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Cities: Skylines – Xbox One Edition does make a few mistakes along the way, but it provides players with a great and mostly feature-complete city-planning experience that has been sorely missing in the console space.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the perfect follow up to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It's fun regardless of whether you're playing alone, with friends on the couch or taking the race online. It lends itself perfectly to the portability of the Nintendo Switch and there's just enough new content to warrant a purchase for those that owned the original game on the Nintendo Wii U.
Outlast II is a marked improvement over the original Outlast in almost every way. It's still scary, yet utilises smarter designed scares to keep the tension high from beginning to end. The story is bound to be controversial, given the themes it tackles, but will easily demand and keep your attention from beginning to end. First person indie horror as a genre has lost its vision over the years, but Outlast II firmly stands tall as one of the best examples. It's absolutely terrifying and a staunch improvement over the original.
With the variety of game types and variations, a consistent online experience, and flexible multiplayer options, Puyo Puyo Tetris is a fantastic way for fans and new players alike to enjoy some quality block or blob clearing action.
I'm sure one day I'm going to finally be able to sit down and say that the well has run dry for Telltale, that their stories can't carry them through anymore. But today isn't that day.
Voodoo Vince Remastered is a great remaster, but the game lying underneath this fresh coat of paint simply doesn't hold up today. There's some fantastic art direction, an interesting locale and an even more intriguing premise. While it might be fun for a younger audience, Voodoo Vince doesn't capitalise on its intriguing premise enough to make itself genuinely essential. Voodoo Vince is an authentic remaster, retaining the feel and play of the original, for better or for worse. Unfortunately, some things are best left in the past.
Thimbleweed Park absolutely achieves what it sets out to, its unpredictable narrative contributing to a beautifully presented point-and-click adventure, worthy of being considered a true spiritual successor to the classics to which it pays homage. Bar a couple of design issues, Thimbleweed Park achieves something special, and longtime point-and-click fans should rejoice.
Persona 5 is one of the best role playing games that I’ve played in years. It’s both a colourful and psychological journey through student life and the darker side of humanity. Combine this story of intrigue with multiple comprehensive systems that are all a joy to get lost in and you’ve got something truly special. While some minor pacing issues and some rigidity with how time is managed bring the experience down somewhat, Persona 5 is a game that everybody should play.
In a time lacking fully fledged point and click adventure games or games with truly great humour, Paradigm stands out like a talking tumour on your head. In short, its brilliant. There is plenty more I'd love to say, but I'd probably just end up spoiling some great moments for you. So just go enjoy it for yourself.
Nostalgia will hit hard within the first few hours, but once this fades, you'll realise that Yooka-Laylee is never able to live up to the brilliance that was Banjo-Kazooie. You'll get some enjoyment from the open-world platforming aspects of the game, but the unlikable characters, coupled with a clunky camera among other redundant game mechanics will more than likely ruin the experience for you. I don't doubt that even the biggest of Banjo-Kazooie fans will be left wondering what could have been.
Snake Pass is a delicious combination of interesting concept, a solid execution but with room for future potential. A platformer without a jump button sounds absurd, but Snake Pass uses a kooky physics engine and great level design to make it feel as natural as ever. Though sometimes frustrating, Snake Pass is charming and simple, a different experience, even if it feels like it’s over a little bit too quickly.
Featuring a quirky and charming art style and a fittingly subtle and cute soundtrack, Night in the Woods is a serious look at life and at its hardest moments in its various forms – In particular mental health and making the transition to adulthood. It's also a look at the best bits of life, deep and meaningful relationships and connections, edgy clothes, and of course terrible puns. It's a tight knit package with more depth than I ever could have imagined going in, and well worth the price of admission.
Don't be fooled by Bye-Bye BoxBoy's unassuming appearance, it consistently provides succinct morsels of puzzle solving goodness that always challenges but never overstays its welcome. If you've overlooked the BoxBoy series until now, saying bye bye to BoxBoy might just be the best way to get acquainted.
Mass Effect: Andromeda manages to successfully bring back the sense of exploration and discovery that fans have longed for since the original Mass Effect, whilst honing and improving the already enjoyable combat mechanics of Mass Effect 3. The result is something truly special – a metaphorical slow burn, a hybrid that is sure to appeal to fans of both the original game and its flashier sequels. Despite this, Andromeda is hampered slightly by its lack of visual polish and presentation, which can kill the wonder and fantasy as quickly as it builds it.
The short-lived but exciting FlatOut modes are great fun for a minute, but between the unexciting visuals, frustratingly unpredictable collision physics and overly aggressive AI, racing in FlatOut 4 is too hostile to be fun.
Super Bomberman R is not worth the price of admission, but it is a surprisingly solid entry that plays best to the franchises strengths, rooted deep in multiplayer styles of play. While it does it's best to add value to the package, most of this content comes off as incessant filler. Online works, to a point, but if you're not grabbing Super Bomberman R for some fun multiplayer, it's probably best to skip it entirely.
There's nothing necessarily wrong with the tried and tested Ubisoft formula. However, it begins to feel more tired when the narrative potential falls short, the engagement and immersion I would have otherwise felt hindered by not taking the subject matter seriously enough. However, the slick gameplay, blending of stealth mechanics with a Far Cry like world, seamless co-operative play and well-fleshed-out solo experience prove Ubisoft's teams aren't resting on their laurels and are actively trying to build upon the formula.
Despite its issues, NieR: Automata is a game that we rarely have the privilege of experiencing. Auteur designer Yoko Taro successfully blends his oddball knack for storytelling, defying typical video game conventions in doing so. This leads to a truly unforgettable story, but the way in which it's told and demands repeat playthroughs is bound to be lost on some part of NieR: Automata's audience. Regardless, NieR: Automata blends strong action and RPG components into an atmosphere and game that's well worth experiencing.
It's hard to recommend 1-2 Switch at $70+. It's a fun collection of mini games that for the most part do a really good job to show off the potential of Nintendo's new Joy-Cons. However, you're only likely to want to play each mini game once and they're that damn cringe-worthy, that you'll only want to pull this game out for a certain bunch of friends or family.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will go down as one of the best launch titles of all time. Yes, technically it's a Wii U game that was ported over to the Nintendo Switch, but Nintendo made the right decision in holding this game back. It perfectly compliments the Nintendo Switch and highlights why it has the potential to be such a great and versatile console. Many have doubted Nintendo's ability to bring this series into the modern age of gaming, but they've done that and taken it one step further in creating one of the best open-world action-adventure games ever made.