Stevivor's Reviews
Horizon Call of the Mountain is absolutely beautiful and features some fun moments, but it bears repeating that it in no way feels like an $80 AUD game; it barely feels like a $60 AUD game and should have been included with the PSVR2 without an additional cost. It’s without a doubt a fantastic way to show off what the PSVR2 can do (eye tracking aside as it’s only used in menus and dialogue sequences). When your friends come over to check out your new toy they’ll come to see Horizon Call of the Mountain, but they’ll stay for Gran Turismo 7. While this offers fans a literally alternate perspective into a universe that many really love (myself included) and is a fantastic as a tool to show off the PSVR2, it lacks depth as an actual game. Challenge and balance are overloaded with tedious climbing sequences and not enough of the fun stuff.
If you’re a massive Kirby fan, this is for you. If you’ve got a passing interest, wait for a sale. It’s not that this is bad, or unpolished… it’s just another repacked game with a value proposition that lacks.
While it definitely departs from the usual formula for the series, Like A Dragon Ishin is undoubtedly worth your time. While this isn’t a story of true history, the game is happy to educate you on Japanese culture of the time – a helpful Glossary option will pop up for many terms unfamiliar to an English-speaking audience, so you’ll be able to tell your joshi from your goshi and shishi – and suddenly, Final Fantasy XIII’s naming conventions make a lot more sense. Becoming a badass, unstoppable samurai seems only right for someone who looks like Kiryu, and the story will keep you guessing to the end. Also those cucumbers are almost ready to harvest, so don’t forget to stop by the villa soon.
Still, that Wild Hearts gets so much right on its first tentative step into the arena is bloody impressive. Omega Force has created the first title I’ve played that is a genuine contender in the space and they’ve done more than enough to justify Wild Hearts’ place in it. The result is something meaningfully different in a genre no one else has been able to touch. It’s kind of like if someone made a Souls-like on par with an actual Souls.
Metroid Prime Remastered is a must play masterpiece, regardless of if you were there on the GameCube or if this is your first time exploring Tallon IV. Such is the quality of the original release, the gameplay holds up on its own accord, as some of the best in the genre, two decades later. It’s brought to a modern audience with completely overhauled high-definition textures across the entire game. It looks great and is so faithfully recreated, Metroid Prime Remastered is presented exactly how your nostalgic mind remembers it, for those who have been here before. Delivered with a modern control scheme that works very well, and excellent performance perfectly tailored to the ageing Nintendo Switch, Metroid Prime is one of the greatest games of all-time – now it’s also one of the best remasters ever made.
While combat may become repetitive, it’s more than serviceable, and fits in against the backdrop of an action-RPG that’s about so much more than killing goons — even if there is a lot of that. It’s a game that finally lets you live your dreams of 20 years ago, with a chance to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and have your own magical adventure.
Despite the issues, The Cosmic Shake is generally competent. If you can overlook the mini-games that dot the landscape, the platforming is tight. Combat is mostly on the same level. If that works for you — and if the idea of more SpongeBob if that excites you — than this is one you might consider.
This new version of Dead Space is one of the few remakes that has managed to slot in that little window of time where it’s not been too soon or too long since the release of the original. It brings with it nostalgia, and almost enough change to make it feel fresh and familiar at the same time. For some this will be good news, for others not so much. For me, having loved every minute of only a single play through back in 2008 I was elated by the fact that I had pretty much forgotten almost all of the details in the game.
While players may be tempted to judge Fire Emblem Engage on the art style alone, I strongly suggest giving it a try before casting judgement; you may just find that this is one of the best Fire Emblem games to date.
Midnight Suns is long and overloaded with systems (I didn’t even mention the light/dark faux-morality system, or new game plus, or levelling up your dog), but it is fun, both its combat and its superhero friendship simulation. The combat is good enough to keep you wanting more, and the story and character moments interesting enough that I didn’t mind how much they punctuated the flying fists and swinging swords. Making fighting alongside Wolverine as interesting as having a fireside chat with him is a tough ask, and Midnight Suns has nailed it.
The Devil in Me is a clear demonstration that Supermassive is learning from the grand experiment that is The Dark Pictures. It not only finishes Season 1 with a bang, but has me incredibly excited for what’s to come.
Kratos' reboot signs-off after just two games, expertly unifying story with gameplay and proving a safe sequel can be brilliant.
Somerville does for Inside for what Inside did for Limbo. While the means of gameplay has evolved into a 3D realm, it’s more an emphasis on an actual narrative that sets it apart.
If you enjoy story-driven affairs with choices that impact the world in which you’re playing, Pentiment is worth a playthrough. The historical narrative adventure is perfect if you don’t want to play something that requires a high level of skill, but you still want to enjoy a rich history and impactful choices.
Despite some teething problems, The Chant is certainly worth a playthrough for those who appreciate the survival horror genre. More importantly, this debut title has me excited for what’s next from Brass Token; some small refinements of gameplay elements would make for an outing that I’d happily recommend to anyone with a controller. Here’s to a very pleasant surprise.
Outside of those missteps, the remaining missions are all top notch and that’s why they’ll be spoken about less – they meet the lofty expectations of a Modern Warfare campaign. Infinity Ward has deliberately varied the pacing to avoid monotonous murdering, and while it doesn’t flow quite as well as Modern Warfare 1, it’s a nice mix that compels you to keep playing just one more mission until suddenly the credits roll. That’s Modern Warfare 2’s campaign. It isn’t as innovative as past Modern Warfare games, nor does it have as many iconic moments. But for the most part, it’s a unified campaign that nails what Modern Warfare should be. Fans of Call of Duty campaigns won’t be able to put their controller down.
At the end of my time with Bayonetta 3, I find myself surprised at how much fun I had, and excited to go back and experience the first two titles of the series as well.
There's a lot to love here for fans of the franchise and fans of the genre alike... provided you have room in your heart, and schedule, this time of the year.
Those without a real attachment to the Bat family will feel indifferent to what's presented; most who adore Dick and Babs will simply be disappointed.
Sparks of Hope is here, there’s still no Switch Pro, but it feels like a next-gen take on the original game, expanding on what worked to great effect.