Tom

I've been a huge fan of Tetsuya Mizuguchi ever since playing Rez on the Dreamcast back in early 2002. However, due to November's busy release schedule and a few real-world commitments, I ended up having to wait a little while before picking up Lumines Arise. I'm happy to say that it was worth the wait.

Like Rez and so many other Mizuguchi titles before it, Lumines Arise is more of an experience than it is a game. Through its unconventional use of sound and vibrant visuals, it transforms what is, at its core, a simple puzzle game into something that can feel both relaxing and stressful at the same time.

On paper, those might not sound like two emotions that you'd ever want to experience simultaneously, yet the combination works surprisingly well. If you enjoyed Tetris Effect, you'll probably know exactly what I'm talking about here, but even if you didn't, Lumines Arise is still well worth checking out.

I don't remember the last time I had to push myself this hard to finish a video game, especially one that I had initially been so excited to finally play. But between the constant handholding, the rigid linearity, and one relentlessly chatty NPC, Metroid Prime 4 just never quite felt like a Metroid game to me.

Metroid has always been at its strongest when it completely abandons the player, allowing isolation, dread, and uncertainty to do what they do best. Credit where it's due, the world design in Metroid Prime 4 is still pretty incredible, but the near-constant interruptions make it almost impossible to truly get lost in it.

Metroid Prime 4 feels like a Metroid game that's afraid to leave the player alone. A game where design decisions meant to make the franchise more accessible end up suffocating the very qualities that once made it so great. In the end, the resulting game is more Metroidexplania than Metroidvania.

Having grown up during the genre's golden age, I'm not always the easiest person to please when it comes to side-scrolling beat 'em ups. However, thanks to its stunning art style and well-defined roster, Marvel Cosmic Invasion managed to do exactly that.

With so many iconic characters to choose from, I was a little disappointed when I first saw the size of the roster. That changed pretty quickly, though, once I realized that all fifteen heroes have their own distinct move sets. This depth gives the game an impressive level of replayability, which bodes well given how short the campaign is. The story itself is a little underwhelming, but the slick and satisfying combat more than makes up for this.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment boasts one of the best combat systems to ever grace a Warriors game, and its story does a fantastic job setting up the events of Tears of the Kingdom. Unfortunately, however, the overall experience is dragged down by the utterly abysmal implementation of side content and some baffling design choices that serve only to waste the player's time.

The main campaign is highly enjoyable, but to keep up with the recommended levels, players will need to engage with quite a few of the side missions. There are at least 148 of these (I'm assuming there are two more, but I've given up trying to unlock them for the time being), pretty much all of which follow the exact same formula: explore a small portion of one of the story mode maps and defeat boss enemies until a large boss enemy shows up (usually a Lynel). Needless to say, this quickly gets old.

Completing certain side missions will liberate parts of Hyrule, not long after which, players will need to defend the territory again from enemy forces. They'll only have a set amount of time to do so (usually four battles), which can be frustrating when all you want to do is dive back into the main story. Most side missions can be completed in two or three minutes, although that's not always a good thing.

Some side missions require players to use specific characters, but these characters are then selected as the player's default choices when they head into subsequent missions, forcing them to delve back into the menu and reselect their preferred team each time. Combine this with loading times, selecting camp supplies, and navigating through results screens, and players will soon find that they're spending more time preparing for battles than actually fighting them.

Side content is supposed to be optional, but when new characters and stat increases are locked away behind it, it feels like a requirement, and when it's this bad, it brings the rest of the game down with it.

When I look back at my favorite games from the past year or two, a surprising number of them are low-budget indies. Ball x Pit can now count itself among them, with its simple yet surprisingly addictive gameplay loop managing to keep me entertained for countless hours over the past couple of weeks.

I'm not a huge fan of the town-building elements, and I'd prefer it if runs lasted a little longer, but everything else about the game is near-perfect. The sheer number of fusion combinations and the endless possibilities for experimental builds provide hours of fun, despite the main story being a relatively short one.

Pokemon Legends: Arceus helped to rekindle my love of Pokemon, so I was thrilled when a new Legends game was announced last year. Unfortunately, despite offering improvements in one or two key areas, Pokemon Legends: Z-A serves as a sad reminder of how bland and generic modern-day Pokemon games have become.

