What was once a mediocre game series has been made even worse. Technical issues and gameplay blunders are somehow shadowed by a bulky, contrived plot that believes in quantity over quality.
Unforgiving and tense, Immortal Planet is the essential 2D Souls-like game.
Thumper is the most hellish and intense rhythm-action game you or I will ever play. While it's Xbox One port may lack some features available on other platforms—such as VR and portability—Thumper is still a fantastic and frightening game that's drenched in atmosphere and polished to the absolute max.
While a few extra bells and whistles are added here and there, along with much improved character variety, it's still a Dynasty Warriors game at its heart—and that's not a bad thing. Fans of the series will still love this, despite an underwhelming narrative set in a cliché new world.
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Legacy is not only the best recreation of Masashi Kishimoto's work available for fans of the series, but the best way to bring new fans into the series.
The Evil Within 2 is just like its predecessor: a mixed bag. While it had the potential to be something absolutely brilliant, Tango Gameworks has attempted to both cram too much in and offer too little at the same time.
Rebellion's remaster won't last you long, but for a few hours of nostalgia for a sixth-generation shooter it might be worth a shot.
There is no way that you could say Space Hulk: Tactics isn’t a flawed game. It’s a damaged jewel that could do with a hefty amount of spit and polish but it still has a slight glint underneath all the scratches. If you’re in the mind for a console tactics game and you want a unique experience like the Genestealers campaign, then you can’t go wrong with this one.
The Missing is a good game with a unique mechanic (although I too remember Rebellion’s NeverDead) that houses a fantastic and touching story. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s a game that will stay with you for years to come.
Mastiff’s attempt at designing an interesting and engaging rail shooter falls flat on Xbox One. It could be different elsewhere, especially in VR, but as a regular ‘ol console shooter it is one of the most uninspired this generation. There is a little fun to be had, but only a little, and it fails to grab you every step of the way through the entirety of its missions.
You’ll mash buttons to fight and destroy things, build overly-designed objects and generally just have a laugh. It’s hilarious, entertaining and off-the-walls mental, just like its case. It’s a refinement of what came before, but damn is it entertaining.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is a crowning achievement. As Rockstar’s first game designed from the ground up for this generation, it feels like the “next generation” title we all expected this generation of consoles to offer. It’s huge (it took me five days to play through just the main story in order to write this review) and that’s without the games upcoming online component and it feels like a true extension of what made GTA V a great experience.
This is one of the best remasters of all time, and Spyro finally deserves a place back on your shelf.
Gunfire Games have done well in providing an engaging and satisfying third entry in the Darksiders franchise. With meaty, fast combat and fantastic character designs, I want everyone to play a version of Darksiders 3 that doesn’t feel like it’s imploding. As enjoyable as it is, it can’t escape from its technical shortcomings. It’s a sinking ship but the band is still playing – at least the song sounds good.
Just Cause 4 is still a mental experience that’s as fun as it has ever been – it just doesn’t run like a slideshow this time. It’s the sort of game I believe everyone should own; you’ll always need that game you can put on to vent with unparalleled destruction and creativity. It’s brilliant and I adore this almost as much as I love Just Cause 2. Almost.
Book of Demons is a beautiful papercraft Diablo-like that’s perfect for casual play. With a system that designs itself around the way you play, fans of isometric looters and click-based hack-and-slash should certainly look this up. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable dungeon crawler, one that I’m sure I’ll still be exploring well into the future.
It’s a barebones, lonely experience. Unpolished, unsatisfactory and unfun barely scratch the surface of negative adjectives I could use to describe my time with the game. I want it to be good, but it is so, so bad. Avoid this like the plague.
Ace Combat: Skies Unknown not only returns a classic series back to the heights of its predecessors but also reinvigorated its entire genre. There aren’t many games like this available on current generation systems and, if there were, Ace Combat would still shine above them all.
Hitman HD Enhanced Collection is a messy bundle of fun. It houses two incredible games—one vastly more entertaining than the other—but it doesn’t feel like enough effort was put in to make them feel enhanced. Better lighting, framerate and resolution help during gameplay, but low-quality pre-rendered cutscenes make the experience feel rather rushed.
Capcom has released the Game of the Year in the first month of 2019. If you only buy one game this year, make sure it’s this one. Screw Red Dead Redemption 2, move over The Witcher 3—Resident Evil 2 is, so far, the game of the generation.