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Dave Irwin

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Favorite Games:

163 games reviewed
69.5 average score
70 median score
39.0% of games recommended
6 / 10 - Ronin
Jul 6, 2015

With a little more refinement, Ronin could easily have been an enjoyable romp. It certainly looked the part and in the initial stages was a slick action platformer, but by the time the game reaches its conclusion, there's little motivation to continue. It may be short, but finishing Ronin feels like running a gauntlet by the skin of your teeth. The only kicker is, there's no moment of euphoria afterwards…

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Jul 20, 2015

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter might be less involved than a lot of mystery games, but it is by no stretch any less fascinating, beautiful or immersive. Its haunting atmosphere sucks you in with its unsettling vibe, but it's the mystery that keeps you there until the very end. It may not be the longest game, but if the supernatural intrigues you even a little, then this one case worth taking.

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8 / 10 - Victor Vran
Jul 30, 2015

Victor Vran shows that Haemimont Games have more in their arsenal than just city building with dictators. As far as Diablo clones go, it isn't of the same calibre as Path of Exile due to its rather simplistic nature and the overabundance of the six primary enemy types, but it does feature some neat gameplay twists of its own. It's worth a look if you are starved of action RPGs, with the emphasis on action.

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Aug 12, 2015

As light on gameplay as it is, Everbody's Gone to the Rapture is as beautiful as it is thought provoking. It's hard to find fault with its technical prowess, showcasing just how detailed interactive media can be, but on top of this we have a narrative that is disjointed yet somehow works wonderfully as it increases curiosity, and music that is poignant in all the right ways. If Dear Esther was pretentious, in my eyes, Everybody's Gone to the Rapture can only be described as enrapturing.

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6 / 10 - Beyond Eyes
Aug 19, 2015

As an educational tool, Beyond Eyes did a great job of teaching me of the struggles people face when their vision is impaired. Rae's way of seeing the world through memories and senses creates some fascinating insights, together with some genuinely appealing watercolour visuals and brilliant sound direction. As a game though, Beyond Eyes is about plodding through a maze with barely any meaningful plot until right at the end.

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Aug 27, 2015

Games like this live or die by their multiplayer community and while it's sad to see no such community thrive for a competitive platforming racing game, maybe this isn't the best game to mourn for. Its dated looks, slippery controls, and occasional bugs don't exactly help, but the lack of originality compared to both Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams and Speedrunners just highlight the problems with this copy and paste effort. Go play Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams instead of this.

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Sep 3, 2015

As such, Mega Man Legacy Collection feels incomplete. It doesn't feature any of the games that launched after the heyday of the NES era and even then brings them to modern systems with performance warts and all. Yet somehow with the six games it does bring to the table, it provides enough for fans to indulge in with challenges and archive artwork, while also bringing in new players with conveniences such as the save system.

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8 / 10 - Armello
Sep 8, 2015

The only major things that hold Armello back are things that either can be fixed or are purely subjective. Personally I feel the random element is a little too on the nose, but like all good board games, there are going to be those who really dig that particular feature. Armello's a fantastic example of a gateway board game and also a great way to spend an hour or two with friends who may not be able to get around a table.

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7 / 10 - Runbow
Sep 10, 2015

At its heart, Runbow is a game to break out during a big gathering, rather than play on your own. Nothing is more fun than hooking up controllers and playing with a whole bunch of your friends for a night, and Runbow offers that in spades, provided you have all the Wii Remotes and attachments at your disposal. It's the perfect fit for the design philosophy of Nintendo's consoles lately and a great debut from 13AM Games.

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6 / 10 - Pumped BMX +
Sep 17, 2015

There are plenty of challenges in Pumped BMX+ for the price point, but at the end of the day it boils down to whether you'd like a mobile game on your PC or console. Sadly, it just doesn't offer anything beyond the capabilities of the mobile version and it's a tough sell as a result. While it's technically a good port of an iOS title, it just isn't enhanced enough for my tastes.

