Peter Parrish


Favorite Games:
  • Thief: The Dark Project
  • Dark Souls
  • Alpha Protocol

120 games reviewed
68.8 average score
70 median score
31.7% of games recommended

Empire Divided picks an engaging, strife-filled period of Roman history and gives the game new administrative layers and narrative trimmings, with a degree of success. But, ultimately, all roads lead back to the Rome 2 of 2013.

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Nov 21, 2017

Jade Dragon is a touch pricey, and benefits from ownership of prior regional DLC, but its off-stage empire is a compelling enough reason to revisit the eastern portions of the CK2 map.

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Nov 9, 2017

Rating Football Manager is a two-pronged affair. As the premier management simulator, it's (literally) unchallenged. As an iterative installment, FM2018 is broadly desirable, but with some feature and UI missteps.

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7 / 10 - FIFA 18
Oct 4, 2017

Reward EA for improving defending and the overall ‘feel' of FIFA 18, or scold them for going extremely easy on any major innovation? Both, I think. It's a pretty good release this year; just expect the odd resigned sigh at familiar woes.

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Sep 26, 2017

Some lingering series quirks persist, but other smart lessons from the first game have been applied to Total War: Warhammer 2. Another four mechanically diverse factions, each pursuing a singular campaign goal on a richly detailed map, make this a powerful sequel.

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Sep 11, 2017

The quests (both self-contained and the companion extras) are up to Tyranny's written standards, but in terms of combat and broader consequences Bastard's Wound doesn't make a massive impression. It's comfortably familiar, just not essential.

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Sep 6, 2017

Compelling tactical fleet combat and a middling strategic campaign layer combine with some carefully applied Galactica aesthetics. That extra attention to detail earns Deadlock a little more than a hard six.

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Aug 8, 2017

Unique hunting mechanics and a roster that delves deep into Warhammer history make the Norsca a distinct addition to the game.

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7 / 10 - Aven Colony
Jul 25, 2017

A faithful genre piece, Aven Colony takes the socio-economic juggling of settlement building games like Tropico and Banished, transports it to space, and establishes a pretty successful outpost.

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A pleasant experience from start to finish. But that conclusion comes rapidly, and the post-game crafting and farming activities are too light to be truly compelling.

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8 / 10 - Get Even
Jun 30, 2017

So-so combat and dubious PC performance can't overshadow a genre-defying game of narrative manipulation and polymathic mechanical trickery.

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May 18, 2017

Endless Space 2 bolsters Amplitude's reputation for superb, unique 4X faction design. The interwoven narrative and management mechanics produce a universe within which its easy to lose yourself, but some lingering bugs suggest the game may have launched prematurely.

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8 / 10 - Prey
May 12, 2017

Until such time that System Shock 3 may challenge it, Prey is the follow up to System Shock 2 in everything but name. Arkane reaffirm their commitment to ‘immersive sims' in impressive fashion.

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Apr 20, 2017

Relic reinvent Dawn of War once again, retaining many RTS staples and borrowing a little from their MOBA genre-cousins. It's not a flawless mix, and the multiplayer contents are a bit lean; but distinctive factions, a solid campaign, and largely compatible mechanics give Dawn of War 3 a strong base of operations.

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It takes a while to find its voice and stretches a three song soundtrack to near breaking point, but this first episode demonstrates a willingness to take a stand-alone Guardians of the Galaxy plot in intriguing directions. Most importantly: it pulls off just enough jokes.

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Apr 6, 2017

In tandem, the (free) Banks 1.5 update and Utopia contribute a splendid set of features and mechanical changes to Stellaris. Taken alone, Utopia is more the luxury trimmings to Banks’ essentials, but it’s a fine package of unique species specialisation and mega-engineering all the same.

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Mar 27, 2017

Familiar strengths and themes combine with FromSoftware’s apparently endless capacity for creative fantasy design in a finale of suitable grandeur and pathos.

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Mar 15, 2017

A meditative game of player-driven exploration, Future Unfolding has a rare and valuable commitment to letting people unfurl its discoveries at their own rate. The near total lack of guidance brings great reward.

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This hopefully isn't the last we'll see of Eidos Montreal's Deus Ex, but if it is then A Criminal Past at least serves as a compact summary of their tenure at the helm. Nothing too radical here, just a well constructed prison level for Adam Jensen to be let loose upon.

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Feb 28, 2017

Sometimes exceptional, always ambitious, but periodically falling short of its aims, Torment: Tides of Numenera is testament to the tribulations of following a universally established creative triumph. Well worth playing, nonetheless.

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