2020
I can't think of too many other games that are so fundamentally flawed, yet it is easy to ignore those flaws because it manages to nail the primary objective: it's just really good fun.
It's the best way I can think to describe Maneater, a monumentally daft game that relies on zero brainpower, and showcases pretty much everything within the first 10 minutes of gameplay. It's not a huge spoiler to say that the only real progress you can make here is that the shark you control gets big. Really big. And really fierce. And by the end of your 10-ish hour playthrough, you'll find taking out boats, whales, other killer sharks isn't much of a challenge. Yet it remains undeniably fun.
It's an incredibly simple plot - you're a shark, a shark hunter is after you, you eat a lot to get bigger and eventually confront aforementioned shark hunter. It's presented as a very tongue in cheek nature documentary - the kind you'd see on Discovery or something - but the cut scenes are few and far between. You'll spend 99% of your time scouring the different sections of the map (these actually DO have a bit of variation and range from a swampy alligator filled bayou to a vast open ocean) chomping of various marine wildlife. And the occasional careless bather as well.
It's definitely a flawed game - it really could have done with a bit of variety with the main missions, but throughout, you'll be given the same objectives - kill x number of seals/sharks/swordfish/turtles/humans etc etc. There are plenty of intertwining underwater passageways and a stack of collectables to find and I found enough enjoyment at the daft killing frenzies to get all 1000 achievement points for finding all collectables etc, but I can't deny that I was relieved to finally finish it.
It's not the prettiest game in the world - aside from the various body parts you can equip to your shark, all other creatures seem to look the same, and the effects of the sea are actually pretty rubbish. I'm probably just spoiled by the incredible water effects on Sea of Thieves, but when you're cruising around below the waves, things just seem to aimlessly float. And it would have been far more interesting to see the different sea creatures interact with each other, rather than just with your shark. Maybe the other marine predators are just REALLY fussy eaters, as they only attacked me and totally ignored the shoal of mackerel/seals etc etc that were minding their own business just a few feet away.
I would be very interested to see if a sequel is ever made, because there's a fair bit to work with here. It's undeniably enjoyable - being a bloodthirsty, ravenous killing machine is quite a laugh.
Maneater is silly, samey and not exactly a technical masterpiece. But there's some charm here that like a drop of blood in the ocean make it difficult to ignore.
It's the best way I can think to describe Maneater, a monumentally daft game that relies on zero brainpower, and showcases pretty much everything within the first 10 minutes of gameplay. It's not a huge spoiler to say that the only real progress you can make here is that the shark you control gets big. Really big. And really fierce. And by the end of your 10-ish hour playthrough, you'll find taking out boats, whales, other killer sharks isn't much of a challenge. Yet it remains undeniably fun.
It's an incredibly simple plot - you're a shark, a shark hunter is after you, you eat a lot to get bigger and eventually confront aforementioned shark hunter. It's presented as a very tongue in cheek nature documentary - the kind you'd see on Discovery or something - but the cut scenes are few and far between. You'll spend 99% of your time scouring the different sections of the map (these actually DO have a bit of variation and range from a swampy alligator filled bayou to a vast open ocean) chomping of various marine wildlife. And the occasional careless bather as well.
It's definitely a flawed game - it really could have done with a bit of variety with the main missions, but throughout, you'll be given the same objectives - kill x number of seals/sharks/swordfish/turtles/humans etc etc. There are plenty of intertwining underwater passageways and a stack of collectables to find and I found enough enjoyment at the daft killing frenzies to get all 1000 achievement points for finding all collectables etc, but I can't deny that I was relieved to finally finish it.
It's not the prettiest game in the world - aside from the various body parts you can equip to your shark, all other creatures seem to look the same, and the effects of the sea are actually pretty rubbish. I'm probably just spoiled by the incredible water effects on Sea of Thieves, but when you're cruising around below the waves, things just seem to aimlessly float. And it would have been far more interesting to see the different sea creatures interact with each other, rather than just with your shark. Maybe the other marine predators are just REALLY fussy eaters, as they only attacked me and totally ignored the shoal of mackerel/seals etc etc that were minding their own business just a few feet away.
I would be very interested to see if a sequel is ever made, because there's a fair bit to work with here. It's undeniably enjoyable - being a bloodthirsty, ravenous killing machine is quite a laugh.
Maneater is silly, samey and not exactly a technical masterpiece. But there's some charm here that like a drop of blood in the ocean make it difficult to ignore.
2019
I just double checked something prior to writing this. I don't remember ever playing a Resident Evil game aside from the very first one on the PS1. And I'm correct - so that's 28 years without playing one of the most successful established and popular gaming franchises ever made. I don't know why this is the case - it's not been a deliberate boycott like I do with Wetherspoons (and there are a LOT of similarities here - slow moving, zombified shells of humans in overly long corridors as you try desperately to escape..... and the Resident Evil games) it's just a series that's passed me by.
