Neil Bolt's Reviews
Another competent karaoke game to add to the ever-increasing pile. Limited in original ideas and possessing a poor range of variety in musical terms, NOW That's What I Call Sing is a rather underwhelming addition to the genre.
Intimidating, tough and thoroughly overwhelming, Divinity: Original Sin is no easy sell for those into a more modern RPG. Yet looking past that, you will find one of 2015's deepest and most rewarding titles, full of wit, charm and deadly challenge, all within a world that is a joy to exist in.
Too short to go anywhere storywise, a lack of genuine peril, and devoid of character development, ''Assembly Required'' is easily the weakest episode of a Telltale series post-Walking Dead. The world it exists in continues to shine, but anything original flounders.
Fallout 4 captivates with a hauntingly beautiful apocalypse and refuses to let go. Exceptional gameplay is marred by a few flaws, but the Wasteland's flaws have never been fewer.
Game of Thrones finale has the big, brutal moments you'd expect, but they are diluted by technical issues and a feeling of unfinished business.
A season that began with much promise doesn't quite deliver by the time the sixth and final episode's credits roll. Some fine characters and a real sense of what makes the Game of Thrones universe tick mean this is worth checking out if you crave more stories from Westeros and beyond in the wait for more books and TV episodes.
A dazzling audiovisual spectacle with a solid, highly accessible set of mechanics for a wider audience to enjoy. The problem is, this blockbuster is shallow and soulless beneath its sparkly veneer, and that detracts from much of the good it does.
Easily the strongest episode of Minecraft: Story Mode yet, The Last Place You Look does wonders to a series that looked like it would be a sinking ship just one episode ago.
Fat Princess Adventures is a pleasant hack-'n-slash romp with a wonderfully silly sense of humour. It lacks depth, and replay value, but as a budget game to play with friends it offers fine value for money.
This could have been a triumphant return for Rainbow Six, even with the true single-player experience stripped out, but bad decision after bad decision helps to bury the potential and leave Siege D.O.A.
A sadly disappointing festive spin-off to the lovably quirky Hatoful Boyfriend; Holiday Star strips back the things that made its predecessor a cult favourite. There's little holiday cheer for this bird, as its wings have been clipped. At least it hasn't been stuffed.
A satisfying conclusion to this story arc, full of revelations, heartbreak and humour. The only things that really hamper Story Mode's penultimate episode are some predictable moments and how little much of its cast have developed over the span of the past four episodes.
Amplitude manages to be both a throwback, and as relevant as ever. This feels like a Harmonix with the shackles off, free to unleash their creative side onto the rhythm-action genre once again. With its initial simplicity, mesmerising visuals, and a great marriage of music to game mechanics, Harmonix have given the world a better Amplitude. One that is simply a superb title.
You can see what SCE Connected Content Group was aiming for with Hardware: Rivals, as the car combat genre has long needed a decent revival from somewhere. Unfortunately, far too many of Hardware's ideas are poorly executed for it to be the saviour it might have been. It doesn't do it any favours to see it presented in such a generally unenthusiastic, haphazard fashion. With variety sorely lacking and balancing currently an issue, there's little to suggest a long-term future for Hardware: Rivals in the heaving ball pit that is online-only gaming.
Albedo is one of those games that, with a few small changes, could have been quite decent. The shlocky sci-fi B-Movie vibe is a good one to utilise for an adventure game, and it's definitely the most unique facet of Albedo, but sadly, as a game, it never quite maintains any kind of consistency to recommend it to anyone but the most patient and understanding of adventure game fans. The game's protagonist often says 'I see something' without any clue as to what it is he's referring to. That sums up Albedo all too well.
Inside My Radio is an often clever, creative and fun platformer/rhythm-action hybrid that perhaps pulls too many of its rabbits out of its hat before the final act. While it suffers for being a bit short, and for not always blending the two genres as well as it could, it does have an incredibly vibrant identity of its very own, and that's something worth praising.
Tachyon Project does enough to get noticed in the sea of modern twin-stick shooters thanks to its inventive setup, but there's still something missing that means it never hits the heights of the very best in the genre. For what it is, and what it costs, you'll get more than enough out of it.
World of Tanks stands out from the majority of free-to-play games by being tactically deep and generally quite different to the norm. There's nothing new for existing players, and there's a lack of game modes that could impair the longevity of your time with it, but World of Tanks is a fine blend of simulation and competitive multiplayer that's well worth checking out.
Mostly more of the same, but better refined, LEGO Marvel's Avengers is great fan service and highly entertaining family fun. Easily the best regular LEGO title for a while.
There is the odd glimmer of something greater in Gemini: Heroes Reborn. For whatever reason, you never get to see it very often. Combat can be gleeful fun, but a forgettable, pointless story, dull characters and uninspired design work are just some of the things that work against any potential.