Video game reviews

Life is Strange: Double Exposure brings back Max Caulfield with new time-manipulation powers, but struggles to capture the original’s emotional weight. While the dual-timeline mechanic is engaging, the story’s weak twists, forgettable characters, and technical issues hold it back. A nostalgic revisit, but not a standout entry in the series.

Lego Horizon Adventures transforms the serious world of Horizon Zero Dawn into a playful experience geared towards younger gamers. With a lighter story, fun character twists, and familiar machines recreated in Lego form, it serves as a charming introduction to Aloy’s universe. While hardcore fans may find it a bit basic, it’s ideal for friendly, family-oriented play with loved ones of any age.

Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero is a hefty game, yet the clear omissions make it feel like a lesser product compared to a title from nearly two decades ago. And while that may disappoint a lot of players, what is present is a great action fighter that looks and more importantly feels awesome to play.

Sony revisits the 2017 classic with Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, aligning it visually and technically with its 2022 sequel, Horizon Forbidden West. While the remaster provides cleaner character models, enhanced lighting, and improved animations for NPCs, it doesn’t add new content.

Metaphor: ReFantazio is now my favorite title from the Persona team by far. It’s one of those rare games where its main pillars work harmoniously, and you get lost in its charm. It’s a pristine JRPG, with enough style and substance to satisfy hardcore JRPG fans, Persona fans, and even those who rarely touch JRPGs.

Sonic X Shadow Generations blasts into the stratosphere by delivering a flashy, Shadow-centric epic with high-energy Doom Powers, excellent level design that strikes the right balance between fun and challenge, and a lot of heart in its short story. The fact that the timeless classic Sonic Generations comes with this package is more than just a cherry on top.

Of the Switch’s three Mario Party titles, Super Mario Party Jamboree not only provides the best value and the most content, but it’s a refinement of many of the series’ most iconic elements, with a variety of modes for every mood, skill level, and age group.

Ballistic Moon’s Until Dawn remake polishes the 2015 horror classic with impressive visual upgrades and little additions. However, beyond the sharper visuals and slight changes, the core experience remains the same. Fans seeking a fresh take may find little reason to pick this up over the original, as the gameplay and story haven’t evolved beyond minor improvements.

While it’s a worthy entry into the hallowed series, for Zelda fans who love action and playing with Link’s many toys, Echoes of Wisdom will be an overpriced slog.

Dead Rising Deluxe Remastered is a fun but flawed revisit to a zombie classic. It stays true in delivering its quirky and chaotic spirit, and was given a fair amount of polish to make it more appealing to modern players. While it’s a treat for longtime fans of the series, newcomers will feel the game’s age through its flaws.

While Visions of Mana doesn’t do enough to propel the series to new heights, many can find comfort in knowing that what we have here is another solid JRPG that can easily reiterate why you fell in love with these types of games, and that it’s a comfort to know that in 2024, there are still new adventures that can transport you to the good old days.

Warhammer 40K Space Marine 2 is a fantastic third-person shooter that I highly recommend not only for fans of the franchise, but anyone who’s curious about it. It’s one of the more solid shooter campaigns released in recent years, with co-op features that make it a real treat with friends.

Astro Bot is a phenomenal 3D platformer that elevates the PlayStation 5 experience with its charm, creativity, and engaging level design. From vibrant worlds to clever nods to PlayStation classics, every moment feels like a celebration of gaming. This is one adventure you won't want to miss—a true gem among PlayStation's recent offerings.

Metal Slug Attack Reloaded is a fine addition to the storied series, but it’s definitely made for a niche audience. I personally couldn’t put the game down for over two dozen hours, so despite its clunky menus, tedious upgrade system, and repetitive grinding, it’s doing something right.

With over 20 hours logged, I've traversed vibrant planets and chased after the promise of the ultimate big score. But as the novelty wore off, a harsh truth emerged: beneath its polished surface, Star Wars Outlaws is a missed opportunity, bogged down by repetitive gameplay and a narrative that struggles to find its footing. It’s a game that tantalizes with potential but ultimately leaves much to be desired.

