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Category: Reviews

Battletech Review: Nothing Done New, But Some Things Done Right

Matt S.
Battletech Review

[Disclosure: A review copy was provided for the contents of this article]

Giant mechs trading blows in a turn based strategy game eh? Whilst deep parts of my brain tell me that this is an incredibly cliched concept, I can’t actually name that many games cut from the same cloth in recent years. Sure, Front Mission was amazing, as was Mechwarrior Tactics, but neither has seen a release anywhere near the current generation of consoles. Continue reading “Battletech Review: Nothing Done New, But Some Things Done Right”

Pillars Of Eternity 2 Review: Improving On The Original In Every Way

Matt S.

For me, the Baldur’s Gate style of RPG has always been the most faithful digital recreation of the pen and paper tabletop games. That used to be partly because Bioware built its games based on the same number crunching that your DM would be doing every time you played a quest in his cellar or attic bedroom. Bioware may well have taken a more action orientated path with the last Dragon Age, but Obsidian Entertainment’s original Pillars of Eternity was one of several games that retain the feel of the original Baldur’s Gate series. Continue reading “Pillars Of Eternity 2 Review: Improving On The Original In Every Way”

Frostpunk Review: Warm Reception, Though

Matt S.

[Disclosure: A review key was provided for the contents of this article]

Just over a dozen hours after I was captured by the spell of Frostpunk’s alternative reality, Victorian dystopia, it was finished. A chilling revelation that left me almost as crestfallen as the weary band of refugees that I had seen into a new world was when I first met them. Frostpunk, you see, us fantastic, even though it is a relatively fleeting experience. Continue reading “Frostpunk Review: Warm Reception, Though”

Football Manager Touch Nintendo Switch Review: Armchair Fan

Matt S.
Football Manager Touch Review

[Disclosure: A review copy was provided for the contents of this article]

Ensuring that I could play Football Manager on the move was once so important to me that it was more or less the critical factor in deciding what laptop I would choose. Portability was key, but so too was ensuring that the chosen device was capable of meeting the demanding processor and RAM requirements of running the full game with multiple countries and tens of leagues active. Continue reading “Football Manager Touch Nintendo Switch Review: Armchair Fan”

Extinction Review: Kill It Off

Matt S.
Extinction Review

[Disclosure: A review copy was provided for the contents of this article]

In what must be one of the greatest disappointments of the year (for me at least) I don’t have a lot of good things to say about Extinction. I first saw it advertised around a year ago and the still images made it look very cool. I was completely sold on the idea of a more complex, technically engaging version of Attack on Titan, perhaps featuring challenging Souls-like game play and strong replay value against a bold, visually stunning backdrop. Continue reading “Extinction Review: Kill It Off”

Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom Review: Problems, Solved

Matt S.
Ni no kuni 2 Review

[Disclosure: A review copy was provided for the contents of this article]

Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom is something of a conundrum. It looks like Ni No Kuni, it sounds like it and on rare occasions, it almost reaches the same narrative heights in the same way. It is not, however, even remotely like it’s predecessor. Firstly, Studio Ghibli’s masterful, nuanced storytelling is absent except for those rare high points – and boy does it show – but what Level-5’s sequel lacks in plot, it more than makes up for in game play. Continue reading “Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom Review: Problems, Solved”

Far Cry 5 Review

Sophia
Far Cry 5 Review

(This is a guest post based on an article that originally appeared on Medium)

Far Cry 5 is without a doubt the most fun the series has ever been. From its ridiculously over the top emergent gameplay to its hilarious side quests, Far Cry 5 is a delight to play. Even weighed down with a poorly paced and subpar story, the recent installment in the long running franchise proves that this series can still shine. Continue reading “Far Cry 5 Review”

Attack on Titan 2 Review: Big Trouble

Matt S.

[Disclosure: A review copy was provided for the contents of this article]

With the exception of perhaps the Dynasty Warriors games, I’ve always felt that there was an agreed principle between game publishers and prospective customers for handling rehashes of existing games. Whether it’s called a Redux, a Remaster, a Version 1.5 or a Complete Edition, such re-releases should always indicate that they contain large parts of the original game, albeit with a bit of additional content or an allegedly “ground up” visual overhaul. Continue reading “Attack on Titan 2 Review: Big Trouble”

Tiny Metal Nintendo Switch Review: Worth its Weight in Gold

Matt S.

[Disclosure: A review copy was provided for the contents of this article]

It seems like an awfully long time since we had an Advance Wars title and in truth, we may never see another one. The series last saw the light of day with 2008’s release of Advance Wars: Days of Ruin and there don’t seem to be any plans to release another one. Thankfully, Tiny Metal (which was released in December) is here to fill the gap, but is it any good? Let’s find out. Continue reading “Tiny Metal Nintendo Switch Review: Worth its Weight in Gold”

Mercenary Kings Reloaded Nintendo Switch Review: Metal Slog?

Matt S.
Mercenary Kings Reloaded Review

[Disclosure: A review copy was provided for the contents of this article]

Back in my teens, I listened a lot to my friends and colleagues (bear in mind that I worked at one of the earliest online game retailers) discussing their experience with the classic Metal Slug games, which they assured me were just the best shoot-em-up games ever. SNK as an organisation were already on the ropes at that point and the release of the Neo Geo Pocket did little to convince the public to invest, although I was at least able to get my first taste of Metal Slug – on a portable console no less. Continue reading “Mercenary Kings Reloaded Nintendo Switch Review: Metal Slog?”

Immortal Redneck Review: Serious Business

Matt S.
Immortal Redneck Review

Isn’t it weird how games, like all things, come and go in cycles? I’m thinking back to when the very first Serious Sam was released and the industry went absolutely nuts for it because it seemed to fly in the face of the other popular first person shooters at the time, which had become increasingly more complex. I recall reviews suggesting that the game channeled the simplicity of the original DOOM, for example. Continue reading “Immortal Redneck Review: Serious Business”

Dynasty Warriors 9 Review: Flogging a Dead Horse

Matt S.
Dynasty Warriors 9 Review

I imagine that anyone who has played a Dynasty Warriors title will have made a fairly rapid decision about whether or not they like it. As it now reaches its ninth numbered iteration (which conveniently ignores about ten thousand spin-offs and related titles) I am therefore left asking the question; who might still be reading? Who am I trying to convince? Continue reading “Dynasty Warriors 9 Review: Flogging a Dead Horse”

Dragon Ball FighterZ Review: Best of the Best

Matt S.
Dragon Ball FighterZ Review

[Disclosure: A review copy was provided for the contents of this article]

Perhaps it was unleashed upon UK television just a little late for me (or perhaps there’s just something wrong with me) but for whatever reason, even though I love Manga, I’ve never been able to get into Dragon Ball Z. The appeal of the cartoon passed me by completely, whilst until now, every previous video game based on the license has been so close to unplayable that even I feel sorry for fans of the series. Continue reading “Dragon Ball FighterZ Review: Best of the Best”