PCGamesN's Reviews
Grim-faced dedication to history has produced a rules-heavy RTS that's rarely fun or strategically rewarding – a highly accurate depiction of the First World War, in other words, and a success in that respect at least.
Resident Evil 4 Remake improves on the visuals, mechanics, and moment-to-moment experience of one of the best games ever made, but the source material casts an inescapable shadow, both in its renown and its treatment of its leading woman.
Perhaps part of the issue with this is in the expectations. The marketing materials surrounding Lightfall built it up to tell the story that would lead us to the space game’s final chapter. But Bungie should know one thing: if it wants to keep its players happy, it should never make a promise it can’t keep.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a thoroughly enjoyable Soulslike with intensely fun combat mechanics, slightly marred by jarring difficulty spikes and by-the-numbers music and sound.
Sons of the Forest is an utterly engrossing game, and in losing myself in it, hours went by as I explored. For me, the main concerns are in content density, lack of direction, and a lingering feeling of being unfinished which, to be fair, is totally understandable from an early-access title. The building is a little clunky. There are visual issues with certain animations. It’s also given way to many hilarious glitches, including a physics issue that launched my character into the sky while chopping down a tree.
A story-led shooter that's heaving with ideas and boasts a distinct sci-fi setting in its doomed USSR. There are cringeworthy moments and occasional design missteps, but the way your abilities and the enemy ecosystem combine is a constant thrill.
The classic RTS battles carry the third entry in this once-essential series, returning more or less untouched, but alongside a bloated and unfinished campaign mode that feels at odds with the core ideas of Company of Heroes.
I’ve got plenty more to see of Wild Hearts before giving it a score, but as it stands I’m not relishing the task. Its frame rate issues and graphical glitches make this RPG game unplayable on PC, and it’s not just me; other colleagues within PCGamesN and PC reviewers across the internet have found the same thing. I’m desperately hoping that a day-one patch will fix these issues, because the game shows a lot of promise. While it may require a bit of relearning for some experienced hunters, there are plenty of fun new ideas that make hunting in Wild Hearts different enough. But in its current state, we can’t recommend picking it up.
Content-rich and competent, if a little uninspired, Potter fans will enjoy Hogwarts Legacy's faithful recreation of its universe, but it brings little of novelty to the open-world RPG genre.
Motive's Dead Space Remake is a gloriously grotesque glow-up that embraces the original horror game's robust formula, and only a slight amount of jank keeps it from achieving perfection.
I’ve not had all that long to take in High on Life’s wacky universe, so there’s not much else we can say other than it’s a love letter to fans of Roiland’s previous work. High on Life shows signs of being a good shooter now and then with some creative boss battles and powerful weapons, but other than that, it’s been rather run-of-the-mill so far.
A spiritual successor to Dead Space that blends and riffs on ideas from the best horror games of recent years, with plenty of blood and guts to go around, though a lacklustre plot is its one minor flaw.
A superhero game that teases the brain as much as it can tug at the heart, with rich strategy mechanics, great writing, and wonderful characters. A few bugs and visual problems aside, this is a great tactical RPG.
I’ll have more to say about Darktide once I’ve spent some time with the newly stabilised release build. For now, be aware of the technical issues players faced during the beta before diving in. I’m hopeful that Fatshark has been able to sort most of them out, because this is some of the most fun I’ve ever had in the 40k universe to date – when it works.
While I’m only in the opening stages of my journey, I’m already intrigued by what’s going on in the Dragon Isles. Following the death of one of my favourite characters thus far – no spoilers, don’t worry – I’ve made my way into Alexstrasza’s inner sanctum, and it’s absolutely stunning (as is she, but that’s a side note). An earthquake has just shaken the entirety of the Waking Shores, and our adventurers are off to investigate just what mischief these Primal pains-du-derrière have cooked up now. Check back here soon for a fuller verdict on the expansion as I progress through the story and experiment more with the new features.
A lumbering historical murder mystery with little regard for tension or pacing, but one that packs in such dense detail you can't help but respect it. Pentiment immerses you in 1500s Bavaria and that's the main event.
The new features simulate an essential aspect of humanity and do help Humankind feel more complete, but seldom have the impact you'd hope for from the 4X game's first major expansion.
Headline features that don't have a lot going for them mean Football Manager 2023 is the smallest step forward in the series yet, but a step forward nonetheless, to make this the best FM game to date.
The shooting is sharp and impactful, and the slow and snipey set pieces feel as slick as they did all the way back in All Ghillied Up, but it feels like the ratio behind this tried-and-true formula is a little off this time. It’s more stop-start than any COD in recent memory, and the highlights are diluted by a few too many drab stealth missions. It’s not one of the best Call of Duty campaigns, but it’s far from a bad one.
An ambitious, beautiful, and obsessively detailed society simulation that still needs to iron out a few rough edges.