As I said in my Armored Core 6 review, Fires of Rubicon has been my first encounter with FromSoftware’s long-running mech series. I suspect a lot of modern fans who know FromSoftware exclusively through Dark Souls, Sekiro, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring will find themselves in a similar camp as they …
Read More »The Plucky Squire looks set to be one very magical adventure full of charm and whimsy
Few games have completely sold me on their concept quite like The Plucky Squire. Just five seconds into my hands-off demo session with co-director James Turner, I’m smiling from ear to ear as I watch protagonist Jot walk through the pages of a storybook in chapter four of the adventure. …
Read More »Homeworld 3 preview: The Battlestar Galactica game I always wanted
I’m an amateur fleet commander with admirable intentions: I want to dominate the stars in Homeworld 3 with a massive squadron of Interceptors, the nimble fighters that look a lot like the Vipers from Battlestar Galactica. Hitting the population cap, I’m able to arrange my Interceptors into differing formation and …
Read More »Blasphemous 2 has the best interconnected map Ive seen since Dark Souls
In our Blasphemous 2 review, I describe The Game Kitchen’s blood-spattered second coming as “a Soulslike sequel that’s as unsettling as it is unpredictable”. For the most part, that’s in reference to the Metroidvania-meets-FromSoftware-styled adventure’s brutal boss battles, its disparate themes of tragedy framed by religion and cultism, and the …
Read More »How Baldurs Gate 3s sexiest antiheroes and villains went from “naked on stage” to the RPG of the year
Baldur’s Gate 3 is here, and it is sexy, thanks in large part to the cast who brought its often-horny heroes to life. But I think we all know that it is, in fact, the villains and antiheroes who hold the real sex appeal most of the time, and this …
Read More »Worldless is a gorgeous action platformer that blends peaceful Metroidvania adventure with hectic rhythm combat
At first glance, Worldless poses a conundrum. For the most part, the 2D adventure platformer unfolds in a quiet, rolling zen-like sprawl of platforms and ledges, glowing stars, distant moons, and alien plant life. Wandering around at your own pace, there’s merit in learning the game’s physics by taking your …
Read More »Phantom Spark channels WipeOut and Thumper with its stunning and weirdly zen time trials
Within minutes of diving into the first region of Phantom Spark, I’m cursing myself. I’m watching my own ghost zoom off into the distance as I fail – again – to get the perfect line on that long curve. I know ticking off the final challenge for this level is …
Read More »Dungeons of Hinterberg preview: one of the most promising Xbox Series X console exclusives of 2024
I’ve always had an affinity for action-RPGs that draw outside the lines of the genre’s hard edges. Something like Dark Cloud, the Level-5 adventure which smartly combined procedural dungeoneering with refined city-building; Persona 4: Golden with its imitable blend of social connection and murder investigation, or Moonlighter which uses exploration …
Read More »I played Ghostrunner 2 and totally sucked at the running part
I’ve never been the most coordinated person, but in Ghostrunner 2 I’m a one-woman calamity. Playing on the Gamescom 2023 show floor was my first experience with developer One More Level’s fast-paced action series, and, suffice to say, getting the hang of one-hit insta-kills, wall-running, and grappling hook traversal took …
Read More »I got knocked out by a bunny wielding a shovel as a dapper otter in Party Animals
I’ve set my sights on a bunny sporting an armored jacket in Party Animals. The adorable fuzzy fiend decked me with a shovel in the previous round of the Last Stand mode, which has teams fight it out on a platform with the aim of, as the name suggests, being …
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