So although this is a remake, for me, it's a brand new experience. And I enjoyed it a lot - a constant feeling of unease, it didn't take me long to realise that EVERY bullet is precious, and inventory management is key to success.
With really impressive level design and some proper jump scares (fortunately I was playing in my living room on the big tv whilst the wife and kids were on another floor so they didn't hear my squeals - I am pathetic), the atmosphere is perfectly pitched. The most impressive aspect of this for me is the lighting effects. It looks stunning on the Series X. And then there's the sound. In many cases, it's the total LACK of sound which make this so effective. Ominous. What the fuck is waiting for me around this corner....?
I need to mention the big annoying brute in the screenshot. He's terrifying, and also incredibly bloody annoying. It's like my kids bombarding me with questions when I'm trying to watch the football. "FFS, can't you just wait a few minutes?" He's a very unwelcome sight at just the wrong times. But the way you're alerted to his presence with the incoming footsteps, the slow build up of music.... Very well done. And I'm pleased that he's slower than the train service in my local town.
RE2 is pretty much the ideal length. I think it took me around 7 hours in total - obvs this would be way quicker if I did a 2nd playthrough now I've worked out the puzzles (which to be fair have a decent variety to them and never stray away from the atmosphere of the game). Save points are more than welcome - although a lot of times my playing time was saved by Quick Resume - a system that has always been very temperamental for me but fortunately always worked perfectly here.
I'm going to play something quicker, brighter and something that doesn't make me squeal very often as my next game. I enjoyed this very much, and I'll have a go at RE3 fairly soon but by the end I was glad to see the credits roll and that slow, hulking dickhead won't be missed!
So although this is a remake, for me, it's a brand new experience. And I enjoyed it a lot - a constant feeling of unease, it didn't take me long to realise that EVERY bullet is precious, and inventory management is key to success.
With really impressive level design and some proper jump scares (fortunately I was playing in my living room on the big tv whilst the wife and kids were on another floor so they didn't hear my squeals - I am pathetic), the atmosphere is perfectly pitched. The most impressive aspect of this for me is the lighting effects. It looks stunning on the Series X. And then there's the sound. In many cases, it's the total LACK of sound which make this so effective. Ominous. What the fuck is waiting for me around this corner....?
I need to mention the big annoying brute in the screenshot. He's terrifying, and also incredibly bloody annoying. It's like my kids bombarding me with questions when I'm trying to watch the football. "FFS, can't you just wait a few minutes?" He's a very unwelcome sight at just the wrong times. But the way you're alerted to his presence with the incoming footsteps, the slow build up of music.... Very well done. And I'm pleased that he's slower than the train service in my local town.
RE2 is pretty much the ideal length. I think it took me around 7 hours in total - obvs this would be way quicker if I did a 2nd playthrough now I've worked out the puzzles (which to be fair have a decent variety to them and never stray away from the atmosphere of the game). Save points are more than welcome - although a lot of times my playing time was saved by Quick Resume - a system that has always been very temperamental for me but fortunately always worked perfectly here.
I'm going to play something quicker, brighter and something that doesn't make me squeal very often as my next game. I enjoyed this very much, and I'll have a go at RE3 fairly soon but by the end I was glad to see the credits roll and that slow, hulking dickhead won't be missed!
Just when I thought I was done with Cyberpunk, this absolutely fantastic DLC package arrived - and manages to improve on the sublime main game with a perfect balance of intriguing storyline, strong characters and bloody awesome new skills and weapons. Oh and the coolest, baddest, meanest area of Night City on top of it all.
I loved the main story to Cyberpunk, but Phantom Liberty manages to turn up the set pieces a notch, introducing excellent new characters including the President of the NUSA. My V got well and truly sucked into the political intrigue and before long I found myself trying to take down a giant mechanical arachnid before having a chat with Idris Elba in a dingy downtown bar - and that was just the beginning. This is Cyberpunk at its grittiest - the new characters have interesting backstories and I could have sworn I saw poor Johnny Silverhand looking particularly out of joint and forgotten about as I probed further into the new area of Night City - Dogtown - a lawless slum brimming with lowlife scumbags. But as with the main map, it's teeming with activity, side quests, points of interest and people to fight/maim.
Phantom Liberty is very carefully and cleverly interwoven with the main game - it's entirely possible to switch between the two at any time, so I loaded up an old save before The Point of No Return in the main game, and played some side quests in both Dogtown and the other districts of Night City. Whereas I found Dogtown to be an irresistible lure due to it's grimy atmosphere, the new skills and equipment that are unlocked via Phantom Liberty prove most useful in any area of the game.
