Stevivor's Reviews
Return to Monkey Island is a delightful adventure, and while it might not quite reach the unobtainable prestige of its predecessors, with a much more accessible design it’s destined to become Guybrush Threepwood’s most popular tale yet.
If you are vehemently opposed to narrative experiences with very light gameplay elements, Wayward Strand may not be something you will gravitate towards. For fans of the genre, it would be hard not to recommend. I – who usually prefer the third-person, open world flavours of the month – found myself thoroughly entertained by its charming cast of characters and its uniquely compelling storytelling style.
While it may not knock Elden Ring off its pedestal, Steelrising offers a lot for someone in need of a fix of aristocracy… and robo-murder.
Splatoon 3 adds nothing of significance to the series, which is quite disappointing considering that it, as a whole, was bursting with originality when it first launched.
This is like an old PC game that gets an HD texture pack by a modder, except that has already happened, officially, from Sony on PS4 and is again happening now. And you’re paying a premium for it each and every time.
Saints Row gets the gang back together, but needed more time to complete its comeback.
The combination of a simple gameplay loop with great music has been proven to work in the past; two Australian titles immediately spring to mind in The Artful Escape and Video World. Both titles feature engaging storylines, compelling characters and enough actual gameplay to bolster their music; We Are OFK sadly falls short — or at least doesn’t consistently deliver — on some of those points. That’s a real shame too, because the music found within is superb.
Rollerdrome isn’t going to be for everyone. If you’ve got better reflexes than I and find things to be less of a challenge than I did, you can test your meddle against other real-world players thanks to online leaderboards in addition to an unlockable “Out for Blood” mode that amps up the difficulty (no thanks). If that excites you, then you certainly shouldn’t hesitate.
While your mileage will undoubtedly vary, Cult of the Lamb is an easy recommendation – now excuse me while I get back to vibing to River Boy’s banging soundtrack.
While I have my qualms, building a university is a worthwhile, entertaining experience. Two Point Campus could do with a bump in challenge and some better pacing, but its core of building and management are great fun. Two Point Campus is funny, engaging and rewarding, a fine example of the management sim.
My time with Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was overwhelmingly positive. I’ve clocked a hundred hours at this stage, with the main story completed and PLENTY of side content still to go. If you want a big, meaty RPG to dedicate plenty of time, this game’s the one. But remember, soldiers only have ten years on the battlefield – and you might need that whole decade to see everything Aionios has to offer.
Stray somehow manages to endear at the same time it feels like it's overstaying its welcome. At the end of the day, though, this cat-lover was won over by its sheer charm.
As Dusk Falls is the non-game narrative adventure for your non-gaming family and housemates. It’s the most engaged I’ve ever seen my lapsed casual gamer partner in a videogame and that’s because it has the familiar story pacing of a six-part TV series and almost no gameplay, which means minimal barrier to entry.
F1 22 brings a whole suite of improvements to what was already a very good series, and I look forward to it consuming my life for the next few months.
Fire Emblem Warriors Three Hopes feels like a great return to spending time with a gang of characters who drew me in over dozens of hours, but with an all-new tale keeping me on my toes at the same time.
With strong writing, extreme self-awareness, exceptional performances all around… and a confidence that’s exuded no matter the branching path you find yourself in, Supermassive has outdone itself with The Quarry.
Mario Strikers Battle League is a lot of fun, but unless you commit to online play, it’s here for a good — but brief — time.
Roller Champions is a mixed bag that is in definite need of some balancing. Under the right circumstances it’s an absolute blast… but take one little bit of that equation away and you’ll be left frustrated.
Sniper Elite 5 is stupid fun and a joy to play. Rebellion hasn’t made any giant leaps in terms of new functionality, but it doesn’t need to. Instead, the studio continues to refine and polish an experience that sets itself apart from other shooters.
It’s sometimes a little rough around the edges, but there are some amazing selling points when it comes to Evil Dead. It has the look, feel and sound of proceedings down pat, even down to the movement of the evil presence as it stalks Ash and his friends in the cold, dark woods.