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Myst in VR really took me by surprise. The cryptic nature of the puzzles was at times frustrating, but also immensely rewarding when completing them. It is a game that feels as if it was born to be in virtual reality, which is no easy feat considering it released back when VR was only a pipe dream. If you are up to the challenge, Myst will really get its hooks into you, thanks to the often haunting atmosphere and the way it allows you to escape into a world that lets you take things at your own pace and explore at your own free will. Hopefully, we will see the many sequels get the same treatment in the future.
Having played several gritty and faintly depressing games recently, Immortals certainly brings the fun and offers a breath of virtual fresh air. The story is not revolutionary but does contain a few surprises and leans into some of the weirdness of Greek Mythology with gleeful enthusiasm. It’s a big game too, full of variety and pleasantly light on filler. My playthrough took around 40 hours and I still have plenty of side-content to go back to and I probably will (which is far from common for me). It borrows from the best including BotW but also brings a scattering of new ideas and let’s not overlook this, it’s available on all platforms for everyone to enjoy. It’s a suitably epic adventure with plenty to enjoy just as long as you can look (or rather, listen) past the narration. With a few tweaks and a better script, a sequel could become a classic.
El Hijo is a fun little stealth puzzler that is definitely worth your time if you like similar games in the genre. It’s very cute and has a beautiful art style, but if you want something a bit more obviously elaborate, you won’t get that here. El Hijo isn’t a revolutionary game, but it was so fun and heartwarming that I struggled to put down the controller.
Twin Mirror is Dontnods first collaboration with Bandai Namco and was developed by a separate team of senior developers. It may seem unreasonable to cast blame on this diversion from its previous team, but Twin Mirror stands as a far cry from other Dontnod titles, failing in almost every degree by its unwillingness to fully commit to anything. It wants to be a classic mystery but never offers up any questions that truly need answering. Twin Mirror wants you to care about its characters but never gives you any reason to even like them. It wants so much to be about its setting but fails to even conjure up a fraction of the sense of place that Arcadia Bay achieved. Ultimately, Twin Mirror is an amalgamation of lots of half-baked ideas that become bruised and battered as they fall from the promising heights of Basswood’s nature trail. Maybe from up there, I can spot a better mystery to play through.
Harkening back to the classic arcade racers you’d gleefully waste your £2 coin on at the back of Hollywood Bowl, Hotshot Racing is a no-frills racing game with simple but satisfying mechanics to entice even the most hardcore racers.
Observer: System Redux is a fascinating, sometimes thrilling trip that I would highly recommend despite its flaws. The game’s slower pace won’t be for everyone, but those who persist with it will be rewarded. It’s a world you wouldn’t want to live in, but an intriguing place to visit. Turn on, plug in, and freak out.
I loved my time with Age of Calamity, even the hours and hours I spent in the post-game. There’s so much to do, and it rarely feels repetitive. The wealth of characters and places to explore really set itself apart from other spin-off games in the Warriors franchise, and you get to rediscover a fully-realized Hyrule once again. The map design and mechanics really capture the magic of Breath of the Wild, even when it comes to combat. Although the story might not be what you want it to be, there are some really great moments that highlight certain characters, especially Zelda. The loot and weapon system is also fun, with endless amounts of customization when it comes to upgrading your characters. I’ve been obsessed with this game since it came out, constantly wanting to get back to it and try to 100% it—and I usually never feel compelled to fully complete a game like that. I cannot recommend this game enough if you’re a Zelda fan, especially if you loved Breath of the Wild.
2020’s iteration of the long-winded franchise is once again a mixed bag, which sadly has become the norm with the series. A campaign that, while widely entertaining and for the most part interesting, is cut far too short to have any real substantial worth, a multiplayer mode that tries to do some new things but ultimately feels far too same-y with the old frustrations rearing their ugly head, and finally, a fantastic Zombies mode that entertains when playing alone or with friends adds up to a package that feels disjointed. The sooner that Activision decides to allow consumers to purchase elements of the game as separate entities the better, as the Zombies mode alone is worth a spin, just not at the full asking price.
There’s a duality to Viking mythos that makes it the perfect fit for Assassin’s Creed; both sets of lore rely on conflict between two opposing forces—fire and ice, good and bad, order and chaos. So while these latest titles have felt like a different take on the franchise, at its core the game still rests on the same themes. With so much to discover, characters with so much heart, and plenty of drinking competitions to win, it’s hard not to get whisked away to the green grasses of England on this Viking adventure.
Dirt 5 is a mixed bag; it’s a graphically exquisite experience with a flawed progression system and a lack of in-game rewards. However, it does excel in core gameplay and is enormously fun with a gentle learning curve and a great variety of race modes. If you are in the market for a fun and great-looking rally racing game that does away with all the “simulator” gubbins, Dirt 5 is well worth a look—foibles and all.
