Joe Apsey's Reviews
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 However, the rest of the game is a compilation of outdated mission design and poor technical performance.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.
Guardians of the Galaxy shines when it focuses on the characters and the world around them. It might not be the most innovative game this year, but it excellently executes the tried-and-true linear action-adventure formula to deliver a great single-player experience.
Hot Wheels Unleashed is one of the best arcade racers to release on modern consoles in years.
Despite a few issues with a lack of upgrades in some areas, Saint’s Row The Third Remastered is a great way to dip your shoes back into the franchise and remember why Saint’s Row 3 helped the series find an identity, allowing it to go on to do bigger and better things in Saint’s Row IV.
Narita Boy feels like a completely unique experience and the first step for a new collection of games based around this digital aesthetic. The soundtrack here is flawless and the way everything plays into its setting and narrative is just as good. The gameplay might slog at times and not quite hit the mark, but Narita Boy is something you shouldn't miss.
Offering a spine-chilling and creepy setting and atmosphere, Mundaun is a great experience that doesn't feel like anything I have played before. Its gameplay systems all blend together surprisingly well and it is just the right length. The strengths help alleviate some of the issues I had, but even with those present, it is well worth a play for fans of the genre.
We Were Here Too is a great sequel and really elevates the unique mechanics the franchise offers. Despite a difficulty spike on one puzzle and some wonky looking cutscenes, We Were Here Too is worth a play and really shows the potential for this series and more co-op games in the future.
Curse of the Dead Gods' mechanics work together and mesh excellently, with the dark oppressive narrative and atmosphere really creating a unique gameplay experience, with the features on offer. A lot of variation and the ability to tune your character helps it stand out during the less enjoyable difficulty spikes the game suffers with towards the end.
Fortnite on PS5 is an improvement with a lovely 4K resolution and useful and accurate haptic feedback. Activity Cards help players get to the Battle Royale mode they want easily, jumping in quickly without wasting a moment. Adaptive Triggers disadvantage you in Battle Royale but are a nice addition in Save The World. Fortnite is still the same game, albeit with some nice quality of life changes on Sony's new console.
Cloudpunk is a fantastic sci-fi dystopia, with some great writing and voice-acting which helps bring the stories of the people of Nivalis to life. Whilst the experience can get a bit repetitive the excellence elsewhere ensures it is worth experiencing.
Bloodroots combat is fast and frenetic that is on par with games like Hotline Miami and The Hong Kong Massacre. With great presentation and a good amount of replayability, Bloodroots is a wildly bloody and thoroughly satisfying time.
Journey To The Savage Planet is a fun, arcadey ride with its comedic characters, cartoony art style and unique blend of game genres. Secrets and secondary objectives galore, creative creature design, and a rewarding gameplay loop only add to that ride. Although the co-op disappoints, you shouldn't overlook Typhoon Studios' great first game.
Avicii Invector is a wonderful tribute to the EDM artist and celebrates his work by creating a diverse tracklist from across his career. The rhythm gameplay has its own unique twists and provides a challenging experience. The visual effects can get a bit much at times, throwing off your streak, but the game is still a wonderful way to surround yourself with some of the best EDM music from the past decade.
The Surge 2 is a much better, engaging, and rewarding experience than the first game. Dozens of quality of life improvements, more interesting environments and characters, and the addition of parrying makes The Surge 2 a must-play for anyone who even slightly enjoyed their time with the first game. However, the game holds itself back from being an excellent souls-like with some poor lighting in areas, intense difficulty spikes, and a final area that is just plain unfun.
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.
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.
Where The Heart Leads is a fascinating and enthralling look at life and the full timeline of it and just how every moment shapes us as humans. Marrying gameplay and narrative wonderfully, Armature has created one of the best narrative-adventures ever. Overall, it is a little long and the opening doesn't grab like the end does, but even still, Where The Heart Leads is a journey like no other. It is an experience that I will carry with me as I progress through life.
Outriders is an excellent video game that doesn't drown itself in marketplaces and all the traditional systems we have come to know from a live service. By positioning itself as a complete experience, with dozens of hours of content to play through, along with engaging, varied, and deep combat, it exceeds expectations and manages to lay a firm foundation for a franchise that I hope manifests itself in the future.
Yakuza: Like A Dragon is an impressive and quality JRPG that successfully acts as a jumping in-point for new fans and also ties itself to the series' past in exciting and engaging ways. The turn-based combat has been infused with some mechanics that help retain the action and over-the-top hilarity the series is known for. Mini-games once again shine and there is a lot packed into Ijincho. Like A Dragon paves the way for a bright future for the franchise.
The Jackbox Party Pack 7 brings us a collection of five games that make for one of the better packs to release in recent memory. Talking Points and The Devil And The Details should be new mainstays for how frantic and fun they are, with Champ'd Up and Blather Round complementing them nicely. Quiplash 3 disappoints with its changes, but the package as a whole is a thrilling collection for any party or group gathering.