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There’s a lot to like about Forma.8. While it does invoke the style of some other titles, it has enough charm and character to stand out. Its gameplay is unorthodox, yet mostly rewarding, and it doesn’t outstay its welcome. Sometimes the logic of the task at hand is not obvious and it took me a short few hours to get the Platinum Trophy on PS4, but while it lasts it’s an enjoyable romp.
Torment: Tides of Numenera is a game whose plot, with its well written characters and plentiful twists and turns, could easily hook you in. However, it’s a game that is currently fundamentally broken on consoles. Despite the technical flaws, the plot definitely grew on me and it would be great for others to be able to experience it, as well as the world they’ve created, but until the game is fixed on a number of fronts, Torment: Tides of Numenera is hard to recommend.
When theHunter: Call of the Wild works properly, it’s still going to be a game that only those with the patience of a saint would enjoy. It’s very slow, full of barriers, and isn’t very exciting. That’s not to say it’s not completely without merit as it’s a stunner to look at and there are rare occasions where everything comes together to make a compelling experience. Just note that those rare occasions are few and far between.
Ultimately, Vertical Drop Heroes HD is fun for a few hours, but gets repetitive quickly. The asking price is low so it might be worth a look if it really tickles your fancy, but Rogue Legacy is only £4 more expensive and accomplishes similar ideas more effectively and with more depth.
Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin is a really good crack at a VR title by Double Fine. The characters will feel familiar to those who have played Psychonauts, but those new to the series will not feel too lost when following the story. However it is a short title that feels like it could have done a lot more with its intriguing setting, and while the tracking was on point most of the time there were moments where it could have been better. Rhombus Of Ruin is a fun experience and provides one of the best produced PSVR titles so far, but it ends a bit too soon.
Berserk and the Band of the Hawk is the pinnacle of musou games, as far as I’m concerned. Omega Force and Koei Tecmo have experimented with the formula for years, and everything they’ve learned and perfected has led up to this game. Berserk Musou gives you the addictive, outrageous hack-and-slash combat musou games have had for ages. It gives you the unique characters and varied mission structures that musou games have only had in the last few years. And on top of that it gives you a gripping, mature, and masterful narrative that a musou game has never had. Until now.
Horizon: Zero Dawn is a bit of a slow burn, but there’s more to Guerrilla Games’ latest than just its staggeringly pretty graphics. The story surprises as it takes several twists and turns and explores the past, but the games beating heart is with its excellently tense and engaging robotic monster hunting.
Linelight's simple design philosophy has managed to spawn one of the freshest puzzle experiences to grace the genre in recent years. The minimalism you see hides well the depth that some of the puzzles require, though the timings for some of them can be a tad too precise.
Halo Wars 2 is an excellent and long overdue return for the console RTS, doing everything that can be expected of a sequel. Bigger, better and fresher, the Blitz mode is a welcome addition to an already solid package, and while fans of the mainline Halo games may find the transition too hard to bear, this is a worthy addition to any Xbox One owner’s collection.
Sniper Elite 4 is easily the best in the series so far. It’s still the same methodical stealth game at its core, but Rebellion have added to that with more possibilities for the player, bigger and more open maps, and a handful of new modes.
Road To Boruto is a successful expansion that provides more of what fans of the Ultimate Ninja Storm series love. Fun characters, including the adult versions of those that Naruto fans have grown up with, an enjoyable storyline, and yet more visually incredible battles to take part in. If this is genuinely the end of the CyberConnect2's Ninja Storm run, they've gone out on a high.
Do not dismiss Nioh as just another knockoff; it's so much more than that. By taking some inspiration from others, Team Ninja do prove with a rich combat system and solid foundation that they have the ability to surprise and innovate. The vast majority of the game is a pleasure to play, despite the fact that death is around every corner. There's a lot I've not even touched upon in this review, simply because it's better experienced than told. For Koei Tecmo at least, all the effort was well worth it.
Capcom’s first stab at supporting Resi 7 post-launch is surprisingly diverse and easily worth the price of entry for anyone that enjoyed the core game. It’s clear that a lot of thought and consideration went into each individual part, instead of Capcom simply reworking Resident Evil 7 just enough to make its DLC feel fresh. With more banned footage in the pipeline for the middle of February, it will be interesting to see what new ideas they come up with in the next volume.
Omega Force has decided to experiment here, though it’s an experiment that fails to live up to its full potential. Having sampled some of the genre’s top flight titles, Godseekers’ brand of turn-based strategy feels shallow by comparison. Still, there’s enough here for ardent fans of the franchise to wring some enjoyment out of. For something that feels truly new and innovative, all eyes now turn to Dynasty Warriors 9…
Aside from the visual downgrade and lack of coop, Poochy & Yoshi’s Woolly World is a faithfully recreation of the Wii U original for the 3DS. It is still a vibrant and appealing game, especially suited for younger children. For older gamers, hunting all the collectables for 100% completion is where the game gets challenging. Coming to handheld devices has hurt the game somewhat though.
Dexed is a valiant first attempt by Ninja Theory in the VR space but it suffers like many other early VR titles by feeling more like a tech demo than a full game. When you factor in the price, you are getting an okay package, but it’s unlikely you’ll want to head back once you’ve played through the stages on offer for a few hours.
Knee Deep isn’t an adventure title worth playing, lacking any real hallmarks of the genre. The few puzzles essentially solve themselves, there is very little player participation outside of dialogue choices, and the plot is so bloated with forgettable characters that you lose track of who is who. It seems like the best ideas were poured into the design of Knee Deep, creating a well made digital stage show with voice actors who put in a decent performance. Unfortunately if Knee Deep was a real theatre show I would assume that the final curtain would fall quickly.
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue may be saddled with a ridiculous title, but the package offers plenty to enjoy. It may not be the most welcoming of games, thanks to Kingdom Hearts being amongst the worst offenders for convoluted narratives, but the HD remaster of Dream Drop Distance combined with a glimpse of what is to come for the franchise makes this more or less essential for fans.
Tales of Berseria feels like a Tales game made just for me. There’s so many games in the series now, and I’ll never play them all, but the characters and the narrative and the combat mechanics of Berseria just click with all of my tastes so well. For some, the lack of gameplay innovation might be a turn off, but for me, a classic Tales gameplay system combined with a unique narrative led to a fantastic experience. Fans both new and old would be doing a disservice to themselves if they didn’t check this game out.
For them to successfully steer one of their flagships back on track, Capcom has done what many thought was unthinkable. It was less than twelve months ago that the publisher released Umbrella Corps, at which point I – and no doubt many others – were ready to call time on the series. Resident Evil 7 definitely has a handful of weak points, but it’s by far the best AAA survival horror game we’ve seen in quite some time.