Ben Salter Avatar Image

Ben Salter

Adelaide, Australia.
Gryllis
Gryllis
Gryllis

Favorite Games:
  • Metroid Prime
  • Red Dead Redemption
  • The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

66 games reviewed
78.6 average score
80 median score
64.6% of games recommended

Ben Salter's Reviews

Ben is an Australian games writer and pioneer in the use of the term "current-gen" to actually refer to the current-generation of consoles. He has been to E3 five times, but can't really remember any of them. It's all a blur of our most ambitious abundance of caffeinated beverages ever.
Oct 19, 2023

Super Mario Bros Wonder is a resounding success. It reboots a 2.5D reboot, with far more personality and the best balance and pacing in the modernised side-scrolling Super Mario Bros series.

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6.5 / 10.0 - Cricket 24
Oct 8, 2023

Cricket 24 is a curious case of being one of the best in the series, but with such minor changes over Cricket 22 that it feels like we’re watching a replay during a rain delay. That makes it hard to recommend if you’re already invested in past games. For new players, it remains as accessible as a sport as complicated as cricket can be. With a bevvy of returning control options and difficulties, there’s a way to play for all skill levels. Cricket 24 is still at its best when bat meets ball, and there are more licensed modes than ever before headlined by reliving the 2023 Ashes and forging a lengthy career – but the same experience can be had, without Gilly, at a fraction of the cost with Cricket 22.

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Oct 4, 2023

If you’re old enough to know who Desmond Miles is, and have a desire to return to the series’ origins, Assassin’s Creed Mirage hits the spot. It reins in the endless expansion and has very clear direction.

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The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom is one of the most creative, satisfying and rewarding games I’ve ever played, all within a familiar and greatly expanded Hyrule.

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Mar 17, 2023

The Resident Evil 4 remake is a darker, more intense and safely faithful remake of one of the greatest games of all time. It’s the best way to play for new players with updated controls and a modern styling. It avoids the missteps of RE3 remake by staying very true to its source material – so close that it's reluctant to make improvements for fear of changing too much.

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Feb 12, 2023

Metroid Prime Remastered is a must play masterpiece, regardless of if you were there on the GameCube or if this is your first time exploring Tallon IV. Such is the quality of the original release, the gameplay holds up on its own accord, as some of the best in the genre, two decades later. It’s brought to a modern audience with completely overhauled high-definition textures across the entire game. It looks great and is so faithfully recreated, Metroid Prime Remastered is presented exactly how your nostalgic mind remembers it, for those who have been here before. Delivered with a modern control scheme that works very well, and excellent performance perfectly tailored to the ageing Nintendo Switch, Metroid Prime is one of the greatest games of all-time – now it’s also one of the best remasters ever made.

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8 / 10.0 - Hogwarts Legacy
Feb 6, 2023

While combat may become repetitive, it’s more than serviceable, and fits in against the backdrop of an action-RPG that’s about so much more than killing goons — even if there is a lot of that. It’s a game that finally lets you live your dreams of 20 years ago, with a chance to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and have your own magical adventure.

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Nov 16, 2022

Kratos' reboot signs-off after just two games, expertly unifying story with gameplay and proving a safe sequel can be brilliant.

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Outside of those missteps, the remaining missions are all top notch and that’s why they’ll be spoken about less – they meet the lofty expectations of a Modern Warfare campaign. Infinity Ward has deliberately varied the pacing to avoid monotonous murdering, and while it doesn’t flow quite as well as Modern Warfare 1, it’s a nice mix that compels you to keep playing just one more mission until suddenly the credits roll. That’s Modern Warfare 2’s campaign. It isn’t as innovative as past Modern Warfare games, nor does it have as many iconic moments. But for the most part, it’s a unified campaign that nails what Modern Warfare should be. Fans of Call of Duty campaigns won’t be able to put their controller down.

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Sep 19, 2022

Return to Monkey Island is a delightful adventure, and while it might not quite reach the unobtainable prestige of its predecessors, with a much more accessible design it’s destined to become Guybrush Threepwood’s most popular tale yet.

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4 / 10.0 - Saints Row
Aug 22, 2022

Saints Row gets the gang back together, but needed more time to complete its comeback.

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7 / 10.0 - As Dusk Falls
Jul 18, 2022

As Dusk Falls is the non-game narrative adventure for your non-gaming family and housemates. It’s the most engaged I’ve ever seen my lapsed casual gamer partner in a videogame and that’s because it has the familiar story pacing of a six-part TV series and almost no gameplay, which means minimal barrier to entry.

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Jun 8, 2022

Mario Strikers Battle League is a lot of fun, but unless you commit to online play, it’s here for a good — but brief — time.

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Mar 23, 2022

While it’s on the shorter side, the collection of well-designed stages are perfect for pick-up-and-play short burst gaming, and that’s exactly what I need right now.

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What we have here is a very similar, yet different, version of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl in high definition on Switch, but it’s not definitively the best version to play today, as was the case with FireRed/LeafGreen, HeartGold/SoulSilver and Alpha Sapphire/Omega Ruby when they launched. While it’s not a stunningly brilliant or shining remake, it is a very faithful one that plays it safe and is a welcome return to Sinnoh for those with fond memories of visiting on the DS — but I’m more excited to see what’s new in the region with Pokémon Legends Arceus.

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It’s not that I’m mad, I am just disappointed. These three PS2 games remain iconic, and I have enjoyed returning to Liberty City, Vice City and San Andreas, but as a remaster, Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition is lacking the care and respect such highly regarded games deserve. It doesn’t have the quality we have come to expect from remasters recently. Yet, such is their quality, the underlying games, which deserved better, still hold up as a product of their time. They are worth returning to if the PS2 GTA Trilogy holds a special place in your heart, so long as you can temper expectations and accept the good, the bad and the downright ugly from a ‘that’ll do’ remaster. If not, you’re better off persevering them with those rose-tinted memories.

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Oct 29, 2021

Mario Party Superstars succeeds with a fresh coat of paint and just the right amount of quality-of-life improvements to keep it familiar yet far more accessible than dusting off your Nintendo 64. You just can’t beat Mario partying like it’s 1999 (and 2000 and 2001).

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9 / 10.0 - Metroid Dread
Oct 7, 2021

Playing as Samus has never felt better, with the bounty hunter’s quick and nimble movement perfectly paired with a blend of action, speedy traversal and stealth.

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Jul 26, 2021

Flight Simulator on Xbox Series X and S is marvel to behold. It might not be that easy to read a cockpit flight plan while lounging on the couch, but it’s a stunning way to watch the world go by with Microsoft Flight Simulator on Xbox.

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Skyward Sword HD is more about updating a game designed for the Wii’s waggle to work well on a handheld and with a conventional controller. With that focus, it delivers a version of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword that is much easier and more natural to play from start to finish.

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