In reality, it’s developed into a shallow game with little to no story content but lots of tedious busywork. Its great moment-to-moment gameplay isn’t enough to distract from how the game is built around artificial padding that even houses a pay-to-win microtransaction economy
Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 is a far cry from the disappointing game that preceded it. With changes like a more pleasing and communicative art style, gameplay design which is more conducive to a challenging and enthralling experience and some of the best third-person cover-based shooter arena design I have ever witnessed in a game before
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is an incredible game that was crafted from the ashes of a Tenchu reboot
BioWare really dropped the ball with Anthem. It has a fairly average story, is rife with terrible design and problems, laden with as many bugs as a Bethesda game and the endgame is incredibly unenticing
Kingdom Hearts 3 offers a unique adventure which remains unrivalled by any other IP due to its crossover nature
Forza Horizon 4 offers an insane set of visuals, vast amounts of content, an impressive level of optimisation and great structural changes that allow for a genuinely enthralling experience and cements the Xbox ecosystem as the home of racing
If I were to say that Monster Hunter: Generations Ultimate wasn’t enjoyable I would be doing it a great disservice. It has a huge monster roster to offer with an engaging and addictive gameplay loop that is extremely gratifying. Unfortunately, it is a relic of a bygone era in terms of game design and communication
It's Dark Souls, but better
Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2 are fantastic games on their own and they are a true mark on PlatinumGames’ ability as creative developers
Bethesda’s blockbuster action-RPG from 2011 translates impressively well onto Nintendo’s hybrid platform. Taking a vast adventure such as this on the go perfectly highlights why a future where more big titles support the Switch is a future we should strive for
Elex is an unfortunate case of an intriguing world ruined by most of game which the world is tied to. With average gameplay, horrid combat, bad voice acting, bad sound design and a myriad of technical issues, Elex does little to encourage players to invest time in its vast landscapes, deep RPG mechanics and interesting ideas.
Minor improvements make for an all-round better experience, but not without a few steps backwards
Striking a balance between superb visuals, outstanding sound design, excellent character writing and a well-written story which spans wonderfully rich Celtic and Norse mythology, Hellblade will go down as one of my favourite games of this generation and perhaps even longer than that
While Tekken 7 does sort of go back to its roots and rights the wrongs of some of its predecessors (mainly Tekken 6) it does leave a little to be desired from a story perspective and the rage system feels more like an adaptation of systems from other fighters instead of a new system to help make the game feel unique in the genre
I wasn’t quite expecting to enjoy the relatively small experience that is Little Nightmares as much as I did. It captured the clever puzzles that I loved from Limbo, while also having a great visual style that gives it a good sense of identity
Persona 5 is the definition of style and is a masterclass in how to make a good RPG. There’s nothing about it that doesn't make it stand out. The soundtrack is one of the best I’ve heard in a long time, the combat is simple yet surprisingly deep which allows for not only the game to be quite accessible, but it is also easy to pick back up.
The Ringed City feels like Hidetaka Miyazaki's send off to the Souls series. It's been a hell of a ride
NieR: Automata is a triumph of creativity, superlative combat, interesting characters and is just an all-round great game. Its short-but-sweet story is given substantial depth by a game structure that encourages and incentivises multiple playthroughs
Halo Wars 2 brilliantly captures what was great about the original, while also adding more depth and variety to the playing field. This is definitely a game for both newcomers and veterans alike.
Pokémon Sun and Moon is a breath of fresh air in a series that was perhaps becoming a bit stale. With the new region of Alola being divided the way it is, there is a great emphasis on variety and diversity.