Page 38 - FHM - Australia (December 2019)

APEX LEGENDS
In 2019 many started to feel the battle royale
fatigue. From the broken mess that is PUBG to
the divisive Fortnite, many felt the genre was
on its last legs. Then a surprise announcement
from EA Games and Respawn Entertainment
changed the whole landscape. Apex Legends
made squad-based battle royale work better
than ever thought possible, even when playing
with a randomly matched team. Its intuitive
communication system makes strategic
teamplay achievable without a word, and the
eight unique legends each have unique abilities
that are rewarding. The sci-fi inspired map leads
to tense encounters filled with all of the pristine
gunplay and polish from the Titanfall series,
plus it’s completely free to play.

ASTRAL CHAIN
Platinum Games have been on an amazing
run, delivering unique and wonderfully weird
games like Bayonetta and Nier: Automata and
with their first proper foray onto the Switch
system continues that strong run. Astral Chain
is another excellent game and one of the best
action games of this generation. Fighting off
alien invaders with a Legion robot by your side
proves to be even more fun than it looks, which
is saying a lot. Even outside of combat, the
world and its characters brim with life. Excellent
pacing balances tense action with enticing
exploration to create a deeply satisfying and
charmingly quirky ride.

BORDERLANDS 3
The king of the looter shooters returns and it’s a
welcome return considering the failures of similar
games like Anthem and other money-grabbing
looter shooters. Borderlands 3 is not concerned
about loot boxes or play-to-win models, it’s all
about giving you as much as possible to create
as much destruction while firmly placing their
tongue in the cheek. The sheer magnitude and
diversity of its guns and surprising weaponry is
unmatched, and the striking amount of loving
detail and variety packed into its energetic and
re-playable 30-hour campaign is what makes
Borderlands 3 a high-point for the series – and
the genre as a whole.

36 DECEMBER 2019