Ys IX: Monstrum Nox is another solid entry in the often underrated Ys franchise. It’s fantastic cast of characters will get you incredibly attached to the townspeople and their goals and motivations and the flashy, fast paced real-time combat keeps encounters engaging and chaotic. If you’re happy with a slight performance trade-off for portability, it’s a great addition to your Nintendo Switch library.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is a true showcase for the PlayStation 5 system. It’s visually gorgeous and it’s rift mechanic uses the hardware in amazing ways. I had a fantastic time in this latest adventure largely due to the great cast of characters, especially newcomers Rivet and Kit. I’m excited to see how the franchise goes forward in future adventures as Insomniac games have hit it out of the park again.
Village is an incredibly enjoyable experience and can easily be finished in a couple of sittings (or one big one) depending on how well you can handle scares and puzzle solving. It’s art direction, environment and puzzle design highlights the best the series has to offer and there’s also plenty of replayability options as you’ll undoubtedly find things on subsequent playthroughs you may have missed or not had the items to solve the first time through. And the mercenaries and upcoming RE:Verse mode give players plenty to do (and come back to) even after clearing the main story Village has on offer.
The thing that makes or breaks a live looter shooter is it’s ongoing support. I’m excited to see where Outrider’s endgame may go and what tweaks may be made to improve the game in the year’s to come. Outriders was a surprisingly solid looter-shooter and I haven’t been as addicted to a game of this type since the original Destiny launched back in 2014. Whether you play completely solo or with a group of friends, there’s a lot to keep you engaged and coming back to Outriders even though it does have some hurdles to overcome.
Bluepoint have further cemented themselves as the master of video game remakes with how well they’ve handled this ground up remake of Demon’s Souls. FromSoftware games are certainly not games everyone will enjoy, as they certainly come with immense challenge. But for those that enjoy great world building, incredible creature design and strategically analysing enemy attack patterns during combat, you’re going to have a blast. Bluepoint have done more than just remake an existing game, they’ve brought a classic game into the modern era and at the same time created a title that showcases the capabilities of ‘next-gen’.
I wasn’t sure we would be seeing Sackboy again after not seeing him in over 6 years, but I’m certainly glad he’s back and front and centre in this engaging platformer that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. I’m certainly keen for his next adventure, and really hope we don’t have to wait so long next time.
It’s no secret I’m a big fan of the Kingdom Hearts series, and I loved reliving the key events and iconic music tracks here in Melody of Memory. It’s a game that will be best enjoyed by people already familiar with the core story of the series and want a new way to enjoy something in the Kingdom Hearts universe. And does provide a slight glimpse into where the series may be headed next, although it’s surely to be many years before we get our hands on whatever that may be.
Whether you’re a Yakuza veteran or a newcomer to the series, there is a lot to love with Like A Dragon. It takes the series in a fresh new direction, tells an engaging story packed with quirky characters and has a fun and brave combat system. The overall presentation of the game is top notch, taking place in a vibrant and busy representation of Japan with a really solid English dub. The game does have some late game flaws that are certainly noticeable but if you’re wanting a new Yakuza game to check out, I whole heartedly recommend checking out Like A Dragon.
I love horror stories, and I love anthologies so I’m not surprised I’m a big fan of the Dark Pictures Anthology. Little Hope is another solid entry that at it’s core is all about player choice. SuperMassive seem to have big plans for the future of the series, which they’ve been public about, and even with the small tease of the next entry coming in 2021, I’m certainly excited to see how the series continues to grow and where the Curator will take us next.
It was a long 22 year wait, but it has been worth it to finally get a true sequel to the Crash games of the past. It’s something I didn’t think we’d ever get, but I’m incredibly glad we did as Toys for Bob have nailed the look and feel of Crash Bandicoot. The fun is there, the challenge is definitely there and I hope it means positive things for the future of the Crash Bandicoot franchise in the coming years.
