Brodie Gibbons's Reviews
Limbo, when I reviewed it all those years ago, was one of the few games that compelled me to reward it a perfect score. Inside isn’t just a marked improvement on Playdead’s formula, it smashes through the benchmark Limbo set tenfold, leaving me to ponder how a team so small can produce an experience so damn grand.
In another triumph for the humble indie game, Hyper Light Drifter delivers the year’s best action-adventure hybrid so far. It’s best in class on all fronts that count, offering up razor sharp gameplay, an ultra-stylish coat of paint that, when served with a smashing synth, drips an unforgettable atmosphere.
I consider myself a pretty big fan of those Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. It was everything to me when I was a kid and it does sadden my inner child to have played this game. It'll appeal to some that are new to the franchise who may want to tune out and just wallop on endless, nameless clay men for a few hours but, as a long-time fan, I found only disappointment with rare sprinklings of flair.
Halo Wars 2 is familiar but different in all of the right ways. A short, robust campaign, rich with genuinely effective character performances and a compelling (though far too absent) villain is complemented by a multiplayer facet that is far better off on the back of a daring deck-building venture.
I seriously can't speak highly enough of the world this game presents. I found value in every corner I poked my nose into. Its people, its creatures and its oddball take on what society could be like in a billion years places Torment among the best of its kind. Torment's world has a lasting appeal. Much like a good book you've closed for the last time, you're left with a sort of bitter understanding that you'll never experience it for the first time again. So, you settle for seconds.
I'm sure one day I'm going to finally be able to sit down and say that the well has run dry for Telltale, that their stories can't carry them through anymore. But today isn't that day.
FIFA it ain't, but it wasn't ever going to be. AFL Evolution is a game that, given its niche market, we're pretty fortunate to have. Wicked Witch have yet to craft the perfect footy game, but there's certainly fun to be had here.
Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 has to be partially excused for some of its shortcomings, given CI's inexperience at producing larger scale, bigger budget games. It does have a pleasing core experience that is sadly let down by, more or less, every other facet of the game. Come for the poor load times, the dreadful writing and the painted-on, wooden expressions the game's cast has, but stay for the sniping. Because the sniping is great.
Rime explores a profoundly melancholic story and plays on the wanderlust we naturally feel as gamers. We're spoiled with how many engrossing worlds and intelligent subtexts have made their way into the medium and Tequila Works have delivered on both fronts.
I know Hellblade won't be the catalyst to us understanding mental illness overnight, but, again, it needs to be stressed that Ninja Theory took a bold risk here and their art is going to change perceptions somewhere down the line. It's a game where the difficulty of its subject matter trumps its combat, which is unfortunate. How a group of twenty people can make one of the most affecting games of the year, when teams of hundreds routinely fail to do so, is beyond me.
Fullbright captured lightning in a bottle with Gone Home, and I began Tacoma wondering whether they could hold onto it, as rare as that is. Thankfully, they did. The core mechanics are simple, yet they make sense within the game's world. Most importantly, they do not over-complicate matters. It allowed us to take in another magnificent Fullbright narrative.
I put more time into the original Destiny than I've ever put into anything. I can see myself playing the sequel just as much. Though the core grinding loop might be slightly different this time around, it's still as satisfying as ever. Though it's somewhat of a prelude, the story is a compelling introduction to the Red Legion. Finishing the raid with my clan left me feeling accomplished as its ultra-hard mechanics put a team's mettle to the test. I can't say I've got a whole lot of gripes about this sequel. It feels like a pretty natural evolution of Destiny and does what it always did that little bit better.
It's a bit unfair to compare Cuphead to almost any other of the brutally tough platformers I've grown to love recently, as it lacks the filler. It gets straight to the good stuff and gives us an almost 'greatest hits' of boss fights. And if they don't get better and more rewarding as they go, I'll go eat. So while you've still got to be a masochist at heart to get through the 'true' Cuphead, people of all ages and backgrounds would be able to sit in front of the television and appreciate Cuphead for its sense of style and its ability to evoke that childlike wonder that was, until now, dormant in most of us.
Shadow of Mordor was a bombastic, grandiose romp through a very storied land, steeped in a much-beloved history, as penned by Tolkien. Shadow of War takes what made the original such a great experience and magnifies it tenfold, blowing it up into a titanic game. Embrace the Bright Lord and play this game if you've got even a passing interest in the Lord of the Rings saga. Even if you don't, this high-fantasy action game has a bit of everything.
The Fractured But Whole is a solid game, but as a package doesn't improve greatly on The Stick Of Truth. Its combat has some added depth and there are more classes to choose from, but it doesn't feel as though it does a whole lot else that's new. Its unwavering preparedness to tackle tough social issues must always be commended and I know that'll never change with South Park. If you're a person with touchy sensibilities, know that this probably isn't for you. But if you're a South Park fan who wouldn't mind a fairly decent romp through a faux Marvel and DC face-off then you're probably onto a winner here.
I fell out of love with Assassin's Creed a long time ago, but Origins has recaptured the magic that made the series a powerhouse all those years ago. With its humble protagonist, whose outlook on life is clouded by relateable and crushing heartbreak, and a world so detail-rich, it's hard not to be floored by everything Origins manages to be. Assassin's Creed Origins is the definitive action-adventure game of the year. It's a wild power fantasy that satisfies not only a curious thirst for knowledge but both bloodlust and wanderlust to such lengths it's almost gluttonous.
I want to shout it from the rooftops, Call of Duty is back. Just when it looked like the franchise was going to get wildly out of hand, credit has to be paid to Activision for recognising that the only way forward was to strip away the deadweight and return to its roots. When it comes to bang for buck, WWII triumphs over most. Throw the new social space in alongside what is basically three games and Call of Duty might very well be king again.
Just like Rocksteady did for Batman, Arc System Works has carried Dragon Ball to the upper echelon, crafting a tag-fighting game that captures not only the series' distinctive style but its spirit. FighterZ stands alongside other versatile, yet accessible, games like Marvel vs. Capcom with ease in what is the best fighting game in recent memory. It's a shame the servers hamstring the experience so badly, rendering the game's online a bit of a mess.
Celeste not only joins a long list of phenomenal platforming royalty, but it stands as a mighty pillar among the very best of them. Its message is clear albeit clumsy, though that doesn't detract from its very real and relatable cast of flawed characters. It's challenging in ways many games aren't while managing to maintain an endless supply of magic.
Like Unravel before it, Fe is another triumph for the EA Originals program as Zoink don't hesitate to flex their creative muscle. Despite a few foibles, the core mechanics are sound enough. Though it's in its world-building and artistic direction that Fe truly shines, with a spacious map that sparks the kindling of exploration and ignites that love for adventure.