Stefan L's Reviews
The 2013 reboot was no slouch in the visuals department, especially when played on PC or current gen consoles, but Rise of the Tomb Raider takes this even further.
Though it's a little awkward at times, it's never truly annoying, and the many virtues of the PlayStation 4 and the DualShock 4 help to make the game feel more natural and fluid in action than on the Vita. The sequel looks like it's really really going to flesh out the ideas at play in the original, when it releases later this year, but until then, Gravity Rush Remastered is the best way to play or revisit one of the Vita's most distinctive games.
Though it lacks some of the nuance and complexity to make the most of some of its ideas, Deserts of Kharak captures the essence of the Homeworld series. Fans of the classic originals will find a familiar form of real time strategy adapted to a new setting, and telling another tale of a lonely carrier fighting through to its destination against the odds.
If anything, what was already a pastiche of a rather traditional fantasy RPG has been taken down an even more classical route. It's a story of kings, princesses, castles and dragons, as the gates to Expandria quickly get forced open, and you head off to investigate reports of a large explosion behind the wall which had kept this area off limits so far.
Unfortunately, Fat Princess Adventures comes across as something of a missed opportunity. For one thing, it's a genre shift which will disappoint those who want more of the multiplayer carnage from the original, but while there's still fun to be had, this is a fairly shallow game which leans too close to the childlike facade of the art style.
Without a single player campaign and only a small selection of effectively interchangeable game modes, Rainbow Six Siege is a game with a fairly limited scope. However, there's still a solid and very enjoyable tactical shooter at its core, especially when played with friends, and it's one which will only grow over time as Ubisoft add more maps and content.
Story Mode continues to be an imaginative and inventive exploration of a Minecraft universe that younger fans in particular ought to enjoy.
Hard West gets a lot of things right, with a number of clever ideas that help to broaden the scope of the standard turn-based formula it draws upon, but a lack of checkpointing and other game design faux pas can spoil the fun.
Unfortunately, this episode doesn't hang together quite as well as the first
From the big marquee features to the small touches and hidden modes, Black Ops 3 features an awful lot of content, and every aspect of it is designed with cooperative play in mind. It can feel a bit disjointed in places, but it's a broad and expansive game with plenty to enjoy, especially so when playing with friends.
In some ways, Driveclub Bikes is Evolution and Sony's opportunity to rehabilitate DriveClub's image in the eyes of the public, just as The Taken King redeemed many of the flaws of Destiny. Outside of the online issues that persisted for far, far too long, it was hardly a bad game, and it's excellent and rewarding handling model has effortlessly been replicated with the bikes. Whether you want to pick up the main game on the cheap, grab the generous and expansive season pass of DLC or dabble with Bikes, it's never been a better time to jump into Driveclub and get racing.
WRC 5 is a new beginning for the series, and when viewed in that light, Kylotonn's efforts come out quite well. There's several issues, both big and small that detract from the game as a whole, but underneath it all there's a rallying game that's just a good bit of fun. When it's just you and your co-pilot racing through a forest, barely making it through a series of tight twists and turns, that's really what matter.
The fifth and final episode of Life Is Strange is a satisfying ending to what has been one of the best examples of modern storytelling within games. The elements of time travel have ben a fascinating and interesting hook that has allowed Dontnod to explore several characters and relationships, to the backdrop of a college campus that's steeped in mystery. It has its weaknesses and flaws as a game, but this is a deeply impactful game that shouldn't be missed.
Minecraft might not have a story and lore of its own for Telltale to build upon, but that just means that a Telltale story can fit right in.
With an excellent trio of ports from Bluepoint and the fourth game on the way in March, there's never been a better time to play these games, whether a newcomer to the series or someone looking to relive some of the PlayStation 3's best games.
Of all the Toys to Life games, Lego Dimensions is perhaps the most literal interpretation of the genre yet. Thanks to some clever ideas with the Toy Pad and the inherent flexibility of Lego itself, it's able to breach the divide between the game and the real world in some interesting ways. It doesn't always get that blend quite right, and the price of entry is very high, but it's an excellent first attempt that's full of nostalgia and more than a few moments of brilliance.
Cities: Skylines remains a fantastic city builder, and with After Dark it's getting even better, regardless of whether you buy the DLC or not. Just the gorgeous day-night cycle would have been a worthy addition, but Colossal Order have shown a degree of ingenuity in tying this to new gameplay mechanics, while also giving more options for players in how they want to run their city.
If you've been waiting years for a good rugby union game, the wait will continue for some time yet. There is little to redeem the myriad of fundamental flaws and inadequacies that are apparent throughout.
Carving your way through a level in Broforce is chock full of muscle flexing carnage, and it's brilliant for it as explosions rock the screen and you tear through the scenery. Though inventive, some of the boss fights halt that fun, and the way co-op deals with lives is too unforgiving, but it's always throwing out something new, whether it's a different looking environment to blow up, a new type of enemy to blow up or another new bro to add to the team and blow things up with.
The Phantom Pain makes a major departure from the gameplay of the earlier home console games, but it’s brilliant for it. The story loses its momentum half-way through and the boss fights can fall flat, but those are minor points compared to the outstanding open world that has been created for you to play in and the freedom to do so.