The cast in Phantom Liberty are awesome. Netrunner Songbird puts in a great performance and although I love Keanu Reeves as Johnny Silverhand, Idris Elba's Solomon Reed is IMO a better performance. It made me want to complete all possible sidequests that involved any of the main cast, and by the end, I must have put in at least an extra 30 hours on top of the 90-odd I clocked into the main game.
Phantom Liberty is one of the shiniest and best DLC packages I've ever played. Of course, it helps when the base game is so brilliant, but rather than just being a continuation of Cyberpunk, the new abilities, weapons and map are great and the storyline improves on anything from the main game.
A triumph.
I loved the main story to Cyberpunk, but Phantom Liberty manages to turn up the set pieces a notch, introducing excellent new characters including the President of the NUSA. My V got well and truly sucked into the political intrigue and before long I found myself trying to take down a giant mechanical arachnid before having a chat with Idris Elba in a dingy downtown bar - and that was just the beginning. This is Cyberpunk at its grittiest - the new characters have interesting backstories and I could have sworn I saw poor Johnny Silverhand looking particularly out of joint and forgotten about as I probed further into the new area of Night City - Dogtown - a lawless slum brimming with lowlife scumbags. But as with the main map, it's teeming with activity, side quests, points of interest and people to fight/maim.
Phantom Liberty is very carefully and cleverly interwoven with the main game - it's entirely possible to switch between the two at any time, so I loaded up an old save before The Point of No Return in the main game, and played some side quests in both Dogtown and the other districts of Night City. Whereas I found Dogtown to be an irresistible lure due to it's grimy atmosphere, the new skills and equipment that are unlocked via Phantom Liberty prove most useful in any area of the game.
The cast in Phantom Liberty are awesome. Netrunner Songbird puts in a great performance and although I love Keanu Reeves as Johnny Silverhand, Idris Elba's Solomon Reed is IMO a better performance. It made me want to complete all possible sidequests that involved any of the main cast, and by the end, I must have put in at least an extra 30 hours on top of the 90-odd I clocked into the main game.
Phantom Liberty is one of the shiniest and best DLC packages I've ever played. Of course, it helps when the base game is so brilliant, but rather than just being a continuation of Cyberpunk, the new abilities, weapons and map are great and the storyline improves on anything from the main game.
A triumph.
2023
My brain hurts. It just cannot fathom how anyone could possibly come up with some of these puzzles. But Cocoon works so well because none of these puzzles trick you, they're all incredibly satisfying to solve, and everything you need is in plain sight. It just needs a bit of grey matter exercising to put 2 and 2 together.
Cocoon is a beautifully crafted video game. Soothing visuals and sounds are the perfect accompaniment to the assortment of puzzles, which gradually increase in scope, scale and difficulty as the roughly 5 or 6 hours it takes to complete the game passes.
I also thought that the puzzles were perfectly pitched in terms of challenge and timescale. Not one seemed to overstay its welcome - there was certainly a few forehead slaps when I worked out a puzzle that stumped me for a while, but that was my brain's fault, not the game's!
I think a sign of a truly great game is when you wake up thinking about it. Or when you think 'just another 30 minutes' late at night, and you stay hooked for a few more hours. Cocoon did both of these to me - it's one of the coolest and inventive games I've played in a while.
Cocoon is a beautifully crafted video game. Soothing visuals and sounds are the perfect accompaniment to the assortment of puzzles, which gradually increase in scope, scale and difficulty as the roughly 5 or 6 hours it takes to complete the game passes.
I also thought that the puzzles were perfectly pitched in terms of challenge and timescale. Not one seemed to overstay its welcome - there was certainly a few forehead slaps when I worked out a puzzle that stumped me for a while, but that was my brain's fault, not the game's!
I think a sign of a truly great game is when you wake up thinking about it. Or when you think 'just another 30 minutes' late at night, and you stay hooked for a few more hours. Cocoon did both of these to me - it's one of the coolest and inventive games I've played in a while.
2020
Well this is just magnificent. The best looking game I've played on my Series X, and played on a lovely 55" OLED screen, it's astonishing to watch it in action.
Fortunately, Cyberpunk has everything else going for it to match the amazing visuals. Night City is one of the best locations I've seen in a game, it feels alive, with incredible attention to detail. I don't think I used fast travel much at all - just walking or driving around the map always showed up something random or cool, and taking in the ambience of the place was a massive highlight.
But it doesn't stop there - the characters, the quests, the main story, everything about Cyberpunk feels spot on. It's the first and so far only time I've seen what the Series X is truly capable of. It made me very glad that I played and finished Starfield before starting this because the 2 games feel a generation apart. I don't think I disliked a single quest in Cyberpunk, there's so much variation with a glittering cast of characters. From Johnny Silverhand to Judy Alvarez, I really enjoyed the interactions with them.
