You are a merciless tornado of ruin touching down in an unforgiving world of battle and domination, and embracing that unfettered power is a joy
At turns both melancholy and thrilling, Ghost of Tsushima is the open-world action formula at its most mature and immersive. Deep, rewarding, and hard to put down
Insomniac has nailed that rarest of video game development feats. The team has landed a trilogy of games that all stand strong on their own merits but unite into a sweeping saga made better by experiencing its entirety. While more Spider-Man games will inevitably expand this mythology in new directions, there’s no need to wait. With Spider- Man 2, the developer has found what makes superhero stories worth telling (and retelling) and given its likable heroes the journey they deserve.
A stellar port with a few strong new additions makes this the ideal choice for new-gen cooperative play
A fantastic tactical RPG for players looking for a deeper and more complex story and gameplay experience
A fitting introduction to what the new generation of multiplayer gaming can achieve
One of the most challenging and rewarding twin stick shooters ever made
The simple presentation belies a deep and engaging gameplay loop that unfolds over multiple playthroughs, as new unlocks completely change required tactics
An invigorating shot in the arm to the Destiny franchise, this jam-packed release is absorbing for hobbyist players, even as it sometimes sacrifices accessibility
A masterful puzzle game that challenges you to think in new ways
A fascinating journey into a mysterious world has all the hallmarks of a future classic
A big game with a lot to offer through long-term multiplayer engagement and subsequent campaign plays; the whole thing feels rooted in legacy, but looking to the future
Developer Respawn Entertainment clearly took a measured and thoughtful approach to analyze what worked and what didn’t in its last Star Wars game, and Jedi: Survivor feels like a worthy attempt at evolution. It captures the magic of Star Wars as well as anything in the current canon, and it’s a stellar adventure in its own right.
From story to gameplay, a sense of wonder and discovery pervades Transistor, but demands the player accept moments of confusion and unanswered questions
An artistic tour de force of limited interactive complexity
A riveting campaign adventure that ably transitions into a cyclical game of progression, cooperation, and competition
Not as expansive in initial scope as previous expansions, Shadowkeep's standout feature is instead the way it redefines the core loop and encourages week-to-week investment
The Witch Queen is an especially robust expansion, with a particular focus on customizing the play experience and rewarding longtime players’ investment in story and systems. If it’s not the most welcoming moment for players to jump in, that may be a price the developers at Bungie are willing to pay at this point. The long-running story arc that opened in 2014 is gradually steering toward a climax, and it’s possible the developers are increasingly interested in building a ride for those who have been in the vehicle for a while now.
I encountered several minor technical issues over the course of my lengthy playthrough, such as pop-in while moving fast or long door-opening loads. And some of the game systems are more successful than others; a flood of useless low-quality gear rewards is one notable, if minor problem that sometimes stalls the fun. But for those who have long wished for a rich interactive playground to live out your own Harry Potter fantasy, Hogwarts Legacy casts an incredibly mesmerizing spell.
Over the years, Destiny 2 has ballooned into a massive and unwieldy beast, filled with cooperative and competitive experiences, hundreds of named characters and organizations, and an often-unapproachable vernacular that can take a long time to learn to speak and play. With The Final Shape, Bungie makes no apologies for the complexity but does finally offer purposeful punctuation to mark an endpoint. Largely unencumbered by what has come before, the frontiers ahead are now open to be revealed.