Press Start
HomepagePress Start's Reviews
There's nothing about Ashes Cricket that stands out as being bad, and that's definitely a good thing considering recent Aussie sports titles. There are many smaller changes from the previously released Don Bradman Cricket, that all come together to improve the entire experience and take Ashes Cricket to the next level. Apart from buying tickets to the Ashes this summer, this should be your next purchase, as I absolutely love it.
Skyrim is exactly the kind of game that demonstrates the power of the Switch and what it wants to be. It’s a huge open-world, console-quality adventure you can with you anywhere. The port is fantastic, too, and the Switch-specific additions appreciated. Newcomer or not, Skyrim is a classic deserving of a revisit on Nintendo Switch.
Battlefront II is everything the first should have been: it’s an immersive, fantastical experience with a heck of a lot of content to venture through. However, the game’s Star Card system is still problematic, and the inconsistencies seen in multiplayer, alongside the lack of in-game voice chat, pull it back from fully reaching its huge potential. Whilst the single player campaign is a let down in many aspects, it doesn't bring down the much improved multiplayer portion of the game.
Like the first, Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 is a really fun title with a large open world to explore and tons of great content to play through at your own pace. There's still issues with the core gameplay, but it's hard not to have fun with the latest in the LEGO franchise.
DOOM on Nintendo Switch is a remarkable achievement. It runs much better than I expected it to and looks fairly decent in handheld mode. The game is still incredibly fun 18 months on and is perfectly suited to the handheld device. It's a great testimony to AAA games on Nintendo Switch and proves that the console can not only handle hardcore games, but potentially even become the best place to play them.
Despite the silly and over-the-top story, Fire Emblem Warriors takes aspects from both respective series and breathes new life into them – the elements of the Warriors series make perfect sense in the Fire Emblem world, and the features and mainstays of the Fire Emblem series bring a new depth to the Warriors franchise. While some may be put off by the fact that the game can be overly helpful, this is adjustable, and ultimately a really good addition to the musou game genre. A real gem for both Warriors and Fire Emblem fans alike.
Despite Need for Speed Payback’s accessible and gratifying approach to arcade racing, the time needed to progress in a satisfactory manner regresses the joy of the rubber meeting the road to a grind that ironically brings the pace of the game to a grinding halt. Need for Speed Payback totes itself as a romp of reckless abandon but ultimately lacks the longevity, charisma and conviction necessary to make it a ride worth taking.
I want to shout it from the rooftops, Call of Duty is back. Just when it looked like the franchise was going to get wildly out of hand, credit has to be paid to Activision for recognising that the only way forward was to strip away the deadweight and return to its roots. When it comes to bang for buck, WWII triumphs over most. Throw the new social space in alongside what is basically three games and Call of Duty might very well be king again.
Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds offers more of what I loved in the base game. There's an amazing new location, fantastic story and gameplay which continues to be fun. Thanks to the new locales, and expanded colours that feature in the world, the game looks more stunning than ever. If you enjoyed the base game, you will love what is on offer here. The Frozen Wilds is a fantastic victory lap on the way to a well deserved sequel.
Super Lucky's Tale is a marked improvement on it's predecessor and a competent love letter to the great platformers of the 90s. The controls feel great, the level variety is strong, and the game feels appropriately priced for what you get. It'll never compete with the likes of Mario, Banjo and Donkey Kong, but it's certainly several steps (or jumps) in the right direction. Worth a shot, especially for the younger crowd. Just beware of the difficulty spikes.
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus has a better idea of what it wants to be when compared to The New Order, and feels like a slightly better game because of it. The action is solid, the set pieces are memorable, and the visuals are a delight. And yet, the stand out here is the story and writing. The New Colossus humanises B.J. Blazkowicz and his comrades in a way I'd never expect and is easily a game worth playing because of it. An amazing, unique shooter that does its own thing without compromise.
I don't know how Nintendo continues to do it, but they've managed to reinvent another classic franchise and push it further than imaginable. Super Mario Odyssey is the game that we've been waiting to play for more than 20 years. It feels like it borrows key elements from almost every Mario game that has come before it to create what is possibly not only the greatest Mario game, but one of the best 3D platformers of all time.
I fell out of love with Assassin's Creed a long time ago, but Origins has recaptured the magic that made the series a powerhouse all those years ago. With its humble protagonist, whose outlook on life is clouded by relateable and crushing heartbreak, and a world so detail-rich, it's hard not to be floored by everything Origins manages to be. Assassin's Creed Origins is the definitive action-adventure game of the year. It's a wild power fantasy that satisfies not only a curious thirst for knowledge but both bloodlust and wanderlust to such lengths it's almost gluttonous.
Make no mistake – Gran Turismo Sport is fun to play and is a surprisingly fresh step (in a different direction) for the developers, but it feels like it comes at a cost for many reasons – the lack of variation in cars and manufacturers, the shallow depth in single-player (and even offline mode) campaigns, and even a lot of the tuning and adjustment features are missing from the game.
The Fractured But Whole is a solid game, but as a package doesn't improve greatly on The Stick Of Truth. Its combat has some added depth and there are more classes to choose from, but it doesn't feel as though it does a whole lot else that's new. Its unwavering preparedness to tackle tough social issues must always be commended and I know that'll never change with South Park. If you're a person with touchy sensibilities, know that this probably isn't for you. But if you're a South Park fan who wouldn't mind a fairly decent romp through a faux Marvel and DC face-off then you're probably onto a winner here.
The Evil Within 2 is an enjoyable, psychological and somewhat emotional trip that I probably won't forget. As a sequel to it's predecessor, it takes things in a rather different direction and tries several new things to mixed results. Nonetheless, The Evil Within 2 is a thrilling and tense experience that'll appeal to most fans of the original and newcomers looking for a harrowing experience they've probably not had before.
Shadow of Mordor was a bombastic, grandiose romp through a very storied land, steeped in a much-beloved history, as penned by Tolkien. Shadow of War takes what made the original such a great experience and magnifies it tenfold, blowing it up into a titanic game. Embrace the Bright Lord and play this game if you've got even a passing interest in the Lord of the Rings saga. Even if you don't, this high-fantasy action game has a bit of everything.
Forza Motorsport 7 has a few issues under the hood that need to be addressed, but the strengths outweigh its weaknesses as the game offers the most diverse and well-presented title in the franchise to date, along with a contender for the racing game of the year.
It's a bit unfair to compare Cuphead to almost any other of the brutally tough platformers I've grown to love recently, as it lacks the filler. It gets straight to the good stuff and gives us an almost 'greatest hits' of boss fights. And if they don't get better and more rewarding as they go, I'll go eat. So while you've still got to be a masochist at heart to get through the 'true' Cuphead, people of all ages and backgrounds would be able to sit in front of the television and appreciate Cuphead for its sense of style and its ability to evoke that childlike wonder that was, until now, dormant in most of us.
Capcom aren't going to be able to please everyone every time, but where this game makes strides in its fighting mechanics it lets down in many other facets; and while it is still a quality game to play, it leaves a lot to be desired. Don't let it sway you too much though – newcomers will find the game easily accessible and enjoy working out the best way to defeat opponents with a mix of combos and special attacks. Long-time fans of the series will take warmly to the changes that come with new techniques and will enjoy using characters they know and love, but may be left wondering what happened to the look and atmosphere of the previous games.