When I reviewed Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 last year, I called it “simply embarrassing.” Even with an acceptable multiplayer suite, the campaign was downright awful. It’s funny because almost three years ago, I had nearly the same reaction to Modern Warfare 3 (2023). So between the Open Combat missions, horrible dialogue, lazy mission design and lackluster effort that both games exuded, I wasn’t looking forward to this year’s effort, whatever it would be.

So it’s surprising that Modern Warfare 4 (2026)’s campaign is vastly superior to those two. There’s no Crucible gas or hallucinations. No grappling hooks. No mind control or sleeper agents. No giant bosses and giant text telling you to shoot the hands, and, praise be, no weapon rarities. It’s grounded and relatively believable, at least by genre standards, and as the finale to the current timeline, the game pulls out all the stops to deliver a memorable story.

That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s perfect, mind you, and until I try out DMZ and competitive PvP, I can’t recommend purchasing this for the campaign alone. But if you’re desperate for this game to actually live up to other great games and deliver on the genre’s signature set-piece-heavy missions, and justify the sheer amount of resources and money invested in it year in and year out, it’s certainly a highlight, even with some notable bumps.

"While some missions pack overtly straightforward segments, others mix things up without going too overboard, like swapping between three characters during an air base assault, each using different weaponry to clear out specific targets."

I could tell you this is set years after Modern Warfare 3 (2023) and Captain John Price goes rogue, seeking revenge against Makarov and a deeper threat (the Archer, played by Mads Mikkelsen), but you probably already know about that. So instead, I’ll outline how the campaign actually starts: With Marine squad Sierra-1 entering Hajin City on a routine patrol and simply…picking up some groceries. There’s camaraderie, a bit of ribbing, some Wu-Tang history – but what’s really interesting is what happens when the lights go out. Amid the darkness, bombs drop, and it’s all Sierra-1 can do to reach the nearby stadium.

There are no overwhelming gimmicks throughout this. Simply the squad and feelings of terror going up against survival instincts. They don’t even know who they’re fighting until reaching the stadium and going up against parachuting enemy troops. As first impressions go with a typical shooter story, it evokes a realistic feeling – that you’re an active participant in a war rather than part of some scene in a cheesy blockbuster movie.

So naturally, Modern Warfare 4 (2026) follows up with something completely different and yet still very much in keeping with the previous game’s tone: Price picking up a lead for a deal and navigating a challenge, engaging in fisticuffs (complete with everyone’s favorite mechanic, parrying) en route to his target…which quickly turns into a mad dash through the city and some surprisingly crisp traversal mechanics. Despite their contrasting gameplay styles, both missions are paced well, and that continues after Price teams up with Valeria and her cartel from Modern Warfare 2 (2022) in an unusual alliance.

And while every line of dialogue isn’t a winner – Valeria in particular tends to ham it up a little – it flows better in the blockbuster moments and more naturally when fighting through trenches or tearing through busy streets in high-speed chases. When Park, the protagonist of Sierra-1, expressed his horror about having to get back into the fight, especially after already going through hell, it felt more real than the series has in years. Of course, props to Mikkelson for his acting, which lends gravitas and makes him feel like a capable threat.

While some missions pack overtly straightforward segments, others mix things up without going too overboard, like swapping between three characters during an air base assault, each using different weaponry to clear out specific targets. Of course, they can’t all be outright winners, and nowhere is that more obvious than the sole Open Combat mission, where you’re effectively behind enemy lines and must take out three objectives.

"There’s also the inescapable fact that at the end of the day, this is a Call of Duty campaign at the end of the day."

You’re left to gather weapons and other tools, and suddenly the directed action that fails you when slightly deviating off-course becomes a pseudo-sandbox with open-world-style camps and resources to gather. One section involved crawling through a smuggler’s tunnel, where one wrong move detonated an explosive and made you restart the whole deal. Then you can partake in a second, more complicated one with the same consequences. Joy.

It’s not a complete bust. I appreciated the callback with the Heartbeat Sensor and using the snowy mist to mask your entry. But between dealing with Bomb Drones in one section, wading through and awkwardly shifting between walking and swimming in another, and gathering supplies to repair weapons or unlock new gear, all for one singular assault mission, it just felt at odds with the rest of the experience. At least you can outright fast travel to the story-relevant locations rather than bothering with the Open Combat map, though that doesn’t change how weak two out of three felt.

The latter half of the campaign also bumps up the number of armored enemies, especially those with shotguns that tear through you quickly. It lends to a more methodical playstyle vaguely reminiscent of Ready or Not, where mounting up and peeking around corners is downright essential to survival in many cases. But when enemies focus only on you, ignoring your teammates – who are more than happy to return the favor – it frustratingly kills the immersion. Overall, it’s a slower pace than a good chunk of the game. Death is a little too easy to stumble into at times, especially when you’re really getting into the action.

There’s also the inescapable fact that at the end of the day, this is a Call of Duty campaign at the end of the day. You’ll hold a button to say goodbye, partake in quicktime events (full-fledged and cleverly disguised) and stealth missions where the smallest mistake sends you hurtling back to the last checkpoint, and mow down hordes of foes to a sometimes comical degree. If you’ve never liked those aspects, Modern Warfare 4 (2026) offers very little that will change your mind. The campaign is also on the short side, though it’s still longer and packing more quality than either Modern Warfare 3 (2023) or Black Ops 7.

"Even with its issues, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is a fitting send-off to the series. It’s unabashedly over-the-top but does so with a sense of restraint that’s as surprising as it is welcome."

But as someone who’s been on this awkward ride since 2019, and suffered through the expansion-like sequels and their horrendous writing, this feels like a fitting closer. Characters have proper arcs, some meeting their ends more tragically than others. And throughout it all, the technical presentation remains stellar, whether it’s a harrowing sequence of intimidating civilians in a North Korean village or witnessing floors shatter into debris upon marking targets.

Performance is rock-solid throughout on PS5, though facial details noticeably lose their luster outside cutscenes and the odd pop-in when moving quickly through environments occurs. Small prices to pay, considering the sheer fidelity on display and how well it otherwise runs.
Even with its issues, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 (2026) is an enjoyable experience. It’s unabashedly over-the-top but does so with a sense of restraint that’s as surprising as it is welcome. Your mileage will vary on whether it’s worth $70, but for the first time since the original three games, Call of Duty has finally delivered an enjoyable campaign.

This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.

Years and years later, it remains one of the best games I have ever played, and one that continues to shape my tastes in RPGs and games as a whole.

"This is an old school RPG through and through"

I’m telling you all this because ever since I played Final Fantasy 4 more than two decades ago, I’ve been desperately hoping for the Final Fantasy franchise to deliver another brand new experience that tries to stick to those retro roots- and very rarely has the franchise even attempted to do that, much less done it successfully.

Final Fantasy Resonance, however, changes that. This is an old school RPG through and through, and it evokes the highs of the franchise’s older era in all the ways you would expect- gorgeous pixel art visuals, spectacular music, captivating turn based battles, a globe trotting journey, a vast and colourful cast of heroes. Final Fantasy Resonance doesn’t break new ground, no, but it does deliver a compelling Final Fantasy experience that perfectly toes the line between retro and modern, while also feeling like a wonderful celebration of the series as a whole.

Final Fantasy Resonance tells the story of Rain, a knight of the kingdom of Grandshelt and the commander of an airship squadron. As the game begins, in classic old school Final Fantasy fashion, Rain and his deputy commander Lasswell are dispatched by the King of Grandshelt to one of eight crystals scattered across the land that together protect the fabric of the world and its existence. Trouble quickly arises, however, when a menacing knight clad in black named Umbra and his companions, together known as the Sworn Six, arrive on the scene.

Not only do Umbra and the Sworn Six swiftly destroy Rain and Lasswell’s entire squadron, but in a terrifying show of strength, they also shatter the Earth Crystal. Rain, Lasswell, and a mysterious, amnesiac girl named Fina – who comes to their aid against the Sword Six in the nick of time – soon set out on a sweeping, globetrotting quest to unravel and put a stop to the plans of Umbra and the Sworn Six.

There isn’t much that Final Fantasy Resonance is doing from a narrative and storytelling perspective that we haven’t seen countless times before in RPGs, and even in Final Fantasy games. That is, of course, very much the point here though. From a noble knight protagonist and an amnesiac girl to elemental crystals and more, Final Fantasy Resonance ropes in a great many familiar elements, but it makes use of all of them confidently and in fairly compelling ways.

