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Titanfall 2 builds on the very strong foundations laid by the original, improving the multiplayer by improving the progression mechanics and introducing some fun new mechanics. This feels like the freshest and most interesting multiplayer game of the year, and it’s capped off by a wonderful single player campaign that ticks all the right boxes. It’s just a shame that it’s releasing when it is, as this is a game that deserves, if not demands, that any fans of the FPS genre should play it.
All in all, WWE 2K17 is a wrestling game for wrestling people. If you know your suplexes from your DDTs this is pretty much the only game to sate that need for you, but it’s also thankfully a decent one. If you’re just looking for a new brawler for a short blast but you think the idea of men in pants pretending to hurt each other is silly (because it really is), then you’ll probably find this too slow and detailed to do much for you. As I’m in the former camp, I found a huge amount to enjoy and interest me within WWE 2K17. Not quite a Stunner, but definitely getting there.
Overall, the Return to Arkham wasn’t quite as welcoming as I’d hoped it would be. The changes to certain character models and environments, be it subtle or blatant, have combined to strip the Asylum of some of its creepy charm, whilst technical issues mar both titles in the collection. It almost feels like the game could do with another few months of development, even after the delay, as the performance is something that could theoretically be tweaked and improved. Hopefully the team at Virtuos can get some patches together and tighten up the frame rate and adjust some of the lighting and colour grading, because if they do? This will be essential. As it stands, though, it’s a collection of two technically underwhelming ports of two incredible games that make some disappointing art style choices.
The LEGO Harry Potter Collection is a great LEGO game that pays tribute to the Harry Potter fantastically, and humorously. Whilst there is quite the disappointment that there was no extra content made for players who have already completed these on the PlayStation 3, this is a perfect chance for those, like myself, to get into and go through the whole Harry Potter adventure, LEGO Style! It’s not perfect by any means, but this is another franchise where the LEGO format fits perfectly.
World of Final Fantasy is a masterpiece. The games’ capturing of monsters is very reminiscent of Jade Cocoon and Dragon Warrior Monsters with a blend of art style, gameplay and music that reminds me of Kingdom Hearts. If you have no patience of high pitched voices, cheesy dialogue and wish for something more dark then this game may not be for you. I think this is a great starting game for both old (depending on your level of maturity) and young and is a great starting point for anyone wanting to get into the Final Fantasy series. The game isn’t revolutionary by any means however long time fans such as myself will adore seeing old faces while new players may not understand many of the characters; they for sure will when they go to play some of the main series titles. The game is around 40 hours long with around 100 hours of side quest so if you are looking for something to tide you over until Final Fantasy XV then you should definitely check this out.
The story and setting in Mafia III are compelling enough to get you to battle past many of these flaws – just to see what happens next – but the multitude of flaws do leave a sour taste in the mouth. There are multiple endings on offer, but these are based solely on one final decision at the end, meaning that there are no consequences if you play the entire affair as a ruthless killer, and no real reward for sparing lives – aside from a small cash boost, but you will never find yourself short on money. As such, the missions sadly turn into a grind just to reach the endgame – just to find out how Lincoln's tale ends. A repetitive and bug-laden affair, the gameplay and mechanics just don't do justice to what is a finely balanced representation of racial tension in 1960's America.
In essence, this is the same Battlefield you’ve being playing for a while except that it has remembered what it does best and ran with it more often than not. The risk of taking on a World War I scenario has been tackled excellently within the single-player and multiplayer modes, leaving a refreshing experience that sees Battlefield return to its absolute best. Throughout the entire time I’ve been playing Battlefield 1, the series’ arch rival didn’t come into my mind once – and that’s probably the biggest compliment I could pay it. Battlefield is once again comfortable in its own skin, and I, for one, couldn’t be happier.
In spite of the immediately obvious drop in graphical fidelity, Driveclub VR has a great sense of immersion that can only be achieved with VR, and the PlayStation VR headset produces an experience that I don’t think I’ve ever had from a racing game before. An impressive swansong for a game that never had it easy, DriveClub VR is well worth picking up if you’re grabbing a headset in the coming weeks.
Mantis Burn Racing’s presentation of itself is slightly wrong, and it feels like a game in disguise. Regardless of this, it plays very well despite being fairly devoid of much in the way of character. A cheerful diversion rather than something to really sink your teeth into, Mantis Burn Racing is a jovial experience that could have been much more with a little more creativity behind it.
Overall, RIGS is a fast paced, fun and frenetic futuristic sports game. Guerrilla Cambridge have figured out exactly what is needed for a VR sports title, as well as a VR Mech title and somehow fused the two. Immensely enjoyable, RIGS demonstrates what the PSVR can do to truly immerse you in a world that you simply can’t get in actual reality and is incredibly stylish whilst doing so.
