Dominic Leighton's Reviews
Just as Codemaster's competitors were starting to creep towards the digital rallying crown, Dirt Rally 2.0 puts them firmly back in the rear-view mirror. Utterly convincing, enthralling and punishing, Dirt Rally 2 is an exquisite racing sim.
Crackdown 3 manages to escape its troubled development in style, offering up a somewhat safe return to the superhero cop action of its predecessors in a bright and unpretentious campaign. It feels like the perfect antidote to some of the more bloated open world experiences of recent years. You can also briefly revel in the Wrecking Zone's glorious destruction, even if all that fancy cloud tech simply leaves you hungry for what the game could have been.
God Eater 3 boasts fantastic monster hunting combat and the best visuals we've seen from the series, but hangs onto too many of the previous game's hang-ups.
In a world bereft of a new Advance Wars, Wargroove is a worthy successor. Its fantasy retro strategy stylings mark it out as a wonderful amalgamation of the classic Fire Emblem and Wars games, and while it doesn't revolutionise the genre in the way that the modern Fire Emblem games have it nails the feel of Intelligent System's best games – while standing proudly on its own.
Override: Mech City Brawl is an indie mech arena brawler that gets a lot of things right. The single player is often a little on the easy side, but the great character designs and weighty combat help to make up for it, with local multiplayer proving to be a hell of a lot of fun. It's perfect for fans of giant mechs and kaiju brawling, and easily one of the best additions to the genre in a while.
In Ace Combat 7 dogfighting games have a new Top Gun. The VR sadly turned my stomach, but the series' trademark action is bigger and better than ever, with the spectacular weather effects introducing a level of realism and drama that will win over any wannabe Mavericks.
It's a huge relief to find that Tales of Vesperia hasn't just aged well, but continues to prove itself to be amongst the best games in the Tales series. The enhancements made to the Definitive Edition tidy up and expand on an already enjoyable game, bringing the characters to life more effectively than ever before and making it more than capable of enthralling both returning players and newcomers alike.
It's a shame that more time wasn't spent on Gear.Club Unlimited 2 as there are a glimmer or two of hope amongst the horror. However, appalling loading times, terrible handling, and moronic computer AI all contribute to a racing game that rolls its way off the assembly line and straight into the scrapyard.
Just Cause 4 is the best entry in the series to date, offering spectacular free-wheeling destruction on a scale that's not been attempted before. Rico remains one of gaming's most enjoyable protagonists, but more than ever before, it's really all about what he's capable of doing rather than the events unfolding around him.
Diablo III Eternal Collection is the best version of a classic game, and on Nintendo Switch it makes more sense than ever, whether playing alone or with others.
At times spiritual, transcendental and zen-like, at others excruciating, heart-poundingly tense and eye-wateringly immersive, Tetris Effect is game of the year material and essential on PlayStation VR.
GRIP: Combat Racing is an unpolished gem that's currently too flawed to fully recommend. When it comes together – particularly in multiplayer – GRIP is capable of providing some of the most engaging future racing this side of Wipeout 2097, but it's all too easy for it to fall apart, especially when you're placed in the hands of the game's cheating AI.
My Hero One's Justice sees Bandai at their property-managing best, bringing a hugely enjoyable fighting game experience to the My Hero Academia franchise. The Switch version has a few rough edges, but ultimately the colourful anime brawling feels perfectly at home on Nintendo's continually surprising handheld.
SoulCalibur VI is a fantastic looking entry in the series, but beyond that feels like something of a missed opportunity. The core combat remains as vibrant, weighty and enjoyable as ever, but the Reversal Edge adds in an element of chance that feels at odds with what most fighting games set out to achieve. The two interminably dull story modes don't help either, with players left to rely on the the straightforward arcade and online modes for their kicks.
Starlink: Battle for Atlas is a fantastic sci-fi game that's well worth playing no matter how old you are. The physical toys are attractive enough to adorn any shelf, and robust enough to actually be played with, while a large collection of ships isn't essential for completing the game, and there's even an option not to use them at all. It's a shame then that the story doesn't quite live up to rest of the game's promise, but you might be having too much fun to notice.
The Labo Vehicle Kit is simply wonderful, and really brings Nintendo's cardboard-filled vision to life.
Space Hulk: Tactics is certainly true to the ethos of the original board game, with some smart card-based additions, a full Genestealer campaign and a full on level editor. That said, it's only liable to be long-serving franchise fans that get the most out of it.
Beautiful, British and bold, Forza Horizon 4 sets a new benchmark for open-world arcade racing.
Final Fantasy XV Pocket HD is a bullet-point RPG that just about gets away with its narrow focus thanks to the charm of its lead characters, fun combat, and having been able to crib some of the original's great production values, particularly the epic soundtrack. It's more or less impossible to recommend to PlayStation or Xbox owners, but for Switch fans it's a light snack before next year's deluge of proper Final Fantasy games.
Amongst the most generous expansions of all time, Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna – The Golden Country is one of the year's best RPGs. Returning players will love diving further into the history of Alrest and discovering more about the events that shaped the world, while newcomers can rest assured that they're starting out with the most refined and welcoming introduction to Xenoblade yet.