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Alien: Isolation is close to a survival horror masterpiece that, while unforgiving, carries itself with an unbridled sense of style and class. It authentically recreates the look and feel of the original 1979 film while still feeling incredibly rewarding. Through some wizardry, the game plays just as well, if not better, on Switch, and is to be commended as one of the best ports the platform has ever seen.
While returning to its roots in some ways, Pokemon Sword and Shield feels stuck in a transitional phase
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is the Star Wars game fans have been waiting for. It brings together a strong story, addictive combat and an earnest dedication to recreating that Star Wars magic to offer one of the best Star Wars games in over a decade. It’s an experience that any Star Wars fan can’t afford to miss.
Mario And Sonic At The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 is a fun collection of games that absolutely anybody can enjoy. The story mode is delightful, although a little bit tedious and repetitive, but doesn't detract from what is otherwise, a nice package.
It's clear that Ghost Games has taken a touch of Paradise and applied it to Heat, resulting in a thrilling and beautiful racing game that's bursting with things to do. Though their ambition was bold, they strayed too far from comfort in putting Heat together. When measured up against its own franchise, Heat does a lot to move the series in the right direction and it's a clear, marked improvement over Payback.
As a well-rounded gaming experience, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare takes steps in the right direction to give itself some serious realism. Offering more grounded gameplay than instalments such as the Black Ops or Advanced Warfare games, the gunplay and controls are tight and very balanced for both the experienced and casual player alike. The only thing that the game and Infinity Ward themselves seemed to truly struggle with was the narrative – where it works in some cases, often you're left feeling like you're stuck in a half-concocted American political propaganda piece.
Hideo Kojima has long been a visionary auteur, his feted career stands as proof. With no walls to contain him, he has given birth to Death Stranding. It's an experience that will be remembered for a long time, from its early hype to the untethered lunacy of its narrative. It's an art installation of a game that filled me with rage as often as it did joy. It is sweeping in both lustre and purpose, though it wears a few warts on the pleasant, bare bones of a game about deliveries that has no right to be as memorable as it somehow is.
Luigi's Mansion 3 is an extremely solid entry and another must-have for Switch owners. The game has a tonne of improvements that feel natural and make for great puzzles. It's also an absolute treat visually.
There's something really special about MediEvil getting a well-deserved remake beyond the visual and audio glow-up. It provides the title with a chance to break out of the confines of relative obscurity to reach a wider audience. MediEvil deserves all of this and more with its fantastic tone, entertaining characters and story, excellent level design, and stellar pacing, even if a few issues hold it back. If you haven't played it before you'd be doing yourself a disservice by not giving it a go, and if you have played it before, rejoice in Fortesque's skeletal embrace.
The Outer Worlds is the kind of inspired take on a genre that could only come from a team as passionate and talented as Obsidian. It's not perfect, but it's creative, succinct, compelling and funny in all the right ways. I sincerely hope that this signals the beginning of a new, ongoing franchise because the people and stories of the Halcyon Colony will stick with me for a long time to come.
With so much promise in the lead-up, Ghost Recon Breakpoint falls flat of reaching its goal in satisfying expectations. With a lot of things to do but no real reason to do it, the game puts up barriers such as strange loot systems, a subpar plot, an extreme solo difficulty and a requirement for online play. If you can convince your friends to get a copy and play with you, your experience may be better – but chances are you'll find your time better spent elsewhere.
The humanisation of Eris Morn, a once bleak caricature shrouded in mystique, along with a number of brave narrative turns help Shadowkeep along to a thrilling conclusion that sets Destiny up for another year to come. Though the core tweaks haven't all landed, Shadowkeep takes a beatseat to only two before it in terms of delivering rounded, high-quality expansion experience.
Concrete Genie paints an impressive picture with delightful gameplay and heart warming characters. it's a great way to spend a few hours unleashing your creativity.
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair ironically does justice to the impossible task of living up to the name of great platforming games like Super Mario Bros, Donkey Kong Country, and Rayman Legends. It's a joy to play, feeling simultaneously modern and yet nostalgic. The odd omission of boss battles and some issues with variety aside, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a game any self-respecting platformer fan should play.
The Souls games are some of my fondest gaming experiences ever, and while I never expected Code Vein to surpass them, it's hard not to be disappointed by its middling results. It's far from a bad game, it has systems and ideas that push the genre forward in exciting and innovative ways, but fumbles on the execution on some of the others that are core to the experience. If you have an interest in Code Vein's world or characters, or can't get enough Souls, you might find that the positives outweigh the negatives, but I can't recommend it to someone looking for the next transformative Souls-like experience.
The Surge 2 successfully builds upon the original game in practically every way – offering a larger roster of bosses, more equipment to pillage, and a bigger, more organic open-world to explore. A few pacing issues and some issues with the visuals aside, The Surge 2 offers a greater variety of experiences over its predecessor and is easily Deck13's best.
Borderlands 3 is what you would expect from a Borderlands game, for better or for worse. It does little to innovate on the now ubiquitous looter genre it helped to define ten years ago and plays it safe. While it's almost the same Borderlands it was those ten years ago, it's still hard to deny that it's a great romp with mates.
It's clear that Untitled Goose Game is a labour of love from House House. It's an entertaining honk-filled romp that's guaranteed to satisfy anyone's wanting to become a goose. Your first playthrough will no doubt be your best due to the restrictive design, but the hidden objectives and unique environments offer plenty of reason to explore and experiment with its charming world and characters. There's never been a better way to simulate being a goose.
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is another must-play Nintendo Switch game. It still stands the test of time and in no way feels outdated, which is impressive for a 20 year old game. Don't let performance issues and a high price point stop you from playing this absolute classic.
Greedfall is the kind of game where you really need to be into the story to be able to look past its faults and still enjoy it.