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Treyarch is back with Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, a direct sequel to the 2010 classic that seeks to build upon the storied history of Woods, Mason and company as they once again seek to save the world from an unknown threat.

It takes the backdrop of the Cold War and turns it into something scolding hot, with the silent paranoia of nuclear annihilation being replaced by explosive warfare fueled with Ronald Reagan and RC cars. 

But enough about the campaign, since my hands-on impressions come from the recent multiplayer alpha, which dropped onto PS4 this past weekend to the surprise of everyone. Featuring a selection of different modes and maps, I spent a number of hours sampling exactly how this new iteration in the shooter franchise sets itself apart, and it comes with a few welcome changes and surprises. 

Now it doesn’t rewrite the rulebook and exists in a very similar template to last year’s Modern Warfare, but is clearly intended as a continuation of the service model Activision has been honing for a while now. As a new entry in the blockbuster series, it teases enough major iterations in setting, mechanics and moment-to-moment gameplay to keep an eye on as we usher in the new generation. 

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The alpha featured a number of modes across several different maps, all of which are the larger, more ambitious battlegrounds we’ve come to expect from Treyarch over the years. Satellite is a heated desert battleground taking place in the shadow of a downed satellite, allowing players to shelter behind scattered debris while camping points in games of domination. It’s also a sniper’s paradise, long expanses of sand making journeys out into the open a very dangerous affair. 

Armada was a personal favourite of mine, taking place across a selection of military vessels alongside a stationary submarine. You can explore the map on foot, with vehicles or by launching yourself across a selection of vehicles linking everything together. It’s marvelously designed with a mixture of claustrophobic corridors and wide-open spaces, both of which work wonders for producing sudden yet satisfying firefights. 

Even compared to Modern Warfare, each map feels positively massive and more versatile in the approaches you can take with each situation. Granted, this does accentuate the moments of quiet between each explosion of action, but I appreciate having time to familiarise myself with new surroundings before melodically picking off each foe I come across. Or being bodied myself, which was more often the case if I’m being honest. 

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Time to kill has also been increased, with health now being represented by an energy bar above each player. At first it was a jarring immersion breaker, but I quickly began to appreciate the more arcadey approach to what is a fairly bombastic shooter. Knowing when the opposing team would bite the dust alleviated the frustration that normally comes with being stubbornly convinced I had filled them with enough bullets for a kill.  

Elsewhere, this is the Call of Duty experience you know and love, albeit with the formulaic changes we’ve come to expect from the Black Ops subseries over the years. Scorestreaks make a welcome return, meaning your eventual rewards are based on a score from kills, taking objectives and assisting teammates instead of a bodycount alone. 

I’ve always preferred this approach, since it means players who aren’t too skilled still have a chance of unleashing an attack helicopter every now and then. Increased time to kill also accommodates the wider map size, meaning it’s far easier to escape a skirmish and save yourself from returning to the action after an untimely death. While some weapons, such as snipers, feel overpowered right now, the overall balance feels relatively solid. 

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Operators have been simplified, and provide a more aesthetic distinction than the abilities and super moves that made them stand out in past games. It’s a welcome alteration, meaning victory is now far more about pure skillful accuracy than finding the right time and place to activate a devastating ultimate. Being able to use robotic abilities to disintegrate the competition wouldn’t really mesh with the setting, either. 

This also folds effortlessly into the Warzone mode, which will likely be adding new operators and skins as part of its seasonal updates long after Black Ops Cold War has released. Much like Modern Warfare before it, Warzone will be a fundamental part of this entry, folded into the main menu along the campaign, zombies and traditional multiplayer. If it’s not your bag, it’s easy enough to ignore and you can still make ample progress through the game without it. 

Black Ops Cold War incorporates all of the traditional modes you’ve come to expect from the series. Team Deathmatch, Headquarters, Domination and others are all present and accounted for. One newcomer is Dominion, a twist on Domination which introduces a higher number of players on each team on spacious maps which encourage the use of vehicular teamwork.

