Megan Walton's Reviews
If you are just looking to play Uno then this offering will fulfil your desire, but with a game that is simply called Uno, what else would you expect?
If you are looking for a simple and fun shooter to keep you entertained for a couple of hours then you might find some fun here. Apart from that, there's nothing here to make the game stand out that much, so don't feel too bad if you give it a miss.
Whilst The Dark Brotherhood may have been a fan favourite in the past, this time around it just seems to miss the mark. Completing the repeatable quests to unlock guild quests gets tedious with its slow progress, and the story itself does nothing to particularly grab you. The biggest problems are with the lag that you'll be facing, though.
Fans of the top down shooter will no doubt feel right at home here, but there's nothing in particular to grab gamers who are already averse to the genre.
Far Harbor definitely doesn't disappoint in terms of its size and the main questline is as interesting and intruiging as you'd expect from a Fallout 4 DLC. There's a number of different locations to explore with quests and side quests that take you up and down the fairly large map, and there's the usual amount of secrets to be uncovered as well, but take Nick as a companion and there's even more to be uncovered here. The setting for Far Harbor itself is not the most exciting due to its foggy nature and a generally dull and dark world. That being said, there's plenty here to keep you busy, interested and more than entertained for a good number of hours.
While it may not be the best, Battleborn does a good enough job of drawing you in, keeping you entertained and ensuring that you have a laugh or two.
While it may be a little rough around the edges, Coffin Dodgers is a fun and simple racer. The cartoony feel to the game makes it easy to admire while you race around the annoyingly short tracks, and the soundtrack is a perfect light accompaniment.
Staging fights and being able to spruce up your settlement more is always appreciated, but even for a small DLC, there's even less than you might be expecting here and it does lose its charm fairly quickly. Once all of the cages are built and you've used up more components than you would have liked, the chances are that you'll be fed up of the sight of them. That's not to say that there isn't fun to be had here, though, and seeing Dogmeat come face to face with a giant Deathclaw will bring a tear to your eye. If you need to level up for perks or scout for items, then you might be able to spend more time than most with this content, However, for most this DLC will feel like filler to tide us over until the next larger expansion is due out.
Fans of motorbike racing will no doubt be able to have some fun here even if there are problems with this latest instalment in the MXGP series. The ability to jump into the game with no prior MX experience and the addition of assists and rewinds means than anyone can try the game, going on to win and challenge for the championships in no time. Unfortunately, the game is let down by the long loading times and the repetitive feel of the tracks, amongst other things that need improving. There's nothing groundbreaking going on here, but there's enough for players to have a few hours of fun riding their bike around a muddy track.
There's more of the same on offer here, so if you enjoy Elder Scrolls Online then it's probably worth a purchase, but if you don't, this offering isn't going to change your mind.
Automatron is a good starting point for the Fallout 4 DLC, but you would hope that the upcoming ones will have a little more to offer.
What Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 has managed to take all of the best bits from the first game, build on them and then add more good things on top of them. All of our favourite characters are back, whilst the newer characters that have been introduced are fun to play. One of the biggest improvements is the addition of the Backyard Battleground hub base, and the addition of the single player focused quests, missions and collectibles means that this game appeals to both single and multiplayer gamers more than ever. The bright colours and fun gameplay are ever present and there isn't a lot going wrong here apart from some issues with the sound and music. For fans of the first Garden Warfare game, this sequel is a must play. For those who haven't had the chance to experience the plants and zombies war yet, it's hard to find a reason not to recommend this game.
Whilst still being a very similar game to the first two instalments, our visit to Russia is definitely the most interesting of the three. Bringing in Ana as a second playable character makes the gameplay more interesting, allowing for sections where you switch between the two and help each other out. The overall look and feel of Assassin's Creed Chronicles: Russia is exactly the same as China and India; there isn't anything new in this game that makes it stand out from the other two, or from other games in the same genre. If you enjoyed the past two Chronicles games then you will most likely enjoy this one. Otherwise, this one won't be changing any opinions.
This War of Mine: The Little Ones forces you to make tough decisions throughout and the real consequences from these actions are seen in the game. Whether you choose to steal from the hospital, an old couple on medication, or a homeless man's squat, you are made to feel guilty. Consequently, you feel good for helping out a stranger. Keeping track of all your supplies and having enough of everything to keep your people alive is not an easy feat, and it feels like the first story that you are given is a little too hard. The ability to create your own scenario is a great addition and it allows you to tweak the game to your own survival ability. Whilst the days can get a little repetitive and boring if you have to catch up on sleep and not much else, the game challenges you, your morals and your survival instincts against the backdrop of the serious subject of war.
