Codemasters has delivered a masterful racing experience with F1 2020. Despite the heavy jargon-filled opening, there are plenty of helpful tutorials that break down everything to make this easy-to-understand for those who may not necessarily be car enthusiasts. For those who are after a deep and engrossing racing experience, the My Team Career mode is a joy to play through, with plenty of features to deep-dive into that extends across many hours. Whether playing online or offline, the developer has put forth one of the best racing experiences that can be enjoyed by F1 fans or newcomers alike.
Tour de France 2020 is an improvement over its 2019 counterpart, thanks to the improved loading screen times, and reduced crashes that may take place. However, by and large it is still pretty much the same game otherwise, with minimal changes or quality-of-life features to make the experience more engaging. For those who love the sport of cycling, then this may fill in the time until the real-life racing starts up again - however for those with no interest in the sport, then it may be a tough task for Tour de France 2020 to latch newcomers into the title. The ingredients for a really engaging micro-managed cycling-simulator is here, but it is let down by the AI.
Frostpunk is quite simply one of the best city-building experiences on the PlayStation 4 with a highly detailed narrative written for four huge campaigns. The sadness in there only being four campaigns is a true testament to the team at 11 Bit Studios, as they have crafted such a memorable experience, with gut-wrenching decisions at every turn. The savagery of the game can have long-lasting effects that can carry into the subsequent play-throughs, as the memories of what arose from making previous decisions can sway future decisions down other pathways. For those who wish to experience a more laid-back 'Sim City' like experience, then this title may not be the right title to jump into. However after experiencing this, it will be easy to feel anxious to see whatever the team behind it has in store next.
Bow to Blood: Last Captain Standing is a great concept that could've used with a bit more time in the oven to knuckle down the controls a little better. The slow and cumbersome movements don't make for an excitingly adventure. However, the idea of playing a futuristic version of Survivor, by competing against opponents, forming alliances, and then double-crossing other captains to vote them out of the game, makes for an enthralling few hours. For those who are in need of a bit of time to kill with a different type of a video game, then Bow to Blood: Last Captain Standing may be worth checking out.
Team Maniax has delivered on creating a cute, but frenzied party title that simplifies the act of dodging bullets, and making it look cool while doing so. With easy controls to learn, and only having one focus, the barrier for entry in Retimed is low. Whether engaging in team battle with some friends, or taking part in a 'free for all,' there's a ton of energy and excitement to be had.
Paradox Soul is a fine experience that retells a typical story centred around an empty facility, with dead scientists and killer robots. There's nothing original here, however the controls are tight and Dr. Rose plays well. For those looking to kill a few hours on a short metroidvania title, then Paradox Soul is one title worth checking out. While it's not as engaging as others in the genre, nor does it offer any new interesting innovations, it's still one worth adding to the list for short-lived titles to smash out over a weekend, or to knock out another easy platinum to add to the digital trophy cabinet.
Bouncy Bullets is fun in short-bursts but it won't last any longer than a couple of hours and it probably won't be an experience worth going back to after the initial run, due to its lack of depth.
Mechstermination Force is a terrific boss-rush adventure that grants a few hours of undisputed, frenetic, and fast-paced gunplay against gargantuan robotic titans.
The controls are an absolute mess and it's a shame, as Surgeon Simulator CPR is a funny title that is great entertainment for team of friends. While the aim is to "save" patients, doing the opposite is what eventuates most of the time thanks to some unintentional, but humorous moments. With a better control scheme, more responsive controls, and less glitches, Surgeon Simulator CPR would be an easier title to recommend on the Switch. However, beyond the poor controls, there is some enjoyment to be found here for those who don't take these too seriously.
Sparklite is a colourful rogue-like that yearns for the pixel-based games on the original NES. By removing most of the challenges generally found in rogue-likes, this puts itself at the top of the list for newcomers who want to dip their toes into the water. Aged fans of the genre won't find any surprises or challenges here, and the lack of a real contest or a risk-versus-reward system can be a turn off. Ada's journey can be a short one, as it can be completed in less than five hours, and it provides enjoyment due to an addictive gameplay loop, catchy music, and the ability to relive the pixelated days of old.
Heave Ho is an insane party game that ramps up the craziness to the maximum.
Other than the common camera issues, Weakless is an interesting experience that does a great job of expressing two characters and how they view the world. Sight and sound are senses that are often taken for granted in other titles, so having an adventure that allows both, but not at the same time, makes for an interesting puzzler. Puzzles aren't too extreme and are easy to figure out and solve. Rather than treating this as a 'game,' think of it more as an experience instead, as it does away with the typical game-y aspects, to focus on exploring a world with the sensory disadvantages.
Super Street: Racer for the Nintendo Switch caters towards that diehard audience who prefers to build up a car taken from the dump yard and turn it into a road-machine. Scrounge up the money by winning events to purchase new pieces to improve a vehicle is the aim, and despite that sounding challenging, it's an easy and quick thing to do. The fun is building the car and racing it on the track, but without an online component to it, it does lack in that final part of showing off a creation to others.
Muddledash is a fun title that suits parties, or can be used to entertain the kids for a couple of hours. Slampunks has provided a light-hearted party game that doesn't offer a single-player experience. While it's refreshing to see couch co-op titles aren't forgotten, Muddledash is only a fun experience depending on the group that's playing. Don't take this too seriously, and just have fun with a laugh to get the most out of it.
The Eyes of Ara is a fascinating journey through a haunting castle, that hides many secrets within its walls. The meat of this experience is to explore the various rooms and interact with every object or journal entry to decipher clues for solutions to the puzzles.
WRC 8 is a fantastic leap forward from WRC 7, with a revamped career mode for aspiring drivers to sign a team, manage crew members and level up skill trees to become the best team in the dirt-rallies.
Ghost Games has delivered a great new addition to the Need for Speed franchise, with Heat certainly bringing the 'heat' with its relentless cop pursuits that play out against a beautifully-looking Palm City.
MXGP 2019 delivers on the thrills and joys of riding off-road bikes on the dirt tracks. Making this entry even more recommendable is that it does a great job of easing newcomers into it - while making the controls and bike movements not too similar to the cars found in other rally-type games.
Vambrace: Cold Soul is not bad, but it quickly becomes a mindless, repetitive, grinding slog of the same battles that require very little strategy, not to mention the lack of any sort of enemy variety.
Despite it being an expansion pack, Iceborne is pretty much another game built upon the many layers of Monster Hunter: World.