Hamish Lindsay
World of Warcraft: Legion goes a long way towards fixing the issues plaguing the series. While it doesn’t quite squash them all, it’s leaps and bounds ahead of the last two expansion packs in terms of content and all round fun. Even now I can’t wait until I can next dive back in to Azeroth and continue my journey through the Broken Isles.
Shadowkeep is a big stride forward for Destiny 2, and it shows that Bungie cares about its game.
F1 22 brings a whole suite of improvements to what was already a very good series, and I look forward to it consuming my life for the next few months.
While your mileage will undoubtedly vary, Cult of the Lamb is an easy recommendation – now excuse me while I get back to vibing to River Boy’s banging soundtrack.
With a flashy and visually spectacular art style, excellent music and a healthy dose of self-deprecating humour, Street Fighter 6 should be on the radar of anybody looking to take a swing at a titan of the genre at its best.
Diablo 4 is the triumph an embattled Blizzard needs to steady its ship, and it’s a hell of a lot of fun.
Whether you’re a fan of Formula 1, a die-hard sim enthusiast or even just a casual racing game fan then it’s hard to go past F1 2021. There’s something for everyone in this years offering, and I can’t wait to get stuck in to the new tracks later this year.
Back 4 Blood doesn’t just imitate the Left 4 Dead formula like these titles, it elevates it past its predecessor. Perhaps it’s the nostalgia for the 12 year old title, or maybe just poor memory, that fuels our rose-tinted retrospection and distaste for something new. Regardless, Back 4 Blood takes the concept to the next level and builds in layers of cool ideas and just plain fun gameplay.
The AC series is one that rewards your ability to adapt and persevere in equal measure. To overcome it’s challenges you have to learn its systems and soldier on in the face of inevitable defeat. Series veterans will dine well, and if you’re signing up as a newcomer then do yourself a favour – don’t expect Armored Core 6 to be something it’s not. Try enjoying it for what it is instead.
At the end of the day and despite its flaws, DiRT 5 is fun; a lot of fun, in fact. Even after churning through hours of races, enduring near constant game crashes and even being deprived of that rocking soundtrack, I still had a blast. If you’re after a fun little splash around in the mud while listening to some excellent pop punk and rock, then you’ll love what’s on offer here. If the Forza Horizon games are the festival of speed, then surely DiRT 5 is the festival of fun.
In the end, Capcom hasn't built this game for me. It's hard and frustrating… but for some, that's exactly what they want. While it may be more accessible to newcomers, this is still a Monster Hunter game made for the series' faithful.
Extraction is an above average experience. The gunplay is top notch – expected when it’s pulled directly from Siege – and overall is fun, if a bit shallow. While I can’t speak to its long term lifespan, it’s easy to recommend jumping in and giving it a whirl.
When you’re in it and smashing around the track against expert AI or other players, this is where Gran Turismo 7 excels. All of the weirdness that Polyphony Digital has bolted on to this quality car game fades away into obscurity. But sadly, that’s not all this is. Instead, it’s a jumble of well-made car racing and strange design decisions, coupled with his tonally odd take on what it means to be a car nerd. For now though, Gran Turismo 7 is the best console racing game for the masses, at least until another contender comes along.
It’s an easy recommend for series fans, just don’t expect it to be the lumbering behemoth that was Payday 2… yet.
At least the gameplay is fun. Finally.
Overall, Zombie Army 4 seems to be the culmination of the developer’s best attempts to distract you from that very shallow gameplay loop.
Hitman 3 is a fun game — and I enjoyed plotting my way through it — but my hopes of refinement and iteration weren’t met. At its core, the gameplay is still the same as it’s always been. The series hasn’t managed to keep up with the times with the only attempt to shift the gameplay formula up somewhat, Hitman: Absolution, being very poorly received.
Eventually, and with a lot of googling, I found my groove and started to enjoy what Resurrected has to offer. Just make sure you go in prepared for the clunkiness.
Bungie fixed Destiny. Massive fixed The Division. Bioware have all the pieces of the puzzle, but right now Anthem isn’t living up to its potential. It’s bad, but not so bad it can’t be fixed.
Battle for Azeroth doesn't bring much else in terms of brand new content.