Steve Wright's Reviews
Dying Light 2 faces two big issues at present: technical glitches that can be fixed with a patch, and design choices that will be harder to deal with.
Scarlet Nexus isn’t for me, but those who like the frenzy of Bayonetta, the quirkiness of Persona or the aesthetic of Code Vein (but not its Soulslike component) could find something that clicks.
Biomutant ultimately wants you to invest a lot of time and effort in it, and I found a lack of willingness to do so.
There’s a lot of squandered potential in both this title and the franchise itself, and I hope that V1 Interactive is able to salvage this release in the weeks to come. Some much needed focus will greatly improve the package.
At the end of the day, Wolfenstein Youngblood is largely forgettable.
While Layers of Fear was a jaunt into the unknown, Layers of Fear 2 has a strong sense of déjà vu that you carry with you from beginning to end; you’ve the feeling you’ve seen this before, and likely, more expertly done. Despite that misstep, it remains a must-play for horror fans who’re looking for a polished, atmospheric little fright.
While patches may be able to salvage quite a few of its bugs, there are some questionable design decisions that certainly can’t be fixed as easily.
All up, FlatOut 4: Total Insanity is quite an improvement over the last game in the franchise.
Federation Force isn’t bad — especially when you factor in Blast Ball — but it’s not going to fill the hunger felt by most franchise fans. It doesn’t work as a single-player offering, and those who want to play with friends will need to exert ridiculous levels of willpower and patience to get games in. If you’re willing to give it a go with mates, synch things up ahead of time for the least amount of stress.
Ultra Despair Girls is repetitive, clunky and worst yet, overly long. An animated film that gathered up all the cutscenes would have served as a better continuation of the world of Danganronpa. This one's for obsessives only; all others need not apply.
Fast-paced action is hampered by strange new presentation elements. Predatory pricing schemes undermine any legitimate improvements that have been made. While this is certainly one to recommend to those looking for a new experience, be warned in that you may not like what you find.
If you’re a massive Kirby fan, this is for you. If you’ve got a passing interest, wait for a sale. It’s not that this is bad, or unpolished… it’s just another repacked game with a value proposition that lacks.
Despite the issues, The Cosmic Shake is generally competent. If you can overlook the mini-games that dot the landscape, the platforming is tight. Combat is mostly on the same level. If that works for you — and if the idea of more SpongeBob if that excites you — than this is one you might consider.
Scorn isn't necessarily scary, but it is gross and uncomfortable. You may not like what's on the screen, but there's no denying that Ebb has thought long and hard about the world it's presenting and has succeeded in creating a cohesive and fully-formed offering.
This is like an old PC game that gets an HD texture pack by a modder, except that has already happened, officially, from Sony on PS4 and is again happening now. And you’re paying a premium for it each and every time.
Fans of Japanese culture and Kurosawa’s films may be more forgiving of Trek to Yomi than I, but the repetitive nature of its gameplay loop and overall lack of diversity made me pine for the Dark Souls playthrough I’m currently going through. It’s not one I’d enthusiastically recommend to players, but the silver lining here of course is that it’s part of Xbox Game Pass at launch, so many of you will be able to try it for yourself with no skin off your backs.
In the grand scheme of things, I’d say that NHL 22 is a skip overall, though long-time hockey fans will certainly find enjoyment. And hey — just like NHL 15 before it, this is one of those years that means double Achievements/Trophies because of its cross-generation release. Quite honestly, though, I’d prefer cross-gen play and one Achievement set instead, and that’s a lot coming from Mr 600,000 Gamescore over here. It’s very likely that the matchmaking problems I’ve encountered have been exacerbated by the lack of current-gen console availability; while the Xbox One version is near identical to Xbox Series X in terms of gameplay, I’ll stick to playing the prettier-looking one.
Destroy All Humans isn’t bad, per se, it’s just bland; a fresh coat of paint on a dated game, clunky in some areas and polished in others.
We basically decided we’d keep playing through the three major difficulties, but really because it seems like some easy gamerscore rather than an activity we’re invested in.
It’s hard to settle upon an audience for MXGP 2019, especially on Xbox One — MXGP3 will work just fine for casual players, and those looking for a hardcore experience are better serviced with MXGP Pro instead.