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Andrew Todd

ghostsharkhunter
mistertodd

Favorite Games:
  • Mass Effect
  • GoldenEye 007
  • Gone Home

97 games reviewed
63.1 average score
58 median score
25.0% of games recommended

Andrew Todd's Reviews

Andrew lives in New Zealand, working in film and theatre in addition to being a games writer.
9.5 / 10.0 - Firewatch
Feb 12, 2016

Firewatch pushes the still-forming first person exploration genre ahead several steps, with wonderful dialogue, sumptuous design, and a story that examines loneliness in unique ways.

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Apr 26, 2016

1979 Revolution: Black Friday is a groundbreaking game, not in terms of gameplay, but in its depiction of real historical events in an accurate, thoughtful manner, and its exploration of a genre rarely touched by video games.

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7 / 10.0 - Powerstar Golf
Jan 8, 2014

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.

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6 / 10.0 - Madden NFL 25
Dec 12, 2013

A superb and detailed imitation of TV football, an occasionally exciting gameplay experience, and what can feel like an exercise in monetisation from EA.

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5.5 / 10.0 - NBA Live 14
Jan 7, 2014

NBA Live 14 delivers an unambitious, sporadically exciting basketball simulation held back by its slavish adherence to replicating the televised game.

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5.5 / 10.0 - LocoCycle
Dec 20, 2013

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.

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5 / 10.0 - Crimson Dragon
Dec 5, 2013

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.

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Nov 21, 2013

A great-looking game let down by poor storytelling, repetitive gameplay and cheap, frustrating puzzles and traps.

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Nov 17, 2015

Star Wars: Battlefront is a simplified online shooter for a broad audience that delivers on its promise of Star Wars battle fantasies.

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Unscored - Bloodborne
Apr 14, 2015

Bloodborne rewards deep play and deep thought. It's not for everyone, and it's definitely more accessible if you've played another Souls game first, but that doesn't mean newcomers can't pick it up.

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Mar 23, 2015

Valley of the Yetis is a decent piece of DLC for Far Cry 4, but it's not the Bigfoot game I've been waiting for.

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Unscored - White Night
Apr 6, 2015

It's more intriguing as a game mechanic than an actual game, and scarier and more atmospheric in the shadows than the light.

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Aside from occasional distracting cameos by TV show characters, it's a self-sufficient tale that sits comfortably alongside the canon story, maintaining all the defining characteristics from the source material, for good or ill. Luckily, it's mostly good

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[W]hile Telltale's Game of Thrones gets all the surface details right, it's the subtler elements under the surface - the narrative and thematic conventions - that make it a terrific adaptation of and expansion to an already-terrific story.

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Dec 8, 2014

BioWare outdo themselves with their most dauntingly enormous RPG yet.

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Unscored - Far Cry 4
Nov 21, 2014

Whether Far Cry 4 is worth it to you depends on whether you've played Far Cry 3 and are keen for more; or failing that, whether the changed-up setting and handful of new gameplay mechanics make it worth another suckle from that Far Cry teat.

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Unscored - Never Alone
Nov 24, 2014

I'd never heard of the Iñupiat people before this year, and I'm still not an expert, but through playing Never Alone, I've gained quite the appreciation for them. Playing and interacting with this story taught me about their culture better than any Wikipedia page could. It's a fascinating example of games as learning tools and cultural documents. But equally as importantly, it's a delightful, painterly, moving gameplay experience unlike any other.

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Nov 14, 2014

Activision injects some much-needed fun into their cash cow's bones, but its brain is still paranoid and its heart still cold.

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Unscored - Alien: Isolation
Oct 22, 2014

By the time I reached the end of my sojourn on Sevastopol, I'd been beaten, bruised, shot, electrocuted, bitten, and burned. I'd gone into the heart of the alien nest and into the icy black vacuum of space. I'd jumped in terror at sounds coming from all sides, and forced myself to continue when all hope was lost. But I fought through it all, dammit, and came out on the other side a changed woman.

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Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments is a member of an unsung breed of games: the kind that rewards critical thinking and judgement over twitchy reflexes, strategy, or putting the right pegs in the right holes.

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