Royce Wilson's Reviews
Overall, I couldn’t help but feel Weird West needed to be a proper RPG. The world is there; the setting is there, the atmosphere is there, writing is there, the story is there – but it hasn’t quite come together for me in this form.
With friends, this is a great, casual-but-challenging FPS co-op shooter experience that offers a familiar experience with a new twist and manages to establish its own space in the genre, too. It’s not going to be for everyone, but I like what the developers have done here and I hope they continue to grow and support Rainbow Six: Extraction for some time to come yet, so the game can reach its full potential.
On a next-gen console and an 8K TV, the dinosaurs look absolutely amazing and there is a surprisingly relaxing time to be had watching them going about their dinosaur lives, eating and drinking and wandering around. At least, that’s how it always starts. Then later there’s running and screaming – especially if you don’t keep your dinosaurs content or the power grid fails and the bigger, nastier, more carnivorous ones get out of their enclosures and decide to snack on some guests instead of the goats you’ve so generously been providing them.
If you’re a fan of the series then you’ll find Bloodline is a worthwhile addition, but if Legion is your first foray into the Watch Dogs universe then you probably won’t get as much out of it as returning players.
Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 isn’t a must-buy at the moment – but keep your scope zeroed for it on sale down the track.
The new setting has plenty of charm and is just different enough to differentiate it from England, the story is well done and moves at a good pace, and there’s a lot to see and do.
While from a gaming perspective it ends up a bit disappointing, from a “Games as Art” perspective there’s a worthwhile message here about the broader consequences of seemingly unrelated actions – messing with natural gas prices, for example, can cascade into triggering a civil war – and pointing out that the relentless pursuit of profit above all else is ultimately hollow and meaningless.
What I’d hoped for was a detailed but fun shooter which makes the most of its setting. What I got is Call Of Duty With The Soviets As The Bad Guys, albeit with about as much realism as an 80s straight-to-VHS action movie but without the self-awareness.
The mechanical amusement element of the game has been beautifully and vividly recreated – it really does feel like the sort of thing one might find in a seaside pier arcade around 1910. You can see the mechanical rigging working on the characters and backdrops, and the characters and enemies are visibly made of tin, with holes and sparks appearing at they take damage.
Pentiment isn’t going to be for everyone, but if you have patience for it and can appreciate what it’s trying to do (and I certainly did), it’s a rewarding and enlightening experience which I’m very glad I’ve had the ability to play and enjoy.
As a single-player gamer, I enjoyed this addition to the world of Iron Harvest. There’s so few ‘new’ RTS games out there so I’m glad Iron Harvest is succeeding and growing, and hope there’s more DLC of Operation Eagle’s calibre on the way in the future.
The story is compelling enough to keep players engaged, the humour is well-pitched, and overall Immortals Fenyx Rising is a solid and enjoyable game for an oft-overlooked audience. While it’s not likely to top any Game Of The Year lists, it doesn’t have to, and as a gaming parent I’m glad to see age-appropriate adventures making an appearance for younger gamers to enjoy too.
More of the same is not necessarily a bad thing, and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is a perfect example.
As a fan of the previous games in the series, I really enjoyed Watch Dogs: Legion. If the earlier games didn’t appeal to you, then I don’t think this one isn’t going to change your mind, especially given you don’t so much have to suspend your disbelief so much as actively levitate it to enjoy what the game has to offer.
With an appeal that goes beyond nostalgia, Age of Empires III Definitive Edition is both an excellent remaster and still a great game in its own right, and is up there alongside the Command & Conquer: Complete Collection as a masterclass in remastering a classic game.
Iron Harvest is refreshing enough to feel different, familiar enough to easily get into, and probably the best RTS I’ve played in several years. It does a lot of things really well, is engagingly different, and I’m really looking forward to seeing where the developers take the game next.
an interesting assembly of two different concepts – almost two separate games – in one place.
Teething issues aside, Atomic Heart is a remarkable achievement which I personally think is easily as good as the Bioshock games they so clearly draw inspiration from.
It’s not an exaggeration to say Mario + Rabbids: Sparks Of Hope has given me a reason to play my Nintendo Switch for the first time in months – it’s an excellent game, well crafted, and a lot of fun. This game sparks joy and is a very highly recommended addition to your Nintendo Switch library.
Broadly, however, Sniper Elite 5 is outstanding – it’s easily the best game in the series and offers a rich, rewarding and replayable adventure which can be as easy or as challenging as you like. The levels are well-crafted and detailed, the payoff when a shot or trap comes together is extremely high, and the ability to play from “the other side” is a welcome feature too.