Oscar Taylor-Kent
This author account hasn't been claimed yet. To claim this account, please contact the outlet owner to request access.
Writing For
GamesRadar 
PC Gamer Latest Reviews
Dispatch might be the best superhero TV show of the year, even though it's a game. Incredible acting talent pulled from Hollywood, Critical Role, and beyond bring this hopeful yet deep world of heroics to life, filled with enough interaction to really help you feel like a part of the narrative yourself. Each episode is smartly pitched to be TV-length, making it impossible not to binge with how wonderfully focused each story beat feels.
Lumines Arise is just as effective as Tetris Effect, block matching to a beat becomes a transcendent experience with a radically different ruleset. This is an excellent evolution of the PSP original that uses a wide game board and a musical wipe to create a constant sense of teetering on the edge, daring you to build big combos even when they take you close to wiping out. Lumines Arise's brilliant visuals and synesthetic grooves wonderfully fit this already musically minded puzzle ruleset.
Evolving arcadey mechanics that have already been perfected is a tough challenge that Once Upon a Katamari rises to meet. Time travel and set pieces across Edo Japan, cowboy escapades, and more make this the most inventive evolution of the series yet. Katamari is on a roll.
Ninja Gaiden 4 takes the torch from the second game, runs with it, and impales the nearest hulking demon. This is a genre triumph that delivers slick, over-the-top action that rewards patience and mastery, and a blood power system that adds a combat layer that allows you to push yourself beyond your limits. A deadly delight, action doesn't get much better than this.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is so close to the original that you probably already know if you'll like it or not. Some controls and visuals have been modernized, but even those build so closely on pre-existing foundations that it doesn't attempt to bring it into the modern conversation. Even so, I can't begrudge a faithful recreation of one of my favorite games ever made.
OFF is a cult classic RPG thanks to its surreal world, strange cast of characters, and bizarre enemies. Inspiring Undertale and many other indie genre icons, OFF manages to still feel like a titan, and incredibly digestible thanks to its tight design and bite-size zones. Revised combat is a huge plus, making every scrap pack plenty of impact in this definitive release.
Drag x Drive makes a solid case for the Nintendo Switch 2's mouse control scheme, but it fails to make one for these wheelchair basketball matches themselves. Elegant steering doesn't mesh well with comparatively imprecise and messy tackling and shooting systems that range from too tricky to far too simple.
Is This Seat Taken? is an incredibly charming and beautifully designed puzzle game that makes its truckload of logic puzzles tactile and fun to play with rather than intimidating. Despite the variety of location types, some core parts of the challenge can become repetitive, but there's more than enough to keep you going to credits.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach builds on the foundations of the original, but adds whole new wings with a different vibe. This tarpunk delivery epic is more Metal Gear Solid than ever, for better and worse – but it well serves series fans like me. Charmingly bizarre with its worldbuilding and spectacle, there's still a real sense of community as you bring the world online with other players at your side.
Date Everything is a masterclass in character design, full of wonderful faces based on everyday household objects that spring to life who I love getting to meet. Still, juggling 100 characters is an ambitious undertaking, and a lack of nuance means some feel flatter than others, sacrificing some depth. Date Everything is at its best embracing interpersonal dynamics that make the house feel alive. Still, it's well worth working from home for this.