Jamie Ward


69 games reviewed
68.3 average score
70 median score
84.1% of games recommended
Dec 4, 2017

Overall, I enjoyed my time with Völgarr the Viking and I think a lot of that came down to the nostalgic feeling it gave me whilst playing. Certain areas in the game were a bit bland and uninspired, but the gameplay is smooth and responsive, load times are non-existent so anytime you die you get straight back into the action, only to probably die again. But I think that you simply have to ask yourself if you are ready for the challenge at hand because at times it’s very unforgiving. If you stick with it, you will eventually have tons of fun.

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Apr 30, 2018

The Nintendo Switch is starting to build up a nice library of horror titles and, as with Outlast 2, this is one of the better offerings the console has to offer. But, it’s not without its problems. Coming in at around five hours for the base game and another two hours for the included Whistleblower downloadable content, you have yourself a game that doesn’t outstay its welcome. However, it must be said that there is a huge difference in fear, enjoyment and overall quality during the first half of the game compared to the second.

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Jul 12, 2018

Smoke and Sacrifice is yet another worthy entry in the survival genre. While it isn’t the best one, it certainly has a lot going for it and is a still a cracking little title. It has an impressive overarching story which is rare in the genre.

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7 / 10 - FIFA 19
Sep 30, 2018

Last year, FIFA 18 was given a free pass in certain aspects as it was the first FIFA game on a Nintendo console for years and the core gameplay was as good as I wanted it to be. This year, I am not letting FIFA 19 off as easily. Don’t get me wrong, I still have endless amounts of fun playing matches online and my most wanted feature, being able to play online against friends, has been added.

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The Escapists: Complete Edition is not a game that everyone will enjoy and I doubt it will be on anyone’s must-buy list. It suffers, to begin with, and you may think it’s a very one-dimensional sandbox game. But, give it time and it will show you just how much fun you can have planning a prison escape in an 8-bit world.

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Oct 25, 2018

Luigi’s Mansion has received a decent port to the Nintendo 3DS. Nothing more, nothing less. It isn’t the Nintendo Switch port that I’m sure most of us would have preferred, but that does not deter from the fact that this is still a very good game.

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Dec 11, 2018

Football Manager 2019 Touch on the Switch is a bit of a weird one. On one hand, you have what will be considered the best management sim to ever grace a console. On the other hand, it could have taken much greater strides than it has done to be a truly fantastic experience.

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Games have certainly moved on. You don’t find many games that are this punishing, and I can certainly see why a lot of people would be put off by the trial and error style gameplay. You have no doubt played many titles over the years that were inspired and influenced by Another World. Sure, it may have lost its magic over the last 27 years but that is only to be expected. For what it did for gaming in the early 90’s, it deserves to be experienced nonetheless.

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On the whole, Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas is a decent, if not overly spectacular game. I get that they are clearly massive fans of the Zelda series and wanted to do their own game in the same vein, but I would have liked to have seen a little bit more originality and uniqueness in there. That isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy my time with the game because there were moments where I didn’t want to put it down.

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6 / 10 - Chasm
Nov 26, 2018

Chasm doesn’t quite have its own identity, as it borrows so much from other games. And, while it does that decently, it’s not best in class. The randomly generated level layout, which is the game’s one unique feature, actually ends up being its biggest weakness. Maybe I am being a little too unkind, as I did have fun playing, but I just feel like it could have been so much more and that’s what bothers me the most.

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6 / 10 - Goetia
May 27, 2018

Goetia is a mixed bag. There are some wonderful moments in here such as the story, which certainly kept me going, and the visuals and soundtrack which do their best to keep you engrossed, are certainly impressive.

