Flickering Myth
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Defector does feel a bit like a skeletal VR tech demo rather than a fully-formed project, and that is what above all else separates it from the decidedly more sturdy, intuitive and entertaining Blood & Truth.
Though some of the novelty has worn off, Vacation Simulator serves up another charmingly off-kilter VR quirk-fest.
My Friend Pedro doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but its big success is taking a genre known for its punishing difficulty and paring things down at the lower end.
If Trover Saves the Universe wouldn’t present quite the same allure outside of VR due to its simple core gameplay – and indeed, it can be played flat – the added immersion does a fantastic job of enhancing Roiland’s bonkers comedic vision.
As a goofy party game sure to bring people together around the TV – or the Switch – Team Sonic Racing is an enjoyable meat-and-potatoes kart racer. It's no Mario Kart 8, but was it ever going to be?
NetherRealm bolsters their penchant for delivering the most accessible and effort-filled fighting games around, even if Mortal Kombat 11 does feel a little overstuffed with Things To Do.
The charmless and disappointing Dangerous Driving is effectively just Burnout with the soul ripped asunder.
Yoshi's Crafted World doesn't provide the storming reinvention of the franchise Switch owners might be hoping for, but thanks to sharp, charming level design, it delivers the basic goods with a cherry on top.
The Division 2 keeps an impressive number of plates spinning while skirting clear of the soulless live-service void. It isn’t perfect by any means, but Massive has done a remarkable job of making a potentially messy experience feel uncommonly holistic.
Devil May Cry 5 is the game that people should be talking about in 9/10 months’ time when Game of The Year suggestions are being made.
ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove shamelessly coasts on nostalgia and has little time for finessed gameplay or appealing visuals, but it nevertheless knows what its audience craves most.
Ape Out is the Whiplash of gaming – jazz-as-ultra-violence and sure to be one of the year’s most brutally cathartic gaming experiences.
If you can withstand Trials Rising‘s needless XP grind, it finds the series in classic “video-game-as-cocaine” form.
It doesn’t push the boat out – or rather, the raft – as much as it could, but Dick Wilde 2 delivers a mild improvement over its predecessor, favouring accessibility and fun over the original’s punishing challenge.
If, like me, you’re a strategy fan who is missing their fill of 4X games then Stellaris: Console Edition is a must buy for you.
Slick flying and gunplay collide with infuriating design choices throughout Anthem. But its biggest problem is a lack of soul – this is a cynical, committee-produced product bereft of any significant creative spark.
Often as infuriating as it is entertaining, Kingdom Hearts III bolsters the series’ trademark commitment to nonsense, both for better and for worse.
Slight disappointments aside, Metro Exodus is a fitting continuation of Artyom’s onward journey through the remains of a post-nuclear world. It’s a grim, yet beautiful, mix of open world and linear first person shooting that isn’t afraid to throw challenges at you from beginning to end.
FutureGrind may not do much to reinvent the genre, but it is an enticing and ludicrously addictive entry into an under-served gaming niche.
Pikuniku doesn’t do much new with the cutesy indie game formula, but it does present a beguilingly offbeat mood, wrapped around some enticingly colourful visuals and snappy gameplay that doesn’t tax the brain.