A game doesn't need bleeding-edge graphics to grab my attention, nor do I subscribe to the idea that bigger is always better. However, I genuinely can't remember the last time a video game setting failed so spectacularly to make me want to explore it. Lumiose City is a sterile maze of drab and dreary streets and side roads. In fact, it's so devoid of spectacle that I often found myself wondering whether the people in charge of designing it had just gone home and left the interns in charge.

Although further refinement is needed, the revamped battle system is a step in the right direction and one of the few positives on offer here. My biggest gripe with Arceus was how little emphasis it placed on battles, so it's nice to see that addressed in Legends: Z-A. Even then, though, the decision to skip most of the alphabet was a little baffling given how central the Z-A Royale is to the game's plot.

Speaking of story, it takes an unfathomably long time for Legends: Z-A's to get going. Granted, Pokemon games have always had lengthy tutorial sections, but Legends: Z-A takes the hand-holding to a whole new level. Players have to wait around two hours before they can properly explore Lumiose City, although, considering how uninteresting it ends up being, this could arguably be seen as a blessing.

Ultimately, Legends: Z-A comes across as a low-effort cash grab designed to exploit the series' vast and enduring popularity. Given how far gaming has come over the past two and a half decades, it's astounding just how little progress one of gaming's biggest and most beloved franchises has made, and a little embarrassing too when you consider the financial might behind it.

Ghost of Tsushima is probably my favorite game of the past decade. It offered a fresh take on the open-world genre at a time when it was beginning to feel a little stale, pairing its innovative design choices with a compelling original storyline and stunning visuals that put most other eighth-gen titles to shame. Ghost of Yotei improves upon its predecessor in almost every measurable way, although it falls a little short where it matters most.

Atsu is a capable protagonist, but her story is one that I've experienced countless times before, most recently through Assassin's Creed Shadows a little earlier on this year. To Yotei's credit, there are moments when the narrative truly hits home, but these instances are few and far between. Too many of the key story beats were predictable, and the ending felt a little forced, undermining many of the themes and ideas explored in the build-up to the final showdown.

For these reasons alone, Yotei feels like a backward step. However, although it may not be a ground-breaking game like its predecessor, it is still a very good one. Combat is significantly better this time around, and the visuals offer the same incredible vibrancy with some added fidelity. Exploration works a lot better than it does in Assassin's Creed Shadows due to Yotei's denser map and superior fast travel system, but chasing the platinum can still feel like a chore at times.

Final Fantasy Tactics is one of the best tactical RPGs ever made and helped introduce a lot of Western gamers to the genre. A lot has changed in the 28 years since its initial release, but the core gameplay mechanics still hold up incredibly well. The job system in Tactics remains one of the most flexible and rewarding in all of gaming, allowing players to put together the perfect party to match their preferred strategies and playing styles.

Final Fantasy Tactics - The Ivalice Chronicles offers improved visuals and full voice acting, both of which help to strengthen the storytelling. Beyond that, though, it's essentially the exact same game as the 1997 classic, which is far from a bad thing. A few more quality-of-life improvements would have been welcome, and the decision to tie items to a specific job still baffles me a little, but overall, this is a faithful and highly enjoyable remaster.

EA Sports FC 26 marks the biggest step forward for the franchise since the introduction of HyperMotion back in FIFA 22. After two or three years of adding functions and features that failed to resonate with long-time fans, the developers finally decided to shift their focus back to improving the actual gameplay. The resulting refinements really do speak for themselves.

The Authentic gameplay mode does exactly what it says on the tin, allowing players to experience a near-perfect simulation of the beautiful game with realistic pacing and more natural ball physics. As a result, EA Sports FC 26 feels like a genuine step forward rather than the routine roster refresh that players have come to expect in recent years.

When I first rolled credits on Silksong, I was pretty disappointed. Although it's clear that a lot of care and attention went into making the game a reality, my first few hours with it were a bit of a nightmare. This is mainly because early-game exploration can be very confusing at times, even for a Metroidvania. Finding an area's map helps a lot, but if you miss one or don’t have enough Rosaries to buy it, you're going to have a bad time. 

If I'd stopped playing at the end of Act 2, I probably would've landed on a 7.5, but curiosity got the better of me. The process for unlocking the game's final act isn't the most straightforward, but it's well worth the trouble, as Act 3 is where Silksong shines brightest. It doubles down on the things that the two acts before it got right: clever puzzles and fantastic boss fights. With a bit more distance from those early frustrations, I started to really enjoy myself.

