Luke Lawrie's Reviews
The fact that Watch Dogs has come out as second-best against the juggernaut that is the Grand Theft Auto franchise doesn’t mean it’s a bad game; it’s quite the opposite. It’s quite a great achievement for a brand new IP to come out and be as good as it is and to also try to do some new things on such a large scale. Its multiplayer is by far one of Watch Dogs‘ stand out components and this is where you’ll start to see some great videos floating around online from the community as they invade your game. Watch Dogs has dozens of hours of content and will certainly keep you entertained its world and what’s on offer.
Remedy continues to tell unique and extremely interesting stories, and in relation to how AWE concludes and what that means for the future of the Remedy Connected Universe, is just so damn exciting.
Just Cause 3 is purely an entertaining game; it’s not trying to tell a complex story with plot twists and deep characters. It knows it’s ridiculously over the top and it has fun with that. If, in your video games, you like explosions and causing serious amounts of destruction, you’re not going to find a better game this year to do so.
Sekrio: Shadows Die Twice continues FromSoftware’s dominance, showcasing that it’s on another level when it comes creating action games in fantastical worlds. You’re going to die, and you’re go die a lot. But these brilliant gameplay systems that come together to form experiences that we don’t see in other triple-A games is why people get excited for what Hidetaka Miyazaki is doing at FromSoftware.
Visual Concepts continues to set the benchmark for sports titles with NBA 2K17. My very few gripes with the game are small compared to hefty amount of content that is on offer, and for all the different things this game does right. It’s hard to pass up NBA 2K17 if you’re looking for an amazing video game; it’s even harder if you’re a basketball fan.
When Dead By Daylight was first launched, it was a flawed but fun game that needed a bit more work to tighten things up. Since its release, Behaviour Interactive has spent the last few months doing just that; it’s in a really good place right now. It has a healthy, active community where the player base can also go and interact with the developers on a weekly basis. All in all, Dead By Daylight is an amazing survival horror experience and my favourite indie game so far this year; you’ll sure as hell see this one on my list of top 5 games of 2016.
Diablo III was a bit of a miss, but Blizzard has spent time refining and streamlining just about every aspect of the game. Along with a very fulfilling new Act, updated loot system, and the addition of Adventure mode, Blizzard continues to show that when it comes to delivering content to their games they are still one of the best. Reaper of Souls is fantastic and is a must have for Diablo fans.
I’ve been reading Spider-Man comics since the early 2000s when J. Michael Straczynski sent fans into a frenzy during the One More Day story arc, where Peter Parker made a deal with Mephisto to rewrite his history. I flicked through the pages when Brian Michael Bendis did the unthinkable in Death of Spider-Man but then paved the way for Miles Morales to take the mantle. I was glued to Dan Slott’s epic 10-year run of The Amazing Spider-Man and enjoyed his controversial arc that saw him killing off Peter Parker, with Otto Octavius taking over as The Superior Spider-Man. This world has been a part of my reading influence for over 20 years. And I’m so glad to see a studio like Insomniac Games treat this property with a ton of respect while also putting their own spin on the characters and taking even an avid fan like myself on a wild, twist-driven ride. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is a spectacular adventure that will keep you on the edge as its riveting story unfolds.
Overall, Elden Ring is slightly held back by some lacking information in the UI, the uneven nature of the difficulty towards the endgame, and the inconsistent performance on the PC platform. Despite this, it’s an incredible experience and will be one of the best games you’ll play this year.
Rockstar Games has created a living, breathing world that I am absolutely invested in.
Dark Souls III is not for everyone, but for those that do give it the time required that it takes to learn, they’ll hopefully walk away from the game satisfied like I did. Because what they’ll end up playing is one of the best games of this year.