Jim Hargreaves
- Metal Gear Solid
- Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
- Crash Team Racing
Jim Hargreaves's Reviews
Challenging but without the same painstaking depth as most fighting games, Griefhelm neatly distils the thrills of facing your opponent in a mortal melee. The campaign has some clever ideas to help extend longevity with multiplayer being a welcome addition, though the core gameplay can grow repetitive after a while. Still, it's a fun take on the genre and one that will hopefully grow and galvanise over time.
Splicing history with Hollywood, Troy is an exciting new take on the Total War formula. Sega's immense strategy series continues to snowball, absorbing and shedding new ideas, somehow keeping momentum despite that core gameplay remaining virtually untouched.
Although hardly original in its premise, Dauntless offers an extremely fun and accessible take on the monster-hunting roleplaying game. It wastes no time in throwing you straight into the action and while easy to pick up there's plenty of depth there for fans of the genre. What's more Dauntless is completely free to play, gracefully sidestepping those annoying monetisation pitfalls we're so used to seeing.
The Last of Us Part II is a remorseless epic delivering in its masterful storytelling, nail-biting gameplay and unrivalled production values. Naughty Dog have truly surpassed themselves yet again, crafting a heartfelt sequel that will leave you gasping as they continue to raise the bar for the video game industry. It's yet another must-buy for PlayStation 4 owners, supercharging Sony's unstoppable stable of exclusives.
Maneater is a crazy concept come to life, Tripwire somehow managing to cobble together a silly ShaRkPG that is more than just a ten-minute novelty. There's no denying it's an exotic catch, but when it comes to quality open world action games, there's plenty more fish in the sea.
Predator: Hunting Grounds is a decent multiplayer romp with just enough content and ideas to make it worthwhile. It's a huge improvement over Ifflonic's last game, Dead Alliance, and one that's definitely pumped up thanks to having a popular license to lean on.
I'll admit I wasn't keen on Hunt: Showdown to start with, but after the first few matches I realised there's something special here. This is an unusual entry in a genre ruled by far snappier shooters, and it takes time to get your head around Crytek's clever twist on the formula. Stick with it and you'll be rewarded with a uniquely engrossing multiplayer experience.
There's a satisfying strategy experience to be had here though one that comes with quite the learning curve. Even once you have a grip on the basics, tangling with ROTK's new grid-based system and overall pacing can often put a few awkward steps between you executing your next cunning plan.
Taking Media Molecule's creative ethos to new heights, Dreams is a PlayStation essential. Booting the game up each time and having no idea what awaits is an intoxicating feeling. A remedy, forcing me from the rut of my predictable gaming habits to explore an inner creativity I'm often too lazy or wound up to let free.
Warcraft III: Reforged is built upon such strong foundations, yet manages to be somewhat unremarkable in 2020, mired by technical hiccups and Blizzard's clumsy messaging.
Kingdom Hearts III doesn't go in the direction some RPG fans will no doubt have been hoping for. It's unashamedly over the top in just about every way, from its barmy story and stunning presentation to its huge cinematic battles. There's plenty of depth here too, though you'll need to find your bearings first.
In an industry still obsessed with lifelike visuals, gratuitous violence, and tear-jerking stories, Wattam is a welcome remedy. Though short-lived and bizarre is its design, it has a joyous cleansing effect that will have you grinning ear to ear.
L.A. Noire: Case Files cleverly recycles one of the most intriguing games of the decade. Team Bondi's meticulous meticulous world-building and technical achievements still live on, clicking seamlessly with VR, even if Case Files doesn't exactly break new ground.
With Audica, Harmonix has taken a shot at reclaiming the rhythm action crown. It touts a challenging lineup of stages matched by a strong song roster yet feels boxed in by its shooting range premise.
Battlewake is another fun experiment from the Survios labs, though sadly one that can often feel lost at sea. At first you'll revel in sinking ships and sailing the high seas, but the novelty soon wears off as you rinse and repeat the same swashbuckling gameplay loop.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is exactly the kind of single player game we had originally hoped to see when EA and Disney joined forces. Even if you strip away the license, you're left with a super satisfying mix or combat, story, and exploration, deftly crafted by a studio best known for spearheading an entirely different genre.
Infinity Ward was never going to recapture the magic of the original Modern Warfare, but this is still their most memorable Call of Duty game of the past decade. This is a bold new spin that's uneven in places, but proves there is still room for innovation within that core template.
MediEvil resurrects one of our all-time favourite PlayStation mascots for a new generation. This remake does exactly what it promises, revamping dated visuals while staying faithful to the 1998 original, even if that means digging up certain design choices that have remained buried with Sir Dan all these years.
Touted as a seafaring Stardew Valley, Stranded Sails combines farming, exploration, and survival in a neat yet flawed package. It’s fun and rewarding in parts but doesn’t hold a light to Stardew or Harvest Moon in terms of charm or depth.
There's a calming sense of satisfaction to be had from Bus Simulator, though you'll have to work for it. This is the very definition of a slow burner - it's deliberately repetitive in a way that will irk most gamers, yet caters perfectly to a specific niche.