Joe Allen


17 games reviewed
70.3 average score
70 median score
47.1% of games recommended
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7 / 10.0 - Open Roads
Mar 27, 2024

Open Roads lacks interactivity and its art style takes some getting used to, but this is a story you'll want to see through to the end.

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Oct 12, 2023

Lords of the Fallen's shameless copy-paste approach to Dark Souls undermines its great level design and the potential evident in some of its boss encounters.

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Aug 29, 2023

Trine 5 offers yet more of the same, and while it's got some great puzzles and beautiful visuals, its obvious setting and overlong runtime start to grate after a while.

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7.5 / 10.0 - Blasphemous 2
Aug 17, 2023

Blasphemous 2's arresting religious imagery and massive world help to offset its rote boss design and confusingly pretentious narrative.

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Oct 29, 2019

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD is a respectable entry into its series. The gameplay is as fun as ever, but camera issues and brevity keep it from becoming a true classic.

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Oct 7, 2019

Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince's bad combat and clunky controls can't bring down an immensely satisfying experience. With excellent puzzles, clever new mechanics, and sumptuous visuals, Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince is another superlative entry into an increasingly underrated series.

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5 / 10.0 - The Surge 2
Sep 23, 2019

The Surge 2 boasts a much better combat system than its predecessor. Unfortunately, everything else is mediocre to poor. The game shows improvement, but Deck13 still isn't there by a long way.

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8 / 10.0 - Blazing Chrome
Jul 11, 2019

Blazing Chrome is a true old-school throwback to the glory days of Metal Slug and Contra. It may pay a little too much homage to its forebears, but there's plenty of satisfying hardcore action on offer for the faithful.

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Jun 27, 2019

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a comfortable return for Koji Igarashi. It doesn't push any boundaries, but it's a fluid, well-crafted labor of love with tons of content and a satisfying core gameplay loop.

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May 28, 2019

Castlevania Anniversary Collection is a disappointing reunion for some of gaming's greatest titles (and a couple of its worst). New players will love the vampire-killing action on offer, but returning fans won't find anything to tempt them back.

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May 8, 2019

The Death of Erin Myers is short, but it's as long as it needs to be. Its bleak, miserable tone might be too much for some, and its puzzles aren't head-scratchers. Still, it's atmospherically sound and certainly enjoyable enough to pass the two hours it needs to tell its story.

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Apr 6, 2019

With pin-sharp combat, peerless world-building, and masterful movement mechanics, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice breathes brutal and savage new life into action gaming.

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8 / 10.0 - DUSK
Dec 15, 2018

DUSK is a thoroughly unapologetic retro-inspired shooter. It's got flaws, but its excellent combat and emphasis on exploration should see it rocket-jump to the top of every shooter fan's wish list.

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Sep 15, 2018

Ninjin: Clash of Carrots is an absolute joy to play. With a sharp sense of humor, surprisingly deep gameplay, and a wealth of content to enjoy, this is one giant leap for bunnykind.

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4 / 10.0 - Death's Gambit
Aug 26, 2018

Death's Gambit shows moments of potential, but they're undercut by bad storytelling, flat combat, and a nagging sense that it's all been done better elsewhere.

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Jun 7, 2018

Rote, uninteresting and devoid of narrative pathos, Smoke and Sacrifice never compels or engages enough to offer more than a few moments of potential.

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8.5 / 10.0 - Unworthy
May 29, 2018

Through a mixture of punishing, satisfying combat, rewarding exploration and rich visual design, Unworthy manages to overcome its minor flaws (and the stern glare of its parent genres) to deliver a deep, memorable experience for fans of hardcore action RPGs.

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