That's not to say the game is perfect. Some of the platforming sections ask a bit too much of players, and the new diagonal downward slash usually hinders a lot more than it helps. Some of the bosses also push a little too far into unforgiving territory than I would have liked. Even with these issues, though, the highlights shine through. If you're into Metroidvanias, Silksong is a no-brainer. Just do yourself a favour and grab those maps whenever you get a chance.

If you haven’t already played Kirby and the Forgotten Land, the Switch 2 port is well worth diving into. It remains one of the most accessible and enjoyable Kirby adventures to date, with the Mouthful Mode transformations serving as the main highlight.

The newly added Star-Crossed World stages are a welcome bonus, although they’re all fairly short, which makes the upgrade harder to recommend to returning players. If you loved the base game, you’ll almost certainly have fun with the DLC, but the new content may feel a bit too slight to justify the asking price.

Having not played a Gears of War game since the Xbox 360 era, I was pleasantly surprised when it was announced that Gears of War: Reloaded would be available on PS5. I'm not the biggest fan of like-for-like remasters, particularly when a genre has evolved so much since the game's original release, but in this case, I actually think it worked. Reloaded serves as a love letter to a bygone era and a timely reminder of what makes the franchise so special. I was already excited for E-Day, but Reloaded has taken my anticipation to a whole new level.

Mafia: The Old Country isn't exactly groundbreaking, but that was never really the point. Likewise, any complaints you might hear about its linearity or lack of side content shouldn't prevent you from giving it a chance. If you're looking for another open-world slog that's stuffed full of bloat and repetitive gameplay mechanics, then Ubisoft has got you covered. However, those after a beautifully presented and well-written narrative-driven experience can find that here and then some. It may not be Mafia 4, but that doesn't mean that series fans can't still enjoy it.

It's hard to stay mad at Nintendo when they put out games like Donkey Kong Bananza. It's not quite perfect, but it is an awful lot of fun.

The Tony Hawk's games were a big part of my childhood, so I was delighted when the 3+4 remakes were announced. Save for one or two duds, the soundtrack changes didn't bother me too much, nor did the minor tweaks made to some of the levels. My only real gripe with the game is that it feels a little too slow for my liking, although this is thankfully easily remedied via the Game Mods menu.

Date Everything is worth playing for its cast alone. It truly is a who's who of video game voice acting, with writing that gives each of them plenty of chances to shine. Unfortunately, there's very little on offer in the way of actual gameplay, and the inability to talk to more than five characters a day can quickly make dating everything feel like a bit of a chore. While I did still enjoy my time with the game, I eventually found myself skipping through much of the fantastic dialogue just to get to the end of it.

I didn't really get to sink a lot of time into Stellar Blade when it first dropped on PS5, and so was delighted when I got a chance to test out the PC port. I thoroughly enjoyed the melee combat and found the visuals to be impressive for a studio of Shift Up's size. The only thing holding the game back are its ranged combat sections and lackluster narrative, the latter of which feels like a huge missed opportunity given that the devs got just about everything else right.

Being the only first-party game available for the Switch 2 at launch hurt Mario Kart World a lot more than it helped it. Sure, nearly everybody who picked up the console bought a copy of the game, but the fact that they had nothing else to play forced them to experience it in a way that amplified its biggest weaknesses. Put simply, Mario Kart World works best in short bursts, but with no other major titles to switch over to, many players ended up mainlining it.

This not only made the game feel repetitive, but also underscored just how little innovation there's been since the last Mario Kart game was released way back in 2014. To be clear, Mario Kart World definitely looks better than Mario Kart 8 and runs a lot smoother too, but the core experience remains largely unchanged, and the open-world mode that the devs hyped up ahead of launch did little to combat this notion. While the idea of freely exploring large, themed areas sounded promising on paper, in practice, it feels more like a novelty than a meaningful evolution of the series.

Dune: Awakening does a fantastic job of bringing the world of Dune to life, both through its extensive crafting system and the wonderfully well-realized world of Arrakis. Sadly, it's one of those games that demands a lot more time than I'm able to give it. It's far from bad, but has nowhere near enough narrative depth to justify the excessive grind.

The Precinct starts off slowly and can at times feel like a bit of a chore. However, once the game loosens its grip on the player's hand, the routine and procedure of Nick's day-to-day police work can actually be a lot of fun. The driving mechanics are frustrating, as too is the AI for Nick's partner, Sergeant Kelly, but not nearly enough to detract from what is otherwise a very enjoyable experience.