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With Bloodfall, Bethesda released the final piece of premium DLC for one of 2016’s most heralded shooters. So far, each piece of Doom’s premium DLC has simply contained new maps, demons, guns and customisation options. Predictably, Bloodfall follows suit.
Created by Nickolas Swanberg, Sylvio follows the investigation of Juliette Walters, an audio recordist who uses her audio skills to listen to the dead. She finds herself in Saginaw, a long since abandoned Family Park, hoping to uncover the mysteries of why this beloved park has been abandoned for so many years.
Overall the game is one of innovation, unique design and a brilliant concept. It can be disturbing, emotional and horrific, but always tries to be positive in its outcome. The gameplay puzzles can get tricky and the controls a bit muddy at times, and it’s definitely a game where its more exploration heavy and interaction light. This won’t be an experience for everyone, but if you’re unsure I would say to take the plunge into the subconscious, free your mind and take a risk with an original thoughtful intelligent game.
Looks can be deceiving, and from an outsider's point of view, Metrico+ could be seen as bland and basic. That couldn't be further than the truth, as it is in fact engaging, very clever and creates a sense of melancholy to balance out any moments of minor frustration. It is no doubt a great addition to the Xbox One library and one you should surely be picking up.
So, Siegecraft Commander. What’s the overall verdict? Well, I absolutely adore the crisp, comedic visuals and I even find the storytelling pretty humorous. The gameplay itself is testing (in a good way), and the overall concept is well thought out. The problem is, that damn control scheme really does take some getting used to – and that’s even after switching away from the horrid slingshot method. Many may just find that the overall repetitive nature that accompanies any game of this type a bit too much to bear, but as a real-time strategic offering, it just about delivers the goods, especially if you can manage to coerce some friends into joining you for the online multiplayer modes.
Momonga was a true joy to play and a real hidden gem in the ID@Xbox program. For a game that can be completed within an hour, it has so much variation and puts some 30-hour open world games to shame. Couple this with the cliff-hanger ending and the game will keep you guessing at what's next. But it has a lot of replayability too, especially for those chasing top scores and achievements. Sure, the game is flawed with bugged leaderboards and average physics, but it's one of those games where the positives far outweigh the negatives, with the major positive being fun. And this game provides an immense amount of just that.
Overall, Wick is a game that isn’t bad to play, but it isn’t overly brilliant to play either. It delivers a horror experience with some nice jump scares and brilliant sound effects, but the gameplay lets the experience down; becoming frustrating and boring rather too quickly.
To conclude, if you have never played Bastion before then this is a must buy. It's beautiful, sad and a great journey with some fun Diablo type gameplay and neat surprises along the way. If you've played Bastion and purchased it on the 360 then it's free for you on the Xbox One. I would recommend downloading it again and entering back into this wonderful atmospheric world.
Puzzles. Platforms. One hell of a bullet storm. What on earth could go wrong? Well thankfully with the unbelievably delightful Rise & Shine, not a lot. In fact, it’s very very good. But it’s also very very hard and will no doubt frustrate those whose skill levels aren’t quite up to par.
It’s pretty much a nailed on cert that any past, present or future Forza Horizon 3 player will want to take to Blizzard Mountain as a matter of priority. That’s because the sheer thrill of racing wheel-to-wheel with some of the world’s best drivers, in the dark, with a full-on blizzard hitting you in the face, is just too much to ever turn down. Just remember to bring the snow tyres.
A full on slow burner, you may well be initially left wondering at the best way to attack it. If truth be told, once you get past the opening few shooting stages, and begin to embrace the RPG side for what it is, it turns out to be a pretty damn decent shoot em up, containing enough depth to suit those looking for a game to get their teeth fully into. Oh, and it also becomes very, very, addictive especially when you team up with a second player and let them control your ever helpful drone.
The decision to provide a two-part ‘Ties That Bind’ premiere for A New Frontier allows time for the characters to settle in, to initiate the connections and reintroduce players to the deadly world they now live in. As is the norm with Telltale series’ generally, the voice cast deliver performances to a very high standard and help to produce a group of believable characters.
For those looking for the next Journey, ABZÛ may disappoint. It’s a very enjoyable game but is leagues below its predecessor. Pun intended. For all the niggling gripes listed above, there also appears to be something missing. It’s a game with a very strong message, beautiful vistas and a lot of heart, but the main character felt a bit lifeless. There were times when it got truly tense, but after realising the mechanic in those sections, any connection I had with the character disappeared.
Don't expect to be wowed, but yet again 10tons have delivered exactly what they intended – over 120 levels of good mindless fun.
It’s very nearly the perfect indie title, bringing plenty of joy, plenty of replayability and plenty of hot shmup action for a very reasonable price. The fact that some may struggle to really appreciate its complete depth due to no real world partner opportunities just lets it down a smidgen, and the exclusion of an online multiplayer option unfortunately holds it back from hitting the big 5/5 score. Just make sure to embrace the grind and you’ll love what you find.
For anyone looking for a refreshing change from open-world time sinks after the glut of Mafia III, Watch Dogs 2, Skyrim: SE and Final Fantasy XV, Wheels of Aurelia may be the perfect game for you. Each playthrough takes no longer than 20 minutes and it can be completed in a tenth of the time these games take. It’s also recommended to those that like getting the most out of games as by the end you will have a preferred ending and despite its short length, it’s a game people can have different experiences with and then share those stories with each other, much like the most successful AAA titles.
Bombing Busters is a bit of a blast. The single player side of things works well and comes with a difficulty level that will leave you shouting in frustration. As long as you are prepared to give it a decent crack though, will discover plenty of joy. Drop over to the multiplayer side and you’ll find even more action that is quite easily on a par with everything you get to take in on the solo side.
Get the bugs fixed and Mekazoo is on the verge of being a must play title
If being a kid in the 80s was half as fun as this game was then I need to get on the phone to the Doc and build me a time machine. Sure, the battle mechanics may not work all the time, and they get tedious after so long, but it has real humour in almost every aspect. It’s one of the very few games that has actually made me laugh out loud. Humour is perhaps the one things games have continually struggled with on the whole, but Saturday Morning RPG nails it. The story is interesting enough to keep you invested because of the wide range of characters that transcend all genres and for the price you really would be a knucklehead not to pick it up.
Farming Simulator 17 is an unusual beast. It receives critical acclaim from its die-hard fans and rightly so because the mechanics of the actual farming is very impressive. But it does seem to fall short in most of the other departments, which would arguably be where those who have a piqued interest are likely to be drawn in. I found the game interesting, but I wouldn’t necessarily use the word ‘fun’. I was in the piqued interest pool as opposed to the die-hards, but there certainly isn’t enough included to really keep me invested in the day-to-day activities of running my farm.