It’s interesting and innovative for sure, but what it brings in terms of magic and child-like wonderment, it loses something in the repetitive nature of each course being in the same space of your house over and over. While kids may be stoked to let their imagination run wild with Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, I think most adults will enjoy the novelty for a few races, show their friends and family, but ultimately go back to the more feature-packed Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The question is, beyond the real-world factors of space to play, how much are you willing to pay for that Nintendo Magic?
When it’s all said and done, I can’t shake the feeling that WWE 2K Battlegrounds is a quick pivot after last years disastrous WWE 2K20, a way to simply distract wrestling fans with a new shiny object while they work on what will hopefully be a stronger WWE 2K22. So much of this wrestling experience is copy and paste, from the animations, to the move-sets, to the painfully slow method of unlocking the roster and even the lack of polish that sometimes brings frame-rates down to a grinding halt. There’s a fun arcade fighting experience to be had, especially when it comes to local multiplayer where the shallow nature of the gameplay is less obvious. But while this may be accessible and “fun for the whole family”, it’s ultimately about as successful as a Sasha Banks title reign. Satisfying at first, but inevitably short and disappointing. We deserve better.
PGA Tour 2K21 sets a new standard for golf games. It has detailed gameplay that is welcoming for newcomers but incredibly complex for the veteran golfers. The presentation is also incredibly impressive, with strong audio and course-mapping that made me feel like I was an actual pro.
Ghost of Tsushima provides a captivating, engaging and lovingly crafted open world to explore that makes it difficult to put the controller down, even after the end credits have rolled.
While the combat and controls are a little bit clunky at times and the “second screen” can take up a bit too much real estate, especially in portable mode, that doesn’t stop The Wonderful 101 Remastered from being fast-paced superhero fun that anybody looking for a challenge would enjoy.
Well done, Naughty Dog, and thank you for finally proving that you can always be inclusive, even when the stakes are this high.
"Resident Evil 3 is, unsurprisingly, a high-quality remake that is still a must-play for horror fans everywhere."
While newcomers may certainly find it intimidating, Nioh 2 is a confident sequel that, in a year full of exciting game releases, commands your attention and won’t let it go easily.
AO Tennis 2 is quite an upgrade and a marked improvement from the previous game, with more features, a surprisingly deep career mode and refined gameplay that feels dynamic and engaging from point to point, especially once you’ve gotten used to the timing and flow. There are still some issues when it comes to the overall polish of the experience and the lack of licensed content overall that hold it back from being a total ace, but with minimal competition in this genre, AO Tennis 2 is an entertaining and fun tennis game that is easily the best of this generation.
...further refines what was already an excellent premise and makes it tighter, more varied and more addictive.
Across the board, Gears 5 really is the whole bloody package… and it’s bloody excellent.
With some adult themes and an intriguing story mixed with addictive puzzling gameplay, Catherine: Full Body is a great remaster despite some questionable writing.
I’m not entirely sure Man of Medan is the absolute strongest example they could have put forward to launch what they hope to be an ongoing successful series.
...doesn't really bring anything new to the table. It's enjoyable enough, but is mostly uninspired.
While it has some flaws and can get repetitive during long sessions, it's still fun to try and survive in a violent world that is truly out to get you.
A solid collection of a beloved series of games, with nothing new added into the mix.
Yoshi's Crafted World combines solid gameplay with enough new ideas and a vibrant, creative visual twist that makes it more than worthwhile for platforming fans.
With a deep, interesting city full of content to explore and an endgame that seems very fleshed out, The Division 2 is incredible value, and will likely go down as one of the most successful sequels of all time.
Trials Rising has some missteps when it comes to its progression and unlocking of content, but still has an addictive, enjoyable gameplay loop that will keep you coming back time and time again.
Assassin’s Creed Origins is the breath of fresh air that the franchise so desperately needed. It genuinely feels like Ubisoft took the time to really think about where the franchise was going and address the concerns that we’ve had over the last couple of versions. The combat is wonderful, the effort put into making Egypt feel authentic and interesting is everywhere you look and Bayek is a strong, emotional and sometimes flawed character that you truly root for.