God of War: Ragnarok – Valhalla (DLC Review)

Developer: Santa Monica Studios
Publisher: Sony
Available On: PlayStation 4 & PlayStation 5
Reviewed on PlayStation 5

Rumors of a potential DLC for God of War: Ragnarok had been riding the cold Norse wind for the past few months, but at The Game Awards on December 7th we finally got confirmation in the form of a trailer for Valhalla, a new roguelite expansion set after the events of the main game. As if the reveal of this DLC wasn’t enough, fans were in for some great news: it was coming out the following week and would be completely free of charge. Now that Valhalla is available and I’ve been able to play through it, I think there’s a lot to unpack and that people are going to be surprised by just how meaty it is.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Review)

Developer: Insomniac Games
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Available On: PlayStation 5

Few games have been released with a greater sense of confidence than 2018’s Marvel’s Spider-Man. Insomniac Games (the studio behind Spyro, Ratchet & Clank, Resistance, and more) crafted a stunningly detailed New York City that served as the ultimate playground for the friendly neighborhood Web-Head. From perfect controls that made web-swinging feel like an exhilarating dream, to a heartfelt story that truly captured the essence of the character, Insomniac proved they were the right team for the job. Following up with a smaller spin-off centered around Miles Morales at the launch of the PS5 in 2020 (along with a remaster of the first game), Insomniac then went on to release a brand new Ratchet & Clank adventure just a few months later, making a name for themselves as one of the fastest working studios in the industry. With Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, it’s made apparent that Insomniac is using everything they’ve learned from the previous releases on the console to deliver an absolute showpiece that not only proves the power of the PlayStation 5 as a next-gen system, but the power of their team as well.

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake (Review)

Developer: Purple Lamp
Publisher: THQ Nordic
Available On: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One
PS4 version reviewed on PS5

The story behind SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is one of my favorite industry stories of the past few years. The developers at Purple Lamp were responsible for the 2020 remake of SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom, a 3D action platformer from 2003. While their remake received mixed reviews from critics, the general audience loved it and it became a commercial success that sold over 2 million copies. Purple Lamp was then given the opportunity to make their own SpongeBob game to act as a spiritual successor to Battle for Bikini Bottom, taking everything they learned from working on the remake to craft a brand new adventure. As it turns out, the team at Purple Lamp is more than capable of creating their own game, resulting in an experience that’s brimming with nostalgia and feels like it was directly pulled from the early 2000s era of licensed platformers.

Hi-Fi Rush (Review)

Developer: Tango Gameworks
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Available On: PC, Xbox Series X|S
Reviewed on Xbox Series S

In what’s surely going to be one of the most surprising moments of the year, Tango Gameworks announced a brand new video game called Hi-Fi Rush during an Xbox Showcase in January. The shift to a colorful and comedic action-rhythm game was seen as a huge departure from the horror games the studio is known for (The Evil Within/Ghostwire: Tokyo), but what really made this announcement such a shock was that the game was immediately available for purchase and added to Xbox Game Pass. So-called “shadow drops” like this are rare, and while this absolutely makes for a great news story, it’s also resulted in an early GOTY contender and a title that feels like a massive step forward for the genre.