For many, this is the most crucial of the next generation cross-platform comparisons. The new Assassin’s Creed is a big game, cross-gen in nature for sure, but apparently built with the new wave of machines at least partly in mind. Valhalla also represents a generational shift for the franchise as this is the first time a new series entry arrives on consoles with a 60fps target – on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X at least, delivered with varying levels of success. Ubisoft Montreal aims for complete platform parity between Sony and Microsoft’s premium consoles, but the results when they do diverge are perhaps unexpected.

Anvil Next gets a revamp, but there is the sense that much of Valhalla’s shift in aesthetic comes from the art side. In fairness, this can tap into the engine’s strengths: a sizeable enough proportion of the rendering budget is spent on the volumetric clouds … Read the rest

Two expansions ago, with 2016’s Legion, high-level and endgame World of Warcraft underwent a big change. Legion introduced Artifact weapons for each class specialisation that could be infinitely powered up and used to further customise each specialisation’s playstyle. All told, it was a net positive, dovetailing well with some of the expansion’s other innovations – such as the repeatable, rotating World Quests – to open long-term endgame progression to a wider variety of players than just the raiding hardcore. WOW became a game you could pleasurably grind away at and advance your character without feeling funnelled towards more and more challenging group content in the quest for elusive loot drops. (It became a lot more like Diablo in that respect – coincidentally or not, current WOW production director John Hight also served as the production director on Diablo 3’s excellent console version and Reaper of Souls expansion.)

However, layered-on, limitless … Read the rest