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Though somewhat predictable (in the way that prequels often are), Resonance is a deeply atmospheric and moving adventure that more than merits its place in the Plague Tale universe. Leaning further into action-adventure than its stealthier predecessors, you’ll explore awe-inspiring environments that range from painterly to nightmarish while engaging in simple-yet-satisfying melee combat with just enough skill progression to offer a sense of agency. Combine that with Indiana Jones-style “Grail Diary” puzzles and Resonance even manages to scratches that archeological fantasy itch. A unique experience in an increasingly fascinating franchise, I highly recommend Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy to fans of A Plague Tale, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Uncharted or Tomb Raider, and anyone with Game Pass!

Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 is okay, but somehow not as good as its far more polished predecessor: it just looks, sounds, and performs worse. It’s almost baffling, as if the two games were somehow released in the wrong order. The gameplay is basically unchanged, though, and that might be enough if you’re just looking for more of the same. For everyone else, though, I’d recommend booting up the original Aliens: Fireteam Elite and — if you haven’t done so already — buying the Pathogen expansion instead.

Bigger, better, and funnier, High On Life 2 builds on the foundations of its predecessor by taking every aspect of the game to the next level: the new skateboard-infused combat and traversal is a blast; characters and environments are more varied and detailed; the expanded comic voice cast play off each other hilariously; and the overall scope of the High On Life universe — both in terms of map size and world-building — is just so much larger. It’s an unconventional game from an unconventional studio, but you can tell that Squanch Games has a clear vision for their franchise, and High On Life 2 is a bold, confident step towards realizing it. Highly recommended for fans of first person shooters (especially Halo), skateboarding games, and rambling adult comedy.

I have to admit that I was kinda disappointed by Ghost of Yōtei. For starters, I didn’t much care for its generic “dig two graves” revenge story. It’s embarrassingly similar to Assassin’s Creed Shadows, for one, and its pacing actually frustrated me: way too many missions are just fakeouts meant to postpone key boss fights. Exploring Yōtei’s rural beauty is admittedly a pretty serene experience, yet I was let down by the relative absence of the kind of jaw-dropping temples and landmarks that made Ghost of Tsushima so memorable. Combat is thrilling and tactile thanks to the DualSense’s haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, yes, but it’s also a lot less forgiving — I felt like a glass cannon, and that’s just not the power fantasy I’m looking for. Don’t get me wrong: Ghost of Yōtei is good, but it’s also a sequel to one of the greatest games of the last console generation — as they say, “once you’re on top, the only place left to go is down.”

Microsoft may be relying a little too much on nostalgia these days, but it doesn’t change the fact that Halo: Campaign Evolved is an epic adventure that manages to honour the look, sound, and feel of the original while offering quality of life updates that modern gamers will appreciate. Any Halo veteran will quickly notice that Campaign Evolved isn’t an exact remake of the groundbreaking 2011 version: weapons and enemies from later games are introduced earlier; certain levels have been reconfigured or redecorated; and the dialogue was audibly re-recorded (with mixed results). Overall, though, I feel that Halo Studios — formerly 343 Industries — stayed true to the spirit of the original while making it feel a bit more contemporary and aligned with the rest of the series. I also want to mention that the bonus campaign — while not the best-written — features some of the most novel Halo levels since Microsoft took over the franchise: if they can make full-sized games as attractive and varied as those, I’d be perfectly happy for the series to pivot to prequels. Highly recommended for Game Pass subscribers and aging Halo fans looking for an adrenaline-charged hit of nostalgia.

Evoking the labyrinthine exploration, simple puzzles, and basic combat of older Resident Evil titles, Alone In The Dark’s gameplay is slow but serviceable; its lifeless atmosphere and convoluted story, however, snuff out this paranormal period piece’s potential. Despite featuring elements of cosmic, occult, and creature horror, Alone In The Dark just isn’t scary enough to pass for a full-fledged horror game, either: if anything, it feels like a series of underwhelming escape rooms with some jump scares thrown in. (The finale is surprisingly gory, however, and I can’t help but think that the game might have been better received if they’d simply made it bloodier throughout.) Anyway, Alone In The Dark might pique your interest if you’re into slow burn Lovecraftian horror, but I’m afraid most gamers will find it too middling to bother muddling through this meandering mystery.

While a little slow at times, “Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2” is a stylish neo-noir ARPG that’s worth sinking your teeth into. A detective story that alternates between 3 time periods, Bloodlines 2 is like a AA vampire-themed cross between “Cyberpunk 2077” and “Memento.” Prowling the neon-soaked streets of snowy downtown Seattle, you’ll sleuth, brawl, and unleash a variety of novel vampiric powers as you unravel a sordid web of intrigue between the city’s soulless power players. Honestly, my only criticism is the pacing: you waste a fair amount of time crisscrossing the map on foot, and time jumps in the middle of the game’s cliffhangers often mess with the story’s momentum — still, the finale is worth the wait. Anyway, the last DLC (and photo mode) just launched, so there’s no better time to dive in! I definitely recommend “Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2” to fans of “Cyberpunk 2077”, “Dishonored”, vampires, and film noir.

Despite a slow start and clunky gameplay, Deliver Us Mars is an emotionally-charged astronaut walking simulator that’s worth seeing through. While sudden flashbacks to the protagonist’s childhood on earth serve to explain several characters’ backstories, I didn’t feel they were necessary or like how they took you out of the Martian setting (which, as a gamer, is what I’m here for). Overall, though, Deliver Us Mars features a surprisingly dramatic story bolstered by powerful performances of anger, fear, grief, and desperation. Actresses Ellise Chappell and Nicole Tompkins are particular standouts, as every interaction between their characters is tense and gripping. Anyway, Deliver Us Mars isn’t the most sophisticated or attractive walking simulator, but fans of the original Deliver Us the Moon, rock climbing, and doomed space colonization movies will likely find something to enjoy over its 8 to 11-hour runtime.

