Well Played

• PS5
• 8.5 / 10
• Australie

I feel like I’m repeating myself each year at this point, but the moment-to-moment gameplay in 2K25 is the best the series has ever seen. A packed roster of gorgeously animated wrestlers can be used across a suite of varied and enjoyable match types and modes that give new and returning players a range of options. The changes made to returning modes like Showcase and MyGM mostly improve the package, and the existing systems continue to shine. However, despite The Island being an addition to the product that can (and should) be ignored, it’s an invasive shift towards monetisation that this series has largely managed to avoid up until now, and it’s a move that fans of the series should keep a wary eye on.

• PS5
• 6 / 10
• Australie

Toward the end of Wanderstop, a rather brash character returns to the grove and asks Alta for a uniquely annoying cup of tea. This moment follows several narrative revelations, Alta and Boro having reached a point where they at least understand not everything can be fixed with a cup of tea but it might be worth still trying anyway. Alta, barely coping with this new way of life, asks Boro what she should do in these final days at the Wanderstop, to which he characteristically replies whatever she feels like; the point of this moment in time being that there is often no should do, simply what you wish to do for yourself. Looking over the extensive ingredients required for that last cup of tea, I finally took Boro’s words to heart. Wanderstop had achieved its lofty goals in perhaps the most abstracted way possible as I simply put the controller down and called my partner to listen to inane details about his day while the game uninstalled and I moved on with my life. I’d tell you I made a cuppa too, but that would be a lie.

• PS5
• 7.5 / 10
• Australie

Much of Carmen Sandiego feels like the past reborn, and in a good way. Kids will find an important learning tool at their fingertips, and the more hours played helps to fill out their globe of important information across every location visited. I won’t pretend I found it as engaging, but there’s value and importance here that cannot be understated. Especially for an audience that only has cheap IP party games, Sonic or Nintendo to choose from. We need more edutainment, in a world where the internet is full of baloney, and Carmen Sandiego is a good place to start.

• PS5
• 8 / 10
• Australie

I feel like we’re at a point now where “that’s just how the series goes” is wearing thin as an excuse for the more disappointing parts of a Like a Dragon release. And yet, I can’t help but lap it up every time. Slapping a pirate hat on the Best Boy, dropping him in the waters of the last game and calling it a day might not be moving the needle forward in any meaningful way, but god damn does it work. I think that if there’s a future in LaD, the next entry is going to have to really turn a corner, but for now, you can peg my leg and call me cap’n because I’m headed back out to sea.

• PC
• 6 / 10
• Australie

That euphoric sense of freedom hit as hard as it did if only ever in contrast to Avowed’s otherwise lethargic, if inoffensive, ambitions. There’s a fine enough time to be had in the Living Lands, combat systems to be enjoyed and visual spectacle that tells of a studio that understands the sincere joy of escapist worlds. But Avowed seems uninterested in being anything but escapism, its potentially sharper edges smoothed to a fault while its revolving door of forgettable, entirely too pleasant, characters prattle about you with proper nouns and lore in place of depth and vitality. Avowed is a game you’ll likely binge on Game Pass and never think about again, the video game streaming model finally catching up to its television counterpart.

• PC
• 8 / 10
• Australie

Civilization VII is an excellent turn-based strategy game. As a Civ game, it looks and feels the same as its predecessors but with enough changes to leave long-time fans with something new to learn and hopefully cherish. At times I felt at odds with the decisions, but I always come back to the fact that I still enjoyed my time and will absolutely keep playing this game long into the future.

• PC
• 9 / 10
• Australie

Warhorse has been quietly cooking up the greatest first-person roleplaying series of the last however many years. It overhauls little from the first game, instead improving on everything that made it such an ambitious, unwieldy beast. The fact this sequel builds upon everything I loved, means it’s a sequel that improves more than innovates. Make no mistake, there are glimmers of a masterclass, action-packed role-playing game here that has me thrilled for whatever Warhorse has in store next. Kingdom Come: Deliverance should now be regarded alongside greats like Oblivion and New Vegas.

• PS5
• 9 / 10
• Australie

There are so many other great stories here. That much shouldn’t be a surprise after any experience with the first Citizen Sleeper. Those with a hunger for hard sci-fi have a lot of great stuff to chew on with threads of galactic war, human consciousness, survival, rebellion and so many more all woven together through a lively, messy, colourful array of communities. By the end, at least in my experience of it, Citizen Sleeper 2 is a starkly prescient story about finding your freedom, and fighting for it. But even more than that—for the citizens of The Belt, for your crew, for the Sleeper, and for those playing—it’s ultimately one about moving forward. Recapturing the lightning in a bottle that was Citizen Sleeper for another go around was surely a dice roll of its own, and one that I’m glad Jump Over the Age took the risk on. Don’t sleep on it.

