Kieron Verbrugge
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Latest Reviews
Part physics-based, slapstick open world walking sim, part satire of the worst parts of modern gaming, Baby Steps is a stumblecore banger that only those with a penchant for punishment and hyper-realistic donkey dicks will manage.
With Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, Konami has crafted a visually arresting re-release so fawning and reverent that it reads entirely incurious. Fans of the source material will no doubt relish the opportunity to play a more modern-feeling take on a generational piece of art, but such a seemingly important work should inspire more.
Herdling's brisk walk through a wild world manages to charm from beginning to end, with just enough drama and beauty to make waving a makeshift cane at a horde of hairy beasts into an unforgettable journey.
Super Mario Party Jamboree Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV offers a few new diversions wrapped in a neat presentation that makes it a compelling enough upgrade for existing owners. But for anyone jumping in at full wack, the slight visual edge and mixed bag of camera-based minigames don’t necessarily make it an essential purchase over the much cheaper and perfectly playable Switch 1 version.
Ruffy and the Riverside is an impressive debut title and a top-notch 3D collectathon adventure. The texture-swapping gimmick adds a rich layer to the canvas that more than makes up for some spotty platforming, and Riverside itself is a wonderfully weird and gaudy locale well worth exploring.
Occupying a cosy space between video game, simulation and interactive wallpaper, Lushfoil Photography Sim offers some gorgeously enticing locales to virtually visit and snap – and just enough outside the frame to keep you playing.
As a VR-optional walkabout adventure, The Midnight Walk is light on thrills or variety, but it makes up for that with some of the most arresting and artistically accomplished visuals inside a headset.
Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut and in particular the Iki Island expansion does a great job at giving players more of what made the game's original release special. The brisk new adventure takes Jin Sakai on a journey of reflection and reconciliation that contains plenty of beautiful, memorable moments and some very cool new gear to play with. The updates made for its native PS5 release do feel a touch slim given that they come at an added cost, but they do go a long way to refining and enhancing the experience. A great game made better, then, and a fantastic excuse to spend dozens more hours in Photo Mode.
Sackboy: A Big Adventure is the hessian hero's best outing yet. Tighter platforming controls and a fresh perspective go a long way to reinvigorating the franchise, and it helps that the whole thing is positively stuffed with charm from beginning to end. Levels that feel lonely when played solo, and worse, levels that aren't accessible at all in single player dampen the experience, but not enough for platforming fans to dismiss it. If you've just brought home a shiny new PlayStation 5 there's also a lot here to showcase what the console is capable of in both visuals and the user experience, making it well worth considering as part of your launch library. Viva la Sackboy!
The Outer Worlds is the kind of inspired take on a genre that could only come from a team as passionate and talented as Obsidian. It's not perfect, but it's creative, succinct, compelling and funny in all the right ways. I sincerely hope that this signals the beginning of a new, ongoing franchise because the people and stories of the Halcyon Colony will stick with me for a long time to come.