In short, Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is exactly what you‘d hope it would be: a spiritual successor to the Arkham series that just happens to be made out of LEGO. It may not carry all the benefits of your typical LEGO collectathon (don’t expect to unlock 200 playable Gothamites, for instance), but it more than makes up for it with satisfying combat inspired by co-developer Rocksteady’s revolutionary freeflow system. While some of the voice work feels tame and underwhelming when compared to the iconic (or iconically campy) performances it seeks to imitate, it is passable. More importantly, the way Traveller’s Tale manages to blend most of the Batman filmography into a single story is both impressive and amusing, offering up a fun mix of nostalgia, subverted expectations, and some of the best LEGO cutscenes yet. Anyway, it might not be as comprehensive a Batman experience as Arkham Knight, but it is a worthy successor to the cowl — especially if you’re looking for a family-friendly alternative — that’s sure to satisfy Batman fans and LEGO enthusiasts alike.

Lacking the player choice that Don’t Nod’s games are famous for, Aphelion is a surprisingly middling walking simulator that feels like a significant step backwards for the studio. Despite the potential of its sci-fi setting, Aphelion just isn’t a very eventful game. The first half is quite slow, climbing is completely scripted (think Uncharted, not Jusant), there’s no combat, stealth sections are rudimentary, and there’s no real puzzles or exploration. More than anything, though, I just can’t understand why Don’t Nod didn’t simply repeat their formula from Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden by allowing players to choose between prioritizing the mission or their companion to unlock different endings. As is, it’s a glaring departure from their usual narrative game format and it eliminates any replay value. If you love Uncharted 2’s icy rock climbing, maybe Aphelion will do it for you; otherwise, I’d suggest going back and playing Banishers instead.

More than just a nautical narrative game, Tides of Tomorrow is a stylish and novel exploration of choice, survival and collaboration at the end of the world. While predominantly a walking simulator, Tides of Tomorrow is interspersed with just enough stealth sections, frenetic boat combat, and optional ocean events to keep the gameplay from ever feeling stale. What truly makes it unique, though, is its asynchronous “Online Story-Link” multiplayer: you’re always following in the footsteps of another player, their ghost just ahead of you, and the choices THEY made determine what version of a level you get, what resources you can hope to find, and how NPCs will treat you. Another novel aspect of Tides of Tomorrow is how, after contracting a fatal illness, you automatically lose health after every level. It’s one thing to play the hero when there’s no cost to you, but routinely having to choose between helping the sick and hoarding enough medicine for yourself is a delicate moral balancing act — you can’t save the world if you’re dead, after all. In a way, the game teaches you the importance of self-care: sometimes you need to prioritize yourself in order to take care of others later. (I also want to give a special shout out to my omnipresent, jack of all trades broski Taj, possibly the greatest NPC of all time. All future DigixArt games need to feature some multiversal variant of Taj.) Anyway, I highly recommended Tides of Tomorrow — including at full price — to fans of narrative games with moral dilemmas, colourful apocalypses, and those concerned about microplastics

An impressive debut title by Reykjavik-based newcomers Myrkur Games, Echoes of the End is an engaging, linear adventure through a fantastical version of Iceland that is sure to leave you eager for a sequel. Evoking fan-favourite franchises like Uncharted, God of War, Prince of Persia, and even The Lord of the Rings, Echoes of the End features an evolving mix of hack and slash combat, telekinetic magic, and novel (and occasionally mind-bending) platforming challenges that keep the game feeling fresh over its 13-hour runtime. Echoes of the End’s deft writing also deserves special recognition. Establishing a new fantasy universe is no easy task for even a seasoned studio, yet Aema’s lore is delivered gradually and organically — and thoughtfully collected in a helpful journal — while subtle dialogue manages to speak volumes about characters’ pasts and relationships. As shown by the free “Enhanced Edition” update, Myrkur Games has done a remarkable job of listening to and addressing player feedback. If you’re looking for a new fantasy gaming experience and want to support a passionate, dedicated team of independent developers, I highly recommend Echoes of the End.

A picturesque jaunt through the early days of organized crime, Mafia: The Old Country is a somewhat predictable mafioso tragedy best suited to players who favour slow burn storytelling over nonstop action. Although you can expect a fair amount of riding around the countryside handling family business, it’s important to understand that The Old Country is NOT a conventional open world game: while all 15 chapters of the story do take place across the same fictionalized map of Sicily, you can’t explore it freely or tackle it’s handful of basic side activities (all of which were added via post-launch updates) without switching to a separate game mode. For all intents and purposes, Mafia: The Old Country is a story-driven, level-based game and is best enjoyed — and budgeted for — as such. Ciau!

Inspired by the development team’s own struggles, Revenge of the Savage Planet is more than just the little sequel that could: it’s a delightfully satirical takedown of corporate and consumer culture that also manages to surpass its predecessor’s gameplay in every way. Colourful, zany, and a joy to photograph, Revenge of the Savage Planet offers a rewarding sci-fi Metroidvania experience that’s just plain fun: blasting weird little monsters into goo is smooth and satisfying; upgrades are easy to attain and make traversal a blast; and completionists will appreciate that collecting and unlocking everything is a piece of (Grob) cake. At about 15 hours long, the closest thing I have to a complaint about the game is that it’s already over. Anyway, I had an absolute blast playing Revenge of the Savage Planet, including a brief stint in co-op, and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes games that don’t take themselves too seriously.