• PS5
• 7.5 / 10
• Australie

There’s still plenty to be grateful for if you’re a returning Sniper Elite player. Many fan-favourite game modes return, including the abundance of multiplayer options and the Axis Invasion mode that allows you to infiltrate another player’s campaign to hunt them down. The only new mode introduced here is Propaganda Missions, where-by recovering hidden posters across the main campaign unlocks the same maps with time sensitive scenarios that reward faster results. It’s a nice diversion that adds a few extra hours of gameplay, but from the perspective of a new entry in the series, Sniper Elite: Resistance remains light on new ideas and still at full price despite recycling much of its smarter concepts.

• PC
• 9 / 10
• Australie

Whiskers of Winter maintains all the charm and challenge that made Tails of Iron such a cracker of a game while improving the core gameplay loop, even if some new features do work better than others. Regardless of my minor issues, I had an absolute blast following Arlo’s journey and no doubt this will be up there with one of my favourites of the year, and for $36, it’s hard to argue that you won’t get your money’s worth.

• SWITCH
• 8 / 10
• Australie

As a package, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD isn’t exactly inspired stuff with nothing strictly “new” to offer over the Wii or 3DS versions of the game, but it manages to be a fantastic excuse to revisit Retro’s stellar DK debut thanks to sharp Switch visuals and the full suite of extra content and more approachable gameplay settings. If you somehow missed this one the first time around, I recommend you make like a banana peel and get around it.

• PS5
• 8 / 10
• Australie

For all it does to add value to the existing package, smooth over existing bumps and enhance presentation, FANTASIAN’s PC and console release is held back slightly by some of the fundamentals of the Apple Arcade original. But at the end of it all, Neo Dimension absolutely feels like the definitive version of an already-excellent little RPG that looks fondly back on Hironobu Sakaguchi’s gameography without using nostalgia as a crutch to skimp on innovation.

• PS5
• 7 / 10
• Australie

Lego Horizon Adventures will find an audience in its target demographic of young kids wanting something easy to pick up and play. But a short campaign and a lack of originality hurts the finished product for everyone else.

• PS5
• 8 / 10
• Australie

And Slitterhead deserves your making the effort. Its presentation is often atypical for the medium, more at home with avant-garde camera and colour blocking than contemporary “cinematic” standards. Yet, it’s a game that oozes self-assuredness and clarity of intent, from UI to plot to system. No one of these things are without blemish but each are distinctly present and deliberate all the same. Much like Siren before it, Slitterhead feels destined to be the hidden horror gem of its generation, the kind of experience that vaguely academic writers and sicko genre enthusiasts rave about even as someone watches the trailer and cocks an eyebrow at its immediately recognisable limitations. It’s a game out of time, out of lockstep with its peers, and barely able to pull together a human facade amid a wholly sympathetic lack of polish and violently terrifying abilities beyond its initial form. It’s a Slitterhead.

• PS5
• 8 / 10
• Australie

Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is kind of a tough one to summate or score in a traditional review format. The mechanical elephant in the room here is obviously the question of whether this endeavour was a necessary one, or who it might be for, but I don’t think I’m here to ponder the necessity of a work or judge who should consume it. Despite being lukewarm on Horizon Zero Dawn when it first launched in 2017, I’ve come right around on the series since its fantastic follow-up. I’m also the owner of a big and expensive OLED TV along with an ongoing pre-order for the PlayStation 5 Pro, so I definitely think it’s for me, at the very least. If what you want is to re-experience Horizon Zero Dawn – or experience it for the first time – with some of the prettiest visuals you’ll see in modern gaming, this will get you there. But more than that, if you’re interested in game design and production, especially on the artistic side of the process, it’s a fascinating look at what is arguably a “best-case” remastering effort where ambition and capital were clearly in abundance.

• PS5
• 8.5 / 10
• Australie

Sonic X Shadow Generations once again proves that while Sonic may be timeless, Shadow just squeaks ahead in understanding the assignment a little better – offering a revisited revamp that is easy to enjoy for fans and fence sitters alike.

• PS5
• 7 / 10
• Australie

Overcoming the choppy waters that are Ys X’s opening few chapters, Adol’s maritime adventure proves to be classic Ys to a fault. The scope of this series reboot expands to feature an archipelago with the promise of adventure upon its multitudes of mysterious islands. As Ys’ reboot positions itself for the current generation and prospective new audiences, the robust yet simple-controlling combat remains king seconded by the exploration. However, Adol’s penchant for journeying is hamstrung throughout by railroading and an abundance of invisible walls, as well as the departure of his fun free-running movement from Ys IX. The new boat just couldn’t replace gravity defiance for me. Ys X also remains visually dated, a part of its nostalgic charm, although its character models have never looked better. I would still point newcomers to the best of the previous entries first, though.

• PS5
• 9 / 10
• Australie

I can’t fully explain why I fell in love with Fear the Spotlight without sullying the experience, but the allure of a retro-inspired horror game that embraces modern sensibilities should be enough to get you in the door to find out. The combat-free, atmospheric gameplay may be easier and less immediately frightening than some would like, but the tactility of the puzzle-solving and the engaging narrative told through an excellently paced four-hour run time more than compensates. Whether you know payphones and a fax machine or not, this should be at the top of your list to play during this spooky season.