TheSixthAxis
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I've never been very good at games that have you mastering combos and chasing high scores, so I'm quite surprised just how much I enjoyed chaining together attacks in Shadow of the Beast. The game, whilst quite short, just begs to be played over and over as you chase scores and unlock secrets, and the inclusion of live feeds which pop up and tell you when one of your friends has beaten your score is a clever way to keep you playing. Storytelling annoyances aside, it's a solid and polished game with just the right amount of nostalgia for us oldies.
Amidst the galavanting and guffawing, King’s Quest has these profound and rather touching moments that can really tug at the heartstrings.
Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation offers more of the same fantastic gameplay found in Birthright and Conquest. Fans of the series will be well served by the extra campaign, and for anyone that's already played through at least one of the other storylines, it's an essential addendum to one of the 3DS' finest titles.
It's tough to actually decide where I stand on Battleborn. One the one hand I can see that it's a competently made game with plenty of charm in its varied roster and one fresh gameplay mode that I would happily play again. Yet the single player was a bore in its core gameplay loop, the two multiplayer modes have issues with their map design, and the gating of characters and abilities just feels unnecessary for a MOBA. However, it is still possible to get a kick or two out of Battleborn.
What we’re left with is a competent arcade racer that plays just as well as it looks. However, wrapped around this refined core is a layer of overly familiar tracks that do little to sell players on TTR’s core premise. Weaving in and out of humongous aerosol cans, dinner rolls, and sushi platters is a fun novelty but fails to add a dynamic worthy of praise outside its obvious aesthetic application. Although very enjoyable in small doses, Table Top Racing: World Tour doesn’t carry quite enough substance to make it past the finish line with flying colours.
Marrying Paradox's particular brand of real time grand strategy to the familiarity of space and 4X empire building has worked wonders, making this the most welcoming and accessible of their games that I've played. There's a few minor niggles, but it's compelling and it's easy to lose yourself in Stellaris for hours at a time, as you build your empire and explore both the galaxy and the stories that it can contain.
Having recently reviewed Layers of Fear, a game which also dealt with the themes of mental illness and horror, I was expecting a lot more from The Park. Walking around a fun fair for an hour with a shouty, sweary woman who is only interested in herself is about as much fun as it sounds. I suggest you save your money for a ticket to a real fun fair and hope you get stuck on a rollercoaster for an hour. That would be much more thrilling than The Park.
The Magic Circle: Gold Edition is a humourous and satirical look at the complexity of game development. At the same time, it’s a fun game that encourages you to experiment with different combinations to reach your goal, leading to a number of bizarre creations, but The Magic Circle: Gold Edition is brought to life by its comedy.
Uncharted 4 is more than masterful, bearing the hallmarks of a true system seller. What struck me most as an ardent fans of the series is how much it breaks away from the original blueprint yet manages to amaze on every level. Where many studios step safely from one sequel and into the next, Naughty Dog has taken a gigantic leap, proving yet again they're the best in the business.
Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright is amongst the best tactical videogames of all time. While it's not the wholesale reinvigoration that Awakening was, it is the refinement of three decades worth of game development, from a team who have fundamentally defined the handheld tactical genre.
If the same calibre of quality was available from beginning to end then The Detail would be a well recommended game. As it stands, however, the game ends on a low note, just like this review.
In terms of those new mechanics, there’s a few new concepts to deal with. One of these is a twist on an element introduced in the Japanese section of the main game, where a high speed train from outside of your main network would arrive from the side of the screen, forcing you to work quickly to deliver it to the right station. The DLC version, however, features a huge train that barrels across the screen, serving only to wipe out any of your trains that lie in its path.
Neverending Nightmares doesn't go for the big set pieces, but relies on you to fill the gaps with your own imagination before unleashing some horror on you. Its slow pace combined with ominous sounds and music help to build tension in environments that gradually fall apart, as Neverending Nightmares masterfully gives off a sense of dread in its short playtime.
It’s great to explore the background of one of the comic’s more popular characters, but doesn’t significantly push Telltale’s games on from their previous highs.
Maybe it comes down to how easy and accessible Coffin Dodgers is as a racer, but there’s definitely something that’s clicked with me. Even so, it’s a disappointing effort overall, but Coffin Dodgers may prove to be a guilty pleasure of sorts for a small minority.
Several hours and a dozen or so mastery ranks later, there’s still so much to do in Sapienza. The more accomplished I become as an assassin, the more options I’m given to experiment with, unlocking new weapons, costumes, and starting locations. When you factor in IO’s ongoing series of live events and community challenges, Hitman’s replay value grows exponentially and will continue to do so when we touch down in Marrakesh later this year.
LOUD On Planet X is a good rhythm game with a great track listing, but some of the issues within do need fixing. While the beat and button presses do match up in the majority of songs there are some where it all feels out of sync and disjointed. If they’re out of sync then the whole point of the rhythm game is defeated. A longer tutorial to explain parts of the game would also be beneficial too, instead of having tips appear on loading screens. The game won’t reach Guitar Hero levels of success, but if you’re looking for a quick rhythm game fix then LOUD On Planet X may be for you.
All together, they make for a map pack that’s really quite strong and distinctive visually, but also has some good variety in what they offer. Certainly, it feels more interesting and varied than Awakening did a few months ago.
Across Severed’s seven or so hours, you get to experience some of the best touch screen gaming around. DrinkBox Studios have created a great game here with an engaging battle system and art style. It can feel a bit too minimalist in its design, and there’s much repetition in the environments, but DrinkBox Studios have created a great game with an engaging battle system and art style. If you own a Vita, Severed is worth getting.
Alienation is a slick and polished twin stick shooter, filled with huge explosions and seemingly endless enemies to kill, but it's let down in a lot of little ways. It's still a great game, but I didn't fall as madly in love with it as I did with its predecessor.