It’s excellent, and I loved the wider sense of perspective applied to a mode which normally accomodates tight maps with even smaller objectives to defend. Dominion widens the playing field significantly, and works to the strengths of Treyarch’s map design. I’m curious to see how the full roster of maps will leverage such modes, and how the mysterious Fireteam mode will shape out given it’s confirmed to support 40 players.

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First Impressions

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is yet another solid entry in the shooter franchise, a declaration which will please the faithful cabal while also doing nothing to convince those who have swore off the series for good.

While I’ve only sampled a small portion of the multiplayer, moment-to-moment gunplay is fast, fluid and feels simplified compared to the bloated reputation Black Ops has garnered in recent years.

Time will tell how the campaign, zombies and Warzone implementation will shape out, but we don’t have very long until we find out.

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Ever since it picked up the Star Wars license, it was only a matter of time until Electronic Arts worked the iconic sci-fi franchise into some of its biggest properties, and The Sims 4 is arguably the perfect candidate. Its core experience is defined by player choice, giving them the tools to explore their virtual lives with charmingly goofy consequences. 

Translating this into the world of Star Wars could have led to some delightful scenarios, but Journey to Batuu often comes across as a glorified tourist attraction instead of the bold expansion to the classic formula it could have been. Fans of the franchise will still adore much of what is on offer here, but those hoping for a more comprehensive exploration of Disney’s universe could feel dissapointed. 

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While it might be lacking in mechanics and depth, Journey to Batuu is an undoubtedly gorgeous and faithful exploration of the sci-fi universe. Based on Galaxy’s Edge, the theme park of the same name, the expansion pack will have you exploring three distinct neighbourhoods as you take on missions, earn new items and simply spend time thrusting your avatar into awkwardly precious situations. 

You’ll begin in the Black Spire Outpost’s Oga’s Cantina, an establishment where aliens from around the galaxy gather to gamble, barter and drink their collective sorrows away. I had a blast simply sitting by the bar ordering a few drinks and watching as my character conversed with her fellow patrons without a care in the world. Language has been given a fun Star Wars-esque tinge, so it’s the same old gibberish with a lovable new twist. 

From here you’ll journey to Resistance Camps and First Order Outposts while completing new missions and objectives, with much of the expansion pack’s progression being tied to missions instead of giving you freedom to experiment with it on your own terms. Immersing yourself in the universe outside of the narrative is playful fun, yet you’ll want to earn currency and meet major characters like Kylo Ren and Rey instead of sitting around like a Gonk droid. 

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Missions will have you performing tasks for Journey to Batuu’s three factions: The Resistance, First Order and Scoundrels. Tasks you need to perform are fairly simplistic, and will oftentimes reward you with currency and other cool unlockables relevant to the Star Wars universe. 

As I mentioned earlier, questlines will also lead you to meeting iconic characters from the films, which is a cool bonus even if they seldom pop up in the environments of their own accord. The story-driven nature of the expansion has good intentions and seeks to draw you into the wider universe, but I feel The Sims 4 isn’t built for a linear, self-contained adventure like this, at least not in a way that feels hugely satisfying to play. 

Previous expansions have explored missions and objectives to complete, but they were integrated into the wider sandbox philosophy that makes the game so enjoyable to play. Here, you’re whisked away to a fantastical land until you decide to return home with all of your new spoils in tow. You could be cynical and consider it little more than a glorified advertisement for Galaxy’s Edge, but that’s selling it short. 

Exploring Star Wars as an average citizen does have its appeal. The franchise almost always follows heroes of galactic proportions as they seek to overthrow evil empires, while here you’re just a random fellow who happens to be performing some tasks for the world’s many organisations. Learning about the people who exist in this world and what makes them tick is an eccentric distraction, it’s just a shame so much of it feels artificial.

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Progression isn’t fruitless though, and there’s plenty of fanservice to be had for those who love drinking blue milk and partaking in lightsaber duels. You can craft your own saber to fight with other characters, and even build your own droid to accompany you while exploring each location. These are welcome additions which help make this expansion feel alive, even if it only serves to bolster the overall aesthetic instead of providing any real substance.

