All in all and The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing III does enough to claim its place in the pantheon of ARPG games. It’s not as polished as Diablo 3, or even as Path of Exile, but the charm of the environment and the wish to see the next level are both strong. It’s not perfect, but this third entry in the series is the best to date.
de Blob is a worthy entry onto the Xbox One. The levels are large and challenging, and the various missions to be completed add a welcome layer of complexity. Painting 100% of a level is a real big ask, as there is always an out of reach corner or a tree that you’ll miss. It isn’t the most varied game in the world, but even despite the control issues, there’s enough fun here to keep you playing to finally see Comrade Black get his comeuppance.
Be in no doubt, there is a lot of game in this small package, but it will ask a lot of you. If you can invest the time, it will reward you, but it’s a bit too deep for its own good as far as casual players are concerned.
If you have ever wanted to be a fishing mannequin, then this is the game for you, but for everyone else, if it’s raining and you are determined to go fishing virtually, Dovetail Games’ Euro Fishing is streets ahead.
If you were a fan of any of the games included in the 8-Bit Adventure Anthology the first time around, or if you want to experience what games were like in the good old days, this is a no-brainer.
All in all then, if you are in the market for a puzzle game, Walk The Light could well scratch that itch.
The story is a gem, and it’s worth playing through just to see what happens to Rogue and co, but the desire to replay any levels on a harder setting is just not there. Quirky controls (at the risk of being kind) and guns which lack both a decent feel or noise rob the game of a lot of impact. Sadly, Rogue Trooper Redux feels its age.
Forza Motorsport 7 regains its crown as king of the Xbox racers. Its slick presentation, tight and responsive controls, jaw dropping graphics and amazing sound effects catapult it straight past Project Cars 2 into pole position.
Battle Chasers: Nightwar is a throwback to classic JRPGs, but in many ways an improvement. It’s like Aliens compared to Alien; all the aspects that made the original great have been polished up, tweaked and turned up to 11 to deliver something that is arguably even better than the inspiration.
Better writing, a story (and a good one at that) and a series of vast new worlds to explore make Destiny 2 a must play for anyone who like aliens, guns and shooting aliens with guns.
If you are looking for a different gaming experience, and are willing to invest the time into finding out the story, then Knock-Knock could well be the strangest game you'll ever play.
All in all then and Path of Exile is an enjoyable game, held back by some peculiar design choices, both in game and in the UI.
If you want to get your drift on, this is the game to do it with.
This game is great for those younger players, but adults may find it a little too samey, a little too quickly.
Serial Cleaner is a very good stealth game. It controls well, the levels are well thought out and a real challenge, and the level of difficulty is just short of pad biting
Offline, everything in Tekken’s garden is rosy, but online it looks like someone has been at it with the weedkiller.
Phantom Dust is the very definition of a game of two halves. The underground hub sections are dull, with little in the way of signposting or hand-holding to make the time spent there as small as possible. The overground mission sections are fast paced, tactical and, above all else, fun to play with a myriad of ways to approach the missions. Add to this the online fight options and the scales come down on the fun side.
Victor Vran Overkill Edition is a worthy addition to the genre. It doesn’t out-Diablo Diablo, but thanks to the care put into the levelling and loot systems, it is undoubtedly worth the time to explore.
The first 15 minutes of Onigiri does all it can do to put you off. Press on through this however, and there is a surprisingly deep game to be found, one with a very good story centred around good and evil.
The Surge is a game that can be mentioned in the same breath as Dark Souls, something which is high praise indeed.