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The Dead Or Alive series aside from offering a competent fighting game in its own right does draw fans interested in the physics and revealing costumes. You can’t steer away from this fact too much. In this regard, the new systems kind of go against this, making determined players either spend extra cash or work harder to net the rewards. This does feel like fleecing the fan base somewhat which is a shame. Still, if additional outfits and extra modes (such as the gravure scenes) aren’t of interest, then the core package will no doubt fulfill the need. Dead Or Alive 6 is a welcome addition to the series but feels somewhat of a step backwards from the feature complete Dead Or Alive 5 Last Round.
Fallout 76 might sound good on paper and in some ways it works for players with very specific gaming requirements. With friends, the multiplayer aspects are sure to be fantastic and filled with joyous moments. However, for those who play alone or don’t have friends willing to join the adventure, making new ones here is a tough campaign. Fallout 76 isn’t a bad game per se, far from it. But a little more refinement in its systems would help provide it a better footing in the grand scheme. What remains for what we assume for the majority of players is a solitary experience, devoid of any redeeming qualities after extended hours playtime that hands gamers a by the numbers card. This approach ultimately feels lifeless and lacking in memorable charm. A shame then, as the core game is commendable and fun to play in smaller doses.
If you didn’t like the series before, you won’t like this entry, and if you did like the series before, you’ll probably love having more of the same.
So, is ANNO: Mutationem any good and worth playing. We’re going to say yes it is, despite some moments which don’t gel so well with the overall feel of the game. You do get your monies worth and the visuals are spectacular at times. If you like cyberpunk themes, then this ambitious game should be in your library.
Cloudpunk looks like an ambitious project that needed rounding-off before it could be fully realised. However, as it stands you’ll find an interesting cyberpunk-themed story to play through, and then there’s the amazing city to just fly around. Toss-in some awesome music and it’s almost worth recommending the game just for these two aspects alone.
It’s a fun game that really puts you into the moment at times making you feel fully immersed in what you are doing. However, the physics which are the main star-of-the-show aren’t polished enough making for a frustrating experience at times. With a better story this could have been far more interesting. As it stands it feels more like a VR assault course. Is it worth recommending? Yes and no. It’s probably prudent to wait for the patch to drop first (which addresses some of our complaints). But if you’re a sucker for VR shooting experiences then you can do a lot worse than this game.
Rain of Reflections offers a neat adventure game fused with the combat element which sets it above similar games. Chapter 1 acts as an introduction and if the following two chapters expand upon the ideas here (especially the turn-based combat) then this will be an interesting series to dive into. The hacking lets the game down somewhat, but perhaps some players will enjoy the mild puzzle element here. For under £15 it’s not bad value at all but in terms of replay it’s not offering too many choices if any at all considering once you playthrough you know what to expect. Perhaps a difficulty option could have improved replay. As it stands, Rain of Reflections comes as a interesting prospect but not a game for all players.
The Church In the Darkness offers a neat concept with some solid gameplay quirks albeit a little sloppy in execution at times. Fans of stealth will enjoy what’s on offer here and those with an interest in finding out various fates of the cult will have fun replaying to see all endings (which are text and song based rather than cut-scenes). It’s a nice game and worthy of a look in despite its relative simplicity. By the end of it though Issac and Rebecca’s chilling words might get the better of you.
If you want a different experience to Beat Saber, then yes it’s pretty neat, a good workout and fun to play even if it’s exhausting. If you’re looking for a fitness game on the Quest then this is a rather focused effort which simply works as intended for those who are prepared to use the correct form.
World War Z does have its moments of fun despite offering a fairly basic game overall. The zombie hordes look good in their numbers as they climb over each other to eat your team’s brains. Additional special zombie types could spice things up a little more though which is where Sabre could add a dose of originality. As it stands though, it’s a basic zombie shooter with competent gameplay which presents itself. Definitely fun in shorter doses especially with others online, but not an essential purchase.
