TheSixthAxis
HomepageTheSixthAxis's Reviews
Just Dance 2015 is a polished and enjoyable product, and whilst it's potentially still behind the Dance Central series in a few key areas, including the way it monitors player actions, it makes up for this with its trademark styling, a strong collection of songs and intuitive online features. Who knows, it might even teach you a few moves to use on a Saturday night.
Great things were expected of Samurai Warriors 4 and, thankfully, the sequel has delivered on a number of levels. Though it still carries the same old Musou blueprint, and so there's little to draw in those who dislike its particular brand of hack n' slash action, there are enough changes to attract any self-respecting fan of the series.
Overall MXGP provides a wonderful racing experience. The unpredictable physics, terrain deformation and challenging opposition (whether it be online players or AI set to hard) combine to make a gritty racing game, which you can have plenty of fun with thanks to the sheer about of content. Truthfully, MXGP is at its best in the online season mode which is ultimately dependent on how busy the servers are.
With nearly eight hours of content for such a small price it will keep you entertained for many a bus journey to work.
Lords Of The Fallen has a good core that is being let down by too many other things. The combat is pretty much on point and really does provide a great challenge. If you're looking for a game that has punishing fights, but is a bit easier than Souls then this is it. However the story and lore just aren't that interesting, despite a good premise and Harkyn doesn't have much personality. There's also quite few bugs that really need addressing, like clipping through the environment and objects, or the enemies that just stop moving completely, yet can still deal damage, or suddenly develop the ability to fly. Those problems take Lords Of The Fallen from a potentially great game to something just above average.
Overall Race The Sun is a fantastic endless runner style game, a genre which I'm usually not a fan of. It's incredibly addictive and really taps in to that 'one more go' mentality. I really like the visual style of the game and its minimalist graphics and obstacle design come together nicely. The fact the game also manages to feel fresh everyday due to the changing levels is an added bonus, purely because you don't know what to expect.
At the heart of Advanced Warfare is the exoskeleton and all of the possibilities it opens up, transforming the way that you get around amidst the futuristic setting. Yet it delivers on many more levels too, from a compelling story and cast of characters to the graphics and the vast array of options for multiplayer character and loadout customisation. Sledgehammer have shown that there's life in the long-running series yet, and thrown down the gauntlet to Treyarch and Infinity Ward.
Minutes does exactly what it says on the tin and it does it beautifully, which is quite a feat considering developer Red Phantom Games is actually just one person, Richard Ogden. An essential title for on-the-go gaming on PS Vita, and a damn fine puzzler on PS4.
Chariot is one of the better platformers I've played of late. Played on your own, it is a good and challenging affair, but working in a pair pushes it up a few notches. The game itself is pretty large and it is likely you won't see everything on your first go, since exploration is key in Chariot and you are encouraged to roll off the beaten path to discover additional secrets. A few issues could be addressed but overall Chariot is worth your time if you like a good puzzle platformer.
I don't think I could ever find myself recommending Fluster Cluck to anyone; it's probably the worst game I've ever played. It's fails in so many departments, and like In Space We Brawl, pales in comparison to other local multiplayer games currently out on the PlayStation 4.
LittleBigPlanet 3 is a quite major step forward for the series. The story might not explore all of the potential, but briefly shines a light on what the new possibilities might be for those making their own levels. The wide array of new tools, the removal of limitations and addition of new characters and power-ups will all serve to empower the community to reach new heights.
Overall Never Alone is a really good mix of ideas, and could be the start of a kind of docu-game trend, with the inclusion of the Cultural Insights. While there are a few tweaks to the gameplay that should be made, Never Alone is certainly worth your time, and manages to tell so much within the four or so hours it takes to complete. Nuna & Fox's story is wonderfully told through the native tongue of the Iñupiat, accompanied by artwork inspired by the tribe's drawings and etchings, and brought to life by the beautiful designed of the environments and characters.
The story isn't always fantastic, but when it hits the mark (read: when Pagan Min shows up), it can be absolutely wonderful. In this game, there's tons to do, and you'll really enjoy doing all of it, particularly if you're riding an elephant as you go.
Unity is an impressive technical achievement despite its issues, and it is certainly a significant step forward for the series as a whole. The difficulty of combat encourages use of the overhauled stealth system, perhaps signalling a shift towards a real focus on stealthy gameplay in the series, which is certainly exciting. And on top of that, it's utterly gorgeous almost all the time.
For the price of £3.99 Tennis In The Face is a decent little game, and if you're into the genre then it is worth picking up. It provides enough entertainment and while it won't be considered a classic it scratches the itch when you want to play something for a couple of minutes. It does get repetitive if you play too many levels at once, and some levels do just need luck more than anything to complete. Overall though Tennis In The Face is a fun little game.
The opportunity to re-explore Hoenn is a thrilling one, and there's more than enough new content and tweaks to the old to justify the return trip. Although there are some mechanical issues, Alpha Sapphire remains a smooth journey that doesn't just feel like retracing your steps in the sand.
Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions is a fantastic return for the series that brought the twin-stick shooter to modern consoles. Damningly hard, visually and aurally distinctive, there are few games that can match it for both immersion and addictiveness.
The premiere episode in Telltale's Game of Thrones series does a lot of things right. Certainly, it manages to capture the political overtones as well as the high fantasy setting of the series it is based on, and it does them justice, bringing in new characters and plots not adapted from the book series. That's an achievement in itself, and while it doesn't stray too much from Telltale's formula, it adapts an excellent property to something which we've seen hit the mark time and time again.
I really want to love The Crew. The in game world is absolutely huge and it's filled with a great deal of content – it looks brilliant at times too. Although the handling takes some time getting used to it does feel natural as the game begins to open up. Despite that, the driver AI can be infuriating at times, as with the traffic placement which I refuse to believe is a coincidence. The online doesn't feel well integrated either and the story is uninspiring. If you know that you have friends playing The Crew it could turn out to be a great arcade racer, but if you're playing solo for the majority of it, it will no doubt start to feel lifeless and lacking a bit of soul.
Issues with the sound design aside, Lumino City is truly wonderful. The writing sparkles, puzzles are well put together and fun while requiring you to work for the solution just the right amount, and the visuals really do feel special. With a length that comes in somewhere in the eight to ten hour range, depending largely on how good you are at solving puzzles, it's of a length that will leave you wanting more, although I fear it may take State of Play quite a while to craft something like this again.