Not one of the major elements of the storytelling here – not the writing, not the voice acting, nor the twists and turns along the way – ever exceeds or subverts expectations, and yet the experience consistently remains sufficiently engaging. Whether to see the cast expand with new and colourful personalities, or to discover more about how Rain and co’s quest connects to an ancient war between the forces of magic and technology, I was consistently actually invested (or at least invested enough) in the story.

"There isn’t much that Final Fantasy Resonance is doing from a narrative and storytelling perspective that we haven’t seen countless times before"

That said, much more so than the solid yet decidedly by the numbers story, one of several things that will truly compel you to keep playing Final Fantasy Resonance is its world. The game features a classic RPG overworld (complete with random battles), allowing you to move your character sprite (on foot, on chocobo steeds, or, later, in airships) across a diaroma-esque map of a large and varied world with lots to do and plenty of room for exploration.

Across its meaty runtime (which can be significantly meatier depending on how much you’re engaging with the side content), Resonance takes you to various different biomes and a smattering of towns and cities, from deserts and grand castles to lush grasslands, mining towns, and more.

Exploration always remains enjoyable and, for the most part, rewarding. There’s plenty of optional and hidden dungeons to find, side missions to tackle (a surprising number of which are better than you’d expect), collectibles to hunt down, and quite a bit more. Exploring towns is also always a highlight, whether you’re raiding chests and conversing with townsfolk or simply admiring the sights in the many different cities and villages you visit throughout your journey. Fans of RPGs in particular will find plenty to love here, as far as the exploration department is concerned.

Also scattered throughout the world are locations known as Sanctums of Light, which serve as the vehicle for one of Final Fantasy Resonance’s central mechanics- Visions. Each Sanctum houses a Vision crystal that gets you access to a Vision- an avatar of a hero pulled in from a different world in a different dimension. Essentially, each Vision is a protagonist from a different mainline Final Fantasy title, and after showing and recapping their stories, each crystal lets you add a Vision to your growing roster.

From Cloud to Terra, there’s several different visions to track down and collect. You can equip one to each character in your party, and these effectively almost serve as a job system. Each Vision has their own abilities and special attacks, which you unlock more of as they level up alongside the character that they’re equipped to.

Of course, you always have the option to swap Visions as you see fit, while you can also set the abilities a character has unlocked with them to that character’s own moveset, all of which also allows for plenty of flexibility and opportunities for mixing and matching.

"From Cloud to Terra, there’s several different visions to track down and collect."

On top of all of that, the characters in your party also level up and gain new abilities and enhanced stats of their own, while you also always have to ensure that they have the best equipment (or the best that you can afford, at the very least). Between all of that, there’s plenty to juggle and keep an eye on where Final Fantasy Resonance’s progression mechanics are concerned, with an impressive level of player expression, flexibility, and mechanical depth on display.

The combat is equally impressive, if not even more so. Like in other areas, Resonance harkens back to the series’ older era with a turn based combat system, but it’s one that’s deceptively deep and compelling. There’s no ATB system in play, which means at its core, this is a plain and simple turn based system- but there’s plenty else that adds layers of strategy and complexity to the proceedings.

Like Final Fantasy 10, you have a timeline of the battle to keep an eye on in every skrimish on top of the screen, which means keeping a close eye on the order of upcoming moves and, in turn, knowing which enemies to prioritize focusing on with your attacks, is always key.

Each enemy also has a stagger bar, and once staggered, as you’d expect, they become significantly more vulnerable to damage. Finding each enemy’s elemental weakness and staggering them also becomes central to combat, then, especially thanks to sweeping staggers, which is when you successfully stagger all foes in a single round.

Stagger a single enemy, and the character who did it gets a bonus turn at the end of that round, while accomplishing a sweeping stagger lets all characters in your party partake in the aforementioned bonus round. Meanwhile, sweeping staggers also let you unleash all-out attacks known as Resonances at the end of your turn, which are special attacks unleashed by one of the Visions you currently have equipped in your party.

Then there’s limit breaks, summons (known as espers here), and plenty more- all of which is to say that between all of that, combat in Final Fantasy Resonance certainly has a lot going on, and in no way ever feels simplistic or stagnant.

Though it retains all the strategic and deliberate charms of turn based mechanics, Resonance’s combat also feels genuinely dynamic and explosive. There’s truly something incredibly satisfying about maintaining long streaks and chains of attacks with critical hits, staggers and sweeping staggers, resonances, bonus attacks, limit breaks, and more to unleash devastating combos of moves on foes, all without letting them get a single attack of their own in.

"Though it retains all the strategic and deliberate charms of turn based mechanics, Resonance’s combat also feels genuinely dynamic and explosive."

Though FF Resonance can definitely be a challenging game when it wants to be, it’s also one that does let you play with (and even break) its systems in a way that will let you overpower enemies (hell, it even encourages it)- and I absolutely love it for that. It’s difficult not to admire the confidence with which it presents its many systems, knowing that they do boast the level of depth required to keep players genuinely engaged.

Meanwhile, at the end of every battle, you can also get little performance based bonus rewards, like extra gil for taking no damage throughout the entire encounter, or boosted progression for your Visions if you end the battle with a move that staggers a foe- and those little dopamine hits also never lose their charm.

Another area where the game shines is its visuals. It should be no surprise at this point that HD-2D games look as good as they do- because they consistently have, and no FF Resonance doesn’t buck that trend. That is, of course, Final Fantasy’s first ever HD-2D outing- but certainly not the last, I’m hoping.

This game is absolutely gorgeous, and through stunning environments, dynamic camerawork, expressive pixel art, and solid cutscenes that perfectly showcase the game’s charming diorama-esque look, it keeps finding ways to highlight just how visually stunning it is. Also worthy of a shoutout is the excellent soundtrack, which is full of typically incredible tracks that won’t take long to worm their way into your ears.

In more ways than one, Final Fantasy Resonance really does feel like a celebration of the franchise, and especially of its history- whether that’s with its central Visions mechanic, the excellent turn based combat system, the gorgeous pixel art HD-2D visuals, or something else. This is a wonderful, meaty, nostalgia-fueled experience that knows exactly how to echo the biggest strengths of Final Fantasy’s retro golden age, while still feeling modern and polished in the way you would want from a new, contemporary Final Fantasy title.

Sure, it wouldn’t exactly be accurate to call this game innovating or subversive in any way- what you see is exactly what you get here. But what you’re getting is a well design, addictive, mechanically deep, and expansive old school RPG that genre fans absolutely will not want to miss. The wait for an HD-2D Final Fantasy title has been a long one, and the one for a major brand new turn based entry in the franchise even longer, but thankfully, Final Fantasy Resonance is well worth the wait on both those fronts.

This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.

One small part of that continued initiative in recent months has been to bring Resident Evil’s biggest releases to new audiences with Switch 2 ports, and now, after impressive native ports for Nintendo’s hybrid device for both Resident Evil 7 and Village earlier this year (alongside, of course, Resident Evil Requiem’s day and date Switch 2 release), the developer has brought the trio of Resident Evil 2, 3, and RE4 Remakes to Nintendo’s platform- with (unsurprisingly so) similar results.

"One small part of that continued initiative in recent months has been to bring Resident Evil’s biggest releases to new audiences with Switch 2 ports"

By now, it should be no surprise that the Nintendo Switch 2 is more than capable of running (and running well) games that technically wowed us during the PS4 and Xbox One console generation- and so it’s no surprise that the aforementioned remake trio doesn’t face any significant issues either. That, of course, means that audiences can now experience (or re-experience) the modern survival horror classics on a whole new platform- which, given the flexibility in user experience the Switch 2 affords, is a massive plus.

There is, for starters, Resident Evil 2 of course- which, suffice it to say, is not only one of the best Resident Evil games ever game, but also a foundational survivor horror title in the modern era, and the perfect blueprint for what a reimagining of a beloved classic should hope to achieve.

When I first reviewed Resident Evil 2 back in 2019, I instantly fell in love with it and called it one of the best survival horror games ever made, and the years since done have done little to diminish my opinion of the game. Naturally, then, getting to experience what is probably my personal favourite Resident Evil game to date on the Switch 2 has been a wonderful experience for me, personally speaking- which also speaks a great deal about the quality of the port in question, in addition to the game itself.

"For newcomers and returning players both, Resident Evil 2’s Switch 2 version is a great way to experience the 2020 remake"

Leon and Claire’s nightmarish journey through Raccoon City and RPD has lost none of its luster, and it remains just as compelling on the Switch 2 as ever before. First and foremost, it touts absolutely incredible level design across some of Resident Evil’s most iconic locations, from the RPD building and Raccoon City’s sewers to Umbrella’s underground NEST lab and more.

