GameGrin's Reviews
Dystoria is a great love letter to retro videogames and sci-fi movies from the 1980s. Its six-axis controls are easy to learn yet hard to master, while it’s physics-bending levels are a great way to reinvigorate a classic puzzler.
A surprisingly old-school and well-crafted stealth game, Styx: Shards of Darkness is a welcome sneaky outlet in a world so often focused on open combat.
Some slight technical issues occasionally hamper what is a solid Mass Effect entry. Fun, dynamic combat, some great missions and an interesting new setting provide an enjoyable place to get lost and spend some time in. It does sometimes feel like a “Mass Effect Greatest Hits” but there are worse things to be.
At its best, Yooka-Laylee reminds me why I fell in love with colourful platformers, it's a love letter to childhood nostalgia. At its worst, Yooka-Laylee reminds me why we moved away from platforming games: odd design choices and occasional bugs sour the experience.
Nitro is a challenging and fun motorcycle game that doesn’t really do much wrong, the difficulty curve and lack of bike customisation being the main standouts. It’s a really solid title that is well worth considering.
Overall, it may be a pain to have to collect each type of brick that you want to use, but you’ll learn things. I do like this game, and I’m not big on open sandboxes. Or, perhaps I like it because of that.
FlatOut 4 is a well-made and well-presented racing game that does a lot to escape the level of 'mediocre' that falls among other racers. With modes like beer pong, survival and time trail to choose from, FlatOut 4 is a great experience from start to finish.
A simple-on-the-surface, yet tough to master puzzle platformer that will keep you coming back time and time again to obtain the best medals that you can.
Another masterpiece from Ron Gilbert. The game is a joy to play and provides the perfect mix of humour, challenge and engaging storyline. I genuinely have nothing but praise for the game and I can’t recommend it enough.
Weighing in at over 100 hours of gameplay, Persona 5 is one that you will want to spend time with. Brilliant voice work, a decent translation and solid gameplay mechanics make this one of the best RPGs I’ve played in a long time.
Exploring the stylish world in Forma.8 is a joy. The endless backtracking can be a chore but overall Forma.8 is an enjoyable sci-fi title that fits the Metroidvania genre.
A must play First Person Exploration game I cannot recommend highly enough. Go into it with an open mind and as little prior knowledge as you can.
Dying: Reborn is an interesting enough puzzle game that falls short of making any kind of impact at all. A cash-in game for the VR age, skipping this title would be recommended.
In an industry that likes to hold the player’s hand at every opportunity, telling them when and where to press certain buttons and use certain skills, a game not treating you like an idiot is a breath of fresh air. Some may want a little more from Circles, but the game has set out to accomplish a certain style and it does so with aplomb.
A gorgeous, funny and well-thought out concept falls down when it comes to the meat and bones of combat, enemy AI and gameplay flow. Similarly, some may feel cheated that the game contains scant few levels, despite how fleshed-out they may be.
Ghost Recon: Wildlands is a bugged and flawed game, but it is capable of bringing huge amounts of fun.
If you like Streets of Rage, there’s a good chance you’ll like this. It doesn’t bring anything revolutionary to the table but Qubyte has done a fine job of capturing the essence of the classic beat-em-ups of the ‘90s, and although there’s a little bit of repetitiveness in it, this is a title that’s worth playing.
Criminal Past is a great finale for Mankind Divided, and only makes the desire for more Deus Ex stronger. The ending is pretty open, and with faces new and old it does a great job of giving us something different while being faithful to the franchise.
Fun in short bursts and thoroughly enjoyable when played cooperatively, it's a great time sink for the gamer who likes to play in short bursts or have friends over for party games. Just don't expect to be playing it well into the future.
inXile’s spiritual successor to Planescape: Torment doesn’t quite reach the high notes of that game but it does tell an interesting story and explores themes not really touched on frequently in gaming. If you are after a new RPG with an evocative, if grim, setting then this is for you.