Character creation is as complex as you want it to be. I chose a female V and honestly couldn't imagine V being anything other than a total badass female. She's ace. YMMV of course, but no matter how you choose your appearance or class, there's a ton of different customisation options - a lot of which seem pretty pointless for a game that is 90% first person! But again, it's another level of incredible detail and polish.
Cyberpunk is such a cool game - I was hooked by the main story from the very start. If I was being uber-critical, it can be quite daunting to start with, before you've got to grips with the combat systems, gigs, collectibles, weapons, tech etc etc. My advice is to take the first few hours slowly, enjoy exploring, and be aware that there are many different ways to approach missions. The attributes and skills can be tweaked to suit your own playstyle and over my approximately 100 hours of play, I completely changed approach several times, installed different decks, tried out different quick hacks and weapons - the variety is incredible. I think my favourite was the Sandevistan operating system with an all guns blazing approach which is absolute chaos, but I also massively enjoyed using quick hacks in some missions. It's just all so bloody satisfying.
Even some of the side missions are memorable - the companion quests are a must, there are some hard hitting stories and superb character development to be enjoyed, and there are a stack of 'gig' missions given to you by various 'fixers' across Night City. Some of these are pretty short, but they can act as decent training missions for trying out new weapons or mods.
Cyberpunk is an absolute triumph of a video game. It got me absolutely hooked from the first day I started it, and even without the Phantom Liberty DLC (which somehow manages to improve on the base game - more on that later!) I spent many many hours soaking up as much of the Night City atmosphere as I could.
Astounding - an absolute MUST play.
Fortunately, Cyberpunk has everything else going for it to match the amazing visuals. Night City is one of the best locations I've seen in a game, it feels alive, with incredible attention to detail. I don't think I used fast travel much at all - just walking or driving around the map always showed up something random or cool, and taking in the ambience of the place was a massive highlight.
But it doesn't stop there - the characters, the quests, the main story, everything about Cyberpunk feels spot on. It's the first and so far only time I've seen what the Series X is truly capable of. It made me very glad that I played and finished Starfield before starting this because the 2 games feel a generation apart. I don't think I disliked a single quest in Cyberpunk, there's so much variation with a glittering cast of characters. From Johnny Silverhand to Judy Alvarez, I really enjoyed the interactions with them.
Character creation is as complex as you want it to be. I chose a female V and honestly couldn't imagine V being anything other than a total badass female. She's ace. YMMV of course, but no matter how you choose your appearance or class, there's a ton of different customisation options - a lot of which seem pretty pointless for a game that is 90% first person! But again, it's another level of incredible detail and polish.
Cyberpunk is such a cool game - I was hooked by the main story from the very start. If I was being uber-critical, it can be quite daunting to start with, before you've got to grips with the combat systems, gigs, collectibles, weapons, tech etc etc. My advice is to take the first few hours slowly, enjoy exploring, and be aware that there are many different ways to approach missions. The attributes and skills can be tweaked to suit your own playstyle and over my approximately 100 hours of play, I completely changed approach several times, installed different decks, tried out different quick hacks and weapons - the variety is incredible. I think my favourite was the Sandevistan operating system with an all guns blazing approach which is absolute chaos, but I also massively enjoyed using quick hacks in some missions. It's just all so bloody satisfying.
Even some of the side missions are memorable - the companion quests are a must, there are some hard hitting stories and superb character development to be enjoyed, and there are a stack of 'gig' missions given to you by various 'fixers' across Night City. Some of these are pretty short, but they can act as decent training missions for trying out new weapons or mods.
Cyberpunk is an absolute triumph of a video game. It got me absolutely hooked from the first day I started it, and even without the Phantom Liberty DLC (which somehow manages to improve on the base game - more on that later!) I spent many many hours soaking up as much of the Night City atmosphere as I could.
Astounding - an absolute MUST play.
2023
This is almost impossible to review - it will sound like I'm trying to make excuses for Starfield at every turn here. And it's true, I want to love this - it should be (and still might) make my top 5 in the GOTY votes. BUT! It absolutely should be better than it is.
I've read a lot of criticisms about this which I can understand, and I even accept that these issues are present when they shouldn't be. Things like the all-too-frequent loading screens, the 'lack of immersion' etc. But these specific issues simply don't bother me. The fast travel system is just really quite convenient - quests can be completed without it ever feeling too time sapping having to travel between systems etc etc.
So having finished the main quest in approximately 70 hours of gameplay - including all faction quests - I couldn't help but feel that there aren't enough things to do outside these main quests. Side quests are too frequently empty fetch quests, I didn't see enough random things on planets to warrant further exploration and the main quest itself seemed to finish very abruptly, with a large portion of it being identikit missions to find temples. I was hoping to spend another 70 hours exploring, levelling up further - more variation and unique encounters on random worlds would have massively helped.
