Gotham Knights, FIFA 23 & more – the latest video games reviewed

Read Time:10 Minute, 19 Second

The last few weeks have seen incredible games released across a variety of genres. Three, in particular, come from legacy franchises we all know and love to play; DC Comics, FIFA and Disney.

We need your consent to load this YouTube content We use YouTube to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preferences [embedded content]

GOTHAM KNIGHTS

The story of Gotham Knights is simple, effective, and incredibly brave.

Gotham City’s sworn protector Batman is dead. Criminals are now capitalizing on a free-for-all across the city. And it’s up to the Dark Knight’s four proteges, Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin, and Red Hood, to join forces and bring closure to their mentor’s loose ends.

It’s a versatile game, which aims to satisfy your own hunger for action, exploration, investigation, and more all rolled into one. Playing as one of the four vigilantes, you’ll spend as much time throwing fists and using gadgets to fight villains as you will examining crime scenes, linking clues together, plus uncovering the city’s mysteries.

Gotham has always captured people’s imagination as this beautiful but nightmarish city plagued by murders, theft, and more. Gotham Knights delivers on this motif and then some.

Without Batman, the city’s five boroughs seem even more dangerous than your imagination could think of. And it’s perhaps the finest depiction of Gotham in gaming yet. Nearly every rooftop, crevice, or darkened corner, hides an even darker crime or mystery to solve, highlighting the increasingly debaucherous nature of the city.

Varied combat is the true hero

Combat is king within Gotham Knights , and throughout the sport, there’s always a near-certain expectation to fight. Often , you’ll be matched with several criminals simultaneously, all gunning for you – literally.

It’s dealer’s choice on how you dispatch them. Each character has their own fighting style, abilities, gear, and weapons, and while each can be played in a variety of ways, they have their own distinct strengths you should capitalise on.

Nightwing favors acrobatic fighting and can easily zip, flip and kick around mobs. You’ll need a keen eye to follow him on your screen. Batgirl cartwheels around, using her signature kickboxing style to pulverise foes. Robin is much sneakier, favoring stealth, gadgets, and long-distance battling. On the other hand, Red Hood is a tour-de-force of brute strength and feels no reason to move quickly if enemies are pummelled on the spot.

Regardless of who you play, there will be more than one period when you’re heavily-out gunned. Keen instincts and reflexes allow you to defy any fight, lay down impressive combos, and defeat armies of mobsters in a way only a superhero can. A nice touch in the game is that quest dialogue between villains will change depending on who you’re currently playing, heightening the immersive feeling of the online game.

There is, of course , room for stealth play, and the game does try to coax you to try taking out criminals one by one from the shadows like Batman would. Unfortunately, stealth is messy plus somewhat boring, and oftentimes you’ll aggro nearby enemies who are closely clumped together to take any real advantage of your patience. The Darkish Knight’s reputation is safe on this one.

Each night, visiting your headquarters, the particular Belfry allows you to swap between characters, craft an endless supply of costume and weapon upgrades, engage in training, and more. Leveling up a character’s skill tree unlocks even more potential in combat, further diversifying your characters and honing their unique strengths.

Villains are no match for teamwork

It’s a brave move to have Batman killed, and the idea of his four trainees living in his shadow is all the more realized through interactions with Gotham’s many notorious villains. From Mr. Freeze, Clayface, and Harley Quinn, the game blends a certain nostalgia into the story, and its dark turns will keep a person engaged all the while.

Some boss fights can be quite taxing, bringing me to one of my favourite parts of Gotham Knights – the cooperative gameplay. With a simple click, you can join a friend’s world to tackle everything from story quests and combating petty crime to challenging the game’s bosses, all of which are incredibly fun with a friend. It’s one of the few online games in recent memory that makes playing with your friend feel both meaningful and purposeful.

Teammate moves help inject another layer of creativity into fighting, and each character brings its own flair and benefits to coop gameplay. And when you eventually do return to your own Gotham, you’ll bring with you uncovered items, experience, and quest completion.

The future is dark – but in a good way

Ultimately, Gotham Knights is an action-packed escapade from start to finish. It was no easy task to create a game that eliminated its shadowy star, Batman, in the opening cinematic. But shining a dim light on his 4 apprentices is a worthwhile adventure for any Gotham fan to explore.

Gotham has never looked or felt better. Quick, zippy action will keep your pulse rising, and the story’s darker elements are sure to satisfy any Dark Knight fan. And with the soon-to-be-released 4-player Heroic Assault mode scheduled for November 29th, there’ll be even more ways to team up and clean up Gotham City’s criminal landscape.

Gotham Knights is available to play on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X & S, and PC.

We need your consent to load this YouTube content We use Youtube . com to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preferences [embedded content]

FIFA 23

Since 1993, both FIFA and EA Sports have been the champions of consistency, every year debuting a brand new edition of the iconic franchise, FIFA. And in their last hurrah, they’ve produced what is thankfully the best edition yet.

