Conor Evans
I truly think that Xenoblade Chronicles 3 combines the best features of its predecessors and gives us something that goes beyond both of them, certainly as far as gameplay is concerned. As I mentioned earlier on in this piece, I am currently at chapter 6 and while I don’t want to jump the gun, it’s looking to be the best of the three numbered entries so far!
I praised the gameplay loop to death already, but even just moving around the map is seamless, fast-paced, and with each pass, you find something new thanks to your newfound abilities. Ultimately the game just feels like a perfectly refined, classic Metroid game — and I cannot wait for more!
Overall, though, I am loving my time in Tales of Arise. The entire world is beautiful, the characters as I mentioned are fantastic, and the animations for team-up attacks and mystic artes never get old. It’s just not quite perfect.
Overall though, the game is a genuinely pleasant experience that I have been really enjoying both on my own and with friends.
Despite my occasional irritation at the characters’ decisions and responses throughout the narrative, I enjoyed Scarlet Nexus. It could have just done with a little more refinement; if you’re going to include “Social Link”-style systems, for heaven’s sake make sure they aren’t disconnecting the player from the bigger story at play!
If you love Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VII Remake, this game was made for you — literally. It expands upon character motivations, adds backstory, creates new relationships both good and bad, and finally, it lets us play as a fan-favourite character who is the polar opposite to the main game’s aloof, Buster Sword-wielding spiky boy.
Returning to the world of Ninja Gaiden has been a pleasure, and while it certainly wasn’t the unbeatable behemoth that I remember it being — mostly because my gamer power-level has increased — it still presents a wonderful balance of fun, difficulty, and a sense of reward.
If you are a Monster Hunter fan then you probably already own the game; however, if like me you were slightly hesitant due to it being on Switch, I can confidently say that it’s not an issue at all. If you’re a new player to the series then this is a fantastic starting point as the lower rank quests are honestly quite easy in comparison to previous titles, but the high-rank quests still offer a challenge.
Genshin Impact is genuinely fun, is set in a wonderfully vibrant world with stuff to be discovered everywhere you go, topped off with some fantastic waifus and best boys. As someone who is entirely free-to-play, the gacha system is horrendous. However, it doesn’t take too much away from the general enjoyment that I get from the game. You should definitely give the game a try.
If you’re a new player looking to dip your feet into fighting games as a genre, and not just here for the single player modes, GranBlue Fantasy Versus is a wonderful place to start!
Despite pulling my hair out on a certain boss towards the end of the game, this game is brilliant.