The First Berserker: Khazan completely caught me off guard. I went into it expecting something decent and walked away feeling like I’d played one of the most satisfying action games I’ve touched in a long time. The easiest comparison is Nioh but honestly, for me (100+ hours into Nioh 1+2 on PS4), this is Nioh done better. It’s still a Soulslike at heart, but it leans far harder into pure action, and crucially, it actually finds the balance most games in this space miss. Don't get me wrong, this is a Soulslike, but it is the most action game Soulslike you can possibly have. To the point where, we got a developer that finally found a balance between making a Soulslike, but built with engaging, hyper, action game mechanics, and also oriented around combat. We finally got it.

The visuals have moments of beauty, where it looks great but the art style is not for me. I commend them for sticking with their vision and direction but I wish they had added more vibrancy and colour, made it look like Soul Calibur in tone. That said, the animation work is outstanding and clearly a labour of love from the team. Ultimately, it's the animation quality that pulls everything together.

The story is serviceable. It’s coherent, it keeps things moving, and it does its job but honestly, none of that mattered the moment I properly engaged with the combat. For me, the game lives and dies by its gameplay loop, and it absolutely delivers. The combat is aggressive, it's technically smart, and HO-LY, it's rewarding.

I played almost my entire run with the greatsword, and it might genuinely be the best greatsword I’ve ever used in a video game. The weight, the timing, the payoff, it’s phenomenal. It clearly takes inspiration from Monster Hunter, and then pushes it further with Soulslike structure and faster, more expressive combat. Even over a 30+ hour playthrough, I never felt the need to switch weapons.

I can’t overstate how incredible it is to use this weapon, in this game, and do cool ♥♥♥♥ with it. Pulling off setups, counters, and parries consistently led to moments that left me genuinely in awe. Every time I came back to it, I was blown away all over again.

To stop the gush, there’s less loot bloat than games like Nioh, progression really feels clearer and more deliberate, and upgrades never feel like busywork being lost in item management. More importantly, the game actually wants you to engage with enemies rather than circle them endlessly. It’s demanding of you, but it’s fun first and that’s what stuck with me.

This may not end up being one of the greatest games I’ve ever played overall, but in terms of raw mechanical satisfaction, The First Berserker: Khazan is easily one of the most enjoyable action games I’ve ever played. If you’re into high-impact combat, especially greatsword gameplay, this is absolutely worth your time.

Capcom Fighting Collection 2 landed exactly the way I hoped it would: a smart, generous celebration of a corner of Capcom’s history I’ve always loved, but never expected to see treated this well. Seeing Capcom vs. SNK 1 & 2 finally arrive on modern systems still feels surreal, CVS2 alone is something I’ve waited years to revisit properly, and it plays beautifully. Given how active the scene is here, I am hoping for a CVS 3.

What I appreciated most was reconnecting with these games on my own terms. Revisiting the chaos of Power Stone, the attitude and charm of Project Justice, and even some of Capcom’s stranger experiments reminded me why this era left such a mark on me. Not every game is a favourite, but nothing feels like an afterthought, and a couple I barely paid attention to years ago genuinely surprised me this time around. It helps that Capcom has wrapped these games in the right kind of modern splendor. Rollback netcode, training features, quicksaves, and an overflowing gallery give each title a proper second life.

Capcom have one again delivered and made it completely effortless to revisit these games without losing the quirks, flavour, and personality that defined them. Sometimes sharper, sometimes messier, but always with a genuine sense of appreciation for what they were, proof once again that few studios celebrate their heritage quite like Capcom.

Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is sensational. It rivals being one of the best retro collections ever, in fact, packing in not only one the best fighting games ever made, but also one of the best side-scrolling beat ’em ups of all time. Undeniably, each and every game included here is a classic in its own right, arcade perfect ROMs with thoughtful enhancements, an incredible treaure trove of artwork and bonuses, and seamless online rollback netcode. It’s an exhaustive, definitive celebration that delivers whether you’re a Marvel fan, a Capcom devotee, or both. What more can I say other than it’s Marvel-ous.

