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If you're looking for an arcade-sim with buckets of content which combines all the best bits from Gran Turismo, Forza and DriveClub, look no further. If you're a Project Cars 2 fan hoping for an update to their favourite sim, forget it. Key sim elements are now missing and although it's a fine arcade-sim racer, it should have been rebranded rather than gutted for a mainstream audience.
Minoria offers up an interesting story all its own that is contributed to with both dialogue and world-building. The lack of significant difficulty and limited AI make this an especially simple game. At the same time, the simplicity allows for an accessible narrative with little in the way. Minoria has the potential to be a good Metroidvania, but its simplicity makes it more of a filler game than a must-own.
NBA 2K21 executes the fundamentals of basketball to perfection. Add to that a wonderful narrative in Long Shadow, and the package becomes even more appealing - even if MyCareer is linked to an online mode. These modes have a lot of potential, especially My Neighborhood, but some of the ideas still need a year or two of percolation before they're at their true potential.
An authentic recreation of the best of the Sega arcade racing classics from yesteryear, but sadly lacking in depth due to the simplistic circuits and repetitive gameplay mechanic. Split-screen or online multiplayer is the way to get the best from the game.
An intriguing take on the battle royale formula which swaps out soldiers and guns for wizards and spells, Spellbreak is a touch limited in its current form certainly. However, resoundingly solid fundamentals, a gorgeous art style and a promising content roadmap all come together to create a commendable and entertainingly sophisticated battle royale effort that everyone can enjoy.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning is just as fun as it was eight years ago. Though the game didn't get any updates to its inventory management system or the criminally long load times, the combat is still great and the vast world is a blast to explore.
With a stellar campaign and set pieces that rival anything in the MCU, Marvel's Avengers already delivers a ton of value. But add on the endless multiplayer and future characters, and this game is poised to be a classic. Some early bugs distract from the fun, but the bones of the game are solid. Marvel's Avengers is an amazing achievement.
Gleamlight's art style is beautiful and immersive, but the combat here is slow and tedious. With no story to latch onto it all just feels shallow. Even though the game is extremely short, your time and money are better spent elsewhere on other games in this genre.
Chaotic, fun, addictive, and rewarding. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 retains everything that made the games amazing in the '90s. It then adds a coat of fresh paint, better physics, and a more modern progression system to keep you playing after completing the classic objectives. This is an amazing package of games that will please old fans and new fans alike and I am so happy it turned out so well.
Windbound is a serviceable survival game that offers a unique sailing experience to keep hardcore fans of the genre interested. But with simplistic and bland-feeling combat and an experience that doesn't engage with its narrative (despite promising to), Windbound isn't recommended at full price.
Clearly a labor of love, Ary unites puzzles, platforming and exploration into one round package. Although its technical issues are a bit off-putting at first, if you can look past them, there's much fun to be had.
Captain Tsubasa has genuine depth behind its arcade flair, but the initial presentation leaves a lot to be desired thanks to a dull, aggravating, and sluggish introduction to its characters and systems.
Control AWE does a great job of bringing the events of Alan Wake into a shared universe, without ever breaking its own identity or gameplay conventions. Almost all of Control's technical issues are gone, leaving behind a great nugget of gameplay that pushes the universe forward into interesting new placed. Highly recommended for fans of either franchise.
In a world of heavy, AAA titles, games as service titles and bloated RPGs, The Last Campfire is a beacon of hope that small, wonderful, single-player experiences will carry on. Well done Hello games, I loved it.
WRC 9 is the complete rally package - tough but rewarding handling, astonishing representations of the real world rally stages, and a wealth of gameplay options. Many hours of non-blinking fun are to be had for racing fans, with a free sexy upgrade to the PS5 version on the horizon.
It's not the worst remaster but Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles should have been a great remaster but Square just didn't do enough to make the game feel like it belongs in this day and age. Co-op is a chore to even get started and having no couch co-op to play with your family takes away the identity of Crystal Chronicles and what made it such a stand out - traveling and exploring as a family.
Madden NFL 21 makes a good attempt at adding variety into a tried and true formula. However, Face of The Franchise has awkward and dry storytelling and cannot match up to the excellence that Longshot offered the franchise. The Yard has some ambitious ideas and offers up a nice change of pace, but it needs some control tweaks to feel like the mode it's trying to be. The fundamentals are getting better and better, with gameplay getting long-awaited touches of realism.
Wasteland 3 is a stunner of a game. All the strategic combat and twisted story choices the series is known for are present here -and done better than they ever have been before. Some technical issues hold the game back, but with time to patch things up, Wasteland 3 will be a stone cold classic.
Though ironically beaten to the punch by the likes of H1Z1 and Call of Duty, and tarnished by a handful of shortcomings, PUBG nonetheless remains a commendably inventive and expansive shooter that deftly embodies the Battle Royale genre.
No Straight Roads is an overambitious game that tries to do many things and fails to impress with any of them. Despite fantastic world-building, loveable characters, and great voice acting the game fumbles in the narrative department and suffers from noticeable and frequent technical issues. Lacking gameplay polish also makes No Straight Roads more of a flop than a surefire hit.