Aidan Kelly
Bar one or two genuine scares Perception doesn't cut the mustard when it comes to horror, a lot of the animations were boring and didn't intimidate neither me nor brave Cassie. Perception fails to deliver on the horror side, but boasts clever mechanics and an engaging but flawed narrative. The artstyle is oiriginal and works perfectly with the darkness and echolocation mechanics.
Expeditions: Vikings is a fantastic role playing strategy game for those of us whom feel the need to raid and pillage. It creates an authentic social environment where traditions and customs and be enforced or forsaken, much like the gods and myths in the Norse universe. Its a bit clunky, and not very pretty, but neither were the Vikings. With a few more character portraits, and some spit and polish it could be a real gem for any gaming collection.
Dawn of War III is a great platform with which players can delve into the Warhammer 40K universe. Even though typical and heroic unit types from the universe make an appearance it's difficult to care or become attached to a unit. It's a great addition to the genre, but the staggered rhythm and extreme micromanagement responsibilities do enough to consistently break immersion The multiplayer holds its own, as players forge 3v3 alliances to spill the blood of their enemies. The number of different units and the means with which players can customize their armies with doctrines and elites lends great variety to campaigns and online battles, but the game trips and falls when trying to deliver its narrative.
Kingdom Hearts 2.8 is thoroughly enjoyable, even as a newcomer, but it requires a lot of homework via YouTube clips and Wiki. The characters are varied and vibrant, and the lineup includes some classic headliners. It's a great taste of what's to come in Kingdom Hearts III, but I feel it's priced a bit high for what it delivers.
While the first fleeting hours of Deathwing was enjoyable, the proceeding remainder of the game is dull, anti-climatic and uninspiring. If you've got a group of friends ready to squad up in honour of The Empire than great. At least you won't be driven mad by the endless traversing of dim light corridors. Keep the Wiki open and at the ready, for any incoming comms will be difficult to chew on if you're listening as a newcomer to the series. The Wiki is well worth a read, even if you don't plan on playing the game. The lore is savoury dand rich like a thick gravy. The general gameplay is pretty crispy though, and often burnt at the edges.
An excellent space combat game that is hamstrung by a lack of maps.
You have to wonder what could have been when playing Eternal Crusade as the game has some bright spots but the sum is not nearly what you get when adding up the parts.
Although it doesn't supply intense space battles like Sins of a Solar Empire or Stellaris it doesn't have to. Instead Master of Orion delivers an exciting universe where every action has a diplomatic action or consequence you can act on. The AI does a fantastic job at staying true to each races individual strengths and weaknesses during a campaign. The game is so well designed. Micromanagement and nitty gritty work is made effortless. Just look at how players control pops on each planet. The screen is never cluttered with useless data and comedic relief is delivered through news highlights of a galactic news network.
In fairness to The Technomancer it is consistent and by that I mean consistently disappointing.The Technomancer ticks all the boxes of a AAA game, but lacks the polish of its peers and does little to stand out as an RPG. Yes, at times the game can really shine. Mainly when you're admiring scenery from afar. This is the part that annoyed me the most. Obviously time was spent to make the game pretty, but at what cost? The writing is predictable and cringe worthy and the combat is boring and dry. Somewhere beneath its surface lies a polished game. Its unfortunate the flaws are so deeply ingrained within the game that they cannot be ignored and it breaks the immersion.
I mean why repeat history when you can write it? It was my first Hearts of Iron game and I'm disgusted it took me so long to settle into the franchise. The learning curve is very reasonable, just expect to spend the first hour of a campaign reading everything. If you're into history that shouldn't be a problem. The game does a fantastic job at delivering accurate content and historical events. It does all this while allowing the player to go in any direction during a campaign