Hamish Lindsay
World of Warcraft: Legion goes a long way towards fixing the issues plaguing the series. While it doesn’t quite squash them all, it’s leaps and bounds ahead of the last two expansion packs in terms of content and all round fun. Even now I can’t wait until I can next dive back in to Azeroth and continue my journey through the Broken Isles.
At least the gameplay is fun. Finally.
In the end, Capcom hasn't built this game for me. It's hard and frustrating… but for some, that's exactly what they want. While it may be more accessible to newcomers, this is still a Monster Hunter game made for the series' faithful.
Sea of Thieves promised to be an exciting sandbox for players to sail the seas and have all kinds of piratey adventures. To its credit, Rare was upfront about what we should expect here – two ships, three guilds and three mission types — still, when the release date rolled round and this full-priced game set sail, it still managed to feel like an early access title.
Battle for Azeroth doesn't bring much else in terms of brand new content.
Bungie fixed Destiny. Massive fixed The Division. Bioware have all the pieces of the puzzle, but right now Anthem isn’t living up to its potential. It’s bad, but not so bad it can’t be fixed.
Shadowkeep is a big stride forward for Destiny 2, and it shows that Bungie cares about its game.
Overall, Zombie Army 4 seems to be the culmination of the developer’s best attempts to distract you from that very shallow gameplay loop.
In a lot of ways Project CARS 3 is reminiscent of the Forza Horizon series, though executed without any of the flair or fun that made the latter enjoyable. If you’re a racing fan, be it arcade or simulation, I recommend you avoid this game – it’s a thoroughly unenjoyable experience from a once great series.
At the end of the day and despite its flaws, DiRT 5 is fun; a lot of fun, in fact. Even after churning through hours of races, enduring near constant game crashes and even being deprived of that rocking soundtrack, I still had a blast. If you’re after a fun little splash around in the mud while listening to some excellent pop punk and rock, then you’ll love what’s on offer here. If the Forza Horizon games are the festival of speed, then surely DiRT 5 is the festival of fun.
Hitman 3 is a fun game — and I enjoyed plotting my way through it — but my hopes of refinement and iteration weren’t met. At its core, the gameplay is still the same as it’s always been. The series hasn’t managed to keep up with the times with the only attempt to shift the gameplay formula up somewhat, Hitman: Absolution, being very poorly received.
Whether you’re a fan of Formula 1, a die-hard sim enthusiast or even just a casual racing game fan then it’s hard to go past F1 2021. There’s something for everyone in this years offering, and I can’t wait to get stuck in to the new tracks later this year.
Eventually, and with a lot of googling, I found my groove and started to enjoy what Resurrected has to offer. Just make sure you go in prepared for the clunkiness.
Back 4 Blood doesn’t just imitate the Left 4 Dead formula like these titles, it elevates it past its predecessor. Perhaps it’s the nostalgia for the 12 year old title, or maybe just poor memory, that fuels our rose-tinted retrospection and distaste for something new. Regardless, Back 4 Blood takes the concept to the next level and builds in layers of cool ideas and just plain fun gameplay.
Extraction is an above average experience. The gunplay is top notch – expected when it’s pulled directly from Siege – and overall is fun, if a bit shallow. While I can’t speak to its long term lifespan, it’s easy to recommend jumping in and giving it a whirl.
Witch Queen is thankfully a beacon of hope. Destiny was long mocked for the narrative and mission design it provided, and this new expansion absolutely knocks it out of the park with the best campaign in the Destiny series. If you’re a lapsed veteran I sincerely hope you come back and experience the joy of the campaign. Its challenging difficulty and brilliant — actual — in-game storytelling are worth the price of admission alone.
When you’re in it and smashing around the track against expert AI or other players, this is where Gran Turismo 7 excels. All of the weirdness that Polyphony Digital has bolted on to this quality car game fades away into obscurity. But sadly, that’s not all this is. Instead, it’s a jumble of well-made car racing and strange design decisions, coupled with his tonally odd take on what it means to be a car nerd. For now though, Gran Turismo 7 is the best console racing game for the masses, at least until another contender comes along.
F1 22 brings a whole suite of improvements to what was already a very good series, and I look forward to it consuming my life for the next few months.
While your mileage will undoubtedly vary, Cult of the Lamb is an easy recommendation – now excuse me while I get back to vibing to River Boy’s banging soundtrack.
With a flashy and visually spectacular art style, excellent music and a healthy dose of self-deprecating humour, Street Fighter 6 should be on the radar of anybody looking to take a swing at a titan of the genre at its best.