AusGamers's Reviews
[E]ven with that level of polish I'd have liked to see, it's difficult to think of any reason you shouldn't play this, because I can't. It's a compelling experience unlike anything else out in the market, despite borrowing heavily from a couple of other big guns. Thoroughly recommend.
Trap Team delivers an experience with enough depth and variation to warrant a fourth buy-in to new toys and a new gimmick. A talking portal and trapping baddies inside magic crystals feel like stretch goals on an original pitch doc from Toys For Bob back in 2011. Take my money.
Where BioShock Infinite aggressively tugged on heartstrings, The Evil Within tears them from your chest and crucifies you. It strangles you with your own tendrils and feeds you your own beating heart, mouth locked shut and tied with entrails, forcing you to chew and swallow. But when the last sliver slides down the back of your throat, you'll look up and smile a sadistic smile before asking "more, please".
It's certainly not the game fans of the developer or the series wanted it to be, though.
Put aside your expectations of an Alpha Centauri successor, play it like a sci-fi Civilization V and enjoy experimenting with the combinations of sponsors, affinities and techs.
Don't make the same mistake the general public made with Vanquish and Jet Set Radio Future before it - give Sunset Overdrive a look now, before it becomes the centerpiece of numerous retrospectives down the line.
There are options all over the place -- asymmetrical multiplayer, open-world single-player, full narrative co-op, user-generated content, more use of vehicles off rails, grappling hooks in goddamned multiplayer... and so on. None of that is meant to lead you to believe this is a bad game -- it's the best Call of Duty since Modern Warfare and may in fact be better, but saying that isn't because it's changed the series' formula the way that game did, rather it's refined it. And maybe that's not the fault of any of the developers working on the game, and rests more squarely on the shoulders of the publisher who sets that beat I've talked so much about.
Despite an unhealthy smattering of technical concerns, Halo: The Master Chief Collection really is an essential purchase for fans of the series, whether they're in it for the campaigns, the multiplayer, or the best of both worlds.
It may not hit the lofty heights of Skyrim, but it comes bloody close and, unlike its most obvious comparison, boasts consistently fantastic characters, a memorable and compelling storyline, and breathtaking visual fidelity out of the box.
And not to say it's without its faults, as noted with some minor, yet impactful, movement snags and a dated combat system. Visually it sometimes seemed as though there were textures in lower resolution, more so in cut-scenes, and I also experienced significant load time a lot which broke the immersion element. The overall experience delivered significantly outweighs any of the negatives mentioned though.
It's a brilliant toy, a fantastic tool for players to screw around within when they feel like some lighthearted fun.
And with this new structure Ardennes Assault represents the best single-player experience seen in a Company of Heroes title to date.
Telltale didn't hit the same heights with this year's releases that it did with the first season of The Walking Dead, but Tales from the Borderlands, despite being tonally very different, is off to an incredibly strong start.
The best thing about this game's first episode is how true to the series it feels - if it maintains this level of quality, this will be a must-play for fans.
If football games are your passion, if they're something you play regularly for the love of the game, Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 obliterates this year's FIFA.
Warlords of Draenor will remind you just why World of Warcraft is still on top after 10 years of service, even with its architectural problems that the Garrison feature holds. And for many players, simply getting back in touch with that nostalgic sense will be more than enough.
Despite its devotion to performing the necessary post-introduction busywork, and needing to tread water in preparation for future episodes, The Lost Lords remains entertaining. Time will tell whether it was building to something greater or not.
Your reward, beyond cracking a smile, is at least a collectable zombie statue because the team behind Dying Light are gamers, and they know what gamers want.
The time-period, focused campaign, new migration aspects, fleshed out political intrigue, and consistently grand battles make this feel like a Total War game aimed squarely at fans of the series. And being a fan, Total War: Attila comes highly recommended.
And for stopping the moon with the harlequin grin.