Mazen Abdallah
Supergiant Games delivers another unique, memorable title with Pyre. It manages to work on two totally separate levels, presenting a beautifully drawn fantasy virtual novel and a surprisingly complex twist on the classic game of football. Its story can be a little slow and a little bizarre, but it ends up having a lot of charm, and its core game is likely to become a local multiplayer classic
With Attack on Titan 2, Koei Tecmo and Omega Force manages to upgrade the game experience from the original, adding more content and modes to make it worth your while. No fan of the franchise, anime or manga should miss this title.
Battlefield V delivers yet another epic, chaotic warfare experience while managing to bring the theatres of the Second World War to life. Its intense firefights and pitched battles will result in many a hurrah, but you’ll also have to brave some balance issues and a couple of bugs that haven’t been ironed out. At the end of the day though, there’s no better way to experience all-out war.
Ubisoft’s For Honor is an enjoyable, visually stunning and gritty experience that might be a bit too original for its own good. Being such a niche genre might push away your normal players, and the singleplayer part might not be enough for someone to cough up $60. Nevertheless, with the right community management, a steady flow of updates, balancing and a ranked mode coming, it could become something great, like what happened with Rainbow Six Siege, 6 month after its launch. Who knows? But for now, give this title a chance as it’s a good one.
A great intro to the series for newcomers and another solid installment for fans, Yakuza 0 offers a hard-hitting pulp story about rising to power in the glamour of 80’s Tokyo. Whether you’re street brawling with some drunken thugs or managing your business like a boss, Yakuza will make you feel like a tatted up Japanese gangster.
Assassin’s Creed is back in fantastic form, and Origins it’s a title that any fan of open-world adventure titles shouldn’t miss. Assassin’s Creed: Origins brings a lot of new ideas to a tried and tested formula, and while it downplays classic elements like stealth, it refines most of the core gameplay with expertise, creating a memorable experience.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 manages to take the series forward while still holding on to what made it great in the first place. There are lots of changes here, but they all feel like changes for the better. It’s still comfortable in its old spot, but it knows what the fans want and it delivers.
A cross between a history book and a hack-and-slash RPG, Kingdom Come: Deliverance sets out to make a medieval themed game that is as historically accurate as humanly possible. It commits to the RPG system by offering roleplaying and not just combat with bits of dialogue sprinkled in, and it really immerses you in its setting. It has some rough edges but these shouldn’t distract from what is fundamentally a great game experience.
Stardew Valley is a simple game at first, but you’ll find it’ll quickly suck you into a world of farming, bonding, and adventuring. It’s got a real simplicity about it which, along with its charm, makes it a really fun title that is now available on console.
While it’s tough to mix complex tactics with mainstream shooter mechanics, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands manages to offer up a tactical shooter that can appeal to a broad audience and still have something for the tactics aficionados. There’s a ton to see and do in their dystopian version of Bolivia, and it’s probably a good idea to bring a friend if you want to enjoy the game’s terrific online co-op.