I’m keen to see how Avengers continues to evolve and change in future updates and after implementing player feedback. Right now it’s hard to recommend the game based on the multiplayer component alone, but the full single player campaign was a welcome surprise, and if you’re a comic book fan and want to come along for the ride to see what Avengers will evolve into as updates roll out it’s certainly worth checking out to see if it’s for you.
Röki certainly sits up there with some of the best point and click adventure games I’ve played thanks to its deep narrative, clever puzzle design and it’s eye catching and beautiful art style. As mentioned in the review, I think Röki will be a game that will be played and talked about for years to come. And with it soon to hit a number of other platforms, I’m excited to see more players get their hands on the game and to see what Polygon Treehouse will come out with next.
Sucker Punch have sent the PS4 off with a bang with Ghost of Tsushima. They’ve shown again they are the masters of open world and quest design, further pushing the things they nailed in the Infamous franchise to deliver a game that is just so fun and satisfying to play. With open world games being more prominent than ever, I can definitely see other developers adapting aspects in their game’s going forward when it comes to HUD’s and world design. Sucker Punch have proved again what they can do with Sony’s hardware and I truly hope it’s not another 5 years until we get to see what they’re cooking up for the PS5.
Fairy Tail is a good first video game entry if you’re already a fan of the series but it’s flaws hold it back from being a great one. I’d be keen to see what GUST Studios decide to do if given the opportunity of working on a follow up game. Fingers crossed things are taken back to the very beginning, opening the doors to the franchise for everyone and hopefully driving new audiences of people to check out this great series.
I’ve loved the resurgence of FMV games in recent years. It’s really refreshing to play a quality game with engaging story that can be enjoyed and completed in just a few hours. If you like ‘choose your own adventure’ style stories and tales full of twists and turns, I highly recommend you check out Death Come True. For the price of going to the movies, you can enjoy Kazutaka Kodaka’s over and over from your own home. Death Comes True certainly has me excited to see what will come next from TooKyo Games, as we know they have a number of projects in the works.
Marvel’s Iron Man VR delivers on the main thing I love VR games for. Immersion. The game is incredibly immersive and let’s you feel what it would be like to live as a superhero zooming through the city. It truly let’s you feel what it would be like to be Iron Man, so in that regard the game is a resounding success. Plenty of video games these days have you playing as superheroes, but never until now have I felt like THE superhero. Even with a number of flaws and repetitive elements, it’s still a must play for anyone with a PSVR headset and an interest in superhero stories.
The Last of Us Part 2, like the first game is a masterpiece. Naughty Dog are mostly unmatched when it comes to storytelling, animation, music and visual fidelity and that is very much still the case here. The story is heavy, dark and full of twists and certainly feels like ‘Part 2’ of the events setup in the first game. It’s a shame we likely won’t get another Naughty Dog title for another 5 years, because I can’t wait to see what they’re brewing up next.
Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated is a fun 3D platformer that is a faithful recreation of its original game. It’s visually eye catching and full of the quirky, clever writing fans or Spongebob come to expect but due to the design of platformers coming so far since 2003, the game does feel dated at times and should have implemented some quality of life improvements.
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition definitely provides value for money. The main story alone will take around 70 hours to complete, but there’s easily over 100 hours of gameplay on offer here for those players that want to spend more time completing the many side quests, building character affinities and of course completing the new Future Connected epilogue. I can’t commend the effort Monolith Soft have put into this release of the game. Not only has it been graphically overhauled and had it’s soundtrack remastered, it’s packed full of quality of life improvements that make it such a joy to play and also comes life’s with a brand new epilogue story, making sure even long time veterans of the game have something brand new to jump into and enjoy.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake has re-envisioned the classic game, delivering a much expanded upon but faithful adaptation of the Midgar portion of the Final Fantasy 7 story. Providing brand new twists and turns to the narrative and plenty of great character development. It’s likely still years away, but I truly can’t wait to see what Square Enix have in store for us in the next entry in this multi part remake of one of the greatest games of all time.