Mad of Medan looks and sounds gorgeous, but it's spoiled by some technical issues and, depending on your choices, characters doing stupid things just so the plot can continue, both of which break the flow of what could have been a decent horror story. It's an excellent night or two's entertainment with a bunch of mates in a dark room and plenty of beer, though playing by yourself or online with a chum is an altogether more muted experience. This is a fair start to The Dark Pictures Anthology.
Wet Dreams Don't Dry is a collision of ideas that are thirty years apart. It's got a surprisingly liberal attitude to sex that doesn't excessively objectify women from 2019, but controls, puzzles, and willy shaped chandeliers from 1987. The game has its 'sexy' moment, but the story is more concerned about highlighting how far we've come since 1987 and that's really hard not to like. I'm looking forward to the next game, maybe Larry will get the girl. Or boy. Or both at the same time. Or a llama.
If I could, I would score Layers of Fear 2 somewhere between Null and Infinity, but I can't, and as everyone is going to have a different view on Layers of Fear 2 the score is pretty much irrelevant. If you know your films and consider yourself reasonably intelligent then I would recommend at least taking a look at Layers of Fear 2. I *think* I enjoyed it, but I honestly couldn't promise that you or anyone else would. What an odd curio of a game.
A Plague Tale: Innocence proves that feisty young women are the new heroes of single player narrative adventures, and Amicia can proudly stand alongside Aloy and Senua. Asobo Studios have knocked it out of the park with a compelling story, superb graphics, and excellent music. Loved it.
It's endlessly repetitive, has an unfair upgrade system, the gameplay is relentlessly unforgiving, and yet I've been playing the game constantly. Black Paradox has that magic 'one more go' element, and whilst it's tough, the fact that you progress just a smidgen further each time, learning a new attack pattern or safe space, means you just have to keep on playing. Recommended to hardcore shooter fans, casual gamers may find it just too difficult.
RICO is meant meant to be played in quick bursts of ridiculous action. Spend too long with the game and infinite loop of smashing doors and clearing rooms becomes rather tiresome, but that's fine, not every game has to be an epic that requires you to bring a packed lunch. It may not be the best looking title, and it does have a few technical hiccups, but for a quick hit of over the top action it works really well, even more so if you have a friend to join in.
Neverout takes a simple premise and packs it into a small package. With just a few hours of playtime, it doesn't outstay its welcome, but there's not much variation to the puzzles and it could have done with a story. Puzzle fiends should definitely take a look, especially if they own a VR headset.
Strange Brigade is a jolly good wheeze. The 1930's matinee cinema styling makes it unlike any other game on market and that's a rare treat. The campaign, although dragging in a few spots, is just the right length and has replayability thanks to the many hidden treats to discover, while the score attack mode and horde modes are pleasant, if rather flimsy, distractions. Tuning the accuracy of the weapons would make me very chuffed, but as it stands this is a sterling effort from Rebellion. I look forward to the further thrilling adventures of (dramatic pause) The Strange Brigade! Tally ho!
Solid is the word I would use to describe H1Z1: Battle Royale on PlayStation 4. It's not the prettiest of games or the most clever, but it does what it does really well and it is a great alternative for those who find all the tree chopping and base building in Fortnite very tiresome. H1Z1 is off to a great start on PlayStation 4 and I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next.
I have spent countless hours playing TxK on Vita and it's one of my favourite games, so I'm disappointed that Tempest 4000 doesn't really add anything new, especially considering the higher price. It's still a great game and hopefully a patch will tone down the overzealous use of effects. This is worth a look if you are bored of cut scenes, collectables, and other frippery that clog up video games and want some serious old school arcade action.
If you're a fan of Just Cause or Saint's Row, then Red Faction Guerrilla might well tickle your fancy. In the days of sprawling open world titles with hundreds of missions tied together with awful stories, the simplicity of this game makes a welcome change. Violence is not big, hard, or clever, but it sure is a hell of a lot of fun. Red Faction Guerrilla Me-Mars-tered is the remaster no one was asking for, but has turned out to be a welcome surprise.
Detroit: Become Human really is like sitting down and playing a TV box set. It's a technical masterpiece on PS4 with movie quality sound, lighting and camera work, which is backed up by some top quality action and a wonderfully evocative score. Detroit really worked for me; I was gripped by the story and connected with the characters, but I think some players may have a hard time relating to Kara, Markus, and Connor. That's to be expected. After all, we're only human.
I can't help but feel a bit sorry for Gunstar Studios. The game they ended up with is nothing like their original plans and you can tell this single player shooter has been created by hacking bits from their MOBA. Despite it's many small flaws, it's not a bad game, it's not even dull, it's just very rudimentary. A noble failure, I really wish I could score the game higher but sadly I can't.
You will see all that Blasters of the Universe has to offer within an hour, but unlike many PSVR shooters there's tonnes of replayability and it works really well as a party game if you have friends round. You're going to need more space to play than most PSVR games, and also more stamina, as dodging, ducking, and flinging your arms in all directions really gives you a work out. Like the best arcade games it has a simple but addictive gameplay mechanic and is one of the best PSVR shooters to date.
It may a look a little basic compared to recent titles, but when it comes to gameplay Burnout Paradise still thrashes the competition. The racing is sublime, the stunts are spectacular, and there's always something to do round the next corner. It has one of the best soundtracks of any game – and yes that includes Avril – it's just a shame that some of the mechanics are dated and clunky.
There's two sides to The Inpatient: the first two thirds are tense, intriguing, and gives games like Resident Evil 7 a run for their money, but then the final third is ponderous, dialogue heavy, and has very little in the way of scares. With a play time of three to four hours it's a decent length for a VR game and does have replay value with it's alternate story paths. Despite it's flaws, The Inpatient is still much better than many of the VR horror games available, so it's worth checking out if you have an expensive fancy hat from Sony.
I'm really surprised just how much I enjoyed Sky Force Reloaded, the first time I loaded it up I was playing it for five hours non-stop and at no point was I bored. Adding grind to a shoot 'em up sounds terrible but it's a genius idea to counter the shoot 'em up's traditionally short playtime. By adding the challenges, the act of replaying a level twenty or more times never gets boring. I am now going to bestow on Sky Force the highest honour I can give it: It reminds me of SWIV.
League of War: VR Arena isn't a badly made game – it's well presented and looks pleasing enough in VR – but it's very, very, limited. Play the game for twenty minutes and you will have seen almost everything. There is almost no strategy and half the time you can win by picking units up as fast as they are produced and throwing them onto the battlefield. Porting the simple mechanics of a mobile game to consoles rarely works, even if you add a nice shiny VR element. A missed opportunity.
The Frozen Wilds enhances an already excellent game. The improved dialogue for a number of the characters shows that Guerrilla have clearly taken onboard the criticism levelled at Zero Dawn, while the additional enemy creatures are welcome and make the game feel well rounded and complete. I really enjoyed returning to the world of Horizon Zero Dawn and simply can't wait for the next game.
After spending many hours in the explosive world of Destiny 2, Detention's simple but horrific tale has reminded me just how affecting video games can be. A game based on the oppressive regime of 1960's Taiwain may not be for everyone, but if you fancy a break from head shots and kill streaks then this debut title from Red Candle games comes highly recommended.