Hans Haupt's Reviews
After five years, Crystal Dynamics' reboot of Lara Croft's origin story has come full circle with Shadow of the Tomb Raider. The game successfully builds on the foundations left by the 2013 and 2015 releases in the rebooted trilogy, respectively, and does a wonderful job of fleshing out the final arc in Lara's 'origin' story. Although the overall narrative may not be as strong as in previous titles, it does offer enough to keep players engaged throughout.
There is no denying Jurassic World Evolution is enjoyable. It is a game that has a lot of wonderful charm that pulls on the strings of nostalgia from a franchise that, in some ways, has lost the awe that made the original film so unforgettable. From digging for dinosaur DNA through to eventually hatching a new dinosaur; Jurassic World Evolution has a certain kind of addictive magic to it. Alas, it is a magic that appears to have been tainted by a lack of development time. In its current form, Jurassic World Evolution is a good game that has the potential to, in time, be great. With solid and well thought out core mechanics already in place, all the game really needs now is some extra polish. Given Frontier’s heritage and penchant for updating their games years after release; it is safe to say that the game is in good hands. Until then, however, the game’s flaws will continue to erode away the sheen of a title that really has the potential to be remarkable.
In a year that is going to be rather dry in terms of exclusive games, Microsoft certainly have a unique, yet barren, gem with Sea of Thieves. Once Rare addresses the content issues, however, the game will offer a sublime time where gamers can sail the seas with a tankard in one hand, cutlass in the other, and a map pinned to the back of the nearest barrel of grog; ready for further adventure.
Very few games have managed to captured my attention and awe as much as Assassin’s Creed Origins. Despite having spent more than 80 hours in the game (40 to 50 of those spent only on the campaign), I am still inexplicably drawn back to the incredibly well realised ancient Egypt that the game provides. Simply put, the unforgettable and enigmatic ancient Egyptian setting is wonderfully brought to life through outstanding auditory and visual design. Coupled with solid, fluid and fun gameplay; and tied together beautifully with a captivating story arc and copious amounts of interesting and fun side quests; makes Assassin’s Creed Origins the best entry yet in the long running franchise.
There is no doubt in my mind, that Cuphead is one of the best titles on the Xbox One. I would even go so far as to say that everyone should try it, at least once. I know the game is not for everyone, I honestly did not think it would be for me; but the adventure has been well worthwhile and the lessons learnt should, in my humble opinion, be experienced by all.