NextPlay's Reviews
Silent Hill: The Short Message is a solid entry into the franchise that hammers down heavy themes onto the player, while still offering a tense atmosphere and engaging story. This game won’t please all fans of the series, but may just bring new ones in ahead of the next phase of releases.
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth excels at showcasing the organised chaos that the Like A Dragon series encapsulates. The change in scenery from Japan to Hawaii makes Infinite Wealth feel like a totally brand-new experience that old fans and new ones are sure to love. RGG Studios expands the series even further with a healthy assortment of mini-games and, of course, the game within a game – Dondoko Island Resort.
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy is a faithful port from handheld to console, which boasts new quality-of-life features, graphical enhancements and, of course, fun courtroom battle gameplay. Much like the Resident Evil series of late, you can tell CAPCOM loves to give their games the royal treatment when it comes to remasters and ports. This is well worth your money if you love whodunit stories.
Tekken 8 is worth the nine-year wait with this entry featuring epic visuals packed with a roster of franchise favourites that will have fans of the series more than satisfied. The return of Tekken Ball alongside new modes like the Arcade Quest are fun additions, but the real star of the show is the engrossing Story Mode, which may be one of the best of the series.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown shines a bright light on a beloved series showing that it can thrive no matter what genre it expands to. New and old fans will be thrilled to find an epic and captivating journey with gameplay that will have you saying “just one more try”. While this wasn’t the Sands of Time remake fans have been longing after, The Lost Crown is a wonderfully crafted game to help relive the wait.
A solid experience for those truly interested in an action-adventure rhythm game. Best played in a group or cooperatively, but solo is totally fine just a little more difficult. Fun, charming and at times chaotic, totally recommend this for a night of fun.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora should have been a home run of a game using the Far Cry pedigree with an interesting world and franchise, but I couldn’t help but become frustrated by some of the mission designs and story progression. While the game excels technically, it is sometimes drawn back by the lack of enjoyability. I truly believe if they had dialled back some of the explorations and trimmed the mission fat from the game, I would have been much more engaged in this title.
In Stars And Time is a one-of-a-kind RPG adventure that will have you hooked. Whether it’s the fantastic story, loveable cast of characters, or the unique battle system, there is something here that almost every RPG fan will find appealing.
Fans of The Phantom Thieves from Persona 5 will find a lot to love from this new adventure, and while it may not rival the sequel-worthy excellence of Persona 5 Strikers, it is an enjoyable experience for all comers. The tactical gameplay elements are challenging and interesting enough to provide tactical veterans with some difficult encounters, while it also provides an approachable and enjoyable offering for tactical newcomers. While the visuals can be a mixed bag, the music is downright brilliant and helped intensify battles and emotional moments. The narrative is fantastic, and Erina and Toshiro are equally memorable, but if you haven’t played the original Persona 5 adventure, go play that first before playing Persona 5 Tactica, and I guarantee you will appreciate this experience a lot more.
Star Ocean: The Second Story R reinvigorates a classic game with a beautiful blend of 2D and 3D graphics. While the game requires a bit too much grinding to progress in the story, the narrative and core gameplay make it all worthwhile. Square Enix has delivered one of their best remakes with Star Ocean: The Second Story R.
Konami has brought some of the greatest games of all time to modern consoles in Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol 1. The games, while still legendary, are let down by Kojima’s absence and Konami’s greed.
WarioWare: Move It! takes the chaotic and unhinged WarioWare series to new heights with its near-on perfect utilisation of the joy-con functionalities. While some microgames are hindered by inaccurate joy-con registry, they are still ridiculously fun.. just make sure you have friends to play with to get the full experience.
Just Dance 2024 guarantees an entertaining time to share with friends and family. The plethora of content is unmatched when comparing to previous titles, allowing for players to dance their socks off.
It’s clear RGG Studio went with a less-is-more approach to Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, but the game continues to offer the charm of other titles in the series. While the combat can feel repetitive at times, the story and subquests allow for the game to shine.
While Lords of the Fallen has some great ideas and foundations for a successful game, it’s trying far too hard to reinvent itself that a less is more approach to the game would’ve seen a much tighter and more fun experience overall.
The Invincible may have simple gameplay mechanics, but where it shines is the story, making you question what comes next, or at some points, your sanity. Starward Industries has crafted a captivating experience that is hard to put down.
Nintendo has delivered yet another memorable experience that is delightfully ridiculous with surprises from start to finish. There’s a perfect combination of old and new mechanics executed flawlessly which feels fresh yet nostalgic at the same time. Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a masterpiece worthy of being titled one of the best platformers of all time.
If you had told me that one of my favourite games this year would be a videogame about a souslike Pinocchio, I would’ve told you that you would be dreaming. Lies of P scratches the itch that is a Dark Souls experience that’s as close as you will ever get to the original. The story draws you in as familiar characters come back to life in a gothic inspired world, but it’s the fantastic soulslike gameplay that made me come back for more. Just one more turn, one more checkpoint.
Vlad Circus: Descend Into Madness is an essential horror/adventure game title with a gripping story that leaves a haunting sense of emptiness upon completion. Indiesruption has delivered an experience that will stay with me for years to come.
Whether you are playing this on the go or sitting on the couch, the story of Detective Pikachu Returns is engaging and kept me wanting to play through the game even though it got repetitive at times and I feel that says a lot for the overall presentation of the game. If you have a little one or a Pokémon fan in the house, don’t skip this game.