But - you don't spend 70 hours on a game unless there's something appealing. Starfield has plenty right with it, the Nasa-esque aesthetic runs throughout the entire game and it's superb. The ships, interiors, outfits, corridors etc all look amazing and it's easy to get lost just marvelling at the messy labs, cluttered hallways, cool door mechanisms and so on. And although it really needs a proper tutorial, the ship building tool really is a great feature. It's fiddly, but once it clicks and you start changing the layout and power of your craft, it becomes very satisfying. Especially when you're properly geared up for ship to ship combat, targetting enemy ship systems before boarding their stricken vessel, killing the remaining crew and stealing everything in their hold. Lovely stuff.
Also, I quite enjoyed the expanded cast of characters and the lore of the game. It's worth checking out the museum at the start of the UC Vanguard mission as that gives a really neat overview of all the different factions, the history of star travel etc. And the characters of Constellation - random space artefact boffins - are great. A perfect balance between them, and some of them are very useful companions to take with you on missions. The way these characters fit into the main story is very good too - I just wish the gameplay variation did these characters a bit more justice.
There are a few parts of Starfield I never actually bothered with, which I found a bit of a waste. Namely the upgrade workstations and outposts. I would have liked these to be a bit more important to each explorer's journey and whilst it's always nice to have a way to farm these extra resources, I thought it was all a bit of a faff. If the inventory management was better (it's really dated - there's really nothing that's been improved from Skyrim, and that was tedious enough 10 years ago) this could have been far more useful but as it is, it's a bit of a chore which is a shame.
When Starfield is good, it's absolutely fantastic fun. My highlight was the Crimson Fleet faction quest. Absolutely worth doing with a final mission that was so much fun to play through - it can hit the heights of Firefly or The Expanse during these moments. More of these would have been very welcome. I've got some great gaming memories from Starfield, and as it's right at the start of its journey, I hope there's more content on the way for it which will improve the experience. There's so much potential in this beautifully realised world filled with interesting factions, creatures and factions that it would be a shame if it's left as empty as so much of it is.
I've not finished with this yet but just how much extra life this has, and how much I invest in NG+ is down to Bethesda and what their roadmap for the game looks like.
It's really good - it should have been absolutely great.
I've read a lot of criticisms about this which I can understand, and I even accept that these issues are present when they shouldn't be. Things like the all-too-frequent loading screens, the 'lack of immersion' etc. But these specific issues simply don't bother me. The fast travel system is just really quite convenient - quests can be completed without it ever feeling too time sapping having to travel between systems etc etc.
So having finished the main quest in approximately 70 hours of gameplay - including all faction quests - I couldn't help but feel that there aren't enough things to do outside these main quests. Side quests are too frequently empty fetch quests, I didn't see enough random things on planets to warrant further exploration and the main quest itself seemed to finish very abruptly, with a large portion of it being identikit missions to find temples. I was hoping to spend another 70 hours exploring, levelling up further - more variation and unique encounters on random worlds would have massively helped.
But - you don't spend 70 hours on a game unless there's something appealing. Starfield has plenty right with it, the Nasa-esque aesthetic runs throughout the entire game and it's superb. The ships, interiors, outfits, corridors etc all look amazing and it's easy to get lost just marvelling at the messy labs, cluttered hallways, cool door mechanisms and so on. And although it really needs a proper tutorial, the ship building tool really is a great feature. It's fiddly, but once it clicks and you start changing the layout and power of your craft, it becomes very satisfying. Especially when you're properly geared up for ship to ship combat, targetting enemy ship systems before boarding their stricken vessel, killing the remaining crew and stealing everything in their hold. Lovely stuff.
Also, I quite enjoyed the expanded cast of characters and the lore of the game. It's worth checking out the museum at the start of the UC Vanguard mission as that gives a really neat overview of all the different factions, the history of star travel etc. And the characters of Constellation - random space artefact boffins - are great. A perfect balance between them, and some of them are very useful companions to take with you on missions. The way these characters fit into the main story is very good too - I just wish the gameplay variation did these characters a bit more justice.
There are a few parts of Starfield I never actually bothered with, which I found a bit of a waste. Namely the upgrade workstations and outposts. I would have liked these to be a bit more important to each explorer's journey and whilst it's always nice to have a way to farm these extra resources, I thought it was all a bit of a faff. If the inventory management was better (it's really dated - there's really nothing that's been improved from Skyrim, and that was tedious enough 10 years ago) this could have been far more useful but as it is, it's a bit of a chore which is a shame.
