GameByte's Reviews
Overall, Disjunction is a fun, cyberpunk stealth game, with beautiful pixel art and great sound that is more than worth its price tag. Be prepared for some difficult levels and many moments of frustration, but enjoy basking in the glory of your successes at the end, whilst you enjoy an intriguing story in a dystopian world.
I’ve been waiting a long time for Bloober to finally nail down true horror, and The Medium is a wonderful example of how to do scary without relying on cheap tricks. If you’re a fan of Silent Hill, Clock Tower, Haunting Ground or even if you just want to test out the capabilities of the latest Xbox consoles, The Medium is a must-play.
If you’re a fan of RPGs, crime dramas or just want to try something a bit different, Yakuza: Like a Dragon is definitely worth your time.
Overall, Alba: A Wildlife Adventure is a wonderful, charming game with a strong message of hope and positivity. It’s perhaps a little short for its price point (£13.49 on Steam, though at the time of writing, it is 20% off) but I wouldn’t let that put you off. It’s a beautiful game that compiles a positive narrative, beautiful art and charming characters all put together to make a short but sweet experience that’s worth checking out. I look forward to seeing what ustwo games make next.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is by far the best Dynasty Warriors game on the market. It perfectly plucks on the heartstrings of Breath of the Wild fans, fleshing out fan-favourite characters with unique combat styles that keep the game feeling fresh. Unfortunately, as with many Koei Tecmo games, the camera controls, combat and performance are choppy and, at times, overly simplistic. But if you’re looking for a fun game to play with someone else, with tons of post-game content, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a great way to spend some time before Breath of the Wild 2 releases. If you’re not sold, try the free demo!
Hitman 3 feels like a love letter to the ‘World of Assassination’ and I can’t think of a better way to conclude the series. With its delightfully witty dialogue and the fact that all existing Hitman content (as long as you’ve bought Hitman and Hitman 2) has progression carry over into Hitman 3, this game is a joy to play and the best Hitman has ever been. It takes all the best parts of the series we’ve come to love and leaves us with a bittersweet, Agent 47-sized gap in our hearts.
Despite the problems Descenders has it’s an extreme sports game that, at it’s best, does a great job at getting your heart racing. It’s fun to play, easy to pick up and difficult to master. It turns downhill biking into something accessible for far more people. At its worst, it’s just a bit bland, but it’s never completely flavourless.
Immortals Fenyx Rising feels like a wonderful fusion of Breath of the Wild and Assassin’s Creed, as well as other Ubisoft open-world games. Moving around the world is fluid and combat and exploration are very satisfying. Graphically it’s far from a powerhouse but it’s got a nice aesthetic that still makes it look good.
You know exactly what you are going to get with FIFA and FIFA 21 has some misses but a significant amount of hits. Player faces could be improved with some key players missing their actual faces but that’s only a minor point in the grand scheme of things. It feels substantially better than FIFA 20 and it’s definitely a game that will get a lot more game time from me than the previous title. There are still a lot of gameplay elements that need improving so hopefully, a patch will address them very soon.
Next-gen upgrades will hopefully sort the loading times a bit but the problem is that’s just a part of Madden 21’s issues. Unfortunately, there are so many small things that build up to make Madden 21 an experience that, at times, feels like a step backward.
Not only that but it does a wonderful job of showing off the power of the PS5. The game looks incredible, plays well and builds upon the 2018 original superbly. It is kind of just “more of the same” but when “the same” is of the quality of Marvel’s Spider-Man that isn’t really a bad thing is it?
Whilst some of the minigames may drag the pace down, the incredibly stylish visuals, next-level voice acting and brave narrative stand out. Chicken Police: Paint It RED! is one of those indie gems that deserve to be at the top of the pecking order.
Whereas some remakes try to add in new things the Demon’s Souls remake seems to work more on making itself the best it can be whilst staying true to the source material. It succeeds in doing so.
No More Heroes 1 & 2 are two games I’ve been waiting for on Switch, and while their Accessibility features could be improved, there’s little else to criticise the re-releases for. Both games are challenging and fun, though the NSFW language and the occasional sexist comment might turn some people away. If you’re looking to feel like a powerful sword-wielding assassin then these games are for you. If I had to pick one, I’d go for No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle over its predecessor, simply because it looks a little better, feels a little more dramatic, and you can help Jeane lose some pounds. You can’t go amiss with picking up both titles though – as long as you don’t mind some potty humour!
The Sims 4 Snowy Escape introduces new gameplay elements, a world that’s filled with wonder and – most importantly – there’s a million and one things to do within it. With its added focus on mindfulness and relaxing activities for your Sims, plus the addition of snow sports, The Sims 4 Snowy Escape is about as perfect as an Expansion Pack can get. A must-buy for Sims players, or the perfect starter pack for base game-owners, you can’t go wrong with Snowy Escape.
Black Ops Cold War’s multiplayer brings enough new content to the table to offer the user a number of new experiences which quantifies buying the game. Unfortunately, these modes can grow a bit stale after a while. Yes, they are classed as ‘new’ modes but they heavily borrow from modes that have been present in the past. Vehicle warfare does not quite reach the lofty expectations promised. It’s a fun enough experience, but I found myself leaning a lot more towards Zombies rather than the multiplayer mode.
Overall, Zombies mode delivers on all fronts. As I said at the start of the review, the new maps for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Zombies will come, but this current map provides enough entertainment for you to keep coming back and trying again and again to better your score. Currently, I am averaging around 500 zombie kills per match, but I know I could get even higher than that. It’s challenges like that which keep the longevity of this mode going. Whether you are in a squad or going solo, zombies mode is one that you certainly should not overlook.
Overall, the campaign for Black Ops: Cold War is a very enjoyable experience. The story itself has a very well-written narrative with Christopher Nolan’s Inception levels of confusion right up until the final few missions. The length of the campaign and replayability is a big concern for me though. Most gamers will speed through this campaign, never to return to it again upon completion because there is simply nothing worth doing once you are all done. Of course, the Multiplayer and Zombies modes will have an effect on your experience of the game, but you’ll have to wait for a further deepdive of those.
Where Man of Medan (slightly) failed to meet the standards set by Until Dawn, The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope comes closer to what I wanted to see from these games. Though it’s not quite the fun-filled, horror-fuelled romp that Until Dawn gifted us with, it’s a lot more spooky and immersive than Man of Medan. Little Hope is a must-play for horror fans, and it’s one totally deserving of a place in your games library.
Young Horses specialises in combining the weird and the wonderful. Octodad was a great example of this, and the last 6 years of Bugsnax development have paid off. The rumours were not baloney – everybody is talking about Bugsnax, and for good reason. Sadly, the performance issues knock it down a peg, but it’s still absolutely worth adding to your games library!