All of that is bolstered in turn by spectacular combat, terrifying atmosphere, smartly design puzzles, heart-pounding boss fights, and of course, the near constant, pervasive threat of one of gaming’s most notorious stalker enemies ever in the Tyrant, aka Mr. X. For newcomers and returning players both, Resident Evil 2’s Switch 2 version is a great way to experience the 2020 remake, especially if you’re the sort of player who values the Switch 2’s portability.

Resident Evil 3’s port is equally successful at bringing the original experience over to Nintendo’s platform- which means it is a pleasantly solid port of what was ultimately a disappointing game. When I reviewed it in 2020, I called the Resident Evil 3 remake a solid action horror experience in its own right that was nonetheless a disappointing reimagining of the game that it was based on, and tat is something I very much stand by.

There’s a lot that I still love about 2020’s RE3. Jill Valentine is an incredible protagonist, and perhaps one of the iconic character’s best portrayals to date. Alongside her, Carlos Riveira serves as a great deuteragonist, while they’re also joined by a solid supporting cast. The star of the show is, of course, Nemesis, the relentless bioweapon who stalks Jill throughout the length of the story. From a storytelling perspective, Resident Evil 3 is, for the most part, a solid retelling of the original 1999 PS1 game that it reimagines.

Those strengths, however, are also some of its greatest weaknesses. The RE3 remake has been infamously divisive for how it cut out content and made controversial changes to the original PS1 title, and frankly, those disappointments are no easier to get over. The Clock Tower is MIA, Raccoon City isn’t as fully explorable as it should be, Nemesis isn’t the pervasive, unrelenting stalker threat that he was always supposed to be- and that’s just scratching the surface.

At the end of the day, even though Resident Evil 3 is a solid, brief, and enjoyable action horror game in its own right, it doesn’t live up to its potential the way it should have- and certainly doesn’t manage to match the highs of the Resident Evil 2 remake.

"The RE3 remake has been infamously divisive"

Then we have RE4 remake. Leon S. Kennedy’s harrowing mission to rescue Ashley Graham from the clutches of the enemies is as captivating as it ever has been, with tense action, adrenaline fueled boss fights, and all of the camp and corniness that we have come to expect from Resident Evil.

I’d also be remiss not to point out just how technically impressive these ports are. The developer has always been in the habit of putting out graphical megatons, and the Resident Evil series in general is no stranger to doing that, especially in the RE Engine era. Resident Evil 2, 3, and RE4 Remakes are all, in fact, among the most graphically and technically impressive games of the modern era- and impressively, the Switch 2 doesn’t struggle to host these staggering experiences.

Of course, they don’t look quite as good as they do on, say, the PS5 Pro, but RE2, 3, and RE4 Remakes are all visually striking experiences on the Switch 2. Resident Evil 2’s shocking gore effects don’t quite seem as gory, and RE4 Remake’s port has plenty of noticeable texture pop in and slow loading assets, but by and large, the Switch 2 does an admirable job of running these graphical beasts.

Since the Nintendo Switch 2’s release in 2025, the developer has made it abundantly clear that it intends to support the console the same way it supports others, and Resident Evil 2, 3, and RE4 Remakes ports are further proof of the company’s commitment to Nintendo’s hybrid device. Regardless of whether you’re a returning fan looking to dive back into the horror franchise’s remake offerings, or a newcomer looking for an entry point, you can’t go wrong with the Switch 2 versions of this trio of remakes.

This game was reviewed on Nintendo Switch 2.

As you delved deeper, the many problems became more apparent. Level design became repetitive, as did enemy variety, and even as the gameplay loop revolved around slaying out as quickly and brutally as possible, Boltgun went about that in some pretty unextraordinary ways.

Cue Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2, which aims to address almost every single shortcoming from the original, particularly the level design. Almost like the team had something to prove and set out to implement almost every non-stealth first-person trope it could, to fantastic results. Even if it falls prey to some of its predecessor’s issues, the result is a boomer shooter worth more than the initial playthrough.

"Just when I thought Boltgun 2 didn’t have any other tricks up its sleeve, it surprised me with some platforming sections and environmental hazards."

Story-wise, you’ll be shocked to learn that xenos need purging. While the Imperial fleet orbits Akrimonus Prime, the planet is suddenly corrupted, causing massive damage. With enemy forces roaming unchecked, it’s all you can do to suit up as Malum Caedo or newcomer Nyra Veyrath to purge them and escape.

Overall, it’s a simple yet compelling set-up, and navigating through the broken corridors of the ship, obtaining your arsenal and learning all the mechanics is handled well enough. Of course, from there, the mission structure follows a generic “purge corruption” narrative.

But the good news is that it facilitates mission chains and side operations that can tell their own intriguing stories. “There is Only War,” for example, places you on the front line en route to a munitions facility that soldiers are protecting, fighting alongside Krieg Death Korps. It’s the perfect opportunity to become acquainted with Boltgun 2’s more open environments. And these aren’t just open killing fields either. Enemies are set up in destroyed buildings and various pillboxes, using every ounce of advantage they can get. From there, you’ll transition into actual trench warfare, presenting excellent opportunities to charge through and turn enemies into a fine crimson paste – all of this and more before you even reach the munitions facility or the capital.

Boltgun 2 mostly picks up from there, as you venture into a dilapidated prison with claustrophobic corridors and enemies hiding between every sealed cell; navigate blood fortress, sweeping through one moment and gradually discovering a massive threat that awaits below; and perhaps my favorite, venturing into the core of a corrupt moon, navigating a cargo train (and fighting off enemies running parallel to it), and using minecarts to descend further in, splattering any unwilling enemies in the way.

And even if I occasionally had to be reminded where to go, courtesy of the nifty navigation feature, the level design flowed naturally, right down to the Purge sections. Just when I thought Boltgun 2 didn’t have any other tricks up its sleeve, it surprised me with some platforming sections and environmental hazards.

"I’m a bit disappointed that Malum gets one new armament – the Frag Cannon – while the Vengeance Launcher is gone…I’m also not a big fan of how the Heavy Bolter feels when readying it compared to the original."

Yes, much of the progression revolves around the same key-finding gameplay loop that’s defined boomer shooters for decades. However, it rarely feels canned or reduces the action to simply wandering around, trying to find what you need to progress. That said, there are some levels I wasn’t the biggest fan of, namely the first mission of Welcome to the Wilds and the second mission of Breaking the Ice, both featured in the demo conveniently enough. I wouldn’t categorize them as outright bad, but in the grand scheme of purging, there are other levels which feel far beyond them in terms of overarching quality and mechanics.

Did I mention the enemy variety? Because beyond simple grenadiers and foot soldiers, you’ll contend with Daemons, some perfect for cutting down to size with melee strikes and shotgun blasts, and others that require more backing away and kiting to avoid the majority of their damage. Between the Bloodletters, who you’ll be tempted to gun down mid-jumping slash to the Berserkers that you should execute ASAP, lest they become frenzied and much stronger near-death; or the marines whose war projectiles will disorient as phase-shifting Scarab Occult Terminators attempt to gun you down, there are a lot of different threats that mix up the gameplay in compelling ways.

None of this would matter if Boltgun 2 felt horrible to play, but that’s thankfully not the case…for the most part. Both Malum and Nyra feel fantastic to control. The former embodies the weightiness of an Ultramarine and has higher base health (even more than in the demo), while the latter is quicker, has higher base armor (which is still odd) and can slow down time when jumping mid-slide. They leverage the basic premise of forward momentum – where slain enemies will drop bits of health and armor, so the key to survival is slaying out even harder – and feel fun in their own right.

Then there are the weapons. I’m a bit disappointed that Malum gets one new armament – the Frag Cannon – while the Vengeance Launcher is gone. The Meltagun is also different, feeling more like a mid-range beam than the thermal shockwave seen in its predecessor or even Boltgun 1. I’m also not a big fan of how the Heavy Bolter feels when readying it compared to the original. And while many of the new weapons, including the Heavy Flamer and the Stake-Thrower, lay with Nyra, the latter is a bit awkward to use at times. At least the Melta Bomb hits hard enough, though its deployment takes some getting used to.

"It may not rewrite the genre’s rulebook, but as a title that channels so much terrifyingly awesome stuff from its universe, there’s a lot to like and more than a few things that would make the players proud."

With enemy tankiness being a concern in Boltgun 1, the sequel feels better in places. Tearing through foot soldiers with a Boltgun, sometimes a single shot at a time and others requiring two, feels immensely satisfying. It also makes sense that your heaviest weapons were suited to the bigger foes whose lore-accurate power is no joke. Some foes felt like they required a few too many shots to kill, even on Medium difficulty (*cough*Tormentors*cough*), but it didn’t feel overtly egregious. I didn’t venture into the highest difficulty, Exterminatus, but Hard still felt like it adhered to that philosophy of forward momentum, even if tap strafing felt much more essential to survival.

