Neil Bolt's Reviews
The Medium shines when it's letting you soak in its beautifully crafted dual worlds and melancholic soundtrack, but early promise of a quietly effective ghost story unravels as the story staggers clumsily to a point where it becomes almost unbearable in its attempt to tackle a tough subject.
When comparing it to other 3D Sonic titles, Sonic Colours is easily one of the better entries in the storied annals of the spiny speedster. It's an audiovisual delight, and more often than not, calls upon the spirit of speed that made this a household name. Unfortunately, it still carries plenty of the baggage from older 3D Sonic games in terms of unnecessary difficulty spikes, and inconsistent switching between 3D and 2.5D.
Yes, you could argue that in trying so hard to make a game for the mid-2000s in 2021 leaves the developer with a game that’s fundamentally dated before it began, but that’s the point. All the modern indie horror games that work get that. Compromises will certainly bring you a bigger audience, but games like Tormented Souls, as scraggly and mean-spirited as the games that inspired them, are far more likely to scratch that itch for survival horror’s golden era, rough edges and all.
Yuoni was on a hiding to nothing from the start, and while I don’t feel the game has much wrong with it, and offers some freshness in its endless dusk, far too much of how it plays has been done to death, and done better. What haunting enchantment it holds is dispelled by the dull monotony of running, hiding, and waiting over and over again just to get a sliver of a story.
This is a game made by a relative handful of people, and viewing it from that perspective, the whole package is more impressive, and shows plenty of room for growth in any future project. It certainly explains the limitations and faults found in certain areas. It doesn’t excuse them, but that knowledge does soften their impact.
Jupiter Hell will be a refreshing spin on a classic for some, and the best of a bad situation for those mourning the loss of DOOM: The Roguelike. Some technical grumbles aside, its straightforward, no-nonsense approach to turn-based roguelike shoot n’ loot works well, and provides a compelling game to either dip into for an hour here and there, or lose a few days to.
Whether it be a return to the cosmic horror medieval worlds of the original, or another slog with the Strogg, I hope we get more new Quake out of this, because this remaster just emphasizes how timeless the underlying formula is.
Variable State follows up the wordless weirdness of Virginia with a far more talkative, and more grounded, supernatural drama with Last Stop. The focus on its three protagonists' everyday problems over the underlying odd phenomena helps to make each tale more engaging, and in turn, makes the stranger things that occur feel more captivatingly mysterious in their initially limited use. It's a little light in terms of traditional player control, but Last Stop tells a hell of a good story that you still very much feel like you're in the director's chair for.
The general spooky parts are similarly undercooked, with an unenthusiastic lineup of the ‘spooky things in first-person games checklist.’ Again, I have to say this was definitely an instance where a game could have been plenty unnerving without resorting to the supernatural. Still, if you’re going to do it anyway, there are more inventive and effective ways to go about it.
A deliberately slow, and sometimes frustratingly patient, start aside, The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles revamps the Ace Attorney formula by injecting it with a take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Great Detective stories that is recognizable, and yet oh-so-perfect for this series in how it changes it. If the Phoenix Wright games have lost a little of their luster for you, then this double header Victorian-era spinoff may well be worth investigating.
Blackwood brings an intriguing new story full of conspiracy and demonic dangers to The Elder Scrolls Online, and while that's good, it's the addition of Oblivion Portals and A.I. Companions that really make the latest expansion a winner.
Rust is an unflinching multiplayer survival game that requires endurance and patience in order to really unlock its potential. The dynamics it creates in terms of player interaction are endlessly fascinating and prove to be a real boon for organic narrative flashpoints between players. Its pure multiplayer focus does mean it doesn't have what you'd call a traditional endgame, but it more than makes up for that with the unpredictability its social design brings.
While Mass Effect Legendary Edition isn't a spectacular remastering of a frankly superb trilogy, it does enough right to make it an essential collection. The original Mass Effect benefits most from the overhaul whilst retaining most of its scrappy charm, while Mass Effect 2 and 3 are generally better-looking versions of already great games. At the very least, it's a great excuse to visit or revisit one of gaming's greatest sagas.
While this remaster is slightly underwhelming, and certain aspects of the game have become a little dog-eared, Shin Megami Tensei 3 is still worth checking out. It's a rather unique experience that stands out even in an age where its spinoff series has diluted many of its more interesting facets.
Hood: Outlaws and Legends is a genuinely refreshing multiplayer idea that's well-executed for the most part. It's a little light on variety and doesn't offer all that much in terms of reward beyond winning matches, but there's a consistent joy to be found in its often intense back and forth tug of war for gold and glory.
Not so much a true next-gen leap for MLB, but a cautious set of baby steps towards it. The presentation and gameplay remain strong, and the ability to be a two-way player in Road to the Show has freshened that mode up and made it more enjoyable than ever. MLB The Show 21 is another reliable entry in a strong sporting franchise, but it definitely needs a bit of a shakeup next time out.
I’m not sure Outriders will live long in the memory, but it’s a damn enjoyable ride while it lasts.
Speed Limit is a heady mixture of tough as old boots nostalgia that requires patience and/or stubbornness to crack its punishing action set-pieces. The joy comes from trying to perfect your run on Speed Limit rather than simply beating it, and there's varying mileage in this. At the very least, it's a fun nostalgic showcase of several classic game types mushed together in a surprisingly cohesive fashion.
With the strength of the World of Darkness’s rich universe of lore backing it up, Earthblood is far more compelling than it first appears. Just as it looks like a formulaic, repetitive, action game, it throws enough odd stuff and interesting characters into the mix to add a bit of unique pep to proceedings. It would be unfair to call Earthblood ‘mindless fun’ given it has a more positive message to it than a lot of action games, but its easygoing blend of action, stealth, and narrative adventure certainly make it surprisingly simple to get into despite essentially being three games stapled together.
In many ways, Ride 4 gets its racing simulation so right. The intricate detail of the bikes themselves and the tinkering you can do with them is a testament to that. Unfortunately, the attempt to make its A.I. riders more realistic results in an unwanted level of unpredictability that makes an already challenging experience tougher than it should be.