Carl Phillips's Reviews
The unfortunate truth is that its narrative fails to deliver a coherent and satisfying conclusion to the series, but as a stealth sandbox The Phantom Pain is peerless. Responsive controls, freedom to approach objectives, and extensive replayability make it an absolute joy that you won't want to put down. It's a diamond that may be flawed, but it is one that Kojima (and gamers) can hold with awe.
It doesn't fix everything that was wrong with Destiny, but The Taken King does enough in all the right places to make it a highly enjoyable FPS experience overall. A renewed focus on narrative and a streamlined progression system helps to push Destiny in the direction it should have been heading all along.
[SPOILERS] This is, without a doubt, the finest series Telltale Games have produced to date. Whether you're already a Borderlands fan or not, Tales From The Borderlands delivers an emotional, entertaining, and downright fun episodic adventure title.
The Vault of the Traveler finishes off what Escape Plan Bravo began, delivering an entertaining conclusion to the Tales From The Borderlands series. Even at this late stage, important choices are made and help create a finale that is fun and satisfying.
While there are still blemishes that stop it matching the heights of Brotherhood or even Black Flag, Assassin's Creed: Syndicate restores faith in the series by delivering a highly enjoyable open-world experience. Jacob & Evie make for entertaining characters in a beautifully crafted Victorian London filled with content that will keep you busy for weeks. So pick up your hidden blade - it's time to return to the creed.
While it may be short and lack replayability, Funcom have delivered a well-crafted and finely tuned psychological experience with The Park. The exceptional audio design helps to build a chilling and tense ambiance that will delight fans of The Secret World, while even newcomers can enjoy the chilling tale of one mother's search for her son. A true psychological thriller that you'll want to play with the headphones on and the lights off.
Like a box of assorted chocolates, you might not like everything in the box, but what does take your fancy will have you coming back for more. Coming in at the perfect price point, the Jackbox Party Pack 2 gives you five varied games that will entertain you for hours. Perfect as a party piece, especially with Christmas just round the corner.
With staggering depth to both its map design and new Mastery progression, Heart of Thorns gives Guild Wars 2 players old and new plenty of engaging ways to keep playing. There are still refinements to be made in certain areas, but ArenaNet have shown they are up to the task, making this a worthwhile expansion for MMO fans.
While there may be bugs everywhere, it's hard not to be in awe of the extensive open world Bethesda have created with the Commonwealth. Streamlined progression, an improved narrative, and extensive customisation make Fallout 4 a serious contender to the RPG throne.
While exploration takes something of a backseat this time around, the result means Revelations sets up a grand finale for Dreamfall Chapters. Previous player choices make some big impacts throughout, and it's clear there'll be more to come thanks to some key scenes in Book Four. With the game engine's upgrade to Unity 5 a huge success, let's hope that Red Thread Games can focus on delivering an engaging conclusion to Zoe and Kian's journey.
Despite not offering anything particularly new in terms of gameplay, The Division manages to be an enjoyable & addictive online experience thanks to its satisfying loot mechanics. With plenty of content in the open world, an end-game supported with both frequent balance patches, & new activities on the horizon, Ubisoft's latest is definitely recommendable to groups looking for a challenge – be it PvE against the AI, or fighting other players in the Dark Zone.
While capable of some good looking vistas thanks to the Unity Engine 5, the unfortunate truth is that Adam’s Venture: Origins is an awful game, let alone a series reboot. Other than a few of the logic puzzles, the lack of quality in most areas makes it an unenjoyable adventure game that I honestly cannot recommend to anyone, even genre fans.
Battlefleet Gothic: Armada isn’t really newcomer friendly or forgiving of mistakes, but those willing to learn in a trial by fire will be rewarded with a rich tactical experience.
The gameplay may lack the Quality of Life improvements possessed by modern games, but Battlezone ‘98 Redux is a faithful restoration of a true gaming classic. Improved visuals and Steam Workshop support are welcome additions, making it a blast from the past worth revisiting.
Book Five may have been more about reaching the conclusion than making choices, but a few unexpected twists in both the plot & gameplay make the last leg of the journey an eventful one. Ultimately, Redux delivers an emotionally satisfying finale to one of the greatest and most diverse stories told in adventure gaming.
Fans of Mars: War Logs might enjoy exploring more of Spider’s dystopian Mars, but I honestly couldn’t recommend The Technomancer to newcomers looking for a sci-fi RPG. Its poor combat balance, dated animations, and predictable storyline result in a game that really could have been so much more, but ends up being uninspiring.
Although its longevity will be brought into question, the blend of gameplay & thought-provoking narrative makes The Turing Test a well-crafted sci-fi puzzle title worth playing.
Seasons After Fall is a labour of love that is nothing short of an artistic triumph. While it does have control issues, it manages to rise above them to become an enthralling puzzle-platform experience.
The mileage of the remastered games will vary depending on what previous players are looking for, but it’s hard to argue against the value for money in BioShock: The Collection in terms of sheer content, especially for those who have never experienced the critically acclaimed series before.
A lot of its new features & systems aren’t revolutionary, but what Blizzard have done is expertly refine them to work with their online game. With a visceral new hero class and an expansive end-game, the end result not only makes Legion the best expansion the game has seen since Wrath of the Lich King, but it reaffirms World of Warcraft’s place as the king of the genre.