...Ship Graveyard Simulator 2 offers a niche, relaxing experience for players who enjoy dismantling ships and collecting salvage. However, its repetitive gameplay, lack of depth, and performance issues hold it back from being a truly great simulation game. While the concept of shipbreaking is unique and initially engaging, the game doesn’t evolve enough to maintain interest over the long term. For the most part, each ship is comprised of the same elements, just copied and pasted, resulting in unnecessary fixture points that prevent the ships hull from being salvaged unless removed.
Station to Station has come a long way since the demo and it's clear to see that the team at Galaxy Grove have big plans for the game. I'm quite impressed by just how challenging Station to Station is, and highly recommend any gamer looking for a good (but not impossible) challenge to give this game a red-hot crack. Even if the puzzles stump you, the graphics alone will make the headache worth it, especially when you watch a spider-train crawl its way around the map!
'Battlefield 2042' is a huge disappointment for gamers and the Battlefield franchise. Had this been the product of an indie developer, then this might be a different story as it would be understandable how a game like this could be the product of an independent studio that doesn't have enormous corporate backing. Instead, EA pumped more resources into creating a CGI film that acts as the only real source of storyline context than ensuring the game was going to live up to the enormous amount of hype they were trying to create. I hate saying such negative things in my reviews, but when a game developer can't be bothered to even try and live up to it's own legacy, then I have to call it as I see it and for that very reason, I don't recommend this game. Not even the nostalgia or temptation of 'Battlefield Portal' is enough to save this game from itself.
'Assassin's Creed Discovery Tour: Viking Age' is the self-guided, interactive, behind-the-scenes museum tour for Assassin's Creed: Valhalla. Without the violence, combat, or fictional elements of Valhalla, 'Viking Age' is basically an education tool showcasing how much hard work the team at Ubisoft did to make the AAA title. On its own, Viking Age is incredible and could quite easily contribute to the future of education. However, as it is a by-product of such a critically acclaimed game, 'Viking Age' is left standing in Valhalla's very large shadow. Had things been the other way around with 'Viking Age' as the original title and Valhalla filling the role of its successor, then things would have been completely different. I don't mean to draw such a heavy comparison between the two titles, but I've got to call it as it is. That said, 'Assassin's Creed Discovery Tour: Viking Age' is still an amazing experience and worth checking out. I have more respect for the Assassin's Creed games and Ubisoft for playing 'Viking Age' and cannot emphasise its value as an educational tool.
To date, 'Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector' is the best digital rendition of the Warhammer 40k table-top miniatures game that I've ever played. The amazing attention to detail and unknowing nature of each mission will resonate deeply with 40k fans and be a good starting point for newcomers to the franchise. Personally, I would have loved to have seen more factions engaged in battle but introducing the Sisters of Battle as reinforcements has been a clever way to expand the list of units available without straying away from the deep lore that the game is set in. Although I wouldn't call 'Battlesector' a difficult game, it does pose quite the challenge for players of all skill levels. I recommend this game to anyone who wants to get into Warhammer or is already a fan. Hopefully more units and factions will become available in the future, further adding to enormous amount replay value.
"Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Wrath of the Druids" is an incredible DLC and brings an enormous amount of new items, abilities, cosmetic items, and locations for players to discover. Ireland makes for the perfect location to expand the Valhalla experience, keeping true to the region's history, culture and beliefs. I'm especially fond of how much replay value has been encapsulated into Northern Ireland thanks to an endless supply of challenging side quests. In addition to the new raid locations, "Wrath of the Druids" takes the nice elements of the main game such as stealth and poison and brings out their full potential in amazing ways. "Wrath of the Druids" has pushed the bar even higher for the Assassin's Creed series and I can't recommend it enough to anyone who has "Assassin's Creed: Valhalla".
"Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2" is a very successful remake of two cult classic games, bringing life into a long-lost genre of gaming. While there have been skating games since their original release, the "Tony Hawk Pro Skater" games have always been in a league of their own, and this remake further proves just how awesome they are. Players of all ages and skill levels will have hours of fun exploring the fully modernized skate parks, trying their best to complete the list of challenges in each level. I recommend this game to anyone who wants something different that is also challenging and might be limited to how much continuous game time they have available.
'Breathedge' is far from your normal, everyday, run-of-the-mill survival games for a magnitude of hysterical reasons that are worth discovering for yourself. Although the game starts a little slow, the constant slapstick dad jokes break up the mundane repetition that players normally encounter when starting a new survival game. It will take a little bit of the game to build up steam and really get going but it's a necessary element that pays off later when players are required to solve more creative puzzles. Breathedge is one of those games you can play casually at your own pace and doesn't require long consecutive amounts of time to play. Sparring 15-20 minutes here and there is all that's required for a steady progression through the game but still very enjoyable if you've got ample time up your sleeve as well. I highly recommend this game to anyone who enjoys easter egg styled dad jokes or wants something oddly rewarding to play at a casual pace.