I remain undecided whether I enjoyed my playtime with Outward. On one side it’s an interesting throwback experience to a time long-forgotten, ignoring the Souls games of recent times that is. No clear direction, fiddly combat and the fact you can just roll up somewhere after a KO are quirks not seen in many games these days. I would say fair play for attempting to offer this aspect. For people who don’t want hand-holding and require a more methodical gaming experience then this works…kind of. This is a good game, not a great game in my view and really it is what is it. No amount of changing it will make it any better. Perhaps the developers should actually just keep it this way to appeal to its specific audience. I’m done though.
So, is Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal worth a look in especially with newer titles which offer more characters and spin-off gameplay (looking at Bon-Appetite and Peach Beach Splash)? Yes, if you’re a fan wishing to relive the handheld glory on the big screen, and wish to own a complete collection (assume the next game in the series converts as well). It is light on characters though which might bother some players expecting more content especially given the £35 price tag. All in, this is fun game to play predominantly for fans of the series. As an introduction to the characters and the premise of the two schools it’s also pretty neat. However, if curiosity gets the better of you as a newcomer then one of the other games Shinovi or Estival Versus offers more content and a cheaper price of entry.
To conclude, it’s great fans have a new Leisure Suit Larry game to play with. Leisure Suit Larry Wet Dreams Don’t Dry looks good and plays as expected. However, it’s not the best game in the series and won’t entice new players into the fold. This is in part due to its poor pacing and archaic game design. A game which relies on obscurity, bundles players with numerous objects and basks in trial and error doesn’t make a good all-round experience. That is despite some pleasant positives with the script and cartoon visuals. If you can stomach aimless wandering around without giving in to a guide, then check this out. It’s fun to play and amusing to see where it ends up. Anyone else though should avoid unless they are quite happy looking up hints online every time thrown spanners hamper progression.
It's hard to say whether this game is better than Man of Medan, but in terms of story and ending Little Hope feels like a step-backwards. The characters were also not as interesting, despite having some cool moments. Where Little Hope excels is with its varied spooky locations which lend themselves far better to the horror experience than the gloomy and often confined ship interior of the previous game.
It is difficult to give a numerical value to a game like Lust From Beyond, because I can’t rate it on how hard the developers worked, how much effort they put into the designs, or the potential that the series has for future instalments. As it is, I feel that a 7 out of 10 is appropriate, for a game that is intriguing despite its flaws, and on the right track also not forgetting it's relatively low price. Here is to seeing what this promising and talented team of developers can bring us in the future.
Is Borderlands 3 Director's Cut worth it for its asking price? There are two perspectives here really. On one side having just spent in excess of 35 hours playing through the main game, the new content didn't matter much and perhaps there might be an element of Borderlands burnout or fatigue. If it wasn't for this review, there was still plenty to go back to with the base content. So, for newcomers it's not an essential addition to the package as far as we are concerned. However, on the other side, those players who already invested X numbers of hours and in need of more content will find the additions interesting but perhaps a little on the pricey side considering how long it will take to see it all (2 hours or less). Therefore, it's hard to recommend fully to both camps at the current pricing unless you have deep pockets or just have to play anything new as soon as it releases.
Sniper Elite VR then grabs the cool features from the 2D game such as masked shots, the x-ray kill cam (which you can disable if desired), focus aiming and the fusion of stealth/action gameplay. For the most part it works well and converts to VR as expected. However as mentioned, the game isn’t perfect and perhaps depending on what setup you have will dictate your overall enjoyment. It’s a nice sniper based game that offers 6 hours or more gameplay (with leaderboards and collectibles for replay). We would have preferred the open-world approach of Sniper Elite 4 rather than shorter condensed missions though. For VR heads looking for a stealth sniping game, this is pretty solid and hopefully the developers can improve things with some post-launch updates once they have more player feedback.
Red Solstice 2: Survivors is a good game, but one that needs work. I would love to see a Red Solstice 3 someday where Ironward leans even more heavily into squad equipment with refined resource management systems. At the end of the day, yes, that kind of just sounds like XCOM-but-a-shooter, but I can’t be the only person who thinks that’d be a good thing.