Andrew Todd's Reviews
Wolfenstein: The New Order is the best kind of exploitation: the kind that lures you in with an outrageous premise, but then surprises you by committing to that premise completely, delivering the promised spectacle but telling a great story in the process. It strikes a precarious balance between silliness and sincerity, and for the most part pulls it off. I for one am amazed at how well it works.
The Bastion followup has intriguing characters, great gameplay and a murky story.
I hate and love Dark Souls II, much as I hate and love myself. In presenting such a challenge that I question why or even if I truly love video games, Dark Souls II achieves exactly what it sets out to do. Is it for everyone? No. I'm not even sure if it's for me. It does keep me trying, trying again though, and that's something.
For this wheel-spinning middle chapter, The Wolf Among Us sits back, chuckling at a crack it's made in the middle of an epic joke, while its audience restlessly waits for the punchline.
Titanfall makes big AAA shooters fun again.
The Thief name has a significant legacy in the stealth genre, and Thief, confusing title and all, is clearly straining to live up to it, with its inclusion of water arrows, "taffer" references and more. It's even sort of successful. Even with concessions to 2014 game design - the optional Focus vision mode, the linear escape sequences that might as well be quick-time events or cutscenes - the core stealth still works. But the weakness of everything around it made me wish I was playing Dishonored.
"Smoke and Mirrors" has converted me. Shorn of the need to introduce the game's world and characters, it quickly gets to business developing and telling a story with them.
Jazzpunk ends with an unconventional boss fight culminating in an excellent subversion of boss-battle tropes. If the whole game were as smart as the final confrontation, it'd be a much easier recommendation. As it stands, I still don't know whether its worst jokes are intentionally bad or not.
Octodad: Dadliest Catch's back half wouldn't be so disappointing if the front wasn't so wacky and enjoyable. The titular octopus has the potential to gain as iconic a status in indie gaming as Meat Boy or Minecraft Steve - he just needs a consistently great game to achieve it.
No, The Banner Saga hasn't reached its destination yet, but again: it's all about the journey.
Continue?9876543210 asks big questions, whether direct or hinted. It doesn't provide answers, but perhaps that's the point. You see what you want to see.
PowerStar Golf doesn't reinvent the golf-game wheel, but it's a pleasant, laid-back diversion with a fun design sense and great camera controls that outweigh its relatively inoffensive microtransaction system.
NBA Live 14 delivers an unambitious, sporadically exciting basketball simulation held back by its slavish adherence to replicating the televised game.
While its arcade-style gameplay is enjoyable, LocoCycle is wrapped in racist, lowest-common-denominator presentation that doesn't succeed at being funny or scandalous.
A superb and detailed imitation of TV football, an occasionally exciting gameplay experience, and what can feel like an exercise in monetisation from EA.
Despite some quality visual design, Crimson Dragon is a rough-shod, clumsy experience that yields little gameplay depth or variety and frequently threatens to nickel-and-dime players.
A great-looking game let down by poor storytelling, repetitive gameplay and cheap, frustrating puzzles and traps.