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.
In case it wasn’t obvious, I really didn’t warm to Neon Chrome at all. The eighties inspired aesthetic of the opening cinematic promised big things that the mediocre shoot-em-up that the game ended up being failed to capitalise upon. The controls aren’t as responsive or intuitive as a game like this demands and the lack of refinement in almost every area leaves players with a hollow gaming experience that quickly outwears it welcome. Co-op can make the whole affair slightly more entertaining but only offering local multiplayer and completely disregarding the almost prerequisite online component seems to me to be a massive misstep on the part of developer 10Tons.
Despite the negative press around it, I came to Homefront- The Revolution with an open mind and fully prepared to not let review bias affect my impressions. Unfortunately, it appears that the complaints were valid; the game is spectacularly broken in a way that very few games can get away with and offers very little redeeming features to justify playing through it.
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.
There's an old saying that goes "You can't polish a turd, but you can roll it in glitter". Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition is almost the exact opposite of that proverb, with the core foundation of the three titles still retaining their charm, albeit in an anachronistic way, but the sterling gold nugget that is the original trilogy is now slathered in so many scoops of steaming shit that it's hard to appreciate them for what they are.
As cool as a concept a Time Crisis-esque shooter in VR would be, Bravo Team unfortunately fails to live up to expectations.
Aside from small additions such as new ‘Masterworks' variations of weapons being available and the requisite cosmetic items, players can also tweak the look of their armor sets by completing tasks in-game or take part in a kind of ‘raid-within-a-raid' which again just reuses the environment from the first major raid.
Strangely enough, I like quite a few elements of Immortal: Unchained; the deeper focus on story is personally welcomed, even if admittedly it got a little confusing at times, and the level design is honestly some of the best I've seen in a Soulslike experience that didn't come from From themselves.
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.
I was really hoping that this game would make me feel like a "goddamned sexual Tyrannosaurus" but unfortunately I'm sure Jesse Ventura's character would compare it to a wildly politically incorrect and anachronistic slur instead.
So, should you buy Warmind? With a middling narrative and uninspired copy and pasting of missions, it's hard to argue that this isn't just another stop-gap affair for Bungie while they put all of their efforts into the upcoming major DLC release in September.
There's definite potential to be found in Comrades, as when you get a decent team behind you and you're taking on all manner of beasts it really adds a new dynamic to how you approach combat when compared to the single player game.
The stripping of established features and modes is a curious decision on EA's behalf – You'd think that, as with most other yearly sporting iterations, that the focus would be on innovating and building upon a proven foundation rather than unnecessarily streamlining the experience.
It's a sad state of affairs when your current gen release is bested by the last gen iterations in almost every way, and although only the most hardcore of fans will notice most of the changes and little tweaks to the gameplay, there are still undeniably some major issues that need to be addressed, hopefully with a patch in the near future.
Despite the writing falling flat for the most part, Trials of the Blood Dragon has an aesthetic charm that is undeniable for anyone who revels in Eighties nostalgia. It’s just a shame then that roughly a third of the gameplay experience fails to be fun in any way. The biking sections are incredibly entertaining and offer up a suitable challenge to series veterans and the R/C sections show the potential for using different vehicles in the Trials context.
At the end of the day, Shadwen is merely a passable effort, which is quite surprising considering Frozenbyte are the minds behind the immensely enjoyable Trine games. Although the central gameplay conceit is interesting enough, it’s unfortunately never fully realised and the myriad of glitches and AI issues hamper what, with a little more polish, could have been an enjoyable stealth/action romp.
Heavy on fan service, J-Stars Victory VS + is going to sell to its core target demographic regardless of what score we afford the game. The ability to play as so many characters is a unique selling point on its own, and the fact that the game behind this crossover of universes is relatively solid will just be a bonus.
Although not the most aesthetically appealing game, the strong writing and weird non sequiturs make Akiba's Trip: Undead & Undressed an engaging enough experience. The combat system could use some refining but you'll plow ahead just to reach the resolution of the story. The RPG elements aren't as deep as some may like but, for someone who comes from a Final Fantasy/ Legend of Zelda background there's enough here to keep gamers invested for the game's duration.
Medievil's biggest downfall is its rigid adherence to its source material, anachronistic gameplay elements and camera controls included. As much as I wanted to enjoy my time within the charming limits of Gallowmere, all too often I'd find my enthusiasm dampened due to the imprecise combat and clunky controls.
Coming back to the Devil May Cry series is kind of a bittersweet experience; the games are still relatively competently made and the first and third entries stand out as pinnacles of the Hack-n-Slash genre, but the overt lack of care that has been afforded to this collection makes me reticent to recommend it to all except those who possibly haven't experienced the series yet and are curious to see what all the fuss is about.