Peter Taylor's Reviews
Gravel is entertains for the most part but outside the career mode the game lacks longevity. Coupled with some odd omissions such as leaderboards it's a competent racer and not much else.
There is so much potential in Extinction but it's all wasted. It's such a shame to see a game with some seriously fun ideas turn into something that is such a drudgery to play.
Harking back to the stealth games of old, Aragami: Shadow Edition will force you to think your way through. Some clunky controls aside, it's well worth your time — especially if you were a fan of the old Tenchu series.
Overload harks back to simpler times in gaming and executes its brief perfectly. Billed as a spiritual successor to Descent it delivers to those fans in spades. Those too young to remember it though may find themselves wondering what all the hype is about.
On paper, Tennis World Tour was supposed to give us a spiritual successor to Top Spin Tennis. Unfortunately what we've ended up with is something that's far from perfect and whilst some tennis fans may still pick it up they should do so knowing that they're in for a frustrating ride. It's likely we'll never know why things ended up as they did here but without some serious post-release patching it's a hard game to recommend.
Whilst MotoGP 18 represents a step in the right direction for Milestone and this series there's still work to be done for things to reach the next level.
Yakuza 0 marks the franchise's first foray onto PC and does so confidently. Bursting with content and an intriguing storyline it's only held back by a few annoying bugs.
F1 2018 builds upon the past successes of the series and nudges it forward just enough. However, Codemasters will have to bring something dramatic soon as while the saying goes "if it ain't broke don't fix it" rings true, when it comes to games, you need to reinvent just enough.
Two Point Hospital takes the mantra "if ain't broke don't fix it" to heart. This spiritual successor to Theme Hospital does enough to differentiate itself from the original but stays true to its core concept.
PES 2019 excels when it's left to do what matters most in a football title — simulating the beautiful game. Outside of that, its rough edges are starting to show, but for many that simply doesn't matter.
Cities Skylines: Switch Edition is a serviceable city builder for Nintendo's portable wonder. However its graphical sluggishness, imprecise controls and lack of scenarios to complete dampens things somewhat.
Fast cars, twisty roads and more fun and challenges than you can shake a stick at. If you get bored playing Forza Horizon 4 then clearly you've not spent enough time going sideways.
Football Manager 2019 takes the series to a whole new level and finally brings in some long needed refreshment. What we have is easily the most accessible Football Manager in recent memory but one that can still many moons to master.
Diablo 3 makes its way to Nintendo's diminutive console and it's a perfect match. Now you can turn your commute into a demon-smashing extravaganza.
Hidden beneath the bugs and the controversy lies a game with great potential. As it stands, Fallout 76 is an okay multiplayer survival game that needs some serious work.
Ride 3 pushes the series ever onwards and whilst it's mostly unremarkable it should be lauded for providing bike enthusiasts the world over with their Forza equivalent.
The developers of Jagged Alliance: Rage! likely hoped it would rejuvenate the franchise and it might. It's a competent turn-based tactical shooter but suffers from repetitive missions and sluggish controls. Unless you're a huge fan of the genre you're unlikely to find the gameplay rewarding.
Dirt Rally 2.0 is a very competent rally simulator when viewed in isolation. However, when compared to its predecessor and its vastly superior force feedback implementation it loses its allure.
Hitman HD Enhanced collection bring back one of the series' stellar entries in Hitman: Blood Money and to some, its polar opposite, in Hitman: Absolution. The pack is a great pick up if you're new to the series but some rose-tinted glasses are required for those who've played them before.
Apex Legends lays down the gauntlet to established Battle Royale games such as Fortnite and PUBG. The ping system alone is worth its weight in gold and allows for the more reserved gamers amongst us to join in and have fun. Loot boxes aside, Apex Legends is fast, fun and buttery smooth to play.