8-Bit Island
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An estate in ruins, eldritch horrors, and eagerly suicidal heroes. Darkest Dungeon know its audience, and they’re the best kind of masochists.
Mini Metro delivers what it promises… which is more than any other metro system... As near to perfect as a minimalistic mass transit simulator can be.
Look. I’m a massive Assassin’s Creed fan, and a huge Greek mythology buff. I am the direct target audience of this game. That’s why there’s so many ridiculous statues in my gaming room, and why Desmond’s tribal tattoo is emblazoned down my skinny Irish arm. But if you can change a series this much, have awful microtransactions, and I still love it? That’s a game worth playing. Whether I’m sailing, hunting, warring, or assassinating, I’ve had a ball.
Make no bones about it; Playground Games have gone all-in with Forza Horizon 4. It is a game with a bold vision and better gameplay options. It could have all gone horribly wrong, but this is a studio showing they have mastered developing for the Xbox, and know exactly how to milk the consoles for every last bit of power to deliver something truly special. With the additions of seasons and visuals that bring the wow-factor, Forza Horizon 4 sits atop the pile as the best racing game on Xbox and, arguably, across any platform today.
The game isn’t flawless, but the vast majority of its flaws are drops in a bucket of glory.
Like any RPG, Divinity: Original Sin 2 is no quick tap and gap gaming experience. This is a game that you need to devote hours upon hour to in order to get the most out of it. There is a wealth of finely crafted content in there; it will draw you in and make you want to continue on. You just need to have the time to be able to do that.
The Last of Us: Part II doesn’t have the same punch that experiencing the first game did, but it is an excellent sequel. Ellie has changed so much since we last saw her, and she changes more in front of us as you make your way through this horrifying landscape again. Also clickers still suck and wusses like me may need to put the controller down from time to time.
Astro Bot Rescue Mission is another reason why you should own a PSVR, and a must play if you already have one.
The best way to explain this is as follows; if you can have a PSVR headset and Move controllers, and can put up with some pacing hiccups, play Déraciné now. The story and world are beautifully designed and crafted to perfection, minor nitpicks aside my gaming life has been improved thanks to what FromSoftware built here.
Sucker Punch have combined many of the hallmarks of this console generation, including slick melee combat, stealth and huge open-world exploration to create what will likely be one of the last great PS4 releases.
You absolutely don’t need to have played Ratchet & Clank before to enjoy this excellent game. The self contained story will appeal to newbies and veterans of the series alike. With charming characters, fun gameplay, and extraordinary graphics, it is as much a treat to watch as it is to play.
I have to say, I enjoyed Episode: INTERmission a lot more than I expected. Yuffie has gone from one of my least favourite to one of my favourite characters.
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is in every way better than its predecessor. It’s a fun and heart wrenching story, which is made better thanks to it being more concise. It’s fun to play, fantastic to watch, and a cracking story.
If you enjoyed Little Nightmares, then playing Little Nightmares 2 should be a no brainer. It’s more of the creepy and unsettling horror we’ve come to love/hate, with slightly more refined controls, a few new mechanics, and a rather heartbreaking story. If you’re new to the franchise, you may experience a little bit of a learning curve, but should be able to pick up and enjoy Little Nightmares 2 easily… As long as you can bring yourself to keep playing, of course.
You’ll lose your life to this game; Red Dead Redemption 2 is Rockstar’s magnum opus, of that there is no question. This is a vibrant, gigantic, living world crafted from pixels and dreams, and hours go by in the blink of an eye. It’s flawed, but God damn it’s an experience and a half. You need to play it.
Whilst FIFA 19 hasn’t re-invented the wheel with FIFA 19 it has done enough to improve what it already a stellar Football experience. Career and Pro modes may not have received an overhaul but where it counts, FIFA 19 nails it. It may feel like iterative changes have been made but they are quite bold for the franchise and FIFA 19 is all the better for it. There can be no argument, FIFA remains firmly atop the Football genre.
Super Mario Party is a whole bunch of fun and would fit any home perfectly. I can’t imagine it would entertain for long solo, but if you have friends, or can rent some, there are some great Sunday afternoons to be had here.
I struggle to find much negative to say about the game as a whole, even after it deleted several hours worth of hard won levels. Had it happened more than once, I’d be frustrated beyond belief, but considering how much I enjoyed everything else, I can forgive one mishap.
I figured the game would be fun enough, and maybe scratch a nostalgia itch. I was not expecting a genuinely fun and engaging experience. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge delivered so much more than I was expecting.
This is what VR should be; a combination of enjoyable gameplay, solid immersion, decent story and acting, all brought together into one Layer Cake of gaming.