Jason Coles
Dick Wilde 2 is a fun game and not much more than that. What it lacks the complexity of other VR shooters, it makes up for it with co-op, but it's very much one of those games where once you've played one level you've played them all. It doesn't reinvent the world of shooters, but is good at the small slice it chooses to take part in.
Jump Force isn't bad, it is instead mediocre. Instead of a huge celebration of Shonen Jump it instead feels like the kind of party nobody turned up to. It can be fun for a short while, but the lack of depth and strange cutscenes will quickly run that out.
The visuals are pretty, and the music is brilliant, but ToeJam and Earl: Back In The Groove! is the same game it was nearly three decades ago. This is fine I suppose, but it feels like more could have been done. It’s an enjoyable experience with friends, but a bit dull on your own.
Singularity 5 is one of those rare games that looks so good it shouldn't play well, but still does. It's an incredibly aggressive piece of interactive art, one that you can only fully experience if you're willing to don a VR headset and fight through hordes of robots with great feeling weapons. I don't know if this is a must-play game, but it's definitely a must see game. It's the kind of world that you'd happily get stuck in. Well, if it weren't for the angry robots.
Metro Exodus is quite simply astounding and it's good to see it escaping the underground and, hopefully, it'll get the recognition it deserves now that it's out in the open for all to see.
Gathering Storm enhances Civilization VI to such a degree that it is hard to think of this as anything other than the best possible Civ game. The array of new features make every match more interesting, and will keep you coming back for more time and time again.
Kingdom Hearts 3 at its core is just good fun. It has a messy story to tie up but does a good job of it for the most part. Their are some pacing issues, but thankfully the combat is good enough to pull you through those moments. It's also one of the best looking things I've ever played and it's worth looking at if nothing else.
It is simultaneously a huge amount of fun to play and one of the trickiest games to master.
Unruly Heroes is a solid game, a good game, a fun game, it just isn't a brilliant game. All of the components are fun, the visual style is lovely, the characters are easy to use and the puzzles don't make you want to throw your Switch at the cat. Those are all good qualities, but it just lacks that little bit extra that would turn it into a great game, a must-play. You aren't going to walk away with a new appreciation of life or Journey to the West, just a feeling of “Yeah, that was a laugh.”
Windlands 2 is a lot of fun. The movement and combat are both a huge amount of fun, they just fall short of being perfect. The new co-op features make this a fantastic game to play with friends, and it is here that the game is at its best.
A Fisherman's Tale succeeds in being one of the most interesting games on VR. It is charming, magical, and awe-inspiring. It manages to do all of this with you playing as a puppet, and feeling a huge amount of warmth towards that little puppet. It is just a shame that the playtime is so short, even just an extra couple of hours would have made this impossible to miss. As it stands, it is a wonderful game that deserves playing, but the play time is such a drawback to an otherwise impeccable game.
Honestly, it’s just a really fun game and you should play it. It is only a few hours of your time, and it’s sure to bring a smile to your face.
It's just a shame it didn't get a little more love in this remake.
Playing Everything left me kind of empty feeling, which is almost definitely not the intention. I feel as though it is meant to leave you feeling in awe of how connected everything is. The trouble is, I’m already a hippie vegan with an interest in quantum mechanics. I already know everything is connected.
The whole experience is just a lot of fun to play. While the game is completely new it somehow has some of the spirit of many of the classic platformers. The combat is surprisingly deep, the platforming is equal parts satisfying and immensely punishing, it is all brilliantly balanced.
I like Ashen, it's a good game, it would just be nice to see it building upon the foundation of its muse rather than almost copying and pasting it. The world of Ashen is its biggest attraction, the lore is deeply entrenched and really pulls everything together into something that is worth playing through. That being said, if you have played Dark Souls and don't want to replay Dark Souls, then you aren't going to get on with this. It is an odd one as I am a huge fan of this style of game, but we need games that build a more exciting game on top of the ideas that have been put down. It isn't enough to be the same but with a different look. Ashen is good, but nothing revolutionary.
Nippon Marathon is a game that is proud to be exactly what it is. There are no pretences or delusions of grandeur, just good clean fun. Playing with friends is sure to bring a fair few laughs as you rain watermelons down on your rivals. Just be prepared to be taken out by sudden barrels and hordes of cute dogs.
It is odd to only just be getting to this game now with it having been out a while. The joy of the Switch is that once again Rain World will be brought into people’s lives. The resurgence is going to be good for the few who play it, but I think it will probably still be criminally overlooked. Even those that start it might not see it all the way through, but I implore you to do so. This is a cold and loving game that is far more than most people realise. It is worthy of both your attention and your time. It thoroughly deserves this second chance and I hope that people make the most of it. Also, I want a Slugcat now.
Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is one of those brilliant retro throwbacks that captures how games used to feel, but without any of the nonsense that arises from how they actually were. It's consistently entertaining and a blast to play. If you want something to sink your teeth into – human or otherwise – then this is a great choice for sure.
Perhaps the largest issue with Warriors Orochi 4 on Nintendo Switch is that it is on the Switch. With both Fire Emblem Warriors and Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition available on the console, choosing a lesser version of the game with less recognisable characters isn’t realistic. If you want a good hack-and-slash game then there are already two here, this just doesn’t come close.