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Last reviewed: Mina the Hollower · 6 days ago
Luna Abyss is a AA shooter that holds its own against some of the elite of the genre. Its enticing and ominous sci-fi world is a delight to look at artistically, even if its muddy graphics let it down on closer inspection. Its story is fine, but a slick sense of progression keeps its action and platforming interesting from start to finish.
Planet Zoo is, ironically, a relatively toothless park building game. It doesn't have the delicious chaos of the Jurassic World Evolution games or the thrills of building your own rollercoaster and then hoping it'll stay on the tracks in Planet Coaster. But it's a pleasant and charming game. There's an airy joy in creating a peaceful home for animals to live in, and the earnest conservationist slant of Planet Zoo is hard to fault.
Pragmata knows its strengths and leans into those hard, and the result is a cracking action game that just feels brilliant to play. One could argue it could do with a little more variety throughout its campaign, but the game's unique hack-and-shoot combat is so fun and so satisfying to pull off that you won't mind doing it over and over again. A refreshingly straightforward structure and charming dual leads round things out, but it's the inventive and tactile action where it truly sings.
See that star? Don't go there. Starfield is a very different proposition compared to the many Elder Scrolls and Fallout games Bethesda has made in the past: it’s a space RPG where the worst thing about it is space. Instead of a single open world to explore, there are…
A catchy number. It doesn’t happen very often, but occasionally a game comes around that’s tailor made for me. People of Note, a musical RPG from indie outfit Iridium Studios, is that kinda release. This one fuses Final Fantasy with K-Pop Demon Hunters, delivering a distinctly…
In another life. The Life Is Strange series comes to its supposed end with Life Is Strange: Reunion, a quasi-sequel to the 2015 original, and a full-on sequel to 2024’s Life Is Strange: Double Exposure. However, its commitment to either of those prior games is a little…
Into the Deep South. South of Midnight is the kind of game Microsoft would have had to consistently publish to make its Xbox Game Pass subscription truly succeed. This is a relatively straightforward 12-hour adventure with little in the way of gameplay innovation, yet it ships…
Welcome to die. Retro compilations have become quite commonplace this generation, but Marvel MaXimum Collection is one you should be paying attention to. While it would be all-too easy to lament the lack of SEGA’s superhero games here – like its System 32 Spider-Man effort or…
Kliff bracer. Crimson Desert is a fascinating video game. It's an open world adventure of frankly absurd scope, taking blatant cues from notable examples of the genre, like Red Dead Redemption 2, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and The Witcher 3. But where those three…
Screamer is a bold and exciting arcade racing game that stands out from the pack. It takes some big swings, and most of them have worked out, save for a story that maybe outstays its welcome. The racing itself is unique and challenging, and once you have a handle on all its systems, it's very rewarding to master. With its stylish presentation on top, this is one racer very much in its own lane.
Marathon doesn't have that instant fun factor and casual appeal that an extraction shooter like ARC Raiders does. And for a lot of people, that likely means it isn't the game for them. But Marathon is a game that gives more to you the more you give to it. With impeccable Bungie gunplay, a gorgeous world and artstyle, and a gameplay loop much denser than its competition, we think Marathon is something special. The more we play, the more we love it.
Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly Remake is arguably one of the scariest games we've ever played. Team Ninja has somehow managed to make an already terrifying game even more so, turning Minakami Village into a visually striking and tense playground for fear. The Camera Obscura combat remains novel and unique, but clunky controls and some drawn-out encounters can frustrate.
Monster Hunter Stories 3 is the pinnacle of the series in so many ways - especially from a storytelling perspective. At its core, it's a ridiculously addictive monster taming RPG, boasting in-depth progression systems and satisfying combat mechanics - but it does take quite a long time for everything to truly click.
On paper, Resident Evil Requiem is essentially a two-in-one package that delivers both excellent survival horror and action gameplay. It is that in practise, too, but the playtime imbalance between the two is enough that you'll get too much of one and not enough of the other. At the end of it all, it's another fantastic entry - you just might not get everything you're looking for out of it.
High on Life 2 is a great sequel that sticks to its guns and refines the best parts of the first game. The skateboard-shooting concept works excellently, elevating the gunplay and creating a more engaging and enjoyable moment-to-moment experience. But all of this is ruined by incredibly poor visual fidelity on PS5 and PS5 Pro that distracts from the release's overall artistic achievements.