Valley's heart is most definitely in the right place, and for the most part it succeeds in the execution of its gameplay mechanics. Unfortunately, the game's technical faults can't be ignored. The sloppy framerate in particular damages the experience far too much, and has held back what would otherwise be a great game.
Adr1ft is by no means a bad game, but it comes with a few key caveats. Its opening hour is fantastic, as you begin to piece together what has happened and perilously search for the next oxygen canister, but it's the back half of the game that severely lets this intergalactic adventure down. And despite the story and its setting being so intriguing, it's not enough to paper over the glaring flaws present.
The Technomancer offers up a couple of highs and a few too many lows. Its approach to open ended gameplay is appreciated and its combat is fun enough for the first ten hours, but the game eventually loses steam and its story is nothing worth shouting about. To make matters worse, technical problems harm the experience to the point where you'll find it hard to care about the characters during what are supposed to be emotional scenes. There's certainly something here for forgiving RPG fans, but for everyone else, we can only advise caution when it comes to this rough Martian adventure.
There Came an Echo feels like more of a proof of concept than an actual game. The voice control does work well if you have the right headset, but it only goes so far in making up for the dreary gameplay on offer. And while the story is serviceable enough and the graphics are eye-catching, they don't do enough to turn this into a compelling game. If the idea of controlling a title using only your voice really does excite you then this may be worth a look, but if not, consider commanding yourself to buy a different game.
Submerged can only be described as a huge disappointment that squandered its potential thanks to some terrible design decisions and being let out the door far too early. Its story is laughable at best, we couldn't muster up any care for the main character Miku and gameplay itself becomes a drag very quickly. The controls are dreadful and the core mechanic within gameplay, the climbing, is clunky and unresponsive. While the soundtrack is fantastic, it isn't enough to make us ignore the glaring problems the game has in terms of performance.
We can't wait to see the conclusion to the story we started back in January, as well as playing the role of Max one last time. It's been a long and bumpy ride, but we're glad we are on board.
When it comes to deciding whether to purchase Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition or not, you need to reflect on how much you enjoyed the original game, because to get the maximum value out of the special edition, you'll need to play through the games three times. We're sure that die-hard fans and newcomers will find enjoyment in this new release, but people in the middle appear to be stuck. If you enjoyed the original Devil May Cry 4 despite its repetitive nature and you know you want to invest time into learning the new characters, then we recommend you pick up the game. But if you only have a passing interest and the sound of three playthroughs isn't music to your ears, then we suggest you wait until the next iteration in the Devil May Cry series.
[T]he value of Magicka 2 rests on one question: Do you have anyone to play this game with? If the answer is no, we don't recommend playing. If the answer is yes, Magicka 2 is worth checking out.
When we first launched Lost Orbit, we didn't expect to be treated to such a mesmerising experience. The game's lack of attacking options forced us to think differently about our approach and in turn, made us fear every obstacle in our path. When the engrossing gameplay is combined with the beautiful visuals and satisfying soundtrack, you get a game that delivers in every single way. While we did suffer from some problems with the controls in the first few levels and the upgrade tree is on the short side, these problems aren't enough to take away from the fantastic experience of playing Lost Orbit.
Chaos Theory has two big things going for it, the character of Max and its final cutscene. If it wasn't for these two factors, our time of enjoying Life Is Strange may have been up. Its gameplay has become rather tedious and the lack of elaboration in Max's time travelling usage is a severe let-down. The lip syncing issues are worse than ever, and when the technical problems are combined with monotonous gameplay, it's clear that Dontnod have a lot of work to do if they want to re-engage us for the penultimate episode. Max and the episode's finale are the saving graces of Chaos Theory, and they are the main reasons that we still hold hope and optimism for the fourth episode of Life Is Strange.
Ultimately though, LA Cops is a very mediocre experience. The 1970s theme is largely unexplored, the story is almost non-existent and its gameplay is flawed in a number of ways. While the targeting system does have potential and we enjoyed progressing through the upgrade tree, they're not enough to save this game from utter mediocrity. There is some fun to be had in LA Cops, but its repetitive nature, frustrating AI and tedious gameplay means it will be very short-lived.
Bladestorm: Nightmare is almost impossible to recommend to anyone but the most die-hard fans of musou games. While the game's story and setting does have some potential, it takes a backseat to the action and is left to a few throwaway cutscenes before battles. Gameplay becomes tedious far too early, and when combined with a combat system that requires little thought, it makes for a boring experience. When you throw all these monotonous elements into a game that also isn't very easy on the eye, then you get an example of a bad videogame. If you are a huge fan of these types of videogames then maybe you'll find something to enjoy, but anyone else should stay very far away.
