Lewis Painter's Reviews
Final Fantasy 16 ticks plenty of boxes – fluid combat, epic boss battles and an engaging story – but for every win, there’s a spectacular fail, be it the bland semi-open world devoid of much to do or the uninspired fetch quest-style side quests. It’s a game at its best when its focus is narrowed, but that doesn’t happen often enough.
Dead Island 2 is a great zombie-slasher with impressive physics and satisfying melee combat, but that’s about it, with a boring, uninspired storyline, a semi-open-world design and a tongue-in-cheek approach that occasionally borders on the dumb.
Devil May Cry 5 should satisfy your hack-and-slack itch in a big way. Huge, Hollywood-esque attacks are amped up by insane combos and devastating effects to create something truly satisfying, and the story has a lot to offer too.
We only had a taste of what Anthem’s end-game has to offer, and we can’t wait to see what else the developer has in store for players over the coming weeks and months.
Crackdown 3 is fun to play and requires very little in terms of concentration to perform well, but at the same time, it's fairly limited in scope and most players won't find enough on offer to keep coming back.
Despite the AI issues that we hope are fixed by launch, it's a game that we've found ourselves yearning for since going hands-on. We can't wait to play the full game in a few weeks time and deliver our final verdict and rating.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider is undoubtedly the biggest, darkest and most enjoyable Tomb Raider game to date. The attention to detail in just about every area of the game is impressive, and the deadly challenge tombs really capture the essence of what Tomb Raider has always been about – solving puzzles, performing death-defying acts and getting hella' loot in the process. It ties the trilogy up perfectly, and we're already waiting to hear about what Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix have planned next.
If you're looking for a story-focused RPG, Vampyr is a solid option. It offers in-depth conversation options, game-changing choices to make and an intriguing storyline full of plot twists and betrayal.
State of Decay 2 is a decent game, it just needs fixing.
God of War ticks all the boxes; it looks stunning, combat is satisfying, offers an emotionally gripping campaign and a variety of things to do once you've completed the main story. While some fans of the series may be worried about the overhaul of the franchise, we think it was a great idea and we really can't wait for the next in the series – whenever that might be.
If you're a racing fan looking for something a little bit different (and a little bit violent/smashy) then Burnout Paradise Remastered is a good shout.
Sea of Thieves is great fun, and there's not much else like it available at the moment ... But, with a lack of an actual story or the ability to level up your characters or ship, it's hard to feel a sense of real progression and we wonder if that magic will wear off once you've hit your reputation cap and nailed the look of your character.
If you're a fan of zombie games and the Metal Gear series, you really can't go wrong with this one.
Despite a few issues that need tweaking, Warhorse Studios should be proud of Kingdom Come: Deliverance. It's completely different to any other RPG in the market, offering a more realistic, down-to-Earth experience that is almost 100 percent historically accurate, from the events to the people and places that you come across. A game that's fun to play, engaging and teaches you about history? It's a winner in our books.
Shadow of the Colossus is a must-have for fans of the original game – it's stunningly gorgeous, both in terms of the open world environment and the 16 Colossi that you come across during gameplay. But as good as it looks, I don't think that there's enough on offer to entice those that didn't play the original, as it may seem a little bit basic compared to more recent games of a similar nature.
There's definitely enough bang for its buck to be appealing, but we just wish that there was a little more hand-holding in the first couple of hours while you're still learning – and that's not something I thought I'd ever say about a game.
If you like the idea of Doom-esque gameplay with Dark Souls difficulty and a surprisingly engaging storyline, you'll love Wolfenstein 2.
Assassin's Creed Origins is the most in-depth and enjoyable title in the Assassin's Creed series so far, and ancient Egypt is the perfect location to showcase it.
While it's enjoyable, it falls short of the large-scale multiplayer experiences offered by the likes of Battlefield 1, something that the CoD franchise is calling out for – especially in a WW2 setting.
South Park: The Fractured But Whole provides a thoroughly enjoyable experience for fans of the TV series, allowing you to go head-to-head with characters you've watched for 20 years.