Furniture and items you earn throughout Journey to Batuu can be taken back to your neighbourhood in the base game, which provides incentive to see everything through to the end, but will likely only appeal to hardcore fans who truly want to mine everything there is to offer. I didn’t have much of a reason to keep going once clearing all of the main missions, beyond trying a few absurd things with the locals.

You can eventually climb the ranks of different factions by partaking in story quests, which is motivation enough to explore beyond the three major locations, but it’s up to you whether all this effort is worth it to see a handful of iconic characters bark out a few words in Simlish. Sadly there isn’t any way to ‘Woohoo’ Kylo Ren, but there’s always mods for that sort of galactic fantasy.

Verdict

Journey to Batuu is an enjoyable game pack for The Sims 4 and a worthwhile glimpse into the Star Wars universe, but it sadly lacks ambition when it comes to doing something new with the property. At times, it feels like a glorified tourist attraction, and the lukewarm narrative doesn’t pull you in enough to feel worthwhile. But for hardcore fans, this is possibly a journey worth taking for the price.

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It’s almost fascinating how Nintendo seems to forget about its legacy sometimes, with dozens of classic titles waiting in the vaults simply begging for a modern release, but the company seldom gives them the appreciation they rightly deserve. 

Even with Super Mario 3D All-Stars, it’s an unusual release which simultaneously honours the legacy of these fantastic games without doing quite enough to truly help them shine. While all three of the games are more than worth revisiting, unusual performance problems and the obtuse lack of Super Mario Galaxy 2 had me shaking my head at times 

But if you can stomach the asking price, this bundle compiles three essential remasters that all Nintendo fans should experience at least once, if only to witness the ambitious journey the red plumber has been a part of for over two decades now. It’s a wondrous, challenging and worthwhile love letter to Mario’s legacy. 

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Super Mario 3D All-Stars compiles Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy into one cohesive bundle, constructed in a way that you can seamlessly switch between all three games through a gorgeous central menu. 

Prefaced with small nuggets of history surrounding their original release, it’s fascinating to see how the flagship franchise evolved over three different generations. Super Mario 64 maintains the sense of magic it imbued way back in 1996, setting a new benchmark for the third-dimension and how players would come to explore, interact and learn to love virtual environments. 

Leaping out of the pipe and being given free reign to explore the Mushroom Kingdom is simply extraordinary, and despite the outdated visuals, it still feels excellent to play. It’s timeless, with each piece of music and sound effect unleashing an unparalleled feeling of nostalgia as I dashed about each new stage. It’s classic Mario, and undeniably iconic.

It was a landmark moment in my personal gaming history, and it will be interesting to see how new and returning players will take to Mario’s foray into 3D gameplay. Nintendo changed the game with Super Mario 64, and this pedigree maintains just as much of an impact as it did back then, and for good reason. 

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Jumping into Super Mario Sunshine after spending a handful of hours with the Nintendo 64 classic proved to be more than a little jarring. It doesn’t really seek to evolve the foundations established by its predecessor, but instead hands our titular hero a new tool and leverages it as a polarising gimmick for the entire experience. 

I’m talking about F.L.U.D.D, a talking water cannon who is used to clean Isle Delfino of rampant pollution that has arrived in Mario’s wake. Accused of robbing the island of sunshine by stealing its Star Shines, he must embark on an epic adventure to uncover why the island has succumbed to such chaos and who exactly is behind such dastardly deeds. 

While Super Mario Sunshine is still incredibly fun to play at times, it has easily aged the worst out of the three games. Its controls often feel imprecise, and its camera doesn’t offer enough perspective to alleviate frustration in the majority of stages. I found myself cursing at the screen in frustration at errors that were no fault of my own, wishing this controlled like 64 or Galaxy. 

Unusual performance problems only make Sunshine harder to enjoy, with the framerate dipping on a near constant basis when turning the camera amidst busy environments. The heatwave-esque visual effect which dominates the majority of sunny levels also doesn’t look great on larger displays, obscuring the otherwise beautiful visuals with a strange, vaseline smear. 

