Game Grin

Tales of Arise is so well done with the story, graphics, battle system, music, characters and voice cast that it is a must-play for anyone. Even if you aren’t normally a big fan of role-playing games the story is so compelling there is a lot to love here.

Overall, Aragami 2 is definitely my favourite multiplayer experience of the year. It’s a contender for my game of the year, too! It’s well designed, looks great, plays very well and is absolutely huge with tons of replay value! I highly recommend it.

A short but original puzzle game that comes as a low enough price that the lack of length is not an issue. A pleasant little experience that translates well from mobile to the Switch.

Deathloop is a creative masterpiece. Refining everything that is excellent about Arkane Studios previous titles, it takes every single dial and cranks it up to 11.

I tend to pay extra attention to language, pronunciation, and delivery when it comes to dialogue in games. While this could be considered nitpicky in some cases, there were many times when voice actors couldn’t agree on the pronunciation of certain words. This wouldn’t necessarily add any confusion but was noticeable throughout the game.

It’s hard to argue against Garden Story being a charming experience. From a creative stand-point, everything from the game's art to its music is excellent. That excellence is ultimately balanced out by repetitive quests and unintuitive game design. On paper, Garden Story should be your average indie-RPG experience, but the work that’s gone into the game's cute appeal pushes it to the next level.

A flawed return for a classic series that doesn’t quite nail the transition to an open-world third-person perspective. Interesting and fun combat balances out the bland exploration somewhat.

This is a game for those with the patience to fully invest in this seven-day experience. Depending on how you approach UnearthU: As a mindfulness app, it’s pretty useful although teetering on the edge of being problematic - as a unique ARG-like experience, it’s extremely innovative.

What True Colors lacks in the emotional gut-wrench that the previous games have, it makes it for with a refined format that presents a story that fits right into the series and tells it in the best way seen so far. You're very unlikely to be disappointed here.

A super fun 2D action-platformer with a unique twist on a classic story. Even for someone who plays a lot of games like this I was still challenged and really enjoyed the unique addition of being able to parry and disarm the enemies instead of just killing.

There are few seated VR games that I would recommend more than this, with great acting, a fun script and brain-teasing puzzles. Live the life of a super spy - who never moves from one spot - you’ll either have a blast, or get blasted.

Morteshka’s second outing was a home-run. Black Book is a superbly written title, lifting the lids of a host of Slavic myths that were likely unknown to many of us previously. Gameplay can be easy at times, but the rest will keep you locked in.

A great port of a great title that’s well worth the investment on Switch, on PS4 however unless you are a Darius superfan you’d be better served with a copy of Chronicle Saviours.

There’s something undeniably satisfying about blasting the shit out of some Xenomorphs while still keeping them the dangerous threat that we saw them as back in 1979 that has gone unappreciated for some time now, but Cold Iron Studios seem to have the formula down pretty damn good, with only a small handful of kinks to iron out.

A cute and colourful game that has unique creatures and flora for you to discover and take photos of. Perfect for a casual gamer who wants a laid-back experience where they can just snap pictures that they aren’t judged on to fill a few hours.

Despite the game sending a conflicting message about its main theme, it mostly handles a difficult topic well. The combat is fun, albeit limited, but you’re likely to enjoy your stay in the dunj.

Twelve Minutes is a videogame that is fantastic in every area, except being a videogame. There’s a lot to love, and I think people will overlook its faults. Sadly those faults are there, almost completely tanking an otherwise excellent piece of fiction.

Tribes of Midgard is a well-polished, accessible experience. Allowing up to 10 players to take part, the game runs well on most hardware and is easy to pick up and play. The biggest concern is how unenjoyable the game is alone.

A brilliant return to the old-age of PlayStation. Unapologetically fun, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, is relentless with the charm and the action. A must-play for anyone who’s managed to beat a scalper to get a PlayStation 5.

The Farm 51 understood everything about the setting of Cherobylite, which the nail incredibly. Sadly, their inability to stick to a solid gameplay plan means the overall experience is bloated with pointless systems which just pull the whole experience down a level.

Overall then Codemasters have managed to pull a number of of the bag for 2021, given the difficulty of both the ongoing COVID situation having been a challenge for development and for finding new things to add to a sports title, their first under the umbrella of EA Sports. Whatever will they add to the title next year!

The sci-fi atmosphere is an interesting backdrop, and of course the things you’re making are themed accordingly, but don’t let it put you off. The story is well written, and the puzzles are decently made, so you can even overlook the audio issue.

I absolutely loved this game, it’s not just a great remake of a great shooter, but it’s genuinely one of the best shooters that I’ve played on a current-gen system. Beep has done a great job in making the series feel both fresh and nostalgic at the same time. It’s still a very short game, but if you like a good shooter and you’ll get replay value from chasing a high score then you absolutely must get this.

Overall I enjoyed my time with Rust, it may need a few updates and features to really stand out, but even at this level the game is a strong contender in the survival game genre.

Samurai Warriors 5 is a beautiful looking hack-and-slash game with a great story loosely based on historical events and characters. Add in a crazy amount of customisation and replayability this is a must-play title!