One of the latest to go down the Game Preview and Game Pass route is that of Lightyear Frontier, a game that takes farming sim elements but puts it into space.
Gods Will Fall looks like a brutal delight. It’s bevy of original ideas look like they’ll inject the roguelike genre with some much-needed variety. Additionally, the game’s focus on generating unique, personal stories looks to be incredibly satisfying. Early 2021 can’t get here soon enough.
It seems gamers have been clamouring for decent pirate games for a very long time - This was amplified with the likes of the pretty great Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag and the ever-growing Sea of Thieves. With Black Flag successor Skull and Bones seemingly entirely absent, something has to step in. Taking more than a little inspiration from the classic Sid Meier’s Pirates!, King of Seas currently feels just a little underwhelming.
Old school-style World War shooters have made a bit of a comeback in the past few years. From the triple-A indulging of the Battlefield franchise to the indie scene producing authentic titles like Tannenberg - there’s a lot on offer. Enlisted attempts to make its way into that collection, but is it worth signing up to?
30 years feels like a long time, but in the broader term of ‘time’ it is but a mere heartbeat. Waiting 30 years for something though makes it feel a lot longer. That is what fans of King’s Bounty have been doing, likely biding their time with the Heroes of Might and Magic franchise in the meantime. Now though, King’s Bounty II is arriving in the not too distant future, and we had the chance to see what it was all about.
With Life is Strange, Remember Me, Tell Me Why, and Vampyr behind them, Dontnod Entertainment have a very distinct charm and niche. Twin Mirror feels like the culmination of this in every way. I got to spend just a few hours in the town of Basswood as it’s choice-based story, linear gameplay and great writing shone through. This has quickly become one of my most anticipated games of the year and, if you cared about their previous works, it should be for you too.
Remothered: Broken Porcelain has set some very solid foundations. It is eerie, occasionally quite thorough thematically, and has some really good design decisions. Like porcelain, the end product has the opportunity to be pretty, thoughtful and beautiful, but taking it off the heat too early could damage the overall product.
Spellbreak is the rare battle royale that has completely captured my attention. It has a super enjoyable set of moves that make exploration and battle a treat each time you drop onto the field. I love what I have seen so far, and I cannot wait to see what Proletariat, Inc. will bring in the future.
Naturally enough a beta is only a short snippet of the full game but the recent Marvel’s Avengers Beta on Xbox One came across as rather impressive, boasting decent visuals and exciting set pieces. Not everything is so smooth though with (understandable) glitches and some annoyances. But the big worry and the takeaway we need to talk about is found in the fundamental gameplay.
The Tennis World Tour series is back, with a fresh new team behind it and the power of NACON and Big Ant Studios helping push development along. We recently had the opportunity to sit in to one of those new fangled virtual press presentations that have taken over the world in recent months, and on the face of it, Tennis World Tour 2 looks set to deliver an altogether more accomplished experience than its predecessor.
OkunoKA Madness on Xbox One is shaping up to be a very challenging game to keep an eye on, and with other modes promised in the full release like Time Attack and a promised "Madness" mode, there should be a lot of content to go at, in addition to the time-chasing fun of the main story mode. Now, if you'll excuse me I'm going to go and spray some WD40 on my finger joints.
When Dovetail invited me to a press event showing off some gameplay from their new Train Sim World 2 that is coming to Xbox One, PS4 and PC on August 20th, I couldn’t say no.
I think it’s going to be very easy to misconstrue what it is that Ary and the Secret of Seasons really offers. It immediately offers a power fantasy of a young adventurer taking on the world and winning, before pulling that from underneath you as you explore what this game is. It offers a charming level of brightness and casts that aside as it tells a surprisingly mature tale. Needless to say, this won’t be a game summed up in a single paragraph.
It has long been known that 2020 is the year of the skateboarding game. Tony Hawk will soon be back with remastered and reworked versions of his classics, EA have teased that Skate is on the cards, and the highly intriguing Session has recently released via Xbox Game Preview, allowing the team at crea-ture Studios the chance to work with the fans to create a skateboarding masterpiece. But then there is also Skater XL, a game that has been in development for a good few years and previously pushed out via Early Access on Steam by the team behind it, Easy Day Studios.
The original Knight Squad from way back in 2015 (Xbox One) is something I look very fondly on when reminiscing about the early days of the current generation. It offered an addicting gameplay loop, diverse characters and plenty of ways to slaughter your friends. Knight Squad 2 appears to grab this base formula and push it into new heights. It doesn't touch the core gameplay but offers new modes, items and arenas to cause havoc. Needless to say, I jumped at the chance to give it a go.
