Dominic Leighton's Reviews
Hideo Kojima has been accused at various points of promoting style over substance, and in this remaster of Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner that's more apparent than ever. For all of its fantastically designed mech, and its tight and often enjoyable combat, Zone of the Enders 2nd Runner is an ugly, poorly-told and overly short slice of nostalgia that can't be saved by the introduction of VR.
Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate ties up the entirety of the series' history prior to World in spectacular style, and emphasises why the game has worked so well as a handheld title for all these years. While it leans heavily on the past heritage of the series, here's hoping that there's a place for further similar titles in Monster Hunter's future.
There are few games that can boast the level of personality and humour that Two Point Hospital does while still giving you something serious to sink your time into. For anyone with fond memories of Theme Hospital, this is the silly hospital management sim you've been waiting for.
While Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age doesn't push the boundaries of RPG design in any new way, it is an enjoyable and refined return to the Dragon Quest franchise. Some might decry its lack of ambition, but for fans of the genre and the series, new experiences like this are few and far between.
For golf fans, The Golf Club 2019 featuring PGA Tour should be an essential purchase. It's the refinement of all of HB Studios previous work, and while the series may have started out as an indie underdog it now feels like a AAA sports franchise.
As far as nostalgia goes, plenty of aging gamers will fall for Shenmue's shonky charms all over again, and revisiting Ryo's tale of revenge can be a deeply enjoyable experience. However, newcomers will face an uphill struggle to get past the poor controls, terrible English voice acting and grinding repetition. It's still a great primer for the third game, but only if you've been here before.
For returning players, Madden NFL 19 does exactly what you'd expect, offering a fantastic rendition of the NFL experience with improved graphics, tweaked modes and other minor improvements. However, if you're not a franchise devotee, 18's introduction of the new engine, full training mode and Longshot's superior first season makes it the better option for newcomers.
Monster Hunter World on PC offers the same awesome experience that console gamers have been enjoying, and brings one of the best games of recent times to a slightly different audience. With the right kit you'll be able to push the game further than anywhere else, and with the promise of future updates it's likely to become the definitive version, even if it's not quite there yet.
There aren't many games with such a surety of visual design as Pixel Ripped 1989, but while it's deeply referential it retains its own unique character and flavour. It's perhaps aggravatingly tough at times, and fundamentally you'll be playing a Game Boy game for a good portion of your time here, but it's undoubtedly a VR experience you won't have seen before.
Hand of Fate 2 is a welcome reminder that RPGs don't have to fall into one of two categories, and its heady mix of deck building and Arkham-esque combat make for a unique experience. Arriving on Switch it's found its perfect home, and its bite-sized story and action that are ideal for gaming on-the-go.
The Mooseman is a unique, significant, and often beautiful indie game that proves there's room in the video game space for all kinds of different experiences. There's every chance you won't have heard of the Perm region of Russia or its pagan mythology, but this is a game that places you within its traditions and iconography with sympathetic artistry.
In The Persistence, the team at Firesprite have concocted a rogue-lite survival horror whose atmosphere and hard hitting combat feel fantastic in VR. Thanks to an impressive array of comfort options it's also amongst the best PSVR experiences we've had, and for owners of Sony's headset it's damn near essential.
I'm all for taking the spirit of a beloved classic and bringing it up to date, but you have to be prepared to be judged utterly against that original game. Under the right circumstances Earthfall is capable of capturing the frantic teamwork of Left 4 Dead, but there's too much wrong here to maintain it for long.
For fans of Ward, Sperry and Ross' previous work, Danger Zone 2 is the closest we've come to a new Burnout experience in years. Crashing into things hasn't lost any of its base appeal, and while we're waiting for Dangerous Driving to bring things full circle, this is more than worthy of your time.
Nintendo's continued run of Wii U ports has to have a finite end, but while Switch players are getting games like Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker then its best just to bask in it. Gloriously cheerful, charming and enthralling, it's only diminishing features are its slightly short length and lack of difficulty for seasoned players.
Antigraviator has tons of potential, and there's every chance that it could attain it a few updates down its spiralling road. However, as it stands there are too many problems with the game's underpinnings that the fantastic visuals can't quite cover up.
Mario Tennis Aces looks and performs as well as anything you'd expect from the House of 'Tache, but its family friendly appearance disguises a brutally difficult single player experience that will surely alienate younger players.
The fact that Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection gives players a thorough insight into Street Fighter II, III and the Alpha series is recommendation enough, but when they're so well presented it makes this more or less essential for fight game fans. Add in the Switch's portability, and on-the-go multiplayer opportunities (if you're both willing to forgive the limitations of the Joy-Con) and this is everything a Street Fighter fan could hope for.
Business management games don't come much cooler than Jurassic World Evolution, and as subject matter goes it has done the the franchise proud. The dinosaurs look fantastic, the park building is easy and coherent, and the ensuing chaos when it goes a little bit off the rails can be frantic and enthralling. It's pacing where the game struggles a little, with a few too many sedentary moments stretching your patience, but you're not likely to get any closer to building your own park packed with once extinct animals than this.
Just Shapes & Beats is the best EDM compilation album you can play, and assuming the music floats your ear-shaped boat, it's an absolute treat. Challenging, engrossing and exhibiting a purity we so often forget, this is a genre mash-up where everybody wins.