The feverishly awaited Super Mario Odyssey is on track to become this year’s highest scoring game. The Metacritic currently stands at 97%, putting it on par with Zelda: The Breath of the Wild and a short way ahead of PC role-player Divinity: Original Sin II – the third highest scoring game of 2017.
The delectable platformer is available to pre-download now, with the eShop price set at £49.99. As mentioned in our weekly round-up, just about every gaming site has awarded it full marks. Yes, even VideoGamer.
It also gained Eurogamer‘s elusive ‘Essential’ badge: “To many people, Mario is video games. To play Super Mario Odyssey is to remember why that is”
Ubisoft’s Just Dance 2018 hits both the Wii U and Switch eShops this week as well. Wii owners (yes, it’s also releasing on Wii) will have to groove on down to…somewhere that still stocks Wii games. Argos, perhaps.
Then we have Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New Moon (£49.99), an action JRPG from Koei Tecmo. Reviews of the PS4 version went live earlier this week and are wildly mixed, varying from Push Square‘s 7/10 to a miserable 2/10 from TheSixthAxis. Crikey.
If you can pull yourself away from Super Mario, certainly give THQ’s This is the Police (£24.99 – retail release due in December) consideration.
It isn’t much to look at, being a menu-driven experience, but it’s incredibly compelling. As police chief, it’s your job to hire and fire officers, prioritise emergencies and keep city hall happy. There’s a gritty story to take in too, with vocal work provided by Jon St. John (Duke Nukem). We awarded the Xbox One version a solid 7/10 back in April.
If all of the above wasn’t enough, eight other new Switch games are vying for your cash:
ACA NeoGeo Mutation Nation – £6.29
Just like last week’s Robo Army, Mutation Nation is a scrolling brawler. This too managed to elude the Wii’s VC service.
Knight Terrors – £2.69
An inexpensive two-button endless runner that includes a flappy bird reference in its product description. Nintendo Life found it to be rather fun.
Moon Hunters – £8.99 until 2nd November (£9.99 thereafter)
Kitfox Games’ quirky “co-operative personality test RPG” makes the jump to Switch, complete with Eternal Echoes DLC.
Time Recoil – £11.99
Hot on the heels of JYDGE comes another top-down shooter from 10tons.
Splasher – £12.99
This 2D platformer from ex-Rayman Legends devs is something of a sleeper hit, gaining a steady string of 8/10s.
The Mummy Demastered – £17.99
WayForward dishes up this inviting Metroidvania just in time for both Halloween and the movie’s home release.
Violett – £8.09 until 6th Nov (£8.99 thereafter)
A mobile point ‘n click puzzler dating back to 2013. Probably best to approach with caution.
Zombie Gold Rush (£4.49)
If The Mummy Desmastered wasn’t spooky enough for you, maybe this retro-chic zombie shooter will suffice.
The 3DS and New 3DS aren’t without a new release each either – colourful word game Worcle Worlds (£7.99) and the pumpkin popping Halloween Night Archery (£1.79).
Finally, a number of Switch games are set for a discount, including I and Me, League of Evil, Robonauts and Rocket Fist. Additionally, Don’t Starve: Giant Edition is down to £4.28 on Wii U while 3DS owners can pick up Shin Megami Tensei®: Devil Summoner®: Soul Hackersâ„¢ for £6.57â„¢.
Next week: Monopoly, Morphite, and Kirby Battle Royale.