I have completed the main 'Master of' quests, but I have not yet reached the conclusion of the story. Based on the compelling narrative, the excellent eight-character combat overhaul, and the meaningful addition of the Masteries system, the game currently sits as my personal favorite entry in the series. The ultimate score will depend heavily on the payoff of the final narrative act and whether the combat holds up against the toughest challenges. [Review in Progress]
ROUTINE is an excellent puzzle-focused first-person horror game that, despite its slow pacing, is able to keep you at the edge of your seat for 10 hours straight, with a tense, rich atmosphere created by wonderful execution of its retro futuristic aesthetic and stunning soundscape that immerses you in its world and gets you listening for the sound of a pin drop to avoid getting caught. It's narrative may be unable to shine through, but at the end of the day it is altogether an interesting game, a game worth playing again, and the game that Alien: Isolation fans should play while we all wait for Alien: Isolation 2.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond ascends to higher peaks than any previous Prime entry, delivering an impressive sense of scale, breathtaking visuals, and classic Metroid level design at its most immersive and riveting, but a few missteps, including an unengaging story and flat final act, may exclude it from best-of-series conversations. That said, those who have been waiting for this game for nearly two decades needn’t worry too much, as Metroid Prime 4 largely locks onto the core of what made this series great.
With its tag-team mechanics and well-designed characters, MARVEL Cosmic Invasion is a competent side-scrolling beat'em up that can offer plenty of chaotic fun, especially in multiplayer. However, some balancing issues that make the final few stages frustrating to play, especially solo, and the lack of content beyond the 4-hours long campaign limit the game's appeal to Marvel fans and beat'em up die hards looking for a few hours of simple fun.
ARC Raiders is one of the hallmarks of the extraction shooter, providing the same psychological experience that Escape From Tarkov and others have successfully integrated into the growing genre.
Weaving together the core Nioh series mechanics with features inspired by Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, Wo-Long: Fallen Dynasty and even Rise of the Ronin, Nioh 3 feels like the culmination of all the masocore action RPGs developed by Team NINJA. How the exploration mechanics will hold up for dozen hours remains to be seen, but the first proper taste of the experience has undoubtedly made me even more excited about the game, and I cannot wait for February 6, 2026 when Nioh 3 launches on PC and PlayStation 5 to appreciate better the depth of the combat mechanics, which promise to outdo anything Team NINJA has done to date. [Hands-On Impressions]
Kirby Air Riders serves up a varied platter of quirky modes and features, but Sakurai’s buffet may not satisfy long-term unless you’re up for chasing down every last crumb. That said, while a bit lightweight, Kirby Air Riders' unconventional and surprisingly intense approach to racing certainly sticks out, even in a year with a lot of karting competition, which may be enough to blow folks looking for something different off their feet.
Being able to play through Call of Duty: Black Ops 7's campaign in a full squad of four and then jump straight into the Endgame makes this one of the more enjoyable Call of Duty campaigns in recent years, even if the story being told fails to live up to the hype. [Campaign Review score = 84]
Where Winds Meet delivers an exceptional open-world experience, successfully blending an engaging story, meaningful activities, a solid combat system paired with competent character progression, a wealth of multiplayer options, and one of the most lively cities in the genre. Though some of its features and mechanics suffer from the constraints of the free-to-play model, the good undeniably outweighs the bad, making it a rare title that can captivate even players who typically avoid similar open-world games, easily providing hundreds of hours of content even in its launch state.
It's the kind of game, the kind of story that will always stay with me. I'll always be jealous of people who get to play it for the first time because I can never do that again. Play 1000xResist. Live for more than just being alive.
