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Joe Apsey


90 games reviewed
75.2 average score
80 median score
58.9% of games recommended

Joe Apsey's Reviews

Staff Writer at The Loadout covering the latest PS5 and Xbox Series games.
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9 / 10.0 - Cuphead
Oct 12, 2017

Cuphead has long been in development; but, upon its reveal, it stunned people due to its unique art style. After releasing late last month does its style is still as impressive as before. But beneath that, is an addictive platforming and boss rush game that pummels you with challenges whilst simultaneously rewarding you with said challenges.

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Oct 3, 2018

A wholly unenjoyable experience, completely devoid of any fun and intrigue. Fishing Sim World couples that gameplay experience with ugly character models and environments, leading to a game that quite literally has nothing going for it.

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Oct 18, 2018

Starlink: Battle For Atlas is a fun and enjoyable open-world space sim that tells a charming story with a likeable cast of characters. Despite its repetitive side activities and money-sucking selection of toys, the core gameplay loop and combat system are worth your time. The fact that everything can be brought digitally is also a plus.

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7.5 / 10.0 - Just Cause 4
Dec 6, 2018

Just Cause 4 is an enjoyable ride with a memorable and exciting campaign, full of thrilling gameplay moments. However, the rest of the game is a compilation of outdated mission design and poor technical performance. My advice: stick to the campaign for a fun fifteen hours and forget about everything else.

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9.5 / 10.0 - The First Tree
Dec 9, 2018

The First Tree is an exceptional story of loss and regret. The achievement by the game's one developer, David Whele, cannot be understated. The combination of all the elements of this experience creates one of the most memorable games this year. If you enjoy narrative adventure games then The First Tree is more than worth the two-to-three hours it takes to beat it.

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Jan 21, 2019

The Hong Kong Massacre is a game that will leave you with vivid memories. The awesome stunts you pulled off, the impossible feats you were able to achieve, and the crazy killing sprees will all stick in your mind. It is a game that perfectly executes on a vision and offers some of the most gratifying few hours you can find in gaming today.

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7 / 10.0 - Hyper Jam
Feb 12, 2019

Hyper Jam's core gameplay is engaging and fun with friends and against random opponents. Its style is bold and vibrant giving the game a memorable vibe. However, a lack of progression and variety means this is a game I will only break out for 30 minutes of fun when I have friends over.

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8.5 / 10.0 - Metro Exodus
Feb 13, 2019

Metro Exodus is an amazing and beautiful game that offers a new style and experience from 2033 and Last Light. With polished visuals and an amazing soundtrack, the changes 4A Games have implemented create awesome environments and enjoyable gameplay, taking you across various landscapes of Europe. However, in doing so, the survival horror and dark, claustrophobic tone have almost entirely been left behind at the station.

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6 / 10.0 - Massira
Feb 27, 2019

Massira offers up nothing for an adult looking for a new narrative-adventure game to sink their teeth into. It's narrative is intriguing but has no payoff and its gameplay is bland and, at times, poorly designed. However, if you have a child, sit down with them and play Massira for a few hours. The game will give them an insight into the Syrian Refugee Crisis in an approachable and kid-friendly way.

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Apr 1, 2019

Where The Bees Make Honey is a frustrating and boredom-inducing puzzle game that suffers from an unthinkable amount of technical issues, poor controls, unclear objectives, and bad level design. Any heart that is put into the narrative is wiped away by these issues and made me want to quit playing, minutes after starting the game up.

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2 / 10.0 - Ultrawings FLAT
Apr 17, 2019

Ultrawings Flat is one of the most repetitive and dull games I have played. Offering up tired and simplistic mini-games, poor controls, and a bland environment it isn't worth taking to the skies, even for just a few minutes, especially given the price charged.

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May 13, 2019

Sniper Elite V2 Remastered is a solid remaster that allows you to experience the campaign, DLC levels, and visceral, satisfying shooting the game is known for again in 2019. Some aspects of the game have not seen much of an upgrade if any upgrade at all, with the game's AI and the audio system showing its age. Despite that, the game is an enjoyable way to hop back into Rebellion's classic franchise.

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7.5 / 10.0 - Riverbond
Jun 18, 2019

A short and satisfying dungeon crawler with a litany of skins and crazy weapon designs to unlock and slash at a variety of enemies with. Co-op makes it a great family game when you combine it with how easy the game is. It may be a little long for how simple it is, but there is still a great five-to-eight hour experience here.

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Offering a better experience than the Homecoming tie-in, the Far From Home Virtual Reality Experience is exciting and fulfils the 'I am Spider-Man' dream by allowing you to swing around New York as much as you want. Although it doesn't have much replay value, it is free and offers a fun twenty minutes of fantasy fulfilment in its Story Mode.

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7.5 / 10.0 - Etherborn
Jul 18, 2019

Etherborn is a great and unique puzzle-platformer with some smart level design and gorgeous views, thanks to its colourful, yet simple art style. It is a tad short and I would have liked to see a little bit more experimentation; however, Etherborn is clearly one of the better, more rewarding puzzle games in recent memory and well worth a playthrough.

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Jul 26, 2019

Wolfenstein: Youngblood is an excellent stopgap before the inevitable Wolfenstein 3. You can dip your toes back into the world and the new combat changes come together to create the best combat in the series. Light RPG elements help add a new flavour to the franchise as well. Jess and Soph are the standout stars of Youngblood and help lift up the underwhelming and largely inconsequential main narrative. The overall package isn't as good as The New Order, but Youngblood is a silly, fun, and gory romp worth experiencing.

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4.5 / 10.0 - The Blackout Club
Jul 30, 2019

The Blackout Club is what happens when a concept isn't executed well. Everything about the setting and lore should lead the game to be a surefire hit. But, with the lack of a main story path, painfully repetitive levels, and a torturously grindy progression system, The Blackout Club feels unbalanced, unpolished, and immensely unrewarding. The only thing saving it from being a complete waste of time is that communicating and working as a team, planning out your strategy can be enjoyable, although only in short bursts.

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Aug 2, 2019

Discovering the secrets of the Freedom Town cult, who has power and influence where, as well as the inner workings of the leadership are the best parts of The Church In The Darkness. That combines with excellent stealth gameplay, a dynamic and engaging scenario-based narrative, and some excellent characters with great voice acting to create a memorable and unique experience. An experience that is only held back by a few technical issues and some missing quality of life features.

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Aug 23, 2019

Gunfire Games have created a deep looter shooter, with meaningful rewards and tough bosses, combined with a fascinating world packed with lore and story reveals that are worth experiencing. Remnant is a replayable, bitesize adventure that I will be hopping back into again and again. However, the PS4 version at launch is marred by frame rate drops, crashes, and a few fights that feel broken and unbalanced.

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2 / 10.0 - Decay of Logos
Aug 27, 2019

Decay Of Logos is the worst game I have ever played. It is filled with poor design decisions and mechanics that don't challenge the player and instead decide to punish them for no reason at all. The game actively tries to make your experience worse. The list of issues with Decay of Logos is long: a bad and jarring camera, no meaningful connection to the world or characters, framerate issues, pointless mechanics. I could go on. Just save yourself twenty dollars and don't buy this game.

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