Category Archives: Reviews

Horror, PC, Platforms, PlayStation 3, PS4, PSN (PlayStation Store), Reviews, XBLA, Xbox 360, Xbox One

Resident Evil: Revelations 2 Episode 4 – Metamorphosis Review

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Missed the earlier episode reviews? Use these links to get to Episode 1, Episode 2 and Episode 3. Unlike the previous episodes, I’ll be putting a score at the end of this one that reflects the complete Season Pass / retail release.

This is it then, the finale to what has been a very encouraging episodic series debut from Capcom and the Resident Evil series. This is where we find out what happened to Claire and Moira as they make their way to the top of the tower and we’ll find out if Barry and Natalia can catch up with them and get some answers of their own. Continue reading Resident Evil: Revelations 2 Episode 4 – Metamorphosis Review →

Horror, PC, Platforms, PlayStation 3, PS4, PSN (PlayStation Store), Reviews, XBLA, Xbox 360, Xbox One

Resident Evil: Revelations 2 Episode 3 – Judgement Review

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Missed the previous episode reviews? Here you go: Episode 1 | Episode 2

Capcom’s penultimate episode to Resident Evil: Revelations 2 edges us ever closer to what has so far been a very successful experiment for the series as it tries out an episodic model with four episodes over as many weeks.

Like previous episodes, you’ll control Claire and Moira for the first part and Barry and Natalia for the second. Given the ending of the last episode, you may be desperate to find out what happens to the latter pair, but you’ll just have to wait. Continue reading Resident Evil: Revelations 2 Episode 3 – Judgement Review →

Action, Platforms, PS4, Reviews, Xbox One

DmC: Definitive Edition (Review)

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DMC-ps4-boxCapcom and Ninja Theory’s DmC Devil May Cry: Definitive Edition is essential for two types of gamer. Those who have never played Ninja Theory’s reboot and those who have and adored it but crave an extra challenge. I’ve already seen this going from as little as £20 during launch week. Considering the content, the telling tweaks, extra modes and the DLC being thrown in too, that’s a bargain.

First, a little on the base game itself. DmC (or Devil May Cry) is an origins story for Dante, the son of a demon father and an angel mother. His mere existence is a threat to the Demon lord, Mundus, and as such Dante is public enemy number one. Mundus controls much of the human world through debt and has demon minions running everything from soft drink companies to news networks, making it easy to track Dante down and make him out to be a menace.

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Horror, PC, Platforms, PlayStation 3, PS4, PSN (PlayStation Store), Reviews, XBLA, Xbox 360, Xbox One

Resident Evil: Revelations 2 Episode 2 – Contemplation Review

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Here’s a link to our review of Resident Evil: Revelations 2 Episode 1 – Penal Colony

After a hugely promising opening episode, I couldn’t wait to get into stuck into the next one this week. It looks like the new series has some staying power as Capcom have delivered again with the episodic model looking like an increasingly natural fit for the series.

Again, the episode is split in two with the first half following Claire and Moira and the second continuing from where we last left Barry and Natalia. Claire and Moira come across another group of survivors and they team up to find some helicopter parts to make an escape attempt. Nothing’s ever that easy, especially when a hoard of infected lay siege to your safe house. It’ll be very familiar to Resident Evil 4 fans and is a fantastic scene as you defend multiple windows while the hoard attempt to smash through. Continue reading Resident Evil: Revelations 2 Episode 2 – Contemplation Review →

Horror, PC, Platforms, PlayStation 3, PS4, PSN (PlayStation Store), Reviews, XBLA, Xbox 360, Xbox One

Resident Evil: Revelations 2 Episode 1 – Penal Colony Review

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Episodic titles have proved to be a big success for games like The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us and more recently, Life is Strange. But how will the episodic model fare with a genre like survival horror? Well, if Episode 1 of Resident Evil: Revelations 2 is anything to go by, it could go rather well.

Unlike the aforementioned episodic titles, Revelations 2’s four episodes will be released weekly instead of every six weeks or more that we’re used to seeing. The benefits of this are obvious to everyone involved and it keeps the episodic/TV ideology plausible.
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Action, Platforms, PS4, Reviews

The Order: 1886 Review – Gameplay takes a back seat

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The Order: 1886 Review | Gameplay takes a back seat

So, here it is: Sony’s first brand new IP blockbuster for the PS4. Needless to say, the pressure is on for developers Ready at Dawn. We’ve seen them work wonders with the God of War series on PSP, so let’s see how they handle creating something from scratch with the grunt of the PS4 behind them.

The Order: 1886 is a third-person single-player shooter set in a steampunk vision of Victorian London. You are Galahad, a Knight of The Order, sworn to protect the realm from everything from rebellion to half-breed werewolves. Continue reading The Order: 1886 Review – Gameplay takes a back seat →

Interactive Drama, PC, Platforms, PlayStation 3, PS4, Reviews, Xbox 360, Xbox One

Life is Strange: Episode 1: Chrysalis (Review)

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For years, Telltale has been the only name associated with quality (yet incredibly buggy) episodic gaming, but we’re delighted to see some new blood enter the blossoming genre. Life is Strange is leading the way with Remember Me developers, Dontnod Entertainment, bringing us a brand new IP over five episodes through digital platforms.

