Jamie Tarren's Reviews
Yoku’s Island Express is beautifully charming in story, gameplay and visually. The blend of pinball and platformer mechanics are a fantastic mix and leave nothing more to desire from the gameplay experience. Don’t miss out on this!
To summarise, The Adventure Pals is a light-hearted adventure filled with comical and enjoyable moments for all. Not only is it highly polished, but it also has an engaging story you’ll want to go back to and play all over again, maybe with a friend this time. I can at last say Castle Crashers has been replaced in my heart.
At most Donut County will offer a good 3-4 hours of solid gameplay that is light-hearted and enjoyable. The game flags as slightly too easy to breeze through, but in terms of the fun gameplay in creating havoc with holes in the ground, I would definitely recommend picking this up for a session one night.
Guns, Gore and Cannoli 2 is a fantastically hand drawn side-scroller making small steps of improvement from the original, and with the addition of 4-player multiplayer there’s plenty for this to stand out as a sequel. Now all I want is a roll and slide mechanic to try and do none hit runs on levels.
World War Z is an enjoyable to play zombie story, best served in co-op or against other players in PvP. The mechanics of the zombie hordes creates a frantic escape from danger and makes you play smart in terms of keeping your ammo topped up. I would have no second thought on recommending World War Z to anyone considering a purchase.
Ys Origin launched alongside two other JRPGS: Earthlock and Regalia: Of Men and Monarchs in the ID@Xbox program. Could this be a turning point for Xbox to have more from this genre? I really do hope so, as consoles need to branch out into more niche genres like this and despite its age, the game feels so refreshing thanks to its intriguing gameplay and beautiful soundtrack.
Evidently from its superb voice-acting, this is a highly polished game. The lighting and facial animation on characters looks realistic and the manor itself has an eerie but warm feel to it. There are also points of interest such as adorned artifacts and paintings, which if you take time to endure, you’ll be thoroughly impressed by the attention to detail and historical accuracy.
All in all I’m fairly happy with the full release of DayZ. It captures survival well and has the systems in place to succeed. I struggled to emerge my head in base building and generators due to trying to survive and not having a group to team up with. However, having played PC builds I have a full knowledge on these systems and how the game currently feels with the latest build, which is a slow transition still.
We. The Revolution offers a wonderfully unique experience into the French Revolution and more of an insight into the justice system back then in 18th Century.
I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed LEGO Marvel Avengers and found myself playing it a lot after work, especially for its relaxing and humorous LEGO fun. I’d not only recommend this for kids, but also adults, as a lot of these films are most likely ones you’ve watched many times and enjoyed and playing it in a video game felt unique and refreshing.
Vampyr is a dark and appealing RPG with a strong storyline full of mystery and exploring London such dark times was a delightful scare visually and through the game’s sound effects. As you learn new abilities you will become the ultimate killer and master the game’s simple combat system in no time.
Jurassic World Evolution is fantastically linked to Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom. It was great to see 3 movie franchise actors lend their voices to their in-game counterparts. In terms of gameplay, it offers a fun to play dinosaur park management experience, although future updates will control it’s success as new dinosaurs are the only fresh element currently from last week’s update so far.
For a side-scrolling beat-em up title, Die For Valhalla! is a fairly enjoyable title with procedurally generated levels no experience will be the same and the extra of local co-op can mean double the fun or quadruple the fun in this case. My only concern is how long will you want to play essentially the same style of play over and over.
Graphically, the game holds up well with the odd occassional screen tear when water physics come on screen. However in regards to magical spells flying around on screen, the frame rate is pretty stable and doesn’t affect any enjoyment of the game.
Shape of The World offers a good selection of 10 hours or more gameplay and with procedurally generated areas every experience is different. I would definitely recommend a headphone experience to get the best out of its soothing soundtrack and beautiful colour livening areas.
Would I recommend Minit? Absolutely if you like challenging puzzlers with a sense of adventure. The 60 second timer creates a frantic playing experience and has you rushing to get to A to B whilst also being precise where you go. Obviously this isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea.
In terms of story length, the game lasts about 2 hours, but offers a loop of playing the storyline again, so there’s lots to explore and discover in the house. From secret passages to significant items, traversing around the dimly lit corridors and rooms can be rewarding if you’re out for an interactive narrative experience.
Despite its minor limitations, Aquarium Designer on Xbox is a delightful and immersive experience. It offers a good balance between creative freedom and educational value, making it a great choice for casual players and aspiring aquarists alike. While the limited selection of aquatic life and slightly awkward menu navigation might dampen the experience for the most demanding players, the soothing visuals, calming soundtrack, and diverse design options ensure a relaxing and rewarding journey for most. If you’re looking for a way to unwind after a long day, unleash your inner artist, and learn a little something about the wonders of the underwater world, Aquarium Designer is definitely worth checking out. Just keep in mind that the real challenge might not be designing your dream aquarium, but tearing yourself away from it at the end of the day.
Overall, Emily Wants To Play Too is a new and fun story told in the franchise, filled with new cruel games to play with the dolls and an interesting ending worth playing all the way through for. I won’t spoil it for anyone but I highly recommend picking this up particular as the price is cheap.
Planet Alpha is a fun to play platforming adventure set at a fast pace and on a fascinating world to explore. Once you’ve learned that you can control time of day, the puzzle mechanics become more unique and interesting. It’s just let down by the lack of unique gameplay compared to previous atmospheric platformers released.