For all its superficial swagger, it'd be remiss to call Evil West a case of style over substance, because there's a deceptive amount of substance to its combat system and the vibrant world its set in–just the amount you'd want in such a game. It's a good game for a good while, before its relentless pace runs of steam in the final third when repetitive, tiresome battles highlight the limitations of a mostly solid combat system. With the ability to play the entirety of the campaign in co-op however (with appropriately scaled enemies), I wonder whether spreading the relentless heat between two players could actually be the best way to play Evil West, and I plan on finding out soon.
It’s a little disappointing, and really quite surprising, that River City Girls 2 shows very little impetus to improve on its promising predecessor. The girls have still definitely ‘got it,’ and still make this colourful and characterful journey worth it through some rough patches, but there’s a little too much reliance on the assets of the original to make it feel worth the rather steep asking price. The original game made a fan of me, while the sequel just about manages to sustain my loyalty, though that will definitely be affected by how WayForward deal with its woeful frame rate issue in the coming weeks.
Still delivers the series' sandbox mayhem, but is underserved by some pretty dated systems.
A fun and flexible swarm shooter that's a little too reliant on being played alongside friends.
An uneven epic whose historical richness guides it through some awkward pacing.
A modest remaster of a fun but flawed RTS that's stuck in the ever-lengthening shadow of its predecessor.
A vibrant snapshot of the Victorian era that's bustling with character, but doesn't explore the intriguing, seismic politics of the period.Robert Zak
A well-told campaign and story do their best to mask a rather scrawny service game beneath.
An often spectacular space shooter that lacks the variety and depth to justify serious investment.
An accessible online heist game with some fun but clumsy systems and an ugly presentation.
A decent if generic strategy game that lacks the big personality and siegecraft of earlier entries.
It was a bold move for the devs to try and move this traditionally 2D style of game into this hybrid 3D space, but I can’t help but feel that Jumpship would have been better off leaving it in 2D, because that extra dimension ends up just weighing the game down. It’s weirdly apt that right at the end of the game, when I’d got two different endings but was trying to unlock what I’d imagine was the ‘good’ ending, I experienced a massive bug that for a moment seemed like a creative decision, as I fell through the world, was reunited with my family on a grey platform in some empty void, then jumped off again to go into an infinite fall. In the end, Somerville’s admirable artistic vision and technical issues merged into one, poignantly showing that these two aspects of a game can’t ultimately be separated.
A tense, atmospheric game tangled in the tendrils of poor pacing and grind.
A deep but fragmented PvP MMO that's not nearly as original as its early promise suggested.
Given its development problems, the fact that System Shock is a functional, stable game is a mini-miracle, but by sticking so rigidly to the original's ancient design it will appeal more to series fans than newcomers.
Blitz mode aside, Halo Wars 2 sticks with a tried, tested and slightly tired RTS formula that's competent, but lacking in depth and originality.
There’s value here, for sure, as a visceral stomp through a beloved fantasy world that offers the rare luxury of being entirely playable alongside a friend. It’s swift, slashy, and simple, but comparing it to other games of this era that have been ported to modern platforms – Okami, Resident Evil Remaster, and Silent Hills 3 and 4, to name a few – you’re paying double to quadruple the price. Buying it at this price point feels like it could set a precedent that shouldn’t be supported, tempting though it may be…
Genesis Alpha One splices the DNA of some good ideas, but doesn't execute any of them well enough.
A straightforward tactics game buried beneath a impassable mountain of roguelike metagame.
This re-release of the 2007 Wii horror game has echoes of what make this classic horror series great, but is stifled by a lumbering pace, cumbersome controls, and lack of genuine scares.