While serious sim-racers tend to have quite specific interests, and will probably make the purchase with one itch in mind to scratch, there's a good amount of joy to be found here across the board for Project CARS 2 fans.
Steep: Road to the Olympics is a separate expansion, meaning it's not included as part of the season pass. That's a shame because, if it was, it would be easier to recommend. For a game all about freedom of choice and spontaneous activity, with quite an arcade-centric physics engine, it was clearly going to struggle to convey the technical side of the Winter Olympic Games. The 'Be a Legend' story-mode seems rushed and ill-devised. The footage of athletes is poorly integrated and the narrating and tutoring is all too intense, especially when the experience is so fragmented and dull. Japan, on the other hand, is a beautiful and large region, which really does expand the Steep world with a new aesthetic, new event types, and new challenges. Hence, Steep fans who persevere with the first segment, will eventually receive an impressive content injection. Fans of the Winter Olympics, however, will probably find this one quite underwhelming.
TT Isle of Man: Ridge on the Edge deserves praise for its fairly meticulous recreation of the famous event. The sense of speed, high quality audio, and the impressive visuals, amount to a visceral driving experience.
South Park: The Fractured But Whole is an excellent RPG that adds a hefty amount of mechanical depth to improve upon The Stick of Truth. Admittedly, some of the gaming commentary is less effective if the player has experience with the previous instalment. However, there are still plenty of surprises and enough side-splitting moments to make it a must-buy for any fans of South Park, especially if seasoned gamers, too. While the storyline itself isn't quite as clever as something from the show, the jokes and dialogue meet the same standards. The kid's move from fantasy to super heroes pays off, although if there's a third adventure, it would need to deviate more substantially from its predecessor. It's a shame the existing DLC couldn't have been included as standard, but at least the Switch version runs without issue for the most part, and wasn't delayed for too long. Overall, this is an excellent port.
For just under a tenner, Octahedron is a mightily impressive package. Its '80s-derived neon-aesthetic is a very cool backdrop for one of the most impressive 2D platforming experiences on offer so far this year. The sense of challenge is very finely-tuned and progressive, being unforgiving while still managing to keep the player coming back for yet another round. While there's a very detached introductory cut-scene, which is weird and ultimately is context that nobody needs, the gameplay itself is addictive, inventive, and something all indie platforming fans will want to try out. It looks amazing and runs at a smooth 60fps, which really helps the sense of fluidity. In addition, the chiptune and electronic soundtrack is so good that Cubed3 just had to bust out the studio monitors. The only disappointment relating to the music soundtrack is that it couldn't interact with the gameplay further than platforms moving to the BPM.
Antigraviator gets a lot of things right.
MotoGP 2018 is something only avid fans of the genre should check out. Although there are some improvements to presentation, problems with the murky colour tone palette persist, on top of irritating texture resolution issues with the racing scenery. If sticking to time attack, hardcore bike fans looking for realism may be able to scratch their itch here. However, put other drivers on the track and the illusion quickly shatters. The AI just isn't dynamic or reactive enough. For those taking things less seriously, this will be less of an issue but, either way, it's not very much fun being in their company. It is nice being able run your own 2018 season in tandem with the real thing, but the Career Mode is nothing special. Even if the online mode and the eSport Championship function well enough, the lacklustre collision detection will hinder that side of the experience, too. This is flawed and rushed.
Onrush is the product of some seriously creative lateral thinking. It feels like something Codemasters cooked up whilst down at the pub, that when it put into practice, found worked better than ever imagined. It takes some of the best attributes of Burnout, SSX, and MotorStorm, but turns the experience on its head with fresh ideas, and some gameplay mechanics borrowed from the world of first-person shooters. It's a gorgeous and intense arcade racer, which is both a throwback and something totally original. There are a few kinks. With one misstep, one or two tracks will throw you away from the action all too easily, and side-swipe takedowns aren't as easy as they should be in certain vehicles. The trick system, too, could be more elaborate. However, overall, Onrush is just a fantastic change of pace. It excels in scratching an itch that you never knew existed. Extremely good fun!
