This is an ambitious game, polished to perfection when it comes to atmosphere, but rough and cumbersome in many of its moment-to-moment interactions.
To me, Dark Souls 3 was a good curtain call. Ariandel, however, feels like perhaps the series has come out for one round of applause too many, and my hands are starting to hurt now from the perpetual clapping. The combat and visual design are fantastic – that was never in question – and I enjoyed Ariandel for its short runtime of four hours, but it’s engulfed in the shadow of its predecessors’ far meatier expansions.
For Dead Rising enthusiasts who haven’t played the original, this is a good opportunity to spend some more time with Frank West, as well as take on probably the best bosses in the series. But the design flaws that were small niggles ten years ago will be much more glaring – maybe even unbearably so – for newcomers coming to the series in 2016.
In expanding on its predecessor, Layers of Fear 2 sinks into a state of deep confusion.
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.
A straightforward tactics game buried beneath a impassable mountain of roguelike metagame.
Genesis Alpha One splices the DNA of some good ideas, but doesn't execute any of them well enough.
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…
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.
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.
A deep but fragmented PvP MMO that's not nearly as original as its early promise suggested.
A tense, atmospheric game tangled in the tendrils of poor pacing and grind.
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 decent if generic strategy game that lacks the big personality and siegecraft of earlier entries.
An accessible online heist game with some fun but clumsy systems and an ugly presentation.
An often spectacular space shooter that lacks the variety and depth to justify serious investment.
A well-told campaign and story do their best to mask a rather scrawny service game beneath.
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 modest remaster of a fun but flawed RTS that's stuck in the ever-lengthening shadow of its predecessor.
An uneven epic whose historical richness guides it through some awkward pacing.