It's got the 40K atmosphere nailed to a T. It's got the sound, the sights, and the feel of 40K perfectly - but it's just let down massively by bugs, long loading times, horrible mission design and a lack-lustre campaign mode that not even the Emperor himself would condone. I feel it's a bit of a waste of old Gav's talents as a writer really and when you're dealing with a Librarian, the constant purge the xenos motivation comes across as a bit thin.
I love Far Cry, I really do, there's something about this series that makes me smile no matter what the game. I might be horribly biased by the open world nature of the games, and like many of my favourite titles before it, it's the mix of unpredictable gonzo fun and sudden random nature elements that combine to make it such a great experience. Far Cry 5 seeks to keep that flavour from previous Far Cry titles such as 3 and 4, and push the boundary of its design a bit further.
Darkest Dungeon is a beautifully atmospheric side-on animated hack and slash, dungeon crawler that lets you assemble a party of four stalwart heroes. You begin your journey in a Hamlet that you can eventually restore and build-up to accommodate new buildings and new features to allow you to survive that much longer. Here you'll recruit your heroes from a roster in the Stage Coach, which initially starts out pretty thin with only a few members and low-rank heroes to choose from.
Do I think this is the game that's saved the franchise, yes I do. It needed a shot in the arm, the corpse of Assassin's Creed was starting to shamble around and lurch like a mummy rising from Sneferu's Tomb - AC: Origins is the best thing to happen to the series for a long while and I'm going to keep my eyes on what Ubisoft does next with the game. The future is bright, shimmering, like the heat-haze over the Pyramids of Giza. Only it's not a mirage or a false dawn, this is a new breed of Creed and the change was right on time.
Battle Chasers: Nightwar is a refreshing take on the J-RPG formula. It has enough new stuff in there to make it really cool to play, and enough nods to old school J-RPGs to please that side of the equation. In other words, definitely worth a punt!
Shadow of War is a worthy sequel and we've given it a Must Buy. However, note that the Loot Box system is optional if you're willing to work with the game's system and actually play the game (which is what you should be doing!).
DD:DA HD is a great game made even better by the high res texture packs and tweaks. It is a game that everyone who loves Dark Souls and Action-RPGs needs to play at least once, or twice, or forever. No other game quite presents dragons like this one either!
The Prize Crate system is the downer here, it ruins what could have been a perfect game. It doesn't put the game in the bargain bin of course, or detract from the actual game itself, but it's a nasty sour taste that doesn't really fit with Forza. Of course, this is just my opinion and you can take it, or leave it as you desire. It's not as mode rich as Forza 6 at launch but there's time for additional modes and the like post-launch, as well as tweaks and the changes coming to the VIP pass. In the end though it is pure racing fun at heart, stripped of the useless tat and dazzle of the previous games - left for people to do the one thing they bought it for. The sound of the cars, the look, the feel, the thrill of the race and of course to collect badass rides and drive them at breakneck speeds in places they might never visit.
When it all clicks, it is quite brilliant. When it all clicks that is, otherwise you're left with a game that's not quite going to win first place compared to the likes of Forza. Normally I try not to compare these things, but if you asked me to choose at the moment, even with the loot boxes - I'd say Forza 7 wins there in terms of delivering a better experience and racer out of the gate.
Death of the Outsider is a great game, having new powers and new features with Bille Lurk as the central character helps shave off any kind of series fatigue. We're excited to see where it all goes next!
Destiny 2 is definitely a better game than the previous title. If you're not a Destiny fan you could try this one, if you're a Destiny fan then this should be a no-brainer. Everything feels familiar and improved, the perfect kind of sequel.
Agents of Mayhem is a fun game, it might get a little repetitive now and then, but with solid controls and a great combat system it's a delight to play. If you're missing Saint's Row and Crackdown, this could be the game for you.
Rime is beautiful, it's simple in a lot of ways and has some nice ideas. It's worth grabbing and especially if you enjoyed games like Ico, Journey and so on.
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun is a great game, one that has a ton of replay value and allows you to experiment with various ways to achieve your mission objectives. If you're a fan of Commandos from the old days, then this game will bring that back with a modern gameplay twist.
Prey is a great game, one of the classic science fiction games that combines thoughtful design with kick-ass exploration and player choice -- you don't want to miss this one, just watch out for the photocopier -- I thought I saw it move!
Whilst it doesn't have the same breadth and scope as Diablo 3, Victor Vran has some great gameplay, solid combat action and delivers a decent experience that's miles better than some Diablo clones out there. Worth checking out if you're looking for more action adventure monster slaying!
I've not had this much fun with any Minecraft style game for a while now, and the clever design of Portal Knights in terms of how it offers the adventure keeps me jumping back in. I take a break now and then to add a bit more to my home area, craft a few more bits of equipment when I have my resources and look to improving my storage at my home workshop. When a game can draw you in like this and the minutes turn into hours, you know you've got a good game with a solid foundation that the developers keep on building atop of. I've seen Portal Knights transform from the PC original build to where it is today, and honestly, I can't wait to see what they do next!
The Surge is a refreshing take on the *Souls formula, it joins Nioh in that regard and forges its own path towards something quite unique and extremely interesting -- it's a definite must-own game for *Souls fans and could entice new players with its gritty sci-fi setting.
I'd have loved to say Must Buy on this, but the raft of bugs early on and the fact that it just doesn't quite hit the spot as one of those must-have games even for a fan like me meant that it missed out on our top result. Still, it is a fun game and you may want to grab it down the line.
Lego Worlds is super silly fun for anyone who picks it up. It's especially fun for fans of Lego and the TT approach to the Lego games. It's also fun for anyone who happens to like Minecraft-style games.