John-Paul Jones's Reviews
Far less stuffy than the mainline WWE 2K series and designed for quick bursts of entertaining casual play with friends, WWE 2K Battlegrounds lack of depth and technical issues sadly undercut its energetic audiovisual presentation. Hardly the sequel to WWE All-Stars that so many wanted, WWE 2K Battlegrounds could simply be so much more - but it just... isn't.
Though the amount of polish lavished on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's single-player campaign is commendable, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered doesn't go far enough to make people forget that the bones of its design are well over a decade old and neither can it escape the gaping black hole left by the absence of Modern Warfare 2's award-winning multiplayer mode. Sure enough though, fans of the six-hour campaign who haven't played it recently will find something to love here, but few others likely will.
An enjoyable enough bite-sized FPS offering, Demon Pit simply doesn't do or offer enough to hold attention in the long-term, as its presentation, firearms and enemies all feel like discount versions of greater games that have come before it.
A frequently beautiful and atmospheric horror effort boasting an evocative setting, Close to the Sun finds itself almost wholly undone by plodding exploration, eye-rolling puzzles and detestably sloppy chase sections that utterly fail to exploit the game's strengths.
Though still far from essential, Lost on Mars has enough humor and charm that it can paper over some of the cracks of its ho-hum Far Cry-lite experience. Fans of Far Cry 5 who still can't get enough of Ubi's mammoth open-world shooter will invariably find much to enjoy here, but others looking a fresh approach will be disappointed.
A perfectly average dungeon crawler with hours of gameplay to offer, Titan Quest's flaws are too numerous to properly recommend it above and beyond its genre counterparts.
A messy, obnoxious but yet utterly loyal update to one of the industry’s most unruly red-headed step children, Carmageddon: Max Damage manages to elicit fun in occasional bursts but its general lack of polish and innovation means that it’s an effort that can only really be recommended to long-time fans of the franchise.
A simplistic yet visually attractive take on anime that's been around longer than most of the people reading this, Saint Seiya Soldiers' Soul is a decent prospect for newcomers to the fighting genre but ultimately holds far less appeal for long-time scrapping veterans who want a little more depth from their digital brawlers.
A visually beguiling though relaxing explorative adventure, N.E.R.O fails to properly capitalise on its unique setting as its simple puzzles, brief duration, and lack of replayability ultimately damages its long-term appeal.
The Girl and the Robot’s interesting take on conveying a fairy-tale narrative is unique and it sits neatly alongside the platform and puzzle-based conundrums that make up the game’s duration. That said, the poorly implemented combat system and a distinct lack of polish both drag The Girl and the Robot far beneath the lofty standard for which it aims.
Agatha Christie - Hercule Poirot: The London Case is an enjoyable, if unambitious detective yarn. Though its simplicity might fail to stimulate the tactile minds of more practiced video game sleuths, the resolutely relaxed and accessible detective beats on offer mean that newcomers will find few better introductions to the genre and should probably feel free to add a point to the review score below in the process.
Not quite the next-gen (currently gen, I guess) debut that motocross fans would have hoped for, MXGP 2020 nonetheless does a relatively commendable job of filling a distinctly motocross shaped hole in the PlayStation 5 library. It's just a shame that more hasn't been done to make use of the cutting edge technology that has brought MXGP 2020 to life - doubly so given the resoundingly solid core racing experience that developer Milestone has wrought and refined here.
The real pity here is that Liftoff: Drone Racing actually manages to nail that the handling and feeling of control which should arguably feature at the core of any such title which aims to bring a drone racing simulation to console. It's just a shame that a real lack of inspiring content and a distinctly dated visual presentation do much to tarnish the overall package.
An all-encompassing edition of Warhammer's latest foray into Diablo style dungeon crawling, Warhammer: Chaosbane Slayer Edition struggles to stand out with its grindy gameplay and poor use of the DualSense controller. That said, there is sufficient depth in its character build creation and near endless quest lines that those who can withstand its less agreeable aspects will find much to tide them over.
All conspire to create a game that, while ultimately enjoyable, cannot survive comparisons to the series it so desperately wishes to be.
Munchkin: Quacked quest is certainly a colorful and charming dungeon crawler. Sadly, uninspiring hack and slash fundamentals and a lack of variety conspire to drag down what is otherwise a fairly charming and occasionally enjoyable offering that is best enjoyed with friends.
Redeemer's combat is world class; revealing itself to be both hugely satisfying and wonderfully tactile. It's just a shame that there isn't enough game built around it and that the game which is there, appears so very unambitious. Nonetheless, Redeemer is more than capable of providing a barrage of violent thrills for a good few hours all the same.
A charmingly old-fashioned crime epic, American Fugitive's ambitious intentions are summarily undercut by a raft of poor design decisions and technical issues.
Though the thrill of being Spider-Man has barely dulled, Turf Wars simply doesn't offer enough content, new or otherwise, to keep you engaged for any decent period of time.
Continuing to be one of the most intriguing narrative adventure series you can buy right now, Ripples furthers the narrative in a variety of interesting ways but nonetheless shows that The Council is in dire need of some fresh locales with which to embrace.