I really like this game. It’s very different from the pre-reboot Tomb Raider games, don’t get me wrong, taking on an Uncharted-like, cinematic vibe, but it’s still incredibly good. The story’s somewhat basic, but I find it works, the open world is good and has collectables that feel worthwhile but aren’t too overwhelming, the combat’s basic in some ways but works very well, and the setting is really atmospheric and surprisingly varied, for taking place on only a single island. And I know it’s a controversial topic in some parts of the internet, but I really like this game’s version of Lara; she’s sympathetic and likeable, even if some of her arc feels a bit rushed. Overall, one I definitely recommend.

When I was a kid, one of my favourite games was Jedi Academy: when I thought about the future of Star Wars games, this is what I imagined, and I love it. The gameplay is sublime, with fantastic swordplay, a wide variety of moves, and good Force implementation. The sound design is fantastic (because it’s Star Wars, every Star Wars project has great sound design), it looks fantastic in pretty much every way, and the story is really solid and enjoyable. I’m not a fan of games where the main cast doesn’t shut up for 5 minutes, and that did wear on me a bit, but for the most part I found them all endearing - Cal and BD-1 were both great in particular, and I genuinely like them. I did encounter a few bugs, mostly related to in-combat movement, but nothing game-breaking. It’s also a somewhat short, fairly easy game - I finished it on hard with 80+% completion after 17 hours - but I got it for about £5 on sale, so I really can’t complain.

Dark Souls III is a masterpiece. Both of the other games in the trilogy were masterpieces too (even II, which I’ve softened on quite a bit), but Dark Souls III is the polished jewel, the completed masterpiece, the closest thing I think we’ll ever get to a perfect soulslike. The gameplay is tuned to perfection, every weapon and animation feeling perfect, the story is probably the least obscure of the whole trilogy, but still compelling, and the atmosphere is at its bleakest and most rich. I definitely think you need to have played the other games to get the most out of it - so many calls back to the previous games right the way to the final boss - but it’s worth it. Every bit of difficulty in the trilogy was worth it for the raw catharsis of finishing this game. Can’t recommend it enough.