Brett Claxton's Reviews
Fated: The Silent Oath may be a fairly clunky game, but there's a lot of nice elements that sequels could easily build upon. Let's just hope they get the chance to.
If you’re a fan of strategy and management games then, at its core, This is the Police delivers an experience that should satisfy you. The story is dark and broody with some nice voice-acting moments in parts and some great beats, even if they are cliché. The way it deals with serious political issues in its late 1980’s fake American setting is often a little too on the nose, but it gives the player the freedom to tackle the issue as they see fit. It has a unique art-style that helps it stand out and, even if you don’t stick around until the very end, there are still hours of entertainment to be had.
If you’re after a racer to play on the Nintendo Switch that won’t break the bank, that feels a bit different, then give Fast RMX a shot. It’s a lot of fun and has a lovely style, which is matched by its gameplay.
Considering Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin is around the £15 mark, there is a great level of polish to it. If you are a fan of the original Psychonauts and just want to see some of the characters again and what they look like in virtual reality, then it’s definitely worth checking out. If you’re new to the series then don’t worry, there’s still a lot of fun to be had. It sets up the upcoming sequel well for both the newcomers and the series veterans, whilst also setting the standard it will need to hit fairly high.
If you’re a fan of story rich games, 3D brawlers or just content rich games then Yakuza 0 should be on your radar. Some may be put off by the lack of an English voice acting option but, as previously stated, the localisation team have done a great job in making it a joy to read and genuinely funny in places. There’s so much to do and being able to partake in the story of the series from the very beginning makes it great for newcomers too. If you’re looking for something you can spend hours exploring and still not see it all, then Yakuza 0 is definitely something worth your consideration.
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is a nice enough package. Other developers might’ve settled for just releasing Dream Drop Distance by itself but Square Enix decided to add that little bit more. It’s also a package that is very hard to recommend to people that aren’t already fans of the series. There’s interesting bits of story told in each section of the package but, for the most part, they require you to hold the knowledge of the other games in the franchise. If you’re a fan that never got a chance to play Dream Drop Distance then the package is definitely worth considering. If you’re only picking it up for Kingdom Hearts X Back Cover and Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage you’ll have some fun, but it’s worth keeping in mind that these experiences aren’t very long.
Despite the shortcomings of the game, when it gets it right it really gets it right. The main story is nowhere near as interesting as finding out about Noctis, Prompto, Ignis and Gladioulus as you slowly progress through the world. The building of the characters and their silly conversations will last longer in your memory than most of the main story beats. The combat is slick and fun, the dungeons are some of the best ever in a Final Fantasy game and the graphics are lovely. It will be interesting to see how Final Fantasy XV evolves over the next year through DLC and patches. For now though it is a lovely experience. Warts and all.
There’s a lot of fun to be had with Lethal VR on PlayStation VR. With its price tag set at a reasonable £9.99 it’s worth picking up if you’re a fan of shooting gallery games. It’s a slick package that has lots of interesting elements, even if the Move controllers hinder some of the challenges and the lack of an online leaderboard does limit its replayability. You’ll be able to see everything the game has to offer in two to three hours, but it’s a fun ride.
If you have a PC and still play the first game then Killing Floor 2 will probably be right up your street, BUT may not have enough to it to make you stop playing the original just yet. On PlayStation 4 it's a great alternative to the usual first person shooter games. The community is made up of people that understand what the objective is and they do it well. It's not without its flaws and there's a few odd glitches that'll hopefully be patched out, but it's a brutal online game that will leave you wanting to play just one more round again and again.
There’s an interesting game somewhere in Loading Human Chapter 1. The concept is intriguing enough, but the execution falls massively short at every possible hurdle. With the game retailing at £35 it’s one of the more expensive PlayStation VR launch titles, but it also feels like one of the least polished.
Cartoon Network: Battle Crashers looks nice, but unfortunately that’s the main thing it gets right. It controls competently and the combat works, but the level design is lacklustre and decides to force you in to replaying levels you’ve already completed that don’t feel different enough to warrant doing it.
Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide is a pleasure to play on console. Hopefully it maintains its community to make sure it stays that way.
If you're a fan of the XCOM series, or just love squad based strategy games, then XCOM 2 is easily worth picking up. It's brutally hard at times, sometimes leaning on the side of unfair, but it's an experience that will keep you going back for more. There's plenty to tinker with and it's a lot of fun, but the flaws of the console versions make it hard to recommend them over the PC version.
The animation may be far from the slickest and the game is definitely more fun when against others, but there’s plenty that 100ft Robot Golf does right. The fact it allows you to play it on PlayStation VR or on a normal screen is great and there’s a charm to its goofy style.
The benchmark for VR games shouldn’t be “it would be a great game outside of VR” but RIGS Mechanized Combat League is a great example of one that would be. It’s also a great example of the level of immersion VR can provide this kind of experience and is a delight to play.
The shining beacon of SportsBarVR is the social opportunities it brings. It’s a fun hang out spot for you and your friends in VR. You may decide you don’t like any of the games within it, but you’ll find ways to entertain yourselves. Even if it is just throwing bottles around whilst watching your friends fail to hit a ball in to the pocket for the 11th time.
Some may be put off by the fact that PlayStation VR Worlds is a collection of experiences rather than one focused game but they really shouldn’t be. Out of the five experiences on offer four of them are great to play and all of them work as a showpiece to show off to others. Whether you find yourself going back to the game will depend on how much things click with you but there is replay value there. Overall PlayStation VR Worlds is a fun game, as well as being a really solid launch title for the PlayStation VR headset that’s worth the price of admission.
There are a few animation quirks, but for the most part the 2D style looks great and the games simple control scheme means almost anyone can pick it up. It’s just unfortunate that the momentum Manual Samuel builds in its earlier levels can’t be maintained for the entire course of the game.
Greed is a dangerous thing in strategy games and dungeon crawlers and Darkest Dungeon plays on it well. It's always dangling a carrot in front of you, encouraging you to go further despite the fact that further may mean your demise. If you're a fan of strategy games and classic horror settings then Darkest Dungeon is a no brainer.
The Bunker is a game with big ideas that fails to reach the heights it obviously wants to. The stiffness of movement and animation loops, coupled with the continuity errors and the awkward gameplay means it is constantly drawing you out from being truly immersed in the game. There are things that The Bunker does right and it is definitely an interesting experiment that some may enjoy, but it falls in to all the usual trappings of the genre whilst failing to bring anything that feels new to the table.