. Like all good serialized story-telling, that means the creators are at least doing a great job keeping us invested.
Shiftlings is a game that will frustrate many people, but ultimately it's one that's worth playing through. Due to the focus being on just a few simple mechanics, puzzles that at first seem impossible can often have a simple solution. These moments of brilliance are what keep Shiftlings a compelling experience and one that continues to test your wit until the very end.
White Night is a great concept with a really nice art style. The atmosphere it provides is incredibly convincing and genuinely unsettling, right up until the time that the perceived threat becomes a reality and things take a nosedive. A tad more polish would have seen this become a real benchmark for the genre, but a number of missed steps mean that it will likely just fade into the darkness.
This is a powerful experience that we expect will be remembered for a long time to come, and it's, without question, one of the best games available for the Xbox One. That's a big statement, we know, but Ori's got more than enough spirit to back it up.
There's no doubt that some will be hooked and will love it – it's certainly therapeutic fare – but with the issues it contains, there's a much greater chance that you'll feel the opposite way.
ScreamRide is thrilling, addictive, fun, enjoyable, well-crafted, rewarding, challenging, and has the potential to go on to be a long and successful franchise. It isn't just about holding on to your hat as you fly down a vertical drop, building the biggest coaster you can, or trying to hold on to your lunch as you hit an inversion at 120mph. There's thought, the tools for a community to spring up around it, and lots of longevity here, and at really is only some very minor niggles that stops ScreamRide from picking up perfect marks.
Resident Evil: Revelations 2 is off to a pretty good start. It's fun, campy, and even manages to throw in a few good scares. Once you get past the somewhat predictable first half, the game really comes together in the second with a blend of solid action, horror, and stealth. Dividing the game into episodic chunks is already shaping up to a successful experiment for Capcom, and we can't wait to see where it all leads to in the coming weeks.
Pneuma: Breath of Life didn't completely rock our world, but it did make for a captivating and satisfying afternoon in front of the television. If puzzle adventures are your thing and you don't mind linear progression, there's a lot to like here.
When Evolve is at its best, it is one of the greatest co-op experiences ever crafted. Few games require so much teamwork and are as satisfying when everything falls into place. Conversely, it can be a complete mess when played with hunters that are incompetent or not playing their position. If you have a group of friends that are willing to put in both the financial and time commitment for Evolve then there is no reason not to buy it. Otherwise your mileage will vary.
[A failed attempt] will either steel you for the next attempt, or cause you to put the controller down in anger. If you're in the former group, the sheer wealth of options available to you, combined with the art style and the occasional laugh-out-loud moment, mean that The Escapists is definitely recommended.
If you're on the market for an afternoon's worth of casually-paced entertainment and want to put your problem-solving skills to the test, then you should gear up for a bit of Unmechanical. It respects both the genre and your time, and for that — along with plenty of other reasons — there's quite a satisfying experience to be had.
