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It's a comforting reminder that video games can still hark back to their traditional roots and produce an enjoyable experience without any overblown live-action trailer or day one DLC. This is a delight to play.
Cities XXL represents a serviceable starting point for beginners certainly, but is simply far too riddled with bugs, performance issues and recycled content to recommend to anyone else who has sampled the series previously. Much like how Cities XXL encourages the player to build their sprawling domains from the ground up, so too should the developer look to apply a similar work ethic to this tired series.
It's not without flaws, but this time those imperfections are forgiveable next to the wealth of quality on offer. Total War: Attila is the return to form that the series desperately needed.
I'm pretty sure this won't appeal to a lot of people. It can be bone-crushingly hard at times and difficult to get into. But by giving you the tools to craft your own escape and leaving you alone to sort it out, The Escapists is one of those classic hands-off games that encourages you to create your own story and incredible moments.
Despite my complaints, The Lost Lords is a great episode of Telltale's epic Game of Thrones story, and while slightly less shocking than the first episode it's certainly the best second episode in a season they've ever done.
In borrowing so heavily from its heritage, developer Neocore could have quite easily overburdened the somewhat narrow tower defence formula with pointless additions and misery inducing micro-management busywork. As it is, Deathtrap approaches the qualitative apex of its craft and niggles aside, sets a splendid example of how to marry two genres together to make a superlative whole.
Dying Light is a very impressive game that's clearly had a lot of care and attention put into it.
It's not without its flaws, like I said, the girls seem to act and look younger than they supposedly are, and some of the lines seem rather forced and fake, but overall it's woven well enough as to put together a fulfilling and enjoyable experience. I'm looking forward to the next part.
With the release of HoMM3HD following hot on the heels of Avernum 2: Crystal Souls, it feels like revamped versions of old-school fantasy games are the flavour of the month – and we're not complaining. As with Avernum, HoMM3's sheen has not been dulled by the vitiating properties of time; instead, its unique blend of roleplaying and strategy is just as alluring 15 years on.
Grim Fandango really is a masterpiece, although it's not a completely perfect one. The story, world, voice acting, music, script and style are some of the best gaming has to offer, rivalling the best animated movies. The puzzles are 80% superb, best the adventure genre can do, and 20% frustrating as all hell.
Probably Petroglyph's best game (especially if you're not a Star Wars fan), it won't steal the RTS crown from Blizzard or Creative Assembly but if you want a straight fun strategy you won't regret being absorbed by Grey Goo. It's still a stupid title, though.
Coming so soon after the first entry Blackguards 2 is a surprisingly packed improvement over the original, giving you the chance to dominate and rule over South Aventuria with all the bitterness and rage such a task would need. It won't suit all newcomers to PC TRPGs and yes, battles can be brutal and unforgiving at times, but for those with even the slightest bent towards getting knee deep in stats and tactical battles then Blackguards 2 is a worthy purchase.
This is a game which clearly values quantity over quality and is worse off for it, leaving you with the lasting impression that this was a team over zealously trying to make up for a failed crowd funding project. There may well be a half-decent game lurking beneath the facade of tired jokes and nods to RPG tropes and stereotypes, which Citizens of Earth then insists of portraying anyway, however it's far too caught up in its own bravado to realise it.
Nevertheless, these technological hiccups – try as they might – couldn't taint an otherwise rewarding journey through the divided lands of Avernum. For those who are already fans of the series, I'd suggest Crystal Souls is an essential purchase. For those none the wiser to Spiderweb Software's extensive back catalogue, there's no better time to join the fight.
Make no mistake this isn't a full blown adventure but a 'just go with it' adrenaline rollercoaster ride; it has its ups and downs, with plenty of big drops for the rush, but it'll be over soon enough. Gat out of Hell is a great round off to the Saints Row adventure as it gets wackier and wackier, with it standing as a defiant parody of how the Saints ended up in this mess.
While the "HD Remastered" tag feels a little hollow, if you just consider this a slightly updated re-release of a fantastic game then I can heartily recommend Resident Evil HD Remastered. Just remember to have a notebook and pen handy.
Don't buy it. And there's no multiplayer either, in case you were wondering.
It's an experience that truly stretched different parts of my mind in more satisfying way than Portal. Though the puzzles frustrate at times, most are put together thoughtfully and in a simple enough way that you can go away and figure it out on paper if you need to (I needed to, frequently).
For a full-price game, though, Wahammer 40K: Armageddon feels lacklustre and slightly cheap, more of a re-skin of Panzer Corps than its own beast, and lacking the sense of grandeur that the setting requires. There's a great turn-based 40K out there somewhere, but this isn't it.
The reality is if you're looking for this kind of puzzle-action isometric fix, there's not a shortage of games out there which can offer it. So presumably Lara herself is the lure, however, like I said before the story and characters were, for me, anything but a strong point. That said, this is a decent game with enjoyable puzzle mechanics, a slick combat system and smooth luminous graphics. Just don't expect any surprises, you're getting exactly what you see.