GameSpew's Reviews
You can have some fun with Winter Games 2023, especially with its inclusion of curling, but on the whole it’s very disappointing. It’s a pity, because there really is a winter games-shaped hole in the market. Most players seeking wintery fun are perhaps better off jumping into Steep along with its Road to the Olympics expansion. But if you really love curling, Winter Games 2023 might be worth picking up at a steep discount.
For those who enjoyed Resident Evil Village and want to spend more time with it, perhaps also getting a hint as to where the series the heading next, the Winters’ Expansion should be considered a must-have. Shadows of Rose offers an enjoyable shot of true horror, Additional Orders invigorates Mercenaries mode with new life, and third-person mode gives players another way to experience two campaigns. For the modest asking price, why wouldn’t you want to make your copy of Resident Evil Village feel definitive?
All in all, Victoria 3 does a brilliant job of bringing this era of global politics alive. Its brilliant law systems create a truly enigmatic power struggle that will keep us playing for many hours to come. While there is a lack of flavour for some of the smaller nations and a handful of other problems that stop Victoria 3 being as good as it could be, there’s a vast myriad of strategies available to players, and many ways to plot out a successful campaign. And ultimately, that’s all that we want from a strategy game: the freedom to make credible choices.
Perhaps you could argue that the streets of Gotham feel a little empty at times, or that when facing off against a large number of enemies, the combat gets a little messy, but it’s hard to truly find fault with Gotham Knights.
Overall then, The Jackbox Party Pack 9 is a strong mix of titles, with a nice variety of all sorts of party games. Prefer something that will actually test your general knowledge? There’s Quixort. Want something completely random and silly? Go for Junktopia. Like the idea of pretending to be someone else? Opt for Roomerang. Add to the mix a wonderful presentation, plenty of humour and, of course, Cookie Masterson, and you’ve got one of the best Jackbox collections we’ve played in some time.
If you’re a PC gamer with a thirst for adventure, or you’re simply keen to finally check out the Uncharted series if you haven’t owned a PlayStation console, it’s definitely worth investing in Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End may seem like a strange place to jump into the series but it works, while Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is pretty much worth the asking price alone as it’s such a well-rounded adventure. Sony continues its streak of putting out top-quality ports, and we’re here for them.
Ultimately, Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3: Slime Speedway is a competent karting game. It looks nice, there’s plenty of single player content, and it boasts a strong roster of characters and tracks. But did we need another game in the series? Could the new content and characters not simply be an expansion to the previous release? Questions we’ll never know the answer to. If you already own Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2, you’re not exactly getting a completely new experience. But if you’re new to the franchise and enjoy easy-going karting games, you likely won’t be disappointed with what is undoubtedly the best entry yet.
It’s safe to say that Them’s Fightin’ Herds subverted our expectations. It’s easy to look at it and think that it’s going to be a jokey affair, and while there is an air of playfulness about it, at its core is a solid, taut fighting system. Add in the genuinely unique story mode, and you have a fighting game that’s well worth your time and money, despite having a limited roster of fighters and uninspiring stages.
If you already own Persona 5 Royal on PS4, then, there might not be enough here to convince you to buy it again. It’s a more pleasant, nicer-looking experience, sure, but beyond that it’s exactly the same game. For newcomers though, it should be a no-brainer. One of the best RPGs of the last decade, perhaps of all-time, now looks and plays better then ever before. And while it hardly transforms the experience, the inclusion of a substantial amount of DLC sweetens the deal.
The marrying of Mario and Rabbids may still feel like a strange choice, even five years on from the first game, but Ubisoft and Nintendo have once again proved just how well this mash-up can work. Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope does the impossible by making the oft-impenetrable tactical combat genre approachable – and a heck of a lot of fun. Combine that with gorgeous, colourful visuals and fun platforming and exploration, and you’ve got one of the Switch’s best games.
A Plague Tale: Requiem outdoes its predecessor in many ways. Its story, for example, manages to be even more engaging and touching, while numerous gameplay enhancements make it a deeper, more varied affair. It’s just a shame that its first quarter isn’t better paced, relying too much on you manipulating rats with light, and that its combat sections just aren’t fun at all. Add in a myriad of performance issues and bugs, and you have a game that somewhat squanders its phenomenal potential, but is still very much worth playing.
And so, while Airoheart takes some small steps to be its own thing, there’s nothing here that truly separates it from its inspirations. Is that such a bad thing? After all, A Link to the Past is over 30 years old now, but it’s still a beloved classic. Playing something so similar that it invokes that warm feeling of nostalgia is rather nice, in all honesty. Airoheart might not reinvent the wheel, but it doesn’t have to.
Although a little repetitive in nature, Dreamworks Dragons: Legends of the Nine Realms is a competent franchise tie-in game that’s sure to appeal to any fan of the series. It’s straightforward enough to be enjoyed by children, but the extra layer of skill provided to the combat will be appreciated by older players, too. It’s not going to be lighting anyone’s world on fire, but it’s a fun way to spend an afternoon with the family at the very least.
Being fans of LEGO and puzzle games, we wanted to love LEGO Bricktales. We’ve found it very hard to do so, however. Crashes are one thing, but when the gameplay itself is hampered by fiddly controls and the feeling of repetition, there’s not a great deal of fun to be had.
PC Building Simulator 2 sets a new benchmark for simulation games. The attention to detail, the ease of play, the presentation – everything is second to none, and we can’t get enough.
Everything considered, No More Heroes 3 is an absolute treat on PS5. With the performance issues found in the Switch version a thing of the past, the visuals tidied up, and less waiting around for loading screens, you’re free to simply enjoy the zany story and wild action of Travis Touchdown’s latest caper. And what a rollercoaster of an experience it is. It won’t be for everyone, but if you have any love for the No More Heroes series or enjoy action games that are filled with silly humour and outrageous characters, this is for you.
Still, VC issues aside, which aren’t anything new, NBA 2K23 is undoubtedly the best entry in the series for some years. Jordan Challenge is a great addition that can eat up many hours of your time, while MyCareer is more engrossing than ever thanks to its entertaining story. But ultimately, it’s the gameplay changes that make NBA 2K23 worth picking up. Playing basketball from the comfort of your couch has never looked or felt so good.
All in all, then, while not a revolution, EA hasn’t rested on its laurels when it comes to FIFA 23. From meaningful tweaks and additions to modes, to a noticeably improved on-pitch experience, it’s simply bigger and better than its predecessors in every single way. And so the FIFA series, at least with EA at the helm, is going out with a bang rather than a whimper. But if EA Sports FC is to truly impress, it’s going to have to deliver something fresh.
It’s not the only horror game set in the UK, but its Englishness and its historical setting is a constant boon. And while the ending is a sliver too familiar to be perfect, the journey to that point is so wonderfully chilling that, unlike its protagonist, you won’t regret digging into The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow.
Don’t expect Lemon Cake to blow you away. Management sims come much better and more sophisticated than this elsewhere. But if you like to keep things simple and have fond memories of playing the likes of Diner Dash, then this will scratch that nostalgic itch deep inside of you. Sure, it’s repetitive, but sometimes a straightforward, goal-oriented game to switch off with is all we need.