Presentation-wise, and it should come as no surprise, the pixel art still looks phenomenal, and arguably even more so given the wider range of environments that you’ll traverse. Seeing Auroch Digital faithfully translate the Warhammer universe into this art style while keeping that same atmosphere and feel is great. If only the music could match up. No, not the final boss battle, composed by Mick Gordon and utterly fantastic, but the rest of the game, especially with how non-existent it can feel at times.

Despite its shortcomings, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 is a worthy follow-up and deserving of your time, whether you’re a fan of boomer shooters or 40K. It may not rewrite the genre’s rulebook, but as a title that channels so much terrifyingly awesome stuff from its universe, there’s a lot to like and more than a few things that would make the players proud.

This game was reviewed on PC.

"Atari and Digital Eclipse have teamed up once again to bring the beloved licensed platformer to modern platforms"

The original Toy Story 3 came out at the tail end of the era where we would still get multiple discrete versions of a game across different platforms, but despite its name, Complete Edition doesn’t quite compile all of the content from all of those versions into a single, unified package. This remaster is based on Toy Story 3’s PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, which means the exclusive levels and content from the PS2 and PSP versions (which were very good in their own right) and the DS version are MIA here. That is certainly a disappointment, though then again, it’s difficult to imagine a solution to this problem, short of Atari and Digital Eclipse including all versions of the original release in Complete Edition. That said, the previously PS3 exclusive ability to play as Emperor Zurg in the Toy Box mode is included, while Complete Edition also adds four new theme packs to customize the town with in the aforementioned mode, so that’s something. Still, Complete Edition is something of a misnomer here.

Luckily, the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Toy Story 3 weren’t no slouches, which means what is on offer here in Complete Edition has plenty to enjoy, even if the release isn’t quite as comprehensive as some might have hoped. Present and accounted for here are both, the story mode, which tells a version of the movie’s tale, and the Toy Box mode, which lets you freely run around a customizable town full of missions, side missions, collectibles, and more. Both modes also allow players to swap between Woody, Jesse, and Buzz as playable characters, each of whom has their own unique abilities.

"Luckily, the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Toy Story 3 weren’t no slouches, which means what is on offer here in Complete Edition has plenty to enjoy"

Where story mode is concerned, Toy Story 3 functions as a linear platformer with all the bells and whistles of the world of Toy Story. Narratively, the game doesn’t really match up to the highs of the movie it is based on, though that is perhaps an unfair expectation. Toy Story 3 the movie, like other instalments in the franchise, is a benchmark for animation filmmaking as a whole, especially where writing and storytelling are concerned, and that is definitely not something that the game was going for. The game, instead, loosely follows the movie’s story, covering all of its main beats, adding in flourishes of its own, and deliberately skipping over a lot of the details and nuances.

Outside of those obvious narrative deficiencies though, the game does a great job of capturing some of the movie’s best moments and sequences in delightfully crafted platforming levels. From Andy’s room to Sunnyside Daycare and more, Toy Story 3 allows players to roam around in several iconic locations from the movie while navigating fun platforming challenges. The platforming itself never loses its charm, while swapping between Woody, Buzz, and Jesse to overcome different challenges also keeps things interesting.

It has to be said, however, that Toy Story 3 does stumble in some ways that you don’t want to see in a platformer. Movement can often feel floaty and imprecise, while often there’s also input lag, which can lead to unnecessary moments of frustration. The controls can also sometimes feel a little wonky, and all of these problems put together can sometimes get in the way in ways that feel especially grating in what is essentially a platformer. While some may have hoped that at least the most blatant of these issues would have been sanded out in the remastered Complete Edition release, that doesn’t seem to be the case, which is disappointing.

On the other hand, the game does know how to keep players interested as far as gameplay variety is concerned. Moving from level to level is always fun, not only to see what kind of new environment you will find yourself in, but also to experience new kinds of minigames, challenges, and more. From levels focused on Buzz Lightyear’s adventures as a Space Ranger fighting against the evils of Emperor Zurg, to minigames involving horse riding, racing around rooms in Hot Wheels-esque cars, and more, there’s a delightful variety to the activities on offer in Toy Story 3.

"The game does know how to keep players interested as far as gameplay variety is concerned."

And then, of course, there is the Toy Box mode, which I’ve brought up on a couple of occasions. Toy Box serves as a great way to aimlessly run around and tackle compelling and enjoyable optional objectives. You can customize NPCs’ appearances, change what buildings look like, tackle a variety of missions and side missions, and more, all while freely exploring a Wild West styled town. Though not an endlessly replayable mode, Toy Box is certainly a fun distraction. Meanwhile, there are also plenty of collectibles for players to find throughout the game’s offerings, including figures, cards, and more, all of which you can then view in Al’s Toy Store – another fun nod for fans of the movies to appreciate.

In terms of content, then, in spite of the fact that it ignores all but the original game’s PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, Toy Story 3 Complete Edition does pack plenty of punch. It is, of course, also a technical upgrade over the original release, as you’d expect from a remaster. It offers support for up to 4K resolutions and 60 FPS frame rates, though it is, at best, a conservative upgrade. Visually, it looks solid, though that is more down to the charming Toy Story aesthetic than anything else. Meanwhile, though support for 60 FPS is certainly an appreciable step up, I will say that I often ran into situations where the frame rate was buckling visibly. Hopefully that is something that Digital Eclipse and Atari will fix with patches in the coming weeks.

Overall, Toy Story 3 Complete Edition is a conservative upgrade of a solid, beloved diamond in the rough. It is, of course, also a welcome surprise, because a remaster of the Toy Story 3 licensed game wasn’t really something that anyone was expecting (or, truthfully, hoping for). Though it still has the flaws of the original experience and isn’t quite as comprehensive as its name suggests, Complete Edition is a fun, charming, delightful platformer that fans of the Toy Story universe and platforming experiences in general will surely enjoy.

This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.

Planet Zoo 2 makes all the incremental upgrades that you would expect from a sequel of its kind, from an expanded roster of animals and an even greater focus on realism and authenticity to more granular management mechanics and improved visuals, among other things. At the same time, of course, there are also a handful of headlining changes and improvements that the overall experience builds itself on.

"It’s no shock, then, that expectations have been high from the studio’s latest outing"

For instance, in addition to constructing, expanding, and managing zoos, you will now also be overseeing nature reserves. Planet Zoo 2 admirably shines a spotlight on wildlife and nature conservation as one of its main pillars, and nature reserves lead the charge on that front. Reserves task you with overseeing large, natural parcels of land where animals can exist in their natural habitats without any human intervention whatsoever. You can release animals of your choosing from your global network of zoos into reserves, which you can then freely explore on foot or in research buggies.

Creating and managing different ecosystems to suit the different needs of all of your animals is a fun part of nature reserves, while it is, of course, also always enjoyable to drive your buggy around reserves and simply observing (and taking pictures of) animals out in the wild. That said, I do think this aspect of the experience feels a little underbaked. Other than editing the terrain to create new ecosystems and leisurely driving around to look at and photograph animals, there’s not much to do. There aren’t many management mechanics to speak of here, which means there’s little depth in gameplay, too.

When it comes to the zoos themselves, the management mechanics are much more what you would expect from a game of this kind. You’ll be hiring and managing your zoo’s staff, ranging from keepers and vets to mechanics and more; you’ll be worrying over guest satisfaction, and ensuring that your zoos provide the kind of entertainment, comfort, and educational satisfaction that paying guests are looking for; you’ll be prioritizing the health and happiness of your animals, and ensuring that all of their needs are being met. Planet Zoo 2 builds on all of the foundations of its predecessor to allow players an even greater degree of control over all aspects imaginable of their zoos- from the animals to the entry prices, from the amenities to the staff, from the prices at the hot dog stands and gift shops to so, so much more. To the age-old Zoo Tycoon fan in me, there’s definitely a lot to love here.

Given Frontier Developments’ pedigree and legacy, it’s not exactly a surprise that Planet Zoo 2 boasts the sort of systemic and mechanical depth that it does. It is disappointing, however, that where its controls and user interface are concerned, it can often be a bit of a mess. The UI is often difficult to read, the screen is frequently cluttered by an excess of icons and options, and navigating all of those options is frequently far from intuitive.

"To the age-old Zoo Tycoon fan in me, there’s definitely a lot to love here."