After a week plumbing its depths, my take is that Under The Waves is somewhat adrift in a sea of its own ideas, but awash in potential. Between its haunting tale of grief, no holds barred environmental message, and surprising sci-fi horror twist, I couldn’t help but feel that Under The Waves’ narrative threads were pulling in too many different directions at once to realize their full potential. Its gameplay, while serviceable, has similar identify issues. The underwater map calls to you like a siren’s song, enticing you to explore it, but there’s little to be found on the ocean floor save collectibles. There’s crafting, upgrades, and some resource management mechanics, but nothing critical enough to make it feel like an actual survival game. The wildlife varies from cute to awe-inspiring, but it’s scarce and has almost no practical impact on the player, either. At the end of the day, I found Under The Waves to be a touching and atmospheric experience limited only by its own fear of commitment. There’s a solid foundation here, and I’d be interested in seeing a sequel that firmly takes the game mechanics and story in one cohesive direction.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

I admit that I struggled to get into the game at first, but I’m glad persisted because Atomfall ended up being one of the most engaging narratives I’ve experienced in some time. To be clear, Atomfall is NOT British Fallout; if anything, it’s British S.T.A.L.K.E.R. It’s slow at first, you’re lost and vulnerable, but you’ll gradually get the lay of the land (literally and figuratively) and start to feel powerful. More than just improving your weapons and skills, though, it’s the branching and interconnecting story that’s really empowering. As the plot unfolds and you piece together different factions’ motivations, you’ll become uniquely positioned to decide who to help, who to betray, and who to take off the board entirely. Put another way, there are no immortal NPCs in Atomfall: whether it’s for the greater good or just your own, the choice to eliminate quest givers, whole questlines, and even alternate endings is entirely up to you. As for negatives, I don’t have much to complain about other than the inability to equip armour. I realize it’s an FPS and you wouldn’t even see it, but it felt weird to rifle through armoury shelves lined with chest pieces, helmets, and masks you can’t pick up, especially in a survival game. Anyway, Atomfall may not be as grand in scope as S.T.A.L.K.E.R., Fallout, or Metro, but I think it’s a worthy new addition to that post-apocalyptic pantheon — if you’re looking to scratch that itch, definitely give Atomfall a try.

In terms of its strengths, Shadows is easily one of the prettiest open world games I’ve ever played: with 8 seasonal variants of its map (which is unprecedented, to my knowledge) and replete with beautiful temples and shrines, exploring feudal Japan is both a serene and breathtaking experience. On the other hand, repetitive gameplay, enemy scaling, and an uninspired and disjointed story make for a game with very little sense of player progression or narrative momentum: expect to spend around 60 hours eliminating a laundry list of evil conspirators, over and over in the exact same way, before the story abruptly comes to an anticlimactic end. In sum, Shadows is a gorgeous but otherwise average Assassin’s Creed game that lacks the kind of epic story we’ve come to expect from the franchise. There’s more than enough content to warrant paying full price but, if you’re looking for adventure, other Assassin’s Creed titles may be a better use of your time.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

I have to admit that I’m not super familiar with the RoboCop franchise — I’m not even sure if I’ve seen the original film — but I still had a lot of fun playing Rogue City! For one, I found the gunplay super satisfying. It’s a pretty straightforward shooter, but RoboCop’s modable Auto 9 pistol packs a punch and feels great thanks to the DualSense’s adaptive triggers. Add in some slow-motion, explosive barrels, and archetypal shootout locations and it feels like a love letter to those over-the-top arcade shooters of yore. I also appreciated how the game alternates between linear missions and a small open area of Old Detroit where you can take on some sidequests. My only complaint there is that you end up revisiting that same open area a few times over the course of the 15h game and it gets a bit stale by the end. Anyway, hopefully you picked up RoboCop: Rogue City in April when it was free with PS+ because it’s definitely worth a try!

A grand throwback to the Xbox 360 era of campaign-driven games, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is awesome in every sense of the word. Epic in scale yet detailed and cohesive in its vision, it’s clear that this was a labour of love for the developers at Saber Interactive. If I had to compare Space Marine 2’s gameplay to something, I’d say it most closely resembles Gears of War with hack and slash combat mixed in (not to mention about a hundred times the “war” and a thousand times the skull motifs). It’s got an absolutely badass campaign, a PvP mode, and 9 class-based PvE missions called “Operations” that expand on the main story while offering unique new scenarios and bosses. And did I mention that it can all be enjoyed solo or in 3-player co-op? Anyway, if you like Gears of War, Aliens, Starship Troopers, Doom, any kind of grimdark sci-fi, or, you know, Warhammer, you’ll almost certainly like Space Marine 2 — highly recommended!

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Star Wars Outlaws isn’t the greatest open world game, but it’s still an enjoyable adventure in a galaxy far, far away that’s sure to satisfy your inner scoundrel. Despite some uninspired side content and a somewhat formulaic heist story, Kay Vess’ quest to assemble a motley crew of outlaws is a great setup for exploring a variety of beautiful, bustling Star Wars locales and blasting your way out of tense run-ins with the Galactic Empire. If I have one real complaint, it’s that your ship is woefully underutilized: other than a few full-fledged missions, the extremely basic activities you can do in space just feel like filler. (I also found it weirdly easy to keep all the syndicates happy, which eliminates almost any need for stealth in the open world part of the game.) At the end of the day, Star Wars Outlaws is a pretty good stealth action game — and a nice companion piece to the more lightsaber-focused Star Wars Jedi series — that provides a solid foundation for Massive Entertainment to continue to build on.

While Phantom Liberty isn’t a particularly large expansion and doesn’t add much in terms of gameplay, its story offers a cool mix of future spycraft, explosive action, Idris Elba, and 4 haunting finales (plus a new ending for the main game) that are guaranteed to leave you second-guessing yourself and questioning just how far you’d go to keep someone alive. The themes of choice and sacrifice carry into the DLC’s dozen sidequests as well, which I found much more impactful than those in the base game because of it. Anyway, I’m not sure Phantom Liberty serves up enough content to justify costing as much as half a full-price game, especially considering how much Cyberpunk 2077 already offers, but I would recommend picking it up on sale or as part of the Ultimate Edition if you’ve yet to chrome up and venture into Night City for the first time.