Overall, this first foray into Resident Evil Revelations 2 is a good one. The two campaigns are both fun, tense and engaging with a strong Raid mode to back it up. The co-operative gameplay is interesting to experiment with and provides the player with a variety of ways to tackle situations. While the lack of online co-op is a bit of a head scratcher and the graphics aren't up to par, Penal Colony was very enjoyable and more than worthy of a playthrough. If Resident Evil Revelations 2 continues in the same vein, then we can't wait to get our hands on future episodes.
If you've never played a Super Stardust game before, then Super Stardust Ultra is an easy sell. You're getting a host of fantastic game modes to explore along with fantastic graphics and a smooth framerate. This is the complete package and there hasn't been a better time to suit up and take a ship for a spin. However if you've already played Super Stardust HD then the extra game modes and visual enhancements may not be worth the asking price. The game will remain to be an arcade classic, but existing fans will find a lot of disappointment here if they're looking for a new experience. In the end, this a good update to an already fantastic game that deserves its place on the PlayStation 4. But next time, let's have a brand new game Sony.
Life Is Strange is off to a near flawless start. Its story, characters and world are all incredibly interesting and in combination have built a fascinating plot that we can't wait to continue in the second episode. Max's time travelling ability is an innovation in the interactive story genre that allows us shape the story exactly to our liking and is a compelling plot device in itself. If Dontnod can iron out the lip-syncing problems and continue the quality of Chrysalis in future episodes, then we have something very special on our hands.
The Escapists set out to create a fun and realistic prison escape game, and it has done that with flying colours. The player will immediately sympathize for their inmate as they begrudgingly follow the prison's schedule, but then bask in the excitement as they start to plan their prison desertion. The three-step system of increasing your stats, getting better jobs and then crafting the items you need works wonderfully and creates a smooth and logical experience that anyone could enjoy and appreciate. However there are areas for improvement, one being a story that could tie all six prisons together which could help the player build up a connection with their inmate. Also, the game would benefit from a more in-depth tutorial than the one we see at the beginning of the game. Otherwise, like us, players may be lost at the start of their stint in prison and not entirely sure of how to go about forming some sort of escape. The Escapists doesn't quite reach the heights of The Shawshank Redemption's emotion, relationships between characters or interesting story to tie everything together, but it does create an engaging and noteworthy experience that should be played by all.
It's clear to see that The Crew had potential, but the promises it made just simply aren't realised in the final product. While the thought of a digital America to drive across is certainly exciting, The Crew does a very bad job of executing on it and building an interesting environment to drive around in and discover. And when the bland world is combined with an easily forgettable storyline and the worst car handling we have ever experienced in a videogame, it's easy to understand why we did not have any fun with the game. The levelling up system and car customisation are the two good things among an otherwise hugely disappointing feature set. The Crew promised so much, but delivered so little.
Lara Croft And The Temple Of Osiris is a worthy follow up to its 2010 precursor and expands on everything that was put in place in the Guardian of Light. Whether experienced in single-player or in four-player co-op, the game is a lot of fun and always keeps the player guessing about what they'll be doing next. While the story does leave a lot to be desired, the fascinating tombs and user-friendly controls make up for it and create an enjoyable experience that anyone who is a fan of Lara Croft could appreciate. If you've already finished all of 2014's blockbusters and are looking for something to play over the Christmas period, look no further than Lara Croft And The Temple Of Osiris.
It's obvious that Never Alone's Inupiat influences took precedence throughout the whole game, and as a result its gameplay took a hard knock. Some serious AI flaws and glitches ruined any enjoyment we could have with the game, as we spent more time wrestling with its problems than actually gaining any satisfaction. Never Alone is just not an enjoyable or fulfilling experience, and that is why it is best left alone.
Styx: Master Of Shadows showed some potential. Styx himself is an interesting character and the game's use of amber allows the player to be creative in their approach to each mission, but unfortunately these ideas have been thrown into a game which lacks the enjoyment to appreciate them. The frustrating moments far outweighed any fun we had with Styx, and the game's repetition solidified this by making us do those frustrating sections over and over again, which only helped to create a very unenjoyable experience. We only hope that Styx sticks to those shadows he is so masterful of, because we don't want to play a game like this again.