Digitally Downloaded
HomepageDigitally Downloaded's Reviews
So, Distant Worlds: Universe is a corker. But make no mistake: while it's not as forbidding as some Grand Strategy games, patience and a degree of head-scratching will be required. But it's worth the effort. It's enormous, complex and – above all – fun. Despite a high price-tag and a few minor problems, it's a strong candidate for Strategy Game of the Year. Just don't tell Matt.
It's games like this that keep me interested in gaming; creative developers working on creative concepts and telling simple, effective stories in a manner that is only possible through an interactive medium.
But in a way Valiant Hearts is a challenge to everyone in the industry; it's a challenge to the publishers churning out the same old "war games," and it's a challenge to all the players that continue to buy into these games without really thinking about what they are playing. War isn't fun, and it has a real impact on the people that are involved in it. It's games like this one that, critically, remind us that there is a human side to war.
Like many of the games in the same league, it's hard to recommend 1001 Spikes to those who aren't patient enough to learn its deadly and intricate ways, or to those who are prone to smashing their controller through their TV screen in frustration. But to those who live off buzz words like "rage-inducing" and "old-school hard", look no further.
There are plenty of reasons to love Shovel Knight, and I'm sure more seasoned gamers than I will relish its mechanics, tight controls, or obsessiveness with all things retro. But more importantly, it's easy to fall in love with a game that manages to breathe new life into old mechanics, without feeling like a retro-throwback that is content with playing the same hand we were dealt all those years ago. It's the perfect example of a passion project done right, one that realises that it is important to look back, in order to move forward.
The platforming segments are often very creative, just not as smooth or fluid as I would have liked. Thankfully these elements, while gamifying the experience, are not the highlights of this show. The very human interactions starring a variety of flawed people through the eyes of an innocent girl who is slowly having her views of the world stripped away and altered are what make Contrast stand out. As a game Contrast works, but has a few flaws. As a creative narrative, Contrast succeeds on almost every front.
There's fun to be had in Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark, but it's a dialed-in action shooter game, which is a mistake since there was never a chance that this game would compete with the big budget games in the genre. Titles such as Destiny, Call of Duty, or Titanfall will all trounce this game and ensure that no one but the most dedicated fan will care about it in the near future. It would be to the benefit of the franchise if future games stopped trying to swim with the sharks.
If you happened to play Sniper Elite V2, you already have a good idea of how Sniper Elite III plays - but this latest iteration does everything a bit better. With less than a dozen maps, relatively lacklustre story and questionable enemy AI, Sniper Elite III is a flawed but enjoyable game nonetheless.
While Abyss Odyssey suffers from a few design choices that ultimately hold it back from greatness, its easily ACE Team's most playable game to date, which doesn't come at the sacrifice of the look and feel we've come to love with earlier titles. Hopefully, many of the shortcomings can be addressed in future updates, which seems to be a big part of ACE Team's plan for the game post-release.
Guacamelee! is the incredible adventure, offering up thrilling events and plenty of combat in between its humour. DrinkBox have done an amazing job and the Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition for the PS4 is more than a worthwhile experience.
At the end of the day, Amazing Princess Sarah does a better job of emulating the Castlevania formula than a lot of bigger publishers in the past when they've tried to. The combat could really use more variety - things do get a bit repetitive from that standpoint, but the level system and well-designed levels do provide additional hooks to keep the player interested.
Magic 2015 is still the best way to bring a new player to this old game and the deck building is a great deal of fun, but those who have played the last couple of releases may feel somewhat underwhelmed by this iteration.
There is a lot of thought that has been put into this game's survival modes, and people will enjoy that side of things. It's just a shame that thought couldn't be put into the rest of the game.
Don't be fooled by the simple art style, because So Many Me is a title which will contend for one of the best indie platformers this year.
When I finished The Last of Us Remastered, I was reminded of the myriad feelings I had at the conclusion of the game nearly a year ago. Just like then, I put down the controller while leaning back in my seat while giving thought to the story, the characters and how I felt about what had happened. In the end I came to the same conclusion now that I did back then: I had fun with the game itself, but it was the narrative that will no doubt be what sticks with me for some time.
Not that it takes a lot of arm twisting to get me to don my dented armour and delve back into the world of Dark Souls II, but Crown of the Sunken King's DLC is the perfect excuse to do so. The puzzles are a fun twist on the pre-existing formula, the temple backdrop is an interesting setting and the new monsters are a welcome challenge.
Mind you, apparent lack of confidence aside, Rogue Legacy is still an essential game, and it's good to see the roguelike still getting so much traction, because it is a wonderful, versatile and ultimately entertaining RPG sub-genre.
While this means in total the game offers 60 puzzles I felt while playing it that I could play it for much longer - there was a lot of room for the developers to come up with more puzzles. That being said, thanks to the game's narrative being told through cut scenes that do break with the action, I don't think there was room to expand on the levels without compromising the quality of the narrative by adding in unnecessary padding. Perhaps we can get more content in a sequel.
Super Toy Cars is a fun game to play, providing a series of increasing racing challenges, the ability to play with friends and to create custom tracks. All of it is wrapped up in a nostalgic package that calls back to my childhood days, zipping around and letting my imagination do the majority of the work.
There are plenty of reasons to avoid buying ports of mobile games on Steam, but The Room is the exception to that rule. So many of these games feel like a quick cash-grab, but I am happy to say that The Room is not one of them.