Kirk McKeand's Reviews
There is the odd flourish of creativity, but it is hard not to feel like it's all been done before, and better. There's still plenty to enjoy, but it doesn't quite carve out its own identity. In short: it's finely crafted, if a bit woolly.
While Splatoon isn't quite the revelation some were hoping for, it's stupidly fun. The only concern is longevity, with the brief single-player and only two main modes to play online. Whether it retains an audience will depend on the success of post-release support from Nintendo. For now it's a colourful distraction from the grey and brown battlefields of more traditional shooters.
This is a generous remastering of a classic role-playing adventure.
State of Decay for Xbox One is a smart and convincing zombie fantasy, but its ambition often leads to troublesome technical issues.
Crypt of the NecroDancer is a game for people who like good music, cool ideas and being repeatedly punched in the face and told you're rubbish. If you've ever fancied taking on the toughest challenges a game like Dark Souls has to offer, Crypt of the NecroDancer is probably what you're looking for. But now imagine completing it with a dance mat.
Battlefield Hardline has a decent campaign and great multiplayer action, but a lack of personality means it feels more like an expansion than full sequel.
It's rare that the core of a game is as satisfying as Type-0, so if you're willing to overlook some filler, you'll find a lot to love. If nothing else, the combat will get you excited about what real-time system Square's cooking up for Final Fantasy XV.
When playing a good skill-based minigame it can be a blast, but these moments are far too fleeting. It's a fun game to stick on when you've got company round from time to time, but don't overdo it or it won't be long before people stop accepting your party invites.
If you're a huge fan of last-gen's Tomb Raider reboot, you should probably pick this up. The same goes if you have yet to play it. If, like me, you played Tomb Raider the first time round and enjoyed it, there's not really enough here to justify another, full price purchase, however. This is for superfans and newcomers only – casual veterans need not apply. Now, where did I put my waterproof face cream?
Although this review has felt rather negative towards the campaign, there's a lot to like there, too — for the first half at least. And once you're done with that you can always jump into the always brilliant online arena. As far as launch games for new consoles go, Killzone: Shadow Fall isn't bad by any means. Just don't expect anything revolutionary outside of dust particles in shafts of light and you'll be fine.