I’ve been playing Planet Zoo 2 on the PS5, and I obviously understand that consoles aren’t the best place to play this genre- but Planet Zoo 2 feels like a game that has entirely ignored all of the steps forward that the genre has made with console controls and interfaces over the years. Frontier Developments’ own Jurassic World Evolution games are wonderfully readable and surprisingly accessible experiences even when played with controllers, so it’s baffling to see Planet Zoo 2 making the sort of mistakes that it does. This is a game that keeps getting in its own way- more than a few times, thanks to the finnicky controls and poorly designed UI, I found myself struggling to get through even the most basic of tasks.

A major step that Planet Zoo 2 does successfully take forward is with the addition of fully aquatic or flying breeds of animals. You’re now allowed to build aviaries with dedicated roofs to keep the birds in their exhibits, as well as aquatic exhibits (or, for the smaller species of animals, smaller exhibits in the forms of aquariums and terrariums), while additional customization options are also available, including nests, perches, underwater options, and more. Between the healthy variety on display with the roster of available animals and the level of customization, these new options feel like a valuable addition, allowing players yet more freedom in expression in how they customize their zoos.

All of that is, as you would expect, best enjoyed in the sandbox mode. Planet Zoo 2’s sandbox mode is where the game is at its best, with players being allowed to mess around with its full suite of creation and customization tools with as little (or as many) restrictions as they want. The career mode, however, is a different story. In essence, the mode functions as little more than a set of tutorials to get players used to the game’s core systems and mechanics, as well as some of its biggest changes from the first game. Unfortunately, however, there’s little to be impressed by here. Objectives are usually rote and uninteresting, and can often feel like busywork. Especially when compared to the campaigns in the Jurassic World Evolution and Planet Coaster games, what’s on offer here feels disappointingly simplistic and straightforward.

"Planet Zoo 2’s sandbox mode is where the game is at its best"

Planet Zoo 2 is also an inconsistent experience from a technical perspective. There’s absolutely no doubting that this is an impressive and immediately noticeable step up over the first game. The seven year gap between the two instalments is clear to see on-screen, in everything from the more detailed environments and gorgeous animal models to the mesmerizing and highly authentic animations that virtually every single species in the game boasts.

At the same time, however, the game also suffers from some significant technical deficiencies. For starters, load times are quite long when hopping from location to location, especially in career mode- which isn’t something that I have been used to criticizing games for in the PS5 era. I have also encountered a few frame rate drops here and there, though most egregiously, there have been a handful of bugs that have either soft-locked progression, or outright blocked progress and forced me to restart the career mode from the very beginning- the latter, in fact, has happened to me multiple times in the time that I have spent with the game so far. Frontier Developments does admittedly have a history of putting out games that are a little rough around the edges at launch, though Planet Zoo 2 feels like one of their rougher releases in a while. Hopefully, fixes are coming soon, and many of them, because several of these issues can actively get in the way of your enjoyment as things stand right now.

Overall, Planet Zoo 2 is an uneven experience. It boasts engaging management mechanics, and the animals – who are, of course, the stars of the show – look better than ever. But though there’s plenty to like here, especially in terms of the layered systems and mechanics, some glaring issues also stand out- like the half baked execution of nature reserves, or the cluttered and unintuitive UI, or the many glitches and bugs that hamper the experience. Planet Zoo 2 has most of the pieces in place to be a worthy follow up to its beloved predecessor, but for now, there’s a lot here that players might find difficult to overlook.

This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.

Toy Story: Retro Roundup offers moments of both. This collection brings together a selection of games based on Pixar’s iconic animated franchise, alongside A Bug’s Life and a few additional extras too.

"Having grown up playing these games, I was curious to see how they held up nearly thirty years later."

Having grown up playing these games, I was curious to see how they held up nearly thirty years later. Now that I have a one-year-old son who also loves Toy Story, there’s an additional layer to revisiting these titles from an adult perspective. Unfortunately, while there’s plenty of nostalgia here, the actual quality of enjoyment varies wildly as you go through the different releases, and the collection’s presentation could also be smoother.

The original Toy Story for Game Boy is a particularly rough experience to revisit in 2026. The game feels very primitive. Once you settle into its rhythm, there is a serviceable side-scrolling platform game here, but the gameplay is basic, the visuals are quite ugly in widescreen, and the input lag is hard to get used to.

"These are still products of their time, and anyone expecting actual fluidity or sophistication like that of a modern platformer will be disappointed."

Seeing older games like this being preserved and made available for the current generation is great, but it’s difficult to imagine many players willingly spending much time with this version when better alternatives are available in the same collection.

Thankfully, the Sega Genesis and SNES versions are more enjoyable. After playing the Game Boy version, they almost feel modern by comparison. They’re decent enough games once you find your rhythm, even if neither version is up to par with the best platformers of the era.

These are still products of their time, and anyone expecting actual fluidity or sophistication like that of a modern platformer will be disappointed. Nevertheless, there’s enough here to make them worthwhile for hardcore Toy Story fans, particularly those interested in seeing how the games evolved as gaming hardware became more powerful.

The highlight of Retro Roundup is undoubtedly Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue on PS1. It still holds up remarkably well, offering a charming 3D platforming adventure that remains fun to play more than 25 years after its original release.

A variety of environments helps keep the game feeling fresh as you play through it, even when the actual gameplay mechanics begin to feel a bit stale. Exploring each area, completing the list of objectives and collecting hidden items provides a satisfying rhythm.

Sadly, the camera is still a nightmare to contend with. It’s one of those unfortunate reminders of how much 3D platformers have evolved since the PS1 era, and there are moments when the camera makes navigating the environment far more frustrating than it should be. Even so, the platforming feels a lot more forgiving than I remember it being 27 years ago.

The fact that actual voice acting is a feature here makes it feel like even more of an upgrade over the first Toy Story game. Many of the characters feel authentic to their movie counterparts, although it is pretty obvious which actors returned and which were replaced by soundalikes. The cast members who do return help preserve the connection to Pixar’s previously established universe, making this title feel like more than just a lazy licensed game.

"The fact that actual voice acting is a feature here makes it feel like even more of an upgrade over the first Toy Story game."

On a sidenote, this was also my one-year-old son’s favourite game in the collection. There’s something pretty special about revisiting a childhood favourite while watching your own child enjoy the same characters, even if he isn’t quite old enough to appreciate the finer points of its platforming mechanics.

The Game Boy Colour version is a different proposition altogether. It’s fascinating to see how developers once created entirely different games for different platforms rather than simply scaling down the same release. As a piece of gaming history, its inclusion is interesting. However, I’m not convinced many people were clamouring for the opportunity to revisit this particular version on modern consoles.

Buzz Lightyear of Star Command on PS1 is another enjoyable inclusion, although it doesn’t quite reach the level of quality of Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue. Its art style is distinctive, and its weapon-based gameplay feels like an early glimpse of ideas that would later become familiar in games such as Jak and Daxter and Ratchet & Clank.

The Game Boy Colour version is considerably less fun to revisit. While its colour palette is pleasant on the eyes, the moment-to-moment gameplay simply isn’t much fun, making this another release that’s difficult to recommend beyond the novelty of having it preserved.

Toy Story Racer was entirely new to me, so I approached it without the same nostalgic attachment as the other games. Thankfully, I found it to be decent fun. It isn’t the best kart racer on PS1 by a long shot, but the gameplay loop is enjoyable. I enjoyed that it actually felt quite challenging to master but the Rewind feature does make it a lot more forgiving when you make a mistake, which saves you having to restart the whole race.

The Game Boy Colour version is another pleasant surprise. Its 2D perspective takes a little getting used to, but there’s still some enjoyment to be found here. Its inclusion means that not every handheld adaptation in the collection is a complete write-off.

Finally, there’s A Bug’s Life, which I had never played before. The PS1 version shares a few similarities to Toy Story 2 in terms of its gameplay, but it doesn’t quite match the same level of enjoyment. With that said, it is still a welcome bonus.

"Buzz Lightyear of Star Command on PS1 is another enjoyable inclusion"

The Game Boy Colour version is not quite as welcome. It’s another example of how difficult some of these older releases can be to enjoy today. While its inclusion here adds to the value of the overall package, the gameplay is tough to stomach in 2026.

There’s a fascinating snapshot of licensed gaming history here, but jumping between such wildly different experiences can feel jarring. Some games remain genuinely enjoyable, while others are better appreciated as historical curiosities.

One of Toy Story: Retro Roundup‘s biggest strengths is the sheer amount of content included. With the inclusion of multiple games spanning different platforms, additional material such as cool concept art to look at, and that sweet hit of pure nostalgia, there’s plenty here that makes the asking price feel worthwhile.

Rex’s Cheat Codes are also fun to play with. These allow the player to select any level from each game from the outset, removing the need to replay entire sections of a game just to revisit a specific moment. It is a simple quality-of-life improvement, but one that makes a meaningful difference when revisiting games that were originally designed around the technical limitations of their time.

