Ape Out is a rare breed. An arcade experience that both infuriates and ingratiates itself to you thanks to exciting, riveting mechanics and a wonderful sense of style that is only seriously held back by its brevity.
Far Cry New Dawn isn’t bringing anything extraordinary to the table, but it is revitalising some ageing systems, adding new ones and closes out an arc that has intrigued gamers as much as it has divided them.
For as beautiful as Vane looks and sounds, and for as exhilarating as the flight can sometimes be, there are so many barriers to your enjoyment of this title. Friend & Foe have poured so much into the experience but have forgotten the fact that we also need to interact with it.
An intriguing, but not essential plot serves as a solid base for tightly refined, highly polished gameplay systems, making FutureGrind a highly enjoyable experience, just don’t go expecting it to consume a whole lot of your time.
A master-stroke from Capcom, the benchmark of what to aspire to when remaking and reimagining a classic and a title that will leave you forever on edge; Resident Evil 2 Remake is a cruel, but incredible master.
An incredibly raw and powerful experience only held back by an occasional lack of player agency. Bury Me, My Love is an experience that shouldn't be skipped
This latest Assassin's Creed entry is a enormous AC experience and delivers one of the deepest, most refined experiences in recent years.
Chasm delivers in many ways, but the one thing that holds it back from the upper echelon is a world that feels as though it were built from Lego pieces.
Though fairly safe in many respects, the inclusion of one simple mechanic has completely reinvented the way that you play Overcooked. A single stroke of genius, coupled with improved level design and the always endearing audio/visual style guarantees that Overcooked 2 will be in high circulation through any social events to come.
Though not perfect, Detroit: Become Human is certainly Quantic Dream’s boldest attempt yet, and the refinements they’ve made make for a smoother, more enjoyable experience. Detroit is bursting with personality, full of intrigue, and exploding with emotive depth. The many mechanical and performance issues that have plagued past games have now largely evaporated allowing for you to truly immerse yourself in one of the great narrative adventures of 2018.
I was happy with God of War being finished, I didn’t think the world needed another game with Kratos as the lead. What I didn’t count on was this masterful reinvention coming along and proving me wrong. I have never been so happy to be wrong in my life.
Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom is a powerful experience that has kept me on the hook for well over 60hours and will continue to do so as I chase down each side-quest, look to tackle every Dreamer Maze and expand Evermore’s influence even further. Ni No Kuni II has a charm that few games possess and with it, rarely ceases to put a smile upon your face. With so much doom and gloom in the world, a world that is then reflected in the games we play, it’s so uplifting to see a game that resonates so much with the player because of the heart it has and the love that the developers had for their work.
There are a great many things to like about Kingdom Come: Deliverance. The world and environmental design is top tier, and with the support of fantastic voice-acting and combat, that (when fully functioning) plays like no other RPG becomes an enticing package. With ongoing support from the developers, Kingdom Come: Deliverance can quite easily become one of the premiere role-playing experiences and with a setting that few others have tackled will remain an enticing prospect for the months and years to come.
When breaking down a product such as this remake it's important to look at the game through the lens of the two different audiences. If you're an established fan then this remake is a mixed bag, it refines and improves the game in some ways, but is a backwards step in others. If you're new, then you're a small purchase away from experiencing one of the truly great JRPGs of all time, not carrying the baggage that others bring with them.
Shadow of the Colossus is a must-play game, one that anyone unfortunate enough to have missed this title back in its day needs to play immediately. Just make sure you look out for that endgame – it’s a doozy!
This underdone entrant suffers from an unreliable playing experience, a very skinny Career mode, and a nigh-on existent auditory component. AO Tennis is a game that with more time to prepare, could have been a serious championship contender but without that opportunity to refine its systems, finds itself being knocked out in the first round.
Mechanically Brawlout is rock solid and with a few patches focussed on smoothing out the touchy framerate and really rough online, it could be an experience that builds and holds an audience in the long term.
Some design decisions have hampered the DOOM VFR experience, but when you’re locked in an arena with the spawn of hell coming for you, the fight for survival carries you through the experience. It’s a very familiar game but if you were a fan of the 2016 release, and you’re like me then you’ll be happy to return to the fray… just don’t have too much to eat before playing.
Assassin's Creed Origins is a masterful return to form from a franchise that some had considered to be on the slippery slope towards irrelevance. One of the finest games of the year.
The same tension is elicited when confronted by an imposing mechanical threat, and wonder is experienced when you round a corner and make another stunning discovery. If you’ve been looking for another reason to get back into Horizon: Zero Dawn, then you’ve got the best possible excuse right here.