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Lastly we have Super Mario Galaxy, which is just as perfect now as it was back in 2007 when it launched on the Nintendo Wii. It’s a bold and adventurous platformer that surprises at every turn, with the space setting allowing it to explore unparalleled variety in its level design. People often use the word ‘magical’ to describe Nintendo, but this is closest I can think to that term being right on the money. 

You’ll go from planets populated by jovial bees to asteroid belts occupied by helmet-donning ghosts, all of which offer endlessly creative ways to earn stars and other collectibles. Every level is a welcome surprise, many of which are brave enough to introduce bold new mechanics which subvert expectations beautifully. I didn’t want to stop playing, and was itching to jump into Galaxy 2 as the credits rolled. Sadly, it’s nowhere in sight. 

The stages (which require motion controls) haven’t aged remarkably, largely because Nintendo hasn’t introduced an alternative way to navigate them with the analog stick. Instead, you’ll have to clumsily use the joy-cons, pro controller or touch screen to avoid obstacles and collect coins. I would have loved for each remaster to make a greater effort when adapting for the Switch, since these are fairly basic ports once you look past the overall presentation.

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In terms of extras, don’t go into Super Mario 3D All-Stars expecting any new content for the games, but you will find a cutesy music player in the main menu containing the full soundtracks for 64, Sunshine and Galaxy. It’s a minimal yet welcome addition to the overall package, and I had some playful moments of distraction digging into each title’s tracks to find my favourites.

Verdict

Super Mario 3D All-Stars marks the long awaited arrival of some stone cold classics on Nintendo Switch, even if it doesn’t always give them the esteemed treatment they deserve to truly shine in the modern era.

All of these games are worth playing whether you’re a curious newcomer or a seasoned veteran, and the improved visuals and performance arguably make them stronger than ever.

It’s shame Sunshine’s lacklustre performance and a rather unspectacular overall package hold them back from true greatness. Also where is Super Mario Galaxy 2?

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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has clearly had a huge impact on the gaming industry. Nintendo took the finest parts of Assassin’s Creed and Skyrim before crafting it into something completely unique, setting a new benchmark for open-world design that, in the eyes of many, is yet to be beaten. 

Its feats of freeform exploration, experimental combat and bold storytelling culminated in a journey I still think about today. So, it was inevitable that someone would come along and try to ape what made Breath of the Wild so masterful, and it’s wonderfully ironic that it happens to be Ubisoft. 

Immortals: Fenyx Rising is an open-world adventure where you roam a vast land dominated by Typhon, a deadly being who has zapped the Greek Pantheon of their powers. This leaves our titular hero to embark on an epic quest where she will gain magical powers, recruit new allies and slowly but surely bring the world back to its former glory. 

It’s a compelling pitch, and from what I’ve played, it’s executed rather well. It’s hard to ignore the blatant Zelda comparison, but it provides enough imaginative new ideas to make me stand up and take notice. I was left wanting to learn more about this world, its heroes and what the finished fable will be capable of. 

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I spent two hours with Immortals: Fenyx Rising and was given relative freedom to explore a single region of the world, encouraged to find landmarks and discover new activities however I wanted. I decided to tackle the main story quest. My task was to light four furnaces in the distance which happened to be guarded by a cavalcade of mythical enemies. 

But first, I actually had to get there, and this is where I learned how wonderful it feels to traverse this world. Fenyx is an agile warrior, capable of leaping into the air and unleashing a pair of angelic wings to soar over mountains and through treacherous ravines. You can change your trajectory at the touch of a button, meaning its easy to avoid enemy encounters if you’d rather just rush to the objective.

When you’re on the ground, one of many pages torn from the book of Breath of the Wild becomes apparent. Fenyx can climb up any surface, although how long she can traverse such obstacles is determined by a stamina bar. Try to leap upwards and it will drain faster, making the act of reaching new destinations a nuanced puzzle in itself.

