Chris Brown's Reviews
Fallout 4 is a welcome return to the wasteland. An interesting and well-told central story is hobbled by the open world, but this is Fallout and that open world is a joy to explore. PC players will justifiably grumble that the game is obviously designed first and foremost for a couch and controller experience.
Legacy of the Void is a grandiose Space Opera of the highest order, a stunning conclusion to not only StarCraft II but the entire StarCraft epic that began a decade and a half ago. That's only part of the story though: Blizzard has also managed to embrace new players with a more forgiving entry point, while also providing more depth and increased skill ceiling for the long time devotee. That might be the real legacy of this game.
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen mixes the well-worn and overplayed clichés of the genre with just enough new stuff to keep things mostly fresh. Its story may be completely disposable, but the world itself is fascinating. It also has the honour of being one of the best-executed ports I have ever played.
XCOM 2 manages to raise the stakes and challenge of its predecessor without ever becoming too frustrating. Defeat will be frequent and death even more so, but victory is all the more sweet for it. In short, it's bigger, better, broader, and even more brutal!
Far Cry Primal is more and yet less of the same Far Cry we've been playing for the past few years, minus a few fun systems. It's not worth the asking price, and demands more of your time than it deserves.
Battlefleet Gothic: Armada is a beautiful game that’s flawed but brilliant. Occasionally obtuse but always entertaining, it’s a wonderfully unique way to experience the Warhammer 40k universe.
A triumphant return to the world of the Witcher and the most fitting of farewells. Blood and Wine is the swansong the franchise so richly deserves. An epic tale worthy of greatest theatres and even Dandelion himself!
SteamWorld Heist is a delight right from the very beginning. A beautiful stripped-back strategy game that ditches many of the genres bells and whistles in order to focus on the action, it offers an appealingly new perspective on one of the oldest genres in video games.
I honestly believe that the team at Spiders wanted to deliver the very best game that they are capable of producing and sadly I think that is exactly what they have done. The Technomancer is not a bad game, but it is devastatingly mediocre.
Take one part Lemmings, combine with liberal but equal amounts of undead flesh and 8-bit pixel art. Heat vigorously. The resulting decoction is something more potent than its constituent parts that delivers a wholly unique and heady rush. This action puzzler will have you quickly hooked. Side effects may include compulsive level replaying, RSI of your click finger, and loss of sleep.
While not a triumph, Mankind Divided is an extremely enjoyable cyberpunk adventure with enough content and gameplay options to keep fans of the franchise happy. The main story lacks impact and drops off completely at the end, but the missions are almost universally fantastic, allowing you to flex your cybernetically-enhanced muscles in a multitude of ways.
ReCore is an interesting robotic Frankenstein of various game parts. They don't always work well together, but when they do the collective whole is a rather wonderful creation. However as not all parts were created equal expect some frustration and the occasional fumble.
Shadow Warrior 2 is much like its predecessor: a gore-spattered first person kill-fest interspersed with lowest-rung lowest brow humour. Both of these elements are executed to excess, giving us a game that is equal parts head and eye-rolling. Still, it never stops entertaining if you have a taste for it!
Gears of War 4 is a confident offering across campaign and multiplayer from The Coalition. There's hours of fun to be had here, especially in the updated Horde mode.
Space Hulk: Deathwing is a below par title with some excellent art design and satisfying enough combat. Enemy variety is higher than expected, and the unlockable weapons all feel appropriate, but overall it can only really be recommended to 40K diehards.
Nioh is a triumph. It stands head and shoulders above every other title in the genre, even eclipsing its obvious inspiration. Team Ninja is not only back, but it has thrown down the gauntlet, and only time will tell who's up for the challenge.
A mechanically strong stealth title with some of the most eye-rollingly awful dialogue I have ever been subjected to. Styx as a character is obnoxious, unlikable, and immersion breaking, but he does wield some of the most impressive and well-designed infiltration abilities in the genre. I just wish he would shut the hell up.
Judged purely on its own merits, Mass Effect: Andromeda is a good game. But this is BioWare, and Mass Effect being merely good feels like a failure. It's a little clumsy in places, and daft in others, but I found it mostly endearing despite these quirks.
Beamdog has enhanced the core game with no affectations or game changing alterations, allowing Torment to speak for itself without being muffled by the clanking and crashing of technical clunk. The result is a spectacular adventure for those willing to accept its various eccentricities and advancing years.
Yooka-Laylee is an unabashedly old-school platformer with modern presentation. It is challenging and occasionally infuriating, but it's also extremely rewarding. Playtonic have proven that just because something is old, that doesn't mean it should die.