What a ride! (Or should I say “trek?”) Star Trek: Resurgence is far from a perfect game — or even a game, really — but its excellent story more than makes up for it. Made by former members of the original Telltale Games team, Star Trek: Resurgence is cast in the same mould as The Walking Dead and Tales from the Borderlands, but with significantly less gameplay: there are very few levels where you actually walk around, not that many (important) quick time events, and is just really easy overall. What makes Resurgence worth playing, however, is its great story (which harkens back to one of the very first episodes of The Next Generation), the difficult decisions you’ll have to make, and seeing how your choices impact the crew of the USS Resolute. I actually played through the game twice to see the different outcomes and get all the achievements, and my biggest complaint — other than some glitchy audio in a few levels — is that you can’t skip any dialogue or cutscenes. Anyway, Star Trek: Resurgence may be more of an interactive movie than a game, but it still makes for a great Star Trek movie that any Trekkie is sure to enjoy.

Despite minimal world-building and a few irritating boss fights, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is ultimately a fairly fun and forgiving Soulslike. With thorough tutorials, convenient fast travel, and acrobatic combat and traversal, you’ll soon find yourself exploring the world of Kian with speed and confidence. That said, there isn’t a ton to discover (especially loot-wise) and the world and enemy design is initially quite drab. Stick with it, though, because the game’s second half takes place in a much more colourful region full of new and bizarre-looking enemies. Anyway, if you’re looking for a short, middle-of-the-road Soulslike, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is worth a look (especially if you’re an Xbox Game Pass subscriber), but don’t expect a deep, lore-rich game.

Let’s be real: I’d probably never have tried this game if PlayStation Plus hadn’t given it away, and you probably won’t either unless you or your kid really love SpongeBob. That said, I have absolutely no regrets about the time I spent playing SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake because it’s essentially a chill, child-friendly metroidvania. It starts as a simple platformer, but the game gradually becomes more challenging and chaotic as new abilities and enemy types are introduced. There’s also some decent replayability baked in, both because late game abilities help you unlock new paths and collectibles in earlier levels and because a rudimentary New Game Plus is woven directly into the story’s silly ending. Honestly, if I have anything negative to say about the game it’s that Patrick serves absolutely no purpose. Despite being SpongeBob’s best friend and regular sidekick, he literally turns into a balloon and just floats around you — it feels like a weird narrative decision as well as a missed opportunity to not have included some gameplay mechanic centred around him. Anyway, I found SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake to be an amusing little game and would recommend it to fans of the show looking to unwind with something casual between more challenging titles.

Like this latest epic itself, I’ll keep my write-up short. Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is an incredible visual spectacle, maybe even a work of art, but it’s more of an “experience” than it is a full-fledged game. With its photorealistic graphics and stellar audio design, Hellblade 2 weaves a dark and fantastical story where you’re never entirely sure what’s real; as the player, though, most of that journey is spent just walking and listening. Don’t get me wrong, there’s violent combat and some trippy puzzles, but the gameplay mechanics underpinning everything are unusually simple. I’d still recommend it to fans of cutting-edge graphics, Norse mythology, or psychological horror — especially if you’re subscribed to Xbox Game Pass — but go into it expecting an interactive movie more than anything else.

Full disclosure: when it comes to Destiny 2, I’m what you might call a “filthy casual”. I wait for an expansion to go on sale, solo the campaign, then wait for the next one. That’s it. I know I’m missing out on most of what Destiny has to offer, but each expansion’s campaign has been so striking and satisfying to play through that I’ve never felt disappointed… until now. Simply put, Lightfall is meh. The Neptune map is a pointlessly large and empty city that’s dull to navigate, your new Strand power is just a frustratingly clumsy grappling hook, and the campaign is basically a weirdly philosophical training montage where you practice with it. It all just feels like filler, frankly. If you’re passionate about Destiny and its ongoing story, maybe you won’t mind. Personally, I’m glad I got through PlayStation Plus.

Part detective game, part Metroidvania and Soulslike, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is an enjoyable “jack of all trades” game that falls just short of mastering any one genre. Playing as the Banisher (read: ghostbuster) Ruaidhrigh “Red” mac Raith and his dearly departed mentor and lover Antea Duarte, you’ll investigate a sordid series of hauntings across colonial America and make important choices that will determine the fates of New Eden and our protagonists alike. While these engaging ghost stories are certainly the game’s greatest strength, the actual gameplay behind hauntings is perhaps a little too easy: there’s no real detective work for the player — they’re completely linear and you can’t miss any clues — and they always end in a fully informed judgment call. Combat in Banishers is perfectly serviceable as well and even reminds me a bit of God of War. Between Red’s melee and ranged combat and Antea’s magical brawling, you’ll find that you can combine unique gear perks and flexible skill trees to develop builds that are perfectly tailored to your preferred approach to combat. That said, the enemy design is kind of bland and very repetitive: you’re mostly fighting a few translucent skeletons who occasionally possess armoured bodies. Between that limited variety and a world that’s a bit too empty to really enjoy retreading, exploring New Eden in a Metroidvania fashion can be a bit dull at times. At the end of the day, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is still a solid, enjoyable, and sizeable experience that I have no problem recommending at full price. My only suggestion would be to perhaps skip unnecessary exploration and stick to solving hauntings if you know you aren’t a fan of the back-and-forth inherent to Metroidvania games.

