Honestly, as a game The Castle Doctrine has some very interesting parts. As a puzzler it will always keep you on your toes, you will even struggle to beat your own traps unless, like me, you write down the exact way to beat them. It's incredibly interesting to plan your house out and make it as impermeable as possible. What turns me off of The Castle Doctrine is the innate brutality, there's no way to be a good guy, just to be on the nicer side of evil.
Mike Bithell has done it again. Volume is an incredibly entertaining and smart stealth puzzler that will test your brain, even if it doesn't challenge it too much. It's a simple, but extremely effective game that will pose questions in an appealing story without forcing an answer on you. There's an extremely easy to use but effective level creator included to add hours of gameplay through playing through other fun, user-created levels.
Nobunaga's Ambition is an incredibly detailed game. It has a huge barrier to entry but if you can get over it, then the game can and will absorb you. There are weaknesses, the biggest actually being the sheer detail the game goes into when upgrading such as roads, it feels like needless busywork which should be streamlined. By no means is this perfect, there is a lot that could be improved, but for what it offers, Nobunaga's Ambition is well worth looking at. The huge downside is the sheer cost of the game, plus the fact that Koei Tecmo are charging up to half of the original price of the game on extra scenarios.
Train Valley has surprised in so many ways. An interesting, challenging and detailed game in a lovingly small and pleasing package. Offering hours of track building and train crashing in what seems like it should be a basic package. Pure proof that pumping a product full of extra features, that prove extraneous at best, isn't the way to go.
Grand Ages: Medieval is both deep and shallow at the same time, offering a detailed and interesting city development and trading system but letting itself down with shallow diplomacy and military options. A game where everything has been done before and, for the most part, better, it's a good time passer on the PC though something quite fresh and unique for the PS4.
Even as a budget title the game would struggle to be worth it, but at a full retail price and as an extension of one of the PC's longest running franchises, it's in a sorry state. Whatever the reason may be, this game is little more than a failure in my eyes.
Cross of the Dutchman is a short game, it does have a bit of padding in there, but the unusual setting and story behind it, with a reasonably entertaining combat system make it worth trying out. Cheap, cheerful and entertaining - it's worth at least having a look at it.
With a vast world with a huge amount to do, set in a space western and an outstanding soundtrack to accompany it, Rebel Galaxy has a simple but engaging and visually spectacular combat system. Rebel Galaxy has more than enough to keep you engaged, though best played in small doses.
Sword Coast Legends features a reasonably strong campaign as it advances and is great to listen to and look at, however it can be terribly linear throughout. The shallow combat system, with lack of skill variety and shallow dungeon master mode detract just a little too much and stop the game being great.
Age of Decadence is a challenging, yet excellent RPG. With a huge focus on story and depth, it gives you a wide variety of choices to make, ones that have actual impacts on the story. Not only that, the combat is easy to learn but can be incredibly tactical. This is a game well worth playing.
Anno 2205 is a fun and fulfilling game, it's excellent to watch your colonies grow, but after your first one or two playthroughs it's going to become a little too much of doing the same thing. It's in dire need for extra maps and areas with a little more competition thrown in from either the AI or multiplayer competition.
Legacy of the Void is a good release for those already fans of the series. Priced too high for my liking, but the game still offers a decent length campaign marred by a bad and poorly wrote story. The changes and new features made to the online portion of the game should reinvigorate the community and potentially bring people back to it.
Hard West is a solid tactical game. It lacks in story and character aspects but more than makes up for it when you go into battle.
Helldivers is an fast-paced, funny and, most importantly, fun game. It has the same strange sense of humour found in Arrowhead's previous titles and is one of the few games that makes multiplayer worthwile, even when dropping in with random teams.
Devilian is a well functioning MMO/ARPG but has nothing to set it apart from others, except possibly visuals. The real money elements aren't intrusive and wont force you to spend money, which is always a positive.
If you're a fan of constant raising stakes with no reprieve, then this is certainly the sort of thing that will appeal to you. Even if not, it will still appeal, but in smaller doses. Either way, Tharsis is a compelling, but polarizing, game.
Bombshell sadly shows its origins, age and bad design choices. It feels dated on release, has too little variety and requires too much back tracking, though this doesn't mean that you can't have some fun with the action, combined with a great selection of hard rock music.
Blade & Soul offers little of fun, beyond the combat. The only reasons to stick around are the visuals, which are exquisite, the late-game PVP and, rarely, PVE. However, the rigmarole of questing, the dull dungeons and general lack of challenge means that the journey is long, boring and, to be frank, not worth the time it takes.
Firewatch is a short, succinct, game that tells the story it wants to tell. It offers a real look at developing relationships, choice and consequence, all with the beautifully rendered backdrop of the Shoshone national forest. It's a game that will stick with you beyond the finish and one that you'll want to go back to.
While not Homeworld as we know it and featuring bugs and a few issues, Deserts of Kharak is still a strong entry for the franchise and a strong RTS. Offering variety to the fast-paced twitch strategy games that are prevalent, the slow paced, tactical approach on offer here is a welcome change.