The first thing you’ll note with FIFA 23 is the fluid character of the gameplay. A new dribbling system calculates player paths in a more intelligent manner, making the entire game feel more responsive and natural. AI players will have an awareness of who and what’s around them to avoid tackles plus collisions and, in some unfortunate instances, may even outplay a person.

Power shots are a skill-based mechanic that adds power and accuracy in tandem at the cost of input precision. Together with new passing options and shooting trajectories, you have incredible control over how the ball travels, whether you decide to dip, bounce, volley, or spin it to the back of the net. All it takes is your right analog stick and some keen reactions to succeed.

FIFA 23 spares little expense in the realism department, as even the slightest connection of the ball with a player’s body or feet will influence its trajectory. So at the precise moment of deflection, everything is to play for. And when the camera pans towards the crowds, you’ll spot surprisingly impressive levels of detail in a sea of football flags, jerseys, and more – further blurring the lines among gaming and real life.

Action is always set to high, your eyes always darting from point to point on the screen. What you press on your controller happens instantaneously on the pitch, providing a satisfying, almost immediate adrenaline rush.

Game modes

A variety of game modes will allow you to perform FIFA on your own terms. Quick play propels you straight into the action, both online or off. But with crossplay finally included, there is even more opportunity for people to play against friends and duke it out on the field.

The signature Ultimate Team returns, this time with a brand new ‘Chemistry system’ that gives you a new way of strategizing your squad around. Pick ideal player positions, find common links between them, and grow player loyalty to make significant impacts on your team’s performance. There are still, of course , microtransactions aplenty to contend with, something which offers always cast a shadow on the franchise.

Career Mode, Volta football, and Pro Clubs almost all make a return, too, providing ample opportunity to create your personal footballer, manager, or simply kick ball with friends in low-stakes scenarios.

A fitting end to an iconic legacy

Without being overly dramatic, the end of FIFA and EA Sport’s partnership feels like the end of an era. Every year, they’ve both tried to captilize, not only on the evolution of the pitch but on next-gen console capabilities too. With the release of FIFA 23 , one can safely say they’ve ended on a high.

This final game draws a thin line in between realism and gaming, provides improved the game’s mechanics and cognition, and allowed players to enjoy the ‘World’s Game’ on their own terms. And while the game will no doubt command the captive audience for the rest of the year, eyes will no doubt be set for 2024 to see what new game will try to take FIFA 23 ’s place.

FIFA 23 is avaiaible to play on Playstation 4 & five, Xbox One, Xbox Series X & S, PC, Nintendo Switch and Google Stadia.

We need your own consent to load this YouTube content All of us use YouTube to manage additional content that can set biscuits on your device and gather data about your exercise. Please review their information and accept them to weight the content. Handle Preferences [embedded content]

DISNEY DREAMLIGHT VALLEY

Fancy growing crops with Mickey Mouse? Visiting Elsa in Arendal? Or create your very own Disneyland? Well, now you can, thanks to the brand new video game Disney Dreamlight Valley.

This game is at the crossroads of adventure plus simulation; think Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley , but with Donald, Goofy and Moana. And yet, there’s still so much nuance and potential that this game has that comparing this to other games feels lazy. It does plenty on its own in order to warrant attention.

The story is simple. You’ve mysteriously arrived in Dreamlight Valley, but the villagers have all suffered spectacular memory loss. This is thanks to the ‘Forgetting’, a mysterious malignancy that wipes people of their identity. Nightmarish thorns are everywhere, mysterious magic blocks paths, and more.

Your task? Clear out this problem, restore order, and befriend a variety of Disney heroes and villains all the while. Quests see you recreate classic Disney storylines between Ursula and Ariel, Mother Gothel and her magical scheming, or actually building snowmen with Elsa and Anna.

The level of nostalgia is incredible as enchanting Disney earworm reprises play in the background. So when quests are all done, you can go into design mode to create some incredibly detailed environments. Like Animal Crossing , a daily shop reset allows you to expand your furniture, and over time you’ll be able to create your very own Disney paradise.

It must be pointed out, though, that Disney Dreamlight Valley is currently in early access. This means players will pay for the game, though certain subscriptions like Xbox sport pass may give access for free.

As an early-access game, there may well be a few bugs and kinks yet to be teased out. Though from playing on the PS5, I’ve yet to experience numerous problems. When the game does officially release, later on, it will be free-to-play, so a title worth keeping in the back of your mind for the future.

But from the small slice of the online game thus far, the future looks bright and magical. And with brand new updates already released, including The Lion King ’s Scar and Toy Story on the horizon, the potential of this game to capitalize on every The disney produtcions and Pixar name will be astounding. If you have even the slightest Disney fancy, you’ll really feel right at home in Dreamlight Valley.

Disney Dreamlight Valley can be obtained to play on PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X & S, Nintendo Switch, plus PC.