Pros.
+ A unique and interesting blend of espionage/mystery, alongside horror and action…
+ Impressive environmental graphics. Atmospheric lighting, shadows and sound design.
+ A genuinely terrifying and tense introduction to Nicolas’ storyline.
+ Sharp jump scares.
+ Over-the-top and exciting chase set pieces.
+ Old school puzzles…

Cons.
- … the switching up between these two plots is jarring and find themselves dragging at points due to backtracking and an empty feel.
- Voice acting is hit and miss.
- A handful of glitches/bugs locked me out of completing puzzles.
- … does lead to frustrating trial and error and tension/pacing killing.

Pros.
+ Solid, reliable and straightforward third person shooter mechanics.
+ Air traversal and combat feels superb.
+ Voice cast and performances.
+ Plenty of standout set pieces (Metroplex, Starscream’s haphazard assault on the Autobots, Grimlock Smash, the entire final chapter…)

Cons.
- First few chapters take a little while to become wholly investing.
- Dodging and blocking can feel a little clunky.

Pros.
- Reliable and familiar Don’t Nod (the folks behind the Life is Strange franchise) gameplay and tone.
- The small town locale and community of Basswood is immersive and lived in.
- Graphics and voice acting are solid.
- Mind Palace and ‘Him’ gameplay elements are interesting…

Cons.
- The game is too short and doesn’t feel as substantial as the studio’s prior works.
- The mystery/reveals are fairly standard and not as shocking as they could have been.
- A smattering of irritating trial and error puzzles.
- … however these have both been executed more effectively in other games.

Pros.
- Effective implementation and presentation of social media’s effect on mental health…
- Impressive environmental graphics and sound work…
- Antagonist/creature is a shuffling, chirping, twitchy nightmare.
- First person/walking sim feels like a natural and fitting creative decision for the franchise…

Cons.
- … its messages are undeniably heavy handed and on the nose at points.
- … dialogue volume levels and lip syncing is off at points.
- … lacks the atmosphere and personality of the series. Take the franchise name out of the title and remove the couple of references in the game, then this is more Layers of Fear than SH.
- Final boss confrontation is a frantic, trial and error irritation.

Pros:
+ Very similar to The Wolf Among Us in its tone, world-building and characters.
+ Funny, layered, thought-provoking dialogue.
+ Art style is very unique. From the retro 2D pixelated graphics, comic book-esque scene transitions and occasional 3D backdrops.
+ Gameplay is very easy to pick up.

Cons:
- Elements of the story don’t quite gel. Would have preferred a more consistently grounded mystery, though I respect the big ‘out there’ swing of the reveal.
- The short playtime does hinder some narrative elements.
- The stealth and puzzle elements do feel a tad tacked on.

Rating encompasses all three game modes

Pros:
+ Gunplay feels as fantastic as ever.
+ The cutscene cinematics are superb and the graphics are just as impressive as expected.
+ A handful of solid campaign missions.
+ Multiplayer is great fun (this really has been the most myself and friends have played the series since Black Ops III) and yes, the best of OG Modern Warfare 2 maps do still shine.
+ Plenty of weapons and customisation options.

Cons:
- The ‘Open Combat’ missions are a frustrating, dull, lazy and oftentimes completely structureless approach that simply doesn’t work for COD’s usual blockbuster set piece heavy linear storytelling.
- Story itself is a choppy, half baked and forgettably short play-through.
- Zombies is also a structureless, oftentimes dull experience that pales in comparison to Treyarch’s earlier work.
- Skill based match making is hit and miss.

Campaign - 4/10
Multiplayer - 8/10
Zombies - 4/10

Pros:
- The facial animations, environments and sound design are all superb.
- Absolutely brutal death animations.
- A smattering of genuinely tense encounters.
- Pulverising an enemy with a stun baton can feel incredibly satisfying.