The Rewind function is also a fun addition. It effectively turns these games into Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, allowing you to undo mistakes rather than being punished for every misstep. It’s particularly useful when dealing with some of the more frustrating platforming sections, and it makes the collection more approachable without fundamentally changing the original games.

Not all of the additional features are as pleasant though. The CRT filter is enabled by default, and frankly, it’s horrendous to look at. I understand the appeal of recreating the look of an old television, but making this the default experience feels like a baffling decision. My advice is to switch it off immediately and enable widescreen. Neither option magically transforms these games into modern releases, but the results are considerably more visually appealing.

"The Rewind function is also a fun addition."

It does leave me wondering whether the filter being enabled by default was a choice made to help hide the primitive feel of the original visuals. These are old games, and nobody expects them to look cutting-edge, but the collection could have added a lick of paint to make them less off-putting to play on modern displays.

The audio in places is also disappointing. Movie clips and cutscenes still suffer from compressed sound that can peak and become fuzzy. It’s a shame that this issue hasn’t been addressed, particularly when the films’ dialogue and music are such an important part of the experience.

None of these problems makes the games unplayable. Technically, the collection is functionally sound, and having all these releases available on PS5 in one package is far from a bad thing. If you grew up with these games, there’s genuine value in revisiting them through a modern lens. Toy Story 2 on PS1 remains the standout, while Toy Story Racer and Buzz Lightyear of Star Command provide enjoyable diversions.

I do wonder how much appeal these games will have for younger players accustomed to more contemporary releases. My son might love Toy Story, but that doesn’t necessarily mean every game based on those characters will hold his attention.

Ultimately, Toy Story: Retro Roundup succeeds as a preservation effort. It’s great to have these games playable on modern consoles in one convenient package. There’s plenty of content here, and some of it remains genuinely enjoyable, but a little more care could have turned a fun nostalgia trip into something even more special.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

Mafia 3: Definitive Edition for PS5’s latest update sharpens up the visuals and brings a new layer of polish to a title where things could get quite janky.

I booted up the PS4 version just before I dove into the PS5 version, and those limitations were so easy to find. The lighting would often fail to keep up with the rendering, leaving sections of buildings noticeably darker than the rest of the structure for a couple of seconds. The grass under Lincoln’s feet would render in real time as he walked alongside it, making it look like he had some weird command over nature aside from his extensive training as a Vietnam Special Forces veteran.

Well, I’m happy to say that the PS5 version of Definitive Edition does well to iron out all those little problems, while delivering 60 fps that works wonders on the gameplay front. Speeding along a highway with Bad Moon Rising blaring on the radio brought back fond memories of my first playthrough, while the responsive driving made it just as enjoyable this time around. That many such moments were waiting for me as I played along with a story I’m quite familiar with by this point is a testament to how well the franchise has managed to withstand the test of time. The much shorter loading times are also a welcome improvement, making it quicker to get back into the action.

It does bear mentioning that the story in Mafia 3 was a heavy hitter back in the day, and is probably even more potent ten years later. Lincoln’s story isn’t afraid to dive into some dark material, and is certainly something you’re going to want to do some homework on if you’re a first-timer and are affected by violent or sensitive material.

It’s a roller-coaster, and a critique of how a life in organized crime can be hard to leave once it pulls you in, a sentiment that Lincoln echoes with grim determination and almost zealous fervor as he seeks to remove the corrupting influence of the man responsible for the deaths of his adoptive family.

It might sound like a revenge story on paper, but every examination of Lincoln and his enemies comes with so much nuance that you find yourself challenged to place anybody into a simple good-or-bad category, as the choices each character makes at any given moment are directly influenced by circumstances that make them feel like either choice is a road to further suffering for themselves or their loved ones. Everybody’s human and fallible in a story where the slightest mistake can come with serious consequences for those involved, and you feel empathy for people who make horrible decisions under the strain of the situation.

New Bordeaux’s size isn’t the limit of Hangar 13’s ambitions in Mafia 3, and the story might have had a few players who didn’t appreciate what it was trying to do back in the day thanks to the departure from the franchise’s established narrative premise, but it’s still one that showcases how it handled a shift in perspective without losing any of the narrative flair that lent it a unique identity among action games.

It helps, then, that the gameplay is well-served by that story. Lincoln’s military background immediately makes him a very believable protagonist for the kind of story this game is telling, and his proficiency in combat makes him a threat anybody should take very seriously. It’s great that his unique expertise is constantly reinforced even as he’s often faced with odds that would deter any other lone wolf. It makes his crusade to take over organized crime feel more engaging as a result.

However, the heady combination of stealth and cover-based shooting on offer has always been among the best features of this game, and that continues to be the case this time around. With that being said, your mileage with the game’s open world design is going to vary based on how much you enjoy the way its missions and side content are structured. It’s a loop that typically has you gathering information on a target, disrupting their operations, and eventually confronting them.

You assign captured rackets and districts to your underbosses, who help Lincoln maintain control over his growing criminal empire. I was personally okay with the grind thanks to how well it’s been framed and contextualized by the narrative, but I can see many of you dropping off thanks to how repetitive it becomes, especially if you’ve already played through the game before. It was a problem in the original game, and is one that’s sadly outside the scope of the current-gen update’s improvements.

"It’s a shame that, despite the narrative context and enjoyable mechanics, the underlying activities remain so repetitive, and I’d have certainly liked to see some variety on that front."

That’s because while the activities themselves are dressed up in differing contexts and situations, they largely come down to visiting a place, selecting a loadout from an Arms Dealer, and using either stealth or an all-guns-blazing approach to achieve your goals in there, rinse and repeat.

It’s a shame that, despite the narrative context and enjoyable mechanics, the underlying activities remain so repetitive, and I’d have certainly liked to see some variety on that front. However, this isn’t a remake, and that would be asking too much of an update that’s aimed at addressing other, specific issues.

Yes, you do get access to an ever-expanding set of tools, each of which can add interesting wrinkles to the existing gameplay loop, but the repetitive activities can outstay their welcome despite those additions if you’re the type who likes a bit of variety thrown into the mix. Still, it’s easy to see how the routine that Mafia 3 does place you into is a lot of fun from moment to moment.

Of course, it’s where the improved framerate shines best, as it’s made lining up headshots or manoeuvres in traffic look and feel a lot better. That’s obviously a big plus to the gameplay, and this is an excellent way to experience Mafia 3 if you’re looking to catch up on what you’ve missed from the franchise over the years. The changes also extend to the NPC AI, which is noticeably better than what was in the original release.

My time in the PS4 version had me clocking NPCs who would dive out of the way of my car even though I was nowhere near them to pose a threat, while enemies would run straight into my line of fire on the game’s easier modes.

Known issues around NPC behaviour, sometimes being the biggest obstacle in Lincoln’s way, have also been addressed in a long list of patch notes. I did find my companions were more stable in missions where they accompanied Lincoln for the most part, while NPCs on the street reacted way more believably to my speeding sports car when the situation called for it.

The result is an experience that looks and feels so smooth in action, while benefiting from the native PS5 version’s adaptive triggers on vehicle pedals and weapons, along with the hardware’s improved capabilities that see the lighting system finally feel like what it was supposed to be all those years ago. There’s tangibly different resistance on your triggers between vehicle and weapon types now, and it makes driving and combat even more immersive as a result.

"The cover-based gunplay is the best it’s ever been too, and Lincoln can seem overpowered quite quickly once you get the combat’s rhythm down."

The Definitive Edition continues to include all of the game’s DLC in one package.

The cover-based gunplay is the best it’s ever been too, and Lincoln can seem overpowered quite quickly once you get the combat’s rhythm down. That takes away a lot of the original release’s friction while improving areas of the experience that players directly interact with or look at in-game.

Reflections off the paint of your car, or from puddles on the ground in rainy weather, are excellent, moving along with the camera to make New Bordeaux a very pretty place indeed. Mafia 3 was an already stunning title even with those visual issues, and having them more or less erased makes Lincoln’s world even more alluring as a result. The grass and foliage were all ready and waiting for me in this version, while the world’s cinematic quality was brought out astoundingly well, just as it’s always been with the franchise.

Rays of light now feel authentically recreated in the game, their glow emphasizing the scene they illuminate, and the results are stunning. Exploring the city means you’re more than likely to just stop and take in the sights, and walking the streets is also viable thanks to so many well-written conversations between the city’s residents for you to listen to.

