Replaced has been a long time coming, and for the most part we’re happy with how it has turned out. The combat and presentation are the highlights here, with incredible animation making every encounter look and feel awesome. A slow opening and generally heavy platforming and exploration can drag things down at times though. As it is, Replaced winds up being worth a play for sure, even if it isn’t quite the next best thing we were hoping for.
Presenting a serious message in what is a fairly light-hearted game, Tides of Tomorrow is absolutely an entertaining time. The Story Link feature is a very cool concept, and the way it affects not just our world but those that come after gives us pause for thought every time we’re asked to make a choice.
Simple, solid fun from Double Fine’s multiplayer brawler, with a charming and easy to use creation suite to boot. Matchmaking can take some time, and playing with random players is far less enjoyable than with a group of buddies, but this is still an easy recommendation for those looking to add a new game to the game night rotation.
Of course, this won’t be an issue for everyone, and if you’ve the time to commit to the mystery we think there is something compelling about Cthulhu: Cosmic Abyss. A game that isn’t afraid to let players muddle through it on their own is an idea to be lauded, and here there is a core mystery that will provide a compelling enough reason to continue if you can get into the rhythm of the puzzling.
Fantastic level design and brutally hard challenges remind us of what made the base Art of Vengeance title so good. Add in plenty of love for iconic Sega series and we have an absolute winner on our hands.
An interesting premise and story that is worth playing makes Hacked: The Streamer a title that FMV players should definitely consider. However, not being easily able to track our choices makes it more of a chore to play through repeatedly, especially when hoping to see different outcomes.
Surprising no one, Hades II is a stellar example of the roguelike genre, with excellent combat, rewarding loops and progression, and for those that are willing to spend the time a dense and expansive story and lore to dig into.. Packed with more game than meets the eye, Hades II is something we’ll be playing for a long time to come.
While the addition of the extra dimension brings a few niggles to the precision platforming that simply weren’t there in the original, overall Super Meat Boy 3D retains a lot of what made the original game great – with snappy restarts, generally tight controls, tricky challenges and a lot of reason to go back and beat personal records or find hidden secrets.
A massive improvement over Double Exposure, and an excellent send off for the two characters that the Life is Strange fanbase are obviously hugely fond of. The core mystery kept me guessing throughout, the performances are excellent, and the investigative nature of the story encourages us to dig deep rather than just follow a checklist. It’s just all-round brilliant stuff.
Despite this, I’ve enjoyed my time with Project Songbird all the same. While it didn’t grip me fully, I did enjoy aspects of the tale, and I really dug the horror sections thanks to great use of audio and visuals to make a genuinely unsettling experience.
Screamer is quite simply an incredible arcade racer, with stellar presentation and gameplay. It’s a rare racer that can hold my attention for more than a few hours, but I’ll be playing this for a long time to come.
A strong setting and atmosphere provide genuine creeps and a tale that is engaging, though for me the combat is a weak spot in an otherwise enjoyable experience.
While there’s no denying Marathon is an aggressive PvPvE extraction shooter, it is also a remarkably moreish one. The core loop of exploration, looting and fighting feels great as we’d hope from FPS veterans Bungie, and while the UI could use some touch ups in both inputs and clarity, that one more game feeling is present and correct enough that I can see myself sticking with this for some time to come. With constant updates and additions promised, I think the future is bright for Marathon indeed.
While the base gameplay may be simple and of the time, Jaws Retro Edition proves that can still be fun even today. The Enhanced edition is great and offers more meat on the bones to the original, and while it may not be my favourite retro game ever, I have still enjoyed taking it to Bruce and his aquatic cohorts all the same.
A downer to end with, but I do want to reiterate that the game otherwise is excellent in terms of quality. The roster (at least what is unlocked to start with) is stacked, the match types are more varied than ever, and there are so many modes here to play with I am honestly staggered how anyone could find the time to explore them all properly. Showcase does CM Punk justice, while MyRise is a great character builder for our custom superstar, and the creation suite is even more mind boggling in its scope than ever.
Across all aspects of the experience - gameplay, story., audio, and visuals - Planet of Lana II is a resounding success. A joy to play, a touching story, and incredible soundtrack make for what will be a top contender for my favourite game of the year.
Easily the best Resident Evil game in many years, with inspirations from both RE2’s survival horror and RE4’s more action horror. Paced perfectly, and with plenty of surprises to discover, I can’t recommend Resident Evil Requiem highly enough.
As a debut FMV title, Trapped Predator has done a great job of following in the wake of publisher Wales Interactive. The tale is engaging with plenty of twists, turns, and reasons to replay. We’d have liked a few more choices, more frequently to make along the way and we hope that whatever they bring us next can fine tune what is already a solid base in their production and story telling.
While the narrative didn’t grab us, the brilliant presentation and moreish challenge did. It may make us curse more than a few times as we die yet again, but the challenge was ultimately enjoyable enough to want to continue on regardless.
Romeo is a Dead Man is a fun, crazy, chaotic action title with a lot to offer, even if a few niggles rear their heads at times.