Robert Zak
But it’s to Bioshock’s great credit that that’s its most glaring problem when played today (that, and the fact that ‘Arcadia Merlot’ wine actually says Cabernet Sauvignon on the label). To stretch that wine aside into an analogy, Bioshock really has aged like a fine Arcadia Merlot. It remains one of gaming’s great explorations of one of gaming’s greatest environments, even if you can see through Atlas’ bullshit like you can see Rapture’s glorious skyline (sealine?) through its oddly pristine glass corridors.
Gears of War 4 epitomises the 'Complete Package' game. Its single-player campaign is simple but spectacular, and its multiplayer makes all the minor evolutions necessary to position it firmly among the big hitters of the online shooter scene. Even though I'm not enough of a shooty-shooter person to call myself a 'Gears fan', I'm certainly now a fan of The Coalition, who've shown a level of respect for gamers that's lacking among other triple-A shooter franchises.
It'll take a few balance patches and expansions before it achieves absolute perfection, but the list of wholesale changes Civ VI brings to the storied formula makes for an instantly sumptuous strategy treat.
After all that, it seems a bit dreary to talk about things like price (bleh), but at $8/£6.79, it really is a generous price that pretty accurately reflects the price of a dessert in relation to the main course. Despite calling itself ‘The Last Course,’ it’s hard to imagine that this is the last we’ll see of Cuphead, though the prospect of seeing what else Studio MDHR could come up with is no less tantalising as a continuation of this series.
A layered and engaging space opera that triumphs both on and off the battlefield.
Among Us VR is a great execution of an extremely popular game - and genre - of recent years. It’s a perfect fit for the medium, and at a refreshingly low price too. As with the base Among Us however, it’s simple stuff - almost a proof-of-concept that this kind of game works in its respective medium - and it may be up to other VR developers to really build on this finger-pointing party game premise to take it to bold new places.
Redfall is an open-world shooter where you can creep through a spooky mansion alone at night, then link up with some friends to take on a giga-vampire in another dimension. It's weird, and it's the right kind of weird.
Work through the presentational ugliness and technical awkwardness, and you'll find an experience of frightening depth.
With its well executed timeloop concept, Lemnis Gate could be the sleeper shooter of 2021.
Despite a few missed opportunities to really build on the great games it’s inspired by, Atomic Heart surprised me, with a remarkably inventive world that brings to life (the tears apart) the weirdest, wildest visions of Soviet propaganda. This is a game that’s been through over half a decade of development hell, and come out the other side as one of the best first-person shooters this generation.
As a PC player of Rimworld, I’ll be returning to the more bespoke experience I’ve turned the game into on its home platform, but I’m also delighted that games like this are coming to consoles, and being ported with this much care and attention. This is one of the best management sims and story generators around, brought to console in almost all its glory. The quality of this console implementation should be a guiding light for other games in this traditionally PC-only genre to do the same.
An elegant tactical puzzler that captures the pace and action of the movies.
Planet Coaster isn't Rollercoaster Tycoon, nor is it Theme Park. This may put off those looking for a simpler, more nostalgic take on the genre, but it's nonetheless the most creative, technically intricate theme park sim to date.
Just as Endless Legend and Civilization V are now far superior to how they started, so can Endless Space 2 be. It's odd to talk of foundations in something so markedly floaty and space-based, so perhaps it's better to think of this as an outpost, plonked down on a planet waiting to be colonised. It's a fertile planet, sure, but one that's yet to be fully exploited.
Deck13 has come a long way, welding together a solid, structurally sound Soulslike that adeptly showcases what makes this genre special.
An ambitious and atmospheric adventure undercut by some simplistic mechanics.
Scorn's ways are obscure, and often frustrating in a way that gamers who didn’t grow up in the 90s may struggle with more than myself. It's a work of breathtaking vision and uneven execution - from its combat, to its unsatisfying ending that sadly doesn't do justice to the gruelling yet oddly poignant odyssey you embark upon. But for its flaws, Scorn makes a hell of an impression, filling me with equal parts immense curiosity and dread. I don't want to return to it any time soon - maybe ever - but I will be scouring the Subreddits and the Steam boards in an attempt to decipher it for a long time yet.
Once you get down into the dilapidated yet impressive levels of the Hive and start swinging, Darktide is as great a swarm shooter experience as any, but it needs to improve much of the surrounding infrastructure to make that core combat experience feel rewarding and meaningful. Who knows? I may even come back in a year to re-review the game (which is something that should generally happen with more game reviews), but in the meantime it’s a simmering cauldron of potential that still feels a little raw.
A worthy new entry in the legendary series that's equal parts progressive and dated.
A suspenseful yet forgiving turn-based tactics game that lets you play a part in shaping history.