Drew Hurley's Reviews
Attack on Titan: Wings of Freedom is absolutely superb and is all the fans could have hoped for—and more. Exhilarating and addictive, it manages to do justice to the source material and deliver moments fans will adore. A must-buy for any fans of the series and even worth picking up for newbies, too.
LEGO Marvel Avengers for the 3DS is another lacklustre conversion of a superb LEGO game. Hopefully, the rumoured NX hardware will finally give gamers the opportunity to experience the full package on a handheld. To be fair, it's not all bad, and, yes, there are some great stages, and the game is stuffed to bursting with the series signature humour and style. The low price tag helps, but overall this just feels forgettable.
The QTEs may be very lacklustre in Batman: The Telltale Series - Episode 1: Realm of Shadows, even compared to Telltale's earlier works, and the combat scenes need work, but there's plenty of opportunities to grow after this first episode. All in all, it's a solid and promising start that establishes a world via "show, don't tell," and sets up enough plot threads to keep players interested in what comes next.
The series signature humour and gameplay fits perfectly with Star Wars, after all, it's what it was originally designed for! The new features add enough to keep this long-running franchise feeling fresh, the stages are short and fun, fitting perfectly to the handheld for pick up and put down gameplay. In conclusion: a great addition to TT Games' magnum opus.
Compared to the previous fantastic Thieve's Guild, Dark Brotherhood feels like a misstep. There is an absolute ton of other new features alongside this DLC, but they're part of the new ESO 2.0 patch and can't be considered a part of the Dark Brotherhood DLC. That in mind, the DLC itself feels quite lacking. The zone is fantastic and the tone fitting, but the assassinations get repetitive, and the story is far too short.
An enjoyable game that aims towards a very specific audience since the risqué elements could easily alienate plenty of players. This fact was proven with the delays to the release of the game in Japan, thanks to low pre-order numbers. At its core Uppers on PlayStation Vita is a fun throwback to a simpler time, but it gets very same-y after a few hours play, and the extended cast does little to expand the lifespan.
The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited - Thieves Guild is an enjoyable and distinctively different DLC in comparison to all that has come before. The story section is entertaining and keeps the player interested throughout, while the new additions to the base game really help to enhance and improve the overall experience. There's definite value for money here.
Monster Hunter has a huge fan-base, but those new to the hunting genre may find it very difficult to get into Monster Hunter Generations. The combat and design can be quite niche and challenging to newcomers. That being said, though, for fans of the series, this is a superb addition. It may not have much of a narrative, but the focus on gameplay and new additions make this a fantastic amalgamation worthy of its price-tag. For those who enjoy Monster Hunter adventures, prepare to lose a lot of time to this. It has the same sort of addictiveness as an MMO and drags its audience back again… and again... and again…
For parties and families, this is a title definitely worth picking up and it does a great job in encouraging solo play, too. There's little new here, though, with most of the gameplay feeling old hat. Overall, Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games on Nintendo's Wii U is a decent addition to the series but lacking anything special to elevate it to that next level.
Burning Blood delivers faithful representations and beautiful presentation, but the mechanics are riddled with flaws. The story gives the best adaptation of the Paramount War, but the fact that there is no Dressrosa segment when so many characters from the arc are here is unforgivable. The basic and easily abused nature of the combat will see few returning to this title after more than a few plays.
Far Cry 4 may just be more of the same from Far Cry 3, but, in the best possible way. Ubisoft took what was great about the third game, and improved it in almost every way, making this one of the most refreshing, fun and addictive open-world titles available. With solid fundamental mechanics, a superb open gameworld, multiplayer to come back for, and some fantastic DLC, this psychotic voyage through a deadly paradise is worth setting a course for.
If this was released in the 90s, it would be a superb addition to the stack of truly memorable arcade titles. Today, though? Compared to titles like Castle Crashers, it comes up a little short. The design and aesthetics are fantastic, but ultimately, they alone can't carry the title. The repetitive nature of the combat, the low level of difficulty and lack of extra features or unlockables to expand the lifespan make this one just average.
The first episode lacked that special something to elevate it to memorable status and comparable to the best Telltale has previously produced. At first, this second episode seems to suffer from the same flaws, but, thankfully, as the episode progresses and builds to its superb climax, it begins to turn that around. The Walking Dead: Michonne - Episode 2: Give No Shelter shows that Telltale may be able to salvage this series… now to see if it can pay off in the finale.
Whilst this ending somewhat redeems some of the flaws of the previous episodes, The Walking Dead: Michonne Episode 3 - What We Deserve is not without issues. The short nature of the episode and the lack of playable sections, along with the limited impact the choices have on the ending, really drag it down. This is still definitely worth experiencing for fans of Telltale titles or The Walking Dead in general but, considering the pedigree and promise of the premise, this ultimately is a disappointment.
Fallout 4: Automatron is a fun, yet brief, addition to the game. The story is enjoyable enough and has some great moments, while the extra features, such as the companion crafting and the new encampment buildables make for enjoyable additions to the existing world. Sadly, though, for what the DLC consists of, there just isn't enough of the content to really justify the cost.
There are an awful lot of match-three puzzlers out there, and with good reason, since the simple and addictive gameplay is hard to put down; the type of gameplay that makes 10 more minutes before going to sleep, resulting in lying in bed at 4am, refusing to put the Vita down until the next stage is complete. There isn't enough originality to elevate Sparkle Unleashed to something memorable, but there's enough to make this worth playing and keep people coming back to it.
It's sad to say, but The Walking Dead: Michonne - Episode 1: In Too Deep is a poor introduction to Michonne's story and Telltale doesn't have an entire season to build towards something special this time, as there are only three episodes planned… This is a definite pick-up for fans of the comic, but for those coming in because they enjoyed the previous Telltale The Walking Dead titles, this feels humdrum in comparison. With any luck, Episode 2 will be the one where Telltale turns things around.
Senran Kagura Estival Versus is a tricky game to judge. While the Musou gameplay is fun and there's plenty of reason to return and play through with other characters, it gets repetitive. There's no real narrative to help carry the game either, since the story is simply terrible. The signature style and lewdness of the series is tricky, too, as it guarantees sales to its target audience but is likely going to alienate a few potential players. The bottom line is that it's a decent enough Musou title, filled with jiggly, half-naked Japanese schoolgirls tearing each others' clothes off. It's a game for those who live by the ancient Japanese philosophy of "tits are life, ass is hometown."
There are some elements of Sadame that are done well, but they are completely overwhelmed by the fundamental aspects just being so poor. Monotonous combat, inconsistent difficulty levels, and terrible AI all make for a truly frustrating and disappointing experience. Rising Star have delivered some real gems in the past, but sadly, this isn't one of them. While briefly enjoyable in the short term, it's hard to find a reason to return.
When it was announced that the next Marvel game was to be based on the MCU, it seemed unlikely it could live up to LEGO Marvel Super Heroes and yet the team has managed to take each aspect of the previous entry and make improvements. This is easily the best LEGO title released so far, and also easily the best Marvel game produced, full stop. It epitomises an element of games that many seem to have forgotten recently: fun. The upcoming Season Pass also brings with it a significant amount of content for a surprisingly low price - a mere £8 for five packs that add new levels and an extra 40 characters.