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Fall Guys is not only a charming, whimsical take on one of television's biggest spectator events, it's on my shortlist of the year's very best games. I don't think the Mediatonic team could have ever dreamed just how big of a success their one-page pitch inspired by It's A Knockout would amount to. It's insanely addictive with the rapid turnaround episode-to-episode making it easier than ever to keep telling one of gaming's biggest lies: "Alright, just one more."
Horizon Zero Dawn was the most beautiful looking console game when it released in 2017, and it's even more stunning on PC. If you've waited to play it, then you're in for an absolute treat, and if you played it on PS4, but have a capable PC, then I'd definitely recommend you play through it again before the sequel hits.
Skater XL is definitely going to be a polarising game for some – the intuitive and deep control methods coupled with the expansive open-world environment make for a great time to just chill out and skate around, but some players may miss the ‘action’ of the game or feeling a necessity to reach a goal. While challenges will keep you going to better yourself, some may be turned off by the limited game modes and replayability. All in all, Easy Day Studios have crafted a truly interesting skateboarding experience that gives players the ability to skate without leaving their home.
As the first showing for Polygon Treehouse, Röki is an incredible first impression. While it doesn’t innovate much within the genre itself, it excels in the areas that matter, and it absolutely delivers the kind of experience you would be looking for from an adventure game.
Destroy All Humans! makes an earnest effort to improve on every aspect of the original, but it’s hard to avoid the issues stemming from the era in which it came from. Despite it’s numerous improvements, Destroy All Humans is still plagued with banal repetition and tedium especially as the adventure draws to an end.
Devolver’s seal of approval is more than ever evidence of a classic as Carrion’s credentials as an incredible Metroidvania title as well as an inverse horror experience will never be in question.
With a brew this good, you can be sure I'll be back for more.
Superhot’s standalone expansion Mind Control Delete is a great example of how to achieve growth, drive your franchise forward and prevent an admittedly pretty basic concept from going stale. Before I knew I was ready for a change, Superhot Team thrust age-old video game tropes into gaming’s most unique shooter in ways only they could and, in a crazy twist, it works.
Paper Mario: The Origami King is another exceptional Nintendo game. The story is laugh out loud hilarious, the world begs you to explore it and the art style is absolutely gorgeous. Unfortunately, the battles get in the way of its successes and ultimately let it down.
Ghost of Tsushima might be built from the same stuff as its AAA, open world contemporaries, but that doesn't stop it from being one of the best open world experiences of the generation.
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.
Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing In Disguise is an earnest attempt to conclude the story told in the original game ten years ago. It’s engaging, the characters are a joy to observe, and the trademark zaniness is as intact as ever. Unfortunately, it’s hard to deny that the game’s egregious performance issue hinders it from standing on the shoulders of it’s predecessor.
It’s disappointing that, through shortcomings in design and the platform’s limitations, Iron Man VR isn’t a superhero outing worthy of the story told here, nor the Tony Stark that has carried Marvel’s films into this new age of popcorn cinema.
The upsides to the game heavily outweigh the downsides though; not only is this Burnout at its best, but the sprawling open world of Paradise City gives so many different ways to race and routes to take that eventually you’ll be cruising the city knowing all the shortcuts like the back of your hand. The game misses certain features we’ve become accustomed to, like being able to place waypoints on maps, but other features it is missing would take away from the game – for instance, fast-travel to locations would add loading times that you really forget aren’t actually there once you’ve been playing for a bit.
Battle for Bikini Bottom, despite offering a fair bit of fun, is a testament of antiquated design and, for better or worse, feels entirely like the game you remember from your childhood. There’s certainly a fun afternoon to be had ruining Plankton’s plot to rule Bikini Bottom while spotting the show’s many references with a keen eye, though ultimately Rehydrated is D.O.A.—dry on arrival.
Disintegration could have been a lot worse than an “alright” campaign and a decent multiplayer mode. Given V1 Interactive tried something novel and tried to blend genres and it could have been a directionless mess. What we got, however, was a neat idea with a lot of potential to be something greater, with an execution good enough to prove the concept works. The multiplayer is much better than the campaign, if only because it’s not bogged down with the same design choices as a single-player mode. In saying that, it’s still worth checking out for what could very well end up being the first emergence of a great new genre.
The Last of Us Part II is a spectacular sequel, it’s a brave and unexpected direction for the series, expanding on the world both narratively and mechanically, producing a far sounder and rounded experience that never falters or gets in the way of the game’s clear storytelling strength.
Despite a few issues, Valorant has a compelling combination of twitch shooting and ability focused combat, fueled by kinetic gunplay and the ever-alluring temptation to get better. I’m excited to see where Riot take this title in the future, and as a free-to-play package, I implore you to download it.
Command And Conquer Remastered is a release for the fans with lots of community input that helped piece together this fantastic collection. There’s lots of content to dive into and lots of bonuses included. It's a remaster done right for a game and series-long forgotten. Welcome back, commander.
51 Worldwide Games is a solid mini game collection that will definitely be a fun time among family and friends. There’s some inconsistency (as well as some glaring omissions) in the mini games collection as well as some of the confusing control schemes.