Full of creative ideas and incredible writing, Psychonauts 2 is a rare beast - a longed for sequel to a cult classic that delivers in pretty much every aspect.

The Short Message looks great and the cherry blossom monster design is actually really well done - it looks like a Silent Hill game (despite not being set there at all) and it gives me that grimey feel to the world that the trailers for the upcoming Remake feel like they're cleaned up a bit too much. Sure there are some framerate dips but I'm rarely too fussed by them and they didn't really distract from the experience. It also mostly sounds good - there's another great Yamaoka track in the credits and the intermittent background audio throughout does its absolute best to keep you on edge. It is unfortunately let down a little by less than stellar voicework and an especially unconvincing dub on some live-action cutscenes - not sure if this was meant to be intentionally ethereal but it ended up just looking and sounding bad.

It's major problems come with just about everything else though - the story, script and I guess the Short Message we're getting are eyerollingly blunt and really doesn't tackle any of the themes it mentions with anything more than a puddle's depth of thought. In general, wandering around an abandoned tower block isn't inherently bad but the lack of any kind of tension or real environmental storytelling while you're doing so just makes the experience a bit dull. I think it's trying and I appreciate that, but it just doesn't quite get there in execution.

There are segments with the aforementioned cherry-blossom monster that do give you something to think about, but only fleetingly - you're put through Otherworld maze sections where you're chased until you reach a magical exit door but these sections are mostly pretty linear until the very end where you find yourself wishing they had stayed that way. You're thrown into mazes which are likely meant to disorientate you and ratchet up the tension, they only really succeed in the first point. Chase sequences have been a staple of the first-person horror boom since Amnesia Dark Descent but this feels like another example of something being implemented because it's a genre thing - there's no thought as to how or why this relates the story or characters involved. It's a chase through a maze because that's what horror games do.

It's a very large map and so easy to get lost through doors and hallways that all look very similar, having to collect four items and then an exit all while being chased, with one wrong turn meaning you could run into the monster and need to start again. Less scary and more frustrating, and eventually pretty boring.

Even for free I don't think this is worth your time, even for Silent Hill fans. There are some nods to other games in the series but they're just reminders of better games. I've seen people say you can't be too critical of something that's free but I absolutely disagree - yes, I'm sure a lot of work went into this but it's still a finished product at the end of the day.

Probably a better game than the first game, but not quite as enjoyable an experience. Not that Max Payne 2 is bad; it's always fun to dip into bullet time as Max (or Mona) and use your arsenal to ragdoll goons all over the place. It's just missing a spark - there are great moments but the story maybe takes itself a bit too seriously, or possibly I just miss Sam Lake's face contortions on Max's character model and the graphic novel cutscenes.

The first impressions I had for Dreams were that the toolset was impressive but that kind of thing wasn't for me, and the Media Molecule content at the time was fine but severely lacking. Things have changed massively in my three years away and if you're not into creation, I'd recommend looking at the games that MM have created and highlighted as there are some really interesting looking experiences there. One of these was Tren, which launched last week, a delightful little puzzler where you need to make your way across various wooden train-set levels to the goal.

A lot of concepts are crammed in here and while some are occasionally overused of not hugely fun (sorry Cren), the majority are well designed and your movement as the train is simple while feeling natural. You have a free moving camera for 95% of levels which is fine but it can occasionally have a mind of its own, zooming in when you don't want it to, preventing you from seeing up ahead. A minor frustration normally but when you're up against a time limit it can lead to situations where it's hard to adjust and you miss hazards, necessitating a restart or reset to track. That said, it's a rare problem and the overall challenge ramps up quite nicely throughout, with some intricate and almost thrilling levels coming your way towards the very end of the game.

The set dressing is wonderfully cozy and all the paraphernalia strewn across the levels and hub world (three rooms in a house) really hit those nostalgia buttons. I also really liked the music - chill in hubs and more dedicated puzzle levels, but playfully intense where attempting to beat the clock is involved. Alongside a couple more specific MM throwbacks, it really made me miss what that studio can do in their own dedicated games.

And this last point really got me thinking about how the MM (and some user-generated) games that have been made in Dreams should be classified. These creations are made in Dreams and for sure I spent the hours in this software to play them, but they can also be fully fledged experiences (I spent 9 hours with Tren) with Dreams being more akin to an engine at that point. So I feel a bit strange about how to log, rate and review this and other Dreams games that I may try in the future - and there are a few that look really interesting - as while I'm technically playing Dreams, I'm also not. I know a line has to be drawn somewhere but it feels really fuzzy to me here.

Due to the huge toolset and variety of content that can be created which spans a huge range of genres and tone, I think Dreams in its own little world of almost being its own platform - a normal level creator this title is not - and I find it a bit disappointing that there's no way to talk about these games on BL in standalone terms. The record will say that I replayed Dreams with a playtime of 9 hours, but that really doesn't tell the whole story.

