Dominic Leighton's Reviews
Death's Door is an atmospheric adventure through an inviting fantasy world. It's perfectly crafted, generously provisioned, and an instant indie classic.
Microsoft Flight Simulator on Xbox Series X|S is a remarkable achievement, and one which brings the flight simulator experience into your living room with emphatic effect. There's no sense that this is a cut-back console port, but one that widens the genre's influence into places it's never conquered before.
The final new addition is a fresh new timed challenge scenario, tasking you with turning a hidden oasis bazaar into a thriving tourist trap while updating its power grid and amenities. It’s a stiffer challenge than some of the previous packs, but there’s every chance that you’re a Planet Zoo master by this point so that’ll probably be welcome. At this stage, Planet Zoo’s ability to transport you across the planet is the escapism we all need, and few games do so with the joy and vibrancy that Frontier have created here.
Experiment 101 have certainly tried to make the world of Biomutant all the more unique via its language, but it performs the cardinal sin of overloading you with new vocabulary every few moments.
Monster Hunter Rise is an incredible game. While it may not feel quite as ground-breaking for the series as World did, it boasts a stronger and distinctly Japanese identity, and the changes and streamlined gameplay simply focus on the franchise's true stars – the monsters. Rise is easily one of the best games for the Nintendo Switch, and one of the finest Monster Hunters ever.
PixelJunk Raiders plays like an interactive sci-fi album cover from the 70s; one full of Vangelis off-cuts that you're going to try and share with a bunch of your friends despite the fact they're more interested in Rod Stewart.
If you're a fan of on-rails shooters, Redout: Space Assault is an enjoyable, if limited, addition to the genre.
Jurassic World Aftermath sits amongst the very best examples of immersive VR adventures, but a lack of variety in gameplay, its sharp-toothed cast and the need to wait for a conclusion undoes some of Coatsink's exceptional work.
Warhammer 40,000 Battle Sisters is a thoroughly enjoyable VR adventure set in Games Workshop's iconic sci-fi universe. It's a shame that a few bugs diminish the game's impact, and the occasional lack of variety, but for anyone looking for a futuristic battlefield to blast their way across, Battle Sister is definitely worth hopping into a drop pod for.
Submerged is a wonderful, melancholic exploration game, that builds a more defined and evocative world than many AAA games do.
Perhaps not <em>quite<em> as transcendental as it is in VR, Tetris Effect: Connected remains an incredible, visionary piece of work, that you can now experience with others. With its arrival on Xbox Series X, it can be a game for a new generation.
NBA 2K21 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S is a big step forward for the franchise and easily the best version of this year's basketball franchise. There might be the feeling that features were shorn from the current gen release to give it more impact, but from the inclusivity of featuring the WNBA in MyPlayer, to the sprawling The City online hub and the stunning graphics and gameplay improvements, this will keep you and your new console happy well into 2022.
Joy, wonder and engrossing park management come together to spectacular effect in Planet Coaster: Console Edition. Frontier are masters of the park building art, and as we enter a new console generation that's never been clearer.
Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered is the perfect reminder of what Criterion brought to the franchise, with a blisteringly fast arcade racer that’s made all the better if you’ve got the ability to play it at 60fps. The main downside is that your Autolog wall is more likely to splashed with your solitary achievements, rather than the consistent flow of competition you experienced a decade ago.
Jurassic World Evolution: Complete Edition offers a huge wealth of content, and all of the dinosaur park building you could ever want, but the drop in visual quality to squeeze it onto the Switch will prove too much for some people.
Pacer is a magnificent anti-grav racer that's more than capable of filling the Wipeout-sized hole in your life.
If you're looking for a Little Witch Academia digital experience, then VR Broom Racing lets you spend time with the cast in an authentic, if entirely frictionless game experience. Younger players will likely find more to like here, and once the online component is added there should at least be a reason to come back.
Zoids Wild: Blast Unleashed is a light and colourful arena brawler that will please younger fans of the show, but anyone else will likely burn through it in short order.
Mario Kart Live is a wondrous and magical toy that combines real world and digital play in an incredible way. It's a shame though that not everyone will have the space, or the money, to experience it.
Age of Empires III Definitive Edition is a lovingly reworked classic of the RTS genre that modernises in all the right ways. It also serves as the perfect way to prepare for next year's long awaited Age of Empires IV.