It may only be single player, but treat it more like the Witcher than a party game: you are the shark, this is your time to rise as queen of the ocean. It may have a slightly bumpy start, as most games of this style do, but once it opens up the world is your… well, ocean. That sounds less dramatic when it’s literal.
Ion Fury isn’t a bad game. In the conventional sense, it’s a very functional shooter reminiscent of the heady days of all the aforementioned titles, with that modern (albeit minimal) sprucing. But it’s so laden down with questionable and somewhat controversy-baiting humour that lets it down a tad.
It may not break ground on the neo-nostalgic front, but it doesn’t need to. It’s a wonderful homage to an era of games and movies that paved the way for this to happen.
As it is now, whilst it’s not unplayable, it’s not far off. It’s trying too hard with its story scenario hopping all over the shop, coupled with an inventory management system that just doesn’t work in this kind of game.
You can’t go far wrong with Shred! 2. It has indie title written all over it, so if you can appreciate it at that arcade level and price point, it’s definitely worth a look for those that want to push themselves. It’ll push you and you’ll get mad at times (please, do. I can’t be the only one that gets annoyed), but if you can persevere until you unlock new rides to help, it opens up the challenge with progression and practice.
Once you get your head around the time and patience aspect, Snowrunner is going to engross you. It won’t win any Game of the Year awards for being niche, but then neither does Train Simulator. If you can convince some friends to join you, then even better. But even as a solo experience, there’s some absolute joy to be had when you get stuck into it.
Arc System Works have only continued to hone their craft and have offered this stunning, smooth and fast-paced fighter as a testament to that. I don’t think it’ll have as big an audience as other genre mainstays, but if you’re a fan of Guilty Gear or Dragonball FighterZ, this is well worth checking out.
As a continuation of what Capcom achieved last year, it’s disappointing. I won’t be crass and snidely call it “Resident Evil 2.5”, because it is its own game. It’s just that the content outside of the campaign is so lacking that as much as I hate to, I can only compare it to The Order 1886. In terms of comparison, it’s a spectacle game that has you follow a predetermined path. The omission of the multiple choice/live selection system forces you to take the path laid out for you, often whizzing by as an almost cutscene-like delivery of gameplay.
It won’t revolutionise either the horror or walking simulator genre, but it’s a strong entry nonetheless.
Not even fans of the genre should put themselves through this, let alone casual racer fans. Whilst it may be too niche a concept for a mainstream company, there’s a lot more that could be done with it than this terrible offering. For the mean time, if you want some decent offroad-ish racing, give Wreckfest a try instead.