Mehdi Zadnane's Reviews
Shadow of the Beast is a good looking game, but ultimately the game comes off as a failed tribute to the original that puts all its money on the wrong horse. Heavy Spectrum’s work on the designs and narrative is admirable, but ultimately Shadow of the Beast is merely a shadow of the original.
Despite its underlying ambitions and some redeeming qualities, Homefront: The Revolution is a revolution in name only, though it feels more like a domestic dispute than anything of that scale. Combining subpar storytelling and gameplay with a heap of performance issues, this revolution seems to come to an end before it ever begins.
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate is technically stable and visually appealing, but even though it learns lessons from the mistakes of its predecessor, it still manages to make older problems return and creates a gameplay experience that really doesn’t do much to take a hold of the player, which is a shame considering many of its gameplay elements showcase much promise. Ubisoft Quebec has managed to create a decent game, but the gameplay simply never manages to live up to the potential of its setting, which is a shame.
Arkham Knight’s price of admission to the season pass may be steep, but is A Matter of Family a good opener and a sign for its run? Not really. Suffering from a lack of narrative depth and actual noteworthy additions to the gameplay A Matter of Family really does feel like filler material, despite the excellent design of its areas which would seem to be suited for a much better run that it’s been given to work with. Next month’s Season of Infamy may be the turning point regarding many’s expectations for Arkham Knight’s season pass, but the glimpse we’ve gotten isn’t anything to be excited about.
Rory McIlroy’s PGA Tour would’ve been a much easier sell on platforms that didn’t already have a game or two in the genre available, but there really isn’t a lot that should make it appeal to players who want a long-lasting experience. Despite its improvements and additions it just takes too much away from its arsenal to stand on its own in strong posture.
Bound excels in presenting an engaging universe and telling a deep and imaginative story, but where it has the imagination to make the player think and awe at what they’re seeing, it simply doesn’t have as much to tell when it comes to the core gameplay. That being said, it wouldn’t be fair to call Bound a bad game, because it’s simply a flawed one when it comes to gameplay. The lack of engaging gameplay really affected my experience to a certain point, but for what it’s worth Bound’s storytelling managed to salvage what else there was and give me an immersive narrative experience.
Batman: Return To Arkham is a good way to experience both games if you haven't already played them previously. Returning players and PC gamers will probably be better off sticking to the original releases, which still hold up quite well, despite the technical improvements.
The Crew: Wild Run is a great example of a great idea that simply doesn’t fare better than ‘OK’ in its execution.
Transformers: Devastation is a very solid installment in the franchise that lends itself to excellent fan-service and strong core gameplay, though its technical and design-based drawbacks do hold its basis back from achieving greatness, rather than hovering in between the upper echelon of decent to good. Combined with the fact that the game does seem a little light on content, Transformers: Devastation remains a solid title, but not one that should be bought at the price its being offered at.
The Sims 4 may not feel complete in some aspects, and those coming from The Sims 3 may not feel at home with some of the gameplay elements, but The Sims 4 is still a decent game on its own.
ScreamRide brings some of the most fun sections of the Rollercoaster-game formula into a mix of destruction and adrenaline, which is incredibly fun if that's your thing. The problem with ScreamRide in the end is the fact that it does feel like a much smaller game than it's advertised to be, and whilst it's solid, it's definitely not worth the advertised $40 price tag.
Jurassic World is obviously a great theme to pursuit when creating a game in this genre, though whereas the game has its moments to shine it more often stumbles. Fans of the movies and returning players who want some more to play should have a decent time with LEGO® Jurassic World, but it is definitely one of the weaker instalments in the LEGO® franchise.
With Advanced Warfare, Sledgehammer Games has proven that it can stand on its own legs when developing a Call of Duty title. The game introduces some new and fun concepts, and is a step in the right direction. The game has made leaps forward in a lot of departements, but there are still ways to go when it comes to software design. Ultimately Advanced Warfare is a great title worth playing, but a troubled one none the less.
Assassin’s Creed: Unity is an evolution of the franchise’s core in every way, but its next step into the next generation is a problematic one. Whilst Unity offers an amazing environment, great gameplay and a great atmosphere, its technical issues hold this good game from being great. Unity may not be the most stable and technically-refined title on current generation hardware, but once you overlook technical difficulties and its lackluster narrative, you'll without a doubt have an amazing time with it.
From a narrative standpoint, Dead Kings is one of the lesser iterations in the franchise, even considering it's only downloadable content. However, when it comes to gameplay and graphics the DLC seems to provide a fair amount of fun and intuitive gameplay that will keep fans busy for a short while longer.
Battlefield: Hardline offers both returning and new players a slightly more fresh take on the classic Battlefield formula. But where the game delves into new territory, it often returns to the classic formula after getting cold feet. The strongest points of Hardline are when the game tries to be something different, but the fallbacks to old ways are where the game keeps itself from being great, rather than just good.
Dishonored: Death of the Outsider is a fun and well-made standalone title that is certainly worth giving a shot. It's certainly one that's best enjoyed if you have played the first two games and simply want to experience more and want to see the series' loose ends tied up in a nice and clean narrative.
Like the first, Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 is a really fun title with a large open world to explore and tons of great content to play through at your own pace. There's still issues with the core gameplay, but it's hard not to have fun with the latest in the LEGO franchise.
DiRT Rally isn’t a game of player vs competitor, but a trial by fire as the battle between driver and machine rages on throughout a punishing gameplay experience that is as much frustrating as it is rewarding as you improve your driving skills over time. But as immersive as the game is when it comes to its core gameplay, the setup of the game when it comes to the career mode and the limited scale make DiRT Rally more of a side-stop, albeit one that shows great promise for the future of the franchise.
This War of Mine: The Little Ones is a simple game that is elevated greatly by its excellent preventation and storytelling, which create a an experience that despite its nature can make for quite an intense experience that may prove challenging for a lot of players. The war is ours, and every decision lies in our hands, and every decision has its consequences.