Dripping in atmosphere and a narrative that manages to claw itself into your head hours and days after playing. There are a few design choices which could have been worked differently (I like limited inventory in games but the back and forth can get a touch laborious here) but the experience allowed me to pretty much completely overlook them.

I know it's a slow paced game (I went in expecting that), but everything takes just a little bit longer that it should. Things like turning keys and opening doors are a bit of a chore, and the transition delay from picking something up to be able to move again really did affect my desire to wander around what is a very beautiful world.

Narrative wise, I think the game fares a lot better in the story it sets in the past. It does wrap up quite suddenly and not entirely satisfactorily at the end but it was an engaging tale. The adult sections on the other hand are incredibly barebones and seem to exist solely as a bridge to move time forward a few days in your flashbacks.

Dropsy is a misunderstood being, seemingly blamed for a fiery disaster at the circus and almost ostracised from society; an easy target due to their seeming illiteracy and unconventional look. In reality and despite appearances, Dropsy just wants to make people happy and will help anyone out in order to do so, all to achieve that elusive hug.

It's a wonderfully bizarre world and refreshingly open for an adventure game - sure, some sections are progress locked but the initial area you get to explore is substantial. Definitely one to play in a sitting or two so you don't forget where things you can't access just yet are waiting for you. The inhabitants are equally weird, each with their own requests to fulfill to get that hug (and maybe some progress) and your only clues for solving them being pictograms. The puzzles thankfully aren't too taxing but not having to rely on dialogue cues or item descriptions is a nice change of pace and adds a different kind of gameplay element to the genre.

I just really gelled with the overall experience - the art style matches the places you explore and the strange people you meet, the music is truly a delight and I was taken in with the basic but charming story.


Forza Horizon 4, but in Mexico. I'd say if you enjoyed that then you'd also have a great time with this entry but for whatever reason I just can't gel with FH5 as much as I did its predecessor.

Maybe it's fatigue, maybe it's the locale not interesting me as much or maybe it's just noticing the things that didn't bother me last time as it was my first experience with the series. Every line of dialogue which seems like it's purposefully trying to ape Steve Buscemi in 30 Rock, interesting set pieces but with boring, indistinct track layouts, being constantly interrupted in the first 5-10 hours with new events being added to an already overstuffed map or having another set of numbers pop up or increase to give you a serotonin hit to keep you playing for as long as possible.

It still looks great and blasting around the world in each vehicle is still a gratifying experience as you bounce through sand dunes or jungle areas with reckless abandon. But while I think I had a decent enough time overall, at the end of my last session I couldn't help but feel that I had just spent three hours consuming content, rather than having a properly enjoyable experience.

My guess is that open-world racing might just not be for me in the long run and I just prefer games in this genre where I can properly learn specific tracks with distinguishing features and how each car will perform on them.

It's hard to imagine that I'll end up being as disappointed in another video game this year than I was with Twelve Minutes. The potential of utilising a timeloop with a mystery based point and click game would seem like a great mixture of genre and mechanics (and I still think it could be), but you'd be forgiven for thinking the opposite based on this.

The obvious problem here is that you're likely going to have to repeat your actions every now and then, something which has the potential to be a little bit monotonous. And alongside that, the game falls into the genre trap of having very specific solutions for certain puzzles which leads to potentially having to redo the loop entirely. There are a couple of ways to skip ahead but these are very specific and they don't save as much time as you might think.

Even then there was potential to come out of the game with a more positive outlook. Games of this genre can overcome issues like these if story is still intriguing, or the game's writing is able to keep you interested in what might come next. Unfortunately it doesn't take very long to realise that Twelve Minutes has neither of those either.

Part of the reason why these elements don't hit is due to this repetition, where you're provided with info dumps in one loop and then spend the next few working out how to apply that information, meaning there are sizable chunks of gameplay where you're learning nothing other than that a specific way to progress doesn't work. The other major reason is the reliance on multiple twists to further the plot, as well as relying on some of the more cliché mystery/thriller story elements, neither of which are earned. Sure they may theoretically explain away some of the unnatural and flat dialogue (I don't blame McEvoy, Ridley or Dafoe for this, to be clear) but in no way does it come across intentional.

All in all, it's just a massive shame that such an interesting concept ends up being bogged down by an amateurish story. It's not quite David Cage levels of bad but it's also not exactly streets away either...

2021

A nice idea executed poorly. Slice of life stuff combined with a slow pace was something I knew I was signing up for (and was actually looking forward to) and while the town itself looks really quite nice, I don't think there was a single interesting or believable character in Provincial Oaks.

I did however quite enjoy driving my van directly into the lake every day to fast travel back to the post office to end my shift. Probably not intended design, but it never got old.

Everything is held together by dry spaghetti and scotch tape but the underlying Pokemon experience is the best it's been in years (well, maybe - depends how you define Arceus Legends in terms of mainline games).

If you can get over the (admittedly very large and noticeable) performance and graphical issues, there's a fun time waiting for you in Paldea.

