Sam Brooke's Reviews
PES 2016, while not being perfect, feels true to its title - it's an evolution. Master League has been revamped and fine-tuned into an excellent mode that only suffers thanks to the lack of licenses, MyClub is growing well and differs enough from Ultimate Team, and the gameplay feels refined and balanced enough to make every game a challenge but not a chore. Thanks to all of these factors, PES 2016 currently feels like it's in a league of its own.
With perfectly weighted physics that feel nice on the thumbs, tactical combat that allows you to deal with any situation in a number of ways, and a soundtrack that's catchy and euphoric, Galak-Z is one helluva ride. Though the framerate can detract from the experience at times, it makes up for its one notable shortcoming with charm, nostalgia, and by bombarding you with joy.
In some ways it's a shame that Sapienza wasn't Hitman's first mission. With its excellent world-building, well-worked atmosphere, and beautiful setting, the sleepy coastal town is one of the best Hitman missions in recent memory, and it's quality – and quantity – of content should convince most to quit waiting and spaghett(i) this title already. Trust us, you don't want to look pasta this one.
It's a testament to the excellence of Headlander that it can only be faulted for its slight technical flaws. Everything about it is so finely tuned, from its gunplay to its platforming to its puzzles, and it doesn't just stay true to classic Metroidvanias – it also builds upon the foundations that they laid. The story is well told, the characters are entertaining, the environments are fleshed out, and the humour is as brilliant as always. Headlander's one of the best games that Double Fine has ever produced.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time with Gauntlet: Slayer Edition. While playing single player can be fun, this game shines at its brightest when played with friends at its hardest difficulty. Simply put, Gauntlet: Slayer Edition is a great lark about with buddies, and Arrowhead almost hit the bullseye with this one, if only the visuals and music were a bit more interesting.
With Cities: Skylines, developer Colossal Order has laid the foundations for the city-building genre to return to consoles. Simple controls, immeasurable details, and accessible gameplay all ensure that the urban planning sim is a fun yet challenging experience.
Ironcast is a surprisingly strategic and complex game, while will hold your interest for quite a while. There's enough randomisation for the title to feel fresh for a long time, and every battle is one of tension and risky moves, with each action really meaning something. Winning a skirmish feels very satisfying, with the rewards after feeling even better, and though the difficulty may put people off, those who can grin and bear the painful defeats will be treated like un prince.
Q.U.B.E Director's Cut does very, very well for a game in a genre perfected by Portal, and while it's not quite at that calibre, it's a polished, complex, and enjoyable puzzler that has replayability, too. The story is deep, the mechanics are well thought out, and the graphics are simple – the ending is the only real downer in this game of many high points. A must for any indie or puzzle game fan.
The sheer length of this review should tell you that Call of Duty: Black Ops III is filled to the brim with content. While there are some low points and pacing issues, the campaign's customisation, freedom, and verticality make it excellent to play with friends. Meanwhile, mutliplayer has more customisation and replayability than ever before, and Zombies is brilliant in its complexity and difficulty. While Ghosts may have bitten the bullet, Black Ops III reloads the franchise into a new, brighter era.
At the end of the day, Hitman's buzzword is freedom. There are so many things to do – and so many ways to do them – that you'll never have to persevere to find something fun to do. It's all in front of you: a bloody, disturbing playground rife with opportunity. The trial and error gameplay brings back memories of older Hitman titles, while new ideas such as the excellent Escalation mode keep things fresh. Simply put, the Intro Pack is a great buy for old fans and new blood alike – there aren't many stealth games of this calibre.
Despite the technical problems – which need to be sorted out quickly, really – we've had a terrifying amount of fun with Just Cause 3. The freedom enabled by this game is second to none, and the island of Medici offers plenty of opportunities for creativity – or, of course, explosions. The campaign may have some low points, but attacking bases and liberating towns is some of the best fun that you'll find on the PS4 this year.
Just Dance 2016 is great fun for people of all ages, and is an excellent game among friends. The tracklist is diverse and the dances are crazy, and the addition of using a phone as a controller is the best idea that the franchise has had in a while. It's got replayability, variation, and – most importantly – fun in spades. We don't think that we can make this any more clear – this game Derules.
Madden NFL 16 is a fine addition to the series that started way back in 1989. Draft Champions adds a lot of replayability to a game already jam-packed with content, the new in-match mechanics give you a greater sense of control than ever before, and Madden Ultimate Team is steadily growing bigger and better. Sure, loading times are long, but the presentation and the way that the crowd reacts to every move is well worth it. All in all, it seems as though Madden as a series won't be deflating any time soon.
A party title with great visuals, sound, and gameplay, Ultimate Chicken Horse is a great combination of conniving strategy and frantic platforming. With plenty of modes to play, maps to customise, and unlocks to go for, Clever Endeavour Games' PS4 debut is as good for your wallet as it is for your sofa. An essential for any get together, the game's well-tuned mechanics lead to pure animania.
Once again, Madden NFL 17 has maintained the classic Madden gameplay while also evolving it and making games feel more open and exciting. The new kick meter and ability to block kicks and punts makes comebacks and upsets feel possible, while the presentation is as excellent as ever thanks to the new commentary team. Franchise mode is the standout star here, though, with new trading features and the Play the Moments mode ensuring that the game doesn't chew the clock.
While two of the multiplayer maps ultimately let it down, Descent is Black Ops III's best DLC so far, thanks to the sheer madness and fun-factor of Gorod Krovi, one of the series' best Zombies maps. Empire and Berserk are also great additions to the multiplayer, adding their own individual styles to a once-monotonous selection of maps. Contrary to the expansion's title, Descent has ascended to the top of the Season Pass' pile.
The NBA 2K series has always been a hard one to improve upon since the revolutionary 2K14, but 2K17 still manages to better its predecessors, vastly improving the MyGM and MyLeague modes while refusing to tamper with a winning formula. MyCareer is once again a very enjoyable story, and general gameplay is as strong as ever. Simply put, NBA 2K17 is a trailblazer.
Hokkaido may not be the perfect grand ending that many Hitman fans wanted, but it's a nice swansong to signal the end of a successful experiment. Episode 6 is the most atmospheric and creative of the bunch, and is right up there with Sapienza as one of the game's best levels thanks to its design.
Hitman: The Complete First Season is an experiment gone right. How convenient, then, that IO's triumphant return is also all about experimentation. The canvasses and settings that Hitman provides allows for all kinds of hits, from the wacky to the professional – and the sheer amount of equipment at your disposal only furthers the possibilities. While lacking in story, Hitman has a glorious future ahead of itself – providing the inevitable Season 2 is as good as the first, of course.
With its peppy presentation and new lick of paint, Konami has breathed even more life into PES with its latest instalment, a celebration of everything thrilling about football. Gameplay is exciting and technical, and the selection of modes varied and replayable to the point where it's hard to see where the franchise will go next - except for fixing some major flaws in Master League and adding some more licenses. Fans of the series need not Pjanic: PES 2018 continues the series' goal-den streak.