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Whether you're a Sudoku enthusiast or a new player, Hexologic is a puzzle game that's easy to pick up and learn. If you're looking to pick your brains at clever numerical puzzles, this game will keep you busy with its wide selection. It may not be one to try and beat in one go, but it's definitely worth picking up if you like your Sudoku with a twist.
This is by far and away the best MXGP game to date, and the result of developer Milestone finally getting to grips with the Unreal Engine — despite the recently disappointing MotoGP 18. MXGP Pro still lacks technical polish and misses the magical 'wow' moments that great racing games feature, but this is now a great platform that they can build upon for the future. The difficulty curve will not be for everyone, but MXGP Pro is all the better for it.
If you enjoyed Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, then picking up Donkey Kong Adventure is a no-brainer.
Downward Spiral: Horus Station is a unique take on zero gravity that feels fairly true to what it would be like. The trouble is this makes for a dull experience when not in VR. While everything feels as though it fits well, the trouble is that the abhorrent camera speed makes the only real challenge looking at things. The combat isn't hard, but still manages to be frustrating. In VR the experience may well be completely different, but without that hook, the game is an easy pass.
It's clear how much of a labour of love Rainbow Skies was. The game is packed to the brim with mechanics and ideas that call back to a dozen different classic RPGs and strategy games. For all the love that went into the game though, there's a frustratingly low amount of polish and quality design, especially when it comes to the visuals and writing. Rainbow Skies is a love letter to classic RPGs hastily written in crayon on notebook paper.
Having the original Lumines soundtrack on modern consoles is a nostalgia trip for fans of the 14-year-old PSP puzzler, but the core block-dropping gameplay hasn't aged a day. It's still just as addictive now as it was back then, but it's a shame that as a remaster it ignores some of the game modes introduced in later games. As remasters go, Lumines is impeccable, but then it was always going to be.
I'm truly sorry. From the bottom of my heart, I am. I had wished and wished for years that Bandai Namco would give Gundam fans outside Japan a proper way to experience some of the amazing games they've developed in the series. Today, this wish has come true, but like a cursed monkey's paw, it has come with a terrible price. New Gundam Breaker is available in Europe and America, yes, but it is also terrible. It is not fun to play, look at, or think about.
The Lost Child is a dull, uninspired dungeon crawler. On paper, a Lovecraft dungeon crawler with a Japanese flair could be something truly iconic and memorable. Instead of realizing that ideal, The Lost Child apes existing dungeon crawlers and throws a dozen ideas at the wall, with none of them managing to stick. Combat can be fun and the El Shaddai nods are cute, but it isn't enough to make this cosmic terror worth losing your sanity over.
The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit is light on actual awesome adventuring, but it certainly has the spirit of Life Is Strange throughout and shows a notable maturity and nuance in its depiction of a troubled household.
While it's wonderfully experimental, Octo Expansion isn't an essential purchase, but will give diehard Splatoon fans hours of often rock hard challenges to overcome.
All in all, Lego The Incredibles is another fun and enjoyable entry in the well-established series, but it does seem to have been simplified to be even more accessible for younger players.
Sometimes opposites attract, and Pode's contrasting characters are a great example of that, combining to overcome the game's environmental puzzles. While it's a little rough around the edges, Pode is a charming puzzle game whether you play it alone or grab a friend to play alongside you.
Mario Tennis Aces looks and performs as well as anything you'd expect from the House of 'Tache, but its family friendly appearance disguises a brutally difficult single player experience that will surely alienate younger players.
There is an incredible core set of mechanics and gameplay at the heart of Cross Tag Battle. It is fun as hell to play, and addictive and rewarding to try and master. Unfortunately, the package that this gameplay ships in is embarrassingly sparse, especially by Arcsys standards. Offline modes and unlockables are kept to a bare minimum, and the big story mode fails to fully embrace the magic of this bizarre crossover. Worst of all is the shallow and incredibly lopsided character roster. Arcsys has made a habit of releasing updated, 2.0 expansions of every fighting game they make, expanding the selection of modes and characters. In the case of Blazblue Cross Tag Battle, this is a game that feels like it desperately needs one.
Of the many roguelites I've played over the last few years, Monster Slayers is perhaps the most successful in offering enough variety and options to prevent the annoyance and frustration that so often accompanies repeated playthroughs.
The MotoGP series has long suffered from a lack of obvious progression from one release to the next. This time, Milestone has at least tried to do things differently and switch game engines, but right now that hasn't paid off. Last year's game was already supposed to be a transitional one, yet here we are with a game that is a regression for a series that was becoming a bit stale.
Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn is everything the first game should have been; it doesn't have to be “so bad it's good,” and it features some good honest fun at its core. A Legend Reborn is definitely one to pick up if you've missed the beat ‘em up genre and are fancying something with a modern twist.
Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor – Martyr's final release feels better than it did in Early Access, through a mixture of added polish by Neocore and likely a dose of Stockholm Syndrome on my part. The dark aesthetic and relatively messy combat will likely turn those who aren't fans of Warhammer 40,000 away, but if you do like the universe and have people to play with, then the procedural generation and promise of ongoing support means that this is a game you can sink plenty of time into.
The fact that Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection gives players a thorough insight into Street Fighter II, III and the Alpha series is recommendation enough, but when they're so well presented it makes this more or less essential for fight game fans. Add in the Switch's portability, and on-the-go multiplayer opportunities (if you're both willing to forgive the limitations of the Joy-Con) and this is everything a Street Fighter fan could hope for.
Unravel Two is everything a sequel should be. It stays true to the original but adds co-op which allows you to play and experiment together as you find your path through the beautiful environments. Unravel was already a very enjoyable game, but with co-op feeling as natural in this game as it does, Unravel Two is a delightful playground for fans of puzzle platformers.