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Sep 20, 2015

Cast of the Seven Godsends will find its audience among those wanting that Ghouls n' Ghosts experience, but in its current state it is largely unplayable thanks to the frame-rate working against you all the time. But its biggest sin is that it has two extremes: hard as a rock, or a piece of cake. There's no middle ground that would have made my time with it more enjoyable. I admire the art style to a point and the game had some great ideas, but it's no Ghouls n' Ghosts.

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7 / 10 - Blood Bowl II
Oct 5, 2015

It's difficult to overlook a lot of the flaws with Blood Bowl 2, but at the same time if you have a group of likeminded people willing to create a league, then this is a great if somewhat limited option. It's everything you'd expect in a Blood Bowl game, with a great tutorial for newcomers and a coat of paint, looking as good as the Citadel Minatures you'd see in the window of a Games Workshop.

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By making some smart efficiency decisions, it's easy to recommend Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance to newcomers and veterans of the franchise, with some excellent new mechanics and tweaks to old favourites. You can literally sink hundreds of hours into this should you feel the urge. While I didn't really engage with the characters and narrative as much this time around, the action and sheer wealth of content more than made up for it, dood!

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Oct 12, 2015

Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash is one of those rare examples where the previous games were more interesting in concept. There's possibly something there for someone younger to sink their teeth into and it is adorable throughout, but this is a standard platformer with a great deal of padding and not all that much innovation. Overall, a competent platformer that plays it safe, but one that is also painfully drawn out.

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Those looking for a spooky adventure for Halloween can certainly find one in Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water. Taking photos of ghosts while trying to keep dry is enthralling, while Mount Hikami's forests and shrines are among some of the spookiest locales in the franchise. Once you have gotten used to the mechanics though, it's far too easy to just plough through the game and the characters themselves are almost as vacant as… well ghosts! An enjoyable treat at least, but not enough tricks.

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Sadly, The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes doesn't quite wow the catwalk. It may have the character, control and theme down to a tee, but the dungeon design is nowhere near as tight as those from the main franchise. If you have the right minded people playing locally or using some kind of voice chat, you will have a blast if you can get past some of the flawed dungeon design. While far from a fashion disaster, The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes does need some touching up.

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As such, it's tougher to recommend BlazBlue: Chronophantasma Extend to those wishing to get more out of it than a solid fighting game experience. However, the two new characters that join the growing cast are great additions and the conversion to the next-gen consoles is almost completely successful. If you're not intimidated by the competitive scene or if the massively convoluted plot doesn't faze you; BlazBlue: Chronophantasma Extend is a good choice for scratching that pugilistic itch.

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Nov 8, 2015

Rise of the Tomb Raider is an action-packed tour-de-force that, while derivative at times, is a fantastic romp from beginning to end. This sequel learns some of the lessons of its predecessor by making the game more like a recognisable Tomb Raider game, while at the same time implementing some new features and impressive visual design. While not quite the globetrotting adventure some were hoping for, Rise of the Tomb Raider is well worth playing.

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9 / 10 - Fallout 4
Nov 8, 2015

Fallout 4 is hugely ambitious and without a doubt one of the best games this year. It's not without its flaws, but very few games made me care more about what I was picking up, how to use it, what choices I made, and even the communities I'd founded. By streamlining some mechanics, Bethesda has made room for other more complex ideas. If you can forgive a few technical imperfections, of which there aren't as many as prior instalments, Fallout 4 exceeds all expectations.

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7 / 10 - Typoman
Nov 24, 2015

Typoman's appeal boils down to whether or not you're willing to invest in shorter games that are content light, yet have genuinely interesting ideas that are beyond what's come before. By using words as an aesthetic and gameplay device, it writes its own reasons for why it is unique. My only wishes were that the platforming was tighter and that it had a few more levels. Typoman is over far too quickly for my liking, but this is high praise for what it did in its short time.

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