Shannon Grixti's Reviews
TopSpin 2K25 is without doubt the best tennis game since the last Top Spin game. It succeeds at finding the all important balance of risk versus reward that the foundation of Tennis is built on, and whilst it's not perfect, it provides a solid base for 2K to build on.
New Pokemon Snap really captures what has made Pokemon popular for so many years. It gives a new life to so many Pokemon that we've known and loved over the years and provides a relaxing relief from the plethora of action games on the market. I don't know if a lot of the padding was necessary, but I still enjoyed every second of my time with the game.
Paper Mario: The Origami King is another exceptional Nintendo game. The story is laugh out loud hilarious, the world begs you to explore it and the art style is absolutely gorgeous. Unfortunately, the battles get in the way of its successes and ultimately let it down.
An experience that will be remembered for a long time, from its early hype to the untethered lunacy of its narrative. It's an art installation of a game that filled me with rage as often as it did joy. It is sweeping in both lustre and purpose, though it wears a few warts on the pleasant, bare bones of a game about deliveries that has no right to be as memorable as it somehow is.
AO Tennis 2 is a huge improvement on the original game and extremely close to being the perfect package. The lack of star players and unbalanced difficulty levels are the only things that hold it back from rivalling the best tennis games throughout history.
New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe is another great Wii U game to make its way to the Nintendo Switch. Despite the fact that it's full priced and feels a little bit later than it should have been, it's still a great game that would make a great addition to any collection.
FIFA 19 is really solid overall with what feels like more changes than we've seen in the last few years combined. Ultimately, when you're making this many fundamental changes to a soccer game, you're going to have certain aspects that lack a little bit of polish, but it'll be interesting to see how EA continues to balance and improve the game over time. I also wonder at this point whether the next few years will be spent polishing this fresh feeling experience or if EA will continue to mix up the tested formula.
Mario Tennis Aces is without doubt the best tennis game to come out in the last five years. It's another must have game for Switch and a testament to how this console allows games to excel both in front of the TV and on the go.
UFC 3 is a rare sports sequel that probably does enough to justify its existence. The betterment of Ultimate Team and the career's focus of becoming the greatest ever help the game feel different from the last. A rich bevy of modes coupled with top notch presentation is a winning formula every time.
DOOM on Nintendo Switch is a remarkable achievement. It runs much better than I expected it to and looks fairly decent in handheld mode. The game is still incredibly fun 18 months on and is perfectly suited to the handheld device. It's a great testimony to AAA games on Nintendo Switch and proves that the console can not only handle hardcore games, but potentially even become the best place to play them.
Rugby League Live 4 is a step in the right direction. There's a level of polish that we haven't seen in an Australian sporting game in some time and whilst there's still some A.I issues, I never felt that they changed the result of the game. Attack is more realistic, which can lead to frustration when trying to get over the line, but the game rewards you for spending time with it and learning the new offensive/defensive mechanics. If you liked the last game, there's no reason why you won't like this one even more.
Paladins fills a fairly significant gap in the Switch's library, and should hopefully continue to grow as a great multiplayer shooter on the system. Some general bugs and long queue times aside, what's here is - generally - an excellent experience.
It's a rarity these days that you come across a game which feels like nothing you've ever played before, but ARMS is exactly that. It's fresh, vibrant and genuinely a lot of fun to play. It's a fighting game with depth, which even non-fighting enthusiasts can get into. I have some concerns about how long it will take for the game to become stale in its current state, but I'm equally excited to see where Nintendo takes the franchise.
Poochy and Yoshi's Wooly World is an incredibly fun and solid game as most Nintendo titles are. I love these types of games as they provide a genuine wind-down and don't require a huge amount of mental investment as most open-world games do these days. In my opinion, the levels felt a little less uninspired compared to Kirby's Epic Yarn, but that was due to the fact that Kirby can inhale and take on his enemies attacks which added for an extra gameplay element. Poochy and Yoshi's Wooly World is great for gamers of all ages and there's enough content here to keep you going for a long while.
Batman Arkham VR is one hell of an experience. It’s definitely one of my favourite VR launch titles due to the fact that it takes a set of well-known characters and lets you engage with them.
In all honesty, people are going to rate FIFA 17 very differently and it’ll largely come down to how much you value the single player experience and just how much you enjoy it.
Doom is a really decent revival of a classic franchise. It doesn’t hide behind fancy cutscenes and narrative, and puts sheer gameplay first. The single player is genuinely fun from start to finish and it’s the type of game that I didn’t even realise that I wanted until now.
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is an exceptional platformer that feels right on the Nintendo Switch. It's one that both experienced gamers and newcomers alike will both enjoy (thanks to the new Funky Kong mode), but probably not worth it at full price for those who picked it up on Wii U.
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is another great Wii U game that is made better by the Nintendo Switch's portability. It's a fun experience that doesn't overstay its welcome, but definitely does feel repetitive in certain areas.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land takes the Kirby franchise to new heights in new and interesting ways. Whilst it's not the full step forward that I was hoping for, it's still super enjoyable and excites me for what could be next in the Kirby series.