Judging from the trailers we’ve seen thus far, Breath of the Wild 2 is going to be rather similar to its predecessor – at least in terms of moment-to-moment gameplay. The version of Hyrule we explored in the last game is making a return, with Link stumbling across familiar landmarks and enemies with an outfit and movements we recognise from the last game. I imagine towns have been rebuilt and the region is a little more alive now Calamity Ganon has been vanquished, but the layout is likely similar. Because of this, the way in which we explore this world should remain recognisable, so returning players feel welcome and newcomers aren’t alienated by a sequel that challenges some of its younger sibling’s most daring and creative ideas.

RE4VR doesn’t function like a remake or remaster at all. When I play it, it’s a way of experiencing something I’m intimately familiar with. It’s somewhere between nostalgia and deja vu – like going somewhere you’ve only been in your dreams. When I’m fully immersed in a VR game, it’s the closest I ever get to that childhood feeling of getting totally lost in a game, and the familiarity of RE4 makes that even more profound. I know every inch of this game, yet somehow I’m also seeing it all for the first t

The removal of design decisions previously viewed as irksome would undermine so much of what Breath of the Wild managed to achieve, and the last thing I want to see is Nintendo steering its formula in a direction that abides by more traditional genre conventions. Assassin’s Creed and similar games of this ilk are arguably more akin to content mill, built to draw you in for hundreds of hours even if much of that time is filled with uninspired busywork. The time you spend with the game is what matters, and Breath of the Wild managed to challenge a system that has become increasingly tired in the eyes of players. Its sequel needs to continue chasing that ambition, and not compromise on its own design ethos.

I’ve played close to 100 VR games, and I’ve never had an experience like Resident Evil 4. There are better-looking, more immersive, and higher quality games out there, but none have ever given me as much joy and nostalgia as playing Resident Evil in VR has. As soon as the opening cutscene ended and I took control of Leon, I was instantly transported. I know every inch of RE4’s village, castle, and underground mines, but I never felt like I’d been to these places until now. RE4VR feels like the difference between looking at a picture of the Parthenon versus traveling to Greece and standing in the center of it. Seeing RE4 on a screen is incomparable to seeing it in person, and experiences like this have the potential to sell VR to even the most reluctant play

I’m worried that Breath of the Wild 2 likely won’t heed this advice, with Zelda being yeeted into a hole in the latest trailer and seemingly imprisoned as Link, Ganon, or whoever we end up playing as is tasked with saving her and freeing the realm. It’s far too early to draw conclusions about exactly how BOTW2 will play out, but it’s easy to assume that Nintendo will abide by series conventions and go for something safe.

I can’t play the Spyro trilogy for the first time again, nor can I approach it with the same innocence and sense of wonder that I did when I was ten years old. I still love the series, but games have changed a lot since Spyro first came out. There have been 20 years of evolution and innovation since Spyro the Dragon was made, and I’ve seen how Adventure Games tips have been refined and enhanced since then. I’ve changed a lot too. I’m a critic now, and I pick games apart and analyze them for a living. I can revisit Spyro from a new perspective, but now I experience it as an echo of the original – a snapshot of my childh

Breath of the Wild is so special because every moment feels like a discovery you made on your own terms. A mixture of basic yet impactful abilities like stopping time and lifting metal objects allows you to play with the game’s definition of physics in ways that are still being discovered to this day. You can build a chain of metal weapons and charge them with lightning to activate a distant switch instead of following the traditional solution, showing that the game’s systems are built to be toyed with and taken advantage of in ways that have near limitless potential. Nobody will play Breath of the Wild in the same way, and given the open world genre largely remains defined by chasing down icons and completing repetitive objectives, this is a breath of fresh air that remains unmatched. You could argue “it doesn’t feel like Zelda” because its dungeon design abandons tradition, but the rewarding discoveries of Breath of the Wild are intentionally spread throughout the entirety of Hyrule.

As Nintendo stuck very close to the original game’s blueprint, this is, ultimately, still the same Super Mario RPG that has been around for decades. It looks better and comes with a few quality-of-life adjustments, but the campaign does not have much in the way of new content. Consequently, players who have completed the original version and do not feel like revisiting it might want to hold off on picking up the remake. However, this also means that Super Mario RPG has all the same positives as its ancestor, including frequently hilarious dialogue and a world that is fun to explore. While generally the same, the combat is also improved thanks to the addition of a new special combo me