Neil Bolt's Reviews
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.
XCOM 2's PS4 port is hobbled by some turgid technical issues, but it's a testament to how magnificent a game it is that it still rises above them. Outstanding, brutally challenging and endlessly enjoyable, XCOM 2 is a legitimate triumph.
Not the most visually appealing episode, but Colorado has its own charms and sees the story come to the forefront, if a little too late to have the impact it desires.
Virginia takes the adventure game to new places, and while not everyone might want to join in on the trip, those that do will be rewarded with a thoroughly mesmerising experience that stays with you long after the credits roll
There's promise going forward, for the story at least, but this is an otherwise messy episode on several levels.
Inoffensive, and pleasing enough as finales go, but there’s a clear feeling that Minecraft Story Mode could have, and should have, finished much stronger than this. In truth, it did, four episodes ago.
There’s no denying that the Bioshock series is an ambitious one, and that it features some much loved/derided games. Bioshock Collection is the current definitive way to experience those games on consoles, but there’s little new for long-term fans beyond a bit of spit n’ polish.
It may show its age in places, but the core of the original Dead Rising has not become rotten in the past decade. A shame then the same cannot quite be said of its successors.
If PES 2016 was the best entry in around a decade, then PES 2017 is arguably among the greatest in the series full stop. With extra care and attention paid to improving on many of its predecessor’s strengths, as well as tweaking and fixing adhered to its issues, PES 2017 comes out of it as a fantastic football game.
A solid, satisfactory final slab of DLC for Fallout 4, but the flame of enthusiasm has all but been extinguished at this point.
There’s nothing new for repeat players except another crack at an exceptional, if ever-so-slightly dated game. For those who haven’t picked up Resident Evil 4 in a while however, this is as good a time as any to remind yourself of what heights this series can reach.
Inside is as beautiful as it is bleak. A truly fantastic experience that deserves its place among the very best games of the generation.
Prominence Poker is surprisingly enjoyable as a casual, yet competitive, multiplayer game.
Bangkok is the weakest episode so far, but even Hitman at its weakest is still pretty good, grim fun.
Mankind Divided is a thoroughly satisfying Action RPG that understands how to make stealth play enjoyable, flexible and challenging. The design of its near-future world is remarkable, and the stories held within it are compelling. The only sour taste here is an ending at odds, and the slightest whiff of over-familiarity.
It’s flawed in some fundamental, if fixable, ways, but No Man’s Sky has a dreamlike allure for those who can sink their teeth into its space-faring expanses. A memorable game, if not quite what it could be.
A steadfastly solid start to Batman’s Telltale series, but Bruce Wayne isn’t the only one with demons to overcome. Some poor writing and acting, plus the usual slowdown and engine troubles means that this isn’t a peak performance for the developer or the character, even if it does set up the rest of the series nicely.