I’m not the sort of person to throw cold drinks at small children, and I don’t imagine you are either. I would never see how many parts of someone’s car I could remove before sending them on their way or photocopy my bum in the real world, but here you have it; a game that finally gives you the chance to do all this and more without serious repercussions. Aside from all the silliness there is indeed a great game here too; I’d wager if you had an attention span better than most of the NGB writers you could spend hours doing the tasks as they were meant to be performed and enjoy it enormously. But VR is about offering new ways to play, and new opportunities and possibilities to the player. And Job Simulator is a bright, cheerful and great way to remind us all of that.
Gears is brilliant at doing what it does best. Gears. If you love offerings already on the market, then you will love this game, but it may let you down with it’s lack of exciting innovations and predictable story. Maybe it’s because when you make three solid 8 or 9 out of 10 games, you can’t do much to make it better, “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”. The hardcore and the newbies alike will love Gears 4, but it won’t be the ground breaking Gears we reminisce about. Gears 4 is back with a smack, bang and wallop! It lets itself down purely because it is holding something back and I cannot wait to find out what that is.
Functionally solid but ultimately repetitive, Until Dawn: Rush of Blood is a good example of one of the types of VR game you can expect to play. These types of shooting galleries are a dime a dozen on Steam and the Oculus store, but this is a good example of how well they can be done, particularly when mixed with a bunch of horror elements. If you want something to scare the living daylights out of your house guests or people at a party, throw this on and watch them squirm!
They told us they were done with Arkham. Rocksteady lied to us. But that’s OK. As well as being a great showcase for how VR should be done, Arkham VR is a short, sharp, and sometimes shocking Batman experience that should really be played by anyone with access to a headset and any fondness for the caped crusader at all.
Battlezone is basically what you dreamed an arcade game would be ten years ago, finally realised and in your living room. A dumb, no-frills tank blaster that is instantly playable and understandable by anyone, this is the sort of thing that will win over a lot of people who wouldn’t consider themselves interested in VR as a concept. Unlikely to be a defining title of the platform, but a strong start regardless.
What else can I say about this game? It’s Minecraft and Dragon Quest. The campaign is just the beginning. If you have invested as many hours as I have into this game it just shows how easy it is to get lost in the world of Dragon Quest Builders. Not only is it a great Dragon Quest game but it far surpasses any sandbox game I have played. What you can make in this game is only limited to your imagination and the time you have to invest into it.
Forza Horizon 3, then, is an incredibly fun racer with a wealth of content for you to dive into. Whilst some of the progression races feel a bit too familiar as you go on, there isn’t much negative that can be said about the game. Taking what makes the Motorsport series enjoyable to driving game fans, and throwing a healthy dose of Burnout Paradise infused nostalgia into an open world as beautiful as Australia is, Forza Horizon 3 is the most fun racing game you could hope to play in 2016. Fantastic stuff.
That said, I didn’t dislike Virginia. I was disappointed at the lack of definitiveness and resolution to the matters presented, but the atmosphere and style of the game, as well as it’s brief meditations on society in 1992, stayed with me for some time after I finished playing, and provided a lot to think about. This is far from everyone’s tastes, and I would recommend doing some investigation before parting with any money to consider whether this is going to hold your attention or repel it, but if sedate thrillers that offer more questions than answers are your thing then you’ll find a short but sweet package on offer from 505 Games here.
Overall, NBA 2K17 is a brilliant replication of the sport and even with its issues, it still plays a fun and engaging game of basketball. As long as the development team keep tweaking and adding better mechanics to the gameplay, then the series will keep taking the strides in the right direction. Its a shame that the NBA 2K series doesn’t have any competition these days as when theres competition, it pushes the best to get better but even without it, the series is going in the right direction and not only giving us the best representation of the fast and dynamic sport, but also the most polished package of a sports title that we have ever seen.
SIVA aside, it’s these frustrations that plague the game. Misplaced repetition, an unbalanced loot-drop system, weapon buffs, weapon nerfs, patches, hotfixes – the truth is Destiny is an on-going experiment that Bungie is still trying to tweak and perfect. Even when the story has you staring down from high up with your Ghost companion at where you first began two years ago, it feels as though there’s too many gaps and holes that haven’t quite fitted together as originally intended. Ultimately though, here is a game that demands you come back to it no matter how long you’ve been away. When you finally get that gun you’ve been waiting forever for, beat a raid with your friends or stumble across a post on reddit that someone has found a secret entrance with strange markings on… then it’s on, and you won’t look back.