Royce Wilson's Reviews
The art style (borrowing heavily from the comics) is great, and the general vibe of the whole thing is well in keeping with the source material, but unless you’re a big fan of Scott Pilgrim or really like side-scrolling beat-em-ups, this isn’t one I’d recommend going out of your way to play.
If you’re a long-time fan of the Strongholds franchise, then the change of scenery and some of the tweaks might be enough to make you climb over the parapets to get this one. For everyone else though, Age of Empires II/III Definitive Edition is likely to be a better bet, both from a content and general experience perspective.
I find myself feeling thoroughly ambivalent about Ty The Tasmanian Tiger HD. On one hand, it’s nothing special gameplay wise, but on the other hand, it is Australian themed and set, and in a good way, and we really don’t see that enough anymore.
I find myself ambivalent about Saints Row – it’s a well done and necessary reboot with a great setting, fun mechanics, and good writing, but the story was just not paced well and there were the graphical and AI glitches that held the experience back to me.
There’s a lot of potential here, but I think this game is missing something and didn’t provide the reward or payoff I was hoping for, despite its promising premise.
If you are searching for an authentic Grand Strategy experience with a Victorian flavour, then Victoria 3 has a lot to offer, but I felt it was still a flawed experience which needs some more polishing and fine-tuning.
If you’re looking for a way to unleash your inner supervillain, there’s definitely some fiendish fun to be had with Evil Genius 2 – but it might be worth waiting until it’s spent some more time being revised before marshalling your underlings for a tilt at your own slice of digital megalomania.
If you like challenging games which require reflexes, juggling several different threats at once, and grinding through levels to improve your skills – and are interested in a sci-fi thriller – then Returnal will have a lot to offer. For gamers looking for a more accommodating action/adventure experience, or wanting something that doesn’t have more grind than a lensmaking factory, however, Returnal is not the game you’re looking for.
You can see the framework for a really good game here – with a better tutorial, more transparent mechanics, a better UI with alt-text reminder tips, things like that, a general shine and polish, and so on, this could have been a gem – but right now this feels like a first draft rather than a Director’s Cut.
I found the game to be a frustrating, unenjoyable mess that failed both as an entertaining game and a Lovecraftian Horror experience, and ultimately in my view, Lovecraft’s Untold Stories 2 almost completely misses the mark and is, as a result, best left unplayed in its current form.
With some more time ageing this could have been a cult hit, but right now playing Empire of Sin is an offer you probably should refuse.
My executive summary is simple: If you like tactical squad-based games, the Cold War, or a good spy thriller, make acquiring a copy of Phantom Doctrine a priority.