Aran Suddi's Reviews
Batman: Arkham Knight isn't the crown jewel in the Arkham series, that remains in Asylum's honour, but it is still a good game in its own right.
Q.U.B.E Director's Cut is a very good puzzle game that incorporates a decent story that keeps you guessing right until the very end. The minimalist design throughout the game allows the puzzles to stand out, and nothing feels wasted. Toxic Games have created quite a memorable experience with this game. There is some issue with the final portion of the game with a couple of spikes in difficulty, but overall Q.U.B.E Director's Cut is a fun and accessible title that offers a fair challenge. If you're into puzzle platformers then you should strongly consider picking this up.
Overall though NBA 2K16 is a solid game that has great gameplay, and fantastic presentation.
There's nothing quite like GNOG out there in design terms , with each monster puzzle box giving the impression of being a toy. The VR aspect is a really nice option that enhances the experience too. However, while GNOG looks and sounds great, it doesn't generally offer much difficulty, instead happy to almost point out the answers to you. A charming but short and simple puzzle game, it's nice and accessible to everyone.
Stories: The Path Of Destinies is a charming and colourful game that is well presented with good narration. The number of paths that can be taken allow for a lot of replayability, and there's some well crafted combat. However, there comes a point where the game does become repetitive, which can make drumming up motivation to unlock all the stories tough. Even so, Stories: The Path Of Destinies is worth going through a few times, even if you don't want to go through all 25 paths.
Zombie Vikings is a fun beat 'em up that has some excellent moments of humour, with distinct feeling playable characters and a moderate level of difficulty. While the single-player alone is good, the multiplayer is where Zombie Vikings truly stands out. Zoink Games have shown once again why it is a studio worth keeping an eye on.
Dropsy manages to subvert your expectations, and has managed to create a main character you can feel for, even though he doesn't speak. Dropsy just wants to make people happy in a world that is filled with problems, and by helping them he can achieve his goal. There are some design issues though that count against the game, and some may find the pixel art graphics unappealing, but as an overall experience Dropsy is something that point and click adventure fans should play.
Curses N' Chaos is a good arena brawler that throws you right into the action. It may not be the most graphical intensive games out there, but Tribute Games has created something that you can get engrossed in really quickly. You will die a lot to make progress, and that may not be for everyone, but if you like your brawlers, then Curses 'N Chaos is certainly worth a look.
Beyond Sol is a very good blend of RTS and action game rolled into a package that has a rather unique approach to games taking place in space. You can easily sink a lot of hours into Beyond Sol, but it would be improved by having more variety to the items and situations that crop up. If Praxia adds more content over time, then Beyond Sol could prove to be a truly fantastic RTS, as the game just needs a bit more before reaching its full potential.
Conflicks – Revolutionary Space Battles is an incredibly fun RTS game that deserves to find an audience to help popularise its multiplayer mode. The campaign is a decent length and draws you in with its fun story, though there are a few dips. There is a lot of depth with the various ships which allow you to experiment with different tactics. The art style is pleasing to look at and the music is well composed, blending seamlessly with what happens on screen. While the AI could do with some improvement to provide a bit more of a challenge Artifice Studios has done well here.
Sheltered is a well crafted game that is quite tough at first to make progress in, but once you’re used to its systems there can be a rewarding experience. Just be prepared to lose people along the way.
The Magic Circle: Gold Edition is a humourous and satirical look at the complexity of game development. At the same time, it’s a fun game that encourages you to experiment with different combinations to reach your goal, leading to a number of bizarre creations, but The Magic Circle: Gold Edition is brought to life by its comedy.
Across Severed’s seven or so hours, you get to experience some of the best touch screen gaming around. DrinkBox Studios have created a great game here with an engaging battle system and art style. It can feel a bit too minimalist in its design, and there’s much repetition in the environments, but DrinkBox Studios have created a great game with an engaging battle system and art style. If you own a Vita, Severed is worth getting.
The Collider 2 is an excellent game when you just want to pick up and play something for a small amount of time, but investing longer stretches of time can lead to a build up of frustration, as you crash again and again. The unlock style of the mission mode feels restrictive and counters the fast paced nature of the action, with the Survival mode providing a much better alternative. Just be sure to try and use a mouse or VR controls to get the best out of this fun and fast game.
FIFA 17 is a very good football game that does a lot of things right, especially when it comes to presentation. The Journey provides a good story mode for FIFA, introducing the trials and tribulations of a young professional footballer, and when it comes to the action out on pitch, FIFA 17 continues to be a well rounded experience, even if it feels bogged down in midfield compared to PES 17. FIFA 17 will not disappoint fans of the series with the new things to try out, but when it comes to football games this year, there’s no clear winner.
Dishonored 2 has expanded on the original game in a number of ways, creating a world with a bigger scale. The gameplay builds on what was offered in the first game, with more options of how to approach situations and Emily’s powers adding further variety if you choose to play as her. What lets it down is that it’s missing a truly compelling narrative and cast of interesting secondary characters, and while it’s a very enjoyable game, it lacks some of the charm of the original.
South Park: The Fractured but Whole is technically a better game than its predecessor with more engaging battles and character creation, but the story is oddly paced towards the end, and while it is a fun ride I don't think it quite matches the plot of The Stick of Truth. It's not without issue, but fans of South Park will enjoy this as much as the first.
NBA 2K17 is an excellent basketball game, but I wouldn’t say it’s a major step up over last year’s title. The player duos are a great addition, while there have been improvements to the animations and player contact, but that makes the game a bit slower and more methodical. At the same time MyCareer is a lot more fleshed out which is great, but again, things can feel slow at times and you can feel the grind and the push toward spending real money to get past that. Really NBA 2K17 is on par with 2K16, making improvements in some areas, but with a few drawbacks alonside them.
‘Notgame’ isn’t the right tag for Bound, as there is a game here with platforming, puzzle solving, and defending against dangers, though admittedly much of it is about the journey undertaken. Plastic stated that narrative was the focus and it is part of everything, from the way the environments are shaped to the obstacles placed in front of the ballerina. Bound is easily one of the most stunning games to release on PS4, and if you’re searching for something a little different I heartily recommend it.
PES 17 is another example of Konami’s football series regaining some of the charm and style that made the series so great in the past. The game controls well, it looks good and it’s a lot of fun to play. It’s a big step forward on the path to reclaiming its crown, but it isn’t quite FIFA’s empire just yet. With a few improvements to the likes of MyClub and some parts of the game, the series could be there soon.