The Octo Expansion for Splatoon 2 is a unique DLC package. Nintendo could easily have extended its existing single-player experience by tacking on a few new worlds and adding an extra narrative strand there. Instead, it has produced something quite a bit more hardcore. Mileage will vary from player to player, since certain challenges can be unbelievably frustrating and the difficulty never really relents; however, this is tempered by the ability to skip scenarios after registering enough attempts. While that might seem like cheating to some, it is the correct decision. There are so many thoughtful stages, highlighting Splatoon's unique make-up of shooting and platforming mechanics that it is well-worth seeing them all rather than being halted by one specific task. While the fact that it's a modular design could be equated with laziness for some, Nintendo deserves credit for producing something robust and unforgiving that will test even the most dedicated of fans.
It looked promising, but The Crew 2 falls wide of the mark, in infuriating fashion. It tries to grab people's attention with its technically impressive map, its instant vehicle-switching, and with even flashier motors, yet all of this is just a deluded sales pitch for a seriously lacking package. It doesn't address any of the fundamental flaws of the original, such as repetitive races and too many bland open spaces. The motors from within each vehicle type aren't distinguishable in handling at all, the physics are poor, and the voice acting and music are irritating. There's no sense of achievement from anything, thanks to a poor XP and unlock system. Worse yet, there's no real multiplayer to speak of - posing the question, why on Earth does it require an Internet connection to play? The Crew 2 might seem enjoyable for a couple of hours, but it quickly starts to feel empty. Stick with Forza Horizon.
Battle Chasers: Nightwar on Nintendo Switch is a highly engrossing experience, which JRPG fans, raised on the likes of Final Fantasy and Suikoden, will savour every minute of.
Wreckfest's traditional structure helps its destruction-centric emphasis feel uniquely mischievous, whilst also highlighting its impressive simulative physics and challenging AI drivers. This choice of framework also draws more direct connections with Destruction Derby, the classic title it successfully channels. With that said, given how explosive Bugbear Entertainment's creative spark was within its series FlatOut, it could be argued that it is a tad too pre-occupied with being a spiritual successor. It might have benefited from a more expansive, outlandish DNA and structure. However, despite these minor reservations, plus the title's drawn-out development, Wreckfest is undeniably brilliant and refreshing. It features addictive, quick-burst gameplay, particularly gorgeous visuals and sound, not to mention surprisingly detailed car physics and handling models, especially when using a wheel. Moreover, its damage model is truly something to behold. Wreckfest establishes an intriguing niche, combing sim-based physics with arcade-spirited destruction and chaos. It's a real gem.
All of Milestone's racers impress and disappoint in the same ways, and that hasn't changed here. MXGP succeeds in catering for both a casual audience and the hardcore fans, but neither will feel particularly satisfied with their serving. That's especially true in the case of MXGP Pro, because the 'Pro' subtitle was bound to raise expectation levels. While minor enhancements are always welcome, it's far too much of an incremental process across iterations here, making it difficult to recommend to anyone who bought MXGP3. The assumed time constraints and the developer's 'one size fits all' approach to generating improvements (where only additions that can be diffused across all its franchises seem to be encouraged) is now a significant source of frustration. While MXGP Pro is mostly an attractive, enjoyable experience, that represents the sport quite well, even avid fans should ponder long and hard over its longstanding flaws before indulging.
Forgotton Anne is a unique and strikingly cinematic experience, which makes a valiant attempt to unify the finesse of anime films with interactive gameplay.
Overcooked 2 is more of a second helping than a brand new concoction, but that's not to be sniffed at. It features more dynamic levels, with better scope, a wide array of new restaurant themes, recipes and chef costumes, not to mention another very meaty story mode. The real evolution, however, comes in simply addressing the biggest failing of the original - its lack of online multiplayer. This addition expands things significantly in terms of its longevity, allowing friends and strangers to gather when a local session isn't on the cards. Moreover, it enables lone cooks to experience the true core experience, specifically, the unique brand of chaos that comes with running a kitchen co-operatively. Overcooked 2 is a fantastic combination of excellent music and vibrant visuals, with gameplay that is as addictive as it is dizzying. While it's not a huge leap beyond the original menu, it brings plenty to the table.
