![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/12a9fe6f-69cd-4026-8c16-4186505aa8f0_1920x1080.webp.jpeg\")
Pro tip: There are no good options. Source: Adhoc Studio<\/p>\nI play more games than I probably should. And, like most of us, I don\u2019t have enough time to review them all. I\u2019m sure many who write about games on Substack or elsewhere can relate.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the challenge. And as I\u2019m in transit this week: here\u2019s the solution. Micro-reviews that cover a breadth of games that allow me to give a verdict and say something interesting about them but not go into too much detail.<\/p>\n
My first three are below. Let me know what you think of this format in the comments.<\/p>\n
Dispatch<\/p>\n
Pro tip: There are no good options. Source: Adhoc Studio<\/p>\n
Why did this have to come out late October? I would have easily dedicated a whole review to this game had it not released amid a glut of other titles.<\/p>\n
A spiritual successor, made by many of the same developers as Telltale games (The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us), Dispatch sees you manage a group of down-and-out superheroes working for the Los Angeles hero dispatch unit.<\/p>\n
A lot of the game is spent watching cutscenes, shaping the story with dialogue options, interacting with quick-time events (I turned them off) and then managing the dispatching minigame. You try to marry heroes to 911 calls, selecting them based on their attributes and abilities. Despite its superhero trimmings, this is a really adult story with excellent humour to boot.<\/p>\n
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By continuing, you agree to our\u00a0Terms & Conditions<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n The voice acting performances and story here are on point. In fact, the weakest part for me was actually the minigame? One of the few videogame components of the title. But don\u2019t let that discourage you.<\/p>\n Dispatch has a brilliant story that will hook you after the first episode. It\u2019s a great one to play with friends or partners. Even better if you are running the game simultaneously and comparing notes, as your decisions do impact the overall story arc. Well worth around 7 hours of your time. I\u2019m keen to give it another go and choose the path I didn\u2019t take when it releases on Nintendo Switch 2.<\/p>\n And for those who have played, I picked Invisigal.<\/p>\n Hell Is Us<\/p>\n What\u2019s the best way to get me to play a videogame? Target my friends. This one came to me from a mate who said it was the \u201cbest game he\u2019d played this year [2025]\u201d. So I had to give it a go.<\/p>\n I finished it, but I can\u2019t say I agree. That\u2019s not to say it\u2019s bad though. Hell Is Us is a remarkable game that\u2019s doing a lot. To start off with its dealing with some heavy themes around war, genocide and vengeance, in some of the most extreme ways imaginable. Some of the stuff you hear from non-playable characters in beggars belief.<\/p>\n This game also doesn\u2019t hold your hand. Most objectives and goals are delivered to the player cryptically, and it\u2019s up to you to learn the environment and figure them out. There\u2019s been comparisons between this and Dark Souls (I feel like every third person game gets this). But it\u2019s not quite the case<\/a>. This plays a little closer to Nioh if we had to compare, set across several big levels instead of one big world. The gearing system is similar too.<\/p>\n For me, the game is a little let down by its enemy design, which largely remains unchanged throughout. You face the four same enemies a lot, with some variation. This game actually has me excited for a sequel from developer Rogue Factor.<\/p>\n There\u2019s some great ideas here, and this is a daring game that pulls no punches. But, sorry to my friend, it didn\u2019t make my best games list for last year<\/a>. But the next one could?<\/p>\n Arc Raiders<\/p>\n If targeting my friends isn\u2019t working, your next best bet to get me to play a game is to hit up my barber. Yes, I was convinced into trying Arc Raiders mid-haircut.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s say this from the outset: I\u2019m not into modern shooters. I\u2019ll nuance that: I actually really enjoy shooter games, they are a blast. But anything competitive? I\u2019m out. Shooting games somehow encourage a level of toxicity across players that I\u2019m not really into.<\/p>\n Arc Raiders kinda felt like the exception to the rule and that\u2019s what hooked me. It\u2019s a resource-gathering extraction shooter. You gather resources on the surface, while being hunted by AI-controlled robots. You get out, gather stuff, then head back to a lift to the underground for extraction. Unlock items, and then go again. It\u2019s a neat little loop.<\/p>\n While you can target and assassinate other players for their loot; playing solo, the rule of thumb is to help them out. And for the most part, that\u2019s how people played. I can count plenty of moments where other players saved me from the bots, and I paid it forward too.<\/p>\n Yet, every so often, there were instances where players camped by the lifts and picked me off while I was waiting for it to arrive. Arc Raiders system apparently penalises players for targeting one another and matches them in servers with other players with the same mindset? Perhaps that why it was \u2014 for the most part \u2014 a wholesome experience.<\/p>\n There\u2019s recent reports that Arc Raider\u2019s player <\/a>b<\/a>ase is down 80% from its peak<\/a>. I can understand it. The game was a blast, but somewhat got old fast. The randomness of the loot, and no real sense of progression wore down my enthusiasm within a month.<\/p>\n So what does this game need? For my money: A story! It built a fantastic world, but doesn\u2019t really go anywhere with it and I think that hurts its appeal more broadly. If there is a revamp or relaunch of any kind, that would be a step in the right direction.<\/p>\n Have you played any of the games I\u2019ve mentioned here? What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2.jpg\")
How is the actual game, the worst part of the game? Source: Adhoc Studio<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778045230_105_3.jpg\")
Well, they did put \u201chell\u201d in the title. Source: Rogue Faction<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/4.jpg\")
Most of the areas in Hell Is Us are bleak and grey. This is the one exception. Source: Rogue Faction.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778045232_887_5.jpg\")
The real Arc Raiders experience: fleeing for your life from killer machines. Source: Embark.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/6.jpg\")
Don\u2019t let this promo shot fool you. You would not take these bots on like this. You will die. Source: Embark.<\/p>\n