Not A Hero offers an enjoyable encounter with Lucas Baker and gives an action-packed reminder of just how good Resident Evil 7 is. Don’t get me wrong, outside of the boss battle it doesn’t really do anything that improves upon the main game, but it didn’t need to – it was fun enough from start to end without having to change the formula too much. Whilst I’ll admit that playing as Chris Redfield didn’t offer too much extra to the overall narrative, seeing what went on behind the scenes of the main plotline was interesting. Still, I was a little disappointed that Chris just came in to tie up loose ends and didn’t have some shocking revelation that linked him in ready for future releases. It’s a great little freebie though and it’s certainly worth getting Resident Evil 7 back in your console to see it through. It might not offer a startling conclusion to the game’s narrative, but the return to horror is still a very enjoyable one.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order offers a thoroughly enjoyable romp featuring all of your favourite Marvel heroes, with the fun narrative and the action-packed showdowns with iconic villains providing plenty of thrills throughout. It’s just a shame that some repetitive gameplay mechanics and a poor camera let it down in places, especially since everything else is of a high standard. Still, Marvel fans will undoubtedly appreciate what Team Ninja have done with the wealth of characters at their disposal, especially when you’re marching them into battle together with a friend playing alongside you. It might be far from perfect, but there’s enough quality shown in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order for it to be an essential purchase for comic book fans.
With its blend of satisfyingly designed enigmas and its slick Bond-like presentation, Agent A: A Puzzle in Disguise will tick plenty of boxes for puzzle-solving sleuths. It does have a few flaws thanks to its emphasis on repeatedly traveling across the environment, whilst the controls can be a little sketchy when playing outside of the Switch’s handheld mode too. However, neither of these issues prevent Agent A: A Puzzle in Disguise from being a tantalising little puzzler that will totally grip players in during its five-hour runtime.
House Flipper is as therapeutically enjoyable to play on the Nintendo Switch as it was on PC, with the console port proving a solid one. Sure, the controls can feel a little awkward in places and there has been an obvious drop in graphical quality, but it still manages to nail the most important aspect of the game: the joy of flipping-houses. There’s no denying that it won’t be for everyone, but those who like the idea of buying houses, doing them up, selling them for a profit and then repeating the process will have HOURS of fun with House Flipper.
With its zany narrative, bizarrely intriguing world, and clever puzzle design, Edna & Harvey: The Breakout offers a thoroughly entertaining point-and-click escapade for Switch gamers to embark on. It does have a few flaws here and there, with the controls sometimes feeling a little finicky and the environmental markers often feeling intrusive, but they don’t really hamper what is otherwise a really fun experience.
Destruction AllStars’ chaotic vehicular-based combat makes for an exhilarating (and surprisingly strategic) experience that I’ve had a blast playing – I just hope that it gets enough post-launch content and support to keep players coming back for more. As it stands though, it’s certainly a heck of a lot of fun to play. Sure, there’s some inconsistencies in its scoring here and there and the arenas themselves lack imaginative flair, but between its colourful cast, it’s satisfyingly destructive driving, and its slick visuals, there really is a whole lot to like about Destruction AllStars frantic showdowns.
Wildfire’s clever use of elemental powers and intuitive level design come together nicely to make for a satisfying stealth-escapade that emphasises player creativity. I loved tinkering around with my abilities and seeing how they could be best utilised to evade my foes, whilst the fact that you genuinely have to think your actions through carefully and strategize adds a satisfying sense of tension to each scenario you face. It’s just a whole lot of fun. It is guilty of seeing the frame rate stutter in busier sections which could be annoying, whilst fans of the genre might argue that the stealth mechanics could be a little bit simple in places too. If you can look past those flaws though, you’ll quickly find that Wildfire offers a genuinely enthralling adventure that certainly adds a unique (and often destructive) sense of flair to sneaking around.
Immortals: Fenyx Rising – A New God offers an enjoyable way to continue Fenyx’s adventure thanks to its clever puzzle design and charming new world. It’ll really test both your puzzling and platforming skills too, with the challenges here easily surpassing those found in the main game as far as difficulty is concerned. Thankfully, none are ever frustrating in design, with the innovative ideas each one brings offering a satisfying sense of triumph upon completion. It’s worth noting that puzzle-solving and platforming is very much at the forefront here though, so those hoping for some challenging combat or deep exploration might be disappointed. There were a few niggles here and there with the physics during some puzzles too, whilst the fact that unlockables don’t carry over to the main game felt like a bit of a missed opportunity. Still, there’s a heck of a lot of content to enjoy in Immortals: Fenyx Rising – A New God and its puzzling-focused romp will certainly be an entertaining one for player to dive into. It might not always hit the satisfying highs of the main game, but it’s still a worthy addition to the world of Immortals: Fenyx Rising.
Kill it with Fire is as absurd as it is fun, with the over-the-top methods of taking out the spiders making for a really enjoyable time. Sure, it can get a little repetitive in places, but it’s hard to complain too much when the game allows you to use the likes of flame throwers, RPGs, or even a lawn strimmer to annihilate the eight-legged creepy-crawlies (and maybe even destroy the room they inhabit in the process).
Inter-dimensional puzzling isn’t new to video games, but there’s something about World Splitter’s take on it that just feels so satisfying. Having a screen split into two different worlds with the player able to constantly change up the split-ratio to traverse each challenge they offer? It just works.