When Starfield is good, it's absolutely fantastic fun. My highlight was the Crimson Fleet faction quest. Absolutely worth doing with a final mission that was so much fun to play through - it can hit the heights of Firefly or The Expanse during these moments. More of these would have been very welcome. I've got some great gaming memories from Starfield, and as it's right at the start of its journey, I hope there's more content on the way for it which will improve the experience. There's so much potential in this beautifully realised world filled with interesting factions, creatures and factions that it would be a shame if it's left as empty as so much of it is.
I've not finished with this yet but just how much extra life this has, and how much I invest in NG+ is down to Bethesda and what their roadmap for the game looks like.
It's really good - it should have been absolutely great.
Felt a bit sorry for this, as it's the first thing I've played since finishing Tears of the Kingdom - it really didn't stand much chance from the off! But this is a decent if mostly unspectacular adventure game with some excellent puzzles and fun game mechanics.
There's not much wrong with this at all, just that it's very rarely spectacular or original. The story is a very run of the mill Tomb Raider-esque affair, the plot twists are pretty obvious, the characters rather 2 dimensional etc. It's all been seen before basically.
Visually it's really nice, some spectacular landscapes, stunning interiors, and it always sounds top notch.
I think where it disappointed me a bit was in the fairly average gameplay. The combat is fine, the platforming is fine, but aside from obtaining some pretty cool power ups as the story progresses, it never really takes any risks, and the set pieces don't have enough variety. Likewise, there are plenty of potential methods of completing certain areas where there are bad guys around, but I never felt inclined to try stealthy ways of getting through when I could just stay behind cover and shoot. And the guns themselves - plenty of variety but I almost always opted for the pistol, despite numerous upgrades. Gunplay is.... fine, I guess - but it's been done better in similar games and I couldn't stop the comparison to games like Uncharted for example. Oh - a word for the final boss - one of the worst boss fights I've ever seen in a game. Clunky, daft, and thoroughly anticlimactic, I've no idea why they decided to put such a poor battle at the conclusion. It's just... rubbish!
I did quite enjoy the platforming sections, but there were some sections where you have to double back on yourself which got a bit frustrating, particularly towards the end. As above, the platforming is good.... but nothing really more than that.
The highlight of Rise are definitely the puzzles. Some of which are optional tomb challenges but some are found in the main story. Now these DID have more variety, and some were proper head scratchers, but they all felt really satisfying to work out and finish. I enjoyed all the puzzles I attempted. Definitely the highlight of the game.
I could have spent a lot more time on this, but there's nothing worth gaining by finding all the collectibles, the optional tomb challenges (shoot 6 candles, etc etc) are a bit bland so I spent less than 9 hours in total on Rise. It's a decent enough story, with fine combat and platforming, but there's absolutely nothing here that you wouldn't expect. If you enjoy a Lara Croft experience, it's worth looking at but there are definitely other titles out there that do everything there is to offer in this, only they do it better.
There's not much wrong with this at all, just that it's very rarely spectacular or original. The story is a very run of the mill Tomb Raider-esque affair, the plot twists are pretty obvious, the characters rather 2 dimensional etc. It's all been seen before basically.
Visually it's really nice, some spectacular landscapes, stunning interiors, and it always sounds top notch.
I think where it disappointed me a bit was in the fairly average gameplay. The combat is fine, the platforming is fine, but aside from obtaining some pretty cool power ups as the story progresses, it never really takes any risks, and the set pieces don't have enough variety. Likewise, there are plenty of potential methods of completing certain areas where there are bad guys around, but I never felt inclined to try stealthy ways of getting through when I could just stay behind cover and shoot. And the guns themselves - plenty of variety but I almost always opted for the pistol, despite numerous upgrades. Gunplay is.... fine, I guess - but it's been done better in similar games and I couldn't stop the comparison to games like Uncharted for example. Oh - a word for the final boss - one of the worst boss fights I've ever seen in a game. Clunky, daft, and thoroughly anticlimactic, I've no idea why they decided to put such a poor battle at the conclusion. It's just... rubbish!
I did quite enjoy the platforming sections, but there were some sections where you have to double back on yourself which got a bit frustrating, particularly towards the end. As above, the platforming is good.... but nothing really more than that.
The highlight of Rise are definitely the puzzles. Some of which are optional tomb challenges but some are found in the main story. Now these DID have more variety, and some were proper head scratchers, but they all felt really satisfying to work out and finish. I enjoyed all the puzzles I attempted. Definitely the highlight of the game.
I could have spent a lot more time on this, but there's nothing worth gaining by finding all the collectibles, the optional tomb challenges (shoot 6 candles, etc etc) are a bit bland so I spent less than 9 hours in total on Rise. It's a decent enough story, with fine combat and platforming, but there's absolutely nothing here that you wouldn't expect. If you enjoy a Lara Croft experience, it's worth looking at but there are definitely other titles out there that do everything there is to offer in this, only they do it better.
