Extinction is another game which should be played in short bursts rather than all in one go in my opinion. It has a lot of potential and at times it can be a lot of fun and smooth as you zip through the sky on your way to decapitating a giant Ravenii. However, the game is let down by its inconsistent controls, floaty movement, monotonous gameplay and unfair difficulty spikes. There is a tonne of missions and extra modes which will keep you busy for hours, just don't expect to see much more than what you do within the first few hours of playing the game.
Despite missing a lot of features from the previous Empires game in the franchise, I quickly became addicted to the strategic and hack-and-slash gameplay within Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires. Once the management mechanics click, it’s easy to lose hours as you command your minions or follow your ruler’s orders. However, we can’t overlook the amount of content ‘missing’ when compared to DW8: Empires, various customisation menus, Free Play, Gameplay Modes, and co-operative options, all absent without any comparable or additional features. But, if you’re a fan of Musou games and aren’t too bothered about playing with a friend or having full control over customising everything and creating your own scenarios, then you’ll enjoy Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires.
Sanity of Morris was an enjoyable psychological horror game that focuses on aliens and insanity, rather than ghosts and death – which is a nice change. Although there are a few things that could have benefited from a little more polish and QA, such as the endings and the enemy’s ability to unfairly see through certain walls, I enjoyed the forgiving nature of the stealth segments and the interesting story scattered as documents and cassette tapes. It has a few jump scares and a few instances of gore, but overall it’s quite mild compared to other games in the genre. If like me, you like these games but suck at stealth, give Sanity of Morris a go – you’ll find it a lot less frustrating than other stealth-based games.
Ski Jumping Pro VR delivers the excitement and thrills of performing the ski jump without actually getting cold, or falling on your butt – which is great. Despite wishing there was more to the game other than just the ski jump, I can’t really complain as that’s what the focus of the game is. If played in short bursts then you’re bound to get more enjoyment out of it as you’ll experience the progression through unlocks and rewards without feeling the monotony and repetition which can be felt with long play sessions. Ski Jumping Pro VR is the most realistic ski jumping simulation game I’ve played in VR so far, even with the QTE motions (which work really well).
Headspun has a very interesting concept and narrative, but it’s let down by the technical side due to the bugs and glitches. As of version 1.09, I’ve been able to complete the game and achieve the platinum, but I have played the game seven times in total, unlocking a few trophies with each playthrough until prior versions hit a wall and glitched out on me. The use of FMV was, in my opinion, a really smart thing to do as it perfectly depicts the human viewpoint (FMV) as real life and the cartoon-like ‘Brain control people’ as a much more fantastical concept. The narrative itself is well written and acted, delivering a story which was very interesting and fun to play through.
Despite not technically being a ‘simulation’ game, Bee Simulator is a fun edutainment title which was enjoyable to play through. Although there are many side-quests to complete once you’ve finished the main story, there are only a few mini-game formats included, meaning you’ll quickly grow tired of them unless you really like the games they offer. Visually I thought the game looked okay, for a ‘simulator’, but some of the assets are a little basic and the game is deprived of life – it’s like you’re within a theme park full of models or animatronics. If you have a few kids, the multiplayer mode will entertain them for a while as up to four players can play at the same time – which is a welcomed addition.
I love games with quirky mechanics and a unique spin on solving the puzzles, two aspects I feel The Great Perhaps shines in. If you’re looking for a short experience with memorable characters, interesting puzzles, and really cool visual effects, check out this game once it launches on the 14th August 2019.
Dance of Death: Du Lac & Fey isn't perfect, but it's a really interesting and exciting narrative adventure game with a talking dog! If you're yearning for a more narrative-focused and linear story to play through, in the wake of the demise of Telltale Games, then this is a game which will easily fill that void for you. As you flip between the three protagonists, you'll be involved with murder, sex, prostitution, magic, talking to animals, and getting drunk. Sure, the interaction you'll personally have isn't as much as a standard point-and-click adventure game, with an inventory and lots of puzzles, but the main focus here is the story and I believe the developers have delivered it in a great way.
Anyone’s Diary may have left me confused about its story but I really enjoyed the visuals and puzzles. Sure, we do see the same mechanic for the puzzles repeated a few times as you travel through this artistic puzzle platformer, but each puzzle has its own spin on the mechanic and keeps you interested. The design choice to have everything made out of drawings and writing from your diary really helps create a surreal and symbolic experience in this twisted world.
Railway Empire: The Great Lakes is the second DLC pack, one created to challenge the hardcore fanbase. I personally found the time limits set to complete certain tasks to be too short for my liking, but if you’ve been playing since day one and are proficient in all the mechanics then I’m sure you’ll have no issues. You get a new scenario (for the mission, free play and sandbox modes), an awesome snowy weather visual and mechanical effect, new cargo, new cities, and new locomotives. What’s not to like?
