STACK #183 Jan 2020

GAMES REVIEWS

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STAR WARS JEDI: FALLEN ORDER

GENRE: ACTION/ADVENTURE

PLATFORM: PS4, XBOX ONE

MULTIPLAYER: NO

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is as fresh as The Force Awakens was after the prequel films (well, except Revenge of the Sith … that one was great!)

If you’ve been paying attention to Star Wars: Rebels then the story here will seem familiar. You play as Cal Kestis, a former Jedi Padawan hiding on scrapping planet Bracca.

After Cal uses the Force in a life and death situation, the Empire notice and send in the Inquisitors. A single-player-only experience

I SPY WITH MY BD-1… Your companion droid is named BD-1, and it’s more useful than Merry and Pippin in The Lord of the Rings ! BD-1 can give Cal healing stims, unlock doors, scan the environment, activate machinery and even provide hints inside Jedi temples (which act like puzzle dungeons).

Star Wars titles, too. Cal kicks off with a single Force ability, and learns new ones as you progress. You won’t be picking up Stormtroopers like Starkiller from The Force Unleashed , but you will feel the power of the Force when the screen shakes and the controller vibrates with a powerful Force Push. You can also take your lightsaber to workbenches and customise it any way you want. Change the emitter, handle, switch, wrap, material and yes, even the colour. The attention to detail is outstanding. Ultimately, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is the game that EA needed to release to keep Star Wars fans excited for the future. It’s an outstanding single player experience that will have Star Wars fans both young and old eagerly facing off against the Empire. AD

with no microtransactions, multiplayer or DLC (just like 2018’s game of the year, God of War ), combat is similar to that Kratos experience and such series as Dark Souls , The Surge and Bloodborne . You’ll need to pay attention to what your enemies are doing and block, parry and dodge accordingly. Lightsaber combat is more realistic (well, for a fictional weapon) than previous

JUST DANCE 2020

GENRE: RHYTHM

PLATFORM: PS4, XBOX ONE, SWITCH

MULTIPLAYER: YES

Just Dance 2020 celebrates ten years of Ubisoft’s ace party machine.Yes, just when you may have thought the BPM might abate, they’ve found more modern dance tunes to jam into their mega-dance extravaganza. There are some 40 songs to bop along to, and as always, some will be over the moon with the choice, while others will mumble and grumble and fondly remember the days when music was good.

There’s also mode overload. The traditional ‘Just Dance’ for up to six players simultaneously, the return of co-op, calorie-counting ‘Sweat’ workouts, the extrovert’s fave ‘World Dance Floor’ and a celebration of game’s first decade in ‘All Stars Mode’, featuring popular hits of the series like Boney M’s guilty pleasure classic Rasputin . The kids’ mode also returns, featuring extra new munchkin-friendly tracks and choreography. But wait! There are more collectibles than you could shake, shake, shake a booty at, awarded for doing almost anything in-game, and a ‘Gift Machine’ on which to spend your hard-earned dancing mojo on avatars, skins and aliases. Plus, stickers! Add the ability to use your mobile device as a controller (via an app) and Just Dance 2020 continues the series’ slick-as and super-fun heart- pumping vibe. AF

DOO DOO – RUN! RUN! Just when you thought you’d finally torn it out of your ear, hurled it to the ground, shot it, stabbed it, stomped on it several times, dipped it in batter, fried it and devoured it gleefully with a small squeeze of lemon, Baby Shark features. Doo doo doo doo doo flipping doo!

This year’s model is stuffed with top chart acts, including the likes of Cardi B, Ariana Grande,

Pitbull, Selena Gomez, Billie Eilish, Katy Perry, Lil Nas X (with, of course, Miley’s dad), Ed & Biebs and BTS. So, unless you’re a chart bunny it would seem that music choice in Just Dance 2020 is a tad myopic. However, there’s the ‘Just Dance Unlimited’ subscription service, allowing access to 500-plus other songs. The game comes with one month’s subscription free.

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JANUARY 2020

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