Liam Croft
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For seven years now, British developer Rebellion has honed and enhanced its craft on iterative sequels. A second Evil Genius, a fourth Zombie Army, a fifth Sniper Elite — all perfectly good to great games in their own right, but based on an already fine-tuned formula. Atomfall, then, the studio’s first new IP since Strange Brigade, represents an eye-catching break from that norm.
If going on holiday is meant to be a time for relaxing and disconnecting from daily life, why can it feel so stressful in the moment? Dungeons of Hinterberg reckons with those mixed emotions as protagonist Luisa takes a break from being a lawyer to try and chill in the Austrian Alps... while putting her life on the line in puzzle and combat-focused dungeons. A blend of fighting, puzzle solving, and Persona-esque socialising, the game proves an entertaining break from the bigger PS5 releases — a digital holiday, if you will.
A thoroughly enjoyable side game that looks to offer familiar Like a Dragon action with a swashbuckling twist, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is a flamboyant distraction between mainline entries. The story doesn’t compare favourably to the mainline entries and the new island areas quickly become repetitive, but the novelty of Goro Majima at the helm of a pirate ship never quite wears off. Stay for its frenzied action and jolly pirate ship battles and you’ll have a good time.
There must be something in the water during January, for after Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown got the Metroidvania genre off to a flyer in 2024, Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist is doing the same 12 months on. The follow-up to Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights refines what co-developers Adglobe and Live Wire achieved four years ago, elevating their addictive blend of combat, exploration, and platforming to new heights.
Sniper Elite: Resistance is a lot like a sequel out of the PS2 generation. Rather than building on and expanding what it achieved in Sniper Elite 5, developer Rebellion has gone with more of the same. The old-school TV advert practically writes itself: eight new levels, a returning playable character, and more weapons and gadgets to beat down Nazi scum than ever before. You couldn’t even call it Sniper Elite 5.5; it’s probably 5.3 at best.
Nobody likes a quitter, and last year’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is proof of what can happen when you get your head down and work to right one’s wrongs. Heavily criticised as a glorified DLC, a year of unmatched support has seen the game rise from the ashes as one of the most robust, content-rich multiplayer offerings the series has ever seen.
There’s a certain charm to the Capcom of the PS3 generation; a time when its releases were just as likely to land as they were to heavily miss. For every Devil May Cry 4 or Dragon’s Dogma, there was a Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City to set it back to square one. Nowadays, those extreme gulfs in quality have been reduced to single-point differences between high Metacritic ratings, as the publisher reaches new heights with its Resident Evil and Monster Hunter franchises. Its curiosity to create something a little more “out there” has never quite gone away, though, which is what has allowed it to lovingly restore a fan favourite from that same era where it couldn’t decide if it was hot or not.
Star Wars Outlaws has been billed as the first-ever open world game set in the Star Wars universe; a claim that immediately puts developer Massive Entertainment on the back foot. Ignoring the fact Star Wars Galaxies did it first over two decades ago, it opens the game up to an extra layer of scrutiny: is it even open world in the first place? Control is taken away from you when hidden load screens bridge the transitions between a planet's surface and space. Is that open world, or secretly open zone? We'll leave the question to the gaming gods, but that potentially fragmented structure speaks to what Star Wars Outlaws is at its core: a game made with the best intentions that doesn't quite come together.
In the past couple of years, developers have attempted to reclaim the term "expansion". Arguing there's a difference between traditional DLC and fully-fledged add-ons, the likes of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty and Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores have been used as poster childs for the movement. Whether there really is a difference between the two is up for debate, but if battle lines had to be drawn, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree would laugh off claims it’s "just a bit of DLC".
By trying to do so much, Rise of the Ronin feels like an inferior version of everything it's inspired by. With an open world populated by map markers and side activities, it’s a worse Assassin's Creed. With a historical Japanese setting, it's a worse Ghost of Tsushima. With a combat system that prioritises parrying, it's a worse Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. At no point is it a bad experience, but the game's so run of the mill, so formulaic that attempting something new and ultimately failing would have been a more tantalising sell. You've already played better versions of Rise of the Ronin — what it's attempting is just fine, which is probably the most boring outcome possible.