Kirk McKeand's Reviews
As much as this is a miniseries spinoff for Telltale's TWD series, this is also a spinoff chapter in the life of Michonne. It's inconsequential. Nothing that happens here can impact this established character in any meaningful way, so Telltale has to work from a template.
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.
Assassin's Creed Syndicate provides a fantastic facsimile of Victorian London, but clumsy controls and tedious missions spoil the fun.
Mafia 3 is the biggest disappointment of the year. It's a game with masses of potential, but unfortunately that potential is wasted on by-the-numbers open-world game design. [OpenCritic note: This review scores Mafia 3 at 2/5 stars. Because Kirk McKeand has already published other scored reviews for Mafia 3, the score has not been recorded]
The city of New Bordeaux, from the 18th-century landmarks of the French Quarter to the damp swamps and open plains of the Bayou, is lovingly crafted and gorgeous to explore, while its attempts to show racism in all its raw ugliness is commendable. Yet unfortunately none of this is enough to make up for its myriad issues that just stop it being much fun. In a year of brilliant games, Mafia 3 is one of 2016's biggest disappointments.
If you’re looking for another game like Anthem, this is that with swords. It might be wearing flashy armor, but its muscles are atrophied underneath.
Star Wars Battlefront II houses a decent single-player campaign and good multiplayer, but, like the otherwise slick design of its multiplayer maps, that accomplishment is often obscured by distractions.
Like a robot that's been cobbled together from spare parts, ReCore has a complicated identity. It's often a platformer and a third-person shooter, but it sometimes feels like a shoot 'em up or a character action game, and it's all underpinned by RPG systems. Because of this muddled personality, it never fully delivers on anything, leaving us with an enjoyable experience, albeit one with a few issues at its core.
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.
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 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.
State of Decay for Xbox One is a smart and convincing zombie fantasy, but its ambition often leads to troublesome technical issues.
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.
Like the samurai, Ghost of Tsushima feels like a relic of a bygone era.
It’s still worth playing, but Resident Evil 3 Remake is a step backwards for Capcom, coming off the back of one of the best games of last year. It’s gorgeous to look at, the jump scares will get you, and it’s like stepping into a comfy pair of slippers. But even though your feet are cosy, it never feels like home.
Zombie Army 4 is the reanimated corpse of gaming’s past, stitched together from the best bits of Sniper Elite. It’s a B-movie pastiche stuffed with classic movie references and thousands of heads (and bollocks) to pop. But most importantly, it’s a new game. A new, fairly-enjoyable video game in 2020 – what a concept.
Despite these annoyances, despite the fact that it’s a game designed with decades-old sensibilities, I enjoyed my time with it. It doesn’t have the conclusion we’ve been waiting two decades for and it barely drives the story forward at all, but the climactic battle is as satisfying as that 70-man tussle in the first game’s harbour.
If you do manage to hold out, you will be rewarded with flashes of brilliance, it’s just that those flashes are buried as deep as the core story is buried in the endless dialogue.
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.
It all feels worth it for those moments when there are a few seconds left on the clock and you are forced to take desperate action.