The verdicts

Reviews that
respect your time and wallet.

Every score is earned over real hours on real hardware. We tell you what a game does brilliantly, where it stumbles, and whether it's worth full Australian retail — or worth the wait for a sale.

Featured review · PS5

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

Kojima's sequel is stranger, sadder and more confident than the original. The traversal loop is genuinely addictive, the set pieces land, and it rewards the patient, deliberate play style that suits a quiet Australian evening. A landmark PS5 exclusive.

9.4 Editor's Choice · Reviewed on PS5 Pro

Latest verdicts

Recently reviewed

The most recent additions to the AeroValen scoreboard.

9.5

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

A staggering debut JRPG with a painterly world and a combat system that rewards timing over grinding. The generation's most confident newcomer.

JRPG · MultiMust play

9.2

Ghost of Yōtei

Sucker Punch's northern follow-up delivers painterly combat and a windswept open world built for long sessions.

Open World · PS5Highly rated

9.3

Monster Hunter Wilds

Capcom's most welcoming hunt yet, with a living world that keeps the group chat buzzing long after the fight.

Action RPG · MultiHighly rated

9.0

Doom: The Dark Ages

id Software's medieval pivot trades speed for weight — brutal, deliberate and unmissable for FPS fans.

FPS · MultiRecommended

8.7

Assassin's Creed Shadows

Dual protagonists and a genuine stealth-versus-samurai choice make this the strongest Assassin's Creed in years.

Open World · MultiRecommended

9–10

Essential — buy at full price

7–8

Strong — a confident recommend

5–6

Flawed — wait for a sale

Skip — better options exist

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Independent scores, no publisher spin.

How we work

Reviews thatrespect your time and wallet.