Royce Wilson's Reviews
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I think how much you’re going to enjoy this significantly depends on how much you’ve enjoyed the previous Asgard elements of the game. If you really like them, then having 30+ hours in that world will be a welcome addition to what must surely be one of the biggest open-world single-player video games in history at this point, and it is pretty cool to feel like a Norse warrior-god as you travel around the realm smiting people foolish enough to get between you and that quest marker. If, however, you find the mythological aspects of the game to be a bit ‘meh’, you can safely pass this one over – I mean, it’s not like there’s a shortage of stuff to do/find/explore in the rest of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, after all.
There’s a lot of potential in Humankind, and hopefully the developers will keep working on the game, but right now it’s still only a pretender to the Civilization throne.
If you’ve already got the most recent Uncharted games, the upgraded lighting effects and framerates etc aren’t enough to make this collection worth getting (especially at AUD$75!) – but if you missed them games previously, this is definitely the best way to experience them on your PS5 while we wait for confirmation as to whether there’s actually an Uncharted 5 in development…
Overall though, Company of Heroes 3 is a step forward for the series. The tactical map is a great addition to things and the ‘living battlefield’ works very well too.
In my view, this “remake” – and let’s be frank here, it’s effectively still the same game we’ve seen twice before now – simply does not justify its price tag. Even factoring in the accessibility options which will make the game available to more people, it’s still not OK to be charging a AAA, next-gen premium price for this.
If you liked Two Point Hospital, Evil Genius 2 or War For The Overworld (or similar games), you’ll enjoy this – just don’t expect to become a permanent student here. This is a worthy sequel and follow-up to Two Point Hospital, but it hasn’t earned itself a High Distinction.
As much as I’ve enjoyed Cartel Tycoon, I still can’t shake the feeling it isn’t quite ready to come out of early access. It’s almost there and there’s a lot of potential for future content, but for now I think this is one that needs a few more features and some additional polishing before being ready to hit the streets.
This isn’t Ghost of Tsushima but it isn’t supposed to be – it’s a different, but enjoyable experience and one well worth experiencing if you’re a Samurai Cinema fan or looking for a new Samurai-themed sword-wielding adventure.