One of the single best games to have seen a release in the past five years at least and the relaunch only made it better. There are a few options for controls (either the more simulation or arcade heavy variations) and the core gameplay is at the surface a twin stick shooter, until you have to deal with turret speeds, firing arcs, and 3D firing planes. On top of that you'll have the freedom to decide which damage types you want to focus on (cover, hull, shield). Wrap this around a wonderfully varied and personality fueled weapon and chassis list and Freelance mode alone is a wild ride and endlessly replayable for the challenge and testing nifty and silly loadouts. The campaign cuts down on the customization but has some wonderful dark comedy thrown into the mix. If you want some incredibly fun reading, the purchasable intel and lore are quick and enjoyable reads about everything from vehicle performance to which strip clubs are better in Solo Nobre. The lore is one of the unsung heroes of this game and accents everything in wonderfully glorious dystopian cyberpunk tones. Screenshots make the game look gorgeous already but seeing it in motion is a treat. The neon rich backgrounds fit perfectly with the well realized lighting system and who could say no to making everything go boom? (Just watch out for gas stations). The amount of destruction you can cause is only limited by the amount of stuff in each district and your own firepower and desire. The AI can be toyed with using various stealth and noise tactics to create ambushes but when the difficulty is cranked up they aren't slouches either. The game still has a bit of a rocky difficulty curve in the campaign but it's such a wonderfully realized concept that it's hard to even be that hard towards it.
Dead Space is one of my favorite games of all time. It gave me some unforgettable moments when I first played it on console back in 2008 and I've continued to play it for the past 8 years on various systems. Sure the more in your face horror doesn't hold up as well with multiple playthroughs, but its gameplay, lore, and solid design have kept me engaged even when the howling monsters are more annoyances than serious threats after 4+ outings. One of the immediate features to note is the amazing UI on display. The HUD is on your character's back and is considered a part of the world (diagetic if you want to be fancy). This not only helps make the world feel more real, but can make the dreaded QTEs a little more interesting as you won't be sure if you're about to die when you're lying on the ground. Overall the bosses are well done, with the repeated one (no spoilers) being a particular stand out thanks to your, shall I say relationship? with it. They all have some bit of personality even if they're mostly just mashed up corpses.
I'm quite picky when it comes to horror games, so take what I say with that in mind. I enjoy Dead Space with the mindset that it is an action game with horror elements and I highly regard Silent Hills 1-3. Now, I grew extremely board of Outlast almost immediately. There was nothing for me to do in spite of the insane people walking around. Sure I could hide and hope that they were gone or be stuck reloading a save. If you're fine with a good amount of trial and error gameplay, you'll probably be fine with Outlast. If you want to soak in the atmosphere more or less at your own pace, you may be disappointed. I did find myself in sprints down hallways, unsure of where I was going, but I wasn't ever scared or horrified by what I saw or what was happening. After three failed attempts to activate a generator in an early section of the game, I quit. For me, this game has far too much guesswork involved to be engaging and its atmosphere is ruined by the crazy people chasing you down the hall.