What "The Pillar: Puzzle Escape" lacks in length, it makes up for in creativity and easily a fun experience for younger gamers. Players will get to explore a unique open world map as they search for clues and complete simple puzzles to progress to the next level. Older players won't find any real value in this game and are better off investing their time in something a bit more challenging. However, parents who want to help their children's creative problem solving and memory skills should look into this game as an educational and development tool to stimulate young minds.
'The Touryst' offers players a unique gameplay opportunity by combining beautiful graphics with challenging depth perception puzzles, and a captivating story. I found the game to be quite relaxing but at the same time frustrating due to the overall lack of direction. Players will need to do quite a bit of exploring to gain guidance and to figure out what the next step is in order to progress further. This offers a large amount of additional gameplay as many players will easily become distracted by the numerous amounts of side activities that are to be enjoyed. I was particularly surprised by the games ending and enjoyed the twist even though I had my own suspicions regarding what was in store for me. Overall, this is a fun game but obviously targeted at players looking for a more casual puzzle experience that can be played at their own pace. Definitely a good game for when you've got a limited amount of time to kill but don't want to comit to anything time consuming.
"Gears Tactics" makes an odd choice turning away from the main genre that the Gears of War series is well known for but still captures that vital essence that fans have come to love. Playing this game on the Xbox Series X in 4k resolution is an amazing experience for any Gears fans or lovers of strategy games. The gameplay feels incredibly natural running on console and offers a really immersive experience for anyone. I'm especially fond of how much of the lore and content from the Gears series has been used in this game, especially the cinematic aspects that occur when executing a downed enemy. I would highly recommend this game to anyone who has ever played a Gears of War game or is looking for a challenging strategy game.
Set in a plausible alternate future, "Watch Dogs: Legion" is the third open-world action-adventure game in the Watch Dogs series, following on from the events of both previous games.
“Transformers: Battlegrounds” is a brilliant and beautiful turn-based strategy game suitable for the whole family, especially those who are already Transformers fans. Even with its simple design, the developer has still put quite a lot of effort into making the animations and graphics run smoothly regardless of which Xbox console you’re playing on or its resolution. Game difficulty is very much on the easier end of the spectrum as the hardest setting would be the equivalent of normal or easy for more experienced players. “Transformers: Battlegrounds” will give gamers hours’ worth of fun thanks to its enormous amount of replay value in the form of solo and two-player mini-games such as capture the flag and elimination. I strongly recommend “Transformers: Battlegrounds” to anyone who is either a Transformers fan or who are looking for a challenging game for young kids.
Out of the three DLC packs that have been released so far, "Ghost Recon: Breakpoint: Episode 3 – Red Patriot" has to easily be one of the best when it comes to a compelling storyline, unique missions, and co-op gameplay. The missions are of decent length and feel more enjoyable than completing hundreds of tiny missions chained together. Players will particularly enjoy testing out the new Pathfinder class when playing either solo or in a group. The unique method of accessing the classes ultimate ability helps balance out its superior destructive and tactical advantage during combat. Overall, this is a DLC players will have fun playing and replaying as they try different approaches to some of the more difficult tasks.
“Borderlands 3: Psycho Krieg and the fantastic Fustercluck” may not be the longest DLC in the franchise but it still sticks true to what you’d expect for a Borderlands DLC. While the concept is very similar to past DLC’s of previous games from within the series, the underlying message about mental health, coping, the loss of a loved one, and depression make for excellent talking points between friends and families. I’m not sure if that was the original intention of the DLC but given the global pandemic we currently find ourselves in, I think it’s an appropriate method for gamers of all ages to self-reflect on how they’re holding up.
"Windbound" is a beautiful journey that says a lot without needing to rely on spoken dialogue.
"Warhammer 40k: Mechanicus" is definitely a game for those who are familiar with the Warhammer 40k universe from playing the table top game, reading the books, or having previously played other video games such as the "Dawn of War" series.
“Moonlighter: Between Dimensions” is a brilliant RPG adventure game for anyone is looking for a something casual but with challenging elements such as basic inventory and time management.
"Disintegration" has so much potential but due to being such a radical approach to combining two very different gaming genres, I believe that more work needs to be done in order to balance and strengthen the core mechanics. However, in saying that, I have found myself quite intrigued by the developing story and wanting to know what happens next. I wouldn't call "Disintegration" a bad game, but I would like to see what the developers do with possible future titles. I also believe that "Disintegration" would have made a brilliant VR game but perhaps that is something we might be able to experience at a later date.
I definitely recommend this game for anyone who wants something that is story driven but wants something to play casually without having to commit to a 1000-hour saga.