Expansive's Reviews
Gargoyles Remastered is an absolutely incredible reinvention of 1995 aesthetics with a beautiful style that feels like it’s been ripped out of the original cartoon and a stunningly recomposed soundtrack that tugs at those nostalgia strings. Unfortunately, it does still feel like a game trapped in time with clunky controls, sharp difficulty spikes and underwhelming boss battles. It’s also a bit limited in new features for this remaster, but at a fairly attractive price, the mechanics offer something a bit different from other games of this era and the style and setting has an atmosphere most platformers can only dream of.
Agatha Christie – Murder on the Orient Express retells the classic adventure in a surprisingly compelling way through two very different protagonists, an eclectic cast of suspects, and a wide range of puzzles that pay homage to the original while blending in modern concepts. Sound issues, regular backtracking, and random shifts in difficulty spikes might be a bit off-putting to some players but the decent writing, acting, and use of mind-mapping to sift through your adventure will keep you invested to the end.
Phantom Liberty is an absolute triumph in game design and one of the best pieces of DLC ever made. It’s that rare release that not only goes further than the base game but improves the overall experience with supporting updates. With a fantastic, unforgettable cast of characters, superb writing, tons of action, and wonderfully creative missions, if you’ve been waiting to play Cyberpunk 2077, this is the incentive you need to jack in. The content can be a bit too action-heavy with danger around every corner and there’s some time delays between missions which get a bit frustrating, but none of this is enough to deter you from Dogtown.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage has gone right back to stealth-focused basics which seems destined to split the AC community down the middle. It’s as close to a remake as we may ever get for the original and sometimes it’s to a fault. Despite its stunning visuals and seamless parkour, the combat is really iffy, the environments soon become samey and mechanic repetition set in pretty quickly. While it’s welcome to see the hard-focused return on stealth and the Assassin’s Contracts actually make you feel like an Assassin again, the change in pace between games is really breakneck and it’s probably not going to be to everyone’s tastes.
Detective Pikachu Returns is more of the same from the 3DS original, but with the fun addition of using unique Pokémon abilities to interact with the world and help you solve puzzles, a bunch of side missions to investigate and a continuation of a story that ended on a bit of a cliffhanger. It’s a little bit too easy going and predictable at times, and you feel like some mechanics and concepts could have been flesched out and developed further, but this still feels like such a refreshing insight and approach to the world of Pokémon and one I’d love to see developed and expanded upon further in the future.
Forza Motorsport is a brilliant reinvention for the franchise that will appeal to core drivers and Horizon fans in equal measure. With a more approachable barrier for entry, but plenty of substance with endless customisation possibilities, tweaks and fine-tuning, there’s something for everyone. Minor technical issues and environmental repetition aside, you can add in a visual style that will set the benchmark for the generation, and a long tail that will ensure the game stays healthy for months, even years to come. Forza Motorsport is a must play, no matter what skill level you’re at.
The Crew Motorfest offers fun, fast-paced variety, all with a stunning aesthetic and excellent presentation. The always on component is disappointing, environment repetition becomes noticeable, and playlists disappearing is a shame, but this is such a brilliant game with so much content you can lose hours without even realising.
Dolphin Spirit – Ocean Mission offers an infectious, important message, the game is calming and relaxing enough to just play casually, and it’s a nice easy going game you can breeze through pretty quick. You can even ride on a dolphin! It’s not always great, it doesn’t play the best on Switch and is a bit of a throwaway experience, but there’s still quite a lot to take and draw from it.
Wargroove 2 is the perfect example of how to do a sequel. Stick with what worked the first time, logically add in new mechanics and ideas that add to the experience, offer a whole new mode that will keep you playing past the campaign, all while offering robust tools to expand your own experience and share with the world. There’s a few teething issues here and there, but nothing to detract from one of the better turn-based strategy games in recent memory.
Party Animals is a ridiculously good time. It tickles every funny bone in your body, looks absolutely gorgeous and offers some of the most fun you can have in a multiplayer game. There are some issues with the game not offering offline local multiplayer, hefty microtransactions and some control issues, but none of it really takes away the fun of just throwing each other around various battlegrounds and knocking each other out after a death-defying dropkick or headbutt.
The Isle Tide Hotel often tries to be too clever for its own good and it ends up harming the overall experience. It’s hard to care much about the characters because half the time you don’t know what they’re talking about, the UI keeps slowing you down and breaks momentum and pace for the game at almost every key decision, and despite offering ten different endings, you might not even make it to seeing one because the game rarely fails to grip or interest.