Where to even begin with this? It's the greatest video game I have ever played and TBH I don't think it's even close. This is because the incredible Breath of the Wild was the previous incumbent and I genuinely can't think of a single aspect of that game that TotK hasn't improved on. It's even improved on aspects that simply did not need improving - there's no complacency here, it's just Nintendo at their absolute grade A best. They've created an absolute masterpiece that I could have completed way earlier than the 150+ hours it eventually took me, but I just did not want this game to end so I continued to explore the vast world of Hyrule where the next adventure was never far away. Because this game is packed with things to do, places to see, characters to meet, monsters to fight and landscapes to take in.
I think there's such a valuable lesson to so many game developers out there. The Switch does not have the processing powers of other consoles, but I can't think of many titles that has the sheer beauty on show in TotK. The way the day progresses, the weather systems, the wildlife, the wind, the clouds, the trees - it's so bloody pretty. It's not 4k, it's not 60fps but it's 100% engaging. Then of course there's the sound. The gentle music, the effects - it's my favourite sound scape in a game. Even in those sweeping plains of Hyrule in between sidequests
As for the actual game, there's a decent, improved story that weaves through everything in TotK, but even some of the side quests can immerse you, even if they're totally separate from the main quest lines. Clearing the village of Lurelin from a gang of Bokoblin pirates was a highlight, as were the multiple stress free side quests in Hateno village, the connected storylines at the stables, finding and activating the Great Fairies etc etc. Introducing the Depths into Hyrule was just an added bonus - the game would have been amazing without a whole other map to explore. I know some people didn't get on with exploring down there, but I lost HOURS messing around hunting monsters, collecting zonaite, sabotaging Yiga clan members' vehicles and so much more. It's yet another vast playground for you to get totally lost it and I loved it.
There are more shrines than in BotW and I found them to be better overall, with some brilliant puzzles. Some simple, some proper head scratches and some which reward you even if you don't use the tools Nintendo probably wanted you to. But that's the same all over Hyrule - if it works, great! Here's your reward. That level of freedom is such a joy and it definitely makes use of the old grey matter.
That brings me onto Link's abilities which personally are my highlight of the whole game. As mentioned earlier, there wasn't any need to completely redesign Link's skills from the previous game, but his new abilities are exquisite. I spent more time using ultrahand to create all manner of objects - vehicles, short cut creating apparatus, ridiculous OTT killing machines, daft ACME-style transportation devices to help the poor stranded koroks. I'm not a massive fan of constant crafting things but this is a totally different level. There's seemingly no limit to the things you can create, yet you don't really have to engage in this if you don't want. I did and spent hours making things. Some worked a treat (Colin the Monster Killing Robot was my favourite creation - a heat seeking cannon headed dalek shaped thing that reaped absolute chaos) whereas some were abject failures - which resulted in more hilarity than they had any right to!
Other abilities include fuse - where you can fuse pretty much anything to your weapon or shield (cannon swords FTW!!), and ascend which I still can't quite understand how they made work quite so well. In a cave and not looking forward to retracing your steps all the way back again? No probs, just use ascend and find yourself on the top of a random hill etc etc.
And of course, all these abilities can be used to beat shrines, change tactics with the bigger monsters etc etc.
I really cannot get my head around the love and attention that's gone into this game. The mantra of 'this might work - let's give it a go' was the highlight of BotW and it's increased tenfold because of things like fuse and ultrahand. The amount of combinations of things you can fuse and the subsequent effect it has really is astounding.
As for the main bosses, the big monsters and the end game - I can't fault the variety on show here. Even my least favourite of the 4 main temples (the fire temple) is a brilliant level to play through. The better temples are amazing, proper height of the genre stuff.
There's so much I've not even mentioned in this review that I absolutely loved, but how on earth can I possibly condense the amount of fun I've had in a game THIS good which lasted me 2.5 months and 150-odd hours into a single post?
Tears of the Kingdom is truly an absolute masterpiece. It's the best game I have ever played and I have absolutely no idea how on earth Nintendo can possibly top this. But I said all of this about Breath of the Wild.
I miss being lost in that world already and I'm sure that eventually, I'll venture into Hyrule for another go. And I'll be completely spellbound all over again.
