This is the first game I ever had preordered and I could not be happier that I decided to break my one rule of never preordering just for this game. After GOW 2018 it was clear that its sequel was going to be outstanding, but GOW Ragnarok managed to surpass the expectations I had built up for nearly 4 years. Everything about this game, its story, soundtrack, world design, graphics, performances, gameplay and gear systems are fantastic.
Combat has a few quality of life changes over GOW 2018, which make it feel familiar yet give it small improvements that make it feel even better. Enemy types have also increased, meaning that combat now has more variety and new enemies provide new challenges in combat. One of the biggest complaints of GOW 2018 was its lack of variety in its mini boss fights, which Ragnarok takes complete care of. There are so many new different bosses, all with unique attacks which means each one can provide a challenge with you slowly learning the best ways to fight each one, adding a real sense of progression and achievement as well as fun unique challenges with each mini boss you face. Combat is fast, fluid and brutal just like god of war players are used to and a variety of enemy types and attacks creates a combat system that is interesting and most importantly requires skill and thought.
Sound and world design is perfect, with everything from Kratos’ footsteps to the sound of your weapons sounding incredible and environments and creatures look amazing. Paired together, they make each realm feel both real and rich with life, adding a source of wonder and excitement to exploration not many other games can match. Enemies also look and sound great, with unique designs heavily inspired by the games Norse mythology setting and fit into the realms perfectly.
The story here is pretty much perfect, with wonderful performances from the entire cast that really bring this character driven story to life. Each of the main characters is developed here beautifully, with their progression feeling natural. Having a real focus on the characters, just like GOW 2018, allows an even deeper connection than we already had with them previously and each character retains their pre-established personalities, with some changes as they progress through their respective arcs. The real stand out performance here is of course with Christopher Judge as Kratos. Judge delivers such a raw, emotional performance rarely seen in any media and Kratos’ character is wonderfully explored through this performance. There are some great twists in the story and some really interesting narrative choices that all relate to the themes of family and being better.
The soundtrack is also beautiful, with the music perfectly setting the mood and heightening the emotional moments in the story, it could not have been done better.
God Of War Ragnarok is a truly beautiful game and has more than earned the spot as my favourite game of all time.

While by no means perfect, this is a fun arcade-style racer with easy to pick up controls and a lot of different short races to do. The controls and handling feel right for a racer featuring hot wheels cars and there are some fun ideas with the different tracks, however it does feel like the developers held back while creating some of them, as they at times feel too simplistic. For a racer that relies so much on speed, it’s a shame that some courses don’t require the skill to make them really interesting and fun to play; at times, it can feel like there is little challenge. There are also a lot of things that didn’t really need to be here, and some cars are completely unviable if you want to reach the top spot, essentially making their additions pointless. Overall, this is still without a doubt a fun racer, however I probably wouldn’t recommend playing for too long each time.

A definite step up from limbo, with more interesting puzzles and a much more intriguing and chilling atmosphere throughout. Right from the start, the level and sound design makes you feel very alone and small in the world and both create a looming sense of dread throughout the game. It always feels like there is a threat, be it from an unknown machine or a living creature and you are left feeling watched and hunted throughout. The puzzles are also interesting, with solutions you have to really think about sometimes, but I would have liked to see some puzzles be a bit bigger, as there are lots of interesting ideas that are only used once or twice and then never again. It would have been nice to have bigger puzzles that used your knowledge from previous ones in order to complete, as there were only a few small puzzles which reused ideas in different ways. Overall, Inside’s biggest strength it’s its ability to create its atmosphere through its sound and level design and although I would have liked to see more from the puzzles, there were enough ideas throughout to keep me interested all the way to the end.