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431 games reviewed
70.4 average score
70 median score
42.9% of games recommended

games(TM)'s Reviews

May 21, 2014

Ignore the discordance within its narrative and get your way past the incredibly dull opening stretch: Wolfenstein is a brawny, gratifying shooter experience – the likes of which you probably haven't played in some time. Consider it a history lesson.

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6 / 10 - Tropico 5
May 23, 2014

While the great entries to the Sim City series, the Civilizations of the world, even Ubisoft's Anno series and Galactic Civilizations II all give more back the more you put into it, Tropico 5 is unable to do that. And a lack of longevity in a game that should last so very long is just, ultimately, disappointing.

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9 / 10 - Watch Dogs
Jun 5, 2014

2014 will have better games, stronger ideas and more visually impressive spectacles, but none of this stops Watch Dogs from being another very fine offering from Ubisoft Montreal, a studio that has a commitment to both quality and narrative that should always be admired.

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Jun 6, 2014

Super Time Force is a quirky mix of good, old-fashioned shooting fun, blended with more than a pinch of thinking power – but it proves to be a perfect combination.

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7 / 10 - Transistor
Jun 16, 2014

Just like the technical artifice in which it's set, though, it never quite feels like home.

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5 / 10 - Entwined
Jun 18, 2014

It's a shame that poor execution lets Entwined down so badly. The themes being explored here have the potential to be touching and are, unquestionably, underrepresented in videogames. Hopefully PixelOpus can learn from its mistakes and deliver something next time that better blends its interactive elements with these themes.

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Jun 23, 2014

Always Sometimes Monsters again shows up that 'game' is a word whose time is done. There is nothing playful about this experience – it's a mixture of repetitive tasks that riddle your fingers with despair and increasingly-depressing plots. This then is a 'life failure' simulator, like Cliff Harris's sandbox Kudos 2. Like that, it's compelling, enlightening and moving – but hard to call 'fun'.

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7 / 10 - EA Sports UFC
Jun 25, 2014

There's a good game at EA Sports UFC's core, it's just a shame that it's not as seamless in its delivery as we'd hoped it would be. Fingers crossed that that changes in the inevitable sequel.

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6 / 10 - Sacred 3
Aug 1, 2014

Considering the scope of its predecessors and how far the genre has come since the series' inception a decade ago, that's as unnecessary as it is unwelcome. Still, there's potential here and approached with the right mindset and a group of friends there's some fun to be had. Streamline your expectations, in other words, and you're more likely to view Sacred 3 as slick rather than shallow.

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Rise Of The Dark Spark feels rushed: a mess of half-baked ideas and sloppy execution that's put Transformers on the same track as the Spider-Man games, approaching the point of no return. We can't be certain as to why Activision seems so intent with steering these wonderful properties so deeply into the dirt, but we hope it realises the value in the brands before it's too late. passable co-operative mode aside, there's very little to recommend out of Rise Of The Dark Spark.

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3 / 10 - Wayward Manor
Aug 7, 2014

It's hard to understand why the game exists. Did Gaiman desperately want to attach himself to an ugly, boring puzzle game? Did the Odd Gentleman really think this was the best way to display his work? It's more of a mystery than the actual story of Wayward Manor itself.

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Aug 15, 2014

But that isn't the problem with the puzzler, however; difficulty in and of itself is not criticism. Though the beasties change – and the increased difficulty with each round will definitely get you thinking – the game itself never does. Its art style, tone and unique gameplay all make for a fascinating experience that you should certainly give a try, but it's hard to ignore the sense of repetition you'll encounter as you play. Randomly generated puzzles results in increased replayability, but it also means a lack of variety – and that forms the ultimate demise of Road Not Taken when it is so clear there is a direction, an end goal, a climax. Original and novel it is, but there just simply isn't enough reward to keep you going against the odds.

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Aug 20, 2014

The whole experience isn't awful, just thoroughly uninspiring; a box of biscuits where some are moldy and all are digestive. It's fun to be a pirate, but it's far, far more fun elsewhere, with Risen 3 once again struggling and failing to rise above anything but its own mediocrity.

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4 / 10 - Firefall
Aug 21, 2014

Arriving late, yet feeling premature, check back in a few months time.

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8 / 10 - Hohokum
Aug 28, 2014

But it won't be a game for everyone. The game offers a Trophy for completing it in under an hour, but we can't imagine the type of players Hohokum attracts will find this prospect appealing. It should be taken almost as a palette-cleanser; the type of experience you find yourself spending a few quiet hours immersed inside, soaking up its atmosphere and getting lost inside its dreamscape. There's little doubt Honeyslug has created something truly original and utterly absorbing, but it's also a game that requires a detachment from reality along with a complete investment from its participants. Don't venture into Hohokum hoping to understand what it's all about, just sit back and enjoy the ride.

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New 'N' Tasty is exactly what it claims to be: a new experience still instantly familiar to anyone that played the original, and vital playing for those that didn't. Oddworld was a defining presence on the Playstation, and New 'N' Tasty will remain a defining experience on the new generation of consoles, too. It's a pleasure to see a remaster done so well.

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Sep 26, 2014

It's disappointing that Shadow of Mordor couldn't match the originality of its superb Nemesis system with a more engaging world, but the characters which populate it are more than enough to spur you through the campaign. Shadow of Mordor might owe something of a debt to numerous games that have come before it, but by adding its own flavour to the mixture the result is a surprisingly expansive and hearty experience that is more compelling than plenty that have come before it. A hugely entertaining, tongue-in-cheek and fulsome experience, it's a worthy expedition whether you're a Rings fan or not.

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Oct 3, 2014

Ultimately, Creative Assembly has delivered on its promise of an unforgiving thriller that refuses to pull its punches. Isolation reaffirms the Alien as the ultimate horror icon, both terrifying and awesome; trapping you within its cage proves to be the shot in the arm the franchise needed. Bold, unrelenting and very scary, Alien: Isolation is a triumph in every department. No prior knowledge is necessary. Just prepare yourself for the most terrifying game of the year.

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7 / 10 - The Sims 4
Oct 8, 2014

In many ways The Sims 4 is a beginning, its core foundation of functions playing their parts beautifully. But in others it feels like a step back, like a set of systems designed around future expansion in mind and not providing the necessary wealth of options from the start. Though The Sims 4 does so much to widen its berth, diehard fans will likely be looking to moor up somewhere else entirely.

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9 / 10 - Wasteland 2
Oct 8, 2014

Brilliant stuff.

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