2018’s revival of the Leisure Suit Larry series was a little bit surprising. Whilst the original titles certainly weren’t bad (I’ll admit that I’m actually a fan), it was hardly a point-and-click series that was remembered as fondly as the likes of Monkey Island, King’s Quest, and so on. Plus, it features a perverted and misogynistic protagonist – it’s the sort of thing that doesn’t sit so well with modern audiences.
“You cannot change the past, but you can always change your perspective”. It’s a quote that feels fitting for Maquette, both with its gameplay and its narrative. The puzzler from developer Graceful Decay doesn’t just give players a myriad of challenging enigmas to solve that requires them to use different perspectives to alter the objects around them, but it also tells a love story that’s somewhat bittersweet. That’s not a spoiler, by the way, but something that’s addressed in the intro.
It’s hard not to go into a title published by Ratalaika Games without a bit of scepticism. Don’t get me wrong, they’re rarely outright bad games. And hey, achievement or trophy hunters certainly get a buzz from the easy selection each title offers. Their games just rarely do much to engross the player and instead feature gameplay mechanics that have typically been done much better elsewhere.
Whilst Knack 2 might not necessarily offer anything that you wouldn’t have already seen before in the genre, it improves upon the prequel in almost every single way. The gameplay is more refined and enjoyable, combat has been expanded upon but still remains accessible, the game world is stunning and slicker than ever, whilst the introduction of co-op play offers a whole new way to play the game. Whilst I’ll admit that I don’t think Knack 2 does enough to really cement Knack’s status as Sony’s platforming mascot, it has certainly improved the reputation of the series and proven that there’s a place on the Playstation 4 for its fun, platforming action. If you were let down by the original game, don’t be put off giving Knack 2 a try – you might find yourself pleasantly surprised by the charming adventure on offer.
Chroma Squad offers a satisfying tactical experience that blends together the fun of the Power Rangers with some enjoyable management aspects – it’s a combination that sounds slightly peculiar, but actually makes for a fun time. It can be guilty of being a little bit repetitive in places and it’s lacking the depth seen in similar titles in the genre, but fortunately there’s enough excitement to be found throughout Chroma Squad that you’ll easily find yourself hooked in until you reach the final season’s big finale.
Chaos Code: New Sign of Catastrophe has a lot to offer fighting fans of all skill calibers thanks to its accessible gameplay, whilst the colourful cast of characters are both memorable and entertaining to play as. However, there’s nothing on offer you wouldn’t have seen before. Don’t expect a myriad of complicated combat mechanics that feel fresh, but rather a tried and tested formula of fighting that doesn’t do anything outside of the norm. That doesn’t mean the game’s bad though, but rather that it’s easily unnoticeable; it’s a shame too, because Chaos Code: New Sign of Catastrophe really offers hours of entertaining fighting fun. If you want a quick, slick fighter to play through, it’s definitely worth checking out – just don’t expect something as invigorating as the likes of ‘Killer Instinct’ or ‘Street Fighter V’.
Gamers who want some demon slaying action will have a lot of fun with Toukiden 2, especially with its wide variety of weapons and great showdowns with the gigantic Oni. Tearing their limbs away is incredibly satisfying too, whilst being able to do it all online with friends will ensure you’re kept hooked to the game for a long time. During that long time you’ll begin to notice the flaws of Toukiden 2 though, with things like the lack of variety in gameplay mechanics, the underwhelming visuals, and the fact that progression is limited to simply being more powerful as opposed to feeling like it beginning to creep through. They’re fairly minor issues and won’t stop you having fun, but when all combined together they show the cracks in the game’s otherwise competent button-mashing formula. Still, as a whole Toukiden 2 is a lot of fun and improves on the series in a variety of ways. It’s far from the perfect ‘Monster Hunter’ rival that the game wants to be, but it’s still the best alternative for Playstation gamers.
Despite the sense of familiarity returning gamers will feel, LEGO City Undercover is still a lot of fun to play. LEGO City is a joy to explore, the story and characters are great, whilst the gameplay still remains a lot of fun. You can always count on LEGO video games to offer a lot of fun and it’s a trend that has continued here; just don’t expect to see anything fresh outside of the open world experience.
Victor Vran: Overkill Edition treats gamers to a dungeon crawling experience that doesn’t really do much to evolve upon the traditional formula, but offers plenty of enjoyment with its hacking, slashing, and loot collecting action. It certainly keeps everything simple and can suffer from repetition over time, but it doesn’t stop the game being fun. The challenges will keep you tested even after you’ve finished the game, the extra expansions give you some more meaty adventures to play through once you’re through with the base game, whilst the fact you can do it all in multiplayer with friends will ensure you’re kept coming back for more. All in all, Victor Vran: Overkill Edition makes for a nice little dungeon-crawling package for console gamers to play through. The simplistic nature of the game won’t blow you away, but it will offer plenty of hours of demon slaying fun.
Tiny Trax offers simplistic yet superb virtual reality racing that lets you see all of the racing unfold in front of and around you. It’s uniquely fun and you’ll find yourself hooked into its simple yet deep mechanics almost immediately. Despite this, it’s let down by a lack of content; what’s on offer is brilliant with each vibrant track full of personality and charm, but there are just not enough of them. I still had a hell of a lot of fun playing the game though. If you get into the multiplayer side of it you’ll easily find yourself easily spending hours on end speeding across the fantastic raceways, whilst the single player is great whilst it lasts. There’s no better way to re-live those days of slot-car racing than by jumping on Tiny Trax – even if it is a little limited in content to play across.