Our trip to India is not dissimilar to our original trip to China; the style and gameplay are almost identical to the first game, not that there is anything particularly wrong with that. Being given the choice to play stealthy or by using full on combat is refreshing and you are able to go through the whole game without directly harming a single enemy, but it does sometimes feel like you are forced into combat with the layout of the levels and the frequency of the enemies. The 2.5D style is used to good effect and works well for the assassination based gameplay, being able to dodge enemies and hide in hidden doorways in the background, or ledges in the foreground. Whilst there is no new ground being broken here, Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India is more than enjoyable to play through, especially if you enjoyed the first game, and it will surely keep you entertained until we get the chance to visit Russia the next time around.
Whilst it is hard to justify the $24.99 price tag, the "Orsinium" DLC does add all of the extra content that we were promised. You can easily spend over 20 hours here if you explore all of the areas, complete all of the quests, and finish all of the levels of the Maelstrom arena (normal and/or veteran). The quests with which you are presented are interesting and allow you the chance to complete them in different ways, depending on how you want to play the game. The new area of Wrothgar is exciting to explore and you will, quite possibly, spend more than a minute or two admiring the landscape as you run through it. A few bugs and glitches with the quests and the sound stop it from being perfect, but for gamers still knee deep in The Elder Scrolls Online, this DLC will be a nice addition for you and your character to go and explore.
The best thing about Fallout 4 is the freedom that it gives you, not only with what to do and where to go, but also how quests will turn out. Will you talk your way out of a certain quest or run in all guns blazing? The choice is yours. Obviously the game is not without its problems; starting and ending conversations can sometimes be a little awkward, NPCs have a habit of getting stuck or being in the wrong place, and there were more than a couple of problems in figuring out what the settlements needed. Overall though, the game is pretty close to perfect, and if you decide to pass on exploring the vast wasteland, then you only have yourself to blame. The hype is real, and you won't be disappointed.
It is a shame I didn't get to spend as much time with Tony Hawks Pro Skater 5 as I would have liked or needed. Despite the massive amount of bugs and fatal crashes, there is some fun to be had here. Anyone who played the older Tony Hawks games will feel right at home. Unfortunately, it is impossible to look past the constant problems and bugs. Most of these don't make the game unplayable, but still cause a lot of bother along the way. With only seven levels to explore and play through, your time with this game might be short (and made shorter with the frustration of its problems), but the addition of the player created levels mean there is a little something extra, even if it's nothing we haven't seen before. It is sad that the game turned out this way, because it really should, and could, have been the sequel that the series deserved, and instead has fallen so short. For a full priced retail game, these bugs and design flaws can't be forgiven, and being unable to play the game after only five hours was the final nail in the coffin. Should the game become playable for me again, I will happily play through the rest of the levels, explore the game a bit more, hopefully form a fuller opinion, and write an addendum to this original review, but for now it's not skating by.
You'd be forgiven for thinking Extreme Exorcism is just another game spawned from ID@Xbox that you can happily ignore. If you are willing to take a chance on it though, it is definitely worth it. Even though your time spent will be fairly short, the challenges will keep you playing after the arcade mode has been completed, and the opportunity for local multiplayer adds another layer of fun. While the levels don't differ a lot, and it definitely isn't a game you'll sit and play for hours on end, Extreme Exorcism offers 8bit graphics and music to entertain you while you take out endless rounds of ghosts with your friends, and what is more satisfying than blowing up a ghoul with a rocket launcher?
Whilst point and click games may not be to everyone's taste, Broken Sword 5 manages to weave in a sense of mystery and a bunch of puzzles, which allows it to appeal to a wider audience. Even veteran puzzlers may find themselves stuck for a little while at some points in this adventure, but there are hints throughout the game should you feel you need the extra help. You are thrown straight into the excitement of the murder, and the story only gets better the deeper into the game you get. Although the conversations are often slow and drawn out, the characters are amusing and the game constantly pokes fun of itself and is never too serious, even given the subject matter. Players of any of the previous games should feel right at home here, and for fans of puzzles that may be a little outside of the box, there is plenty to keep you entertained. There's a lot of fun to be had here and it will definitely get the cogs whirring in your brain, even if it doesn't quite hit the mark all the time.