It doesn't take psychic powers to see the ideal vision Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was aiming for: it tries to mix the excellent Prime formula with a character-focused story and a large hub world to explore. It doesn't quite reach that ambitious goal, with an outdated open desert area that mostly feels like padding and a cast of characters that provide both a handful of memorable moments and too much chatter at times. But none of its issues come close to ruining Prime 4, which is still an excellent comeback thanks to incredible peaks that are almost entirely self-contained from its stumbles. It mostly knows when to leave Samus alone, and a significant chunk of this 15-hour adventure is spent in delightfully atmospheric solitude. It nails the essential elements of a Prime game that remain special decades later: tense exploration through haunting locations highlighted by amazing worldbuilding, breathtaking art direction, new twists on classic abilities, and flawless technical performance. Even though a few underdeveloped elements keep it from feeling as cohesive as its predecessors, Prime 4 reaches heights worthy of the Metroid name.
Horses is a chilling, nerve-shredding short story that propels you through a series of increasingly heinous farm tasks. Sharp writing of morally repugnant characters creates a harrowing atmosphere, which is frustratingly diminished by repetitive activities and unclear signposting that sometimes pull you out of its silent film-like world. Even so, developer Santa Ragione’s admirably bracing vision does well to harness what can make the interactivity of video games so affecting, ensuring you’ll have plenty to think about as the credits roll.
As the hardcore pioneer of the extraction shooter, Escape from Tarkov is still quite compelling, but it's also saddled with issues that range from technical problems to pay-to-win monetization.
The stages themselves aren’t going to blow you away and I wish there was a more varied rogues’ gallery to smack down, but Marvel Cosmic Invasion’s tag team action has the juice, and it’s a joy to dig into each character’s kit, especially in co-op. I don’t think it’s a great beat ‘em up, but it is a very good one that I’m looking forward to playing again in the years to come, and it highlights some of the more obscure (and fun) parts of Marvel’s history. If you’re not already into the genre, I doubt Cosmic Invasion will change your mind, but it’s good enough to get my Avengers assembled on a lazy Sunday, kick back, and pop some baddies in the mouth.
Right now, Project Motor Racing feels like an early access game that hasn’t actually been identified as such. There are certainly glimpses of a competent racing sim here, but it is drastically unfinished. With time, and its mod browser, I sincerely hope it can be fashioned into something that can fill the void left by the long-delisted Project CARS 2, but it's an entirely mediocre single-player racing experience for now. Project Motor Racing may have positioned itself as the heir to the Project CARS 2 kingdom, but it is simply not a better racer than its 2017 ancestor.
During the moments it manages to keep everything together, Cricket 26 is genuinely capable of providing an entertaining and challenging form of bat-on-ball action that elevates it above the last couple of entries in the series like a lofted drive over the infield. However, the countless glitches and bugs still present even after a few post-release patches means it’s prone to break down as often as Ben Stokes’ body, and its small handful of new modes are either seriously undercooked or inaccessible at this stage, making it far from being a must-have upgrade for fans of Cricket 24 in its current form. Cricket 26 is a bit like fledgeling Aussie opener Sam Konstas – undoubtedly capable of genuine brilliance in bursts, but still clearly a work in progress not quite ready for the top of the order.
Just like every other time I’ve gotten to play Nioh 3, after my time was up, I was left wanting more. Nioh 3 is shaping up to be my favorite of the series to date, not only through its substantial improvements to combat thanks to the split of Samurai and Ninja Modes, but also with the massive addition of the open-field levels – each of which will include its own separate Crucible. It’s a challenge I eagerly anticipate taking on with my own personal build and progression, and one that I won’t have to wait terribly long for, as Nioh 3 releases on PlayStation 5 and PC on February 6, 2026. [Hands-On Impressions]
I’m not sure what’s crazier: the fact that Kirby Air Riders exists, or the fact that it’s this great. It’s a blast in local or online multiplayer during its traditional races and unique battle mode, and its frankly absurd amount of fun achievements to chase, meaningful unlockables, and deep customization makes it great for solo players, too. The biggest hurdle to enjoying its dizzying amount of content is how it all controls, as its frantic pace and slippery one-button control scheme is endearingly novel, but occasionally too simple for its own good. Air Riders just can’t help itself in sticking a little too closely to its original blueprint at times, making it not as approachable to pick up and play as Mario Kart, and not as technically rewarding or competitively viable as a fighting game like Super Smash Bros. But if you’re willing to go along for the ride, you’re in for a chaotic action racing game that’s a great time with friends and offers a ton to do on your own.
Forestrike is an exceedingly clever roguelite that combines combat and puzzle solving with a clear reverence for martial arts. The various masters that you can choose from at the beginning of each run do a great job of making each run feel fresh, and it absolutely nails that all important feeling of progression both by subtly teaching you its visual language and increasing your power with better techniques the deeper you get. A weak story slows its momentum, and the level of precision required in the later stages can lead to some frustrating ends to otherwise promising runs, but the failures mostly serve to make the eventual triumph all the sweeter.
Disney Dreamlight Valley’s Wishblossom Ranch expansion is an intriguing new chapter in a cozy game I’ve enjoyed for several years, but it also suffers from some growing pains. The new areas are filled with some of the most creative stuff I’ve seen in a life simulator in quite some time, and the four-legged companions you can ride offer fun ways to engage with familiar cozy activities, not to mention make getting around so much faster. I would have liked some more exciting new characters to befriend, and the grind to level up your relationship with each of the mounts has unnecessary timegates that I could have done without, but these missteps didn’t drag down the good times too much. Instead, the real issue is that, at the time of this review, Wishblossom Ranch has just been way too buggy to comfortably enjoy (or in my case even finish without a workaround). Hopefully its biggest issues will get patched up, but for now it’s made an otherwise enjoyable expansion significantly less so.
