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For all its flaws, Monster Hunter: World is a game that manages to balance the expectations of newcomers while not straying too far from its roots. It is clear Capcom have tried their best to make it as accessible as they can without breaking tradition. This might frustrate new players who are expecting to have their hand held throughout the beginning, but if a newbie like me can pick it up in no time then it shouldn't be too difficult for you. Long-time fans are sure to love the tweaks and changes that have taken place, and will feel right at home getting back to what they love – slaying monsters. It remains to be seen how the game will continue once the online sessions open properly, and how this adds an extra dimension to the gameplay. With so much to explore and ways to play to suit a lot of different styles, this is definitely worth jumping into.
UFC 3 is a rare sports sequel that probably does enough to justify its existence. The betterment of Ultimate Team and the career's focus of becoming the greatest ever help the game feel different from the last. A rich bevy of modes coupled with top notch presentation is a winning formula every time.
The Inpatient has a great premise and concept but unfortunately falls flat. Everything that it tries to do has been done better by either its own predecessor or its competition. For someone just getting into virtual reality, it offers a great little" haunted house" experience, but ultimately lacks the substance to please anyone else.
I've had a lot of fun with AO Tennis over the last week and definitely plan on continuing to go back. The core mechanics are promising, gameplay is extremely fun but definitely still a little rusty at this point. If you've played the Top Spin or Virtua Tennis franchises, you'll be disappointed with the features on display, but these are things that can be added over time. I have high hopes for what this game could be with a little more time and I sincerely hope that Big Ant continue to add and improve.
Now is a better time than ever to jump in and experience the hype. If these games are the current limit to what the 3DS can offer, then one can only hope that the Switch does the franchise proud.
Doom VFR, at it's absolute peak, is a tense and frenetic experience that really sells the Doom experience from the big guns to the fast-paced battles to the revolting denizens of Hell itself. Unfortunately, these moments are few and far between. Ultimately though, Doom VFR is marred by a combination of control schemes, none of which feel truly intuitive. Takes some getting used to, but rewarding to those who are patient.
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.