Game Debate
HomepageGame Debate's Reviews
Fans of the Blackwell series or Wadjet Eye Games will need no prodding to pick up a copy of Blackwell Epiphany, but noobs should definitely take a look at the whole Wadjet back-catalogue. We'd especially recommend picking up the first four Blackwell games before playing Epiphany (you can grab a bundle for mere pounds on the likes of GOG.com), although it's not essential - the game is still perfectly playable as a stand-alone adventure, even if some bits don't make a whole heap of sense.
So in all, great stealth coupled with awesome voice acting and background score packaged with an amazing end to the Bioshock Infinite story line, we get a true masterpiece and a fitting end to Irrational Games, the studio that was. As long as we are talking about Irrational Games and Ken Levine lets assume a moment of silence to grieve over their closing and to hope that 2K Marin takes the opportunity to create more awesome Bioshock games seriously. We at GD wish Ken Levine "infinite" success with his future story driven adventures.
So basically it's business as normal, and we couldn't be more pleased that Walking Dead season two is shaping up to be another hit. Fans of mature adventures should lap it up, and we can't wait to continue Clementine's journey in episode two.
GRID Autosport is the nearest we've come to a TOCA Race Driver 4 and its lineage shows. Varied disciplines, edge-of-the-seat racing, rampantly aggressive AI and a terrific sense of speed add up to deliver an effortlessly good racing game. What GRID Autosport lacks in flair it more than makes up for on the track and, while there's a certain Groundhog Day feel to proceedings, on a minute by minute basis Codemasters' racer excels.
Gearbox has achieved a nigh-on perfect remastering of Homeworld with this collection, making minor tweaks without disrupting the balance of what made them such classics in the first place. Screens don't really do it justice but the pitched space battles truly are a sight to behold, and considering you're getting two fantastic games for a budget price it's difficult to resist. The only problem I can see is those who want more beyond the final credits - they unfortunately really don't make them like this anymore.
Some might feel uncomfortable with the slightly ambiguous ending to Cry Wolf, but to me it felt perfectly in tune with the overall tone of the series. Morality and Fabletown society in The Wolf Among Us is never a clear cut thing at any point in the series, and I worried that tying it all up in one neat fifth episode might prove too much even for the accomplished writing team of this game.
A slight dip in dialogue quality does not impede what is otherwise another sterling offering from Telltale, with the consistently slick visuals and soundtrack complemented by a nice increase in pace thanks to the clock mechanic and multiple choice locations. Whilst, as I've stated above, I do have some concerns about the long-term impact of my decisions in the game; the three-way choice of places to visit and the introduction of the clock countdown did at least give the central portion of this episodic narrative series at the very least an illusion of more depth and narrative flexibility. Whilst this is let down on occasion by apparently arbitrary sections of gameplay, the overall pacing of the story should leave players with a wolfish appetite for more.
That feels like nitpicking though, and overall it has to be said in Fallout 4 Bethesda has crafted one of the most enthralling worlds gaming has yet scene. Packed with incidental detail and begging to be explored, it's one of the grandest adventures you can have without putting on a rucksack and stepping out of your front door. All of this is just the beginning as well. We know Fallout 4 is going to be one of the most well supported games by the modding community, and in a year's time every conceivable problem can be ironed. Fallout 4 is truly limitless potential.
Admittedly, I'm a huge fan of Halo, and every time a new one comes out I'm filled with equal parts fear and excitement, the lack of local co-op was a massive blow for me personally, but thankfully 343 delivered where they promised and have provided us with another excellent entry to (in my opinion) one of the greatest FPS series' of all time. So, is it time for Halo 6 yet?
Dark Souls 3 isn't here to redesign the formula or to reimagine the way the Souls games play. Instead, it's refined the game style that FromSoftware have been experimenting with since Demon's Souls and it honestly feels like they've found the perfect balance between the style of each games. Borrowing a bit of the speed from Bloodbourne and mixing that with the gothic, oppressive atmosphere of Demon's Souls and the core gameplay of Dark Souls and DS2 has made for a beautiful distillation of what looks to be one of the most successful hack and slash RPGs of modern gaming, a greatest hits package of the best Souls has to offer.
Overall DOOM is one half of an impeccable package. If it shipped without any of the multiplayer at all I'd still believe it worthy of the score below; the tepid multiplayer does little to sway it on either side. For fans of single-player FPS campaigns DOOM is a juggernaut, and some of the most fun I've had in gaming for years. It's never going to grab you with an engrossing plot of spectacular linear set pieces, but the flawless combat ensures DOOM just never lets up. Now it's just fingers crossed time that Quake can get the same treatment.
Overall DOOM is one half of an impeccable package. If it shipped without any of the multiplayer at all I'd still believe it worthy of the score below; the tepid multiplayer does little to sway it on either side. For fans of single-player FPS campaigns DOOM is a juggernaut, and some of the most fun I've had in gaming for years. It's never going to grab you with an engrossing plot of spectacular linear set pieces, but the flawless combat ensures DOOM just never lets up. Now it's just fingers crossed time that Quake can get the same treatment.
This doesn't come easily, but Forza Horizon 4 is quite possibly one of, if not the, greatest racing games in existence. It's beautiful, it's varied, it's practically endless. it's Playground at the top of its game.
Enter the Gungeon is a wonderful, demanding yet rewarding, roguelike twin-stick shooter where the visuals marry perfectly with the gameplay to deliver one of the most addictive experiences in recent memory. Fans of Binding of Isaac, Spelunky et al sit up and take notice, Enter the Gungeon rolls with the punches and delivers an experience worth of sitting alongside these greats.
Where other Total War games were a battle of who-cares-which-type-of-men versus another bunch of men, Total War Warhammer makes you want to see the fight unfold. To witness how the trolls spit acid at dwarves or undead crumble to dust as you charge them with your knights.
I know we're only eight months in but Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is certainly a strong contender for game of the year. For those who enjoyed Deus Ex: Human Revolution this is the same but sharper, more focused, and gorgeous to look at. Surprises may be few and far between, but few can craft a world as comprehensively believable as this one.
Just like the previous two games, Shadowrun: Hong Kong has stayed with me when I'm not playing it. The flawed, moody characters and the clever use of Asian magical traditions got into my head, and when it finished, I missed all of the main characters. It takes a pretty cool game to do that. For that intensity and depth to be maintained over a series of three games is pretty remarkable.
There's so much to say about Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, but it's a sprawling, evolving experience that it's best learnt first hand. So many elements are at play at any one time and I've only just scratched the surface of what it is capable of in this review. The number of unlocks is staggering and your play-style will drift over the 60 or so hours it takes to plough through this, offering one of the densest and most rewarding games of the year. It's already shaping up to a titanic battle for game of the year.
Everything about SUPERHOT just feels right, right down to look of its menus and how everything ties together. Equal parts fast & furious and tense & methodical, SUPERHOT is the perfect antidote to the legions of online-focused twitch shooters flooding the market.
Civ is a game that almost defies a straightforward 1-10 scoring system. It's a way of life. A serious undertaking which can't be quantified with a simple number. Suffice to say, this is a feature-rich and immersive iteration where attention to detail in design is apparent from the first turn and systems you didn't even realise could be significantly improved have been infused with a spark of genius. True, the AI is a woeful mess and it's lacking a few tooltips but there is none of the hollowness that Civ V had on release. Could this be a worthy successor to the majesty and awe of Civilization IV? Well, ask me again when I top the 300 hour mark. But at the moment, all signs point very clearly to yes.