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6 / 10 - Yooka Laylee
Jan 3, 2018

The 3D platforming genre is sadly dying out, but it’s one of the reasons why Yooka-Laylee was so highly anticipated in the first place. It, unfortunately, doesn’t hit all the right notes and I think that everybody that has followed this game from the very beginning, expected a little bit better. Maybe it is indeed us that have hyped this game up too much, but I also think that when you label your game as a spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie, you’re kind of adding that hype up yourself. It’s not a bad game by any means, however. By following the Banjo blueprint already set out, the fundamental gameplay elements on offer are superb and Yooka-Laylee is still fun, mostly. It’s a solid start for Playtonic, I just hope that with their next game, they let their talents run wild rather than sticking too close to the subject matter.

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Oct 10, 2017

All in all, Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns is pretty much exactly what you’d expect from a Harvest Moon or Story of Seasons game. It doesn’t really add a whole lot to the game that wasn’t already there and as such the series has slightly stuttered. Sure, fans of the series will love the game no matter what and if you are looking for a decent simulation game then you can do much worse. Having said that, unfortunately for Story of Seasons, other games in the genre have come along and been better. The tutorials are bothersome and you do need to be able to give the game time to grow on you, but once it does it somehow finds a way of gripping its teeth into you and making you addicted. It just won’t keep you addicted for a great length of time.

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6 / 10 - Rocket Fist
Nov 3, 2017

Rocket Fist is a fun game and I don’t think anybody can ask any more than that. If you are going at it alone I would question if your money is best spent elsewhere, because while the single-player portion is fun, it’s simply not going to give you a whole lot of content. Even if you play with friends it isn’t going to keep you hooked for hours and hours, but if you want a game to add to the multiplayer collection then you can do far worse as anybody can jump in with you and have a fun time.

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Mar 30, 2018

The Long Reach could easily be considered as one of the better point-and-click games of recent years providing you like your games to be a bit more challenging. If you’re easily frustrated you will probably give up way before the four or so hours it takes to beat the game, which is a shame because it’s a title that has something to give. It has an intriguing story that will make you want to carry on, but the narrative is a little off sometimes, which counteracts what it is trying to achieve. It’s certainly an alienating game, one that has some serious glitches, but those that stick it out and for those who enjoy classic games in this style, there is certainly enjoyment to be had.

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6 / 10 - INFERNIUM
Jun 3, 2018

Infernium is a game that’s all about memorisation and trial and error, which might very well be more towards your taste than mine. I felt like sometimes I would just have to die in order to progress as I made a slight error, but I grew tired of the mundane way the game forced me to respawn and get all the way back to that point again.

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6 / 10 - Garage
May 19, 2018

Once all is said and done, I can’t help but feel like Garage could have been so much more. It has some great aspects, don’t get me wrong, but the potential is there for all to see and maybe some extra development time was what the game needed to finetune certain things.

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Dec 25, 2018

Bendy and the Ink Machine is a very intriguing game. It has an incredible visual style that is unique and certainly has some good horror elements going for it, but it, unfortunately, lets itself down in other areas. Straightforward puzzles, unwanted fetch quests and a clunky combat system really hurt the enjoyment in a big way. However, it is an interesting take on the horror genre and can still be thoroughly enjoyable in the right hands. I do think little more time in the oven was needed.

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5 / 10 - Vaccine
Oct 18, 2017

Vaccine could have been great in all honesty and I really wanted it to be. It just, unfortunately, falls some way off. Some may say it’s basically a rip-off but I see it more that the game was made for a bit of fan service for those that love the old Resident Evil games and, because of that, I can’t see it appealing to anybody else in all honesty. It is a shame that in order to see the game at its best, you need to have a bit of luck and hope that you get a good mansion layout. When I got a good layout, I actually enjoyed the experience.

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Oct 16, 2017

Ultimately, Don’t Knock Twice is the type of game that the Switch does not currently have a lot of, and for that alone, some might be inclined to try it out. It’s cheap to buy and it takes less than two hours to complete, so for those that enjoyed the movie then this can be a decent companion. For everybody else, I feel there is far too little to fully enjoy the experience. There is little to no replay value, once you’ve finished the game, there is no reason to go back. If you need a horror game to play in time for Halloween, unfortunately for Switch owners, this is currently one of only a few options.

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