State of Mind is an interesting project that prioritises its story beyond all other aspects of the experience. Unfortunately, while it does feature a very interesting narrative and a lot of compelling ideas, they are not executed very well at all. Even those acclimatised to the pacing and narrowness of other more successful 'interactive stories,' such as The Walking Dead, will find State of Mind to be inextricably rigid and overly linear. Everything encountered is positioned there to further the story. Both Berlin and City 5 lack proper secondary interactions and spontaneous encounters. Even the most linear of adventures cannot completely ignore the player's implied sense of possibility and wonder, without seriously affecting the immersion. For this reason, it's hard to feel engaged in State of Mind, despite its highly compelling story content. It might even be more enjoyable to watch a streamer play through it, than do it for oneself. Ouch.
F1 2018, unsurprisingly, is better than last year's outing. There are no drastic overhauls to speak of, but thanks to another array of tweaks and minor additions, it's the best F1 title to date. Its biggest strength is in the single-player domain. The career mode features a lot of unique elements, like the R&D skill-tree, which can't be found elsewhere, and it successfully approximates what it's like being a championship-pursuing Formula 1 driver. However, in terms of its fundamentals, despite the improvements to AI behaviour, the force feedback, and advanced elements such as tyre-degradation, this remains too much of a work-in-progress. F1 2018 will likely test the patience of the sim-racing side of its audience, who have increasingly high standards. Ultimately, whilst being drip-fed improvements in incremental fashion, it seems unlikely that Codemaster's F1 franchise will make any grand leaps towards meeting the lofty standards set by dedicated racing simulators.
Some aspects of NASCAR Heat 3 are well done. The challenge mode is absorbing and addictive, thanks to its quick-burst nature and the interesting context of the scenarios. The career mode, too, has been improved somewhat from last year's offering, although it's nothing out of the ordinary. Unfortunately, these elements don't make up for the rest of it. The visuals are sub-par. The engine audio and the sound of the tyres squealing are some of the worst around. The physics, the collision detection, and the damage model are all terrible. Worst of all, the force feedback is so bad it performs like a Playstation 2 era driving game. This was the major issue with last year's iteration, so it's unacceptable that this hasn't been addressed. There was little point in adding new features like dirt racing, with these issues still present. Overall, NASCAR Heat 3 doesn't have its priorities in order.
Overall, V-Rally 4 is quite a decent experience that is no blemish on the legacy of the old series. It's pleasing on the eye, features a good amount of discipline contrast, and the split-screen multiplayer is great fun. Fans of the series will feel at home with the handling model, which recaptures the feel and behaviour of the original in a new modern context with surprising success. It's not a sim-heavy experience, but it is an appropriate challenge that asks more of the player than the average arcade rally affair does. The car list is lacking in terms of modern options, but existing fans will have a soft spot for the classics on offer. It's just a shame that the career mode fails to distinguish itself, and the online multiplayer is sparsely populated. Any future iterations will need to be more inventive, but V-Rally 4 is a surprisingly fun throwback.
Overall, Overcooked! 2 - Surf 'n' Turf is a fantastic dessert for players already full on the core experience. Its island theme is a refreshing aesthetic contrast to the main game, with brighter and more vibrant visuals and a soothing island resort soundtrack. Not only this, it conjures some interesting new mechanics. The managing of barbeques with bellows creates even more time management chaos. Also, the addition of the water pistol, used to extinguish fires and spray the dishes clean from afar, adds a new layer of freedom, teamwork, and versatility. At a meagre price, Surf 'n' Turf brings a lot more to the table than might be expected. It may only be a handful of stages, but they are well-crafted and provide a challenge that fans will salivate over. This sets very high standards for the future inbound DLC of Overcooked 2. Get your island gear on!