Dashiell Wood
- Hitman: Blood Money
- Gone Home
- Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega Mix
Dashiell Wood's Reviews
The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles isn’t just far and away the best entry in a long running franchise, it's one of the greatest visual novel games ever made.
It may a be a little rough around the edges but the game provides series fans with exactly what they would want from a sequel whilst still, almost incredibly, wholly subverting expectations. It supersedes the original in some respects whilst simultaneously significantly lacking in others but nevertheless provides a suitable vessel for Agent Francis York Morgan, one of the most brilliantly written characters in videogame history, to make a triumphant return. I’ve never known a game to have a more fitting tagline than Deadly Premonition 2 which, on the whole, can rightfully be described as nothing short of “a blessing in disguise”.
A renewed focus on gameplay sets Dream Home Decorator apart as some of the best downloadable content that The Sims 4 has seen in years.
Surprisingly sincere, wonderfully heartwarming and beautifully drawn, Raptor Boyfriend is a charming visual novel which strikes the perfect balance between comedy and coziness.
Despite some very minor shortcomings, the entertaining writing and engaging visual flair elevates the game's experimental gameplay combination of addictive deck-building and unpredictable real-time strategy. Cute and colourful, Necronator: Dead Wrong is one unique strategy experience you won't soon forget.
Going Under‘s quirky bright colours, light-hearted dialogue and enjoyable slow-paced music creates a very calming effect and, as a result, playing the game feels almost therapeutic in the absolute best of ways.
An excellent turn-based strategy that shines in spite of some minor annoyances.
With an enjoyable selection of arcade sports minigames, the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: Official Video Game is a gold medal effort.
Streets of Rage 4 is a rare example of simple concept perfectly realised to its full potential. With incredible visual flair and an amazing soundtrack, beating up wave after wave of enemies has never been more enjoyable. For those who are not fans of the beat-em-up genre, things may seem overall a little simplistic but if you are yearning for something to quench your insatiable thirst for arcade violence, it doesn’t get better than this. Ironically for a game titled "Streets of Rage", there’s absolutely nothing to be angry about!
When it comes to retro-styled platformers, this is certainly one of the best we’ve seen yet. It may not entirely reinvent the wheel conceptually but Panzer Paladin still has a host of fantastic features and a great art direction. Any fans of the genre will certainly appreciate a particularly well crafted set of maps, some killer music and gameplay which has undeniably been tweaked to perfection.
Getting to grips with its systems and idiosyncrasies may feel confusing at first but, at its core, Project Hospital is a best-in-class medical management sim. Although not for everyone, fans of the genre with the perseverance to master its realism and complexity will find a highly rewarding simulation packaged with a set of pleasing visuals and an excellent soundtrack to boot.
With charming visuals, excellent customisation options and an array of powerful building tools at your disposal, Tracks is an all-round great sandbox title. Serving as a perfect introduction to open-world gaming for kids and a nostalgic, calming experience for adults; creating a colourful railway system with Tracks successfully rekindles the child-like joy of creativity in everyone.
The constant threat of chaos adds tension and fun to an otherwise basic management sim.
Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World is an enjoyable reimagining of an underappreciated 1994 classic that leaves some room for improvement.
Mini Motorways is an enjoyable and often beautiful puzzler, but the lack of long term replayability makes it harder to recommend over its already excellent predecessor.
A great location and the introduction of a few new gameplay elements make The Sims 4 Cottage Living an enjoyable but unessential add-on.
A Total War Saga: Troy - Mythos is far from flawless, but still a solid addition which builds on some of the features of the base game.
Although it may be a little too slow-paced for some, Hunting Simulator 2 offers a robust simulation which faithfully recreates many of the most important aspects of real-world hunting. There are a huge variety of distinct weapons to try out on the three included maps which are of an impressive scope and scale. The whole thing comes together to create an immersive world and an overall experience that the right player will enjoy getting lost in; quite possible for many hours at a time.
Cute and colourful, StarCrossed is overall a confident co-op title with a set of excellent visuals, good writing and a diverse cast of playable characters. Its few shortcomings only become apparent when the more repetitive segments begin to overstay their welcome. Nevertheless, the title succeeds in crafting a charming memorable experience which will certainly succeed in its aim to bring you closer to those you choose to share it with.
Umurangi Generation is a game with a lot of worthwhile things to say but the miserable state of optimization in the Special Edition make this Switch rerelease an experience which is difficult to recommend. Although the inclusion of the previously separate Macro story DLC may seem an appealing prospect, players with any degree of access to a capable PC should under no circumstances purchase this vastly inferior port.