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Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 is absolutely packed with content and things to do, and those things to do never, ever get boring. There’s so much to talk about still, but this is such a wonderfully crafted game. With such a focus on longevity and setting the bar so high for quality of activities, it gives me the confidence in this game, and its future updates. I’ve never before seen such care taken into account for all players at every turn of a game. This is the most improved sequel ever made. Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 is simply astounding.
Xenon Racer looks and feels just like a game you’d find in the arcade. It’s such an easy game to pick-up and play for any amount of time. It’s a fun game that suffers from just being generic, and lacking any kind of personality. It’s missing something I can’t quite put my finger on, but I think for the right price this is a good get. Xenon Racer doesn’t try to be anything more than it is, so with that, you’ll find a solid futuristic racer to play.
This is possibly the greatest trick X-Morph: Defense has up it’s sleeve; it can be very challenging at times, but it gives you all of the tools you need to exert utter dominance over the incoming threat if you can pay the time and attention to plan correctly, and to adapt to the changes that each wave brings. Flexibility and change are the big elements that set X-Morph’s brand of tower defense apart from the rest, requiring you to always be on your toes and to be equally skilled in being proactive and reactive.
Hypnospace Outlaw uses its own originality to spark nostalgia for the weirdest time on the internet: the late 90s. It takes a while for it to “click”, but when it does, it’s an absolute treat as you work through your cases. With a solid 10-12 hours for the story to reach its conclusion, this is a fantastic experience I want more of. With there being more discovery and fascination ahead, you’ll only want to spend more time on this faux internet. While I wasn’t fond of the times I had to retread territory I had already cleansed, Hypnospace Outlaw is the most fun I’ve had playing a game this year so far.
I would like to have seen more of the PC game in the Switch version but keep its simplistic part replacement mechanic. For a mindless session of play, it’s good, but don’t expect to get much more than an hour or two of fun here.
After Trials Fusion, it was unclear where the series would be going from there. Trials Rising feels refreshing and more down to Earth this time around. It never fails to impress, make you laugh, or affirm you’re in complete control. This is a game that’s always fun to pick up and play, even if the things like gear crates and load times on the periphery aren’t. It’s clear RedLynx haven’t run out of tricks yet, and Trials Rising cements that – this is the best Trials has felt yet.
Far Cry New Dawn is all over the place, as crafting and resource gathering slow the game down. The RPG elements are unnecessary and not at all fitting for Far Cry. The story moves at a feverish pace, and ultimately stumbles across the finish line with underdeveloped characters, grinding materials for upgrades, and a lackluster finale. With all of that said, the shooting, stealth, and open-world are still an absolute joy. And Far Cry New Dawn finally ties up some loose ends that were dangling in Far Cry 5. Far Cry New Dawn makes the apocalypse overwhelmingly colorful, fun, and an exciting twist on the environment of Hope County.
DiRT Rally 2.0 has you living in the space between control and the edge of it, which is right where you want to be.
The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibbia is a solid game that those who love shmups or typing games should check out. Now, Typing of the Dead this is not, but it has its own flavor that’s worth the taste.
ACE COMBAT 7: SKIES UNKNOWN has some really solid missions that deal with political and military intrigue, a fantastic weather system, and constant chatter that wouldn't normally be tolerated by any military force. It's a bizarre and endearing title that's an absolute a joy to play. ACE COMBAT has been sorely missed for the past twelve years (we don't talk about 2012's Assault Horizon). ACE COMBAT 7: SKIES UNKNOWN is a triumph, and return to form.
ASTRONEER is as long or as short as you want it to be. It’s the kind of game that de-stresses you at the end of the day, and something you can play with friends for zero friction. You’re always making progress, and the game saves often, in addition to entering vehicles and bases to save as well. System Era Softworks have made an incredible crafting and exploration game in ASTRONEER. In learning the systems means you become more proficient at trying out the new planets and the challenges they offer. As such, you’re never marooned in one place too long, and you never want to be – there’s so much to see and do.
