TheSixthAxis
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If you're looking for a sophisticated car sim, you won't find it in Road to Guangdong. What will keep you going over its short duration however is a wonderfully authentic exploration of Chinese/Cantonese culture through two very universal subjects: family and food.
Mortal Shell is just an incredibly satisfying experience. It'll punish you constantly, but if you can master the mechanics it lays out in front of you then you'll have an incredible time of things. The lore is a little more obvious that in other soulslikes, and the story it tells and the world it puts you in are both rather enthralling. This is definitely a game that fans of dying a lot will enjoy, but it's probably not for everyone.
UFC 4 is an evolution over UFC 3. A much better and more cohesive online, a better system for advancing your created fighters, a career mode that has a bit more depth, and gameplay that opens up the series to more people, makes UFC 4 the game that UFC 3 should have been.
Sentinels of Freedom is a robust turn-based superhero strategy game. While not doing anything groundbreaking and lacking in some areas, Sentinels of Freedom is still a fun romp into the world of comics and being able to create your own hero is even cooler. Just make sure you stick to playing this on a big TV!
Death End re;Quest 2 is the horror RPG I never knew I wanted. Its mysterious and grim story is reminiscent of some of the all-time great Japanese visual novel and indie adventure experiences, but the fact that it's tied up into an addictive and enjoyable RPG package is the icing on the cake. The fun begins to get soured a bit by the sudden difficulty spikes throughout the game, but that didn't stop me from enjoying this terrifying and jaw-dropping story from beginning to end.
The Alto Collection is a lovely little timesink that survives the jump to the big screen in robust fashion. Its clear and appealing visuals, and their ever-changing time-cycle, are simply another bright little plus point in a tightly concocted endless runner that's works as well on a TV as it does on something more portable.
It's clear that the developers of Banner of the Maid have a lot of love for the historical French period they've adapted in this game. Unfortunately, the gorgeous character art and intricate story is hampered by a rough localization and awkward gameplay systems. The intriguing characters are hard to follow thanks to awkwardly translated dialogue, while the upgrade and faction mechanics of the game only serve to bloat the experience. Banner of the Maid has plenty of solid ideas, but only a few of them truly shine through.
Splicing history with Hollywood, Troy is an exciting new take on the Total War formula. Sega's immense strategy series continues to snowball, absorbing and shedding new ideas, somehow keeping momentum despite that core gameplay remaining virtually untouched.
Popup Dungeon nails the papercraft look, has some endearing and funny writing, and provides an intriguing framework for community-created content. The core of its tabletop-inspired combat system isn't engaging enough to hold it up alone, ultimately leaving it up to whatever community it attracts to decide whether it's worth putting your own paper on the table.
Fight Crab is weird, wild, and fun as hell. It's a game purely focused on delivering charming and silly moments, and that chaotic, no-rules atmosphere leads to hours of hilarious crustacean combat. The game could have easily been an unpredictable, button-mashing physics mess, but the fact that there are legitimate layers of executable strategy to the combat makes it a thrilling challenge to boot. Even if you don't like crabs, Fight Crab will easily convert you into a claw-believer.
Fae Tactics is a charming, ambitious homage to classic tactical RPG's with plenty of its own ideas, but it never quite add up to greatness. It fails to explain so much of what's going on under-the-hood that victories often feel unearned and defeats often feel arbitrary. The great presentation and some solid core systems means it stays entertaining in small doses, however. I'd still tentatively recommend it to dedicated genre fans.
As confusing as it is entertaining, Superliminal constantly uses unique mechanics that go against your expectations, even once you've adjusted to what it did last time. It might be short, but it's a genuine delight.
Neversong is a dark and thrilling tale with a child-like twist, exploring human emotion in a world without adults. The dark storyline contrasts starkly to the beautiful score and artwork, the clear influences from Tim Burton and The Legend of Zelda creating an immediate connection and sense of nostalgia.
Full of cute and cuddly jellybean dude bumbling into each other in a race for the crown, Fall Guys is just about the most wholesome battle royale imaginable, and a whole lot of fun.
Post Void is an absolute delight to play with some of the most satisfying FPS gameplay I've experienced in years. While it might only have eleven levels to play through, the outstanding gunplay will keep players engrossed in the hours, days and weeks to come and at £2.33, it's an unbelievable indie package.
Röki is a brilliant and emotional adventure that will appeal to all lovers of adventure games and well-told stories in general. The mature themes are handled in such a wonderfully appropriate way that it would make a perfect family game, and I loved the time I spent with Tove. Rather than a flatpack indentikit product, this is a game that has all the hallmarks of true artisanal craft and skill.
Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition brings Guerrilla Games' fantastic sci-fi adventure to a whole new audience, but PC players used to ultra-high frame rates will have to accept a step down in performance as they enjoy Aloy's journey.
Through its lengthy story, Resolutiion provides real moments of awe and beauty. From dark and dingy caves through to soaring heights at the peak of the monolithic buildings, the world is a sight to behold, it's just a shame that traversing it doesn't feel any where near as great as it looks. Resolutiion's snappy, visceral combat does help make that journey slightly more bearable, but you'll still likely end up wandering in circles trying to find the right path forward.
As a piece of gaming history the Darius Collections are spot on, recreating classic arcade and console games on modern hardware, but they are massively overpriced considering the content. Some games in the Arcade collection are either minor tweaks or ports of a previous versions, so you would have to be a die hard Darius fan to even consider purchasing both collections. The Console collection is by far the better choice due to the single screen design, but aficionados will then miss the classic arcade versions.
Lost Wing is a hugely enjoyable and exciting arcade mash-up of endless runner, roguelite, Wipeout and Tron. There's a bit too much grinding for content and the nauseating screen-rotating anomalies, but these are sufficiently offset by thrills of the rest of the game and a budget price point. It's a game that managed to make me both punch the air and slap my face in despair on a regular basis; how many video games can you say that about?