Halo: Reach (via the Master Chief Collection on Steam) is like fine wine. It aged well - a perfect blend of old-school shooting, driven by nostalgia and backed with super solid gameplay and noteworthy additions. Case in point: dedicated servers to make the online experience as seamless as humanly possible.
Is Warzone the best battle royale game in the market? Honestly, it’s too soon to say. But with all of its innovation and refinements, it’s very close to being the proverbial king of the hill.
Overall, UFC4 is a fun, engaging, and immersive fighting game for new and returning players alike. It has all the right ingredients for players to pile up their game time for hundreds of hours, in the next couple of years at least.
FIFA 21 is far from being a terrible experience. It is essentially a polished version of FIFA 20, which is one of the best football games to date. But instead of having, say, Thomas Partey in for Mattéo Guendouzi, it's more of a case of Victor Lindelöf in for Harry Maguire.
Just like Miles in the comics, Spider-Man: Miles Morales does not try to out-do an already established name. Rather, it carves a new story for themselves in a familiar-but-comforting setting.
Is Cold War a step up from Modern Warfare? It is hard to say considering we are very much at the peak of first-person shooter games, and that Call of Duty games always tread the line between realism and arcade-style shooting gallery. All things considered, it is a great game by its own right, confidently taking the baton from Modern Warfare and confidently making the race its own.
Outriders is a fun, engaging yet flawed game. The devs stuck to their guns and emphasized on their strengths and being true to the name of their studio – it aimed for the sky when producing its own loot-and-shoot action title, yet ultimately brought back down to reality by server issues.
FIFA 22 is a break from tradition in several ways for EA Sports as it leans heavily on the more realistic approach. Whether this move will satisfy their core audience or cause a backlash remains to be seen. But the fact remains that EA Sports are running out of ideas in delivering an annual title that is worth spending on.
FIFA 23 is a fitting yet welcome end to the series. It has been a wild ride with equal parts of ups and downs. Despite all the criticism levied against them, we cannot avoid the fact that the FIFA series has played a pivotal role in not just bringing sports games to a new level, but also the growth of esports in general. But we won't sugarcoat all the downsides over the years with goodwill and fond memories.
Sure the navigation part and bugs on PC provides a slight wrinkle but don't let that dissuade you from picking up what is essentially, THE BEST Star Wars game in the market come release day, supplanting its prequel - like The Empire Strikes Back to A New Hope. Easy said, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is the most fun we've had with a Star Wars game since, well, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. And that's a huge deal.
Overall, F1 Manager 2023 is the game for F1 statistics nut out there. Clearly designed for those who appreciate the intricacies of running an F1 team more than the actual driving of the cars, F1 Manager 2023 is a step up from last year's game; but barely enough. We wished for new features such as the ability to store a track setup or even custom designs. But since things are headed in the right direction albeit incrementally, this would do. For now. Whether you're a Gunther Steiner or a Christian Horner, F12023 allows you to chart your own unique career as an F1 team manager. Mid-season starts this weekend so it's the perfect time to pick up the game - otherwise what are you going to do in between practice sessions? Talk to your kids?
All in all, EA FC 24 is more than 'just a FIFA 24 name change'; it's an evolution of a long-standing franchise which is attempting to appeal to new, returning and current players alike. Have they done a good job? From what we've gathered from our time reviewing it, yes. Yes, they have. Do we wish for more substantial improvements to really differentiate itself from the FIFA franchise EA Sports has been associated with throughout the years? Definitely. But will it satiate the present-day needs of having a football sim which closely reflects the current climate of the game? Sure.
All in all, FC 25 is not a perfect game. There are still areas which EA Sports could improve starting with making FUT less dependent on overpowered cards and capitalizing on FC IQ. [...] However, I enjoyed this iteration more because it honestly tried harder to add more about what I love: offline and online high-level football gaming with stellar production values. The improvements & attempts here made me come back to FC 25 moreso than usual, even if it's the only major console-centric football game in the market.