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There’s much to admire about Capcom’s intriguing franchise sequel, but as survival horror games go, this sometimes has the feel of Halloween pantomime.
Despite all its flaws (and there are more than a few), Saints Row is undoubtedly fun and explosive in its over-the-top presentation. While its punctuated with memorable moments, they are often diminished by the repetitive nature of its side content, which makes up a significant portion of what Saints Row has to offer. If you’ve been a longtime fan of the series’s previous entries, you will find plenty to enjoy with this latest installment – just don’t expect much in the way of innovation.
Mario Strikers: Battle League Football is another competitive sporting spin-off for the moustachioed plumber that’s mechanical nuance is only marred by its lack of truly compelling content.
Nintendo Switch Sports is a strong continuation of a tried and tested formula that will find near-universal appeal with anybody who remembers the glory days of the Nintendo Wii, or even younger audiences who will wonder what all the fuss was about 15 years ago. Playing the tennis and bowling game modes don’t exactly bring anything particularly new to the table, but it’s hard not to let muscle memory kick in after an extended period away. Volleyball and badminton also make for a grand entrance that are suitable additions to a bag filled with varied game modes. With the promise of even more gameplay being added at a later date, such as leg-strap support for standard football matches and golf coming later in the year, it’s certainly worth investing the time to work on your backhand and dust off the old skills.
When Extraction plays well, it plays excellently. That’s no doubt that, in part due to the strong foundations that helped to define Siege as an incredibly detailed first-person shooter, and by scaling back to focus on a co-operative experience, Extraction has done well to retain the look and, more importantly, the feel of its competitive counterpart while carving out its own niche. When its sights are aligned it hits more often than it misses, and fans of the Rainbow Six series will find plenty to like about this spin-off.
Let’s be clear: Cyberpunk 2077 isn’t reinventing the wheel. The augmentation aspect of the game isn’t executed any better than Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and it feels less intuitive, while the hacking is of a similar level to Watchdogs 2 and Watchdogs: Legion. For some, this next-gen release providing light entertainment more consistently won’t be enough to change their opinion. But for me, exploring this dense megatropolis, driving irresponsibly from place to place (the floaty controls make any alternative just about impossible), and doing cool cyber stuff as part of a pretty-decent-but-not-groundbreaking story, is enough to keep me entertained and engaged long after I should have gone to bed.
Both in scale and execution, A Plague Tale Requiem is an ambitious follow-up to Innocence that retools its core puzzle-and-stealth gameplay for a broader and more satisfying historical narrative adventure with fantasy elements. While puzzles are immediately intuitive and its action elements are much more rewarding, they rarely stretch the player’s brain enough to give much pause, making for a breezy, yet memorable adventure.
The Last of Us is (and always was) a masterpiece and Part I is unquestionably the best version of it yet, but that may not be enough for anyone hoping for a complete reinvention of the formula from the ground up. Part I adds just enough to warrant its remake for the latest hardware, which elevates it to the same level of The Last of Us Part II in smart design choices, flexibility and technical prowess even if it’s still the third time we’ve made this journey before. If Naughty Dog’s original PS3 version was the critically acclaimed theatrical release, then Part I is the Criterion 4K remaster complete with commentary and behind-the-scenes footage.
Between the ecstasy of nicking a top-10 finish, and the agony of being ploughed into a barrier – F1 Manager 22 is a faithful recreation of the motorsport. For better or worse. The game won’t convert people to the sport in the way Drive to Survive has, or in the way FIFA and Football Manager work magic, but there’s a serious simulation here and die-hards, above all, will appreciate it the most.
While it never takes itself too seriously, Two Point Campus is an exceedingly complex game that gradually reveals itself through later scenarios – and, by the time the player gets there, is intuitive enough to never feel overwhelming in the amount of options available. The game does well to play the class clown, but its deceptive enough to hide plenty of A-grade material under its desk.
Live a Live feels like a natural fit within Square Enix’s focus on bringing older titles to newer audiences. As the blueprint for other potential titles to come, it’s clear why the 1994 SNES title was chosen as the first remaster to receive the “HD-2D” treatment. Even with a shallow learning curve, there’s plenty to enjoy in this unique omnibus. Fans of classic JRPGs won’t want to miss this reimagining with plenty to enjoy for newcomers to role-playing games.
With Stray, BlueTwelve Studios and Annapurna Interactive have crafted a memorable experience that finishes just as it gets comfortable with its footing. But while it is short, it’s a testament to how the game looks, sounds and plays that it begs for more. Those who are curious to explore Stray’s world on Playstation can pick up a free copy with a PS Plus extra and/or premium subscription, making it a worthy addition to your digital library.
With exciting new developments in the sport F1 22 has done well to keep up with the rules and regulations as well as giving players plenty of options to play with off the grid. If you’re intimately familiar with some of the quality of life changes introduced in F1 21,then the latest addition will give existing players plenty to look forward to and newcomers can comfortably settle into the seat before taking on more complex maneuvers and adjustments in their own time.
With its large and well executed environments, Sniper Elite 5 is a strong follow up to 2017’s previous entry in the series, with a healthy balance of open-ended approaches and a clear direction. Maps are large enough to revisit and rediscover new areas as well as acting as an endless playground to perform trick shots and discover its secrets.
Trek to Yomi is a compelling enough story that makes strong use of cinematic techniques to tell a samurai tale in a novel way. Its approach could easily be imagined on the silver screen but its interactive medium makes for a compelling combat-heavy side scroller with enough mechanical depth to warrant multiple playthroughs.
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is a grand continuation of this process encompassing all three of the mainline trilogies with as much enthusiasm and heartfelt appreciation as could be expected from a studio working on their sixth tie-in of the sci-fi epic.
If the idea of yet another 50+ hour open-world game sounds exhausting, then Ghostwire: Tokyo might be for you. Even if you aren’t a fan of horror games, then don’t be dissuaded. While it leans heavily into the iconography and some of its enemy designs can be unsettling, it’s firmly rooted in the action genre and rarely deviates beyond the very occasional jump scare.
Gran Turismo 7 is a vast racing game. It might lack the instant sparkle of an arcade racing game, but it’s an experience that lasts much longer and feels more rewarding. Mastering a track with a newly tuned car feels good and well earned. Lack of true ray-tracing will disappoint some PS5 owners looking to show off their console, and the menu systems are pretty drab at times, but when racing, there’s little else quite like it.
If only occasionally mired by fantasy tropes and the limitations of the genre, fans of turn-based strategy games like Final Fantasy Tactics will find plenty to enjoy in Triangle Strategy. Battles can be slow and methodical but with multiple endings and different choices to make, there are plenty of reasons to explore everything that the game has to offer.
Bayonetta 3 is an outrageous and fitting return to form for the umbra witch and her posse of occultish heavy hitters. Substantial improvements and additions to combat mean there are seemingly endless options for different styles of play, as well as making the prospect of revisiting each stage, verse and hidden objective more compelling than it ever has been, with the crowning jewel being Viola’s introduction into the franchise.