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.
Resident Evil 3 utilises a lot of components from last year’s Resident Evil 2 but provides some new mechanics and fresh twists to the story to make it feel like it’s own thing. It’s a great third person horror experience that tells the story it wants to tell and doesn’t overstay it’s welcome. While I would have loved if the fear of the Nemesis was maintained for the whole experience and that the game strayed into the action shooter genre at times rather than the kind of horror experienced in Resident Evil 2 I still had a blast with the game and if you like zombie based horror games, I think you will too.
DOOM Eternal is the perfect example of a great video game sequel. It remains true to what makes the series great, but knows where to implement new tweaks to it’s systems to keep things fresh and interesting. The combination of it’s fast paced combat, satisfying weapons and fantastic musical score makes it one of the most rewarding games of recent years and continues to be fun even on consecutive playthroughs. If the series does receive a third entry I would love to see a slight changeup to both it’s platforming sections and it’s story telling, but even with things the way they are, DOOM Eternal is still one of the best first person shooter games on the market now.
My Hero One’s Justice 2 is a solid sequel and will resonate well with existing fans of the series. It has a much expanded roster of characters and it’s new modes help break up the repetitive structure of the fights. I would have loved an English dub option as I feel the series fully deserves it though. Based on the structure of it’s storytelling, it is hard to give the game an all-round recommendation, but for those that have some knowledge of the franchise’s story and characters, One’s Justice 2 will provide you with an enjoyable experience.
Whether you’re a newcomer to the Persona series or have had a lot of experience playing through the games in the past, I can’t recommend Persona 5 Royal enough. It’s story, while very long is packed full of rewarding moments, complex characters and fantastic music. So much so that right after sinking in 100 hours into the game you’ll likely want to dive right back in and experience it again with the game’s new game+ mode. While it’s length may put some people off, and that’s completely ok, those that stick with it are in for a great time and will realise why I consider Persona 5 to be one of my favourite games of all time. Well done ATLUS, this is how ‘complete editions’ of game’s should be handled.
One Punch Man’s first foray into video games is a mostly fun experience. The customisation options featured in One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows allow you to create some truly wacky fighters that no matter how strange, would probably fit right in with the OPM universe. It’s definitely a game that will resonate more with existing fans of the anime or manga series, as it’s issues do hold it back from being highly recommendable to those that aren’t. I’m excited to see where Spike Chunsoft might evolve and take the series next after enhancing what already worked here and taking on player feedback.
Kingdom Hearts 3’s Re:Mind DLC features everything I look for when looking to purchase an expansion pack. More story mode content, further fleshing out a story or world I already loved, more challenges to jump into and test my skills with now that I had already reached the endgame of the base game as well as various quality of life improvements that improve upon the game I already enjoyed so much.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is a fresh way to experience the fantastic and lengthy tale of Dragon Ball Z. Providing you the opportunity to traverse many of the key environments from the show, experience new points of view and has a shared focus when it comes to its lead playable characters. It’s not without some flaws but if you’re looking for a new way to experience the story and the idea of a Dragon Ball game with customisable RPG mechanics has you interested, then there’s a lot for you to like here with Kakarot.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore is the second breath of life this underappreciated game needed. It shows that mashup titles can work effectively if implemented with care and has a great story with a fantastic depiction of Tokyo. It’s new additional content does feel like a bit of an afterthought but if you haven’t previously played through the game then there is no better way to enjoy it than right here on the Switch.
The Outer Worlds is an RPG delight. Obsidian have honed what they’re great at and delivered a game with a gripping story, interesting universe and well developed characters. Even after completing the game, I still want to spend more time in The Outer Worlds and am hoping for further DLC or even a sequel in the future.
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 is the perfect game to get you excited for the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games. It’s fun challenges and iconic cast of characters make it approachable for the whole family and it’s certainly fun when played in groups. Although it does have some story pacing issues and design choices I wasn’t a fan of, it’s a solid sports game that looks and runs great on the Nintendo Switch.
This MediEvil remake is an incredibly faithful recreation of the original game many fell in love with in 1998. Fans of the original are going to get a massive nostalgic hit and will love travelling through Gallowmere again. If you haven’t played MediEvil before and really want to, this is the version to get in this day and age. The game’s presentation looks better than ever and much of the sound has been completely recreated. Just be prepared to deal with some issues we haven’t had to deal with in recent gaming generations, as this game certainly plays like a product of its time.
YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this World is a great, time-bending visual novel and after playing through it, I can see why it was such a hit in Japan over 20 years ago. It’s characters are well explored, fun and witty and I’m always a sucker for a good time travel story. While it does have some pacing issues with it’s story delivery I still very much enjoyed the tale it told and loved how the A.D.M.S system allowed you to fully explore what the story had to offer and cleverly manage inventory.
I had a great time with Concrete Genie, while it’s scale and length isn’t as large as other Sony titles, it offers a well paced story, enjoyable characters and ways to flex your creative side even if you have no real-world artistic skill. Those with PSVR headsets will also enjoy it’s first person painting modes that offer a place to peacefully create art. It has a few issues that can likely be fixed up in future patches but for the most part Concrete Genie is a really enjoyable ride and has me hoping to see more titles of this size and scale from Sony in the future.
If you’re looking for a JRPG to get stuck into and haven’t yet jumped into Dragon Quest XI, there’s no better time. The additions made to the Nintendo Switch version, along with the ability to take this lengthy game on the go truly do make it the definitive way to experience the game.
I know people have been a little concerned with some of Kotaro Uchikoshi’s writing projects outside of the Zero Escape not living up to their expectations. But I can say without a doubt that Uchikoshi is back in top form here in AI: The Somnium Files. It’s a fantastic murder mystery title that will have you addicted from start to finish, and then diving back in to play the other routes. It certainly has me excited to see what he’s got in store for us in the upcoming Death March Club and the other future titles he’s involved in at Too Kyo games.
The original Ni No Kuni was one of my favourite JRPG titles of all time. So I was so glad to see it available again on modern systems looking better than ever. If you enjoy engaging, character driven JRPG’s or the worlds created by Studio Ghibli you’re going to love this.
Borderlands 3 is a love letter to fans of the Borderlands franchise. They were very loud for a long time about wanting more, and Gearbox have given them just that, serving up another enjoyable game that will have players adventuring through it’s world, or worlds now for years to come and running into old characters from prior games.