Laurie Jones
It all started so well, then it tripped and stumbled in the middle, only to partially redeem itself at the end. Legacy of the First Blade is such a mixed bag but it does, at times, offer the best of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and the absolute worst.
The most important and arguably the greatest Civ Expansion of All Time. Just thinking about it now is giving me the itch to dive back in. Wonderful!
Ape Out is a very special, surprisingly wonderful, downright brutal arthouse experience
STEINS GATE; ELITE is as important to the genre as it is the intellectual property and is one of the most surprisingly entertaining interactive experiences I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying for some time.
Band of Bastards sticks to what it knows and as DLC goes does a good job of adding to the overall narrative, giving Henry several surprising, encouraging opportunities to express himself.
Broken Toys gets the Season back on track and has helped prepare me for the curtain call, the episode I never really wanted to play, but one I knew had to come.
Hunted is a strong start for the Legacy of the First Blade portion of the Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey Season Pass. I’m intrigued to peel back some of Darius’ layers and learn more about The Order of the Ancients pursuit of the Misthios. Amazingly, Hunted has made me want to play even more of Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey which, after a hundred or so hours, is quite an impressive feat.
Octahedron isn’t going to be for everyone. You’ll grit your teeth or pull at your hair. It’s unforgiving and harsh, often relishing in your misfortune. But it’s hard to deny the game has a clear hook, managing to still entertain while reeling you in.
New Star Manager is the most satisfying football experience on Switch
Life is Strange 2 Episode 2 Rules is strong follow-up from the hard-hitting first episode but plays a little too safe at times
The Raven Remastered is a well designed, thought out, and ultimately enjoyable adventure, that shows Switch should become the new home of the adventure game
Suffer the Children isn’t awful. There are some clear high points here which have us interested in what comes next, but it is, unquestionably, some of Telltale’s worst work. Considering the circumstances behind the scenes, it’s completely understandable, but also a real shame since it follows one of their best episodes in years.
Resident Evil 2 Remake evolves, iterates, and expands on just about every conceivable and desirable component of the base game and the lore within it to make a more enticing and enriching modern experience that opens new doors for the franchise. This is a monumental achievement that has been well worth the wait.
Pikuniku is an absolute treasure, whether you play on Switch or PC. Sectordub have smashed it with the fabulous soundtrack, the way it looks, plays, feels, and everything else in-between. Pikuniku has me completely wrapped around its’ overly long legs.
Onimusha: Warlords must be experienced, whether you were a fan of the games’ before or have never tried them before. Especially with the portability of Switch, the game has never felt more at home. Whether this is the last we see of Onimusha from Capcom remains to be seen, but having dived back in after all these years away from feudal Japan, I realise that I’ve never wanted to revisit this franchise more.
A lot has happened in ten years. A decade is a long time, but in the case of Tales of Vesperia Definitive Edition, it’s fair to say that it’s all been worth the wait.
Despite its limitations and drawbacks, Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition remains one of the best stories in the genre and comes highly recommended if you’ve never experienced it before.
Battle Princess Madelyn is never subtle about its inspirations but that’s ok. Because it really does capture the heart and soul of what made those games so great, a rare find in the ‘modern masterpiece’. It’s not perfect nor the best representation of a side-scroller or Metroidvania, but the clear passion of the developers, as well as the charm and style of the game continually win me over. Even when I’m constantly lost and effortlessly overrun.
Pang Adventures is just good – solo or co-op – old-fashioned retro arcade fun that is perfectly suited to handheld play. There’s nothing different from the Switch version compared to the rest, but it's a fair argument to say that this is the definitive edition.
While Silver Lining is certainly a concluding arc to this chapter of game development, it never feels like an ending. The over-familiarity will wane on you, but it’s clear there’s much more to come from this franchise. Even though Silver Lining has plenty of optional extras to mop up once the final credits roll, it’s hard not to be more excited about the future. In that, the DLC has served its purpose perfectly.