Chris Wray
- Final Fantasy IX
- Battlefield 2
- Rome: Total War
F1 2020 does as much as can be expected from Codemasters, offering an oustanding racing experience on the track. Where it goes further is off of the track, bringing in an incredibly extensive My Team mode, as well as fleshing out the career mode with a full Formula 2 season. With a massive amount of content, great racing and quality throughout, it's hard not to love the game. The only real issue I have is the inclusion of the new Podium Pass (battle pass) system, adding a microtransaction for cosmetics.
Trackmania is a nice addition to the series, one that looks and sounds great and, even when it's incredibly frustrating, it's fun. The downside is the new monetisation system, a subscription service that looks like it could segregate the community. The game is very extensive and if the audience picks it up, it could be great for the same reason the other Trackmania games were: user-created content using an outstanding track creator and editor.
The Anno History Collection is as the name implies, a collection of the historical Anno titles. Unlike other re-releases that have come out recently, this isn't a remaster or a remake, with the games coming in their original glory with a few tweaks to enable modern resolutions, allow the games to run smoothly and allow you to play online. Is that enough to justify the high price? That's up for debate, as is the value you'll get out of each of the four titles, with the age of the first two really showing. You can, however, buy the titles separately. So do I recommend it? The games are good and there's a massive amount of content, it's down to you if you're happy playing some (admittedly great) older games with few noticeable advancements.
Following on from Shadow Tactics, Mimimi Productions have continued their excellent form with Desperados. While the maps can be a little dull and the game arguably slow, the level of tactical nuance and environmental storytelling, as you progress through engaging and challenging missions, is second to none. Desperados III is an undeniably great game, the best in the series and arguably one of the best in the genre.
Command & Conquer Remastered Collection is, simply put, an amazing value for money at only $19.99. Containing two legendary strategy games that have been masterfully touched up, looking great and also including the ability to see the old view for comparison, the games have also been touched up with new modern features as and when required, without sacrificing what made the games the iconic titles that they are. There are ever so slight issues with pathfinding at times and the difficulty can ramp up at an insane level, with the AI almost seeming like it's cheating, but overall this is the best remaster I've ever had the pleasure of playing and one that I can't help but recommend to anybody and everybody, even those brand new to the series.
Fallout 76: Wastelanders is Fallout 76 but better, but better doesn't mean it's good.
Predator: Hunting Grounds reminds me very much of Evolve and Illfonic's previous Friday the 13th game. That is to say it has a lot of potential. The core gameplay can be fun, though the time between the fun
Gears Tactics is, simply put, an excellent turn-based tactics game that stands up well against titles like XCOM and others at the top of the genre.
Iron Danger is a compelling real-time tactics game that's held together by its core feature and a few interesting characters. Sadly, the story is bland other than a few interesting characters and while the core gameplay elements result in a strong tactical game, the controls frequently frustrate and impede the fun you can have.
Doom Eternal is a brilliant game, one that is a worthy successor to the previous release. While the game does stumble here and there, trying to be something that it really shouldn't be, the outstanding gameplay more than makes up for any issues. Going by the campaign alone, Doom Eternal is well worth your time and money, particularly so if you liked Doom. I'm not sold on the multiplayer, as it feels just a bit too threadbare.