There is no shortage of puzzle platformers in this day and age, but there is certainly a shortage of games in this genre which are actually good. The advent of lower barriers to entry on various game marketplaces has allowed for many indie success stories, but also for a greatly increased amount of shovelware to wade through. Octahedron: Transfixed Edition is luckily a solid game with a strong, consistent visual style and a thumping soundtrack that helps to complete the sense of “being there” as well as any other component of the game. If you’re looking for a new platformer on the Switch to fill your time, look no further.
The Hong Kong Massacre is just short of something great here. But many things that works against it, and things that it lacks. And VRESKI clearly have some work to do to get the game in better shape. When it works, the game really starts to flow like a stream of blood carrying spent shell casings. This feels especially good when you finally clear a level you’ve been stuck on, as it feels truly sublime, like you’re unstoppable. And that’s when The Hong Kong Massacre is at its, and your best.
FutureGrind is incredibly well thought out and designed. It understands what it is, and what it asks of you. The instant restarts are a feature it couldn’t live without, and it’s story mode is more than enough to carry you through. The game is wide open for DLC and expansions to do more of what it does so well. What this all amounts to, is that FutureGrind quickly becomes technically demanding for you to do mental and physical gymnastics with the controls. It never is anything insurmountable, but rather constantly forcing you to reteach your brain what bike you’re using, and what modifiers are on the track. This kind of thinking is necessary to reach the end, and work towards those diamonds. FutureGrind feels familiar and fresh all in the same breath, but it is certainly a standout title from Milkbag Games that’s the first must play of 2019.
There may be something here for you if you’re looking for a game that simulates the experience of planetary colonization so accurately that it includes every ounce of tedium that would come from a solitary life as a Martian colonist. There is also something to be said for being able to take this game on the go, if that’s your thing. However, for a product which fails to inspire a sense of mystery and wonder beyond its opening moments and which is still so rough around the edges, there are simply better, more enriching and more engaging options for your money on the Switch. In other words, don’t listen to Hauser; don’t get your ass to Mars.
Rain World shows up to the table with a lot of good ideas but fails to execute successfully on many of them. What should probably be a challenging but enjoyable game feels more like a directionless, unintuitive slog that, while mostly pretty to look at, is confusing and possibly overly difficult for the sake of being difficult. I can see a situation where just a few tweaks to character movement (namely improved speed and agility) would go a long way toward making this game feel like a properly balanced challenge. It’s entirely possible that the point of the game is to be really hard, but if so I find the controls, mobility and systems design is at odds with that intention, because as a player I never felt empowered to deal with the challenges laid before me so much as at the mercy of the whims of whomever is pulling the strings.
Elastic Games gets it right with Last Year: The Nightmare as it easily gets its hooks in you from the start. With a free content road-map outlined for 2019, the future looks bright going forward. It has a few bugs that keep it from greatness, but nothing to keep anyone from playing it right now. As you get paired up with random people and are forced to work together, this is the kind of game you make friends from. If you want to see what the definition of a successful Kickstarter is, look no further than Last Year. Upcoming platforms are in for a treat, as Last Year: The Nightmare is a killer game.
If you’re looking for more Overcooked 2, Surf ‘n’ Turf is that second helping you’re asking for. The kitchens are well designed and the pace is just as tense. It’s got that same flavor as before, but is just a little heartier, satisfying your growing appetite.
Forza Horizon 4‘s first DLC goes for the extreme and dangerous, a decision that’s sure to be divisive. There is something for everyone, but a lot more could have been done with it. The weather, effects, dangerous roads, and treasure chests are the best things about this expansion. The content is a bit short, and the lack of housing is disappointing for those wanting to find permanent residence. Overall, Fortune Island isn’t what you do in it, but what you do with it.
I really wanted to like my time with the sequel; really hoping that they would improve upon the first game. Instead, it’s slow, frustrating, and dull. For all the things the game tries to do right, there’s just more that hampers your experience. If you disliked the first game, this one will not bring you in and if you enjoyed the first, I may still pass on this unless they fix things via patches.