Luke Addison 's Reviews
Gangs of Sherwood certainly isn't the deepest or most convoluted game on the planet, but it never pretends to be anything more than it is; a game made to be enjoyed with friends with a simplistic premise. It is genuinely good, surface level fun with friends, and it has all the basics of what a game like this should have, but it also comes with plenty of room for improvement in future DLC or future instalments.
For a smaller entry, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name offers a lot, both with content in the short term, but also influence on the larger Yakuza storyline at play. It harkens back to previous installments regularly, and connects to the future ones too, filling in gaps in Kiryu’s story and rounding him out even further. The reused and revisited locations are a mixture of familiar and overused, but they don’t overstay their welcome in this installment, and the new additions of The Castle help alleviate any potential boredom, whilst the combat introduces a new side to Kiryu, with new abilities and moves, it can feel repetitive after a while. As a whole, fans of the franchise will not be disappointed, and it will prove an easy jumping-on-point for newcomers alike with the constant recaps of the story so far, but for those looking for a longer, more in-depth entry to the franchise, you’ll be a little disappointed and may have to wait for Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth next year.
Whereas the first Alan Wake was more of an action-adventure game with a few horror elements thrown in, Alan Wake 2 flips the script. This is a horror game, heavy on the horror, heavy on the graphic, adult themes, interspersed with moments of brutal combat that'll leave you sweating and your heart pounding. It holds nothing back. It makes the hard choices. It is immersive, incredible, and a technical achievement. It's what we fans have deserved after all these years of waiting, and Remedy has done themselves proud, and that's the biggest compliment this Alan Wake 2 review can give.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 was a lot of people's most anticipated Game of the Year, and for good reason with the quality of the two previous entries. and I'm glad to say that it doesn't disappoint. A few pacing issues, some - at times - confusing combat options and the occasional bug does not detract from the overall experience. The performances of the cast as a whole are fantastic, but a special shout for Yuri Lowenthal as Peter needs to happen. The path Peter goes on throughout the story is a hard and harrowing one, but every single sentence and every single syllable is performed with such conviction you'll feel every emotion Peter does. From sad and full of loss to anger and desperate addiction, Lowenthal absolutely smashed it. I spent the majority of my time with a gigantic smile on my face, followed by a slew of emotions that left me emotionally exhausted. If you're a Spider-Man fan, be it film, comics, animated TV shows or early video game adaptations, this is absolutely something you should experience yourself.
Sonic Superstars is fun, there is no denying that. But for every part that relies on the nostalgia of the original games, there are modes or mechanics implemented that seem to forget we’re in the modern day. Give us more of a fleshed-out Battle Mode. Online co-op. A variety of end-of-level bosses. Either way, even with the drawbacks, this is closer to Sonic than the attempted deviation that was Sonic Frontiers. A little more polish, content, and depth would have made this one of the better modern Sonic games, but we got a reminder of how great the franchise used to and perhaps could be again.