Another title making it’s way over from Xbox, South of Midnight is the latest from Compulsion Games, one of the more obscure studios on Microsoft’s roster. This one has been on my radar for a while now but apart from the usual ‘Woke!! DEI!!’ idiots, all I’ve really heard about the game is poor combat. That proves mostly true in fairness but the game is more than that.

After a bizarre promotional cycle with fakeouts and leaks, the next step in the Resident Evil is here, a Requiem for the dead, nightmare for the living and a blast to play. It’s mix of Horror and Action appeals to me double and I’m proud to say the game sticks the landing. Like 99%.

After concluding work on Little Nightmares 2, Tarsier announced they were moving away from the franchise to work on something new. Bandai Namco took the IP which saw its third entry come from Super Massive Games as well as a new expansive empire for the franchise. While that was happening, Tarsier were working on their new IP, the decidedly very Little Nightmares like game, Reanimal. How does it fare against what came before and on its own merits? Unfortunately, not very well. Reanimal is a game of one step forward and two steps back.

Suda51’s first new IP in ten years is here and I have high hopes based on the stylish reveal trailer. Is this a space time smash hit or do I wish Romeo truly was a dead man? Well, it’s not so simple.

Konami’s revival of the Silent Hill franchise has started off a little rocky with a misfire in the form of Ascension and a nothing title in the form of The Short Message. Things rocketed back into place with the phenomenal Silent Hill 2 remake and Konami had to keep the momentum going. A Silent Hill game set in 1960’s rural Japan was a big swing but has proven to be a big hit.

Following Legends Arceus, GameFreak are looking to expand their settings by keeping the player in an expanded Lumiose City amidst a crisis stemming from the events of X and Y. Does it succeed? Surprising to say, mostly!

I imagine the plan was always to remaster the first two Pac-Man World games but the success of the first has bought some extra budget for the sequel and it shows. Bigger doesn’t always mean better though.

Sometimes an Indie just catches your eye, I can’t even remember where I saw the game but I’m pretty sure I bought it purely on its adorable key art. As it happens, it’s a delightful little puzzle game with some interesting depth behind the cute presentation.

While not quite the crown jewels that the Halo series is, having Gears of War on Playstation is a big step in Microsoft’s “Everything is an Xbox/Play anywhere” approach to titles. Choosing to remaster just Gears of War 1 rather than doing a full Masterchief eque ‘Fenyx Collection’ is an interesting choice. Gears of War offers players a solid introduction to this world but perhaps not enough to truly sink your teeth into.

Following a 10 year hiatus, Mafia is back and returning to basics in a spin off prequel set in 1904 Sicily. Releasing at a lower price, the game was advertised was to be more of a linear, story driven experience. For the most part, it achieves its goals but there’s a couple things that hold it back from true greatness.

In a surprising move, 2023’s really quite good RoboCop: Rogue City has received a standalone expansion/mini sequel in the form of Unfinished Business. While I do appreciate the chance for an extra Platinum trophy with it being standalone, I wouldn’t recommend this game to anyone who hadn’t played the original. If you have then great, it’s more good stuff. If not, then this package doesn’t offer the same highs as the original and may put you off.

The last 3D Donkey Kong title was Donkey Kong 64, which released in 1999. That means it’s been 26 years since the last 3D Donkey Kong game, which is quite a long time in Video Game terms – the Halo franchise is only 24 years old for example. The point here is that Nintendo must have known they were onto a winner if they wanted to make a 3D Donkey Kong so long after the last Nintendo were right – Donkey Kong Bananza is one of the best 3D platformers ever made, not without it's few step back but improving upon Odyssey in many regards. Odyssey with a Donkey Kong skin with Rare stylings and taking the best bits of the modern Zelda's experimenting.

There was a fair amount of confusion about what Nightreign even was before release. In short, Nightreign is Elden Ring if you played in a group of 3, did one off runs like a roguelike but chose Expeditions like Monster Hunter and played in an ever shrinking map like a Battle Royale. Should it work? I’m not sure but I think it does, mostly.

I’m usually pretty elitist about Soulslikes, in the way that I don’t think I’ve enjoyed any of the ones I’ve played save for FromSoft’s own. Something was different about FlyKnight, probably because it’s not actually a Soulslike but more of a classic first person Dungeon Crawler of Old. I have no real experience with that kind of game but this one was pretty darn fun.

Strange Scaffold have found themselves in a very exclusive group of developers who I will buy a game from, day 1 no matter what. The other being FromSoftware. Strange Scaffold make a range of games both serious and silly. Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 definitely falls under the latter category and it’s all the better for it.

Fans of some genres just have it easier than others. While admittedly it wasn’t always the case, nowadays you can’t go two steps without tripping over a Survival Horror title of some description. Alongside the remakes of classics like Resident Evil 2 or Silent Hill 2, there’s a whole swathe of indies who are inspired by said classics. Enter, Post Trauma - the most thoroughly okay game I think I’ve played in a while.

Releasing initially at the end of 2024 on Xbox and PC, the game has finally reached Playstation. I’ve held off learning anything about the game. Having now played it, I can see why it got the praise it got but there are elements that brought down the experience from fantastic to still great, but not enough to leave me fuly satisfied by credits roll.

Video Games are Art. It’s an oft contested opinion and leads to the usual following: ‘How is Call of Duty art? ’Art? That means more Sony movie games!’ However on the flip side, Indie games have the freedom to be more expressionist and artistic than your multimillion dollar corporate title. Some do miss the mark slightly. Take Apartment Story – it would make a brilliant arthouse movie but I’m not sure how well it functions as a game.

Sometimes in a game you want a grand sprawling narrative with twists and turns, far off locales to visit and friends to make along the way. Sometimes however, you just want a crunchy arcade piece that let’s you feel like a God for a bit. Mixing Hotline Miami, Hitman, Superhot and Neon White, you’ve got a certified banger.