Children of Arkham is a less theatric, but more disruptive story to Batman’s lore. Thickly-coated subplots mean more contemplative decisions as those layers become increasingly complex and intertwined.
The EA Sports stalwart is facing strong competition from Pro Evolution Soccer, but has come out fighting with plenty of style and just enough substance
A varied and fulfilling selection of pretend-o-fights, bolstered by new features which don’t all work exactly as intended – but show tantalising promise for the future.
While the campaign’s experimental short stories may just be the most interesting thing about Battlefield 1, this is not a niche experience to accurately portray the history its borrowing. This is a Battlefield game, and that means World War One in the Battlefield style, with all the compromises therein.
Being uniquely eclectic, Titanfall 2 is designed just well enough, and with enough layers so to not be entirely derivative. Hero simulations are so vastly abundant in this industry - so if you’re going to play one, you might as well choose from those who do it the best.
For all the choices we’re given in Telltale games, they often lead to the same destinations. We can affect the littles outcomes, but can’t sway the larger ones, which by this point in the developer’s career is no revelation. It’s the illusion of choice that keeps us happy and narratively enchanted - a spell I’m quite okay to be under. Creating branches for every decision would simply be untenable, and even considering the limitations of this model - the stories themselves, however little we can change them, are worth exploring anyway.
Ben received a physical copy of Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 from Bandai Namco for review.
Completely self-supporting; and that’s okay.
Not quite the game we need, but certainly the one we deserve.
Ben received a digital copy of Sniper Elite 4 from GDE for review.
Ben received a physical copy of Halo Wars 2 from Xbox NZ for review.
Masterfully balances the needs of old and new players alike – but online teething problems are a curveball Sony has to overcome for the game to truly prosper.
Ben received a digital copy of Little Nightmares from Bandai Namco for review.
Ben received a digital copy of Rime from the developer for review.
An emotional inferno, worth your suffering.
Ben received a digital copy of Life is Strange: Before the Storm from Square Enix for review.
Another remake, but a damn good one. The perfect place to begin if you've never played Yakuza before.
Ben received a digital copy of Project CARS 2 from Bandai Namco for review.
Whichever side of the footballing gulf you plant your neon footwear, there's no question that EA's behemoth delivers bang for its megabucks.
The best footballing package available, with myriad improvements – yet still unlikely to convert fans of the opposition.