This is a game which can be enjoyed by the entirety of the Marvel fanbase. It’s nerdy enough for the hardcore (did we mention that Elsa Bloodstone is a playable character!). It’s got every character those who’ve only ever seen the films would want to see. There’s real diversity within the chosen roster too. A team of Black Panther, Ms. Marvel, Luke Cage and Captain Marvel really is the future that liberals want. Perhaps most impressively, it’s a game which is pitched in that sweetest of spots; true universality. Children will enjoy this game. Adults will have a blast too. This, of course, is the Nintendo way, but it’s still worth applauding during this most divisive of times.
Ultimately, Days Gone is best described as an infuriating-if-enjoyable mess. It offers both a good central tenant of an idea and a unique take on a saturated genre, but is subsequently let down by dated storytelling, unnecessary bloat (the level-up system is so ineffectual you may question why anyone bothered to include it) and an investment in time and patience that really doesn’t come anywhere near to justifying the eventual pay-off.
It’s charming, it’s sweet, it’s peddling a message of kinship and harmony… but it does it all so dryly...Sorry, Yoshi – you’re a good boy, but you’ve got to learn some new tricks.
It is the best SoulsBorne game since the original Dark Souls, a tremendous victory lap for the genre that pushes the series in a fascinating direction, revitalizing its most stale features and introducing bold new ones.
This is the best Devil May Cry yet. Each character has enough depth to fill a game by themselves, the story does exactly what it needs to, the twists and turns keep you on edge and the combat sets a new benchmark for action games as a whole. Capcom has made a masterclass in stylish combat gaming here, and there’s enough content to keep players happy — even if it takes another 11 years for a sequel.
What disappoints so much about Anthem is that there are sparks of potential in there. Flying around in your Javelin and queuing up combo attacks with other players can be a blast. But then you discover that you’ll have to back out to Fort Tarsis during Freeplay every so often in order to continue earning experience points. Or you’ll be killed and stuck staring at a red screen waiting until a player feels like reviving you. Or you’ll want to customise your Javelin and find there are no interesting cosmetic options that aren’t behind a paywall.
As a celebration of Shonen Jump’s illustrious history, we expected more from Jump Force than just pure spectacle. But with its off-putting photorealistic aesthetic, underneath the hi-res razzle-dazzle is ultimately a hollow package and a shallow gaming experience.
It is a game in which inertia reigns. A sandbox that is desperately lacking a signpost. To the direction of fun would be much appreciated, but in truth, we’d just take one that would lead us to purpose. And yet, there is the dullest of silver linings…
Fluctuating like a Geiger Counter between nihilism and utopianism, this game’s muddy morality is a thing of beauty in the current climate and could be one of 2019’s most important games as a result.
Fans who have stuck with this series for a significant part of their lives will find a worthy conclusion that touches on each character equally and offers some satisfying closure.