Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a thrilling and rewarding adventure into the MetroidVania genre. It is a fantastic entry level title for those yet to familiarize themselves with the genre, and a brilliant entry of quality and character for veterans.
Judgment is a must-play for fans of the Yakuza franchise and a fantastic entry level title for those a little put off by the time required to catch up with the Yakuza series. It offers a fun and challenging dive into a wonderfully crafted game world, whose only disappointment is the result of the quality of past works.
Conan Unconquered is an often fun and always brutal experience that will keep you returning for beatings time after time, if you can excuse the already questionable paywall content, economic issues, and lack of game mode variety.
Team Sonic Racing is an absolute blast as a local multiplayer game. The team based mechanics offer an injection of fresh and exciting ideas into an otherwise stagnating genre, making it a must-play for fans of the series. The online races can be a little chaotic at times, but with a bit of patience and a lot of luck, there's plenty of fun to be had here.
Rage 2 is a chaotic, fun, and rewarding adventure that combines a light but interesting narrative with explosive combat and a well-structured open world. It won't blow you off your feet, but you'll have plenty of fun blowing everyone else off theirs.
World War Z has some moments that are an utter blast – the special zombie types and impending doom of a zombie tower bring pure excitement. However, these moments are few and far between, leaving a shell of game with very little content, a lack of creativity, a near non-existent story, and a disappointingly shallow progression system.
Super Dragon Ball Heroes World Mission delivers on story, mechanics, replay value, depth, and combat. It's a near complete package that's sure to appeal to all fans of the Dragon Ball universe.
Tom Clancy's The Division 2 raises the bar for the looter shooter genre. Put simply, it is the complete package.
Death End re;Quest struggles to do anything to entice players from outside the JRPG space, but for fans of the genre, there's plenty on offer here. The story is compelling, the characters are diverse, the combat is fantastic, and it is one of the freshest JRPGs I've played in years.
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown is a solid experience for fighter plane enthusiasts, but it plays things too safe. Sticking to a tried-and-tested formula that has ensured the series' success and continuation for nearly 25 years is a sound strategy, but it lacks in innovation and any new exciting creative direction.
Just Cause 4 is a fantastic playground of chaos, giving players the tools and creative options to sow seeds of complete mayhem. It's only when you step away from that mayhem, following the path of the campaign put ahead of you, that you'll find repetition, lack of character, and a disappointing open world.
The Walking Dead is a franchise with such massive potential in the video game space, and Overkill's The Walking Dead shares much of that potential. Blasting through the higher difficulty levels with friends is great fun, and the initial few hours are a pleasure, but once you get into the meat of the game and its myriad of glaring issues, it quickly becomes apparent that this game is not living up to its own potential.
WWE 2K19 struggles to meet expectations. It's a mid-card talent with potential, but is too set in its ways to leave any lasting impact.
While Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise does have a number of glaring issues, the variety and quality of side content, thrilling combat, and protagonist with an attitude that can rival Kiryu's make it a worthwhile experience.
You'll struggle to find a more immersive and rewarding setting in which to forge your own odyssey. A detailed environment combining both the realistic and mythical aspects of Ancient Greece, everything comes together to deliver a narrative-driven, open-world RPG that rivals the biggest names in the genre. Put simply, Assassin's Creed Odyssey is the complete package.
NBA 2K19's on-court disappointments are somewhat remedied by the hugely entertaining off-the-court shenanigans, but a steep learning curve may leave less experienced players a little overwhelmed.
Marvel's Spider-Man is a complete package that near-flawlessly combines elements of the RPG world with the thrilling combat of an action-driven experience. Whether you're a hardcore spidey fan or just like to dabble in spandex, Marvel's Spider-Man is, in a word, amazing.
Two Point Hospital is a colorful clown car of character, warmth, and comedy. Spend some time under the hood, however, and you'll find a deep, rewarding, and challenging simulation experience.
If you can see past the casually designed mechanics and truly immerse yourself in the environment and narrative aspects of We Happy Few, there's plenty to see here. Unfortunately for those probing a more wholesome experience, We Happy Few falls short.
Shining Resonance Refrain displays all the qualities one would expect in a JRPG game, albeit in a dated and unimaginative fashion. Fans of the genre will find plenty to sing about but for those not sold on Japan's ideals of an RPG, there's little more here than a solid story and some good dungeon grinding.