Dominic Leighton's Reviews
For fans of the series who've perhaps tired of the ceaseless march of movie tie-ins, Lego City Undercover is a hilarious, expansive, brick-infused open-world experience that's begging to be explored.
Managing to be both nostalgic and refreshingly new, Snake Pass is a glorious adventure that brings the 3D puzzle platformer right up to date. Barring some frustrations and a tough difficulty level, there are few indie games that provide such a thoroughly entertaining, beautifully designed experience as Sumo Digital have created here.
Has-Been Heroes has a genuinely inviting and involving combat system that requires real strategic thought to master. However the rest of the game just doesn’t pull together to form a cohesive whole, with brutal difficulty, frustrating permadeath and an under-utilised premise all serving to taint the end product. It does at least benefit from the Nintendo Switch’s portability, and this is where it’s at its best, but at home you’ll likely be turning it off far quicker than Frozenbyte were hoping for.
This is a platform that Travellers Tales are looking to build on, and indeed have since its original launch on PC, and with continuing growth there’s the potential here for something essential for Lego enthusiasts. As it stands though, for all of the merit and freedom that Lego Worlds affords, it’s still bound by many of the same problems as its predecessors.
I found it hard to be excited during the opening hours of Mass Effect: Andromeda. It feels too safe, too much like what's gone before, but then it clicks. There's a moment where the galaxy opens up and you find yourself embarking once more on a huge mission across compelling, beautifully constructed planets, surrounded by memorable characters. Sadly the glut of technical missteps serve to cheapen proceedings, but this is still an adventure you don't want to miss out on.
Mario Sports Superstars should feel like a generous package, but each of the different sports feel lightweight or stripped back, and ultimately a touch forgettable, despite the inherent charm of Mario and his friends.
Yoko Tano's unique storytelling ability has matched perfectly with the committed development culture at PlatinumGames, making NieR: Automata a mature and thought-provoking action-JRPG. Its tight combat and compelling narrative sets it apart from both its predecessor and the Drakengard series, and it's utterly essential for fans of the genre.
Bomberman R isn’t remotely a £50 game. It is, at its base, a solid entry in a much-loved franchise, and one that plays to the Nintendo Switch’s strengths, even if will require plenty of investment to get the most out of it. The current online woes also do little to make it feel like a well-rounded package, making it difficult to recommend to anyone but the most committed Bomberman fan.
Halo Wars 2 is an excellent and long overdue return for the console RTS, doing everything that can be expected of a sequel. Bigger, better and fresher, the Blitz mode is a welcome addition to an already solid package, and while fans of the mainline Halo games may find the transition too hard to bear, this is a worthy addition to any Xbox One owner’s collection.
Road To Boruto is a successful expansion that provides more of what fans of the Ultimate Ninja Storm series love. Fun characters, including the adult versions of those that Naruto fans have grown up with, an enjoyable storyline, and yet more visually incredible battles to take part in. If this is genuinely the end of the CyberConnect2's Ninja Storm run, they've gone out on a high.
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue may be saddled with a ridiculous title, but the package offers plenty to enjoy. It may not be the most welcoming of games, thanks to Kingdom Hearts being amongst the worst offenders for convoluted narratives, but the HD remaster of Dream Drop Distance combined with a glimpse of what is to come for the franchise makes this more or less essential for fans.
The Flame In The Flood is a remarkably well crafted entry in the survival genre that sets itself apart with compelling gameplay, an intriguing setting, and a stellar soundtrack. Having released on computer and Xbox One last year, its arrival on PlayStation 4 with the Complete Edition will hopefully see it find a new audience to entice on a beautiful, and bleak, journey down the river.
Drive!Drive!Drive! is a stylish and fun attempt to rewrite the rulebook on racing games. Sadly it’s not always entirely successful, with a relatively simplistic handling model and a lack of challenge on the standard setting, but for those willing to take a chance there’s still a lot to like about it’s unique take on the racing genre.
Rock Band Rivals marks the best edition of Rock Band 4, building on what was already a solid base and bringing in more features. Rockudrama does something different with the career mode that’s not only refreshing but often hilarious, while Rivals brings you into a bigger world of competition. The completion of the multiplayer modes is also set to finally round out what is still the best place to rock out with your friends, making Rock Band Rivals an unmissable entry in the rhythm-action series, though fans may still hanker for something more revolutionary.
Final Fantasy XV is a unique offering, both for the franchise and RPGs in general. Placing the onus on the relationships of your party, rather than the narrative, has meant that this is a game that strikes not just an emotional chord, but a personal one. While Final Fantasy stalwarts will likely balk at the action-heavy combat, the spirit of the franchise remains, and is better served here than it has been in many years.
The only real problem that Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization has is that it’s a little too steady and a little too laid-back. The premise is that this is Sword Art but without the death, and really without those stakes, and with its tepid narrative, you may begin to question why you’re grinding through so much of the game. That being said, this is the best digital rendition of Sword Art Online thus far, and goes a long way to capturing the essence of the show – warts and all.
Eagle Flight is a well-conceived proof of concept whose purity of vision is unusual, but more than welcome. Its intuitive controls and convincing sense of speed make it a VR title that other developers will surely be borrowing from. While the multiplayer mode’s thrills will provide some longevity, it’s ultimately only a lack of content that keeps Eagle Flight from being essential.
Robinson: The Journey is beautiful, but ultimately too light on content and reliant on overly traditional game design. It’s a wonderful insight into the future of PSVR that sadly remains trapped in the past.
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 does a decent job of capturing the spirit of the anime series, even if its component parts don’t quite gel all of the time. There’s a huge amount of content available to players, and you can spend hours battling and levelling up in the attractive world of the Super Saiyans, even if repetition does eventually begin to set in. Fans will be well served by the alternative take on scenes they know and love, though players of the original Xenoverse may well have a strong sense of déjà vu about the whole venture.
WRC 6 is a valiant effort from the team at Kylotonn Games, but when placed against the defining Dirt Rally, it comes up distinctly short. Whilst it is undeniably the best entry in the WRC series, there’s still plenty of work to be done for it to reach the top of the podium.