Persona 5 is a masterpiece in every sense of the word. There is nothing more I can say.
"Triumph" is a word often lazily used by reviewers to describe games that receive high scores, but it's the only word I can come up with to describe Red Dead Redemption 2. A technical marvel, a narrative powerhouse and a game that will enter the halls of gaming history as a new high standard that many games would only dream to reach. Its slow and methodical nature may deter some, but if you can give the necessary patience, the reward is better than a train robbery going off without a hitch. You owe it to yourself to get this game.
Guerrilla Games, you nailed it. This game should resonate for a while to come and it’s a strong contender for my GOTY already. Just get it already.
While based on the already brilliant Uncharted 4, The Lost Legacy does a fantastic job at creating its own unique identity. The adventure is dangerous, but it's also breathtakingly beautiful and the characters evolve with every step that you take. There isn't much to fault in this masterclass of an adventure game and Uncharted fans will undoubtedly love it even more.
Beat Saber is, quite simply, the perfect VR game. Slashing blocks with lightsabers couldn't be more fun and it's accessible to everyone. It takes the concept of virtual reality and implements a hyper-focused gameplay experience to deliver an experience unlike anything you've ever seen before. While being relatively simple in its design, everything is just set dressing for the lightsaber flailing madness that you'll partake in. And you'll love every second of it.
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is a perfect fit for the Switch, delivering impeccable platforming goodness with Donkey Kong and his family. It's beautiful both from a visual and auditory standpoint and each level you play has its own identity or unique flavour. The game is as tough as a gorilla in a barrel, but the Switch exclusive features such as Funky Kong and the generous items you can use help to assuage some of that frustration. A must for any Switch owner for sure.
I wanted Watch Dogs 2 to be a continuation of the great ideas they had in the original while making a better experience. My expectations were exceeded. This is definitely worth your time and money.
While innovation wasn't a focus, the sheer value for money that you get with this game is more than enough to offset any doubts that this game isn't worth it.
Survival horror is the perfect fit for virtual reality and The Persistence wants to set the benchmark for how it should be done properly. With full movement, immaculately detailed environments and the genuine feeling of horror, this is one of the best that the genre can offer in VR right now.
Blood & Truth is the most fun I've had in years. Its revolutionary shooting mechanics turn you into a virtual action hero in every sense of the word as you go through a gritty, dark and violent London underground in search for answers and revenge, all in VR. The amazingly designed setpieces make sure that you're never bored through the game's 8 hour tight and compact story. The only sadness I felt while playing this game was when the credits rolled. This is the game that shows us that PSVR is to be taken seriously.
If you’ve been a long-time Gears fan, you have no reason to worry. This is definitely all you asked for and then some. If you’re a casual Gears fan, I’d still recommend it purely for the fact that it is an incredibly solid package and will last you a considerable amount of time. For those that do not enjoy the franchise, you won’t find anything new to sway your opinion since this is a refinement of the traditional formula and more importantly a continuation of the legacy.
Salt and Sanctuary wears its obvious inspiration on its sleeve. It takes the magic ingredients from the Souls franchise and makes something of its own on a 2D plane. All of its individual aspects gel well to create an ultra-hard side-scrolling adventure through the dark and dreary. The Switch port is well done and makes it the perfect way to die horribly wherever it is convenient.
If you were a fan of Life is Strange and its formula, this prequel will be perfect if you desired more from Arcadia Bay.
Hitman 2 isn't a revolution, it's a refinement of what worked and an irresistible package of worthwhile and replayable content. Creativity and audacious planning is rewarded and options are given for any potential playstyle from the casual murderer to the gilded assassin. With even more content planned for the future and the plethora of challenges and modes to take part in, this is one game that satisfies all your assassination needs and more. Some slight performance problems and a throwaway story does hobble it a bit, but make no mistake, this is the definitive Hitman experience in one convenient and polished package.
Tales of Vesperia rightfully holds its reputation as one of the most surprising JRPG experiences out there. With a wonderful cast of colourfully fleshed out characters, this adventure is one that you won't soon forget and will be happy that you embarked on it. The start is still slow and the decision to use a new voice actor in new scenes is pretty jarring, but once you get over that and allow the game to spread its wings, you're off to paradise.
Your friend Pedro simply wants you to kill people in the most stylish way you can. That's all he really wants from you and you must obey him. Thankfully, it's also really fun to do that. The game provides you with the tools to become a murder maestro orchestrating your own symphony of death while also having a tongue in its cheek and a banana with a face. If you love making art with bullets, this is the game for you even if it can sometimes be a little bruised in places.
Take a journey through the most hostile unknown environment on Earth inside a claustrophobic suit while you're also going mad from trauma. Narcosis pulls out all the stops in its pursuit to be the best underwater survival horror and for the most part, it succeeds in that lofty goal.
A pure and exhilarating shooter with its own unique twists, SUPERHOT hits many right notes as you partake in its bullet ballet. However, the game struggles to have any lasting power and you will start to grow tired after you have finished the story and played some of the challenges. It's still fantastic to play when you have some time to kill and the level of satisfaction remains remarkably consistent. SUPER. HOT. SUPER. HOT
Middle-earth: Shadow of War expands on the unique ideas of its predecessor to varying degrees of success. There are deeper mechanics, the Nemesis system is buffed up and much more prevalent and there are interesting characters that you meet on your adventure. However, it adheres too much on the previous game's mechanics and often feels like a retread. There is a mountain of content to play through and even though much of it can feel the same after a while, the momentum it sustains can keep you engaged. A very solid open-world experience awaits you if you choose to jump in and if you enjoyed the previous game, you will have a lot more of it to play in this iteration.
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life is the modern Yakuza experience that you've been waiting for, with a couple of caveats. It has everything that you can love from a Yakuza game such as the fun activities and wonderfully realised world, but it also has an extremely mature and emotional main narrative that deserves your attention. The combat is its weakspot with it being simplified to the point where it's repetitious and some aspects can be shallow. However, it is a fine swan song for the legendary Kiryu and you still can't find something quite like it out there.