“It’s the journey, not the destination.” I’ve never really agreed with that cliché, and I suspect that’s a key part of why I have mixed feelings about Dragon’s Dogma 2. In some ways, the game reminds me of The Lord of the Rings: a small band of fantasy warriors, epic battles against monsters big and small, and a **** of walking. From verdant valleys to sun-bleached deserts, the world of Dragon’s Dogma is beautiful to behold and full of strategically-placed treasure chests that compel you to explore every nook, cranny, ledge, and mountaintop. If you’re a goal-oriented player, though, it gets unrewarding and repetitive fairly quickly, unfortunately. Why? You’ll rarely find gear, clunky traversal and fast-travel mechanics guarantee that you’ll retread the same paths — and fight the same monsters — countless times, and treasure chests don’t regenerate. It’s a game of diminishing returns, in a sense. For better or for worse, the (largely forgettable) quests don’t hold your hand, either. Quests rarely provide markers — and few hints — and often end up being exercises in crowdsourcing, whether that’s looking up walkthroughs, troubleshooting on Reddit, or hiring more experienced pawns to guide you to your objective. All in all, Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a beautiful, action-packed game with a weak story and a monster-filled world that’s more inconvenient than it is challenging. If you’re the kind of player who loves to turn off quest markers, lose yourself in the game, and take your time figuring things out on your own, Dragon’s Dogma 2 may be a great fit for you. If you’re looking for a more structured, loot-focused, or narrative-driven experience, though, you can probably pass on this one.

Despite the title, Lego Jurassic World actually covers the first FOUR titles in the Jurassic franchise and does a pretty good job of adapting them into games. Unlike The Skywalker Saga, which I personally felt omitted far too many key scenes, Jurassic World manages to include all the iconic moments a fan would want to play through — I particularly liked the Jurassic Park and Lost World levels, but I’m probably biased because those are my favourite films. More importantly, it manages to walk the tightrope between sticking to the violent source material while also making it appropriate and entertaining for a younger audience. It’s not perfect, of course. The audio quality of the dialogue extracted from the first two films is quite uneven (some parts sound like they were recorded off an old mono TV) and the hub world leaves a lot to be desired as well: you’ll encounter very few dinosaurs, the activities are quite limited, and the few building interiors are disappointingly empty. Some of the characters’ abilities also gave me pause: literally diving into piles of dinosaur poop was hilariously unexpected, but only allowing female characters to be agile or scream so loudly that they shatter glass felt like unnecessarily sexist tropes. At the end of the day, Lego Jurassic World is a pretty average Lego game that fans of the genre or parents looking to introduce their kids to the franchise will probably enjoy; if you’re interested, you can find it steeply discounted quite regularly.

Despite being nearly a decade old, Batman: Arkham Knight remains the definitive Batman video game experience that any fan owes it to themselves to play. For one, its graphics and gameplay hold up really well. The resolution and textures are dated, yes, but it works with Gotham’s dingy, gothic aesthetic and the combat still feels current because Insomniac’s Spider-Man games essentially play the same way — you just feel like you’ve traded Spidey’s speed for Batman’s heft. The map might be considered small by modern standards, but its verticality makes Gotham feel dense, imposing, and just the right size for the game’s scope and great mix of questlines and collectible-hunting. More importantly, the whole thing feels seamless. Like the much-lauded God of War reboots, Arkham Knight smoothly transitions from open-world exploration to scripted events or cutscenes and back without any loading screens. That said, the game is not without its flaws. While it’s a classic part of the caped crusader’s mythology, the frequent Batmobile sequences never really nail the intended power fantasy: it handles terribly during high-speed chases, yet the tank combat — and the sheer amount of it — feels out of place in a Batman game as well. On the performance side, Arkham Knight also crashed surprisingly frequently on my PS5 towards the very end of the game; thankfully it has a very generous autosave system. Ultimately, Batman: Arkham Knight offers just about everything a fan could want from a Batman game: an atmospheric open-world to prowl, visceral combat, a fully-stocked utility belt, and a high-stakes, supervillain-studded story tying it all together. Even if you can’t find the Premium Edition on sale for a mere $8 like I did, it’s still an amazing value at full price and I highly recommend it.

A short game with a lot of replayability, SIFU is a unique Kung Fu brawler that will make you feel badass and humbled all at the same time. If you’re an action movie fan, the first thing you’ll probably notice about SIFU is how its level design is inspired by iconic scenes from films such as The Raid, Old Boy, John Wick, and Kill Bill. In addition to these slick homages, the game’s environmental storytelling and collectibles also hint at a much more nuanced story than the straightforward tale of revenge SIFU initially appears to be. The real draw, of course, is Sloclap’s “easy to learn, hard to master” Souls-like approach to Kung Fu gameplay — it’s really satisfying once you get into a flow state against rank and file enemies, but expect punishing boss fights on even the easiest difficulty. Don’t count on much of a tutorial, either: you’ll be introduced to the basics of SIFU’s combat during the prologue, but it’s up to you to access the training dummy in your hideout to learn more advanced moves. Anyway, whether you’re a fan of martial arts movies or Souls-likes games, SIFU is a novel experience that’s definitely worth a try. It is quite short if you don’t play through it multiple times, however, so I’d recommend picking it up on sale if you didn’t get it through PlayStation Plus.

That’s curtains for our mummy misadventures, chaps! While it’s fun to channel your inner Rick O’Connell for a bit and take down masses of murderous mummies with guns, grenades and a little magic, Strange Brigade is ultimately just a bit too repetitive and simplistic for my tastes. Each of Strange Brigade’s 9 campaign missions follow the exact same formula: shoot mummies, solve simple puzzles, survive to the next checkpoint, and shoot the boss’ weak spots. I played through the first level or two in co-op and it’s probably more fun that way (or more chaotic, at least), but tackling the game solo is a bit of a **** gunplay can also feel a little basic at first, but you can buy guns with better statistics and even find magic gems to improve their performance and add status effects — by the end of the game, I was using a burst rifle that froze AND burned my enemies while also healing me with every shot. One thing I enjoyed is Strange Brigade’s omnipresent narrator: constantly commenting on the action and cracking alliterating jokes (including mocking you for pausing), it’s an amusing framing device that helps the game feel more lively and less lonely for solo players. Anyway, everything about Strange Brigade is perfectly serviceable, but it’s quite repetitive and little beyond the Egyptian setting and lighthearted tone really stand out. If you’re looking for a mummy-themed alternative to games like Back 4 Blood (or its famed predecessor Left 4 Dead), this’ll do the trick, but otherwise you aren’t missing much.

