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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Yet the real beauty of Planet Coaster is that it has something for everyone. You may be inclined to a more task-oriented game, hoping to save the worst parks from the brink of bankruptcy, or you may rather splurge cash on everything and anything to make the wackiest park ever. Even if, like me, your creative design choices go as far as “make coaster go very fast and high,” you will still find yourself giggling away as you make ridiculous business decisions with little consequences like some crazed tycoon monster (charging $111 for a decaf coffee is just oh so funny). Despite a learning curve on the control scheme and the tragic fact that guests may not ride your coaster if it is absolutely insane to the point of traveling warp-speed, Planet Coaster: Console Edition is a blast and a worthy port of an already excellent title.
Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia is a good Strategy/Tactical RPG. But that’s all it is, it’s good but it doesn’t innovate over its contemporaries or bring anything new to the table. The main motivation for continuing is to see your nation succeed but the game does make that difficult with the repetitive but solid gameplay and frequent losses of high-level units sapping your motivation after extended periods of time. I would recommend Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia to those looking for a more typical tactical RPG experience if you’re coming off the back of a more introductory title such as Fire Emblem. If you’re a seasoned tactical RPG player, I would not go into Runersia expecting anything new compared to previous titles you may have played.
Arizona Sunshine is at its absolute best when it takes a step back, places you in an enclosed environment and turns off the lights with one stage entrapping you in a pitch-black mine, with your only light source for some stretches being a single flashlight. It is easily the standout moment of the game, creating an unsettling sense of dread that shows the team have a real knack for the more horror focussed roots the genre has. In 2016 it was understandable that such a title would become a favourite among fans, and it is great to see a VR game sustain momentum for this amount of time. Yet with the likes of The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners also finding their way onto quest, offering a far more refined and in-depth experience, it is hard to get super excited about it. What Arizona Sunshine does provide is a fun arcade zombie shooter, and while it may not keep your attention for hours on end, offers a solid blast of undead killing action.
With Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game – Complete Edition, you are getting exactly what it says on the tin; this is the complete edition, with no real added bells or whistles. The original DLC is included, which adds Knives and Wallace as playable characters, along with a few bonus modes that offer some decent distractions from the main story, yet there is a real lack of legacy content here to make the title feel like a true celebration. Regardless, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game – Complete Edition remains the same blast of a game that it was over a decade ago, whether you are playing alone, locally via co-op, or even through online co-op, it is a game that will appeal to most, and is a must-have for those who are fans of the source material. Now, let us just pray that Ubisoft doesn’t have to take this version off the store in the future too!
There were narrative moments I wasn’t expecting, and some were actually rather fun. For instance, I ended up picking up a cube in a lighthouse and spending 6 years in some kind of alien realm while the aliens gathered information on Earth via my body. That was a genuine surprise and perhaps my favourite of the endings I got. I will say that I had a certainly less frustrating time with The Innsmouth Case than I did with the last game of this genre I reviewed, My Aunt is a Witch. At the start, it was able to capture my attention and I was actually really enjoying the story, but it’s a shame that the repetitiveness and the number of different endings you could have just ended up in me losing interest completely.
Yet even with these massive issues, I would be telling a lie if I did not find the whole thing addictive. Perhaps that is the most frustrating part, what is here is great in concept, and there is so much room for improvement that it raises frustration that there was not more time taken to expand upon the mission format and game mechanics to make the game something truly unique. In fact, I was so checked out with the repetitive nature of it all that nine hours later the Platinum Trophy popped, so that must count for something. With it being free on the PS5 as of writing with PlayStation Plus, then there are zero reasons not to check it out and see if it scratches an itch you might have. Past that, hold your breath for a potential sequel that could make Maneater a real stand-out title and an easy one to recommend in the future.
Swords of Gargantua is a short thrill ride of an experience that tries to stretch it out to a length it simply doesn’t have the legs for. Between momentary bouts of motion sickness, dull and uninspiring enemy variety, and a flawed form of gameplay that strays far from the supposed “hyper-realistic swordsmanship” that was slapped on its trailer, I became entirely deflated from my time with the game and simultaneously disappointed that I kept playing at all. Those early hours reminded me of why I love VR so much, and just how well those short burst experiences work for the format. Alas, Swords of Gargantua is like a once-great TV show that simply will not end.