Bend have laid some really solid ground work here with Days Gone. It was their first console title in 12 years and if they continue building out the world of Days Gone, take on player feedback and fix the gameplay issues people are having issues with then the sequel game will be well on it’s way to being a title ‘freak’ out over. While there were some technical issues I encountered along the way and I didn’t encounter that ‘Sony level magic’ (which is a pretty high bar to hold things against) I did have a lot of fun with Days Gone surviving the ever-cruel world and doing it in my style.
As someone who has played every entry in the Mortal Kombat series since Mortal Kombat 2 I have no problems admitting this is the best entry in the series yet. It’s story mode is entertaining and pushes the lore of the whole Mortal Kombat universe forward. But outside of that, there’s plenty that will keep you coming back to the game whether you choose to play it’s numerous single player modes to continue to collect new gear or if you want to try your hand or play competitively online.
Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen is a really fun action RPG that can now come with you on the go. It does have a few technical issues but Dragon’s Dogma always has never been a perfect game on any platform when it comes to overall performance. For the asking price and amount of value on offer you won’t find a better party based action rpg on the Nintendo Switch. Fans of high fantasy will have a blast with this release.
The Walking Dead: The Final Season is a very satisfying ending. Without going into too much detail and spoiling things, it was moving to see that in a world so grim and full of monsters it’s still possible to have a heartwarming moment or two. And possibly best of all to see the book close on this series that began 7 years ago.
The Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy is a fantastic collection of crime solving visual novels. The collection includes the first 3 Phoenix Wright games and will keep you thoroughly entertained for a long time. The cases are even fun to replay if you’re already aware of the outcomes. If you’ve never played any of the Ace Attorney games before then there’s never been a better time to jump in and experience them.
Final Fantasy XV: Episode Ardyn closes the book on Final Fantasy XV by giving us some much needed insight into it’s main villain. I really enjoyed seeing the alternate perspective on events and wish more stories would use this form of story telling. The episode will take you around 2 hours to beat but you can easily double that if you want to see and do everything on offer in the episode, such as finding and beating the secret boss.
Final Fantasy 7 is considered an iconic classic for a reason. It’s story is deep and ahead of it’s time and features well developed characters and world lore. You’ll easily be able to sink over 100 hours into the game if you want to see everything that’s on offer, so there’s no arguing with the amount of value on offer for the asking price. Even though there are a few visual problems with the HD remasters I was willing to look past it and still thoroughly enjoy the game. This port is also the first that allows you to take the HD Final Fantasy 7 experience on the go.
If you’re a fan of randomised dungeon crawlers, you’ll likely have a lot of fun here. Chocobo’s Mystery Dungeon Every Buddy is a great entry in the Mystery Dungeon series. Don’t be put off by it’s art direction and think that you’re only in for a game built for kids. It’s strategy and risk/reward requirements allow it to be fun for everyone. Unfortunately the visuals are showing their age a bit but it certainly doesn’t take away from the fun factor the game nails.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a fantastic new IP from the team at FromSoftware. It’s an incredibly challenging experience set in a beautiful yet twisted rendition of Sengoku Japan. It’s certainly not a game for everyone though. The learning curve can be steep at times and learning the best approach for a boss can be a long stint of trial and error. But those that are up for the challenge and stick with it are in for a real treat.
Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn is a very charming platformer filled with vibrant colours and characters made of yarn. The addition of a Devilish mode adds a new layer of challenge for players that want some consequence in their Kirby experience. Unfortunately the co-op mode from the original game has been stripped out but there’s still so much charm packed into this experience that Kirby fans will still get a kick out of. It’s a game that can be enjoyed by players of all ages.
Astro Bot: Rescue Mission is an immersive masterpiece and an absolute must play for anyone that has a PSVR headset. It’s the best use of the PSVR hardware so far and I hope future VR developers realise how great 3rd person focused adventures like this and Moss are. It was an absolute joy to play through and as I mentioned in the review I had a smile on my face for the majority of the 8 hours it took me to beat the game. I can’t wait to experience a VR experience that overtakes this as best VR game but until then I’m going to remember my adventure with Astro quite fondly.
One Piece: World Seeker is going to be adored by veterans and hardcore fans of the series, but is still quite enjoyable and easy to follow by someone that either has a casual knowledge or used to keep up with One Piece and the adventures of Luffy and his crew in the past. The game makes no effort to bring you up to speed with the story so far, character relationships or telling you why you should care about Luffy and the other members of the Straw Hats so I probably wouldn’t recommend this as a jumping on point for someone with zero familiarity with the One Piece universe just based on the fact you wouldn’t get the complete sense of enjoyment that someone with knowledge of the series would.
It’s easy to argue that Devil May Cry 5 is the best entry in the series yet. It combines the stylish, fast paced combat that has made the series great since it’s inception with new playable characters, systems and an engaging and well paced story making it an incredibly fun and rewarding game to play through.
Far Cry New Dawn’s moment to moment gameplay is all about fun. It’s story isn’t as strong as previous entries but it makes up for that by delivering on what makes a Far Cry game so great. The world. And there’s a ton for you to do here. Even if like me you’re not a big fan of the main quest line you’ll still have a ball clearing outposts, leveling up your abilities, crafting new upgrades and weapons, completing treasure hunts and expedition missions or even jumping in with a friend and exploring Hope County cooperatively. The new mechanics and systems introduced here have me really excited to see what Ubisoft come out with in the next Far Cry entry.
Metro Exodus is a great story driven first person shooter. It’s possibly the best in the genre we’ve received in the past few years. It expands on the fantastic lore of the Metro universe and has implemented new systems to make the moment to moment gameplay more fun. Bringing the journey out of the subway systems has breathed fresh life into the series, allowing us to visit a number of varied environments along the way. While it still has some issues that have plagued the series since it’s inception it’s still an incredibly solid game and one that should be experienced if you enjoy a great first person shooter campaign.
Kingdom Hearts 3 is a very satisfying ending to a chapter in the series that has been building for 17 years. Even though the story seemed convoluted at times this game did a great job of bringing everything together and resolving most of the questions we had up until this point. While there are still some questions that will need uncovering, and a Secret Ending that raises a whole lot more the main epilogue featured in the game is a fitting and satisfying ending to a series I’ve loved since it’s inception.
The marketing material summed it up best when they described Etrian Odyssey Nexus as ‘a love letter to Etrian’. Not only have the longtime series character designers and composers come back to produce a great send off for the 3DS, it’s also a great sendoff for the Etrian Odyssey series if it has no plans to move to Nintendo Switch and this is in fact the final entry in the franchise.
God Eater 3 provides a fun and addicting action RPG set in a post apocalyptic world with a constant looming threat. I enjoyed constantly tweaking my character and crafting bigger and better gear to take out the next Aragami boss. While I do wish the game was more consistent visually and did find the core structure of the game becoming quite repetitive as I went on, the character driven story was interesting and drove me to continue pushing through missions. If you’re a fan of the monster hunting genre and are looking to jump into a game that is fun even with some flaws I think you’ll enjoy God Eater 3.
Resident Evil 2 is a fantastic survival horror experience that has a brilliant world and puzzle design and even found new ways to scare me. There is a lot to experience in the game and will be fun to replay for years to come. This is how all video game remakes should be treated. It stays true to what made the original so great but wasn’t afraid to change aspects of the game to keep things fresh for veteran players and bring the game into the modern age and a real contender for one of the best games this year.
Catherine Classic is a great port that treats the core game with respect while also implementing some optimisation features to get the most out of it’s target platform. It doesn’t bring anything new to the game, content wise but we still have Catherine: Full Body to look forward to for that later this year.