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Super Bomberman R 2 delivers a solid enough take on the tried and tested classic Bomberman formula.
Phantom Liberty is what Cyberpunk 2077 should have been three years ago. It's an incredible expansion that boasts a gripping story, compelling characters, engaging moment-to-moment gameplay, and significantly improved progression mechanics. It's so good that it uplifts all of Cyberpunk 2077, finally making good on the lofty promises CD Projekt RED made for the base game all those years ago.
NBA 2K24's lack of meaningful updates and continued overwhelming presence of microtransactions make it feel like it's going through the motions and doesn't have anything to say.
With its largely satisfying story mode, an intriguing new mode in Invasions, a better progression system for both playable and Kameo characters, and robust online modes, Mortal Kombat 1 delivers the best Mortal Kombat experience ever.
The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails has always been an interesting spin-off to the main Kiseki series, and this remaster helps its action platforming and world-building shine.
Lies of P succeeds in almost everything it sets out to do. Not only do we get a wonderful new setting in the form of Krat to explore and dissect, but we also get some great gameplay to go along with it. While the story sets up some interesting things, it takes too long to get it rolling. The game ultimately relies too heavily on the gameplay to keep you intrigued. Not that we're complaining.
The Crew Motorfest embodies the spirit of the Forza Horizon franchise in more ways than one, and though it doesn't ever quite touch the same heights, it does deliver what is easily the most enjoyable game in Ubisoft's open world racing franchise.
SYNCED leans into its sci-fi themes as players combat swarms of machine-like Nanos while deploying their own in combat. The gameplay is solid, offering refined gunplay and elements of strategy that make this co-op (and PvP) experience a lot of fun. The progression grind, however, suffers from a lack of incentivization and a narrow range of objectives within its loop. Whether those elements are updated or players stick around for the long haul remains to be seen in time.
With a unique setting and premise, Hekate's psychological horror certainly stands out, and its various themes are balanced well. Some more polish and gameplay improvements would go a long way, but more than anything, its horror elements could certainly use more time to shine.
Baldur's Gate 3 is a landmark release in the RPG genre that has instantly cemented itself as one of the best games of its kind, and an absolute must-play for all PS5 owners.
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk may come across as nostalgia bait and falter with the tagging, combat and difficulty. However, as a homage to Jet Set Radio, it succeeds while offering some neat little twists.
Daymare 1994: Sandcastle acts better as a period piece for the early 90s than it does a horror game. It focuses quite a bit on combat, but doesn't really give you any tools to play around with your enemies, and its attempts at horror are, at best, hilarious, and at worst, annoying. Thankfully, the story is the right kind of pulpy fun that is bound to get you through the game like it would a middling episode of a thriller series.
As unfathomably vast and boundless as the subject matter it covers, Starfield raises the bar for its genre and for the medium as a whole in countless ways - much like the best of its Bethesda-developed forebears did in their time.
Trine 5 treads the same ground as its predecessors and falls prey to the same shortcomings, but it's a solid co-op puzzler that has some gorgeous visuals and is a great time.
Sprawl isn't trying to reinvent the wheel when it comes to retro-inspired shooters, delivering a rather by-the-numbers fast-paced shooter experience.
Immortals of Aveum starts promising but quickly suffers a litany of flaws. It does have some good-looking visuals but is often awkward when it's not downright unwieldy to play.
Madden NFL 24 aims for a safe play instead of truly revitalizing the series. While controls, animation, visual design, and quality of life improvements are welcome, this entry is more of an incremental upgrade over Madden NFL 23 than a refreshing overhaul of the series. It'll be up to fans to decide whether small improvements are worth the extra cash. Newcomers, however, might find more value in it.
It's disappointing that Rockstar has not accorded Red Dead Redemption the respect it deserves, but for now, at least the game is playable on all modern consoles. The Switch version is particularly recommended if you have never played the game before, or want to revisit it in the portable format.
Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon is a wonderful return to form for a franchise that has been dormant for a very long time. Its unique mission structure that encourages experimentation, coupled with an insane level of customization is one of the game's major highlights, and while its story takes time to get started, no two missions ever really feel the same thanks to varied objectives and excellent encounter design.
Motorbike racing fans will no doubt enjoy the bulk of what RIDE 5 offers. It's an improvement visually with excellent haptic feedback for PS5 players, and quality racing simulations. However, it may be a bit harder to convince newcomers or players content with RIDE 4 to spend their hard-earned dollars on RIDE 5 without a more expansive or engaging career mode. RIDE 5 lacks the push in great modern sports games to create more value for the fans behind simply simulating the sport.