Cons.
- Clunky and oftentimes frustrating rinse-repeat combat system.
- Repetitive and forgettable "boss" encounters.
- Incredibly generic characters and plot.
- Frustrating design choices e.g. gun ammo count, multiple enemies ganging up outside of view, despite the combat nearly entirely being built around one on one encounters.

Pros.
- Epic, emotionally charged story.
- Emphasis on world building (I love the moments of immersive downtime in Sindri’s house) and exploration.
- Combat and enemy encounter variety.
- Voice acting.

Cons.
- The RPG elements and upgrade/gear aspects can be a little too much.
- 2018 and God of War III have superior boss fights in my opinion.

Pros:
- More time spent in the gloriously immersive world of Resident Evil Village.
- Wraps up the Ethan Winters story nicely.
- Creative implementation of Rose's power set and a smattering of standout new enemy types (the mannequins that only move when you are facing away from them)...

Cons:
- ...the mould creatures are still just fodder.
- The two main set piece sequences are essentially remixed versions of sequences seen in the main game.
- Final boss fight can be a little clunky.

CAMPAIGN REVIEW

Pros:
- Having not played a Call of Duty game properly in around 3 years, it was undeniably great fun to return to the familiar and still incredibly reliable gunplay and the over-the-top gung-ho spectacle of the proceedings.
- Multiple dialogue options and gameplay affecting choices are welcome (though not as effective as in Black Ops II). Substantial time spent in the hub/base area to learn more about the characters.
- A couple of genuinely great missions. Most notably 'Brick in the Wall'.

Cons:
- Though most likely due to COVID interference, there is a sense of some cut corners and ideas that never fully materialised e.g. the two Operation side missions.
- Even with the couple of standout missions and reliably solid gameplay, the campaign certainly isn't one of the franchise's best.
- Actual dialogue for the protagonist would have made the multiple dialogue options more immersive and it would have been nice to have seen Sam Worthington return to the role of Mason.

An absolute gem of a release to saunter into our year of 2022 on all four paws. Stray is a charming puzzle platforming experience that also is an incredibly zen play, as well as incorporating bursts of fast paced tense chases. The cyberpunk world is brimming with personality and detail and its robotic inhabitants provide engaging conversation through beeps, whirs, clicks and clanks. At the centre of it all though is the friendship bond between the feline hero and his little gadget accomplice, both of whom are trying to find a way back to the outside. The game can get a little repetitive at points and is on the short and simplistic side, however its personality more than makes up for it. Stray 2 please.

The second instalment in the Dark Pictures Anthology. Little Hope is a step up from the substantially mediocre Man of Medan, but unfortunately still does falter in many of the same aspects of its predecessor. That being said, I did play this in co-op with a friend, which made for a consistently fun guessing game experience and frantically giving each other context to what the other was seeing. The psychological witchcraft infused narrative ticked a lot of my stylistic boxes and the group of characters this time around certainly aren't as irritating as in the previous game, though they still lack any tangible depth. The scare tactics largely fail miserably (with constant repeated jump scares) and the game is tremendously short (we beat it in two sittings just under 4 hours in total) and the finale reveal will certainly prove divisive for some. Overall Little Hope is a decent slice of pulp horror that is worth playing with a buddy. Intrigued to check out House of Ashes and The Quarry soon.

The 16th game in the franchise (including the mobile game and the Secret Agent Clank spin-off) and the lead duo’s first foray into the current generation of gaming. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart sees the titular heroes fighting and puzzling their way alongside series newcomers Rivet & Kit, through a variety of dimensions to stop the universe from tearing itself apart.

I am very much a newcomer to the franchise. Having only played 2016’s remake/reimagining of the first game and a smattering of the older PS2 titles. The vibrant, seamless and joyous colourful carnage of the game’s multiple trailers and demos, plus a healthy dose of very positive critical praise led me to picking it up before the price reduced. Luckily I wasn’t disappointed, as it is undeniable that Insomniac once again have knocked it out of the park with the PS5’s current definitive mass appeal system seller that I had a complete joy playing throughout its 9-10 hour campaign playtime.