Doom: The Dark Ages is an incredibly baffling step backwards. It trades the unrelenting chaos, master-class design and Mick's 8 string shredding for something slower, expressionless, and fundamentally just less fun.

The Dark ages has brought more story here than ever and yet, it somehow says nothing. Levels bleed into one another with zero cohesion, and it's narrative beats land with all the weight of a feather. Never did I feel connected to the story, nor did I care. Regrettably, my nostalgia and youthful memories dragged me through this, driven purely by my passion for what the four letters D, O, O, and M have always meant to me, not because I was having an experience equal to its predecessors.

The combat arenas are tedious, swarming, and badly paced. Weapon switching is sluggish, the loadout flexibility has been stripped back, and half the arsenal feels like dead weight. The decision to centre the combat around shields and melee comes at the cost of flow, freedom, and ferocity. All things that for me, defined what modern Doom is. And then the music, once the heartbeat of Doom, is forgettable at best, misplaced at worst. What was historically a defining character in itself, feels phoned in. There’s no bite. No identity. No fury.

While technically stunning and a true modern marvel, a consistent thread across id Software’s legacy, the game’s visual fidelity and engine performance are where the praise ends. The soul of the rebooted franchise, once brimming with kinetic energy, weapon mastery, and tongue-in-cheek defiance, has been shackled in service of a misguided medieval theme that places too much stock in a cumbersome shield and neutered melee system. In doing so, it dilutes the very essence of what Doom is supposed to be.

Black Myth: Wukong is not necessarily an innovative or revolutionary game but it is undoubtedly best in class. Game Science has infused the cultural heritage of China, rich mythology, and one of its most important pieces of literature with an action RPG structure that's as deep as it is grand in scale. Their presentation truly is second to none. Setting a new industry benchmark in technical wonder and video game artistry, in which they have created a world that you will not only be immersed in but be entirely consumed and captivated by for a long time. It unequivocally encapsulates all elements for fans of the genre and serves an unforgettable journey, one that everyone that enjoys video games should experience.

Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising fully realises the potential that the vanilla game showed before it was bodied by Covid-19. At a time when online infrastructure was so important, it was completely crippled. The implementation of rollback netcode is flawless. Rising feels like a revised Capcom release, it's the Super 2: Turbo version and ArcSys should be proud. The best visual 2D fighter of its time and the Pythagorean theorem for fighting game accessibility, that really strikes balance of a good entry level experience with significant competitive depth.

Aliens: Dark Descent ins't without bugs or questionable choices - however, this is quite possibly the best rendition of the film 'Aliens' that you can experience in video game format. Being a huge fan of both 'Alien' and 'Aliens', this game completely stays true to the franchise's roots. The moment-to-moment gameplay simulates the painful dread, thrilling tension and unremittingly intense action of the second film admirably. This game is not a Real Time Strategy, this game is not an XCOM clone. It's not like anything I've played before, and it is not for everyone - but this is a perfect recipe for those who seek a definitive Aliens experience.

It's true that Fallen Order borrows liberally from other action games, but those elements work together with Respawn's combat and environment design. It has a story that finds humanism in the Force and in its characters, and there are stand out moments which encapsulate every meaning of the word Jedi. Even with some rough edges, Fallen Order represents one of the most compelling game additions to the Star Wars franchise in years.

This is not just a love letter to the 6th generation of video game consoles but clearly a labour or love from the teams at Soleil and 110 Industries. It is hard to completely recommend as its certainly flawed but It’s right there shoulder to shoulder with some of the best arcade brawlers released in the past 20 years. You know how every season the X-Files writers would toss in a weird comedic episode with tone all over the place but the essence of the show still remaining intact. Wanted: Dead is that X-Files episode that you keep watching for 12 hours straight

Hi-Fi Rush presents some of the best action combat available, and combines it with rhythm game mechanics to make something truly special. This is a game that’s firing on all cylinders constantly, bursting with creativity and drenched in style. Call it Rhythm Heaven meets Bayonetta or Viewtiful Joe meets DMC, I call it a breath of fresh air.