Jon Bailes


69 games reviewed
70.1 average score
70 median score
41.8% of games recommended
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The rough edges may be more prominent these days, but Final Fantasy VII is still one of the greatest JRPGs ever, with unsurpassed character design, world building, party customization, and music.

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Unscored - Lost Ember
Nov 27, 2019

Too many glitches, too few truly memorable moments, and an overabundance of wombats prevent the game from becoming a truly majestic beast.

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The scale and detail of this partial remake is at times almost absurd. But this is a game full of beauty, intelligence and nostalgic power.

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Jun 12, 2020

Naughty Dog has taken everything to the limit to create The Last of Us 2 – the PS4, its design template, and its staff. In some respects, it’s gone too far, but the results are undeniably spectacular and this is the studio’s best game yet.

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Jul 14, 2020

Ghost of Tsushima bravely steps into a genre that contains some of the generation’s most cutting-edge experiences. While it forges its own identity and doesn’t make any major mistakes, it’s not bold enough to escape their shadows.

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Valhalla’s sober detailed research is undermined a little by some slightly tipsy execution. But this is a hearty, bawdy Viking feast of a game which spins a fine tale and offers plenty to get your teeth into.

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Dec 17, 2020

Equal parts stunning achievement and terrible mess, for every wonder in Cyberpunk 2077 on PS4 there’s a handful of frustrations. Performance issues affect not just how the game looks, but how it plays and feels, constantly taking bites out of what would otherwise be an impressive and exhilarating experience.

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Feb 9, 2021

Little Nightmares 2 is a cautiously expansive sequel which expertly paces its shocks and creepy atmosphere. The detail and weight of its locations are unnervingly believable, while its monsters are hellishly otherworldly. Exciting, brutal and darkly humorous, we just wish it gave us more reason to stay longer.

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Feb 25, 2021

The tactical flexibility in Bravely Default 2 is among the best in class, and tinkering with its possibilities is a fine pass-time in itself. But it gets bogged down in a churn of routine battles, wayward balancing and humdrum fantasy. While the original game’s compact focus felt comfy on a 3DS, the Switch magnifies the blemishes of the sequel and leaves it looking a little underdressed.

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Apr 8, 2021

Oddworld: Soulstorm is an advancement on previous games in the series in every way, but that’s both its biggest achievement and the source of its problems. The complexity and variety in its locations is commendable, as is the wealth of tools at your disposal for dealing with its many tricks and foes. But many of its systems don’t work together reliably, or don’t respond with the necessary speed, which leaves an experience that’s rarely as entertaining as it promises to be.

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May 5, 2021

Resident Evil: Village is a powerful monster, bolting together parts from Resident Evils 7, 4 and more besides. It’s longer than recent games in the series, yet still feels trim and sculpted as it shifts between it wide range of locations and set pieces. The downside of its eclectic approach is some unevenness and less tension, especially in a relatively weak opening act. But its eventual blend of parts is gloriously big, daft and fuelled by the finest of nightmares.

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May 24, 2021

Biomutant’s feature list seems to include everything a successful open-world action RPG needs. But journey through its towns, fields and bunkers, and there’s no intrigue in its exploration or weight in its relationship building. Not even a worthy combat challenge to hold everything together. With so many ideas left under-developed, it wastes a setting that had far more potential.

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INTERmission is a classy addition to one of last year’s best games, which itself runs a little better now on PS5. It’s great to see Yuffie again, brought up-to-date to match the rest of the cast and providing her uniquely wide-eyed perspective on Midgar. We’re ready to move on from the great city now, but this is a fine farewell party.

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Unscored - Last Stop
Jul 21, 2021

It’s a structure that ensures different perspectives and voices carousel in and out with pleasing regularity, but also in accordance with your mood. It works to intertwine three stories that are differently enjoyable — Meena’s is the most interesting character study, Donna has the most captivating mystery, John is primarily the comic relief — playing them off each other to make them that much more gripping than they would be alone. Variable State may still not have found the perfect interactive formula for its cinematic talents, but until it does “Last Stop” remains a moderate success.

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Unscored - No More Heroes 3
Aug 27, 2021

Not every idea lands — a parody of turn-based JRPG battles toward the end feels overly labored — and it’s hard to escape the sense that writer and co-director Suda51 is being self-indulgent even by his standards. Perhaps there’s such a thing as trying to squeeze too many references and cameos into a script. For all the surprises, the riotous homages, plot twists, characters and style switches, there’s not much to bind them, and not much genuine innovation.

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Sep 13, 2021

Deathloop is slick and inventive, with a delicious sense of style and humour. One of the smartest and most outright entertaining games of the year.

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Dec 1, 2021

Solar Ash is a highly original open-plan platform game. A slim move set that rewards momentum is the perfect means of exploring its swirling, broken landscapes and executing its more exacting challenges. While some of its elements feel overly simple, that doesn’t detract hugely from a clinically focused and fresh experience.

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Dec 3, 2021

Not everything works well in Chorus, but its inventive, hectic space shootouts deserve to have their praises sung

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Dec 16, 2021

Rani and Becks are an appealing duo to share adventures with, but they deserve something more exciting than The Gunk has to offer.

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Jan 18, 2022

Nobody does it better? Not quite, but this is a highly entertaining action RPG.

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