I see you, Frontiers of Pandora… and I’m disappointed. While Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora does a beautiful job of replicating the first film’s iconic bioluminescent jungles, two-thirds of the game actually take place in much drabber biomes. The third act in particular is set in coniferous woodlands around foggy mountains, one of the least colourful or exotic environments I can think of and certainly not what I was hoping to explore in an Avatar game… It often feels closer to a Na’vi lifestyle simulator than an action-adventure game as well. There’s a great deal of worldbuilding that devoted Avatar fans are sure to love, but, in terms of actual gameplay, Frontiers of Pandora involves far more travelling, harvesting, crafting, cooking, and even meditating than it does combat; in fact, almost all fighting outside of the main story is optional. In that sense there’s not much **** loop, and certainly not a satisfying one: for all the repetitive activities you can grind to improve your gear and abilities, there’s just nowhere near enough action to warrant the time and effort involved. I was even disappointed by the flying, which is something Ubisoft’s Far Cry games do pretty well. The ikran bonding ceremony is a great nod to the first film, but the surprisingly wide field of view and basic flight controls eliminate any sense of speed or agility that could have made flying exciting. Anyway, I was initially fairly excited to try Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, but I eventually found its repetitive, unrewarding gameplay boring and just wanted it to end. If you still want to explore Pandora yourself one day, I’d recommend waiting for a pretty sizeable discount and sticking to the main story unless you’re there for the lore.

Sanguisuge beware! If you haven’t tried Evil West yet, you should — your inner vampire-hunting cowboy will thank you. Featuring a mix of brutal melee, satisfying ranged weapons, and powerful vampire-hunting gadgets, Evil West’s combat is fast-paced, engaging, and constantly evolving as you unlock new gear, abilities, and perks. If I had to liken the game to something, it would be a Teslapunk cross between Gears and God of War. It’s also refreshingly (or perhaps nostalgically) linear: while you can poke around a little bit, your vampire-hunting crusade is otherwise a straight shot through 16 Western-inspired locales that have been twisted by dark, supernatural forces. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the story, cutscenes, and original vampire lore as well. I didn’t expect much when I first launched the game (I literally booted it up to kill time while something else downloaded), but I was almost immediately invested in the world of Evil West and the Rentier Institute. Anyway, you probably won’t want to pay full price for a 13-hour-long AA game, but I definitely recommend giving Evil West a try if you find it on sale or, like me, received it with PlayStation Plus.

Parts of the game may be slow and formulaic, but its epic storyline and fast-paced, heavy-hitting combat more than make up for it. Not only does NYC look as good as ever, it’s also way bigger this time around thanks to the addition of Queens and Brooklyn. Now, I already felt that Spider-Man had one of the most satisfying traversal systems in gaming, but turning his classic underarm webbing into a wingsuit? Brilliant design decision that integrates seamlessly with your web-swinging and allows you to glide over the expanded map with ease. Another addition that really enriches the experience is the use of the DualSense controller’s unique features: it takes some getting used to, but hearing a chime grow louder as you near collectibles and feeling every footstep, web shot, and impact in your hands is really immersive. In terms of the story, I have to admit that I found the first act quite slow: strung together with brief appearances by villains from the previous games, it just feels like more of the same and, unfortunately, happens to contain more missions than the second or third act. It’s worth pushing through, though, because the game really picks up speed in the second act before culminating in a dramatic finale that’s more thrilling than most of the Spider-Man films. That said, most of the side content feels pretty repetitive and uninspired at this point; if it weren’t for collecting Hero Tokens, which are essential to unlocking upgrades and popular suits, most of it wouldn’t be particularly compelling. Still, slow start and repetitive side content aside, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is ultimately a great superhero power fantasy that fans of the genre (and Spidey in particular, obviously) are sure to love. Between its sidequests and post-credit scenes, it’s also pretty clear which villains Insomniac Games will be introducing next and I’m so there for it — bring on Marvel’s Spider-Man 3!

If you’re curious what kind of game Atlas Fallen is, I’d describe it as an ARPG against giant sand monsters that mixes combat similar to God of War with an aesthetic reminiscent of Dragon Age. Most importantly, though, Atlas Fallen is pretty neat and you should consider trying it. The combat is easy to get into yet challenging to master, encouraging you to collect and try out different “essence stones” — equippable attacks and buffs — to find combinations that suit your playstyle and produce the benefits you want. There’s also a fair amount of armours to be found, each with their own unique stats and bonuses. That said, you can only level each one up a few times: you’ll eventually have to move on and equip something stronger, usually when the story progresses to another region. (On the bright side, transmogrifying your armour’s appearance is a piece of cake and there’s a ton of dyes, too.) Atlas Fallen also offers two-player co-op, ramping up the fun and the chaos while potentially making it easier if you have complementary builds that buff each other. It’s also just really well implemented, putting a lot of AAA titles to shame, frankly: the entirety of the game is playable in co-op, you aren’t tethered to each other, and, if you happen to be at significantly different points in the story, the game does a great job of communicating what’s been nerfed, what will and won’t carry back to your solo save, and why. Anyway, if you’re looking for a new adventure and are willing to take a chance on a new IP from a smaller studio, I highly recommend Atlas Fallen. It’s not perfect — the story and acting aren’t the greatest — but I had a lot of fun surfing its sandy wastelands and think it offers a solid gameplay experience that’s worth a closer look.

