SquareXO's Reviews
Oxenfree really is a spectacular piece of gaming. With an original concept, an eerie abandoned island as the perfect setting and the power to shape the story as the player sees fit, this game is an phenomenal experience that should not be missed.
God of War is a wonderful, immersive game which has everything. The story is powerful and touching, the action is fast paced, the world complex and the presentation is truly stunning. God of War is one of the best games I have ever played. It's a masterpiece in every sense of the word.
Burnout Paradise really is one of the greatest driving games ever made and apart from the few issues here and there, it is hard to know how the gameplay could be better. Sure there could have been more effort put into the remaster to really make it shine on PS4 Pro and have it feel like something completely new, but under the hood, it's still the classic racer it was when it was released back in 2008 and that's good enough for me.
Owlboy is everything you’d traditionally expect of 2D puzzle-platformer and beyond.
The Lost Legacy condenses every last bit of greatness from the past 4 titles into 8 hours of gameplay for half the price. It’s quite remarkable that in such a short amount of gameplay time we play through such intense action sequences, journey through and revel in the glory of the Indian wilderness and get to know such fantastically cast characters in such great depth. With elements being carried over from it’s predecessor, and frequent nods to past events from the previous games, The Lost Legacy emanates a homey sense of familiarity yet really holds it’s own identity as a standalone title. The story is rich, action-packed and wonderfully humorous much like every Uncharted title before it. Chloe is another fine display of Naughty Dog’s commendable ability to develop a strong, iconic female character.
Pinstripe is the result of one man’s passionate attempt to create a whimsical tale which sits shoulder to shoulder with other highly regarded indie titles. Pinstripe not only matches the success of these games but in some cases surpasses them by delivering a clean cut adventure, one which is hard to forget and easy to recommend.
In short, Old Man’s Journey is a pleasant meander through an old man’s life and the town he lives in. It’s a masterclass in visual storytelling one which draws out emotion from every player. This touching tale is a path that deserves to be trodden by all gamers.
Bridge Constructor Portal is a wonderful puzzle game. It’s challenging, well designed and it looks fantastic. The Portal elements are integrated as well as can be and the levels benefit greatly from this. It’s hard to find fault. Sure you will get frustrated at times, but that’s all part of the learning curve and so when you eventually do solve the level you’ll be jumping for joy, just like I was when solving those Portal 2 puzzles. I can’t recommend Bridge Constructor Portal highly enough, whether you’re a Portal fan, puzzler fan or just someone looking for something new, it shouldn’t be missed.
Just go out and buy this amazing game now. It’s brilliant, funny, well made and nostalgic. Its soundtrack is to die for, it’s gameplay simple yet technical and the whole presentation on offer deserves the highest praise. Its characters and dialogue are well written and comical, it points fun at itself, at video game culture and it’s delightful.
If you don’t mind a challenge, don’t mind learning systems and techniques, you will love Sekiro. It does not hold your hand and does not mess about. It will be hard, you will hit walls you cannot overcome straight away and must evolve as a player to proceed. Its rewarding gameplay is like nothing on the market and once you understand the game it becomes very addictive. I was stuck on a boss for hours yesterday and when I finally beat it, it was euphoric. That is the feeling I want from gaming, all the time. I had to change, learn and be better to progress and it was beautiful.
I love games that are different every time I play, games like Binding of Isaac and Rogue Legacy, games where you never know what going to happen. Slay the Spire fits into this category too but is much different to the aforementioned titles. The way this game handles its stats, it’s UI and enemy attacks really open up the strategy and tactical nuances of the combat system. It’s easy to learn but has a massive amount of depth if you wish to pursue it.
If you have a PSVR headset then there is nothing else for it, you need to buy this game now. The gunfights are amazing and they are interspersed between great set pieces and interactive scenes for you to enjoy. Seriously, I did not expect to enjoy the stuff between the gunfights as much as I did. Its all designed and implemented so well, even unscrewing and hacking alarm panels is fun. The developers have added lots of stuff to do and collect, there are a lot of weapons to use and you can even give people ‘the bird’, seriously, what’s not to like?
At the start of this review, I said “Kingdom Come: Deliverance is a game which flew well under my radar,” well skip forward to now and I can tell you Kingdom Come: Deliverance is my game of the Year so far. Sure it’s not perfect, with many glitches and an odd lock-picking and pickpocketing mechanic, but it’s the sum of the parts, rather than some of the parts, which makes Kingdom Come: Deliverance a great game.
Sid Meier's Civilization VI is a fantastic addition to the Nintendo Switch library. It brings one of the best games on PC to Nintendo's handheld with little compromise. Sure there's no online multiplayer and the Rise and Fall expansion is missing, but everything else about the core game is present and correct, especially in that it's as addictive as ever, in fact probably even more so.
The first thing that strikes you about 2D puzzle platformer INSIDE is its visuals. The eerie dystopian environment and muted colour pallet is unsettling, and immediately haunting. Utilising minimalist white, grey and black tones, INSIDE somehow manages to be both melancholic and powerfully alluring – it’s impossible to look away.
A New Frontier mixes up the popular dynamic established in seasons one and two. But the introduction of the García family is a risk that pays off and Javier’s empathy and love for his family made for a protagonist I loved just as much as Lee in season one and Clementine in season two. Although the connection between season two and three is relatively weak, season three explores themes that are rarely found in videogames. Bottom line, A New Frontier feels fresh, tense and innovative. The most memorable season yet.
There began a looming fear when talk of Destiny 2 came about that the game would feel more like Destiny 1.5 rather than a sequel. However, a mere 10 minutes into Bungie’s latest addition to the series and we can see this simply isn’t the case. Playing through Destiny 2’s first story mission alone we see a hop, skip and Hunter-style triple jump up in the content and overall standard of the story. Honestly, the first mission alone far surpasses the quality of the entirety of that of it’s predecessor.
If Tim Burton was a video game developer then Little Nightmares would be his fever dream. This dark indie puzzler was one of the most anticipated games of 2017 and I’m happy to report that it didn’t disappoint.
For those out there with lingering apprehension about gratifying their Creed cravings with Ubisoft’s latest addition to ever expanding line of Assassin’s Creed (AC) games, have no fear as Assassin’s Creed Origins easily puts to shame the last few bland and “samey” AC titles. I kid you not, this installment to the series has been redefined in a way that almost separates Origins from the series altogether. For the most part of my first few hours of gameplay, I didn’t feel like I was playing a Creed title – I liked that. Origins doesn’t reek of the traditional, rapidly deteriorating Assassin’s Creed game mechanics that felt like they were clinging onto the series by nothing more than fraying nostalgic threads in the last few games. No, instead the series feels profoundly like it’s found a fresh lease of life and in light of it’s forebears and where the series was headed without a serious rethink, this undoubtedly had me breathing a distinct sigh of relief.
The Star Wars Battlefront series has always been credible for it’s ability to somewhat ease the insatiable Star Wars void that sits inside fans of the iconic, sci-fi franchise. Come on fans, you have to admit that no matter how much you indulge in the series over a multitude of mediums, you always want more. This is where the Battlefront series shines. With it’s spectacular portrayal of Star Wars settings and events combined with trademark sounds of blaster rifles and Wookie cries, the Battlefront series definitely takes pride in it’s ability to moderate that galaxy sized void that sits inside you, regardless of who’s hands the game series sits in. It goes without saying that EA DICE’s sequel to Battlefront (2015), Battlefront 2 upholds that very same vibe the series is renowned for maintaining.