My nostalgia glasses allowed me to enjoy the Atari Flashback Classics Vol 3, your mileage may vary though. As the third collection in the series, we’re once again greeted with some classic Atari 2600, 5200, and arcade titles, yet we’re missing some notable franchises and games which is most likely down to licensing. With the power of nostalgia, me and my dad loved playing all these old classics again with our modern controllers in full high-def with a split-second load time, yet I imagine a lot of younger gamers may not see the same appeal.
Guts and Glory is completely sadistic and crazy – I love it. The console version isn’t a scratch on its big brother PC version though as it doesn’t have access to the level creator. Regardless, you still have access to nine challenges with 6-9 missions in each, all of which will frustrate and annoy you for many hours. The graphics are very basic but the gameplay more than makes up for it and the sheer amount of WTF, OMG and LOL moments you’ll have will keep you entertained for a long time.
Hotel Transylvania 3: Monsters Overboard is a fun family-friendly game based loosely on the latest film in the franchise. Command four types of magical beings known as Ipmas as you set out to solve environmental puzzles and rescue your crew in a Pikmin-style game which will keep you and your kids entertained for hours. The game does have a few issues and missing features in regards to the camera controls and the overall navigation aspect, but overall I had a fun time playing through the game and I’m probably going to pick it up on the PS4 at some point as well.
Super Destronaut DX is a nice modern take on the 80’s classic Space Invaders. The game focuses on quick, fast-paced scenes as you slaughter the enemy ships with your standard gun or one of the various upgrades which drop when you defeat a boss ship. The challenges will keep you entertained the longest, with their ever-increasing difficulty and challenge. The other modes will also offer you a decent amount of enjoyment as well, unless if you’re simply looking at trophy hunting.
Survive! Mr. Cube is a casual roguelike game with its emphasis on combat being more than it’s overall story. Don’t go into the game expecting it to be a brutal game which will take you many hours to platinum and keep you trying over and over until you reach the final boss. The game is more for those who like the idea of a roguelike but would rather stay alive longer and get the sense of progression within their current playthrough and not the next. That being said, when you do inevitably die, you are given a new character and weapon and sent out into the world to fight once more. The game is charming and I had a lot of fun playing through it.
LEGO The Incredibles is a fun family-friendly new addition to the ever-growing LEGO franchise. The game doesn’t really bring many new features and mechanics to the table, but it does expand on some which were present in previous games. The game is a lot shorter than recent titles, clocking in at around 6-7 hours for the main story, but once you add in all of the overworld activities and collectables, you easily hit around 30-40 hours worth of gameplay. I particularly love how they have built in a way to easily see which character have the ability you are looking for, a much-needed addition to the LEGO games. Unfortunately, the game is plagued with pop-in, a not very exciting rendition of both movies (played in reverse order for some reason), and probably the worst flying/swimming/driving mechanics to date in a LEGO game.
Assault Gunners HD Edition isn't a bad game, I had a lot of fun playing it and I can see myself playing it until I get the platinum. However, it's clear to see the PS Vita origins and it's sad to see that the full potential hasn't been grasped here as they could have done so much more with this remaster – they don't even use the PS4 controller as well as they could have. My recommendation would be to play the game in short bursts, maybe five missions or less at a time, in order to keep the game enjoyable and fresh and also to turn up the difficulty a bit.
I have a fear that the gameplay style of Titan Quest may put off all of those who don't have nostalgia for the title. I imagine it was a case of cater for the fans or cater for the mainstream and with that in mind, I applaud their bravery and courage to stick with the original formula and cater for the fans. As such, this isn't a game for me, but if you liked the original on PC in either 2006 or 2016, then this will certainly be a great remaster/re-release for you.
This is a tricky one, Pure Farming 2018 has its moments with the Farming challenges and the vast amounts of statistics, information, and analytics on offer. However, I can only see the hard-core farming simulation enthusiasts being excited over such features as the casual among us may find it too overwhelming. The lack of multiplayer also furthers the point that you're in this on your own, with only your in-game emails for help and guidance. On top of various performance issues and no clear objective other than a glorified tutorial, it's hard to recommend this game over games such as Real Farm and Farming Simulator 2017.
Symmetry is a very unforgiving and hard survival game which will have you screaming at the TV when you accidentally send someone to their death. It's very addictive with it's an interesting story and solid gameplay which always leaves you with a "one more try" attitude once you inevitably die. If you like survival games or micro-management ones like This War of Mine, then I can't recommend it enough. There is enough here to challenge anyone and even though the gameplay is a bit repetitive, your experiences from one game to the next wont be.