Dealspwn's Reviews
Half gleefully entertaining rail shooter and half primitive QTE-fest, Rambo: The Video Game ends up average. It's a shame that the OTT action is so often eclipsed by shonky production values and tragic instant-fail sections, but if you manage to find a competitive deal for the PC version, you'll find yourself having much more fun than you bargained for.
Despite the transformation from Belmont to Dracula, combat feels is largely the same and buying your combos over again feels like a cheap excuse for not bothering to come up with anything new. Some design choices seem to have disrupted other core elements too; gone are the beautiful crisp visuals and varied fantasy/gothic settings, replaced by stealth sections and modern day concrete. This is not the ending I was expecting for the Lords of Shadow series and it's certainly not the one it deserves.
It's the fourth-best game to bear the Thief name, but it doesn't trample on Garrett's legacy as some might have predicted. The story is utter balls and the game as a whole isn't as cohesive as it could be, but when Thief remembers its name and has you working out the best way of breaking into a place and picking it clean, it does a damn fine job.
How low can you go? Not content with mediocrity, Capcom Vancouver are on a crusade to singlehandedly destroy consumer confidence in next-gen season passes and DLC.
Strider is more than worthy to bear the name: a slick, exacting and breathlessly hectic action-platformer powered by superb combat. Though botched 'MetroidVania' exploration adds tedious bulk rather than value, amplified by a grim lack of colour, arcade aficionados and challenge-seekers will be in their element.
No discernible graphical improvements between last-gen Rayman Legends and this new version on PS4 and Xbox One make it an odd choice for a re-release. That said, there's not much difference in price and the game itself is still a fantastic platforming experience that should be a part of any gamer's collection.
Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare is a fun, fresh and friendly new take on the tired old multiplayer shooter. Newbies will enjoy a safe and relaxing environment to learn the ropes, while the superbly imbalanced classes provide surprising depth for more experienced players. PopCap's genre inexperience shows in the half-baked progression system and unsatisfying hit feedback, but their bumbling and charming personality ultimately wins out.
Screw you guys, I'm going home to play my kickass South Park game. Read the full review for once you lazy sods!
Broadcast+ saves Dead Nation: Apocalypse Edition from just being a bare bones rehash of a four year old game, but this is the first PS+ game to be attractive because it's free, not because it's a great game. Add a couple of points on if you really adored the first game, have some friends to challenge and don't have anything better to play.
1954 Alcatraz is a competent Point & Click game, that through it's non-linear storyline approach and decision element offer an experience that is fun and varied. Throw in an attention to detail to visuals and music and you have a nice little package. The experience is marred however by a lack of creativity in the puzzle department, and plot problems that are caused by it's non-linear design. It's still a decent game overall, but a lower price may be required to encourage most to take the plunge.
As much as anything, I can't wait to play it again. I want to play it right now. Usually I can't wait to be shot of a game after intensively crushing it for review purposes (even the best of them), but here, I'm ready for more.
Ground Zeroes is a stealthy sandbox, a playground that lets us get used to and experiment with the slick new Metal Gear mechanics. Its weak storyline and fleeting length are disappointing, but impressive replay value, extra content and undeniable quality will make The Phantom Pain's prologue worth the price of admission for many gamers.
Luftrausers delivers white-knuckle arcade thrills and intense dogfighting action, allowing us to become a true fighter ace.
It won't convert those who despise the Souls series, but the journey through the stunning lands of Drangleic is, for the most part, everything fans could have hoped for in a sequel. With fresh challenges, dastardly traps, and murderous invaders waiting at every corner, the sense of discovery and accomplishment is there for the taking… providing you're patient and brave enough to overcome it. The Iron Price of gaming is back, and it demands that you die.
In many ways, inFamous: Second Son is a lot like its sales rival Titanfall -- it doesn't do much that's new, but rather refines and polishes and balances everything that came before in expert fashion, providing new little twists and expanding in areas that had the scope for it to deliver a blockbuster experience that rarely lets you down.
Brilliant and brutal, breathtaking and exacting, Cloudbuilt lights a rocket underneath traditional platformers. Exceptional level design, stunning visuals and a lofty skill ceiling make for an impressive debut, though its ferocious difficulty takes no prisoners.
Mercenary Kings is a royal retro rumble; an outstanding sidescrolling shooter with the depth and longevity of Monster Hunter. Though unwelcome repetition and grind can set in after long stints, grabbing some mates for local co-op fun with ridiculous customised boomsticks never gets old.
Though it presents a strikingly unique aesthetic and a daringly open invitation to the player to piece together a mysterious narrative for themselves, Betrayer is ultimately a bit of a disappointment thanks to uneven pacing, inconsistent mechanics, and a world and story that just aren't particularly interesting. In the end, Betrayer assumes a little too much and works too little for the player's interest, which is a shame because it ultimately makes a rather striking game all too easy to walk away from early on.
Reaper Of Souls costs a bomb, but shakes up Diablo III so drastically that it feels like a different game. A truly superb new act, great new class and useful artisan will be worth the price of admission for many, while Adventure Mode sets the stage for an entirely new addiction over the coming months.
Fez isn't as fresh as it was two years ago and is purposefully frustrating by design at times with its pretentious refusal to adhere to a few sensible design decisions. There's a lot of effort required to progress and the game offers little back in return. If it could talk, it would say,"Play me or don't, I'm too cool to care." So you may want to punch it right in its Michael Cera, but the forgiving attitude to failure and the admittedly neat world-rotating to explore every surface to find more cubes may pull you in. Try the demo first though.