The world is gorgeous, colourful and endlessly vibrant, and that all comes from a single region on the seemingly massive map. It’s nice to see Ubisoft avoiding photorealism in favour of something more fantastical, and I’m confident this will really shine on next-gen consoles later this year. I wasn’t a fan of the tongue-in-cheek narration from the Greek gods as I played, which isn’t sharply written enough to be funny or insightful.

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Stamina also determines effectiveness in combat and sprinting, meaning you’ll often be planning a strategic retreat when overwhelmed by an assortment of cursed soldiers and other beasties. However, I could also summon a mount with the touch of a button, circumventing many of the obstacles that come with stamina management. 

You can even sneak up on horses and mount them, a mechanic pulled straight from Link’s latest outing. I need to stop making such blatant comparisons to Breath of the Wild, but it’s difficult when so much of Immortals: Fenyx Rising seems to take that blueprint without changing much of the fundamentals. They’re aped well enough that the core experience is incredibly fun to play, if a little soulless at times. 

Once I reach the quartet of furnaces I mentioned earlier, I have my first real brush with combat. Fenyx is a capable warrior, capable of hurling a mixture of light and heavy attacks towards her enemies before sending them to the underworld with devastating abilities. Each battle has a satisfying flow to it, as I found myself finishing most combos with a slam of Hephaestus’ hammer.

I sadly wasn’t able to delve into the upgrade system during my demo, having been assigned a specific selection of skills that allowed me to rain arrows down upon my opponents or dash forward with a deadly burst of speed. Each enemy has a stamina bar which can be reduced with the right combination of moves, eventually opening up the opportunity for a fatal finishing move. 

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Ranged attacks are somewhat overpowered, as I found standing back with my bow and aiming for headshots far more effective than melee confrontations. Some foes that require dozens of physical strikes can be downed in just a few headshots with my arrows, often making things feel a little unbalanced. You can also control the arrows yourself with a press of the shoulder button, drawing in close as it travels through the air. This is also used for some awesome puzzles and to light the aforementioned furnaces. 

Dodging will slow time briefly, making it easier to plan your next move in the midst of scrap. While I didn’t contend with any major boss encounters during my demo, I found many of the tougher baddies to be fairly trivial to dispatch, so I hope the full experience is a little more challenging and aims to differentiate itself from the likes of Assassin’s Creed, since right now the flow of combat is largely similar.

When you aren’t duking it out with all manner of ancient beasts, you’ll be partaking in environmental puzzles which are spread throughout the world of Immortal: Fenyx Rising. I stumbled upon a few of these and they’re all excellent, and took longer to solve than I expected.

You’ll often need to navigate obstacles to activate switches before interacting with fiendish tile puzzles which finally lead to some juicy loot. My personal favourite are Constellations, which require you to arrange a selection of orbs in a specific pattern on the ground. However, the same orbs must be used to solve contextual puzzles in the surrounding environment, leading to an immersive bout of head-scratching as I explored ruins desperately in search of a solution. 

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This is where Fenyx Rising really shines, when it’s introducing creative new ideas into the open-world mould instead of pinching from its contemporaries. More involved puzzles are found in Vaults, small pockets in the ground which transport Fenyx directly into the underworld. 

Here, you’ll solve puzzles and normally be rewarded with rare currency, or new weapons and abilities which will prove instrumental in the quest to come. I’m really sorry I can’t help myself, but they’re just like the shrines from Breath of the Wild, right down to transporting you underground to complete ethereal trials in exchange for treasures.  

That being said, they present some truly devious challenges, such as a pinball game where you must launch a trio of flaming balls into a selection of crates as you aim to activate a glowing crystal. It was a fun exercise which required plenty of patience on my part, but finally solving it proved immensely satisfying. It’s a shame the rewards for such feats feel minimal right now. 

Early Impressions

Immortals: Fenyx Rising has the potential to be yet another engaging open-world affair from Ubisoft, and it makes up for its lack of originality with engaging combat, satisfying exploration and a playful spin on the world of Greek mythology.

Part of me is concerned about it aping so many systems from other beloved games, but it seems to expand upon them enough to truly to stand on its own, and I’m eager to see how the full adventure fares once I’ve truly dug into its combat, loot and other systems.

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