Persona 5 is a beautiful balancing act; one that feels eternally stressful unless you give in and enjoy it rather than aiming for the perfect run.
RiME is exactly the game I like to slowly work my way through.
While I had some difficulty getting into the gameplay at first, due to how different it is to previous games from this developer, I'm glad to have persevered. Given the chance, Pyre opens up a world rich with lore to enjoy, and a variety of characters to throw headlong into magical bonfires. With both the story campaign and a multiplayer match mode available, it's easy to get deep into the Rites yourself.
While I never expected to say it, I may actually play a Monster Hunter game to completion, because Stories is the perfect storm of keeping the nuggets of the series I like while abandoning literally everything else about it.
Overall, "The Frozen Wilds" gives one more taste of the game's amazing combat, world and character animation to players like myself who loved Horizon (whether it was straight away or after coming back to it). It's a pity that Guerrilla has stated this will be the game's only piece DLC as it lays even more hints for a greater story in this world.
At the end of the day, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 is a LEGO game
The in-combat effects and camera work really make what could be a relatively basic combat cycle into something that feels dynamic and empowering every time you get to button-mash to truly kick the stuffing out of a goon's face.
As remastered games go, Yakuza Kiwami 2 is one of the better examples.
I honestly enjoyed my time with Assassin's Creed: Odyssey. It adds new elements to the franchise's recipe that I enjoy, and some of the story beats look to be leading future instalments in a really interesting direction.
Metro Exodus feels like a solid simulacrum of someone else trying to make a Fallout game, for all the benefits and drawbacks that entails.
Overall, Team Sonic Racing is… fun. I wouldn’t say it’s a top-of-the-line title by any means, but little tweaks to the formula give it an edge over others in the same field.
The series found a comfortable stride in the handheld world, and moving away from that isn’t always a strong step – so it’s a good thing that the Switch is a little bit of both worlds. The game is great for playing in short bursts, with even ten to fifteen minutes feeling like enough to really get something done, even if it’s just returning a bunch of lost items to your units in the monastery to boost your support links. The characters are endearing and help draw you into the world and its story, complete with divine mysteries to carry you through the school year.
While Astral Chain‘s storyline is filled with anime archetypes and familiar plot tropes, it all works well as an overall experience.
Between its primary plot and side content, “Blood and Wine” can easily add a couple dozen hours to your overall time in The Witcher 3. Complete with its own twisting narrative, branching mission paths and endings, unique enemy types and – it has to be said again – GORGEOUS landscape, Toussaint is a fitting capping point for the amazing journey that this game has been. There’s a reason it took out top billing in Stevivor’s (and my personal) game of the year rankings. I can’t think of a better way to send off our time with Geralt than an expansion of this magnitude – except perhaps never sending him off at all.
For those entering in here for the memories of a beloved game, I don’t want to knock the experience for you. This is the game you love! But unlike aforementioned remakes, nostalgia seems like a necessity to enjoy MediEvil rather than just being a bonus. Let all brave knights beware.
Persona 5 — and the expanded Persona 5 Royal — are both beautiful balancing acts; ones that feel eternally stressful unless you give in and enjoy them rather than aiming for the perfect run.
After the culture shock of such a total change to the Yakuza recipe, I’m extremely glad the Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio team took such a big leap when Kiryu’s tale came to an end. Like A Dragon is a revitalised game full of fresh ideas and proves that the series won’t be re-treading the same ground with Ichiban in the driver’s seat. If this is the first step into the new age of Yakuza, I can’t wait to see how bonkers the next game will be.
All in all, I was surprised at just how well the Persona/Musou combo works. In the Persona series, combat always felt slow, tactical and specific – a game all about discovering and targeting enemies’ weaknesses to take them out before they can hurt you. These two studios have worked out how to make that same methodology work in a fast-paced action combat environment, while still feeling that same sense of mastery. The storyline feels like a true continuation of the 2016 title with characters represented accurately, unlike some past tie-in titles where the characterisation can become one-note. For fans of Persona 5 this is a great way to dive back in and get another helping of this excellent cast, and spend another few dozen hours looking at some of the most stylish UI in gaming.
If the clunkiness of Monster Hunter has held you back in the past, Rise could be a good jumping-on point to give the franchise another try. I’m not saying you’re going to be seeing pro strategy videos on YouTube from yours truly any time soon, but I might stick around to solve the mystery of the Rampage after all.
If you never got the chance to play this underappreciated gem, it’s well worth checking it out on new-gen consoles. Prior knowledge of the Yakuza series is not needed, as the game stands on its own narratively. The game’s core mystery is enthralling to unravel, and there’s almost too much else going on around the city to enjoy while you derail the plot. Crack out your case book, crack your knuckles and get going.