The plot is a rollicking sci-fi action romp that sees you take control of all four of the cover art characters. After Nefarious gatecrashes R&C’s celebration after the events of Into the Nexus he tears apart their current dimension and murges it with an alternate version of R&C’s reality where they team up with Rivet & Kit (their alternate selves) to take down Nefarious and the Emperor. Structurally the game follows an instantly accessible and familiar structure. The switching of pairs at the beginning (Clank ending up with Rivet and Ratchet with Kit) is a great way to build a variety of character dynamics and their respective perspectives on the situation and each other. The game switches between each pair of characters for certain missions and challenges as they race to fix the reality bending consequences caused by Nefarious. The game charges along at breakneck pace through a myriad of locations, which luckily you do get to revisit and explore at your own pleasure if you please, so you can grab all the collectibles and find the hidden pocket dimensions. The world building is strong thanks to the staggering level of personality and immersion in the voice acting, art design and lore previously crafted in the pre-existing games.

Visually the game is absolutely stunning. A seamless blend of bombastic, bright cartoon spectacle and stylisation, alongside blockbuster scale, realistic and impeccably detailed character and environmental models. The variety of weapons and characters all are visually unique in their animations and sound designs. My personal favourite combination of this being the Emperor’s main robot legion. Masses of spikes, guns and projectiles… but speaking in hilarious overly posh and stilted American/British accents. Robot pirates, a giant squid, dragon monks, speeding snails and the violence loving Zurkon Jr. The level of creativity in the cast of creatures is fantastic. There are several absolutely staggering grind rail set pieces where you sliding through destruction and chaos, as well as dodging between rails. These are on the level of Uncharted 4 and even supersede them at times.

The gameplay is the instantly familiar platforming and shooting combination. Arenas will be filled with enemies, interspersed with platforming and puzzling. There are several different weapons all of which have a different purpose and bring a different variety to combat encounters. From firing a projectile spitting mushroom, a deadly garden sprinkler, ice/razors/lasers/rockets/drill dogs… the possibilities and choice always keep battles engaging. The only real gripe I have with combat is the frequency of having to swap over weapons. You can assign 4 to the directional arrows, but will have to be constantly hopping onto the weapon wheels mid-combat. I understand why, but at the same time I wished the directional arrows could be used to cycle through all the weapons. There are two recurring puzzle sequences. Clank/Kit have to guide versions of themselves over an obstacle course to unlock rifts utilising various power sources. These can get quite challenging and prove to be real brain teasers at times, but never to the point of annoyance. The second recurring segment is playing as Ratchet’s hacking bot Glitch. These are shooter sections as she takes out the virus infecting the progression points. Unfortunately her voice acting, whilst enthusiastic, is incredibly grating and over-the-top.

Speaking of voice acting the rest of the cast of characters are superb. Ratchet & Clank sound exactly as you’ve known them for so long. Rivet is a strong willed, witty heroine and Kit is a surprisingly conflicted and intriguing side kick dealing with guilt from her past. Nefarious is an absolute riot here. A truly petulant, cocky and egomaniacal blast whenever he is on screen. Shout out to the Zurkon as well: Mrs Zurkon’s overly thick Southern drawl and Zurkon Jr.’s hyper screeching make them a memorable pair.

The 8th mainline franchise installment and the 26th(!) game in the franchise overall. Taking place after the events of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. Resident Evil Village sees Ethan Winters having started over with his wife Mia, where they are finally living in peace and putting the past behind them. However, Chris Redfield suddenly disrupts their life, throwing a devastated Ethan into a new and twisted nightmare searching for answers in the heart of a Romanian village.