Despite having fun swatting away at shuttlecocks and trying to get just the right amount of spin on the ball as I try to send those ten smug pins into oblivion, I can't help but feel disappointed by what's actually on offer here. Calling it barebones feels harsh to skeletons.

As mentioned I've had a great time with Badminton and Bowling, and the basics of Chambara are pretty solid as well but the other three sports haven't really grabbed me - the route they've gone down with Soccer is fine but it all feels too slow, Volleyball ends up feeling a bit boring and Tennis just feels off, not mention the fact that it's locked to doubles-only.

I might have been okay with only really getting on with half the sports here if there was some depth to them but sadly the options available are severely lacking, and it's especially sad that there's not even a hint of local single player progression. I would have thought even following the basics of Wii Sports Resort would be the baseline but Nintendo have focused almost 100% on the online side. I can't blame them I suppose, it's just incredibly disappointing for anyone wanting just a tiny but more than playing a single game and moving on. Even something as small as adding stats (W/L records, time played in each sport or whatnot) would have been nice.

But then when it works, it really is fun. I mentioned it earlier, but Badminton really works and feels a lot different to the other net sports included, which I know was a worry for some. It's fast and frantic with a nice little tactical element when it comes to when and where you place your drop shots during the rally and on the court itself. I just wish I could do more with it than just play a 5 point game against people online of one of three set AIs ad infinitum.

A poorly controlling game is frustrating at the best of times but for a genre where being mechanically proficient is so important it can be an almost impossible hurdle to jump and unfortunately SkateBIRD fails at even the most basic ollie.

While the dialogue is charming and the models of each individual bird are really quite nice, you're actively fighting the game to have anything close to a good time. The camera just doesn't listen to you when there's a wall even in the vaguest vicinity, as it swings around of its won accord - sometimes the adjustments are minor but other times it's so extreme as to wildly alternate from 0-180 degrees. This is compounded by actually trying to move your bird. I'm glad that the game has options to allow you to turn off balance bars and make it harder for you to bail but the game will still fight with you, where making an even slightly sharp turn results in your bird falling over around 50% of the time. Landing tricks is slightly better but it's still sometimes a lottery as to whether you'll bail or land.

Most of the levels feel empty and void of any character with large gaps of nothingness sitting between different areas. There's also no real logic to where and when missions appear nor any clear indication where you need to go to activate them - there were a couple of occasions where I was skating around a level for upwards of 10 minutes just looking for another bird to be able to progress. And then when you do eventually find them, you'd wish you hadn't as you receive yet another 'collect 5 of these' or 'skate in a straight line' quest.

There are parts that I liked but they were drowned out heavily by the feeling that I was wasting my time. A massive shame as I think the idea does have some legs but right now it's just a bit of a mess. A charming mess, but a smiley face on a bin bag can only go so far.

Positive note - the little cutscenes you get of Pikmin doing Pikmin things are cute and give those little flower creatures a lot of character that you don't see as much in the mainline games, and that charm did a lot of heavy lifting here.

It's a shame then those same cutscenes kill all momentum you might have in every level in an already glacial-speed platformer. I feel like there are nuggets of good ideas here which I think could have been turned into a decent puzzle platformer-squad management combination but it's something that's barely explored and most of your time devolves into slowly wading through a level and bashing the screen throwing your Pikmin from that stage (usually of just a single type) at any enemy that appears with no thought whatsoever. Some levels have two types of Pikmin (and maybe one has three!) but I only counted a single occasion where this change required any additional thought.

It takes 8 worlds (per world that's 5 stages, one boss encounter, one bonus level and four puzzle levels) for any semblance of challenge to appear and only then because of the risk of falling off a stage and being sent back to the very beginning.

At least it's better than Chibi-Robo Zip Lash.

Took me a while to get round to playing the game that stood out the most during the PS5 reveal conference but happy to say it was worth the wait.

The Snax are the highlight here - there are some inspired design decisions and even with the overall number being padded out by colour variations, relatively few of them felt cheaply done. It's genuinely amazing how much work a pair of googly eyes can do to make them look so appealing and fun. There are also very few words in the history of video games as fun to say as Scoopy Banoopy.

The cast of Grumpuses also stood out, along with their own specific anxieties and eccentricities. Each character has a set of side-missions which are okay (more on that in a second), but the reward of learning more about them, their personalities and relationships made what could be quite tedious at times worth the effort.

I do wish the act of actually interacting with and catching Bugsnax was a bit more interesting though. It starts off fine, with some simple puzzles to solve as to how to get them into the right position but it never really progresses much further than that. Once you receive a certain trap, most other become obsolete and you're barely challenged in how to catch any new creature you come across, barring a handful of exceptions - hopefully this is something that's tackled in the upcoming DLC.

But as I sit here and contemplate my playthrough, those frustrations barely register - the game became a meme during that initial reveal but it's anything but, with tender stories and explorations of interpersonal relationships hidden underneath those admittedly goofy looking googly eyes. Definitely worth a playthrough.