Expansive's Reviews
Thymesia has some well developed, in-depth combat mechanics that are well implemented and executed. And for the most part, it is an entertaining Souls-Like, though it’s been really overshadowed by Elden Ring and others in the genre that bring all these elements together in a more cohesive and enjoyable way.
Sonic Origins absolutely represents the best way to experience these classic games on modern platforms if you’ve never had the chance before. For people who’ve been here before, though, it’s questionable whether the new content is quite worth the premium price tag, especially with a bunch of surprising new issues.
(7/10) Apart from being one of the most stunning, atmospheric depictions of Dublin in recent memory, Wrath of the Druids adds another 10-15 hours of content to a game that’s already loaded with it. For the most part, that content is good, I like the focus on building up Dublin’s reputation by supplying resources, and performing Kings Requests with sub-categories, but the DLC goes back to these mission types a bit too often over the course of the campaign, and ultimately feels a bit stale and not quite varied enough for it.
Chocobo GP is a fun racer and one of the best outside of Mario Kart since the Sonic Racers. But unlike those games, it doesn’t quite get its handling and balance right and also serves up an offputting progression system that is more interested in taking than giving.
Cyberpunk 2077 finally feels at home on PS5, but remains a cautionary tale rather than a comeback story.
Call of Duty: Vanguard’s campaign, all told, is pretty much standard fare. It’s by no means the best nor worst, but while it strives to do something different, it inevitably continues to just play things safe.
Far Cry 6 is a stunning game, with great acting and a few nice new touches, but ultimately you are playing a game that will feel incredibly familiar to you right from the get-go. You will absolutely know what you’re getting with Far Cry 6, for better or worse, and that’s either going to sound like a dream right now, or a complete turnoff.
NBA 2K22 remains an entertaining entry in this ever-growing franchise. There’s lots of smart changes and good adjustments that make this installment even more interesting to play, but there is also a lot of familiarity and unsettling extras which are starting to hold the entire property back with each passing year.
Diablo 2 is a game I loved once upon a time and played it for many hours. I think Resurrected has perhaps made me realise that while some elements of the game are as strong as ever and still hold up exceedingly well, my preferences as a gamer have changed. I now crave a convenience that was never present here and feel like the franchise has moved on for the better.
Get It Together is experimental in many ways, like the series is taking a turn and it needs more time to fit the mould. It’s still incredibly good fun and there’s more reasons than ever to keep dipping in and playing, but the selection of mini-games on offer isn’t the best around and the team selection/character changing feels a little bit jarring and can make things overly confusing.
Basically, if you enjoy a good puzzler, don’t mind a scare or two, and appreciate a refined noir aesthetic, you really can’t go far wrong with Darq Complete Edition. It was a genuinely nice surprise from the time I booted up to when the credits rolled and one I’ve already recommended to a few friends. Don’t sleep on this one!
There’s much deeper experiences out there, no question, but if you’re looking for something low risk, easy going, with a cheap price point and lovely musical score, this might just be the perfect palette cleanser.
I really worked my way into Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection and some of the later levels need to be seen to be believed. A lot of the time the game isn’t even remotely fair in the enemies it throws at you, and there are some sections that truly test the patience, but all in all, this is a solid side-scrolling platformer that more than pays homage to its predecessor. There’s just enough tweaks in here to make it suited to today’s gaming expectations, but also plenty to keep fans of the original happy.
If you’ve somehow never played either of these games – or even if you have – and you feel like you haven’t rowed enough with your family this year or had too much fun with your buddies, there’s no better alternative to dive into this Christmas. Next-gen and the world needed this game, and Team 17 and Ghost Town Games have not disappointed.
Doodle God: Evolution has a decent chunk of content with some satisfaction to be had in making some unorthodox combinations. Who doesn’t want to create a dinosaur out of thin air? Or maybe that wouldn’t be such a good idea…
Amnesia Rebirth is the most ambitious game in the series. It also has the biggest production values, with some legitimate shocks and horror, and a well-engineered story, all told. While it may be far from perfect, it definitely shows how open-ended the Amnesia series has become and how flexible they can be with a license that seemed certain to be confined to spooky churches. While it didn’t quite grab me the same way SOMA did, it’s easily the best Amnesia game to date, and one of the better horrors I’ve seen this year.
I’ve really been enjoying spending time in London and I really hope Watch Dogs finds the success it deserves from here on out. The concept piloted here needs to be allowed time to blossom and grow as much as it possibly can throughout this generation. While Watch Dogs 2 is still the series high, Legion feels like something of a renaissance for the series – similar to how Origins changed the fortunes of Assassin’s Creed. It’s not perfect – and at times does still feel a little bit bland with more limited mission variety – but there’s some really smart and clever ideas here that could pave the way for some truly special games in the years to come.
The Survivalists is fun, if not a little limited in its current state. Fortunately, there’s lots more coming down the tracks with the game’s extensive content roadmap which will surely flesh out the experience even more and make it interesting for months to come.
Ghostrunner is both hard and easy to love. It has a wonderful sense of style and there’s an interesting world that’s been built up here, but it definitely puts you through the wringer to get some free-flowing action and to appreciate everything that’s been cultivated. While it won’t be for everyone, there’s a fairly solid game to find under the blemishes and when you connect with it, you’re guaranteed one hell of a ride.
Being a newcomer to the series, I like what I’ve seen here, but hope that Milestone can be a little more forgiving next time around and make the game a little easier to fall in love with. I wanted to fall head over heels for RIDE 4, but instead I had to be content with settling for a middle ground.