DeVuego

IO Interactive’s take on James Bond is confident, stylish, and effortlessly absorbing. Patrick Gibson’s James Bond is charming and memorable without leaning on familiar interpretations, supported by a cast of likeable characters. The blend of stealth, action, and gadget play brings out the best of IO Interactive’s design strengths, resulting in an expertly paced, all-killer-no-filler experience that rarely overstays its welcome. It balances careful infiltration with more bombastic spectacle when needed, always encouraging improvisation over perfection. Hand-to-hand combat is a weak point, but First Light compensates with encounters that encourage experimentation and creative flow. This isn’t just a great James Bond game; it’s the best one yet.

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is my action game of the year. It’s an incredibly polished and tightly designed 2D game with the right amount of challenge, combat depth, and enemy variety. Kenji and Kumori are a fun duo to follow, and The Game Kitchen has done a fantastic job honoring the original trilogy while introducing plenty of new ideas. It’s a gorgeous game to look at, with some of the best animation work on the market. With plenty of replay value, it’ll be a while before you put Ragebound down.