Spider-Man Miles Morales makes good on the first game’s tagline to “be greater.” It features a snappy, emotionally fulfilling story occupied by characters that feel real and is anchored by a perfect protagonist, has perfectly refined combat complete with new abilities, and makes the little things meaningful. It perfectly toes the line between fan-service and fulfilling storytelling, and it’s one of my favorite gaming experiences of the year. It’s also a game that’s unapologetically itself. It doesn’t fix what isn’t broken while streamlining and adding other elements to create a near-perfect gaming experience. From its young and diverse cast to its hip-hop inspired soundtrack, this game carves its own path and cements itself as one of the best launch titles in recent memory. Leave some space for the new guy, indeed.
Astro’s Playroom may not be a killer app at launch, but to have such a surprisingly enjoyable and well-rounded experience bundled in with the PS5 should be commended. It’s an experience that everyone can have as soon as you plug the console in, and that is a wonderful thing. Its standard platforming may not push the genre forward in any ways, but the portions where it utilizes the DualSense’s new features are truly exciting and feel groundbreaking in their own sense. Top it all off with some rewarding nostalgia trips and excitement for the future of the console and you’ve got one killer launch title.
Watch Dogs: Legion is a promising step for the franchise in so many ways, continuing to push further away from the over-the-top seriousness that was present in the famously dull original title. While Ubisoft has certainly aimed for some interesting mechanics to provide the player with exciting prospects and new ways to tackle the gameplay, mission variants are almost non-existent, offering the same tired format that is a plague on the open-world genre. Combine this with the uninspired narrative and downright terrible performance, and you are left with a game that, while at times offering some fun chances for freedom in gameplay, does nothing to justify a full-price purchase.
So, if the gameplay isn’t ultimately worth playing the game to completion, the story isn’t worth experiencing, bugs cheapen the gameplay, and the art style is the only thing trying to redeem the experience, is it worth the buy? Well, at a nerve-wracking £15 on Steam and an eye-watering £25 on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, I cannot recommend it at the asking price due to the gameplay annoyances, lacking story, and remaining bugs. Many of the annoyances may feel cheap, but this beat ‘em up certainly isn’t retailed as such.
Ultimately, Ride 4 is a rare beast: a motorcycle racing game with the potential for mass appeal and difficulty that is open to all. Personally, while I am a fan of racing games in general, I have always struggled with vehicles of the two-wheeled variety. They have been so unforgiving and can be quite isolating, requiring far too much effort for the casual gamer. Not with Ride 4 though. This is a genuinely fun and well-crafted racer with the potential for immense longevity, both in single player and multiplayer. As motorcycle racing games go, this very well might be the best I have ever played.
In a time where young people find themselves trapped in the familial home for much longer than their forebears through no fault of their own, Zagreus’ hellish plight is unexpectedly resonant. The very real struggle to simply strike out on one’s own and escape the shadow you were born under is eerily reflected in the roguelike structure of Hades. Repeated failure is crushing… until you figure out how to learn from it. Until you move forward, inch by inch. Until you win.
Tank Mechanic Simulator was conceived, designed, and released specifically to find me and trigger something of a crisis.
Fall Guys is a bright, fast-paced, and relatively simple game that is a delight to play. Whilst I can’t see myself playing this game for hours on end, it will be a go-to when I require a pick me up while also being great for when people are allowed to get together for parties again!
Ghost of Tsushima is a sprawling, epic adventure with some flaws, but these take nothing away from the overall power of the game. It has an emotional, powerful story with a complex central hero and fabulously written side characters, a brilliant combat system that is as fun to get to grips with as it is once you’ve mastered it, and a stunning open world to explore on horseback with something to do around every corner. There is so much to do on the island of Tsushima that it can seem like completing it for completion’s sake, and the mission types are repetitive but, mercifully, the game is so endlessly fun that I didn’t care. The highs of this game are astronomical, with the story ramping up steadily throughout each act resulting in wildly exciting sequences and shocking character moments both in the main story and in the side quests. If not for the existence of The Last of Us Part II, Ghost of Tsushima would be my Game of the Year. As it is, it’s a worthy addition to the packed PS4 exclusives library and Lord Jin Sakai fits right in among Sony’s vast lineup of memorable main characters. Ghost of Tsushima waves goodbye to the PS4 generation in sumptuous style.
The Last of Us Part II is not for everyone. Sometimes, it wasn’t even a game for me, a huge fan of the original. It’s often an emotionally punishing experience, and even borders on sadism at times. But no matter how much hatred these characters feel, no matter what form of revenge they take, the game never loses sight of the importance of compassion and love. It’s a message that the world could use right now.