Chris Wray
- Final Fantasy IX
- Battlefield 2
- Rome: Total War
Ratchet & Clank is a fantastic game and a strong return of both the franchise and developer Insomniac, who have done an outstanding job. It doesn't concern itself with being a movie tie-in and, as such, it ends up being a true Ratchet & Clank game, one that any fan will have already played and an excellent introduction to make new fans.
Total War: Warhammer is quite possibly the most exciting strategy game to come out in a long time. It's a huge change for such a long running franchise, brings in so many new features that work so well, and looks downright stunning as huge numbers of fantastical creatures create all manners of havok across the battlefield.
Ashes of the Singularity is a beautiful game, but that's sadly the best that can be said. It's just shallow. It will offer some enjoyment, but the game just doesn't hit what it wants to be and stumbles too much along the way with even the basics, even punishing you for doing what the developers tell you to do.
Battlefleet Gothic is a mixed bag. The slow pace hinders a game that should be all about letting you jump in to epic space battles but as you develop, leveling up ships and customising your fleet to what you want, it does prove itself to be a strong contender.
With the clunky interface and gameplay, combined with the price and lack of content, it's impossible to recommend Life in Bunker now. Does it have potential? Most certainly, but for now, it's unrealised potential.
Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 brings you fewer features, girls, minigames and an altogether lesser experience. What it does have, however, are exceptional visuals and design on the nine girls. Let's face it though, that's what you go for when you buy a Dead or Alive Xtreme game, or any Dead or Alive game now. Does that make Dead or Alive Xtreme 3: Fortune worth it? No.
Superhot initially seems like style over substance and as it develops, it proves that this isn't the case. However, it decides to take substance too far which can actively detract from the game. However, the gameplay, great design and added features more than compensate for any detracting factors.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.