This week we declare Total War: Warhammer II on PC before jumping on to Xbox One for deepspace action with Morphite and sneaking antics with Dishonored: Death of the Outsider. Meanwhile, it's retro test time with the SNES Classic Mini.
Total War: Warhammer II
Platform: PC
Total War's second charge into the heady swords and sorcery fantasy world of Warhammer takes the strategy series into full-blown role-playing territory. Where before you marched on to victory through ultimate domination of your enemies by words or swords, in Warhammer II each faction (High Elves, Dark Elves, Skaven and Lizardmen) is pursuing control of the Vortex, a swirling mass of powerful magic, and to win you must complete quests and perform rituals while preventing opponents from doing the same. The choice of factions is sadly limiting, though DLC reinforcements are not far away, but the scale and momentum provided by a huge world and tight narrative makes for thrilling warfare. .
SNES Classic Mini
Platform: Retro
The SNES Classic Mini is a cute, nostalgic memory you can fit in the palm of your hand. With two original SNES controllers (that feel as wonderful now as they did 25 years ago) and 21 games, it's a perfect, though quite staggeringly expensive retro gift. There are some notable absences - no Pilotwings, Earthworm Jim or Bomberman - but the games on offer are among the greatest from the remarkable SNES era: The gorgeously cartoonish Yoshi's Island and the stone-cold classic Mario Kart. Super Metroid's genre-defining adventure and Donkey Kong's impressive psuedo-3D platforming. The pitch perfect Zelda: Link to the Past and the quietly innovative Secret of Mana. Aesthetically and sentimentally, the SNES Classic Mini is an authentic winner.
Dishonored: Death of the Outsider
Platform: PC, Xbox One, PS4
Stealth games often make you feel vulnerable but the Dishonored series has specialised in satisfying, empowering assassination action. Death of the Outsider is a spin-off, not a full instalment, and adds only one real innovation: A magical camouflage skill. It's hardly a new idea, but it works well in the Dishonored setting and provides a tense and appealing alternative to your existing sneaky/killing options. This outing isn't exactly newcomer friendly, with the game's intriguing steam-punk universe and your character's past injuries given no introduction. Though if slogging through Dishonored 2 first puts you off, just relish the bloody chaos you can wreak, retreat from and then unleash once more from the shadows.
Skip to the end: A difficult entry point for newbies, but enjoyably murderous as ever
Morphite
Platform: PC, iPad/iPhone, Xbox One, PS4, Switch
Visually it might seem out of date, but Morphite is a wonderful adventure perfectly suited to quick modern gameplay. As an orphaned explorer in deep space, you'll be hopping between thousands of randomly generated planets, meeting, examining and exterminating new lifeforms and juggling resource hunting and equipment upgrading with your quest to uncover the secrets of the shapeshifting Morphite element. You won't lose yourself for hours in this angular galaxy like you might in No Man's Sky. But the small scale focus and simple goals blend well with the charming atmosphere, giving Morphite a moreish 'just one more planet' appeal and making it ideal for short bursts of casual gaming - perfect for tablets especially, where there's nothing else quite like it.
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