Capitalising upon nostalgia can be a tricky task. If you don’t innovate enough to distinguish yourself from your contemporaries then your game can suffer as a result and come off as too derivative and this is a pitfall that I Am Setsuna doesn’t entirely manage to avoid.
Despite my initial impressions from the trailers I genuinely wanted to like this game. Sure, the price was a bit steep and it seemed to be taking cues from what I and many other fans considered the lesser of last generation’s Ghostbusters games but I was willing to overlook all of this if, put simply, the bustin’ made me feel good.
Mighty No. 9 is a game hamstrung by its own hubris. By choosing to rely upon archaic design decisions and outdated level design it fails to achieve the level of success so clearly desired by the developers. The passion behind the project is clear to see, even if one can't shake the feeling that a few too many shortcuts were taken in order to release on multiple platforms, but the legacy of the Mega Man series looms over the game and it's unable to pull itself out of its shadow. If Comcept hadn't so stubbornly adhered to the source of its inspiration and were willing to take more risks with the title then maybe it could have been something really special but at the moment it's let down by some baffling creative decisions.
After I had completed a majority of the content I thought that I was done with The Division but the Underground DLC has managed to rope me back into spending a few hours a day levelling up and accruing loot in a far more enjoyable manner than that offered by the Dark Zone.
By narrowing their focus, Double Fine have crafted probably their most cohesive and mechanically sound game to date, one that takes its gimmicky concept and executes it to perfection.
A more than viable alternative to Street Fighter V, King of Fighters XIV offers up a refined combat system, an incredibly deep and responsive mechanical experience and a huge roster of characters, each with their own subtle martial arts discipline and varied approaches to fighting.
Bolstered by a surprisingly effective story mode that incorporates slight RPG elements, the quality of which was surely boosted by Bioware stepping in to lend EA a hand throughout development, FIFA 17 also benefits from a rock solid gameplay foundation and the transition to the Frostibite engine, making this an easy recommend to fans of the series and football aficionados in general.
To comprehensively list all of the gameplay tweaks and graphical upgrades would take up far too much of this review; suffice it to say, I regard Modern Warfare Remastered to occupy the realm of complete remake more than being a simple remaster.
Xenoraid is competently built but lacks any real reason to actually compel you to play it. The gameplay loop quickly becomes monotonous and, aside from quick bursts here and there whilst waiting for a download, I can’t see many gamers putting much time into conquering the alien attackers.
I really regret dismissing Titanfall 2 as easily as I did, for by doing so I nearly deprived myself of one of the most exhilarating and inventive FPS experiences available on the market today.
Look, let’s be straight here – The Ezio Collection is a fairly lazy port. Minimal effort has been made to improve the games either graphically or mechanically and there’s absolutely no reason to pick this up if you already own the previous gen versions of the games.
You may have noticed that I didn’t delve into too much detail regarding the plot – In titles like this, where the main draw is the narrative itself, I personally feel it’s best to come in as fresh as possible. Having played through Her Majesty’s Spiffing twice now, I’ve found that, much like a lot of Telltale’s work, the game operates under the illusion of choice rather than your decisions actually impacting meaningfully upon the narrative.
A definite return to form for the series, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is, to me, the most atmospheric entry in the series and, free from many of the narrative constraints of the early games, manages to forge out an entirely new chapter in the Resident Evil universe whilst still paying homage to classic tropes and even characters.
Hitman: The Complete First Season offers up the entire homicidal experience in one tidy package and is an easy recommend if you dig the stealth genre or open-ended games with a myriad of ways to approach a mission.
Okay, so it’s obvious that Digimon World: Next Order didn’t leave much of an impression upon me; personally I found the world to be devoid of any real life, the combat unsatisfying and the micro-managing of every aspect of raising my creatures to be an annoying contrivance rather than a rewarding experience.
Overall, I have no issues in recommending Sabotage for fans of Call of Duty; perhaps the most solid DLC offering from the franchise in a while, the quality of both the multiplayer maps and the new Zombie film can not be understated.
I adored Nioh. Like, straight up marry an inanimate object adore. Is it my favourite Souls type game? Well, no, both Bloodborne and Demons Souls pip it at the post for me. Does it now reside comfortable among my top ten of all time? You betcha.
Probably the biggest strike against Berserk and the Band of the Hawk is, paradoxically, that it got me into the Berserk franchise.
Playing through The Ringed City was a bittersweet experience for me; it felt almost like I was lamenting the end of the series whilst playing rather than allowing myself to truly immerse myself in the content. The Souls series has become one of my all-time favourite gaming franchises and, whilst I commend From with having the plums to pull the plug whilst they’re still arguably on top of their game, there’s a little piece of me that dies inside every time I hear that the Souls series is now considered complete.
With four fresh maps in which to hunt down your buddies and a rollicking foray into undead ass kicking, Continuum may falter in places but it is still an easy recommend for fans. A pulse-pounding funk injection of pure adrenaline, Shaolin Shuffle in particular ticks all the right boxes for me… I always knew that the soundtrack to the Apocalypse would be Disco.