This is one of the meatiest expansions I’ve ever encountered in a video game. All of the additions Shadow of the Erdtree makes are everything a soulslike fan could hope for, as they’ve delivered a challenging experience with fresh ideas not only in the boss encounters, but in the environments, enemy variety, and even new items that freshen up the co-op and even player versus player space. If you love Elden Ring, you should definitely not skip Shadow of the Erdtree.

It has been slim pickings for Nintendo fans recently in terms of first-party content. Even so, I would only recommend Endless Ocean Luminous to fans who are already madly in love with marine life and to whom spending countless hours swimming and scanning sounds like a relaxing evening, and not simply a meaningless grind.

While Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door has much to recommend it, especially for newcomers, in many ways it is a literal downgrade of a twenty-year-old classic.

Hellblade 2 feels like a living, breathing shapeshifter, manipulating its surroundings around the player with precision and consistency, making it one of the most visually stunning video games of this generation. This is an amazing title that carefully balances its artistic and gaming ambitions, a masterpiece that I encourage any gamer to experience.

Little Kitty, Big City has appropriately-sized ambitions, as it manages to be both grounded and lofty, keeping the player’s eyes scanning the city for open windows, holes in fences, nooks and crannies in which to hide, and vent pipes to climb. Exploration and character interactions are a joy, and I look forward to Double Dagger Studios’ next creation.

It’s easy to describe Animal Well as a puzzle-focused Metroidvania eschewing traditional combat, where nearly every room is a puzzle room, but that falls so far short of describing just what this game is and how expertly it defies genre and classification that it feels like a disservice. Animal Well is a paragon of the art form, a game that simply must be experienced.

Stellar Blade’s potential was clear, but as its ambitions expanded into something greater, it lost focus. As soon as Stellar Blade tries to bring everything together, it merges into a single figure that looks deformed and uneven. The quality is unquestionable but it wasn’t the final product I was slowly building in my head as I went through the game’s first half.

In the grand scheme of things, Capcom has delivered a sequel to make Dragon’s Dogma fans happy and wishing for more, but this isn’t a massive upgrade. Rather, it’s a modernization of the overall concept as the highs and lows of the first game mirror the sequel. If you can weather the storm that is Dragon’s Dogma 2, you might come out as one of the players who consider this one of the best RPG experiences they’ve ever played, or simply the worst.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth was a joy to play from start to finish and is a title every FFVII fan should play as they’ve done an exceptional job at bringing to life the world outside Midgar. There are a lot of changes to the original, but they’re changes I find myself welcoming, as this has now been one of my favorite JRPG experiences in recent years.

Arrowhead Games Studios has delivered an impressive sequel that elevates the concept they introduced back in 2015, and has established a commendable foundation for a live service title. I can already see Helldivers 2 being at the top of people’s minds when they are faced with the question – do you have any co-op shooters to recommend? 

I took my time with Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s latest entry in the long-running Yakuza franchise. The turned-based combat has greatly improved, the myriad of activities feel endless and entertaining, and the overall story left me teary-eyed and wanting more. I’m now more invested in the series than I ever was thanks to Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth with Kasuga leading the charge.

Tekken 8 launches with a complete package for both the casual and competitive. It felt like nothing was neglected here as everything you’d wish or expect from a high-quality fighting game is added, with new additions that don’t feel like a step down, but a leap forward. I can’t see how Bandai Namco Studios and Arika could have done this any better, as Tekken 8 hit the ground running as the definitive fighting game experience.

If you’re a fan of the Metroidvania genre, or action platforming games in general, I couldn’t recommend Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown more. The Lost Crown nimbly juggles combat, character progression, platforming, exploration, environmental puzzle-solving, boss encounters, and storytelling, all without neglecting one element to the detriment of another.

As this will likely be the first of many entries in my review-in-progress, I can confidently say that Infinite Wealth stands out as a Yakuza game where the initial hours shine across multiple aspects. The story is captivating, the combat is enjoyable and evolves as it deepens, and the game is filled with distractions, each proving to be a blast.

There’s just not enough meat to justify the use of the term “remastered” in The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered. Visually, the improvements here are minimal, and even without it, the original The Last of Us Part 2 can still go toe-to-toe with the biggest games released today. The real highlight is No Return and the option to play at true 4K resolution as everything else feels like padding.