TheSixthAxis
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For fans of fast-paced, over the top twin stick action, complete with bullet time and a score system that awards perfection, Bleed 2 is excellent. The only real issue is its length, which is remedied to an extent by additional characters, weapons, and modes. If arcade, Contra/Metal Slug action is your thing and you've been missing it, you could do much worse than Bleed 2.
I wasn't expecting to have a good time playing Sairento VR because of all the movement, but once I'd gotten used to it I really enjoyed the over the top action. Even though it was just because of the ease of slaughtering enemies mindlessly, doing so in VR really helped with its appeal. It's by no means perfect, with some structural and technical issues getting in the way of the fun, but from a small studio making a relatively ambitious VR title, they could have done a whole lot worse.
If you liked Assassin's Creed Origins, then you'll like this The Hidden Ones DLC. You just won't like it for very long though, as you'll have it wrapped up in an afternoon. It's an add-on that is sadly both lazy and derivative, and when players are being charged around £30 for a season pass, I don't think its unjustified to expect a little more bang for our buck.
While you may not want to pick this up strictly for a single player experience, Shiftlings Enhanced Edition is probably one of the best co-op experiences there is on the Nintendo Switch, especially considering the recent surge in top-quality indie titles on the platform. If you like puzzles, platforming and have friends that enjoy video ganes, then this is for you.
Most people probably won't mind Lost Sphear's nostalgia tinted approach to game design, but there's surprisingly little to write home about. Despite a rather intriguing premise, the characters come across a tad too bland, while the quest itself is too linear. It's hard to knock it too much, but after the thoughtful journey at the heart of I Am Setsuna, this is a pretty average showing and certainly not a fresh take on the JRPG.
Black Mirror is a good story that suffers from a dated application of game styles. While this is interesting in a meta way, it is not much fun to play. The narrative itself plays out fairly successfully. but it is hard to recommend it for this alone. There is definitely space for such old school adventures on modern consoles, but this is not the game to fill it. As it stands, Black Mirror itself is a title haunted by its ancient roots and will horrify the player for all the wrong reasons.
World to the West begins with clear signs of similarity to Teslagrad, with the opening character also being revealed to be a Teslamancer. However, Lumina the Teslamancer is joined by Knaus the orphan, Miss Teri the mind mender, and the handsomely mustachioed Lord Clonington, as they adventure through a rather different part of the world to try and escape an ancient prophecy.
Shadow of the Colossus isn't necessarily a game that needed to be remade in such an elaborate fashion, and yet, I'm so glad that it has been. Bluepoint's remake of this sublime and poignant adventure is phenomenal, both managing to stay utterly true to the original and bringing it up to date in glorious fashion.
2018 is off to a strong start with an Dragon Ball FighterZ early contender for this year's best fighting game. By shattering some boundaries, Dragon Ball FighterZ has combat that's more than worth getting into, but also a diverse roster and some phenomenal presentation. The Story Mode could have been improved if it were more streamlined, but it's a mere blemish on an otherwise spectacular game.
Out of Ammo is a decent experience that blends RTS and FPS together, and if can be fun if you want something quick and not too taxing. However, it's a game that shows its hand very quickly and doesn't offer much beyond that.
Vesta was an absolutely delightful way to start off my gaming year. It's hardly ground-breaking stuff but this is a solid, dependable and, most importantly, fun game. It's all over rather quickly, but it's a credit to the developers that this left me wanting more.
Monster Hunter: World is the evolution the series has been waiting for. The giant creatures have never looked better, while the beautiful open world areas and the way Scoutflies assist your exploration have brought a newfound dynamism to every hunt. It remains brutally difficult and the unprepared may still be chewed up and spat back out, but this time it'll categorically be your own fault rather than the game's. Whether on your own, or in a group, now is the time to join the hunt.
Full Metal Furies surprised me in just how diverse the gameplay could get in a brawler/shooter hybrid. Some experiments don't come off, but upgrades change character play styles nicely and the game is a joy to play with others. The teething problems that online play is suffering do make it hard to recommend for those with online co-op in mind, but once it's all fixed or if you plan to play locally, Full Metal Furies is a decent way to spend a couple of evenings worth of co-op brawling action.
ChromaGun is, for the most part, a great port, but it doesn't fix issues like the difficulty spikes that have always been present in the game. There's some truly excellent puzzle design in the sharp looking test environments that will keep you entertained, in what is likely the closest thing to Portal that the Nintendo Switch will ever see.
I think it's important to preserve old games for future audiences, or make them available for audiences that never knew they existed. Video games, like any other art form, have a long history behind them, and a longer history ahead of them. Releases like Zwei: The Arges Adventure serve as time-capsules to help keep old pieces of history from disappearing. It's a game very much from its time. While I appreciate the effort put into making the writing stand proudly in a modern day, gameplay flaws and dated design choices make it a chore to truly get a satisfying experience out of the game.
Rise of the Tomb Kings is a great first expansion for Total War: Warhammer II.
There's two sides to The Inpatient: the first two thirds are tense, intriguing, and gives games like Resident Evil 7 a run for their money, but then the final third is ponderous, dialogue heavy, and has very little in the way of scares. With a play time of three to four hours it's a decent length for a VR game and does have replay value with it's alternate story paths. Despite it's flaws, The Inpatient is still much better than many of the VR horror games available, so it's worth checking out if you have an expensive fancy hat from Sony.
A fantastic genre mash-up between hack and slash, boss rush and twin-stick bullet hell shooters, Furi is as unique a blend now as it was in 2016. It fits effortlessly onto the Nintendo Switch, but it's a game that is waiting to challenge you and worth testing yourself against on other platforms.
Beholder is an intriguing concept and thematically rather strong, as it twists and exaggerates a Cold War totalitarian surveillance state into the form of a video game. However, with a sequel on the way, we hope that Warm Lamp can improve on an idea that's rather rough around the edges but is dying to be fleshed out further.
InnerSpace manages to craft a bright, bizarre and beautiful world that is probably the best example of the phrase “eye candy” I can think of. Unfortunately, the act of exploring and navigating that serene, majestic world often times felt like a headache. The poor frame rate on Switch and no clear horizons made flying and swimming in InnerSpace far less enjoyable than the idea of those actions ever was.