Brett Claxton's Reviews
No Man's Sky is not a game where the focus is on story. Its focus is on exploring a galaxy, seeing beautiful things and having some cool moments. It may be a tired cliché, but it’s something that is definitely not for everyone. For those it is for though it's great.
On PC Armikrog would be a slightly better experience. It struggles to make the transition to controller well and the subtitles are still sized for a PC monitor rather than a television screen. It's hard to really pinpoint what would make Armikrog a better game as there's so many issues with it. There is a definite charm to it though, thanks to the visuals and audio that make it a pleasant experience when you're not stuck on a tedious puzzle. It's just a shame that the game feels so dated and the tedious puzzles are far too frequent.
If you’re a fan of Risk or classic board games, then you might enjoy Risk Urban Assault and its new take on a well-known formula. It’s a perfectly passable interpretation of the game,
You’ll have a lot of fun with Overcooked as long as you have people to play it with. As a single player experience it’s lacking, but then it was never intended to be a single player game.
If you are willing to spend some time experimenting with the menus and characters then you’ll enjoy Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness a lot more. The issue is the game has so many flaws and fails to take the series to the next level. It lacks basic things expected of a JRPG, whilst failing to include anything that ever feels remarkable.
Prison Architect: Console Edition hits a lot of the right spots to appeal to fans of strategy and construction games. The fact that it lets you play the game with an emphasis on one or the other if you want, means that it'll appeal to a wider audience.
Deadlight: Director’s Cut is the best version of a decent game. It’s sorted some of the technical issues the original had, but fails to improve upon the base as much as you’d like. It’s an uneven experience, with the opening act being far superior to the rest of the game. Although its additions don’t do much more than fix some cosmetic problems the survival mode does add a level of replayability that some may find addictive.
Dungeons 2 is a game with some nice ideas, some of them borrowed and some of them original, but for the most part it can't quite put them together cohesively. There are also issues with the PlayStation 4 version that are likely not there in the PC version, such as the controls.
If you're a fan of games with senseless violence, then Party Hard could be for you. The pixel art style is nice and the music is quite catchy. The gameplay however, gets repetitive quickly and the story is full of clichés, which would be easier to accept if there was a decent delivery of lines. It is a cool idea for a game, it's just a shame it fails to do much more than be a cool idea.
Pang Adventures is a fun game that stays true to the original whilst adding enough new elements to make the experience feel fresh. The graphical style is cute and the gameplay is addictive enough to keep you coming back for more, especially if you’re a fan of old school games. Some gamers may be put off by the limited controls, but for those that are willing to get invested in the way it plays, you’ll be in for a treat that will provide you with several hours of fun.
The Magic Circle: Gold Edition does a great job in helping you realise what it’s like to develop video games without ever really feeling preachy. Although its story is what keeps you wanting to progress to the end, the gameplay does enough to make it an enjoyable experience.
Stikbold! A Dodgeball Adventure is an oddity. A game where I feel that the price they’re asking for is incredibly generous for what you get. There is a solid story campaign that offers laughs and variety. Not only that, but there is a wonderful multiplayer mode that leads to some of the most addictive party gaming available on this generation of consoles at the moment.
Sheltered is an interesting take on the life simulation game. Its main issue is the fact that since it was first shown off various games have appeared that do too much of what it does, thus the wind has been taken from its sails. It does enough different, but it never fully escapes the shadow of comparison.
If you’ve wanted to play, or replay, Day of the Tentacle for a while then the remaster is definitely the way to go. If you’ve never played a point and click game before then it’s also a fairly good starting point. It’s not a game for everyone, but it’s a genuinely funny experience. Considering genuinely funny games are few and far between, even today, it’s a welcome change of pace.
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime is a game that is definitely worth picking up if you're looking for a new co-operative experience. It's easy to play, but difficult to master, with lots of things to tinker as you to try and figure out the best way to set up your ship. Some understanding of videogames is definitely needed, but the difficulty settings mean that even if you're someone with just a basic grasp of gaming you'll have fun.
If you're a fan of puzzle games, then Hitman GO: Definitive Edition is definitely something to consider if you haven't played the mobile version. If, however, you've had your fill of the mobile version it might be best to give it a miss. There's not really anything new to experience apart from some shinier graphics. The challenges on each board help add to the longevity of the game, but overall Hitman GO: Definitive Edition is a game best enjoyed in short bursts.
Agatha Christie: The ABC Murders is a solid start to what will hopefully be a new franchise. It reminds me quite a bit of Frogwares Sherlock Holmes series, which took a few games to find its stride. The games focus on building up the character of Poirot and focusing on telling the story from his perspective pays off, in part due to Poirot being the most interesting character in the game.
If you have played This War of Mine before then The Little Ones probably doesn't offer enough to go back to it. If, however, this is your first opportunity to play the game, it's an experience I would recommend considering. It's a surprisingly addictive strategy game, despite its morbid setting, and it's one that has a fair bit of replayability. It's rare that games deal with the non-combat side of war, and I can't think of many that do it as effectively as This War of Mine: The Little Ones.
Hatoful Boyfriend: Holiday Star doesn't do much wrong, but plays itself maybe a bit too safe, whilst failing to correct the issues that were in the first game.
Tharsis is an addictive digital board game, and one that I see as tricky to replicate in real life. It's because of this that the game really shines. One run of the game is normally fairly quick and, even if it's all going wrong you can get something from it due to crew unlocks. The speed of a run means that it slides in to that "just one more game" territory so well you'll be going back to it for a while. It's got a few issues, but for the most part it's a great way to spend some time.