Housemarque’s follow-up to Returnal is immediately, comfortably familiar: the sound design hits within seconds, the controls are responsive, and the movement and gunplay feel just as good as you’d hope. The new world is genuinely cool, and the flexible difficulty system - no set modes, just a huge range of individual toggles - is a thoughtful idea for players who bounced off Returnal. Personally, I’d probably prefer to’ve played a game balanced around a fixed challenge - the freedom to self-adjust takes some of the edge off. Build diversity is theoretically strong, but I found something that worked, leaned into it, and the game didn’t really push back hard enough to make me reconsider. Admittedly this is more of a me-problem, and I enjoyed it to be sure, just wish it lasted longer!

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.

Where ARC Raiders carved out a comparative safe space for wholesome emergent moments, Marathon is relentlessly deadly - everything and everyone wants to kill you. It’s far from perfect, but the presentation is staggering; the art direction, typography, music, sound design and overall visual identity have an unbelievable amount of sauce, and I truly respect that Bungie swung for something genuinely different (stolen assets aside). A lot of people seem determined to see this fail (many of whom I suspect haven’t played it, or were never going to) and that’s a shame, because underneath the discourse is a game with real identity and real teeth. It won’t be for everyone, but I’m having a lot of fun.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is coming to PC on March 19 via Steam and Epic, with new features and modes arriving on PS5 the same day as a free update. Obviously loved DS2, so glad PC players get to experience it.

I’ve wanted to get into an extraction shooter for ages, but nothing has landed in my sweet spot of complexity: they’re either exhausting in how convoluted they are, or so watered down they feel pointless. ARC Raiders finally hits the middle ground. Its world is genuinely absorbing, with visual and sound design that’s freakishly immersive, and a sandbox allowing for endless emergent moments that make it hard to put down. I’m too old for competitive shooters, but the balance, pacing, economy, and community (so far) here give this one a feel I can actually settle into - and it’s turning out to be something pretty special.

BALL x PIT sidesteps any potential roguelite fatigue by folding in new systems and surprising, satisfying fusions. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, it drops another major game-changer. Addictive, stylish and most importantly, super fun - very impressive.

Borderlands 4 is a blast when you lock into the core loop - snappy gunplay, meaningful loot, big playgrounds. But the bombastic, quippy aesthetic and tone now read like a bit of a relic. You almost have to meet it halfway - tune out the dated swagger, focus on the systems - then you can find the fun. In any case, if you’re looking for a shooter to turn your brain off in, there’s a lot to like.

What can one even say about a game like this? In short: I loved it. I was at 201 hours (and 1.7M Likes) when the credits rolled, and every minute was soaked in serene Australia-inspired ambience, poignant atmosphere, engaging storytelling, the usual Kojima absurdity, and most importantly, an intensely satisfying gameplay loop. It might not hit quite as hard as its predecessor, perhaps just by virtue of no longer being completely novel, but it makes up for that in what it does differently. Death Stranding continues to be a rare experience that invites even the most cynical players into a quietly moving form of connection - where travelling alone becomes a shared and strangely emotional act of collaboration.

Probably justifiably copped flak because 2016 and Eternal were so strong… Combat feels looser, less refined, and the focus on the shield seemed to me to just slow things down and funnel one type of gameplay. Mech/dragon bits drag, story’s forgettable. Music’s also a step down, given the unfortunate (lack of) Mick Gordon situation. Still fun though.

Revenge of the Savage Planet delivers vibrant, absurd comedic exploration across bizarre alien worlds; scan oddball creatures, gather resources, and metroidvania your way through areas with new abilities. A wild ride bursting with personality, which can also be played co-op. It stumbles in spots, but if its offbeat, slapstick charm is down your alley, there’s more than enough to hook you here.