It’s not a bad game by any stretch of the imagination, and hardcore first-person shooter fans can find a lot to love here, but it can turn into a bit of a slog the further into the game you progress.
Berserk and the Band of the Hawk is an average but frustrating game.
I truly love the underlying combat mechanics, but what really lets For Honor down is its gear system, which can grant players enormous benefits on the battlefield (especially those willing to spend cash on microtransactions). A subpar matchmaking system in these gear-enabled modes doesn’t help.
Black & White Bushido is a game that’s hard to recommend. While its core fighting mechanics are sound, save for the confusion that can arise from its stealth systems and monochromatic presentation, it doesn’t really have a lot to keep you hooked. There’s no denying that a group of friends playing locally can have a good time, but it lacks any sort of staying power in single-player or online.
Tacoma introduces a solid roster of characters into a brilliantly realised way of viewing and interacting with a story, but wastes both on a narrative that is unfortunately fairly dull. And because this is an interactive narrative experience, Tacoma doesn’t really have anything else to fall back on. It’s an okay time that introduces a great new mechanic that I want to see more from in the future, but the experience itself sadly falls short.
Monks, cyborgs, mercenaries and corporate plotting – it’s all just window dressing that allows players to play out a power fantasy of kicking and punching their way through scores of armed goons and horrifying mutants. Nothing more, nothing less. And it’s a lot of fun to blast through a few levels or tackle one of the game’s arena maps.
Sundered is a game that has a lot going for it, especially in its opening moments. There are some things the game absolutely nails, but there are a few aggravations too. These aggravations never really go away and start to build up the further into the game you play.
Dead Exit manages to pull of the difficult feat of being a card game with a great amount of depth while still being fairly easy to pick up and learn. There are a lot of mechanics to learn here, with a wealth of strategic options available to players.
This is a peaceful game about exploration, discovering secrets, helping people and transforming the land at your own pace, free from the threat of death or world ending implications. It’s quite refreshing to explore the land at your own pace without worrying that something is going to try and murder your face off when you round every corner.
Gunmetal Arcadia is a fun platformer. While it’s definitely a throwback to the NES-era in its visuals, soundtrack and gameplay style, it also adds a lot of its own ideas and mechanics to a classic formula.
Tokyo 42 is a solid game held back from greatness by a couple of quirks in its design.
Bokida presents a compelling world to explore that’s wrapped in a peaceful, almost zen atmosphere. You’re never in danger or racing against any sort of threat in Bokida. You’re free to go where you like, see what you want and tackle the world at your own pace and in whatever way you see fit.
A Rose in the Twilight continues Nippon Ichi’s excellent run of games that seem to exist specifically to torture young girls.
As a first-person shooter, Farpoint is serviceable. As a true first-person virtual reality shooter it’s a very encouraging starting point. As a proof of concept for Sony’s new aim controller peripheral it’s a revelation.
Snake Pass is a game that evokes both satisfaction and intense frustration, often simultaneously. Guiding Noddle through the fifteen levels on offer is a great experience, though it is marred by some issues with controls, checkpoints and a wayward, sometimes difficult to control camera. There’s also nothing quite like it.
For the time that I spent it with, All The Delicate Duplicates really sucked me into its world, as I scrambled to understand the meaning behind the strange images I was seeing and the almost ominous mood I was experiencing. It’s a unique experience and one I can definitely recommend to anyone looking for something a bit more out of the ordinary.