ABZÛ

ABZÛ

Abzu allows players to descend into the heart of the ocean without worrying about things like oxygen or predators. It is a tranquil experience with beautiful visuals that left us eager to see each new environment. Everything from the art to the soundtrack is superb, but the gameplay could be a bit too shallow for action fans. The entire experience is also over way too soon, but if you get hooked, you’ll love every second of it.

Gameplay: Abzu is mostly about swimming around and observing your surroundings.

Graphics: The art style for the game is beautiful, and each scene is filled with color and life.

Sound: The soundtrack and sound effects are a perfect match for the tranquil setting and gameplay

ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN

ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN

Ace Combat 7 offers a superb selection of aircraft and a campaign spanning twenty missions to use them in. The controls feel great, and there are enough settings to ensure that even total newcomers can have fun. However, the game can sometimes get frustrating, and the lack of support from the rest of your squad is a bit annoying. In addition, the multiplayer component of the game feels a bit lacking. Despite these issues, the game is very solid and offers an action-packed experience that is hard to beat.

Gameplay: A little frustrating at times, but overall the experience is action-packed and a lot of fun.

Graphics: All of the planes in this game look great, and the amount of detail is also impressive.

Sound: Decent voice acting and a superb soundtrack complement the action nicely

9-nine-:Episode 1

9-nine-:Episode 1

A serial killer with superpowers is on the loose, and it is up to two teens to try and track down who it is before the body count escalates. 9-nine-:Episode 1 is a good start for the series, but it is a fairly linear experience despite having two endings. The story is good, though, and we cannot fault the gorgeous art style and fantastic soundtrack. The story is also relatively self-contained but intriguing enough that we can’t wait to see what happens in subsequent episodes.

Gameplay: Fairly linear, but the story is decent enough to keep you hooked.

Graphics: The character designs are beautiful, and the game also features some nice backgrounds.

Sound: The soundtrack is great, and all the characters are fully voiced in Japanese

Incredipede

Incredipede

Incredipede is a unique puzzle title that challenges you to complete levels by controlling the muscles of one of the most bizarre characters ever to feature in a game. In easy mode, you are provided with a unique design for your creature every level, but in hard mode, it is up to you to create your own working designs. Throw in a sandbox mode as well as a level editor, and you have a game that can keep you entertained for far longer than expected. This game also has some of the most unique and eye-catching visual styles that we have seen in a while.

Gameplay: Incredipede is quite challenging and frequently frustrating but always fun.

Graphics: The art style is gorgeous, although the animations can be slightly creepy.

Sound: The audio is very sparse but quite fitting

Five Nights at Freddy’s

Five Nights at Freddy’s

Animatronic mascots are on the prowl at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza and it is your job to keep an eye on them. Unfortunately, the are more than capable of killing you since you have no means of fighting back. Instead, you have to make use of your dwindling supply of electricity to monitor security cameras and lock the doors to your office before it is too late. You will have to be careful, though, because if you run out of electricity before morning the chances are very good that someone will find your body stuffed into the jagged interior of an animatronic animal mascot suit. FNAF suffers from some technical limitations, but excels at jumpscares and keeping players on edge.

Gameplay: Your interaction with the gameworld is limited, but this just adds to the atmosphere.

Graphics: You are mostly looking at static renders, but the visuals still manages to be very creepy.

Sound: Not much in the way of music, but the sound effects are superb

Bus Simulator 18

Bus Simulator 18

Bus Simulator 18 walks a fine line between being a full-on simulator and offering an accessible experience for newcomers to the genre. It features a fairly sizable city, a number of licensed buses as well as the opportunity to not only drive your buses, but also manage your company and create new routes. A couple of areas of the game could still benefit from some improvements, but what is on offer is still very enjoyable, especially if you have a hankering for coasting around in a bus. A steering wheel is highly recommended for the most immersive experience and you need fairly beefy hardware to run the game properly, but overall we can definitely recommend it.

Gameplay: Create bus routes, drive them and make money while trying not to mess up.

Graphics: Plenty of good along with a couple of not so good.

Sound: Authentic sounds and decent music, but those chattering passengers become repetitive a little too soon

Bus Simulator 18 Is Just Around The Corner

Bus Simulator 18 Is Just Around The Corner

Simulator fans who have been counting down the days until the June 13 2018 release of Bus Simulator 18 has been treated to a new multiplayer trailer. While there is obviously still a lot to keep solo players happy, it is the ability to drive around the 5.8mi² of routes with up to three friends that has piqued our interest

Pinball FX3 – Universal Classics™ Pinball

Pinball FX3 – Universal Classics™ Pinball

With tables based around Back to The Future, Jaws and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, the Universal Classics Pinball pack is a must have for fans of the genre. All three of the tables on offer look great and are a lot of fun to play. The table designers have done an admirable job with fusing these licenses with pinball instead of simply using images based on the films. Unfortunately, none of the tables feature licensed music, which is really a pity for films like these that has such iconic soundtracks. However, apart from the music there is very little to fault here and these tables offer a nice break from all the Marvel and Star Wars tables available for the platform.

Gameplay: Three tables with great designs that are a lot of fun to play.

Graphics: Each table features plenty of visual elements from the films as well as some great looking 3D models.

Sound: The sound effects and voice acting are decent enough, but the lack of licensed music is a bummer

Pinball FX3

Pinball FX3

Pinball FX 3 is not just a small update compared to Pinball FX 2, but feels like a brand new game. It comes with a range of new features that are aimed at drawing in newcomers as well as keeping veterans busy for longer. Not only does the older tables look better than ever before, but the brand new challenges and cross-platform features provide added incentives to return to them. It is a pity that not all the Pinball FX 2 tables could make the transition to the new game, it is a relief that the majority can be imported to the new game without having to pay for them again. Pinball FX 3 is without a doubt one of the best pinball games available on the market and definitely doesn’t disappoint if you are a fan of the genre.

Gameplay: Plenty of new features that make it worth moving over from Pinball FX 2.

Graphics: Thanks to real-time lighting and shadow projection the tables look better than ever.

Sound: The guide can become a little annoying, but fortunately the game features plenty of audio options to customize your experience

Princess Maker 3: Fairy Tales Come True

Princess Maker 3: Fairy Tales Come True

The third installment in the popular Princess Maker series is finally available, but unfortunately not in refined form like its predecessors. The game is a lot more streamlined, but with sixty different endings, it still has more than enough content to keep players busy for ages. It is a pity that the game has had such a rocky launch and issues with the translation along with other technical problems continue to plague it, but underneath it all there is still a very addictive game waiting to be played.

Gameplay: Schedule your daughter’s activities and raise her to become a princes.

Graphics: This game dates back to the nineties, so don’t expect too much, but the pixel art animations are really nice.

Sound: The music is decent enough, but can become repetitive, although the voice acting is still good