Anthony Bacchus
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Pure XboxLatest Reviews
While video games are, indeed, my favourite entertainment medium, music comes a very close second. So whenever I get my hands on a music/rhythm game, I can’t help but be overjoyed. And while music games have since become less of a mainstay after the egregious milking of the Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises, they can still be incredibly fun when handled with care. That’s what you’re getting with AVICII Invector, a wonderful and wickedly-addictive rhythm action game that isn’t just one of the finest music games in recent years but is also a perfect farewell to the late and influential Swedish DJ Tim Bergling, aka AVICII.
I couldn’t have known from the start but Afterparty is the perfect palette cleanser for any gamer that is starting to feel fatigued from this Fall’s biggest games. It’s rib-bustlingly hilarious with a truly imaginative version of Hell that must be seen to believe. Night School Studio, the developers behind 2016’s surprise indie hit Oxenfree, has crafted another dialogue-heavy adventure game that is relatable and relevant, even with its zany premise. But while it does succeed as a perfect followup to Oxenfree, it’s riddled with a few nasty bugs and technical issues that are difficult to ignore.
For quite some time now, the Nintendo Switch has become my go-to machine whenever I need to scratch that nostalgic itch. I’m not just talking classic NES games either, but it’s been wonderful revisiting updated ports like Final Fantasy X/X-2, Okami HD, and both Mega Man X Legacy Collections. And while all of those games can be played on other platforms, the Switch has the added benefit of being portable. And so when I heard that Sega’s classic JRPG franchise Grandia was getting an HD collection just for Switch, I could hardly contain my excitement. Not only are these two criminally underrated RPG’s preserved beautifully on the Switch but, more importantly, they also stack up pretty darn well in 2019.
You can’t talk about SteamWorld Quest without first recognizing its genre-hopping developer, Image & Form. Not only have they kept the SteamWorld name and steampunk aesthetics intact since the original SteamWorld Dig (and to a lesser extent, SteamWorld: Tower Defense on DSiWare), they aren’t afraid to branch the franchise out into new and exciting genres. 2015’s SteamWorld Heist saw them flex their muscles at strategic turn-based shooting while SteamWorld Dig 2 is a near-perfect Metroidvania. So enter SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech, the newest entry in the series that also, predictably, sees the developer once again trying something different — this time, a turn-based roleplaying card battler. So how does it fare, you ask? Unsurprisingly, it’s another home run for Image & Form.
Below is an interesting game to dissect. My first few hours were enthralling. The gorgeous art style, hauntingly beautiful music, and Zelda-esque hack-and-slash combat were exactly what I wanted when I first laid eyes on it all the way back in 2013 when the Xbox One was first announced. Now, having spent more than 30 hours with it, there’s still only one word I feel compelled to say when talking about Below: interesting. You see, the further I trekked down Below’s procedurally-generated dungeons, the more I came to the realization that I enjoy the game’s concept and ideas more than actually playing it.
Celeste is a textbook example of doing so much with so little. The gameplay mechanics don’t exactly evolve but the ingenious level design and ever-changing obstacles force you to use your limited move set in new and inventive ways. Celeste is full of surprises like this but possibly its most surprising trick is how invested I became in Madeline’s personal journey to climb the challenging Celeste Mountain. Without going too far into spoiler territory, I discovered that Celeste tells a story about depression and overcoming those personal struggles. It certainly caught me off guard, in a good way, and some of the main story beats are just as memorable as any death-defying platforming section.
The Banner Saga 2, the second game in developer Stoic’s trilogy of tactical role-playing games, is out now on Nintendo Switch. That’s great news, but it’s clear from the get-go that your overall enjoyment of the game will vary greatly depending on whether you have a completed save file from the first Banner Saga game (also now on Switch) to import from. That may seem fairly obvious to most people, especially when there’s a big fat ‘2’ in the name, but just like other choice-based games like Mass Effect 2 and Telltale’s The Walking Dead, you’re going to want to make sure you’ve played the first game to completion in order to get the most out of The Banner Saga 2.
Despite a main quest that meanders a bit too frequently, The Witcher 3 excels at giving players an unbelievably large and beautiful open-world that is brimming with meaningful things to do. While the scope of the adventure may often leave players intimidated and overwhelmed, CD Projekt RED has crafted The Witcher 3 to be its most accessible game yet. If you stick with it until the end, you'll be blown away by its engrossing world, riveting characters, and deep combat system. It's a crowning achievement from the developer, and it's a definite contender for game of the year.
Outlast is less than a year old (if counting the original PC release) but it’s already cemented itself as one of the scariest games we’ve ever played. It’s also one of the strongest debuts from a new developer, and Red Barrels should be applauded for their effort. Outlast won't be for everyone, but if you have even an inkling of interest in the genre, then it's absolutely worth checking out. Let it be known that Outlast is a genuinely stressful and nerve-racking experience, but that’s exactly what a true survival horror game should be, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
If you were expecting Watch Dogs to take the genre in new directions then you’re going to be sorely disappointed. With that being said, Watch Dogs is still an engaging and often times surprising action game. The hacking component doesn’t offer a lot of depth despite it being such a big theme in the game, but there are plenty of moments where it adds a refreshing spin on a few of those same old, open-world tropes. It’s well-crafted, highly polished and a very strong debut for a new franchise. We’re going to be seeing a lot of Watch Dogs in the future, and that’s a far more exciting prospect than the first time we ever set eyes on it.