Just Dance 2020 ★★★☆☆

When I was a kid, almost everyone had a dance mat peripheral packed away in a dusty corner, slowly yellowing away until the connectors were lost to the annals of time. If you were particularly unlucky, your host might dust it off, especially if they knew you liked ‘games’. There’s only so many times you can hear a song before it starts to send you slowly mad. So while it’s not held in the same regard as Metal Gear Solid, there’s still a definite fondness for rhythm games in my heart.

Just Dance has been around for a decade now, improving on the mats of the past by switching for the dexterity and speed of hands and fingers. Gameplay consists of moving your body in time to the tune, with ever-increasing difficulties that only a rhythmic genius has a hope of completely perfecting. It’s as addictive as it ever was, and the game is just as responsive as I remember. Your experience is likely to vary based on your console of choice, with a number of token differences to be found if you’re using a Wii U rather than a PS4.

They’ve added 40 new songs from a variety of popular artists, and it’s reasonably diverse. (Tracks include Fit but you know it by The Streets, while more recent examples are the Old Town Road remix by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus.) The game supports using a smartphone as a controller, while you’ll also be able to download additional tracks via Just Dance Unlimited on newer platforms. The paid subscription service adds over 500 songs, making it easier to find something that suits your personal tastes. At least you can choose between 24 hour, 1-month, 3-month, and 12-month passes.

There’s a Sweat Mode, designed to track burned calories, which is handy if you’re buying the game predominantly for exercise. There’s also a Kids Mode with the same purpose, but most are likely to leave it untouched. Finally, the All-Stars mode takes you back through some of the more memorable routines from the last decade. Considering everything, it’s safe to say that little has changed since the last release. 

Of course, Just Dance has a dedicated, hardcore fan base that will keep it going in the foreseeable future, and the games still manage to hit the right notes. It’s a shame that you’ll have to use their subscription service to get extra songs, but it’s easy to forget that we were stuck with the same tracklist in iterations from the past. However, can they really justify churning out the same game again and again with a few different songs each time? It would arguably be better sold as DLC, or they could package the game free with a 12-month subscription purchase.

It made the news after being released for the original Wii, keeping the console alive way past its traditional lifespan. In some ways, Just Dance is a bit of a relic too, but it’s hanging in there after a decade of being a decent party game option.

★★★☆☆

James Millin-Ashmore

Just Dance 2020 at CeX

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MediEvil ★★★☆☆

MediEvil is the latest Sony PlayStation game to be completely remade for the current generation console. It follows on from the amazing (and pretty hard to beat) remakes of both ‘Spyro’ and ‘Crash Bandicoot’, giving us ‘Spyro Reignited Trilogy’ and ‘Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy’ respectively.

The first thing that you’ll notice is that the graphics have been updated to create a beautiful effect, and they really look incredible when you compare them with the original. The style suits the game perfectly and it runs very well – I had no glitches or problems with framerate throughout my entire playthrough (a rarity nowadays).

During the game you play as Sir Daniel Fortesque who has been brought back to the land of the living to rid Gallowmere from the evil Zarok and his horde of equally evil minions.  The story really isn't anything to shout about but is merely a backdrop for what you will be doing in the game. The actual gameplay involves going through various levels in Gallowmere, selectable from a world map, and within these, you will be using a wide range of close combat and ranged combat weaponry to kill every demon in your way. And if you have no weapons? Well, just use your arm by tearing it off and swinging it around!

The main issue I have with this game, and all remakes of this kind really, is that by trying to replicate the initial game, not much room is left for any new innovations. If you have played the PS1 version, for instance, the camera angles can be awful and this is still very much present in the remake. There is a new option in this one, a “behind the shoulder” angle, but that original frustration over not being able to see what you want to look at is still very much there.

