Rebecca Stow's Reviews
If you’re a fan of the genre, you could do a lot worse than picking up Ary and the Secret of Seasons. After all, ‘tis always the season for adventure.
Paper Mario: The Origami King is a vibrant, detailed, and exciting adventure filled with bustling hubs and lots of hidden treasure. Sadly, whilst the battle system looks good on paper, it isn’t the enjoyable or in-depth RPG system long term fans were hoping for. The writing is consistently laugh-out-loud funny though, and that’s the most important thing in any Paper Mario game.
Though not quite as accomplished as the recent Spyro and Crash Bandicoot remasters, TY the Tasmanian Tiger HD still delivers an enjoyable Aussie-themed adventure.
Similar to how Breath of the Wild and Odyssey reimagined 3D Zelda and Mario, New Horizons represents an exciting new milestone for the Animal Crossing series.
Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey has a huge gene pool of potential, but endless repetition and clunky controls need to be removed from its DNA. For die-hard survival and exploration fans there is a worthwhile experience here, but for everyone else this is a game that's so repetitive it'll drive you bananas.
With its charming 2D style, exceptional voice acting and hilarious moments, Afterparty ultimately ticks all the right boxes. Bottoms up!
Clementine’s character is renowned as being one of the most impactful and most beloved videogame characters ever. Seeing her entire story retold with beautiful graphics and supported by a plethora of extras feels deserved and right.
Sadly, Harvey’s New Eyes stumbles with occasional poor voice acting, and story and character work that doesn’t quite live up to the standard of the puzzles and visuals.
The soundtrack is also beautifully composed, and different sounds match the tone and vibe of different levels and constellations perfectly. It's another strong element that adds to the superb achievement that is Gravity Ghost.
The Blackout Club is a strong addition to the co-op horror genre. Enemies and gameplay are really well handled, and playing with friends is a brilliant experience. If the story was a little more in-depth and better paced, this might be considered unmissable. As it is, The Blackout Club is a worthwhile game if not an essential one.
Along with Kay, the player is subject to a rollercoaster of emotions, each of which is elevated due to the poignant soundtrack composed by Guy Jackson; a soring orchestral onset that isn't afraid to quietly hide in the background when it needs to.
F1 2019 takes all the elements of the previous games and adds a very thin layer of polish. The introduction of F2 makes Career Mode a little more exciting, and the racing gameplay and graphics are still top notch, but there's no getting away from the fact that this is really just F1 2018 again.
Post-apocalyptic Oregon is clearly a place developer Bend Studio have thought a lot about, and crafted with tremendous amounts of care and attention to detail.
Luckily, the more time you spend in Portia the more the world will reward you. The game is effortlessly simple, but it excels in almost everything it aims to achieve. It's one of the most relaxing indie life-simulation games out there, and yet it still offers enough adventure and addictive crafting opportunities to keep you hooked. A totally new spin on the post-apocalyptic experience, My Time At Portia is vibrant, relaxing, and brimming with charm.
Considering there was a time not long ago where it seemed we would never see a proper conclusion to The Walking Dead, the finale we do get is wonderful. There are a few end outcomes based on your path through the story, each as strong as the one before. But, most importantly, there is real closure here, and a sense that this was a journey worth taking.
While Sekiro certainly shares DNA with the previous Soulsborne games, fundamental sword-fighting battle mechanic changes leave it feeling fresh. However, as the old saying goes, when you live by the sword, you die by the sword, and players need to be aware that this is a game that will see you die many, many times.
Overall, New Dawn is a well thought out and enjoyable first-person shooter. Its singular let down is a fairly mundane story that leaves the game feeling like a decent extension to Far Cry 5 rather than its own post-apocalyptic adventure.
There are moments in The King's Bird where it's easy to lose yourself in the gameplay and striking visuals. Rocketing around colourful stages and indulging in the serene soundtrack is fun, but frustrating puzzle mechanics and little variance in the gameplay taint the experience.
The stunning graphics, incredible survival horror combat and wonderfully eerie setting make picking up a copy of Resident Evil 2 a no-brainer.
Filled with twists and turns, the penultimate episode delivers one explosive finale and, with only one instalment left to tie up Clementine's story, it still feels like anything could happen.