Living Dead Zombies, then, is pretty much what you would have expected it to be if you've played Far Cry 5's last two DLCs. Just like its two predecessors, this final piece of DLCs for Ubisoft's massive open world shooter doesn't really leverage the base game's biggest strengths, but it provides a unique flavour of experience of its own. It's a little bit on the shallow side and can be a bit repetitive, but it's definitely not unenjoyable.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2019 is absolutely amazing on the pitch, proving that as far as pure simulation goes, Konami's franchise still reigns supreme. But in all other areas, its refusal to improve is starting to become increasingly frustrating, to the point where several such flaws are actively damaging the experience in many ways.
Dragon Quest XI is a stellar game that displays a great command of the ins and outs of its genre the way few other games can and do. What it lacks in originality, it more than makes up for with its confident execution of ideas, showing that a game doesn't need to be revolutionary or the freshest thing on the block to be an incredible experience. With a memorable cast of characters, a well-told, briskly paced story, stunning and vibrant visuals, and a beautiful and extremely varied world as its setting, Dragon Quest XI serves as yet another excellent instalment in this amazingly consistent franchise.
Despite a lack of optimization in needed areas and some aspects of both games that haven't aged very well, this collection presents a good excuse to jump back into Shenmue 1 and 2, both of which remain inherently engaging games even today.
While this is a substantially improved experience, it is still No Man's Sky. And while this is, more or less, No Man's Sky as we were always promised it would be, the core conceit, structure, and gameplay loop haven't changed. There's just more to them than before.
Lost on Mars' shallowness and repetitive structure are issues for sure, but the DLC isn't long enough for them to become too much of a problem. As such, in the end, it's a fairly enjoyable but ultimately forgettable experience.
Octopath Traveler takes a long, hard look at classic JRPGs, successfully emulates most of what we remember so fondly about them with our rose tinted nostalgia glasses, sheds their annoying or excessive parts that we choose to forget, and adds its own surprising and unique innovations that elevate it from being yet another nostalgic pander to becoming a proper modern wonder.
Hollow Knight stands as a monument to game design, and quite possibly, as the greatest Metroidvania game of all time.
Red Faction: Guerrilla's central mechanics of destruction are a blast, but in the nine years since the game's original launch, we've played a lot of much better games. What was perfectly acceptable by our standards back in 2009 just doesn't cut it anymore, and as a result, Guerrilla is plagued by a number of major issues. Unfortunately, thanks to a bevy of technical issues, it doesn't even succeed as a remaster.
The Crew 2 is an ambitious game, yet an inconsistent one. It has many flaws that can't be ignored, but at the end of the day, it still manages to provide an undeniably enjoyable experience.
Traveller's Tales' latest is exactly what you expect it to be- for now, that's still a good thing.
The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit is an impressive accomplishment, which is made even more impressive when you consider the fact that it does everything that it does in the space of just a couple of hours. On top of that, the fact that it's completely free makes it a ridiculously easy game to recommend.
Addictive, rewarding, immersive- Jurassic World Evolution is the dinosaur management game we've been dreaming of for years, but never quite believed we'd ever get the chance to play. Frontier have created something truly special.
Tennis World Tour is a shockingly disappointing game.
Vampyr may very well be the video game personification of the phrase "diamond in the rough".
Conan Exiles isn't revolutionary, and it has its fair share of issues, but it's also a very engaging, addictive experience that can keep you hooked for dozens of hours.
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is one of the best 2D platformers of all time and the Switch version is argubaly the best version out there.
Far Cry 5's open-ended and free-form brand of exploration, chaotic and emergent combat, immersive setting, and inherently fascinating narrative premise all come together in what is easily the best Far Cry game ever.
The Curse of the Pharaohs' unique spin on Origins' setting and formula makes for a memorable experience.
Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom is a charming and beautiful game that is just as much fun to play as it is to look at.