Dealspwn's Reviews
A whimsical, living sketchbook of self-realisation and a quirky look at what it means to be human, Doki-Doki Universe guides players along its absurdist, surreal journey with a cast of weird and wonderful characters, warm storytelling, and offbeat humour. You won't find challenges to beat or puzzles to really solve here, and the game perhaps doesn't do enough to break up the repetition at its core, but Doki-Doki Universe is a strangely uplifting game, one that might just put a smile on your face even as you ponder the definition of love while hurtling through the stars on a flying poo.
Bravely Default dares to refresh the classic Final Fantasy formula with quiet yet confident innovations across the board, resulting in one of the best JRPGs of 2013 and a fitting end to a barnstorming year for Nintendo's handheld.
NES Remix actually stands as a Nintendo example of an iOS game. Loads of pick up and play charm, mixed with the Nintendo magic. Memorable games, numerous challenges, and great MiiVerse integration creates a nice little package for a reasonable price. Some however will resent these being the same games they've played (and paid for) numerous times already. The remixed stages serve as a reminder to what this game could have been, but as such its content, whilst entertaining, will not be new and different enough for everyone.
Spartan Assault proves that Halo can power a solid and entertaining twin-stick shooter. Though short stages and annoying mobile holdovers can spoil the fun, we have our fingers crossed for more - so long as future games remember that what works on a mobile device sometimes isn't fit for the living room.
Part one of Broken Sword: The Serpent's Curse sets a decent standard for the franchise. In a return to its roots it shows that a beautifully imagined 2D world can still be engaging and relevant. Its puzzles are varied without being over-strenuous, but the game's narrative makes them feel somewhat linear, which could put some gamers off. Overall though it's a worthwhile purchase, assuming the second half can maintain the same standard or even surpass it.
Risk Of Rain is a retro-tough indie gem that pumps Roguelike and RPG elements into insane old-school run & gun platforming. You'll love every ridiculously addictive hardcore second of it, probably grinning and gurning like a sweaty lunatic as you do so.
Max: The Curse Of Brotherhood is a handsome and surprisingly sharp platform puzzler. Though stronger characters, storyline and controls could have made it truly special, it's still well worth exploring if you're looking for something fresh to play on your Xbox One.
Imagine Game of Thrones crossed with a dark, brutal, bleak Disney production that Disney would never dare to make, and you're pretty close to The Banner Saga. Stoic have delivered a cracking tactical RPG centred around an impressively elegant combat system and a peripatetic adventure that never lets up with tough choices and decisions to be made, letting the burden of leadership weigh heavy on players' shoulders. Engrossing, challenging, and aesthetically striking, The Banner Saga is a crowdfunded triumph.
If you engage in regular local multiplayer with friends or family, then this is a no-brainer. Chip in a couple of quid each and you've got yourself a lovely little party title. But it's a bright-burner with a short wick, and you'll have to decide for yourself if that's worth a tenner.
OlliOlli is a cracking little game that combines fiendish challenges with simple fun, with the responsive controls and inventive level design making for a game balanced perfectly between enjoyment and frustration. It's just a shame that it doesn't fully take advantage of the Vita's capabilities, with little sense of score challenges between friends so masterfully wrought in the likes of MotorStorm RC. Still, a worthwhile purchase for arcade fans, and a cracking content package at a budget price.
Blackguards is a monstrous slab of ruthlessly tough yet massively rewarding strategy that fans of old-school RPGs will find impossible to resist. The more esoteric and chance-based aspects of its mechanics and presentation will put many players off -- not to mention a difficulty curve that makes The Shard look like The Shire -- but chances are you already know where you stand.
Broken Age's first act does just about enough to stand alone, though it really wasn't supposed to be this way, and that's clearly evident in a game that's slow to start and ends just as it hits its stride. However, gorgeous visuals, cracking performances, and a wonderfully-written script that manages to perfectly blend the serious and the surreal make Broken Age worth a look at this early stage. But we won't be putting a score on it until the whole thing is in our hands.
11 months on and Tomb Raider has lost none of its initial magic. In fact, it's just walked in and took the crown for the best action game on the PS4 or Xbox One. The new experience-enhancing controller features and voice-commands on the PS4 and the often startlingly-gorgeous visuals do indeed make this the Definitive Edition of one of the all-time greats.
Octodad: Dadliest Catch is an absurdist delight. It only has one joke, but it's a damn good one. Though the game itself falters perhaps towards the end as Young Horses try to force things a little too much, it is to be hoped that the creation tools and the Workshop included with the game extend its lifespan. A brave and bonkers game, for the most part Octodad lollops along the fine line between fun and frustration with gloriously haphazard aplomb.
Loadout lets you create the ridiculous bespoke boomstick of your wildest dreams, but is far from a one-trick pony. Manic old-school shooting, tight map design and a superb in-house engine make for a seriously impressive F2P effort that surpasses any number of full-priced downloads.
Having set the stage, future episodes now need to give us more in terms of puzzles, real detective work and big decisions to make... while translating the cast's deepening respect or hatred for Bigby into pivotal game-changing moments.
Gigantic Army is pure bot-crushing, Pile Bunkering, beam-cannoning, dodge-dashing, shield-blocking, mech-stomping, boss-smashing, riot-blasting, speed-running, mind-blowing action at its finest.
Jazzpunk is a wonderful blend of spy-spoof, exploratory adventure game that actively involves you in the jokes it tells. Inventive, stylish, and downright hilarious in places, it's basically the lovechild of a three-way between The Meaning of Life, The Naked Gun, and Thirty Flights of Loving. An utterly absurd treat.
Another fortnight, another deeply average Dead Rising 3 DLC pack. Though more interesting and worthwhile than the pathetic Operation Broken Eagle, Fallen Angel is still not worth your money unless you really, really need to zap zombies with an awesome electric blaster cannon.
The single player campaign is an improvement over B3, but the continued presence of a save wiping bug shows poor work from Dice. But yes, multiplayer is why we're all here for Battlefield 4 and it's incredible. Be it in small Squad Deathmatches or huge landscape-shattering vehicle-enhanced open warfare in Conquest, there's no better multiplayer experience on PS4.