I’ve always been rather cautious with this type of game. Knowing I have little patience for waiting, I’ve played the likes of Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us once a season has finished, as I didn’t want to wait weeks/months between episodes to find out what happens next. It’s a Netflix mentality that’s going to drive me insane with Life is Strange. I’ve played one episode and I’m hooked. The time between episodes is going to draaaag.

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Horror, Platforms, PS4, Reviews

Resident Evil HD Remaster (Review)

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The original survival horror brand is back and for once we’re not rolling our eyes at another HD makeover. Rather than an unnecessary PS4 port of Resi 5 or 6, this is a HD makeover of the 2002 GameCube exclusive remake of the 1996 PS1 Resident Evil. For those of you yet to play the GC version, this will be a remarkable experience if you enjoyed the original game.

The remake was extremely faithful to the original, meaning lots of fixed camera angles and pre-rendered backgrounds. There’s no need to worry about the dated ‘tank’ controls as there’s an option to switch to modern analogue movement rather than having to spin on the spot before moving. The different camera angles as you move onto a new screen can still have disastrous results that see you accidentally turn around and run straight back into a zombie’s bitey embrace though.

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First Person Shooters, PC, Platforms, PlayStation 3, PS4, Reviews, Xbox 360, Xbox One

Far Cry 4 (Review)

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We’ve been dying for another gargantuan open-world FPS since Far Cry 3 and nothing’s come close to providing an equal timesink if we’re honest. There was promise in Destiny, but their version of our local solar system ended up being a collection of corridors and desolate wastelands with inane missions and a leveling system that demanded too much for little in return. So, chances are Ubisoft are running unopposed here, it’s not like they’re going to mess up one of their leading franchises. Well, not two of them in one year…

You are Ajay Ghale, a prodigal son returning to the Himalayan region of Kyrat to carry on his father’s work of leading a rebel group called the Golden Path against the tyrannical forces of Pagan Min. Min himself is the pink-suited fellow we’ve come to know in reveals over the last few months and is a larger than life character that suitably camps things up one moment, only to shiv a soldier in the neck over nothing the next. He’s a brilliant villain, but I’m enormously sad to report that he rarely makes an appearance for most of the game.

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Platformer, Platforms, PS4, Reviews, Xbox One

Never Alone (Review)

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never-alone-review--Never Alone is an indie platformer about the adventures of a young Iñupiat girl and an arctic fox. The Iñupiat are a native Alaskan tribe, whose culture has inspired the setting and story of the title. This culture is no mere window dressing either, throughout the game you’ll unlock video interviews with Iñupiat folk who discuss various elements of their culture, usually neatly setting up the next part of the game.

Unlike most mini-documentary videos in games, these are incredibly interesting and perfectly woven into the experience. You don’t have to watch them in between levels, but I found the warm anecdotes allowed me to appreciate the new environments and characters much more than I would have done if I watched them after finishing the game.

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Action, PC, Platformer, Platforms, PS4, Reviews, Xbox One

Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham (Review)

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lego-batman-3-boxPlaying Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham after Lego Marvel does little to hide the comparative paucity of star power in DC’s lineup. Beyond the Batman and Superman universes, you’re almost constantly left shrugging your shoulders at the characters on your screen.

This is notable from an early cutscene with a selection of naughty Lanterns messing about in space, which will have all but regular DC readers shrugging their shoulders with indifference until the Joker and Lex Luthor show up to add a bit of class to the villains stable. Continue reading Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham (Review) →

Action, PC, Platforms, PS4, Reviews, Xbox One

Assassin’s Creed Unity (Review)

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Brought a Knife to a Gunfight

Assassin’s Creed Unity marks the series’ true ‘next-gen’ debut as the game is only available on the newest consoles (and PC). With Black Flag performing so well on all formats last year, you’d think that Ubisoft were set to hit the ground running with their latest title that sees the series make the jump to Revolutionary Paris.

The modern day part of the story plays a back seat this time, which is a shame after the interesting Abstergo mole activities of Black Flag. In 18th century Paris, you play as Arno, one of many Parisians without the faintest trace of a French accent (everyone’s moved from Yorkshire and Gloucester apparently), who is suddenly thrust into the life of an Assassin with very little explanation at all. To be fair, Ubisoft is probably sick of setting up new Assassins by now.

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First Person Shooters, PC, Platforms, PlayStation 3, PS4, Reviews, Xbox 360, Xbox One

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (Review)

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Call-of-Duty-Advanced-Warfare-PS4Before Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare landed on our doormats, this has been a year to remember for the first person shooter. The likes of Titanfall and Destiny have made vital efforts to push the envelope in terms of what we can expect from a shooter.

Titanfall has been a fun-packed title with awesome mechs, jetpack parkour and some decent DLC, despite server issues that made the early months a little rough. And Destiny, well the jury’s still out a little there as Bungie’s MMOFPS has been a little light on content for many gamers, but there’s a solid foundation. It’s been a year where developers have attempted to shake things up, and for that they should be applauded. And let’s face it, the sequels could be incredible if they take the feedback on board.

