Updated February 18, 2024 by Mark Sammut: 2024 is underway, and Nintendo has just released its first major exclusive of the year. While Mario vs. Donkey Kong will probably not go down as one of the biggest games of 2024, it is still a solid first-party release that can keep someone engaged until the arrival of Princess Peach: Showti
Spectacle is all well and good, but it’s short-lived, and Star Wars Inquisitors doesn’t stick in your mind like the haunting corridors of Raccoon City Police Station. I’m not going to remember the Lady Dimitrescu boss battle for years to come, but Leon’s first hesitant steps into Raccoon City are already cemented into my mind. Resident Evil 4 is filled with moments like this. Despite being a rollercoaster ride of gunfights and boss battles, it never fails in making you feel vulnerable. Leon could have a fully upgraded arsenal at his disposal, but not taking his surroundings into account would lead to an untimely de
Now, the game did launch with a fair few missing features that were included in previous entries, so it certainly wasn’t (and still isn’t) perfect. Be that as it may, New Horizons still provided millions of people with an island escape when they needed it the m
VR remakes like Resident Evil 4 are a much easier sell to non-VR players than other games in the medium. I can preach about how remarkable Half-Life: Alyx is until everyone hates me (which happens often) but it’s impossible to really understand how great that game is unless you play it for yourself. This has always been a huge barrier for VR, which is why Oculus was so keen on developing a wireless model that could more easily be taken on the go and shared with friends. People need to try VR before they really get it, but remakes of classic games like RE4 might just be compelling enough to convince people to take the dive sight unseen. « It’s Resident Evil 4, but you’re actually walking through the village yourself » is easy to wrap your head around, and a pretty intriguing premise
Given that there were already some framerate issues with Resident Evil 3 Remake on consoles, the higher number of enemies and action on the screen in Resident Evil 4 may require next-generation console technology to fully bring it to fruition. Resident Evil 4’s tank-like controls certainly have not aged well to most, and are more than in need of updating, which a new engine or the current Resident Evil engine can accommodate fu
There are also some other possibilities in the direction Resident Evil 4 may take, given the direction of the recent two Resident Evil remakes. For example, it has been speculated that spiders were cut from both games because Capcom wanted the series to take on a more realistic approach. If being more realistic is the trajectory Capcom wants to maintain in developing more Resident Evil remakes, including its fourth game, there are some obvious stand-out features in Resident Evil 4 which defied the franchise’s more realistic traditions previously, and were more akin to third-person action games at the t
The Mario vs. Donkey Kong has a weird reputation. On the one hand, most of the games are generally enjoyable, offering a fun mix of puzzle-solving and platforming . However, the spin-off series tends to struggle to trigger any significant excitement, and a new release’s announcement tends to be treated with a shrug rather than a cheer. The 2024 release is not an exception, although it does benefit slightly from being the subseries’ first project in nearly a decade. That said, as a remake of the 2004 GBA original, the game does not contain all that many surprises, even though Nintendo did incorporate a fair amount of new content to try and keep things fresh. Still, at its core, this experience is largely identical to its forefather, with Mario having the same moveset and many of the main levels being unchan
Catra from She-Ra and The Princesses of Power and Amity Blight from The Owl House also change their hairstyles to serve their character development, whether that be accepting their own sexuality and leaving behind oppressive familial structures or welcoming those who once pushed you away and putting aside a toxic life of villainy. Once again, these are all female characters confronting a heteronormative society and fighting back against it, even if said worlds are fantastical in nature and far more eccentric than our own. If done right, characters can still be grounded and relatable, as their struggles become ones we can sympathise with. It’s beautiful, so perhaps there’s a reason this tried-and-true trope has so much staying power in modern media.
While the multiplayer modes are still the main focus, Splatoon 3 incorporates single-player content as well, so players do not have to jump online to enjoy this third-person shooter. Although it has been out for a while by this point, the game is still very active, and that is likely to continue to be the case until a sequel deb