My relationship with the Resident Evil game franchise hasn’t been the most conventional in terms of the order I have played them. Starting off with utterly bland Operation Raccoon City (a franchise installment that no one remembers) and then jumping to the Revelations spin-offs, before finally hitting gold with 7 and its gnarly and disturbing reinvention of the franchise. Since then I have loved the RE2 remake (and enjoyed the RE3 one a year later despite its incredibly short duration) and only just this year I played through the legendary RE4 and its two decent (if disappointing) direct follow ups. Village however continues the current hit ratio for the franchise and frequently met my lofty expectations.

I finished the game in just under 9 hours on standard difficulty (I was hooked for the past couple of days so it may take a little longer for those not as invested). After a brutal opening, you (and Ethan) are thrown straight into the snowy nightmare that is the village and its looming Castle Dimitrescu. Structurally the game follows a semi-open world layout. Without spoiling anything, the plot backbone is made up of you hunting down each of the main antagonist: Mother Miranda’s ‘children’ in 4 separate locations on the outskirts of the village. Fans of the franchise will immediately feel at home in the interlinked pathways, backtracking and puzzling to access keys, items and weapons to progress through the myriad of locked gates and pathways. The level of exploration is ripe, and on my next playthrough I shall be sure to collect as much treasure as I can and uncover the few hidden secrets still hiding in the dark.

Gameplay-wise this takes the established first person perspective introduced in 7 and adds a 4 inflicted combat heavy boost, with a variety of weapons and heavier emphasis on action over stealth and hiding. The inventory system is heavily inspired by 4 as well as the return of a merchant character (here known as the Duke) who provides the in game store and economy. One thing that I found noticeable is that the game isn’t as difficult as its predecessor or the heavily influential 4. Sure, I definitely died several times, however the always growing gung-ho heavy approach does neuter the excellent tension seen at the start of the game and as epic and creative as some of the boss fights are, a few of them are very familiar and intentionally callback to and even remake some of RE4’s. The puzzles are certainly challenging throughout though and aside from a couple of physics based frustrations, there is some damn smart game design and creativity on display here.

The titular village is one of the most thoroughly detailed, mysterious and eerie locations the franchise has ever seen, and for me, one of the most immersive and grin-inducing I have ever played, as it seems tailor made for my niche of visual stylisation and approach to horror imagery. Desolate broken down houses, ancient graveyards, a seamless blend of modern and medieval and lycans roaming the streets, hell this is just the opening area. You also visit the staggering and labyrinthine gothic joy of Castle Dimitrescu and the utterly spine-chilling House Beneviento, both of which are a horror fan’s dream. Both the industrial nightmare of Heisenberg’s factory and Moreau’s vast reservoir are suitably bleak, but undeniably pale in comparison to the previously mentioned locales. The graphics are stunning and show the RE Engine at full force. I could gush on and on about the location interiors and personalities (the obese and Jabba-esque Duke’s wagon has more personality alone then whole games), but the character models and antagonist variety also ticks all my villain design boxes: the giant vampiric and now pop-culture infused Lady Dimitrescu and fly spewing daughters, the maniacal living doll Angie, the bloated, moaning and grotesque merman Moreau, the steampunk infused Heisenberg and the ruthless Mother Miranda all look fantastic and will be ingrained in my mind forever.

The voice acting is strong all around. Ethan gets a substantial character arc here with someone genuinely emotional and effective payoffs and his interactions with Chris help bridge the gap and expand and intertwine the universe even more. Neil Newborn’s Heisenberg is the highlight, delivering his lines with a smarmy Nicolas Cage-esque drawl. Aaron LaPlante’s chortling, wide-eyed Duke injects substantial personality to the role and is easily up there with “What are ya buyin’?” The rest of the antagonist and ally cast also all excel and they truly cement these characters into some of the franchise’s most memorable.

Resident Evil Village once again excels in moving the franchise forward. A beautifully horrific setting, intense combat encounters, a memorable cast of characters and a strong (if a little short) story. Some of the combat encounters may be extremely familiar and the game does abandon the relentless white knuckle tension established in its predecessors for a combat focused approach, but it is undoubtedly a game that frequently had me saying: “I love this so much!”