The soundtrack’s a definite highlight of the experience, and always has been. I was as annoyed about having to step out of my car right in the middle of an absolute banger on the radio in the latest version as I was in the original. Some minor issues from the original game do persist, though, such as repetitive enemy dialogue. There were instances of NPCs jaywalking right in front of the same cops who are willing to chase you down at the slightest provocation with nary a reaction from them, while I was expected to follow traffic rules lest I risk a chase or confrontation. That broke the spell for me a little, and it happened often enough for it to be an annoyance. There was also a bit of pop-in that’s going to be there for those of you looking hard enough for it. Each of these little issues reminds you that this title’s a decade old from time to time.

The mission structure also hurts the pacing. Systematically weakening each target’s operations before confronting them can stall the story’s momentum, particularly when the required activities become repetitive.

"With all of the bug fixes that the patch notes have detailed, along with the update’s polish and visual tweaks, this is the version of Mafia 3: Definitive Edition that I’d recommend without a moment’s hesitation."

It could be an obstacle to your enjoyment of a story that does well to justify the grind it demands of you, but how well you’re able to fall into that loop is a matter of personal taste.

With all of the bug fixes that the patch notes have detailed, along with the update’s polish and visual tweaks, this is the version of Mafia 3: Definitive Edition that I’d recommend without a moment’s hesitation if you’re looking to experience the game for the first time. It’s a title that feels like a current-gen version of the original game, but doesn’t iron out the fundamental issues that held it back from true greatness the first time.

Nevertheless, it’s a title that hits hard and encourages you to do the same to some very bad people. And with all its new improvements, it’s now the finest it’s ever been.

This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.

The biggest improvements are in building and combat, where more accessible construction tools and new unlockable attacks expand what players can do.

Before we get into all of these, however, it is also worth noting that the core of Enshrouded hasn’t really changed too much. You’re still going to spend much of your time with the game gathering resources and building up new structures with the aim of hopefully attracting some NPCs to live in your settlement. This acts as one of the core methods of progression, with more NPCs arriving also opening up more crafting options. As part of your typical exploration activities, you’ll also need to venture into the eponymous shroud every now and then to get your hands on some of the rarer materials, and in the process, you might even take on a boss or two, giving you access to better gear. Not much has changed in this regard.

"Even the co-op systems have been bolstered thanks to the addition of Adventure Sharing"

Rather, Keen Games has taken an additive approach to Enshrouded. Sticking to its core vision, the studio has expanded the game in several ways across just about every single one of its gameplay aspects. Fans of the combat could find more dungeons to explore and enemies to fight, while those who liked roaming around would get access to new biomes and sub-biomes, each with their own set of challenges. And for players who prefer the cozy game aspects like gathering and building, updates brought in new pieces that could help you get your home’s design just right.

Even the co-op systems have been bolstered thanks to the addition of Adventure Sharing – essentially an easier way for friends to spend time together by sharing worlds to a community server. Through this system, players can easily find each others’ world, or even team up together to explore an entirely different player’s world that might have been shared just to show off their cool buildings.

Enshrouded has also managed to further build on what made it unique when compared to other open-world survival crafting games. Rather than its world being randomly generated, Enshrouded instead puts you into a beautiful hand-crafted world, complete with NPC settlements where you can get more details on the story, deep dungeons to dive into where you can take on bosses and get loot, and even other niceties like fast travel points to make traveling around a less arduous affair.

The reworked skill tree gives combat more variety, particularly in the melee build I focused on. You now get better-balanced upgrades as you level up which offer a mix of passive stat upgrades and active abilities. Having spent most of my time with the game focused entirely on melee combat, I had plenty of fun once I started unlocking options that allowed me to extend my combos with unique attacks like an upward slash, for example. Similarly, the skill tree also offers options for ranged combat, magic wands, staves, and even heavy 2-handed weapons for those among us who prefer to go the berserker route.

"The layer of strategy gets further expanded thanks to the number of buffs you can stack up from various sources"

The combat is at its best when you’re facing down an epic boss. Enshrouded features several scattered throughout the world, each of which has their own unique movesets and weaknesses. The expanded toolkit handed to players through the skill tree means that you now have plenty of ways to deal with, for example, the Fell Monstrosity’s Shroud Breath ability, letting you quickly do a dodge attack to its side. On the defensive side of things, you’re given the options to block, parry, or dodge, all of which tend to be incredibly useful when the Fell Wispwyvern surrounds you with its Fell Beetles.

All of these options are on full display in moment-to-moment gameplay, with the combat feeling fluid while still maintaining a level of required strategy and tactics since you’ll also have to deal with your stamina when you attack, dodge, or block. The layer of strategy gets further expanded thanks to the number of buffs you can stack up from various sources, be it the design of your home, the food you eat, or the gear you wear.

Despite being a survival crafting game, Enshrouded can often feel like an open-world RPG instead. Sure, you still have to build your own settlements so that you can craft new gear, but once you’ve got a home base set up, you can choose to simply never look back and explore the realm. However, if you actually want to progress through the main story, you’ll still need to occasionally create more buildings to house NPCs, who in turn can give you quests that guide you to your next locations.

The building system might seem relatively simple at first glance – you simply enter build mode and start putting down structures. However, the fact that the system is versatile and free-form enough to allow you to build elaborate structures with the only major constraint being the materials you have on you are what make it fun. You also get plenty of tools to later the landscape itself, shaping the very land around you to better fit your architectural dreams. In a way, Enshrouded essentially builds upon the already-great systems we’ve seen in games like Valheim by giving players greater control over the area around their structures.

"The building system might seem relatively simple at first glance"

Speaking of which, some of the more noteworthy new additions to the game since its initial release were zones like the swamp region – Blackmire. It offered a major change in scenery since much of Enshrouded is otherwise made up of rolling hills and mountains, and it also helped that Blackmire never really overstays its welcome, since you never really have to go back there after wrapping up its story if you don’t want to. Similarly, the Albaneve Summits also offered a refreshing new zone to explore, giving the mountains of Enshrouded some much-needed variety.

Outside of the change in scenery, these new zones also tend to feature their own smaller stories that can result in a variety of things, be it an encounter with a brand-new NPC, or an epic fight against a dragon on the top of a mountain. The Blackmire holds a special place in my heart since that’s where I got the skill point that would let me truly master my one-handed weapons. Just about every zone in the game is littered with quests and points of interest that can result in gear, materials, NPCs, and even skill points.

One aspect where Keen Games has decided to not expand too heavily on is the story of Enshrouded. It’s still there, and there are certainly more quests to take on that will help you fight ferocious beasts like dragons. However, the story still remains fairly light, with the quests acting as ways to encourage you to explore new zones, build new things, and dive into new dungeons. There is, on the other hand, plenty of worldbuilding to hunt down, which gives you a better idea of what the world was like before the mysterious shroud engulfed the lands and made even the simple act of traveling to the town a dangerous affair.

A major complaint I’ve had during my time with Enshrouded revolves around one of its newest features – Sparkworks. Described by Keen Games itself as Enshrouded’s take on Minecraft’s Redstone, the system is designed to allow players the ability to create complex mechanical systems. While Sparkworks shows a tremendous amount of potential in this regard, the system also feels fairly complicated, and as is the case with Redstone in some cases, you’ll need to wrap your head around engineering concepts like AND/NAND gates to get real use out of them. That is, of course, assuming that you want to do more with Sparkworks than simply have a switch that can open a trap door.

"One aspect where Keen Games has decided to not expand too heavily on is the story"

The system essentially works by allowing you to craft new Sparkworks gear that can then be used to create circuits and wires throughout your base. Aside from simple contraptions like a pressure plate that can open a trapdoor, Sparkworks can also be used to create more complex machinery like intricate elevators and traps. Since the system includes support for logic gates, the sky is essentially the limit, and I don’t think we’ll have to wait too long before someone is able to create a full-fledged computer in Enshrouded like we’ve seen previously happen in Minecraft. It is worth noting that, while the complexity of the system isn’t necessarily a flaw in and of itself, the fact that it requires the player to understand things outside of the game – like how circuits work and how they can be broken – that aren’t quite clearly tutorialized in the game itself that form the crux of my criticism here.

When it comes to performance, Enshrouded did quite well, running at more than 100 FPS on a PC with an AMD Ryzen 7800X3D CPU, 32 GB of RAM, and a Radeon RX 7800XT GPU. Playing at a native resolution of 2560×1440, I was able to max out essentially every graphics setting in the game without facing adverse effects on my frame rate. Much of the Early Access period has also gone into improving the title’s general performance, since I also never experienced even minor hitches once the game was done with preloading shader caches.

