Tom Hopkins's Reviews
Now though, EA Sports’ series really needs to be analyzed in regards to how and where it improves, and FIFA 21 is a mash up of incremental steps forward, baffling design choices, and seemingly ignored issues. It simply doesn’t do enough to make the overall experience significantly more enjoyable than it was last year.
Codemasters’ F1 series is continuing to improve and stake its claim as the best racing game for simulation veterans and newcomers.
What The Golf? was a highlight of Apple Arcade’s launch lineup but it feels right at home on Switch. It’s a joyous mix of simple gameplay, hilarious situations and ingenious design, made even better by the inclusion of the riotous Party Mode.
If you’re after a big dumb shark game, Maneater will scratch that itch. The quality of the gameplay and some of its RPG mechanics might make you wish there was some more depth and variety to it all though.
Playing as the Predator is a wonderful idea, it just deserves a better game around it. Bugs, mediocre first-person gameplay, repetitive missions, an ugly setting, and a reliance on playing with friends mean Predator Hunting Grounds is boring a lot more often than it is enjoyable.
Its gameplay loop is easy to understand but hard to master, throwing new obstacles at your around every corner, it just doesn’t have the chaotic magic that made the Overcooked games special.
Doom Eternal is far more than gore, double jumps, and brutal executions. It’s an impeccably designed game that perfectly balances every single aspect of its action to create one of the most challenging, exhausting, and consistently fun shooters in years.
If you’ve enjoyed similar games, Simulacra will be right up your street. Its story is creepy and unpredictable, with the variety in gameplay keeping you engaged, even if it drags towards the end.
For the most part though, Golem feels like a PSVR game that became lost in a mess of ideas during its various delays. The nearly unbearable movement, best-avoided combat, and frustrating progression system makes it a game that’s an absolute chore to play though and one of PSVR’s biggest disappointments.
While it’s got a long way to go to hit the heights of the Forza Horizon competition, the improved story telling, inventive Night vs. Day structure, and fun driving make Heat worth picking up even if Payback and 2015’s reboot put you off the series.
For another option to add to the party game collection, you could do a lot worse, but Mario & Sonic’s new Olympics outing is not a game you’ll want to spend hours at a time with.
The often dark campaign adds variety that introduces Call of Duty’s potential future and puts it up there with the best the series has ever seen; the multiplayer is as engrossing as ever, even though the poor map design causes some issues; and the Spec-Ops co-op is best avoided if you don’t have a competent and organized squad to play through with.
It’s not perfect, but it’s the biggest step forward for the series for a few years. It might be the best one to pick up if you haven’t played FIFA in a while.
It’ll no doubt be right up the street of Bioware fans and De Sardet’s journey is certainly a fun one, but Greedfall is unremarkable in a few key ways.
It’s tough at times, there no denying that, but figuring out how to use each sector’s layout to your advantage will soon make you appreciate the subtly implemented progression system and impeccably designed rooms, adding to the pinball hack and slash gameplay that feels fantastic in all its forms from the moment you step foot in the mountain.
The gameplay may be uninspired, but Erica is the best FMV game we’ve had in a long time and is the perfect length for a single evening’s entertainment.
Aside from some brief fun to be had with the three machines, Wolfenstein Cyberpilot is hugely disappointing.
Even if you’re fascinated by the story though, the tedium of actually playing Sea of Solitude will diminish its impact.
Even though it’s just 10 months since F1 2018’s launch, F1 2019 feels like a step forward. It adds improved visuals, a beefed up online multiplayer component, and an enjoyable light story to a great base that already boasted phenomenal racing mechanics.
Blood & Truth is an excellent example of an action movie in VR.