Chris Capel's Reviews
All choices felt important, the opening raid on the SANCTUS facility was action, and I was so enthralled by this episode I almost didn't notice that Batman wasn't in it at all (at least he wasn't for me). On the downside it's the shortest episode yet at only 70-odd minutes, but I was entertained by all of it and I can't wait for the finale.
I took it all as a homage to the likes of No One Lives Forever and I was massively entertained, and I wish Jessica Valiant had her own spin-off game. The bar's been raised, Episode 3!
Lara Croft's latest adventure finally breaks the shadow of Uncharted
Strange Brigade is tip-top fun with lots of bang for your buck, to use a dirty Americanism. A single offline campaign playthrough with a decent amount of exploration can run around 11 hours, and that's before you bring in the Co-op, Horde Mode, Score Attack, and secret hunting. Crucially, it's all incredibly fun, with entertaining shooting, a good level of challenge, hilarious traps and a good-natured atmosphere.
Only a few clunky systems, a couple of irritating puzzles, and a brief playing time let the game down, and none should put you off buying. Between this and Machinarium it seems post-apocalyptic adventures in robot civilisations are a safe bet for excellent puzzling. Well done WadjetEye, that's another great adventure game to add to your ever-expanding catalogue.
Massive Chalice is lots of fun and highly addictive. Yes a lot of the best things about it come from it being highly influenced by XCOM: Enemy Unknown, but it not only captures a lot of the spirit of our Game of the Year 2012 but Double Fine also manages to provide their own unique spin on it with the Game of Thrones-style setup.
It's hard to complain about the amount of game here, and if you're a DC Comics fan you'll have a lot of fun, even if you had that same fun before.
One of the most engaging and original story-based games this year. It's dragged down by some trite videogame elements but its characters elevate it above its contemporaries.
Considering it's 'only' a spin-off, this is a riotous and well-designed entry in the series - however, it's built with co-op in mind. Solo play is fun if flawed, but play with a friend, and you'll both have one of the best shooter experiences of the year so far.Chris J Capel
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is an incredibly fun standalone expansion to one of the Best games of 2014, and in plenty of places is tougher. Sometimes more frustrating, especially in places with respawning enemies, and the forced stealth section in the beginning is a bit of a misstep, but overall the Wolfenstein gameplay is just as great here.
A very good continuation of the story then, but I hope and suspect that the "holy s**t" moments will come in Episodes 4 and 5.
If you liked Evil Within but were disappointed that it wasn't that scary, you should be more than satisfied with The Assignment and when you finish it you'll start looking forward to The Consequence. I certainly am.
Despite my complaints, The Lost Lords is a great episode of Telltale's epic Game of Thrones story, and while slightly less shocking than the first episode it's certainly the best second episode in a season they've ever done.
While the "HD Remastered" tag feels a little hollow, if you just consider this a slightly updated re-release of a fantastic game then I can heartily recommend Resident Evil HD Remastered. Just remember to have a notebook and pen handy.
It's definitely a shame TT Games ditched the open world city design, so consequently vehicles are worthless, but the large Super Mario Galaxy-style planets you can visit and the sheer mind-boggling amount of content softens the blow. I had a lot of fun playing it, I'll probably spend another 30 hours getting 100% everything, and… wait, did Kevin Smith just reference Tim Burton's failed Superman Lives project? BEST GAME EVER BUY IT NOW.
If you like the idea of Resident Evil 4 crossed half-and-half with Silent Hill then The Evil Within is the game for you. Just be prepared to put up with 30 FPS.
It's baarilliant. Now I'm going to get the flock out of here.
Still, Octodad is three hours of fun I wouldn't want to throw back. While it is too short an experience it's a great, unique one and I urge anyone who likes fun games to give it a go. Anyone who played Surgeon Simulator and thought it was hilarious should immediately pick up Octodad, and anyone who thought it was funny but wanted a fuller game experience should be covered too. Dadliest Catch is funny, charming, challenging, and packed with loveliness. It's over too quickly, but I can't think of anything I'd rather be playing in that time.
If ARPGs, particularly co-op ones, are your thing then Sacred 3 should definitely be on your to-buy list, but don't expect it to take over your life the way other games in this genre have a tendency to do.
Despite still having a few issues Risen 3: Titan Lords is a vast improvement on Risen 2. The combat could be better but doesn't cripple the game this time, the world is more interesting and easier to get around, and there's tons of stuff to do.