Charles Tyldsley's Reviews
The Surge 2 is more of a side step, than a step up. The game's strong combat remains, with an improved variety of weapons and locations to explore, alongside some smart mechanical changes such as the drone. Unfortunately the game's frustrating difficulty spikes, infuriatingly punishing new block mechanic and extensive range of niggles and issues lead to an inconsistent experience overall. Big fans of the original will likely still enjoy The Surge 2, but others may want to look elsewhere.
GreedFall punches way above its weight thanks to some excellent writing, surprisingly in-depth RPG mechanics, a strong presentation and plenty of interesting quest lines. Whilst it's a little rough around the edges in areas such as the undeniably poor lip syncing and occasional bugs, this is still a fantastic RPG. GreedFall is well worth the asking price - RPG fans will find a lot to love here.
Control is a fantastic game that comes so close to being an absolutely incredible one. Providing some of the best gameplay Remedy have created since Max Payne, it's an undoubtedly fun game with an intriguing story. Some areas such as the weapon and environment variety only slightly negatively impact what's an otherwise brilliant title.
The Sinking City is an incredibly ambitious open world detective title which punches way above its weight thanks to various refreshing mechanics, an engaging narrative and some impressively alluring world design. Combat woes, a rigid open world and numerous technical issues unfortunately let what's otherwise a great game down. However, The Sinking City is still well worth a look.
Warhammer: Chaosbane is a terrific action-RPG that features satisfying combat alongside a superb skill system. The game lacks variety in crucial areas such as the loot, environments and enemies, but it still ends up being a blast to play - particularly in co-op. Over time this could become one of the ARPG greats, right now it's a solid entry to the genre that lays some excellent foundations for the future.
Is Little Friends: Dogs & Cats worth buying? For fans of Nintendogs absolutely, the game is a charming pleasant experience filled to the brim with cuteness. For more avid gamers though the lack of depth and minigame variety could be an absolute deal-breaker.
RAGE 2 is a bombastic blast to play from beginning to end. The game's combat offers some of the most satisfyingly enjoyable shooting found in a video game in years. Whilst the open world elements add little to the package with repetitive side content, the core gameplay loop is more than enjoyable throughout. At 30fps base console owners should beware, ideally experienced on the enhanced consoles or a PC. RAGE 2 is simply a straight up fun video game.
A Plague Tale Innocence isn't a flawless experience, but it's certainly a superb one. The game features plenty of solid stealth and puzzle mechanics, an intriguing narrative, some beautiful environments, and one of the best video game soundtracks in recent memory. It's a title which puts fairly unknown developer Asobo Studio firmly on the map. A Plague Tale is well worth your hard earned cash.
Mortal Kombat 11 is one of the best fighting games released in a long time. A superb bombastic story, awesomely refined fighting mechanics and stunning production values. It also features far too many unrewarding and unfulfilling grindy mechanics tied to the game's Towers of Time and Krypt modes. If developer NRS resolve those issues, the game is a must buy. Until that point though, buyer beware.
World War Z is one of the biggest surprises this year so far. It's a ton of fun, especially with a good group of friends. There's a decent amount of content on offer for the game's lower than average retail price, some super impressive zombie horde tech and a beefy progression system. It's not without its flaws though, with numerous areas in need of tightening up such as gunplay feedback and movement, but despite that the game is absolutely still worth picking up.
Priced at $24.99 / £22.49, SteamWorld Quest provides brilliant value for money. The genre blending turn-based RPG meets card game mechanics serve as a refreshingly addictive change of pace. It's all wrapped up in a polished, quirky and light-hearted adventure featuring fun characters and a beautiful hand-drawn art style. The game is a blast from beginning to end, and is well worth your time and hard earned cash.
One of 2019's biggest surprises so far. Outward brings a whole slew of unique and interesting mechanics together to create a sub-genre of its own. With 30-40+ hours of content alongside a lower than normal $40 / £28 price-tag, it's hard not to unequivocally recommend the game. It's admittedly not perfect, but there's certainly a whole lot to like here.
Generation Zero offers glimpses of a superb game - it has brilliant atmosphere, a vast world, plenty of intrigue and some fun combat opportunities, particularly when played in co-op. However the package as a whole feels grossly incomplete, with an incredibly rough UI, copious amounts of bugs and a huge list of issues. This could be great one day, but right now it's hard to recommend.
The OlliOlli series offered some of the best skateboarding games you could buy back when they released many years ago. Fast forward to 2019 and both games still hold up brilliantly. OlliOlli: Switch Stance is a fantastic port of a superb set of games, and it's priced fairly to boot. This slick yet brutally addictive gameplay loop is just as much of a blast to play as it was 5 years ago.
Hyper Jam harkens back to the golden era of Xbox Live Arcade. A low priced no-frills arena brawler that oozes style and nails what's important, whilst offering a brilliant amount of hidden depth for higher level players. It's easy to pick up and play, and full of hilariously enjoyable moments thanks to the incredibly tight feeling moment to moment gameplay. A true indie classic.
Genesis Alpha One is a fairly unique and interesting mix of genres that offers a lot of promise initially. Despite some enjoyable base building mechanics, the overall gameplay loop is a little too repetitive and the combat is disappointingly weak throughout. With updates, improvements and more content this could turn into something that's both memorable and great, but right now it's an ambitious title that just misses the mark in some all-important areas.
Jagged Alliance: Rage offers a lot to like for fans of XCOM and other similar titles. It's one of the few games in the genre to provide a genuinely great two player co-operative experience. Whilst the game suffers from numerous bugs, a rough UI, plenty of smaller issues and overall low production values, it still manages to feel like a diamond in the rough. Don't sleep on Jagged Alliance: Rage - you might be surprised just how much fun there is to be had here.
Darksiders 3 shifts the series in a new Souls-like direction. Whilst not all of the new elements are a home-run, the game's combat is fantastic throughout. Despite some frustrating difficulty spikes and performance issues here and there, the game still manages to provide a whole lot of fun from start to finish. In an era of microtransaction riddled experiences, Darksiders 3 feels like a breath of fresh air.
Fallout 76 is undoubtedly the worst Fallout title to date. A game which does away with what the series does so well, and instead replaces it with an under-baked and under-realised multiplayer. Fallout fans will still find things to enjoy here, there's fun to be had. However, 76 is so rough around the edges, and so riddled with questionable design decisions that it's hard to ignore. Hopefully Bethesda can turn this ship around over time.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of the most impressive games I have ever played. A truly monumental achievement. It's not without its flaws, nor will it be for everyone. However the staggering attention to detail and sheer number of stunningly impressive elements put it up there with some of my favourite moments in gaming. A genuinely superb open world experience in almost every regard.