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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The World Ends With You: Final Remix is a fun, challenging play that will pull you into its story, and either delight or frustrate you with its battle system.
All in all, The Heist is DLC at its best. It brings an excellent character into the foreground, complements the base experience just enough, and doubles down on why Marvel’s Spider-Man was such a great game to begin with.
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.
Let’s not kid ourselves; Starlink is here to sell toys. Just like Skylanders, amiibo, and Disney Infinity before it, Starlink is a game designed to make you buy those little ships, digitally or physically. And no, they won’t break the bank, and are pretty cool for what they are. I do wish the base game came with a little more oomph, but overall it’s a quality product, if you’re willing to make the investment
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.
Bugs and not-so subtle attempts to get you to give 2K more money aside, WWE2K19 is the most polished instalment in the franchise to date. There is a wealth of game modes and wrestlers that compliment a satisfying core gameplay in-ring experience. Showcase is all the better for focusing on Daniel Bryan and all things considered WWE remains a Stone Cold Stunner.
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.
Astro Bot Rescue Mission is another reason why you should own a PSVR, and a must play if you already have one.
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.
Make no bones about it, I think NBA 2K19 is a force to be reckoned with. It’s the same core NBA 2K that we know and love, and the small tweaks continue to make it a standout. Unfortunately, much of that good work is undone by overbearing promotion of microtransactions, and keep NBA 2K19 from a real slam dunk.
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.
Look, there is a lot to like about NBA Live 19. The One career mode is a welcome addition that has brought NBA Live forward, and make no mistake about it, this is the best NBA Live in years. Unfortunately, the visual presentation lets the game down and, until that is sorted out, NBA Live will continue to lose the Championship to its competition.
Despite not quite being arachno-fabulous, Marvel's Spider-Man makes its mark with killer storytelling and excellent mechanics.