STACK #164 June 2018

GAMES REVIEWS

visit stack.com.au

STACK

Out now at JB Hi-Fi RECOMMENDS

GENRE: ACT/ADV PLATFORM: PS4 RELEASE: OUT NOW MULTIPLAYER: NO DETROIT BECOME HUMAN

Do androids dream of electric sheep? We may never know, but we get pretty close to finding out in Detroit: Become Human . The latest PlayStation 4 exclusive from writer- director David Cage – the genius behind Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls – Detroit: Become Human gives you the chance to experience life as one of three androids; Kara, Markus, and Connor. Set in Detroit, androids are a contentious topic within society; some individuals feel as though they belong as public servants, others see them as stealing their jobs. There are riots in the streets and graffiti on the walls, and a general unrest among the public.

DBH, though, isn't just about that. It's about living life as artificial intelligence, seeing the world through their eyes, and breaking free of their programming – whether it's to save the life of another, or to start a rebellion. The game's storytelling is captivating and compelling, and it is a truly breathtaking landscape to behold. DBH is a humanising experience that raises more questions than it answers, and is as charming, charismatic and unique as you'd expect from a David Cage game. The latest in a long line of immaculate PS4 exclusives.

DONKEY KONG COUNTRY: TROPICAL FREEZE GENRE: PLATFORMER PLATFORM: SWITCH RELEASE: OUT NOW MULTIPLAYER: NO

Since he first hurled a barrel at Mario in the 1981 arcade classic, Donkey Kong has been as one with platforms. Now comes his latest – which may be familiar if you had a Wii U.

Horned Antarctic animals called ‘Snomads’ have invaded Donkey Kong and friends’ tropical island – and on the big guy’s birthday, too! Suffice to say that he’s unimpressed. So, with various help from Kongs Diddy, Dixie, Cranky and Funky, DK does what he does best (when not chucking barrels at plucky plumbers or shopping for monogrammed neckties) and gets seriously platformy. Ignoring the added ‘ly’ there, ‘serious’ is an apt word. The Donkey

Kong Country series has been challenging ever since its first Super Nintendo excursion, and Tropical Freeze is no exception. It may throw lives at you like confetti but, unless you’re a DKC savant, you’ll need them as Donkey Kong: Country Tropical Freeze is unforgiving and often incredibly hard – and there’s nothing wrong with that. But there may be tears – from adults as well as kids. Arriving on the Switch mostly unchanged, a concession to this infamous difficulty has been made with the addition of Funky Kong’s “Funky Mode”. No longer just keeping shop, he has two extra hearts, can double jump, swim underwater without needing to breathe, roll continuously, and also avoid many pointy-pointy obstacles thanks to his board. Sure, it’s another Wii U retread, but Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze remains a gorgeous, clever, charming and (again) challenging platformer that deserves its own Switch release as much as DK deserves bananas.

20

JUNE 2018

jbhifi.com.au