This remake format also leads to a lack of new content, meaning once nostalgia has worn off you’re pretty much left playing a game you’ve already completed (which is fine, but it’s nice to have a few surprises in there as well). A big part of me hopes that one day one of the remakes that we get will have more new levels and content added to make it even more worthwhile of purchase for long term fans.

Maybe the problem isn’t the game or format though – perhaps the real issue is how us, the players, react to such games. I think a lot of us wear rose-tinted glasses when it comes to the games we loved so much from our childhoods and teenage years, meaning that perhaps we are inadvertently setting the bar too high when it comes to remakes. Nostalgia can only fuel a game for so long, and with a game such as ‘MediEvil’ that has quite basic combat and gameplay, it may never feel quite as wonderful as the first time we played it – even with the graphics upgrade.

If you played the initial release decades ago and want to rekindle some of the passion you had for the game then I would certainly recommend playing MediEvil once more. If you do buy the game just don't expect it to be as varied in gameplay and mechanics as a current-generation game, as you’ll only find yourself disappointed.

★★★☆☆

Hannah Read

MediEvil at CeX

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The Outer Worlds ★★★★★

‘The Outer Worlds’ is the latest game from Obsidian who have recently been acquired by Microsoft, and if there is one thing to glean from my near 40 hours with the game, it’s that this was a very, very good investment on Microsoft’s part.

The game is set in the distant future, where mankind is colonizing other worlds in alternative solar systems, and you play as a character who was on one of the colonizing ships that got somewhat delayed on its journey (by 70 years!). Now you must try to help save your frozen colonists and find out the truth about what's happening in the Halcyon system. Or, you could do neither and just cause as much mayhem as you want. Because, with the outer worlds, the beauty is that you can really direct your stories in some very varied directions with the choices you make – hell, you can just kill everyone and be done with it if that's really what you want to do.

The game is very much a spiritual successor to ‘Fallout: New Vegas’ which Obsidian worked on before but with a smaller scope. Unlike ‘New Vegas,’ the game is not truly an open world to explore but rather a number of sandboxes for you to play around in with many different quests to do and loot to find. It's more akin to ‘Borderlands’ in this design and it is greatly appreciated because it comes across as more of a bitesize experience where you can do a little bit each day, whether that be progressing the story or clearing out an area.

The main gameplay loop is quite different too. Each area starts with a main quest, branching off into many more that are related in some way. The side stories in the game are unique and the writing is excellent. I would also say that the companions you meet have some amazing quests that shouldn't be overlooked (much like the ‘Mass Effect’ franchise). I would say my only real complaint of the game is that the actual combat feels a bit like an afterthought. The combat is serviceable but won't blow you away in any aspect, with it being not quite as fun to play as ‘Fallout 4’ or ‘Borderlands 3’. This holds it back slightly, although it does have some good mechanics such as the ability to slow down time.

One of my favourite aspects of the game is that it isn't a 100-hour experience, which makes a refreshing change. It is built to be so varied in the story that you could play it through multiple times and have very different outcomes, however, just playing it once makes for a fulfilling experience. A lot of what we’ve become used to within giant RPGs to has been taken out, leaving a collection of really meaty, story-driven quests. It’s a breath of fresh air when compared with so many games just trying to pack as much content in as possible. Everything you do within ‘The Outer Worlds’ is meaningful and has an effect on the world around you, sometimes in ways you won’t be able to predict.

Don't sleep on what is possibly one of the best Western RPGs of the generation, which not only blows the likes of ‘Fallout’ out of the water but is also so unique that you will be aching to play it through again and again. The characters and the world are stunning, making it well worth buying!

★★★★★

Hannah Read

The Outer Worlds at CeX

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Kotara gets a brand new CeX store!

Kotara gets a brand new CeX store!

We've just opened a brand new store in Kotara and it’s packed to the rafters with Phones, Games, Films and Gadgets.

Come see us to buy, sell and exchange to your heart's content!

Find us at: Shop 1042, Westfield Kotara (Level One), NSW, 2289

Or head HERE for more info!

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