Ryan Esler's Reviews
Since release I have been on Destiny 2 every night, be it to complete a few quick challenges or play the strikes until the light of our world faded so that my Guardian would earn that little bit more in his. It’s a wonderful experience and I get to share it with friends who share the same feeling of revitalised hope. Destiny 2 is far from perfect, but I am happy to consider myself at home alongside those blemishes on such a polished product.
uyo Puyo Tetris is clearly a targeted game. If you don’t like Tetris/Puyo Puyo, there’s little to no reason to pick it up. But, for those that do love Tetris, it’s a delight and more than makes up for the lack of a good Tetris game on modern consoles.
Dynasty Warriors: Godseekers manages to break its mould slightly with the introduction of a tactical RPG combat system and is ultimately strong enough to tide fans over until the next inevitable instalment.
Q*Bert rebooted is an unfortunate product of its time, even with the adjustments made to bring it kicking and screaming in to 2016 it still feels like a shallow experience that's short on modes. It also has one of the worst names for a game in existence, ever.
Evolve is a content light asymmetrical multiplayer game that asks far too much from its players, often requiring an organised group to get the full experience. Without any singleplayer content, it is a hard sell to anyone individual.
Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate adds to an already massive roster and doubles down on what makes the series so special. It does, however, suffer some framerate issues on splitscreen, but it's a worthwhile addition to any Musuo fan's colelction
Batman: Arkham Knight fails to live up to the expectations of its predecessors and focuses on the Batmobile far too much. With the addition of even more moves in combat, it loses touch with what made Arkham Asylum feel so punctual.
République is an experience like no other, one that I struggle to retrospectively place on a mobile device because of its excellence in design and story it tells - its just that good. Even with a lot of frequent loading screens the experience is still more than worth the price of entry.
With a campaign that forces you in to the boots of 343I's poster boy rather than allowing you to play as the enigmatic Master Chief, it's hard to really enjoy what guardian's has to offer. With tragic AI and a very underwhelming campaign it's a hard pill to swallow for those who relish in the magnificence of the original trilogy.
Mad Max is another generic open world game tossed on the ever-growing pile of open world games. Even with its unique setting and stunning visuals, Mad Max is very much a game of fetch quests and tall towers.
The Surge, although an enjoyable experience, really fails to capitalise on the world it is set in. It's a step in the right direction for Deck13, but it's a baby step.
Electronic Super Joy is the epitome of background colour and unique artsyle with lots of variety in the fast paced gameplay. But, even with its short runtime, the sound design is so bad that it's enough to put you off entirely.
Aheartfulofgames have created something special with Heart & Slash, it’s unrefined and could do with tweaking, but all of that can be forgiven if you are a fan of the genre.
Mantis Burn Racing is a loving note to games like Micro Machines and R.C. Pro-Am. Although it captures the feeling well, it seems to be lacking that xfactor that made those title greats. Best played in small chunks, Mantis Burn Racing is an interesting title to lose a couple of hours too.
Life is Strange: Before the Storm Episode 1 fails to live up to the promise of the original. While providing a great soundtrack, updated visuals, and better animations it struggles to realise just what made Life is Strange special.
Although Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires follows in the tradition of a core game followed by its Empires equivalent, the combat feels stale and despite its massive cast there is very little do with it.
Deck13 Interactive have created their own unique take on the action RPG genre in an intricate and, at times, labyrinthine world. Even with a few bugs and camera issues there is a lot to love in Lords of the Fallen.
Star Wars Battlefront is a beautiful recreation of what it is like to be amidst the chaos in the fight against the darkside hampered by a distinct lack of singleplayer content and an absurd season pass.
Ultimately my time with Final Fantasy XV was spent chasing the very few highs I found among a lot of mediocrity and poor design choices. Realistically, nobody ever enjoys filling their petrol tank, ever. And it’s this obvious lack of thought in design choice that rings true with large sections of Final Fantasy XV, I just failed to see the point in it all.
The Division isn't a bad game, it just lacks character. With little to no real customisation in the early game you often feel hard pushed to really invest in your character and by the time you reach the end game, there is nothing really left to do. It feels poorly thought out and the delivery of the story is really lacking and uninteresting.