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Kirk McKeand

Kirkules.Mck

Favorite Games:
  • The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
  • Deus Ex
  • Final Fantasy VII

90 games reviewed
75.2 average score
80 median score
58.9% of games recommended

Kirk McKeand's Reviews

Kirk McKeand is an award-winning freelance writer with impeccable taste in video games and 100% correct opinions. Two of those things are true.
Dec 8, 2013

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.

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Jan 30, 2014

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?

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Mar 15, 2015

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.

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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.

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Mar 19, 2015

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.

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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.

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State of Decay for Xbox One is a smart and convincing zombie fantasy, but its ambition often leads to troublesome technical issues.

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This is a generous remastering of a classic role-playing adventure.

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May 26, 2015

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.

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Jun 21, 2015

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.

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Jul 16, 2015

And that's what it feels like to play Godzilla - you're a man in a giant suit, blindly bumbling around a fake cardboard city, swinging your arms and trying not to pass out - not because you're exhausted, but because you're bored out of your mind.

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Perhaps MGSV's best quality is how in pulling gameplay to the foreground and letting much of the exposition remain optional, it opens it up to be enjoyed by people who have in the past been put off by its weirdness, serving as both the perfect entry point and a satisfying conclusion. MGSV takes the best of a great series and creates a series' best in the process.

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Aug 26, 2015

Devil's Third will probably gain a cult following because it's a game from Itagaki, but it's nowhere near the quality of some of his earlier work.

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Super Mario Maker already has so much potential, but its true brilliance will only be apparent once it's out and it starts to create prodigies. Whether Super Mario Maker is a gateway to infinite Mario levels or an outlet for your creativity, you will still find unlimited value within. If Mario means anything to you, this is absolutely essential.

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If you do happen to own a PC capable of running the original Dishonored on max settings, this port is difficult to recommend, however. I still class it among the best games of the last generation and believe everyone should play it, but this just isn't much of a remaster.

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Assassin's Creed Syndicate provides a fantastic facsimile of Victorian London, but clumsy controls and tedious missions spoil the fun.

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Nov 9, 2015

If you've been waiting for Fallout 4, it will simultaneously meet your expectations and exceed them in others. Who would have thought a Fallout game would convince us of Bethesda's storytelling and shooter credentials? In a year full of brilliant open-world games like The Witcher 3, it manages to stand apart from the crowd and deliver something that feels fresh, despite its familiar foundations.

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Dec 1, 2015

When you liberate an enemy stronghold Rico sometimes says, "That was fun - let's do it again." This feels like a perfect summary for the game: it is 15 minutes of stupid fun on repeat. But that barely matters when you are firing remote-detonated cows at a military compound filled with the red stuff.

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This tight, finely tuned experience might not be treading the same ground as classic Rainbow Six - and the lack of any substantial singe-player is unfortunate - but taken on its own merits, it's easily one of the best shooters of the year, and the best online experience we've had in quite some time.​

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Unscored - Cobalt
Feb 1, 2016

It's a likeable game, and it feels fantastic to play when you nail an extended combat encounter with a chain of flawless shots, deflections, rolls, slides and aerial skull punches. It can be a touch imprecise, especially when trying to time a shot while rolling or throwing an explosive, but sometimes your failures can be just as entertaining as an unbroken display of acrobatic death.

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