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With two brilliant retro games in one bundle, the gameplay in Castlevania Requiem is excellent.
The decision not to release the drum controller in the West is a baffling one, as it robs Taiko No Tatsujin: Drum Session of its identity. However, if you're willing to give it a shot with a regular pad, there's a challenging rhythm game here for you to master, with a wide variety of tracks and seamless online play. The lack of extra modes is a shame, but if you get hooked on this game's unique brand of beat-matching gameplay, the climb towards better scores should keep you going for a good while.
GRIP has great racing mechanics, but they're marred by inconsistent implementation.
Bar the frustrating Zeeple Dome and a few bugs, The Jackbox Party Pack 5 is yet another fantastic collection of party games. With each game offering something different -- and Mad Verse City in particular being a highlight -- Jackbox Games has made a game that should keep you and your friends entertained for a while.
Project Highrise: Architect's Edition is a real success in the building sim genre. It's easy application of a daunting set of tools and simple to understand, difficult to master gameplay make it a really fun experience. The variety of backdrops and modes make each pitch feel unique, but the real fun comes from the trial and error of trying out different builds and the pride of seeing your once little build growing into a skyscraper with four Casinos and several penthouses, making you thousands by the day. Though the look is dull and there are a few minor annoyances, that doesn't take away from the stellar and smart game design that makes a repeat visit to this gem a guarantee.
There's nothing else quite like The Quiet Man, and there's a reason for that. The blend of FMV and interactive combat sequences fails on every level with an unfathomable plot that raises far more questions than it answers, and encounters that fail to explain themselves and do little to engage. The Quiet Man is the most baffling release of 2018, to the point where a post-mortem investigation into its sheer existence sounds so much more exciting than this bizarre and convoluted comedy sketch.
Call of Cthulhu's successfully evokes Lovecraft's Mythos by delivering an eerie story that ultimately doesn't stray too far from some well-trodden ground. While anyone expecting a terrifying horror title or an RPG packed will player choice and decisions will need to check those expectations at the door, there's at least a half-decent adventure game lurking under the surface.
LEGO DC Super-Villains is perhaps the best LEGO game to date.
Fairly decent handling isn't nearly enough to save Nickelodeon Kart Racers. Even if you ignore the squandered potential of a game featuring the network's biggest cartoon stars, this is a shallow racing game that underwhelms at every turn. Tracks have some nice details but aren't particularly imaginative, the presentation largely falls flat, and the whole thing feels undercooked. If you're a die-hard fan, it might be worth a look, but it's hard to recommend this to anyone else.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is Rockstar's best game, and it's gripping from start to finish.
Marvel's Spider-Man: The Heist DLC is more of the same.
Battle Chef Brigade Deluxe is a neat package which provides numerous options that will keep you coming back for seconds and perhaps even thirds and more. It's charming look and feel and well-developed plot combined with great two-pronged gameplay make it truly unique and provide a great incentive to progress further.
The Missing: J.J Macfield and the Island of Memories marries its remarkable storyline with memorable gameplay mechanics to form a truly exceptional and meaningful experience. No matter which walk of life you originate from, there's a monumental amount of positivity to take on board from Swery65's latest masterpiece.
NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 is a lacklustre effort after last year's promising start. It attempts to address some of the issues but these end up being unforced turnovers that makes the game actively worse. When you couple this with only one of the major gameplay problems being addressed, you find yourself with a disappointing sequel. This is a series that definitely does not need to be on a yearly cycle, and most people who bought the original last year will find they have already had their fill.
Starlink: Battle for Atlas can't decide whether to take its toys-to-life concept seriously, or drop it completely. It has a good, if somewhat repetitive, open world experience to offer, but it's held back by mistakes that aren't entirely its own fault.
My Memory of Us is an exciting and emotional trip through a dark period of human history. Its bittersweet story mixes well with its tense stealth-based gameplay, while clever puzzles flesh things out. Fittingly for a game about memories, we won't forget our time with Juggler Games' project for quite a while.
WWE 2K19 hasn't changed much at its core, but the smaller alterations to the overall package make it a vastly more enjoyable experience to previous instalments. Introducing a proper story to MyCareer gives players an actual reason to play it this year and it's a genuinely engaging experience. The increased depth of the player creation suite means each superstar feels different from the next, while quality of life improvements in Universe will be music to the ears of diehard fans. All of this adds up to make WWE 2K19 the best entry of this long-running series.
All in all, SoulCalibur VI is an accomplished package and a fighting game that just feels great to play.
In review, Fast Striker is a difficult, but scrappy homage to the shoot 'em ups of old. Its Neo Geo graphics, while nostalgic, don't particularly stand out, and use an ugly palette of colours. The lack of additional gameplay features, especially powerups is its most egregious sin, but the experience is still an enjoyable one, if only for ten minutes at a time. On a PS Vita and for short bursts, this could provide entertainment for a bus journey or two. On PS4, however, it doesn't cut the mustard, and fails to stand out from the many, many indie shoot 'em ups available on the Store.
There will always be those that lament it for the lack of a single player campaign, but what Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 does for its multiplayer experience is nothing less than phenomenal. Traditional multiplayer has never been better thanks to a few tweaks and additions here and there that elevate the action to a whole new level, while the all new Blackout mode does Battle Royale better than anyone else. And on top of that, Zombies continues to impress us with a plethora of mechanics to engage with and scenarios to complete. As a package, you're going to struggle to find much better than Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 in the multiplayer market this year.