Nick Petrasiti
Ghostwire: Tokyo was not the game I was expecting from Tango Gameworks, but I definitely enjoyed it. Blending magic-filled FPS action with Japanese mythology and an open world Tokyo that reminds me of the Yakuza series, it stands out from the crowd even if it's not truly groundbreaking. Ghostwire has a lot of potential as a new franchise and I'm looking forward to seeing what Tango Gameworks does with it next.
Martha is Dead wants to send a big important message, but the way it's delivered is terrifyingly bad, not only in it's writing but also in the shoddy gameplay.
Fights in Tight Spaces is a really unique and stylish take on the deck building genre with a level of strategy on offer that will be enough to keep people coming back for a long time. Fights in Tight Spaces is worth your attention.
Killsquad feels like a game that's taking a long time to cook. As much as I enjoyed my time playing it, it didn't always hold my attention, lacking a certain special quality. While it's already come on leaps and bounds, I hope Killsquad continues to improve with time.
I so badly want to love Back 4 Blood, but its grindy nature and difficulty spikes out of nothing let it down, leaving you with a bad taste in your mouth. It has potential for those in it for the long haul, accumulating cards and building specialised decks to match the challenge, but right now I just have no desire to go back 4 more.
No More Heroes 3 shines with its fourth-wall-breaking self-awareness, zany characters and stunningly slick combat. It's not afraid to be what it is, Suda 51 and his team delivering a great instalment to the franchise that welcomes us to the Garden of Insanity.
Foreclosed has some really good ideas and excels in some areas. Sadly the gameplay elements make the experience a little frustrating and tough, and the pacing is uneven. Still, Foreclosed is well worth experiencing.
The Ascent has got all the grimy character that you would want from its sci-fi cyberpunk setting, and there's a great combat system to go with it. Simply put, The Ascent deserves your attention.
Toilet humour can be very funny if it's written well and I'm not sure it's written well here. That's a shame because the rest of The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk is a decent effort at the tactical genre, with some genuine replay value thrown in. Why not give it a stab? Or perhaps, a backstab?
BioWare has done a fantastic job of bringing the Mass Effect trilogyup to meet the standards of 2021. While it's still a bit rough in some areas, and there's quirks to how they've retrofitted some elements into the oldest of the three (which is still inferior in gameplay feel), this is the definitive version of the landmark trilogy you remember.
Lady Dimitrescu's towering presence is just the tip of the iceberg of what Resident Evil Village offers. This game takes everything you know about the iconic horror series and dials it up to eleven!
Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood feels like it had the potential to be really good, but even though the combat is very satisfying, the drab interludes and disappointing stealth meant I spent a lot of the time asking when the game was going to be over. To me, that speaks volumes.
Hellheim Hassle is a must-play for fans of platformers. Some fiddly controls aside, it's a wonderfully dark and funny adventure that's well worth going out on a limb for.
Despite being just a chess game, there are no real selling points to recommend this over any of the others out there. There's no extra modes, no tutorial and the game is marketed as being something it's not. This is a gambit you should not bother taking.
Body of Evidence has a quirky premise for a game, but it doesn't live up to it. It gets repetitive very quickly and new mechanics just make the game more fiddly and in turn more of a chore, murdering your spare time.
Rhythm Fighters is a fun and innovative roguelite which should keep you entertained for quite some time, affording you the opportunity to put your headphones in, sit back and relax to some funky beats while you beat up evil veg for laughs.
Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Heart of the Wolf has a lot of promise, starting out very strong but it's ultimately let down by what feels like a very rushed last couple of chapters. The characters, the setting, the atmosphere and the writing are all on point which is what makes this feel like a sadly missed opportunity to make an all time great. Here's hoping they flesh out the next one.
As time goes on, the deal gets sweeter and it’s great for people just starting out with MK11. If you already own it, the asking price for Kombat Pack 2 is fairly reasonable for the three new characters, so there’s no real losers here. Well, unless you are taking a Fatality, that is. But still, as a full package, MK11 Ultimate is the ultimate version of this game and is definitely worth your time.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is a decent entry in the series, but it feels like it doesn't quite know what it wants to be. The campaign is full of underused ideas, while the multiplayer misses some of the magical charm of Modern Warfare, opting for faster paced aggressive battles which just don't feel as satisfying. While still enjoyable, Black Ops Cold War fails to recapture the magic of Black Ops 1 and 2.
Transformers Battlegrounds is a great entry point into turn-based strategy game for younger Transformers fans, and even older fans looking for a more relaxed XCOM-style experience.