I really enjoyed Knifey in High on Life but felt he was underutilized compared to the other characters, so I was excited to plunge into a DLC centred around the stab-happy little psychopath. While Knifey’s eventual chainsaw upgrade does add some interesting new traversal and puzzle mechanics (not to mention some gnarly, Gears of War-style melee kills), the real strength of High On Knife continues to be Squanch Games’ signature gross, irreverent humour and their celebrity voice cast’s excellent performances — I particularly liked Ken Marino as Gary the Managing Parasite. If I have one issue with this DLC, it’s that the first, open area of Peroxis doesn’t really serve much purpose other than as a giant racetrack and a place to look for collectibles; the story doesn’t really take advantage of it or give you much reason to explore, which is a shame because it looks great. Despite being fairly short, ultimately I think that most fans of High on Life’s humour will find High On Knife contains more than enough laughs and old ultraviolence to justify its low price of admission — especially with that Xbox Game Pass discount! Knifey!!

I’m a little disappointed the game was so short, but I had a good time and am definitely hoping for a sequel to expand on its solid foundation. High On Life is a pretty fun shooter / platformer at its core, so your enjoyment of the game will likely hinge on whether or not you’re a fan of the Rick and Morty-esque humour and all the awkward rambling and countless f-bombs that entails. Anyway, my main criticism — and it’s pretty minor when you consider that this isn’t a AAA title — is that the world doesn’t feel particularly alive: most NPCs are limited to a few hubs where they stand around blinking, there’s minimal wildlife, and most areas are completely devoid of life once you defeat your enemies. Still, it’s a pretty impressive game from such a small studio, with surprisingly satisfying gameplay and a world that oozes character (as well as various fluids). Ultimately I do recommend giving High On Life a try, but, at only 10 hours long, I’d recommend waiting for it to go on sale if you don’t have a Game Pass subscription.

The Myths of the Eastern Realm DLC is, in my opinion, basically a reskin of all of the best parts of Immortals Fenyx Rising in a smaller package. With all of the base game’s abilities unlocked from the start, it combines the ease and convenience of a New Game Plus with the excitement and satisfaction of a new story and world to dive into. Where it differs most from the base game is the tone: while there are still jokes here and there, the plot and dialogue of Myths of the Eastern Realm are noticeably less comedic. (If Fenyx’s story satirically depicts Zeus as a deadbeat dad to the Greek gods, Ku’s paints Nuwa as a worried mother determined to protect him and humanity at all costs.) I was also a bit disappointed by how little gear there is to unlock — about three items per slot with four colour variants — but I guess it is just a DLC and not a standalone game. Anyway, if you liked aspects of Immortals Fenyx Rising but found it too long and repetitive, you’d probably enjoy Myths of the Eastern Realm more. I’d certainly recommend trying it if you already own the season pass, but I don’t think it’s worth buying the Gold Edition just to play this DLC on its own.

Though I’m glad I gave Immortals Fenyx Rising a chance and finally scratched it off my backlog, it was a bit too repetitive for my tastes and I ended up leaving a lot of it undone. The easiest way to describe Immortals Fenyx Rising would be as the love child of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. A vibrantly colourful and stylized world with gameplay heavily inspired by both those games, Immortals offers you a hero’s journey through Greek mythology with a modern, satirical twist. While the bickering narration from Prometheus and Zeus serves as an amusing framing device for your adventure, the almost complete absence of traditional NPC questgivers and sidequests can make for a quiet, lonely, and potentially boring experience at times. Don’t get me wrong, the map is absolutely packed with monsters to fight, puzzles to solve, and gear and resources to collect, but that’s also pretty much all there is to the game. Personally, I focused on doing what I needed to do to develop a build I was happy with, ignored everything but the story from that point on, and was ultimately pretty satisfied with my time with the game… until the end, at least. The final act is, in my opinion, awful: a slow, circuitous slog through every single puzzle mechanic you’ve encountered over the course of the game, the finale feels more like a final exam than a rewarding conclusion to your adventure. At the end of the day, I guess all that really matters is whether I would recommend playing Immortals Fenyx Rising or not. Given how often and by how much it goes on sale, yeah, I’d say it’s worth a try. It’s beautiful, fun to explore, and the combat is satisfying, but be deliberate in how you spend your time so you don’t end up feeling like you’re playing a game made entirely of filler.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Our trip up North may have been short, but it was a trip worth taking. Devoid of dialogue or writing, Spirit of the North tells a minimalist, mythical tale of a spirit fox venturing across a ruined Nordic landscape in search of the corruption plaguing its home. Between beautiful environments, a memorable score, and simple platforming and puzzle solving, Spirit of the North is a lovely little indie game hampered only by slightly clunky controls (and perhaps one particularly meandering chapter.) It’s fairly short, however, only about 6 hours long, so I’d recommend picking up on sale; I got it on PSN for 75% off and am definitely satisfied.

In the words of the great Han Solo, “it’s true…all of it”. After over a month and a half of playing nothing but Starfield, I can confidently say that whatever you’ve heard about it is probably accurate. Is it Fallout in space? Yes. Is it a pale imitation of No Man’s Sky? That too. Is it Fast-Travel: The Game? You better believe it. But all that and bugs aside, it’s still a great new IP that I thoroughly enjoyed and very much look forward to exploring further. While it can feel oddly uneventful at times, Starfield’s main questline gradually builds up to an action-packed and mind-bending ending (not to mention a very novel New Game Plus) while also gradually revealing the history of humanity’s expansion into the stars. Bethesda’s signature faction questlines make a long-overdue return as well, offering a sizeable series of fun, fantasy-fulfilling missions. It’s also worth noting that ship-building is practically a game in of itself: you could literally take on randomly-generated ship contracts and fine-tune your ride forever. Honestly, if there’s anything I’m actually disappointed by in Starfield, it’s the superpowers. For a studio that helped pioneer magic in open world games, Starfield’s powers are surprisingly boring and most people — myself included — forget to use them. Anyway, I had a lot of fun playing Starfield these past several weeks and definitely recommend it to fans of Fallout and anyone looking to indulge in their space scoundrel fantasy (especially if you own Game Pass). It’s far from perfect, but it’s an engaging universe with enormous potential — here’s hoping I’ll see you out in the Starfield once again one day!

