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Murdering millions of Moblins is simply a cathartic sensation you won’t get in any other Zelda game. Is it mindless? Yes. But still wholeheartedly satisfying.
Overall, FM26 has impressed me but frustrated me just as much. We've finally got an improved match engine, women's football, and my favourite addition, the new in and out of possession tactic set-up, but I can't shake this feeling that too many changes have been made to the UI. For a game where you spend a lot of time in the menus, I feel that a lot of unnecessary and frustrating changes were made, that's left me finding it difficult to navigate my way around the game. When comparing it to FM24, improvements have been made, but there are also a few factors I've not enjoyed. So, all in all, FM26 is a fine addition to the Football Manager series, but it's far from groundbreaking.
While the greedy fan in me pines for the franchise’s later PS2 era to receive similar treatment in future (please give us that Shaolin Monks remaster, Ed), Legacy Kollection excels in paying admirable respect to its namesake, the legacy of Mortal Kombat, with a varied and exhaustive mixture of titles.
If you’re sick of merely hearing about how great and influential this JRPG trilogy is and want to find out for yourself, Dragon Quest 1 and 2 HD-2D Remake is the perfect way to do so.
Which side you serve and how you choose to do it make for a fun, planet-hopping ride, which, when combined with improved gunplay and notable small stories, renders The Outer Worlds 2 a worthwhile RPG adventure.
Part of the fun in realising why Double Fine’s latest is so special is due to the sheer element of surprise, where you slowly start to work out what style of game it is you’re actually playing. For the most part, Keeper is an amazing puzzle-fuelled adventure with a simple yet heartfelt story to tell, and it pulls out all the stops doing so. In every sense, Keeper is an artistic achievement.
Open-world RPGs that let you roleplay as a modern vampire don’t come around every day, and Bloodlines 2 is a pretty good, if somewhat unspectacular, attempt.
Those are big boots to fill. And while Absolum might not quite reach the godly level of Supergiant’s roguelite classic, it’s attempted stab at coming incredibly close is both deadly and effective.
For all its new flourishes Yooka-Replaylee continues to feel like a game just a touch out of time, true, yet this is largely easy to forgive thanks to how much easier to appreciate this unabashedly slavish 3D platforming throwback it now is. Don’t go in expecting an entirely different experience, but one revamped mostly for the better.
The addition of co-op, both local and online, offers a new twist on the concept without totally upsetting the balance, and I found playing with an AI buddy to be just as satisfying. Regardless, in many ways, Little Nightmares 3 proves that small scares can be just as enjoyable with a friend.
While the truly new the additions may only be slight (the sheer mention of ‘amiibo’ in these games left me shook) but why disrupt an already perfect experience? Super Mario Galaxy 1 + 2 look and play sharper than ever, serving as the definitive versions of some of Mario’s most inspiring outings.
For me, though, it dulls most of the excitement and enjoyment for what I believe we should be expecting from a first-party PlayStation exclusive this far into the PS5 generation. Ghost of Yotei is beautiful in the moment, yet like Atsu herself, can never quite decide where to best focus its talents.
You can have all the bells and whistles, but gameplay is what matters most. FC 26 has once again got the bells and whistles, but this time, the gameplay is on par to create the best football gaming experience out there.
By doubling down on some seriously in-depth customisation, finding a way to celebrate Sonic in nearly all his incarnations, and embedding new mechanical gimmicks like Travel Rings and the simple yet genius Rivals system into what is already an excellent arcade racer, CrossWorlds has leapt ahead of the competition to provide a racing foundation I can’t wait to see get expanded upon. In almost every regard, this is about as fully formed a kart racing game can get!
While the actual ‘Beast’ elements of the game are a slight let down from a pure gameplay perspective it still feels good to hulk out without fear of falling in among the undead hordes. This, combined with easily the most diverse setting Dying Light has ever offered in Castor Woods and an overall tighter scope, makes The Beast another solid zombie game worth chewing through.
I’m hoping this marks the start of a bold new universe, one where Bloober Team continues to use past inspirations to forge something truly unique to itself.
Sure, the story is somewhat straightforward and there could be a touch more underling enemies to fight, but this in no way detracts from Lizardcube’s second successful revival of a classic Sega arcade series, one that takes the merits of the past and updates them to create an immensely tight modern 2D action-platformer.
From a purely driving experience standpoint, if you're looking for a new sim racing title to dive into, I couldn't recommend Le Mans Ultimate more, and it's certainly worth that outlay. But if you're expecting a complete package, it might be worth waiting for the next few updates before committing.
Ultimately, The Old Country fails to make the most of its world’s uniqueness, as evidenced any time you must leave your vehicle to interact with it.
The result is a near-perfect concoction that makes roleplaying a ninja not only something to be enjoyed in the moment, but also something not afraid to test these skills by offering up a decent challenge.