Neil Bolt's Reviews
Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 remains a superb fighter, and one that is at the peak of its power in terms of performance. Beyond that there’s nothing much for the pre-existing audience, but anyone curious about the series heading into next year’s Marvel vs Capcom Infinite may well be tempted to start here.
City of Light may shine on occasion, but it too often slips into the darkness of bad writing, plot development, and characterization. A season finale that finally kills the hope of redemption for what has been a thoroughly disappointing Batman outing.
Rivals makes Rock Band 4 a much better experience for the hardcore, whilst throwing a juicy story mode bone to the more casual player. As expansions go, this is pretty much how you should go about it.
Basic in presentation, and deceptively simple on the surface, Bridge Constructor is actually a surprisingly deep and varied physics puzzle game if you’re willing to invest in it.
A commendable remaster at a decent price point, Darksiders Warmastered gives those who missed out another chance to try an underappreciated gem of the PS3 era. Just prepare for some mechanical rust.
A strong-willed effort to update the series, Final Fantasy XV rises above its myriad flaws to deliver an odd, beautiful adventure that harnesses the power of friendship to maximum effect. A pleasing return to form for a much beloved series.
A frenetic, enthralling, and inventive shooter in both single and multiplayer, Titanfall 2 is spectacular beast of a game that is deserving of a place among the greats of this generation.
A solid enough penultimate episode, but the overall quality of this series hinges on how Telltale brings the threads together to finish it.
Much like its predecessor, Steins;Gate 0 proves to be among the finest examples of creating a thoroughly engaging visual novel.
The Amnesia Collection is, in some ways, a difficult one to recommend. Existing fans gain little new from it, and newcomers will possibly be seeing this as dated thanks to the many attempted copycats that have released in an around the time since this series began. Yet it’s a timely reminder of how well a slow-burning eldritch horror can be done in videogames. If you are a fan of Lovecraftian horror and you haven’t touched the Amnesia series, then I implore you to venture down into its depths.
A vast improvement on the dull muddle that was the original Watch Dogs, Watch Dogs 2 embraces its chaotic, silly side without sacrificing the key components that gave the original such promise. It's prevented from grasping further glory by some damaging technical issues and a seamless online experience being notably absent, but Watch Dogs 2 is still a big bundle of joy.
Hitman’s first season is a full-blown triumph. IO Interactive has masterfully pulled off this gamble with relatively few hiccups along the way. The world of assassination has never been a finer place to visit than it is right now.
A stronger episode, but poorly-conceived villains and a lack of satisfying payoff means this increasingly looks like a series you should be playing when it's finished.
Hitman bows out with a strong finale in game terms, if not in story. A fine balance of claustrophobic level design and Hitman’s signature murder opportunities make for a fitting personification of all Hitman is and was.
Skyrim is still a wonderful game, with much to see and do. While it may be prettier here and function better than its PS3 predecessor, it continues to suffer from the same garden-variety bugs and glitches of five years back. Age hasn’t been especially kind to the mechanics or the writing, but the old magic is still shining bright as ever.
There’s some positives to be found in Mark McMorris Infinite Air’s setup, but some poor design and plenty of shambolic mechanics throw this rider from its board. The wait goes on for this generation's first decent snowboarder.
There is an attempt to make Farming Simulator 17 entertaining, but it’s a rather poor one. Dull, uninventive, and drier than sandpaper on crackers.
Two of the finest games of the past decade don't quite get the treatment they deserve in Return to Arkham, with Arkham Asylum in particular, suffering more than benefitting from the visual overhaul. The game’s are still magnificent love letters to Gotham’s protector though, even if these remasters don’t give the same level of respect to the pointy-eared one.
A better effort this time round, but it’s still not enough to make Now That’s What I Call Sing 2 a truly great karaoke game. Pick it up cheap enough and it’ll serve you up a nice safe slice of warbling wonder for family gatherings and parties alike.
Darkest Dungeon can be quite inventive and interesting at its best, but these highs aren't held for very long. Still, this is a solid turn-based RPG with a great gimmick.