Stefan L's Reviews
Freeing Luigi's Mansion from the GameCube's back catalogue, Grezzo's remake of the game for 3DS is fantastic, going far beyond a simple port. That said, the 3DS isn't always the best home for the ghostbusting action and the controls feel a bit too slow and awkward when it counts.
Black Ops 4's Blackout is clearly the star of the show, with Treyarch making this Battle Royale business look easy, but it's standing on the shoulders of a great all round multiplayer experience and a Zombies mode that's bigger and more streamlined than ever. You might still miss having a single player campaign, and there's work to be done to ensure Blackout's longevity, but this could easily be the start of a new era of Call of Duty.
Transference's inventively spins its story of obsession and broken families into a game that's all about perception and twisted realities. It's not entirely successful, failing to confront the topics it raises and failing to live up to its Hollywood billing and origins, but it's still deeply atmospheric as you flick between realities, solve puzzles and figure out the lengths to which Raymond Hayes would truly go.
Super Mario Party is just a very safe game. It brings back the classic Mario Party board game form, marrying it with some of the better ideas from Mario Party: Star Rush, but it's light on the number of boards to play, lacks depth in other game modes, and misses opportunities for solo handheld and online multiplayer. It's Mario Party, but it's not particularly super.
FIFA 19 feels like the culmination of the last few years of FIFA games, and not just from the conclusion of The Journey's interwoven story. The Champions League gives EA the opportunity to show their presentation skills and bed in a new commentary partnership, a shakeup for the main online set up of Ultimate Team, and the surprisingly fun new Kick Off mode. Some new ideas don't quite come together, but there's a reason why FIFA is the biggest game in town.
Following on from Max and Chloe's time-twisting adventure was always going to be a tricky task, but Dontnod have pulled it off with aplomb in Life Is Strange 2's first episode. Sean and Daniel's relationship, the tragedy that sends them on the run, the contrasting people that they meet and the supernatural twists on a modern day drama all come together in wonderful fashion.
Building on the foundations of Rise of the Tomb Raider, there's more depth to the actual tomb raiding, more flexibility in the combat, and the city of Paititi is a hub that you can easily get lost in as you explore it and the surrounding jungle. So, while Shadow of the Tomb Raider's story lacks some of the meaning and impact that it sets out to, this is another action packed romp for fans of the series.
Octopath Traveler is a wonderful collection of adventures and stories, but the quirk of storytelling that lends it its name is both its greatest strength and weakness. While the turn-based combat and 'breaking' enemies makes practically every battle engaging, the eight tales this game tells don't really feel like they need to be told together. It's a little unbalanced because of this, but this remains a charming, beguiling JRPG.
Porting Captain Toad to 3DS might have been a surprise from Nintendo, but it's a very pleasant one. There's naturally some compromises to the game's looks and the 3DS's camera controls aren't always the best, but Captain Toad's adventure holds up really well on the handheld. If you don't own a Wii U or Switch, you won't feel shortchanged by playing on Nintendo's elder statesman of a handheld.
If you enjoyed Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, then picking up Donkey Kong Adventure is a no-brainer.
Having the original Lumines soundtrack on modern consoles is a nostalgia trip for fans of the 14-year-old PSP puzzler, but the core block-dropping gameplay hasn't aged a day. It's still just as addictive now as it was back then, but it's a shame that as a remaster it ignores some of the game modes introduced in later games. As remasters go, Lumines is impeccable, but then it was always going to be.
The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit is light on actual awesome adventuring, but it certainly has the spirit of Life Is Strange throughout and shows a notable maturity and nuance in its depiction of a troubled household.
While it's wonderfully experimental, Octo Expansion isn't an essential purchase, but will give diehard Splatoon fans hours of often rock hard challenges to overcome.
Sometimes opposites attract, and Pode's contrasting characters are a great example of that, combining to overcome the game's environmental puzzles. While it's a little rough around the edges, Pode is a charming puzzle game whether you play it alone or grab a friend to play alongside you.
There's a little bit of everything in Onrush, from racers to shooters, from destruction derbies to sports games. If you were expecting a sequel to MotorStorm, Onrush won't be for you, but give it a chance and its clever blend of different genres can draw you into its unrelenting vehicular action.
If you can look past the flaws, there's still a rather lovely and charming tale here to explore.
While Total War has often focussed on the big picture, Thrones of Britannia shows there's plenty of scope for a series of Total War Saga offshoots to explore the smaller conflicts and civil wars through history.
Though it's rough around the edges, has difficulty spikes and very much feels like the foundations on which Harebrained can build upon, the core turn-based tactical gameplay of BattleTech is great.
This is the kind of game and experience that people think of when dreaming of what VR could mean for gaming.
Sea of Thieves defies modern gaming conventions in brilliant and refreshing fashion, creating a fairly unique sandbox where you and your crew need to find your own fun. It might be in real need of more variety to the quests and activities, but Sea of Thieves' curious charms are like a siren's song that keep drawing me back for more piratical adventures on the high seas.