Dealspwn's Reviews
Screw you guys, I'm going home to play my kickass South Park game. Read the full review for once you lazy sods!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.