Bill Lavoy
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There came a time in Atomfall when I felt the game had gotten away from itself. I was sitting just outside the perimeter of a prison, staring at dozens of heavily armed soldiers, giant robots, guard towers, and automatic turrets. The entire compound was surrounded by a fence with an alarm that went off any time I got close. There I sat with my bolt action rifle and 12 rounds, bow, pistol, shiv, and a few Molotov cocktails. There was zero chance that I could win this fight without some elite gamer buffoonery, but I had no idea what other options existed and no more patience to wander aimlessly to figure it out. I did the only logical thing that anyone in my position would do; saved my game every time I made a foot of progress and got to work. It wasn’t until a full hour and more than 25 saves later when I was having a conversation with another character that I found my alternative. It was a snitching opportunity that could have presented itself 15 minutes into my Atomfall run had I not balked at the vague offer. I could have walked straight in the front gate....
Monster Hunter Wilds moves the franchise forward from previous games, yet it tends to step into some of the same traps that both World and Rise did. Those issues, however, are dwarfed by an addictive gameplay loop that will keep players engaged for hundreds of hours. When you factor in the game-changing Seikret, and the ease of which players can launch into hunts, Monster Hunter Wilds is a must-play for series fans.
Outlaws is at its best when it’s telling you a story. I was immediately invested in Kay and Nix and loved going on this journey with them. I didn’t skip a single cinematic or hurry through dialogue and, as a casual Star Wars fan, I would say that’s a big win for the folks at Massive Entertainment. There were certainly some places where the gameplay felt repetitive, but climbing, grappling, and taking out my foes in chaotic battles with my Blaster always felt satisfying. Working with Nix to solve puzzles or stealth through areas was a treat. Now that I’ve beaten the story, I’m not sure I’ll spend much time in the open world, but Outlaws did such a good job that I’m thinking of digging into some of the movies and television shows I’ve been passing on. That’s about as big a compliment as I can give the story.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage is a worthwhile experience for invested fans of the series. It’s going to give you that stealth and stab gameplay that you’ve enjoyed before, even if it doesn’t build upon it outside of the tools. It’s bookended by exceptional first and third acts, but Ubisoft has again failed to create a detailed and meaningful world that you want to explore beyond its waypoints.
Horizon Forbidden West is an ambitious game that builds off the strengths of its predecessor in almost every way. The world is a more interesting place to spend time, the combat has evolved, and the visuals have taken leaps that exceeded my expectations even with the generation jump in hardware. It’s a shame that outside of the core cast there is a depth lacking for most of the characters, and leaving color blind options out of a game that uses color in its mechanics is a miss on otherwise great accessibility options. What I can’t let go of, though, is just how good Horizon Forbidden West is everywhere else. I need to find all the weapons. I must unlock all the skills. I’ve got to know what’s in those Relic Ruins or solve the puzzle and defeat the boss in the Cauldron. Horizon Forbidden West is absurdly good in so many ways that it borders on must-play for open world aficionados.
The Quiet Apocalypse isn’t without problems, but Hinterland's commitment to adding new content, while refining the experience over the years, has positioned The Long Dark at the top of the survival genre’s pecking order. The Long Dark is a must-play for anyone who is even remotely intrigued by it.
Even with a few missteps, Far Cry 6 is a triumph in a few ways that should be celebrated. The graphics are spectacular, and I imagine they will be spoken about by everyone who visits Yara. The choice to leave the skill tree behind has resulted in engaging combat that makes the gameplay feel tighter. Mix in a few fun activities while ignoring some that fail to resonate, and the good far outweighs the bad. Far Cry 6 is an immensely fun game that series fans and open-world aficionados won’t want to miss.
While I enjoyed the conclusion to the World of Assassination trilogy’s narrative, the best that Hitman 3 has to offer is when it sets players loose in its levels to be creative and explore. Nothing beats the process of plotting out a potential route, working out the various pieces by saving and loading repeatedly, then finally putting it all together in that perfect run. That’s still there in Hitman 3 as it was previously, but each time a mission asked me to retrieve something it felt like a chore after my first run. Still, it offers players a huge amount of content if they don’t expect to experience it all on a single run. It’s a game that’s meant to be played repeatedly, and it benefits from the addition of the camera and the permanent shortcuts. It’s great on its own, but combined with Hitman (2016) and Hitman 2 it helps make up the masterpiece that is the World of Assassination trilogy.
It’s a shame that more care wasn’t taken to remove some of the silliness in the writing or to improve on the hit or miss voice acting. The combat doesn't feel like it's taken a step forward and, in fact, combat in Odyssey felt tighter. I'm still worried that the PC performance issues aren't entirely behind me, but I suspect those will get addressed in future updates. Ubisoft is known for their fun open worlds, but it appears that experience and previous stumbles have seen them take big steps forward, making Valhalla one of their best Assassin's Creed games in recent memory.
The Outer Worlds demands players put in the time and effort if they want the best it has to offer. It’s a fine game under any circumstances, but it’s a top-notch RPG with heavy consequences at almost every turn for those that are willing to immerse themselves. The Outer Worlds doesn’t tell you a story, it gives you a world full of interesting characters and asks you to tell your own.