Jarred Milner's Reviews
All-in-all, NBA 2K17 is once again a brilliant, quality, pure value for money experience that will never let you down
I hate and love everything Naughty Dog and its developers make me feel through this game. I still love every second of it. It goes without saying that if you have not played The Last of Us before, well there should be no question about whether you should pick this up.
In terms of its offerings, and with the option files and squad updates to come, I just can’t see how they can make it any better next year, but I am sure Konami have their plans.
NBA 2K19 is another impressive outing from Visual Concepts and 2K with just about everything you can think of included. It's a real shame that there is still a heavy reliance on purchasing VC in the modes that matter, but it's plausible to play without giving in to the temptation. Aside from the microtransactions and occasionally tedious load times NBA 2K19 has all the modes, polish, challenges and value you've come to expect from the franchise. It's the annual release that truly lasts a year and if you're a fan, there should be no doubt as to whether or not you should get this year's game.
MLB: The Show 20 makes getting to first base feel easy, getting to second a true joy, third a journey and getting the home run an experience worth reliving. It's by far and away one of the most complete sport game packages out there and provides good reason to stay home in these crazy times.
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy ticks just about every single box. Great gameplay, adventure, story, characters and voice acting.
Where it really matters, NBA 2K18 is yet another solid outing for the franchise. It takes all the best elements and refines them like never before.
Playing Uncharted 4 and Lost Legacy really closed off a chapter in my own gaming life. It’s the one series that really feels like “home” to me. I realized this even more so when playing it again now.
The more meaningful side quests as well as the new and returning weapons and enemies make for one excellent game. Yes, there are some technical aspects which could still be polished up, but overall Forbidden West is a fantastic experience.
PES 2018 is a solid performer in the world of football games, recapturing the wonderful game as it so often does. There’s, as always, room for improvement, especially on the aesthetic side of things, but with the gameplay as good as it is, with those incredible player likenesses and smooth animations.
FIFA 17 is another top offering from EA, that goes without saying. FIFA fans will flock to buy it purely because of the value that it holds. All the glorious licensing, Ultimate Teams and The Journey make it a solid product that will have any football fan pleased.
It all comes down to the online gameplay which for many is the be all of FIFA, but for now FIFA 21 over-delivers on its promises of making an overall better footballing experience. Its beautiful presentation coupled with gameplay improvements and the constant stream of content makes FIFA 21 a great experience.
When you reach the 4th down and nearing a touchdown, Madden 18 delivers, just. It’s got a fresh new look to it, great production value (as ever), an awesome soundtrack and a story mode that raises the bar.
FIFA 18 falls behind in the gameplay section once again when compared to its rival, but it makes up for a lot of those shortcomings in the rest of its offering. It’s not the best FIFA ever, but it is, at least, starting to move onwards and upwards after a couple of years of stagnating. A worthwhile purchase if you love football or football games.
For now, the improvements to Career mode and commentary, the incredible visuals and all the new animations and gameplay flow, FIFA 22 has a refreshing feel to it.
It’s a meaty affair with a brilliantly told, political escapade which not only takes you along for the ride, but places you as a pivotal player in the overall outcome of its enigma. The battle and story sections are wonderfully compartmentalised into chapters that for the first time ever on a Switch game I didn’t feel as though my hands were going to fold in from those dreadful joy-con controllers.
Batman’s popularity may be wearing a little bit as his novelty was quite high for a number of years, but playing as The Batman is something that will just never get boring regardless of the time.
Overall, PES 2019 is still a fantastic game. The on-field experience is one of the most authentic, impressive portrayals of football you are ever likely to see. It's what happens when a team is finally completely comfortable with the engine and system. Every match feels like it offers something different and that adds to the whole experience. The on-field additions certainly make up for the lacklustre menus, the loss of licenses and the lack of innovation, but only just.
Overall, FIFA 20 is a gift wrapped with flair and flamboyance on the outside. When you unwrap it, rather than it brimming to the full, it leaves you a little underwhelmed. It's still good, there's lots to be found inside and it will no doubt keep you busy for hours on end, but there's just not the same magic inside as there is on the outside.
at the cheaper price and all the updates, this is the definitive version of PES for the current-gen, and a great way to move into the next game.