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Hitman 3 closes out the World of Assassination Trilogy with developer IO Interactive in confident mood. Lessons learned from the past five or six years have worked their way into this splendid epitaph for a series that looked dead and buried more than once along the way. As with its predecessor's, there are some lows to go with the highs, but those highs? They are truly something special and make the future of IO Interactive an exciting prospect.
Much more than just a sterling evolution of arcade legend Gauntlet, Heroes of Hammerwatch melds superbly robust dungeon crawling gameplay together with ingenious roguelike design to create the genre's next must-have title. If like me you missed out on Heroes of Hammerwatch when it first release, now is the time to correct that mistake. You won't regret it.
Not quite the next-gen (currently gen, I guess) debut that motocross fans would have hoped for, MXGP 2020 nonetheless does a relatively commendable job of filling a distinctly motocross shaped hole in the PlayStation 5 library. It's just a shame that more hasn't been done to make use of the cutting edge technology that has brought MXGP 2020 to life - doubly so given the resoundingly solid core racing experience that developer Milestone has wrought and refined here.
The landscape of the beat 'em up genre may have altered in the ten years since Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game first released, but it's return is wholly welcome. A wonderful compliment to the graphic novel series, and a stylish throwback to the delightfully gaudy brawlers that boomed and bloomed loudly in 90s arcades. Add friends for maximum impact.
Override 2: Super Mech League is a playable game, but almost all of its parts feel poorly thought out or are lacklustre to play. The gameplay is repetitive and uninspired and the few technical issues and lack of players mean you will just be fighting bots the entire time. Ultimately, this experience really isn't worth a look.
Colt Canyon is really just what the doctor ordered to kick off 2021. A breezy and consistently satisfying twin-stick shooter roguelike with a surprising amount of depth and where gunfights, stealth murder and dynamite powered destruction go hand in hand, Colt Canyon is a smart, wild west shooter that's well worth saddling up for.
Despite its few flaws, When The Past Was Around tells a beautiful love story through simplistic mechanics and themes. The only thing that gets in the way is puzzle pacing at the end, which breaks the formula in an uncomplimentary way.
A brief but mesmerising monochrome puzzler which constantly impresses with its audio/visual brevity, and occasionally stumps you with some impassable brain-teasers. Highly recommended for fans of graphic novels and puzzles, but with the caveat that you'll be on a YouTube walkthrough at least once during your time with Iris.Fall.
The First Samurai is the first piece of content in the entire Nioh franchise that feels underwhelming. Outside of the great boss battles and boss designs, the rest of DLC just feels bland and uninspired. The First Samurai simply doesn't do enough to give the franchise the farewell it deserves .
Shady Part Of Me is a stunning indie platformer puzzler that is a treat for both the mind and the eyes. There are some gorgeously original puzzles, although there is perhaps an over reliance on the same type of "box shadow" puzzles throughout. That isn't to say there is any feeling of repetitiveness, and the mechanics are reliably satisfying that you'll always be up for the next puzzle. Shady Part Of Me demonstrates a lot of thoughtfulness and heart. Indeed this title is an excellent debut for the French developers.
Twin stick mayhem which pits your kick-ass scientists against hordes of beasts in a dreary procedurally generated underworld. Long stints reveal the repetitive nature of the maps and challenges, but grab a copy if you're up for some shallow bullet spraying for up to four buddies.
Cyberpunk 2077's Night City is one of the best sci-fi dystopias ever showcased in games. The stories it has to tell and the characters there are to meet are engrossing and terrifying. Despite some performance issues on PS5 backwards compatibility, it is still worth playing for the excellent character and narrative work. But, if you own a PS4, do not buy Cyberpunk 2077 as it is a technical mess that barely functions.
Bungie has delivered an amazing experience with its PS5 update. From the silky-smooth frame rates to the field of view sliders, Destiny 2 has never felt this good. All the enhancements the PC community has been able to experience and take advantage of are finally on consoles. Cross-gen support along with the same content drops means that regardless of what console you play on, you're getting the best version of Destiny 2 that your system can run.
Empire of Sin is a poor and skeleton-thin management game at its core with complicated systems, menus, and tutorials that do a poor job at getting you acclimated to the experience. Add on top of that a library worth of bugs that force you to restart, ruin pivotal moments of the game, and just make the experience more frustrating and you have a game that is not worth even worth a slight bit of consideration. Empire of Sin is a massive disappointment.
Worms Rumble excels similarly on PS4 as it does on PS5. The differences in performance are noticeable but not significant. Matchmaking works just as quick on both console versions of the game, so you'll always find it easy to scratch that itch for one more round no matter where you play. The PS4 version is another good addition to the already stellar library of the console, and although there isn't much content at launch, Worms Rumble is a worthwhile investment with future promise.
Worms Rumble proves that worms don't need to take turns to sentence one another to a sheepy death. Not only that, but Worms Rumble succeeds in giving us an accessibly fun shooter with a decent amount of nuance for the competitive to wrestle with. The real-time combat and traversal work very well, and with speedy matchmaking, you'll always be up for one more game. The levels are well designed for a fun experience, although we would hope for more options in the future.
While Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 doesn't quite fix the original game's difficulty spikes, and rarely steps outside its comfort zone, it does make enough improvements to its formula to make it a successful sequel. It may not be the fresh and inventive breakout puzzle hit its predecessor was, but it's still undoubtedly a cracking blend of two fantastic puzzle games.
It may seem simplistic on the surface but even if you're like me, someone who has a passing interest in the genre, Monster Sanctuary does do a few things differently to most. It's a monster collecting game sprinkled with platforming, exploration and small puzzles. Monster Sanctuary was the game I needed to play right now, it's simple and very rewarding. It plays flawlessly and has a quaint presentation that harkens back to the days of old. Whether it's the Metroidvania exploration, the amount of monster skill and gear customization, or the enjoyable battle system, there is a lot to love here.
The Wild Eight is a fine survival and micromanagement simulator that is ably supported by decent crafting, exploration and a nuanced audiovisual presentation. However, the omission of the online multiplayer functionality which is arguably the cornerstone of the PC version, certainly stings much more than it should.
The real pity here is that Liftoff: Drone Racing actually manages to nail that the handling and feeling of control which should arguably feature at the core of any such title which aims to bring a drone racing simulation to console. It's just a shame that a real lack of inspiring content and a distinctly dated visual presentation do much to tarnish the overall package.