I wouldn’t normally have tried a game like Ghostwire: Tokyo, but I really enjoyed Tango Gameworks’ Hi-Fi Rush and was interested in exploring a game set in Tokyo… plus it’s on Game Pass. Visually, the game doesn’t disappoint: from neon-clad high-rises to labyrinthine alleys where shops and shrines intersect, Ghostwire’s vision of a desolate, haunted Tokyo is beautifully and stylishly realized. On the other hand, the map starts to look a bit samey after a while and is probably bigger than the story needs it to be — I eventually got frustrated with how much time I was spending unfogging it. As for the story, well, I found it a little underwhelming. It’s not bad, but I felt like there was some crucial worldbuilding missing when it came to explaining the origins of your powers or this team of supernatural investigators you’re working with. I did, however, quite enjoy the game’s many bite-sized, Japanese folklore-inspired sidequests. The combat system is also fairly satisfying — if a bit clunky and simplistic — and stronger enemies are steadily introduced over the course of the game to keep you on your toes. If anything irked me about the combat, it’s that you can only level up your attack speed: if you want to increase your damage or ammo (which you will), you’ll need to explore and clear the map. Ultimately I would say that Ghostwire: Tokyo is good, but not quite great — fun to play and photograph for awhile, but longer and more rudimentary than I would have liked it to be. If you’re interested, I’d recommending picking it up on sale — or through Game Pass — and being mindful of how you want to spend your time in Tokyo.

As a longtime fan of the Saints Row franchise, I just couldn’t resist giving the 2022 reboot a try (even with its middling reviews)… and you know what? I had fun. Does the game look dated? Yes. Scenery looks rough in the distance, textures aren’t great, and there’s noticeable pop-in from the low-density NPCs and vehicles. That said, the world is colourful and full of detail, the customizable clothes and vehicles look nice, and Santa Ileso has some of the prettiest video game sunsets I’ve seen in some time. The reboot doesn’t bring much new to the table in terms of gameplay or combat, either, but that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable. The guns are satisfying to use, melee takedowns are hilariously over the top, and the action-packed missions offer a variety of fun scenarios and set pieces. My only real complaint is that the story is quite short, especially in comparison to the “criminal ventures” part of the game where you buy up properties and turn them into income-generating fronts by completing activities. They’re amusing, for the most part, but they’re also mandatory if you want to get to the game’s real ending and can wind up feeling a bit grindy because of it. Another thing I can’t quite figure out is who the Saints Row reboot was made for. Neither as focused on street gangs as the first two games or as crude, irreverent, and zany as the latter ones, it sits at this weird intersection between youthful, dorky, and progressive, but also constant f-bombs and mass murder — it’s kind of like if you stuck Deadpool in Watch Dogs 2. (Case in point, my Boss’ dialogue frequently made me think of Ryan Reynolds.) Anyway, if you can move past the different tone and remember that this is a AA game developed by a studio of only 200 people, I think there’s a fun game to be found here. If you’re on the fence, just wait for a sale — I picked up my copy for $14 at Walmart and am more than satisfied with my purchase.

What a “riveting” experience! I have to admit that I’m not sure I’ve played a Ratchet & Clank game before, but that didn’t prevent me from thoroughly enjoying Rift Apart. It looks phenomenal, for starters. From the cartoony mix of aliens and robots to the colourful landscapes of its varied planets and biomes, the world of Ratchet and Clank is beautifully designed and full of personality. Second, the weapons are a blast. Fun and easy to use, a variety of zany weapons are steadily introduced throughout the game that both cater to every playstyle and encourage new and chaotic approaches to combat. Lastly, the game is just wonderfully paced, too. No map is too big, no mission is too long, and the game almost perfectly balances fun moments of traversal and exploration with frenetic combat and set pieces. (The only exceptions to this are the odd Clank, Kit, and Glitch gameplay segments, which kind of feel tacked on just to give their characters a purpose in the game.) Action-packed and upbeat, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is fun from beginning to end and a rare instance where I actually wish a game was longer. I absolutely recommend it to all PS5 & PC players, but, at only 15 hours in length, it might be worth waiting for a sale.

While it was fun to photograph, this game is otherwise disappointingly mediocre and I’m kind of glad it’s over. The story isn’t particularly exciting, for one, and many missions feel oddly uneventful: interior levels always seem unnecessarily large and empty while objectives boil down to “be stealthy”, “beat everyone up”, or “find and press a button.” In an unusual twist, the best parts of the game are probably its optional sidequests. Those are where you’ll face off against fan-favourite foes like Harley Quinn and Mister Freeze in unique scenarios featuring impressive set pieces. The combat is lacklustre as well. While serviceable, it’s not as visceral as what you might expect after the Arkham series — there’s no sense of weight behind anything — and the skill trees and special abilities are more functional than fun. The voice acting also deserves a special mention for being jarringly off-putting. I recognize that it will be difficult for anyone to live up to the late, great Kevin Conroy’s Batman, but Batgirl’s dialogue and delivery in particular frequently made me cringe. The most disappointing aspect of Gotham Knights, however, is how irrelevant its open world ends up being: when neither the combat nor gear feels rewarding, there’s no incentive to go out into the world to fight crime and complete challenges. By the game’s midpoint, I’d lost interest in every open world activity and even resented when the story forced me to find and interrogate enemies on the map. Anyway, Gotham Knights isn’t bad, but it isn’t particular good, either. If patrolling Gotham in co-op is a particularly big draw for you, I’d recommend waiting for a steep sale before diving in. If you’re just looking for a good Batman fix, though, you’re probably better off replaying Arkham Knight instead.