Rise of the Triad Ludicrous Edition is brutal and a stark reminder of the challenges of shooters from the 90s. It’s also a very full and fulfilling package with four episodes, full 4K support, controller rebinding and even some online multiplayer. At an attractive price point, this is fantastic value for money, but it definitely won’t be a game for everyone. Regardless, Night Dive Studios have yet again proven their understanding, care and attention to detail for the classics and making sure everyone has the opportunity to experience them at their absolute best.
Super Bomberman R 2 does so many things right, but also just enough wrong to be a bit of a mixed bag. Between the awful Castle Mode, the confusing rotation on multiplayer modes, the clunky UI with limited discoverability and, at times, repetitive story mode, you end up disengaging from the experience just when you’re finding your fun. My favourite moments came when diving into the classic modes, using the new bombers and their abilities, and experimenting with iconic Konami characters. But the game seemed determined to cut me off from that time after time between shoehorning Castle Mode into the story and not letting me play the modes I want, when I want. A frustrating experience.
Separate Ways is a well-designed piece of content that provides a non-stop, action-packed tour of what we’ve already played while adding in some clever ways to traverse familiar terrain, seeing it from alternative perspectives. Ada’s abilities only add to the experience, freshening up the core loop just enough to keep you interested but her story also dovetails brilliantly with what we’ve already played while setting things up for the future. Whatever that might be. Capcom have expertly weaved in previously cut content and even added in a few surprises that you may not catch on just one playthrough. While it doesn’t massively change the formula from the game you’ve already played and standard enemy variety – beyond bosses – isn’t overly different, it’s a healthy length with great variety and an essential component of the wider RE4 story that you simply must check out.
Operation Wolf Returns: First Mission doesn’t set the groundwork or foundations for the genre like its predecessor did all those years ago. In fact, it doesn’t seem to have learned anything from the original, despite the modern day revamp in VR and inclusion of haptics. Its problem often is that it was a game designed for VR and the porting to flat just hasn’t gone well between controls and technical issues. It’s passably fun with a buddy in co-op, but once you’ve played through the first mission, you’ve got a pretty good idea of everything the game has to offer. Which is, in all honesty, not that much at all.
Lies of P is a fantastic Soulslike in its own right. It ventures to do things a bit differently with some of its choice mechanics and presents a surprisingly compelling story which really helps bring everything together. But it’s the combat, flow and performance that really seal this one as a solid entry in a popular, but often overcrowded genre. While not perfect and certainly a challenge that will not be for everyone, Lies of P is one of the best non-From Soulslikes you can pick up and play right now. And probably the closest you’ll get to playing Bloodborne on a format that’s not PlayStation.
Gunbrella has a wonderful chaotic energy that translates to truly satisfying combat and platforming moments, helping to facilitate an unorthodox, yet compelling story. The difficulty can trip some people up and a few sections do border on frustrating by making you re-fight through several screens to get back your progress. However, the challenge is mostly enjoyable, there’s some great writing in here, and it all comes together in a well-presented, finely tuned package that you’ll find really hard to put down.
AK-xolotl is the most entertaining roguelike I’ve played since Nuclear Throne. It nails that sense of pacing, it adds some suitably fresh quirks to differentiate itself and it’s full of belly-busting humour that is rib-cracklingly hilarious. This is an absolute triumph and must-have looter shooter that’s one of the best indie games of the year.
NBA 2K24 is the GOAT of Basketball Games. Time and again, 2K have proven that they are fantastic custodians of this license and have paid fantastic respect to legends of the sport, the presentation of the league, and have crafted a real feel of being right on top of the action between the roaring of the crowd and the halftime entertainment. It is easier than ever for new players to onboard, the ProPlay means NBA has never looked or felt better, and outside of a few minor technical hiccups, I have personally never enjoyed an NBA 2K more than 24. However, the microtransaction situation has arguably worsened, and it is harder than ever for those new players to break through or maximise their potential unless they’re willing to pay the price. With an additional two premium tiers on top of Seasons and the fact you can buy cards outright on MyTeam, you can easily spend more in game than on the game itself within a weekend. While this isn’t the only sports game out there that does it, at times NBA 2K24 feels among the worst.
Fae Farm takes note of what works in many great games and combines them in an entertaining, enjoyable package that offers great opportunities for replayability and multiplayer. Its relatively forgettable cast, grindy activity, along with some other minor frustrations do detract a bit from the game, but if you’ve ever loved farming sims / even if you haven’t, you’ll find plenty to enjoy and unpack here.