Nicole Hall's Reviews
Owlboy is everything you’d traditionally expect of 2D puzzle-platformer and beyond.
Assassin’s Creed: Rogue’s initial release on Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 was significantly overshadowed by the simultaneous release of Assassin’s Creed: Unity as naturally, the greater part of players turned to the game released on next gen consoles (at the time). That said, many never embarked upon Shay’s journey, including myself making the remastering of this title a divine opportunity to fill in some blanks for presumably, a vast portion of Assassin’s Creed players.
Fe isn’t spurred on by an easy to follow narrative but instead by a moving soundtrack that orchestrates your journey through a quaint world with the help of some pleasant platforming elements that are carefully weaved into this all-round lovely game. Zoink have conceived a setting which can only be compared to a mood ring in both colour and emotion alike, full of mystery and a delight to explore. They want you to halt your journey, look around, truly indulge in their handiwork and let out a satisfied sigh. As you interact with nature within the game, you gradually ignite a fire of need within you to protect it. Moreover, subliminal eco-friendly morals resonate whilst you play, leading you to care and truly become emerged in this ingenious world and the creatures that roam within it. Similar to likes of Journey and Abzu, Fe achieves a moving and memorable gaming experience by generating a magical, highly immersive environment that accounts for each and every emotional arc within the game. A touching tale and completely captivating title.
In the first extensive DLC release of Sledgehammer Game’s Call Of Duty: WWII, the developers spoil us with three new multiplayer maps (including a remake of a classic map from a previous successful COD instalment), a new class division to utilise in said maps, a brand new chapter in the Nazi Zombies mode and a new War Mode map for players to enjoy the more narrative-driven game mode on.
The Call Of Duty franchise has found it’s way back to earth in the renowned war-based shooter series latest release. Yes, boots are back firmly on the ground as Sledgehammer Games take the reins of the series in Call Of Duty: WWII. As the title states we become reacquainted with the WWII roots that once saw the series prosper and packed into the game we see a heartfelt campaign, the forever popular zombies mode and COD’s famed multiplayer. The developers have ditched the exo-suits, boost jumps and laser weapons for this particular installment and it’s unquestionably done the series a favour in doing so.
The Star Wars Battlefront series has always been credible for it’s ability to somewhat ease the insatiable Star Wars void that sits inside fans of the iconic, sci-fi franchise. Come on fans, you have to admit that no matter how much you indulge in the series over a multitude of mediums, you always want more. This is where the Battlefront series shines. With it’s spectacular portrayal of Star Wars settings and events combined with trademark sounds of blaster rifles and Wookie cries, the Battlefront series definitely takes pride in it’s ability to moderate that galaxy sized void that sits inside you, regardless of who’s hands the game series sits in. It goes without saying that EA DICE’s sequel to Battlefront (2015), Battlefront 2 upholds that very same vibe the series is renowned for maintaining.
For those out there with lingering apprehension about gratifying their Creed cravings with Ubisoft’s latest addition to ever expanding line of Assassin’s Creed (AC) games, have no fear as Assassin’s Creed Origins easily puts to shame the last few bland and “samey” AC titles. I kid you not, this installment to the series has been redefined in a way that almost separates Origins from the series altogether. For the most part of my first few hours of gameplay, I didn’t feel like I was playing a Creed title – I liked that. Origins doesn’t reek of the traditional, rapidly deteriorating Assassin’s Creed game mechanics that felt like they were clinging onto the series by nothing more than fraying nostalgic threads in the last few games. No, instead the series feels profoundly like it’s found a fresh lease of life and in light of it’s forebears and where the series was headed without a serious rethink, this undoubtedly had me breathing a distinct sigh of relief.
There began a looming fear when talk of Destiny 2 came about that the game would feel more like Destiny 1.5 rather than a sequel. However, a mere 10 minutes into Bungie’s latest addition to the series and we can see this simply isn’t the case. Playing through Destiny 2’s first story mission alone we see a hop, skip and Hunter-style triple jump up in the content and overall standard of the story. Honestly, the first mission alone far surpasses the quality of the entirety of that of it’s predecessor.
The Lost Legacy condenses every last bit of greatness from the past 4 titles into 8 hours of gameplay for half the price. It’s quite remarkable that in such a short amount of gameplay time we play through such intense action sequences, journey through and revel in the glory of the Indian wilderness and get to know such fantastically cast characters in such great depth. With elements being carried over from it’s predecessor, and frequent nods to past events from the previous games, The Lost Legacy emanates a homey sense of familiarity yet really holds it’s own identity as a standalone title. The story is rich, action-packed and wonderfully humorous much like every Uncharted title before it. Chloe is another fine display of Naughty Dog’s commendable ability to develop a strong, iconic female character.