Enshrouded leaves Early Access with more varied combat and a broader range of zones and dungeons that make exploring Embervale more rewarding. And if you’re worried that all of these changes mean that the survival crafting aspects have been left behind, you have nothing to worry about. Enshrouded has only further refined what was already a phenomenal freeform building system by making it more accessible with, for example, giving the player the ability to fly while building, and tuning the material costs. In what some might call its “finished” state, Enshrouded feels like one of the best survival crafting games in the market right now.

This game was reviewed on PC.

But as much as Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse looks like a new entry in the series, with visuals evoking a wonderfully macabre sensation, and as much as it stuffs in familiar enemy types, tropes or weapons, it’s a different beast entirely. Developed by Dead Cells and The Rogue Prince of Persia studio Evil Empire with Konami, the pairing feels like a dream come true, especially after the Return to Castlevania DLC.

At its heart, this is an entertaining game, one that combines the developer’s penchant for faster, more aggressive combat and challenging traversal with the property’s old-school trappings of exploration and backtracking. It has several flaws that keep it from reaching the level of its side-scrolling ancestors, but far from a terrible night to have a curse, Belmont or no, this could serve as a solid new beginning for the franchise’s future.

"When thinking of a Castlevania game, or really any title in the Metroidvania genre, two things come to mind: Level design and tempo."

Though set after the events of Castlevania 3: Dracula’s Curse, the narrative threads Belmont’s Curse picks up will be more familiar to those who watched the Netflix series (though there are some ties to older games). After vanquishing Dracula years ago, Trevor Belmont travels to Paris in 1499 as a deadly plague sweeps through the city. Of course, he’s not alone – his daughter, Rose, is along for the journey. While he gathers more information, she explores the streets and learns more about a monster stalking the population. One thing leads to another, and before long, we return to Castlevania itself.

From a narrative perspective, Belmont’s Curse starts pretty solidly. Rose embodies a more tortured role owing to the curse in her right arm, but otherwise comes off as fine. Not overtly bland, but otherwise straight as an arrow when she’s not acting headstrong. Of course, you have the usual rogue’s gallery, whether it’s the out-of-control Fallen or the illicit Carmilla, and the interactions can be intriguing.

Other characters emerge throughout the narrative and, without revealing spoilers, “accompany” Rose in a unique manner, occasionally chiming in. While one or two voices feel about right, things can go a little overboard when it’s four or more. It’s not so much that they’re trying to tell you where to go or what ability to use in the heat of combat, but some of these conversations feel unnecessary and there for the sake of it, especially as they continually remind Rose of her curse. Your mileage may vary, but I would have made them a bit more sporadic.

When thinking of a Castlevania game, or really any title in the Metroidvania genre, two things come to mind: Level design and tempo. Belmont’s Curse, from the outset, has some pretty interesting levels. The Paris streets, decadent and decaying, are distinguished from the underground sewers in their carnage. Meanwhile, the Catacombs feel more claustrophobic, brimming with trips and opportunities to slip up. All this pales in comparison to Dracula’s Castle, where said gimmicks feel more intertwined in the level design. The constellation puzzles in the Library; the gears and crushing blocks of the Clock Tower; even the Main Hall with its portraits that can propel in different directions. Each feels distinct in its own right, even as you grapple, quite literally at times, with the tempo.

"While this requires a well-timed button press, it also works by holding down the attack button…well, except when it explicitly doesn’t, during which she’ll propel off the target and can follow up with regular attacks."

Because when you pick up that second innate ability that lets you pass through certain blocks and parry attacks – which we’ll get to – Belmont’s Curse pretty much throws you in the deep end. Suddenly, you’re having to wall jump while timing when you can pass through said blocks and when they should remain solid. Occasionally, it feels about right, and you’re in that flow state, but at other points, you need to nail the exact, precise steps the game demands – and it demands its fair share – to progress. No excuses.

It can become frustrating, especially if you’re off by a hair with your execution. This makes backtracking through certain sections feel like a pain. You would think the developer would implement fast travel, and it does…to an extent. Rather than, say, letting you teleport between the save rooms, which aren’t that numerous as is, the fast travel rooms are usually located much farther apart. Because why tediously revisit older areas to see if you can progress with new abilities when you can also tediously revisit them to fast travel somewhere else? I also hope you like leveling up for small boosts to attack and defense but no max HP increase, since you need to collect four Brave Hearts (and Wise Hearts for MP). At least you can acquire temporary potions, even if they’re gone as soon as you hit a save room.

And much of that has to do with Rose’s movement as a whole. From the outset, she can slide – good for getting behind enemies and dodging some attacks – but its consistency can really trip you up at times. You can slide through some enemies but not others, and i-frame some attacks but not others. And the cooldown before you can execute another slide feels long at times, especially given the overall increased speed of combat.

After obtaining the Arcane Whip fairly early, Rose can grapple enemies and execute a whip attack. While this requires a well-timed button press, it also works by holding down the attack button…well, except when it explicitly doesn’t, during which she’ll propel off the target and can follow up with regular attacks. Which isn’t as bad as the dual blades’ whip attack sending you off to Narnia at times – a nightmare when trying to navigate environments with too many traps and other hazards.

The wind-up and direction of grappling can take some getting used to, and even then, there were some awkward interactions where I grappled onto an enemy that felt way out of reach.

"The boss fights, despite not being as plentiful as I would have liked, all feel unique, testing your mobility, awareness and execution in equal measure without seeming unfair or cheap."

Combat otherwise feels good, even if the choice of weaponry is very limited (but we’ll get to that), but alongside the movement, it’s why I have a hard time drawing a one-to-one comparison with older titles or even Dead Cells because the flow is unlike either. It’s not trying to be methodical like older Castlevania titles, hence the whip attacks and sliding.

However, it’s also not trying to be like Dead Cells, where you’ll leverage the environment – be it wall-running, dropping through floors, and seamlessly rolling – to outmaneuver foes. When fighting bosses or a few enemies, it works well enough. Grappling onto a foe with the spear to stab them and kick off, or parrying combined with sliding for slower attacks feels nice. The boss fights, despite not being as plentiful as I would have liked, all feel unique, testing your mobility, awareness and execution in equal measure without seeming unfair or cheap.

The problem is when entering over-stuffed combat rooms, not just because of the projectile spam but because they have hooks and other gimmicks that interfere with your grappling and whip attacks. The sheer number of projectiles becomes even more obnoxious since you can parry one attack and immediately get hit by another due to the ability’s internal cooldown.

Then there’s the weapon progression. There are only seven weapons, and you’ll earn them fairly quickly. Each one feels distinct and fun to use, even if some aren’t as well-suited for certain situations as others. For example, you might want to swap the two-handed heavy sword for a one-hander or even a cestus, since its whip attack can propel you straight down into some spikes. But once you’ve gathered all seven weapons, you’ll find upgraded versions of them in chests in later areas.

Obviously, you’ll want to use them because they deal more damage, but you’re effectively handicapped if it’s not a preferred weapon type or suited to a certain region. The way they’re doled out is also baffling. One chest involves navigating an infuriating jumping puzzle to unlock a gate…which contains a timed switch. You must hit the switch, then traverse through the jumping puzzle again…just for tier 2 dual blades. When you could have just skipped it and done a more straightforward section for a tier 2 spear, or, heck, wander into a room and find a tier 3 heavy sword lying around.

"Even with all these complaints, Belmont’s Curse still makes a strong case for a solid foundation on which future titles can thrive."

Finally, there’s the Arcana, which acts as Rose’s secondary abilities. They’re obtained from defeating bosses, and as you complete different challenges, they can be upgraded. Overall, I like the selection on offer, whether it’s sending out waves of fire in both directions or spikes that inflict bleed (which also serve to drop you suddenly to the ground on activation). However, this can be a problem as well, such as the Arcana’s animation starting to play and even consuming your Mana, but it won’t actually go off when hit by an enemy, putting you at a disadvantage. Which is all the more annoying when using it while having the Artifact that periodically freezes enemies who hit you.

As many complaints as I have about Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, its various elements can come together fairly well. It’s just that several of them don’t feel consistently great, oscillating between fun and frustrating, seemingly on a whim (not that there’s an excuse for the backtracking). The art direction and music are consistently great, even if some tracks feel more fitting of The Rogue Prince of Persia than Castlevania. There are also some baffling performance drops when scanning through the map. At the very least, whether swinging from pillar to post or engaging a gigantic boss and narrowly avoiding its attacks, the frame rate is fairly solid.

Even with all these complaints, Belmont’s Curse still makes a strong case for a solid foundation on which future titles can thrive. But after years of waiting for a new Castlevania, especially one that returns to the series’ 2D roots, I was hoping for something more than just good, especially given the sheer quality of Metroidvania games nowadays.

This game was reviewed on PS5.