Dylan Burns
Hitman is an amazing return to form, particularly after the mess that was Absolution. There are so many hours of experimentation to be had in each level. Addictive and challenging. A must have.
Torment is a sedate but deep narrative experience that speaks to the patient, studious gamer. Despite feeling at times like a game out of time, its charm manages to shine through and the strong writing and weird narrative more than make up for the lack of AAA elements.
I've found Ironcast to be an addictive title that keeps me coming back for more, even up against all the other fun titles vying for my time on the Switch. The price point of just over $20 AUD is reasonable. I've gotten a good five or six hours so far out of it and can see myself coming back for more.
Mario & Rabbids is far more than ‘my first strategy game’. It manages to make Rabbids likeable and even at times quite funny. The mashing with the Mario-verse means that everything feels vibrant and Nintendo-esque.
Everything that makes Dishonored great is distilled into a handful of brilliant, extensive missions that will take hours each to enjoy.
The dry Aussi-ness of Golf Story wins through. I still can’t quite tell if the developers secretly hate golf and the whole thing is a big piss take. Either way, it comes across as well-meaning and tongue-in-cheek. I even chuckled a few times at the charming innocence of this world where everyone loves golf and all the world’s problems can be solved with a handful of balls and a good swing. Wouldn’t it be nice?
The whole time I was playing Payback, I was thinking “I’d be much better off just replaying Burnout Paradise or one of the Forza Horizons”, which is sad but true.
An interactive story like nothing I’ve played, I couldn’t recommend Night in the Woods as a light experience. It is, however, quite an interesting and impactful one, and one that has kept me thinking, even as I write this review.
You’re better off with just about any other gun-focused RPG on the market, but if you’re in the mood for something more unforgiving than your Destinies and Borderlands, this is the game for you.
Burnout Paradise Remastered is a crazy and exhilarating vehicular playground. It may not be the most alive or even the largest city in gaming, but there’s an intimate and comfortable magic on display that keeps you addictively on the lookout for tell-tale yellow gates.
All said, while I appreciated what the game was trying to do, I only persisted in order to review it. Obscure sequences got in the way of the narrative and those loading times made everything more horrifying than intended.
I enjoyed it in handheld mode, with only a few moments of tiny text marring the experience. Docked mode reportedly offers a more stable frame rate and higher resolution, but this is hardly a title where you need to worry about graphical effects. It’s just fine in handheld and, quite frankly, part of what makes gaming on the Switch so exciting in the first place.
I’ve had a blast with Strange Brigade in single player. There’s just enough hook to keep you replaying levels for the secrets and puzzles you missed, and while the campaign tends to repeat notes across different scales, the act of killing nasty monsters never gets old. If you’ve pined for more Mercenaries modes these past few years, this will well and truly scratch that itch.
Perhaps time will iron out many of the issues as this still feels like a living document being tweaked by the creators. But as a paid game at retail, it’s just not good enough to recommend.
Armello has almost as many versions as Skyrim, but if you don’t already own it, it’s an interesting take on the virtual board game. The cards you use are beautifully illustrated and the battle-chess animations as the characters do battle connect satisfyingly with your chosen actions.
This latest Assassin's Creed entry is a enormous AC experience and delivers one of the deepest, most refined experiences in recent years.
Despite a few issues regarding in-game currency and unlockables, MK11 is the best the franchise has ever been. Fans of one-on-one fighters and/or over-the-top gore shouldn’t hesitate to buy
It may not be the prettiest way to play Saints Row but it’s hard to care about the technical nitty-gritty. This is a fun, engaging port that will offer many hours of open world shenanigans.
When everything clicks, Rage 2 is a crazy fun ride that manages to get the heart pumping with bloodlust. I just wish that the open world was more compelling
If you’re absolutely over Diablo 3 but still hankering for some fantasy action, then Chaosbane will more than happily scratch that itch. Even as I started to tire of certain aspects, I found it hard to put down. Indeed, my coffee went cold several times, which is as good an endorsement as I can probably give!