Expansive's Reviews
Wolfenstein: Youngblood is a smartly designed, well polished, and – most importantly – an entertaining shooter that you can play online with your friend with only one copy of the game. It’s more than just your average spin-off and Buddy Pass works just great. In fact, it might just be a landmark moment for the industry as we transition to a bigger, bolder, new generation. We know how much Bethesda like to trial and tinker with new things. Wolfenstein: Youngblood is definitely one of their better experiments.
It's a fun thrill ride while it lasts. Redeemer Enhanced Edition is kind of a one and done game and it’s not a very long one. Having said that, what you get in that one playthrough is some gripping action, solid gameplay, and a chance to team up with a buddy. There’s potentially the makings of an exciting new IP here and I just hope, if they ever do a Redeemer 2, it benefits from some of that potential.
Dragon Quest Builders 2 just feels like a more well-rounded, better polished, much-improved game in every sense of the word. I am completely hooked and am in absolute awe at what’s been achieved here.
As a game, it’s by far the best Stranger Things experience out there. True, that’s not saying a lot – which, in itself, is a crime – but I suppose it could serve as a new way to relive cool moments without having to watch the show again. If you’re looking for an interactive experience that really pushes the possibilities of the Upside Down to its limits, though, this really isn’t it.
F1 2019 is great and an absolutely essential tour de force for Formula fans. The cars react as they should, the courses look as you’d expect. It’s everything you’d hope for and more. This is the best Formula 1 game to date and with F2, it builds some exciting foundations for the future.
It’s not necessarily a game I ‘enjoyed’ or I ‘disliked’. It’s an experience I partly shared in. In some of its moments, a connection was formed. It even became somewhat therapeutic for me too.
CTR Nitro-Fueled is an essential purchase. Beenox have absolutely outdone themselves, creating a zany, entertaining atmosphere for a franchise that is going through an exciting transformation and renaissance.
There’s no better home for it than on Switch. Castlevania Anniversary Edition has to be played handheld, even if not all the titles in it are a reminder of the franchises’ better days.
While Facepunch have really deviated from their Gary’s Mod days, they’ve managed to create something really quite special. Hijacking is my new jam and Chippy absolutely definitely needs to be on your radar if you’ve been waiting for some decent shooty bang bangs.
As a horror, it doesn’t quite match up to other greats this year, lacking the genuine sense of peril and desperation I found in Resident Evil 2, or the emphasis on uncertain horror in a Metro Exodus. Yet Layers of Fear 2 still has enough about it to get under your skin and mess with your mind. Plus there’s a real sense of creativity here, something horror is scarcely associated with nowadays.
Frogwares have made better games than this, though. Their Sherlock Holmes titles are real pleasures of mine and so I come into The Sinking City just a little bit disappointed. I wanted to like it more than I did but I often found myself grimacing, grumbling, and groaning as I made my way around this grimy old world. Power past the faults, though, and maybe, just maybe, you’ll find that The Sinking City gradually winning you over.
Simply put, Bloodstained is brilliant. It’s hard as nails, but refreshingly fun at the same time, and it absolutely celebrates the qualities of a very special talent in this industry. If you were ever a Castlevania fan or if you quite enjoy a good old action adventure, then this one cannot be missed. Best game of its type since Symphony of the Night for my money.
Draugen isn’t really a game with many multiple choice situations or varied outcomes, therefore not really lending itself to a second runthrough. There is a cool 1923 mode which lets you play it all in black and white, a really refreshing aesthetical touch that doesn’t drastically alter things too much.
My Friend Pedro is a fun game and so appropriately a handheld game, making Switch a very natural home. It will definitely satiate your appetite in looking for something a bit different.
Judgment is one of my favourite games this year. I love the action and the way its mixed in with puzzle solving, throughout the main story it really does feel like a good split. Without a doubt, I want to see more from this franchise, but perhaps see it explore new boundaries and take more risks to carve out its own niche. As hard as it may be to believe, I think it has the chance to better than the Yakuza games if given the time, money, and resources to grow and shine.
No doubt about it, Asobo Studio have created a sure-fire contender for Game of the Year and I couldn’t be happier for them. This is a great game that deserves to be played. That is, unless you’ve got a phobia of rats, then it’s probably best to stay well away…
I think it’s a very bold, brave, and intelligent game that smartly weaves its plot together through a mix of dialogue, environment, and suspense. Storm in a Teacup are one of the most promising and talented new studios out there and while this game isn’t perfect, there’s enough in here to convince me of their vision and ambitions. I cannot wait to see what they do next.
Basically, if you think you’re good enough at Puyo Puyo, pick this up and have a go. You might find yourself a new path to eSports as this definitely feels like the next logical step for the franchise on a global stage. As for me, I think I’ll dip back into Puyo Puyo Tetris instead. While the matchmaking and online portion is so much better in Champions – both in terms of stability and competition – I think I’m more of a solo player and so PPT is more my bag.
For me, it shows how deep the MK lore has become, how many interesting and surprisingly well-developed characters the games have, and how easily the franchise could carve out a narrative-focused niche for itself.
It’s not often games get a second shot at a Game of the Year Edition, but Borderlands 1 makes the most of it. If you’re getting swept up in the Borderlands 3 hype and have somehow never played the original, there’s never been a better time or opportunity to start.