TheSixthAxis
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Nintendo Switch Sports is a fun reminder of the Wii Sports craze, bringing back some classic sports and adding some new ones that make use of the Joy-Con and motion controls in more advanced ways. It's all just a bit shallow, though, and difficult to wholeheartedly recommend unless you expect to play online a lot or constantly break it out for local head-to-head battles.
Chernobylite is a game that's dripping in atmosphere, but doesn't quite hit the mark in other areas. If you can get past its clunky shooting and stealth mechanics, there's some fun to be had in base building and people management.
When weighing up the terrible controls, frustrating gameplay and predilection for box based torment, I can honestly say the tenner you could spend on Demoniaca: Everlasting Night would be better used to start a fire.
Nobody Saves the World is a funny, inventive, but repetitive action RPG. It's fun to explore the class customisation, but that comes after repeatedly grinding dungeons to level up new forms. You'll have to ensure you really enjoy silly jokes and cooking up custom classes, which are definitely the game's biggest strength.
Chrono Cross is an incredible game that has been deserving a remaster for far too long. It's a shame that, after all these years, it had to arrive in such a sorry state. The Radical Dreamers Edition does some minor work in improving and upgrading the experience, but with such poor optimisation, it's a headache to enjoy the experience. Longtime fans might be able to forgive the issues and savour the incredible visual novel side-story Radical Dreamers, but a game as iconic as this deserves better.
Moss: Book 2 expands and improves on its predecessor in every way. Whether it's the emotional attachment you develop with Quill, the surprising twists the story goes through, or the inventiveness of the combat and puzzles, Moss: Book 2 is creative in a way that delights at every turn. If you've got PSVR, it's pretty much essential.
Phantom Breaker: Omnia has addictive gameplay and a shocking amount of depth. The blend of simple attack inputs and advanced fight systems creates a beautiful blend. Aesthetic issues like inconsistent character art are easy to overlook if you're just here to fight some friends - but controller input issues and a command list buried five menus deep are big blunders that I doubt anyone could easily overlook.
Agent Intercept is a game that anyone could enjoy. The simplicity of its gameplay makes it approachable to all, while the objectives require practice and skill to complete. Agent Intercept may have started life as a Spyhunter reboot, but it definitely has its own identity. Stylish, slick, and satisfying, Agent Intercept is worth paying attention to.
A dark-fantasy western RPG with a compelling world and an ambitious narrative, Weird West is undermined by awkward combat and micromanagement. Weird West's rotating multi-character perspective will be an acquired taste, but makes sense as a method of world-building. It's got room to grow, but right now, it's challenging to build momentum in the early game and to persevere through the mid-game.
Wonderlands mixes over-the-top combat, wonderfully absurd guns, interesting classes, and fun characters to create the best version of this series I've ever played. It's weirdly wholesome, patently absurd, and frequently obnoxious, but the intent feels far purer than what you might expect. When you then add in the excellent voice acting, and the fact that you can play this through with friends and strangers, you get a really entertaining FPS RPG that I'd be happy to recommend to anyone.
Get used to the slightly cumbersome controls, menu heavy play and perhaps choose for a slower pace, and Crusader Kings 3's innate charms can still shine through on console. This is still a game that's all about dynasty, family and roleplaying your way through the ages, and it's still just as compelling as ever.
Conan Chop Chop offers a (mostly) lovingly violent local co-up dungeon crawling experience. Sadly, a few too many frustrating gameplay issues rather take the shine off what would otherwise be a brilliant party game.
Elex II is a perfect continuation of the Piranha Bytes RPG formula, but it is unlikely to win over new fans. The graphics and gameplay are very similar to the first game and are beginning to feel increasingly dated, a feeling exacerbated by all the fantastic games released in the last few months. If you're already a fan of Piranha Bytes then this is exactly what you've been waiting for, for good and ill.
Tunic had a lot to live up to after years of built up expectation, and it doesn't just meet them, it shatters them and stands out as one of the most joyous gaming experiences I've had in years. It takes a little while to feel at home in Tunic's gorgeously rendered world, but once it clicks and the secrets of the masterfully constructed in-game manual start to reveal themselves, the resulting game is up there with the likes of Zelda in terms of exploration and discoveries.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land makes Kirby's jump to 3D feel effortless, but it's much more than that, with the vibrantly styled decaying world to explore and the Mouthful Modes that will have you laughing with each new one that's discovered.
Rune Factory 5 takes a few missteps, for sure - the clunky framerate and a lifeless town being the biggest of them – but it's the kind of fantasy farming experience I've been clamouring for ever since the last game came out. The routine of tending your farm, clobbering some goblins, and giving your spouse a bunch of gifts is as addictive as ever. Even if this isn't the most polished entry in the series, it's absolutely a welcome return for the series that fans will eat up.
Shredders is a breath of chilly mountain air in the face of snowboarding fans everywhere. If you miss the genre's heyday of Cool Boarders, 1080 Snowboarding, and Amped, then it's definitely time to strap on a new pair of digital bindings.
Ghostwire: Tokyo was not the game I was expecting from Tango Gameworks, but I definitely enjoyed it. Blending magic-filled FPS action with Japanese mythology and an open world Tokyo that reminds me of the Yakuza series, it stands out from the crowd even if it's not truly groundbreaking. Ghostwire has a lot of potential as a new franchise and I'm looking forward to seeing what Tango Gameworks does with it next.
As you play more, I’m sure it’s a tonal difference that will fade as you get used to it, but it does slightly undercut what Nintendo are selling and makes it feel like these were intended for another game – Mario Kart Tour, if this suspicion holds true. Then again, it’s hard to complain when there is such a huge wealth of circuits coming to the game through the Booster Pass’ six waves. It’s the gameplay that matters most, and the sheer variety of circuits that Nintendo are throwing into the mix is huge. They’re doubling the amount of tracks in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and it means that I and millions of others are sure to come back to the game and enjoy what it offers all over again.
WWE 2K22 isn't a good fighting game, despite the multiplayer being a bit of knock-around fun. The woolly controls, messy inputs, and numerous glitches lead to an underwhelming video game experience, while the lacklustre Showcase and MyRise game modes don't manage to replicate the bombast of professional wrestling, WWE 2K22 isn't a particularly good wrestling game either. It's a decent laugh in multiplayer, but with the notably hefty price tag I would expect a lot more than that.