Jordan Oloman's Reviews
‘Roads' is a heart-breaking leg of an emotional journey that never feels limited by its medium. I've played seasons of other choice-driven narrative games that had less emotion and heart than this five-hour odyssey. With Life is Strange 2, DONTNOD has upgraded and refined every element that made its forebear successful, whilst sprinkling some magical new additions into the mix to create an essential genre-pushing experience that isn't just for fans.
Sekiro is an electrifying power trip that demands a lot from the player, but if you let it grip you it will be hard to pull its rickety wooden hand from your wrist. Every time I put words to paper I’m emboldened once more to head back in there. I’m inspired and terrified thinking about the friends I’ve made, bereft with Rot Essence, praying for me to surpass the next fork in the road so I can bring them back to life.
God of War is one of the defining games of this generation, holistically reinventing the action game wheel and grafting humanity and emotion into a series previously devoid. A stellar technical achievement in every aspect and a thoughtful, unmissable work of art that shouldn't just be experienced by gamers.
Don’t sleep on this one, it’s a trip.
Death Stranding is the most unique big-budget game I’ve ever played, a socially-minded injection of inventive ideas into a genre that has long survived by being lazy and brutish. This ambitious formula-flipper is brimming with empathy and carefully courts cinematic influences, an ensemble cast and a world of eye-watering scale, delivering a sticky gameplay loop to tie it all together and create a console generation-defining experience.
Red Dead Redemption 2 studies the tired and tested genre of open world games with a keen eye before driving a hunting knife into the heart of it, rending it open and hanging its pelt on the wall with pride. It has mastered its prey and knows exactly how good it is, a sense of palpable confidence felt on every piece of ground you step foot on. This is a technical achievement for the ages, a mindblowing game, much like its predecessor that defines its console generation.
EA have refined and near perfected the soccer simulation, but also experimented with some bold ideas that work well and breathe new life into this veteran series.
Overcooked belongs in the hall of fame of couch co-op with its delicious blend of tense gameplay and imaginative level design.
Yoku's Island Express is the best indie game of 2018 so far and an unmissable wholesome jaunt that manages to bind pinball gameplay with a gorgeous sun-soaked open world brimming with wholesome characters and secrets that will keep you paddling for hours on end.
What are you doing reading the Review description? Get yourself to the eShop, the PSN store or Steam and pick up this beautiful game. It's not even full price. Beautiful art, music and level design works to enhance the nostalgic glory of 90's sonic, and results in a hedgehog Tour de Force. Buy Sonic Mania and don't look back. Gotta go fast.
Prey delivers one of the finest Immersive Simulators of the last decade, coated in a gorgeous stylistic veneer and a surprisingly deep narrative that will grab you from the get-go
Thimbleweed Park grips the Adventure Game (verb) wheel and reinvents the genre for the modern era with an unmissable, fun-packed mystery that will delight nostalgia hunters and die-hard fans as well as gamers who don't know their Guybrush from their LeChuck.
A quintessentially satisfying game about digging for ore. With beautiful animations, score and a progression system that will consume you in the most gorgeous manner possible, Steamworld Dig 2 is absolutely unmissable.
If anything, Clustertruck is a simple, novel idea fleshed out and turned into a viable game. At its current price, it’s also worth every penny, and I can see myself using this for study breaks, a filler game for listening to podcasts, and that’s not counting my current strive to get to the top of the leaderboards.
If you’re looking for something to break through the mould, look no further than Event [0], an innovative indie title with a lot of charm.
The only problem with the game is that I wanted more of it. Her Majesty’s Spiffing will run you about four hours. Once you reach its end, the game is very clear with the player stating that ‘This story will continue… maybe… if we get enough sales’. Hopefully for the developers, quality of product will lead to quantity of sales, and the adventures of S.P.I.F.F.I.NG are able to continue on.
A pinnacle of aesthetic design and the best use of the Unreal Engine to date, ABZÛ is an unmissable underwater romp.
Overall, Yakuza 6: The Song Of Life is a feature-length absurdity-laden romp that is the perfect silly antidote for first-timers and a pleasing development of the series for fans. With a multitude of systems, meaningful progression and side quests to fill your boots with, you will struggle to get bored and always find yourself craving your next knockout fix.
A Hat in Time revives the 3D Platformer and even kicks some well-needed dirt in its crusty old eyes. Come for the cute visuals and compelling characters and stay for the tight controls and addicting gameplay loops.
A perfect use of the Video Game medium to create an emotional experience, This Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy is a fun, introspective jaunt that provokes and soothes the mind in equal measure.