Capcom’s long-awaited sci-fi action-adventure - announced in 2020, delayed indefinitely in 2023, finally here and better than expected. The primary draw is obviously the hacking-grid-while-in-combat mechanic: it sounds fiddly but works surprisingly well in practice, and the game layers in new ideas at a good clip. The dialogue is a bit on-the-nose and the story hits familiar beats, but it’s well-paced, short, and the collectables are genuinely fun to chase. After playing the demo I didn’t expect to get much more out of this, but really glad to’ve been proven wrong.

My search for a monster-hunting game I actually enjoy, regrettably, continues. Clearly, plenty of people love the heavy, sluggish movement and combat - some might even like the characters and story. But for me, everything is just too hard in all the wrong ways. The difficulty itself is fine, but every action feels like wading through mud: the sheer effort required to do anything - progress quests, rush through lifeless dialogue, and of course the combat - are just draining, not engaging. And, like always with this franchise, hunting feels more like an endurance test than an actual thrill.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 continues the legacy of its predecessor with expansive open-world exploration and super dynamic combat. I would’ve liked a bit more enemy variety, and the overall narrative is slightly underwhelming, but neither materially impacted my enjoyment. It certainly has its quirks, but after giving myself over to it, I experienced a sense of adventure not felt since BOTW or Elden Ring.

I’m not a fighting games expert, but SF6 is pretty to look at and fun to play. By all accounts, also manages to bring some balance and spirit back to the franchise, appeasing newcomers and pros alike.

A new vision for the franchise, retaining all the self-aware clichés and insufferable characterisation. Gameplay wise, silly & super fun. Bonkers atmosphere and world. Bosses are sometimes a letdown.

A simplified and more arcadey MH:W. Combat feels a bit more dynamic, navigation and traversal is easier/better, story is still mediocre. A good port considering its origins, and a pretty good game.

Distills the tenets of the franchise and starts fresh with the foundations of terror in a captivating setting. Now in first-person, the atmosphere is even scarier. A classic for fans of the genre.

The classic familiar-but-new the franchise is now known for, and potentially the spookiest it’s been. Not really for me, but if you’re into horror, it’s an instant classic.

If you like this franchise, you’ll almost certainly love this. The usual mindless fun in spades. UI and some mechanics are often overwhelming in volume, and combat is typically spammy and forgiving.

I struggled with this after not being able to get invested in the characters/world, being frustrated by overbearing UI & interruptions, and the fact that combat seems based entirely around endurance.