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Action, Platforms, PS Vita, Reviews, RPG

Freedom Wars (Review)

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freedom-wars-reviewOh Monster Hunter, why hast thou betrayed us so? After starting life with PlayStation, Capcom’s hit series has gone on to become a huge seller exclusively on Nintendo platforms, particularly the handhelds, leaving Sony desperate to come up with a similar winning formula for the PS Vita.

Last year Soul, Sacrifice made a valiant effort and in many ways succeeded, although it was a little too niche for its own good. And boy was it all sorts of brown. So step forward Freedom Wars, a futuristic take on the genre that sees players trying to work off larger chunks of a 1 million year prison sentence by slaying monsters and harvesting resources for ‘the greater good’. The world is ravaged by war and hunger and broken up into separate cities or Panopticons, with any child born beyond the strict family quotas imprisoned to earn their way back into society via this obscenely long sentence.

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Platforms, PS4, Racers, Reviews

DriveClub (Review)

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driveclub-reviewDriveClub’s online issues have been well documented since release, and it was only fair that we held off publishing our review until Evolution had time to iron out the kinks and we could actually play it online. Two weeks since release and it’s ‘pencil’s down’ time.

First up, single-player. The campaign is a lengthy selection of events in which you earn fame points that in turn level you up, unlocking more events and faster vehicles. The events themselves have a heavy reliance on time trials over multi-vehicle racing, making it seem like a very lonely game at times. There are drift events too, but the less said about those the better. There are three star awards for each event based on criteria like finishing position, clean laps, lap times or beating racing line or drift challenges.

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Action, PC, Platforms, PlayStation 3, PS4, Reviews, Xbox 360, Xbox One

Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor (Review)

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With the Hobbit movies proving to be one of the longest train wrecks in recent memory, it’s a relief to see developers looking elsewhere for inspiration of doing Tolkien’s world justice. So, to fill the gap between the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, we find ourselves deep in the heart of Mordor.

Enter Talion, a ranger working on the Black Gate who, along with his family, is killed almost immediately by invading Uruks. Luckily (sort of) for him, an Elven Wraith spirit invades his body just before death. Meaning that a short while later he is resurrected and will continue to do so each time he is killed.

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Film

From Bedrooms to Billions (Review)

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This year’s hottest ticket at EGX (formerly the Eurogamer Expo) was for the premier of From Bedrooms to Billions, a documentary on the birth of the UK gaming scene and its rise from hobbyist beginnings to world leader and to the shape of things today.

The entire film is told by industry figures giving anecdotes on their memories of how it all began. Chances are, the older a gamer you are, the more you’ll be able to relate to the film. The amount of time dedicated to the Sinclair ZX80s and Commodore 64s vastly outweigh any given to later consoles. This is mainly due to the heavy focus on the British perspective of the industry, where the arrivals of the Japanese machines from Nintendo and Sega are painted in almost villainous colours.

Early on, the anecdotes feel a little dry as the talk is all about programming, entering lines of code, hobbyist meets and so on. This is a film clearly aiming for the nostalgic feelings of those involved in the scene, further carving the film into an even tighter niche and alienating everyone else.

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Action, PC, Platforms, PS4, Reviews, RPG, Xbox One

DIABLO III: ULTIMATE EVIL EDITION (REVIEW)

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Console-based action RPG fans are generally an underserved bunch, so when Diablo III was announced for the PlayStation and Xbox consoles, those of us with an unquenchable thirst for loot were certainly excited.

But then Blizzard had to go and announce that in addition to the PS3 and 360 versions, the game would eventually make its way to the next generation on PS4 and Xbox One. Then began the waiting game, in which I would have had plenty of time to pick up the PS3 version of the game to whet my appetite. But no, it’s shiny or nothing.

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Platformer, Platforms, PS Vita, Puzzle, Reviews

Murasaki Baby (Review)

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The Colourful Heart of Darkness

Sony has repositioned the Vita as a champion of indie titles and Murasaki Baby has been on our radar for what seems like forever. The wait is over though and we finally get our hands on one of the most visually-striking games to land on the handheld in ages.

The aim of this 2D puzzle platformer is to help this incredibly creepy, yet somehow adorable, little girl find her ‘mummy’ as we guide her through the nightmare-like environments via a multitude of touchscreen and rear touchpad controls. Early Vita adopters may hear a few distant alarm bells ringing if they remember the infuriatingly clunky launch title Escape Plan. Thankfully, the controls in Murasaki Baby are much better. Mostly.

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Arcade Shooter, Platformer, Platforms, PS Vita, PS4, Reviews

Velocity 2X (Review)

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Futurlab may have just gone and made one of the best games of the year. And for anyone on PS+, you can download it for free now on PS4 and Vita.

The original Velocity title on the Vita was a cool retro shoot ‘em up that had you teleporting through barriers to reach other parts of a scrolling stage. We would have been happy enough with more of the same, but Futurlab really went the extra mile by adding in on-foot 2D platforming sections when you leave the ship. The game effortlessly shifts between the two modes with no loading screens to complete one of the slickest experiences we’ve seen on PS4.

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