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When I first sat down with ReCore there was one burning question that I wanted to answer. Was it a budget game? Was the $49.95AU price point indicative of the game’s quality? For the most part, I’m inclined to answer no.
By focusing on improving the minute that matters on and off the field – EA Tiburon have created an experience that is a phenomenal triumph.
With a gratifying campaign mode and a racing experience that had me physically leaning my body into every turn, Codemasters have created a racing game that provides a gripping experience from start to finish.
Worms WMD is a whole bunch of fun. It adds some questionable new elements to the core Worms formula, but matches are so infinitely customisable that you can completely ignore them for a traditional experience if you want to.
Bound excels in presenting an engaging universe and telling a deep and imaginative story, but where it has the imagination to make the player think and awe at what they’re seeing, it simply doesn’t have as much to tell when it comes to the core gameplay. That being said, it wouldn’t be fair to call Bound a bad game, because it’s simply a flawed one when it comes to gameplay. The lack of engaging gameplay really affected my experience to a certain point, but for what it’s worth Bound’s storytelling managed to salvage what else there was and give me an immersive narrative experience.
We need more games like this, and more specifically, we need more 'Grow' games. Ubisoft Reflections take note, keep on this trajectory, make that difficulty ramp slope up ever so slightly and please, please, make another one.
I like to think I give credit to a developer where it’s due. I also try to give them the benefit of the doubt. If they’ve made a bad game, perhaps there’s an element of potential there. Sadly however, FireForge really aren’t proving themselves with Ghostbusters.
In another triumph for the humble indie game, Hyper Light Drifter delivers the year’s best action-adventure hybrid so far. It’s best in class on all fronts that count, offering up razor sharp gameplay, an ultra-stylish coat of paint that, when served with a smashing synth, drips an unforgettable atmosphere.
ABZÛ is exactly what it appears to be – it's a linear game that encourages players to dive into its deep waters and interact with nature.
The first console I ever owned was a Super Nintendo Entertainment System, back in 1996. Occasionally, I’ll get it out and play it on an old CRT television, just to relive the memories of the countless RPGs played on it.
Ninja Pizza Girl is an effective exploration of bullying and self-esteem told through gameplay mechanics that are simple enough for a wide audience, but that can offer some challenge to platforming fans as well.
Song of the Deep is a very mixed experience but one that should be experienced at least once. On one hand you’ve got a breathtakingly beautiful rendition of the deep sea that progressively gets both more intense and intimidating as you descend into its depths. You’ve got a genuinely loveable protagonist with a great journey to undertake. You’ve even got a large map that’s quite fun to explore.
7 Days To Die has a compelling premise and concept that slowly disappears as players begin to play more and more of it.
It’s a solid game, but not one that makes a mark on the genre. I sensed this would have been a game I enjoyed, but rather is felt limited in it’s potential, perhaps more so by the resources available to the independent developers, not their vision.
Limbo, when I reviewed it all those years ago, was one of the few games that compelled me to reward it a perfect score. Inside isn’t just a marked improvement on Playdead’s formula, it smashes through the benchmark Limbo set tenfold, leaving me to ponder how a team so small can produce an experience so damn grand.
Coming right off the back of Resident Evil 6, Resident Evil 5 is an experience that really should not be missed.
Quite frankly, Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens may be the strongest title that Traveller's Tales has given us as of yet when it comes to adapting popular franchises. Providing fun, renewing and diverse gameplay, the game more than makes up for its length by the fact that what's there is just so fun to play. If there's one Lego game you're picking up this summer, you better make sure it's The Force Awakens!
When Capcom released Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City I thought they couldn’t put their publishing name to a title any worse. It felt awfully generic, it didn’t play all that great and it liberally reinterpreted Resident Evil in a way that rubbed me the wrong way as a fan.
Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter feels about on par with previous games in the series.
If you're a fan of JRPGs and won't be put off by the slower pace and smaller scale storyline, there's a lot to like in the story, characters and deep alchemic systems of Atelier Sophie.