I think there's such a valuable lesson to so many game developers out there. The Switch does not have the processing powers of other consoles, but I can't think of many titles that has the sheer beauty on show in TotK. The way the day progresses, the weather systems, the wildlife, the wind, the clouds, the trees - it's so bloody pretty. It's not 4k, it's not 60fps but it's 100% engaging. Then of course there's the sound. The gentle music, the effects - it's my favourite sound scape in a game. Even in those sweeping plains of Hyrule in between sidequests
As for the actual game, there's a decent, improved story that weaves through everything in TotK, but even some of the side quests can immerse you, even if they're totally separate from the main quest lines. Clearing the village of Lurelin from a gang of Bokoblin pirates was a highlight, as were the multiple stress free side quests in Hateno village, the connected storylines at the stables, finding and activating the Great Fairies etc etc. Introducing the Depths into Hyrule was just an added bonus - the game would have been amazing without a whole other map to explore. I know some people didn't get on with exploring down there, but I lost HOURS messing around hunting monsters, collecting zonaite, sabotaging Yiga clan members' vehicles and so much more. It's yet another vast playground for you to get totally lost it and I loved it.
There are more shrines than in BotW and I found them to be better overall, with some brilliant puzzles. Some simple, some proper head scratches and some which reward you even if you don't use the tools Nintendo probably wanted you to. But that's the same all over Hyrule - if it works, great! Here's your reward. That level of freedom is such a joy and it definitely makes use of the old grey matter.
That brings me onto Link's abilities which personally are my highlight of the whole game. As mentioned earlier, there wasn't any need to completely redesign Link's skills from the previous game, but his new abilities are exquisite. I spent more time using ultrahand to create all manner of objects - vehicles, short cut creating apparatus, ridiculous OTT killing machines, daft ACME-style transportation devices to help the poor stranded koroks. I'm not a massive fan of constant crafting things but this is a totally different level. There's seemingly no limit to the things you can create, yet you don't really have to engage in this if you don't want. I did and spent hours making things. Some worked a treat (Colin the Monster Killing Robot was my favourite creation - a heat seeking cannon headed dalek shaped thing that reaped absolute chaos) whereas some were abject failures - which resulted in more hilarity than they had any right to!
Other abilities include fuse - where you can fuse pretty much anything to your weapon or shield (cannon swords FTW!!), and ascend which I still can't quite understand how they made work quite so well. In a cave and not looking forward to retracing your steps all the way back again? No probs, just use ascend and find yourself on the top of a random hill etc etc.
And of course, all these abilities can be used to beat shrines, change tactics with the bigger monsters etc etc.
I really cannot get my head around the love and attention that's gone into this game. The mantra of 'this might work - let's give it a go' was the highlight of BotW and it's increased tenfold because of things like fuse and ultrahand. The amount of combinations of things you can fuse and the subsequent effect it has really is astounding.
As for the main bosses, the big monsters and the end game - I can't fault the variety on show here. Even my least favourite of the 4 main temples (the fire temple) is a brilliant level to play through. The better temples are amazing, proper height of the genre stuff.
There's so much I've not even mentioned in this review that I absolutely loved, but how on earth can I possibly condense the amount of fun I've had in a game THIS good which lasted me 2.5 months and 150-odd hours into a single post?
Tears of the Kingdom is truly an absolute masterpiece. It's the best game I have ever played and I have absolutely no idea how on earth Nintendo can possibly top this. But I said all of this about Breath of the Wild.
I miss being lost in that world already and I'm sure that eventually, I'll venture into Hyrule for another go. And I'll be completely spellbound all over again.
2013
Even though Zelda has been keeping me busy over the past couple of months, I gave this a go and have been playing it pretty regularly. Because it sticks its claws into you and just won't let go. Quite how a game that has the least dexterous controls I can remember in a video game (aim with left stick, shoot with A, rinse and repeat) sucks you in this much is testament to the developers.
Seems daft to say this, but it genuinely takes some deft skills to rock up big scores, and ticks all the boxes for a Game Pass fix that has the 'just one more game, shit it's 1am' factor.
It's also the best game I've played on the cloud using touch screen, because of how simple the controls are, so it's so easy to load it up on phone/tablet to try and best your score.
It may be very simple, but it's also colourful, the music is tremendous, it's a bit silly, and it's addictive.
The downside is that some of the achievements don't unlock when they should which always annoys me - I'm stuck on 90% complete on most of the worlds, despite having beat them all. Oh, and the lack of sleep of course, but Peggle 2 can share that particular issue with Zelda.
Seems daft to say this, but it genuinely takes some deft skills to rock up big scores, and ticks all the boxes for a Game Pass fix that has the 'just one more game, shit it's 1am' factor.
It's also the best game I've played on the cloud using touch screen, because of how simple the controls are, so it's so easy to load it up on phone/tablet to try and best your score.
It may be very simple, but it's also colourful, the music is tremendous, it's a bit silly, and it's addictive.
The downside is that some of the achievements don't unlock when they should which always annoys me - I'm stuck on 90% complete on most of the worlds, despite having beat them all. Oh, and the lack of sleep of course, but Peggle 2 can share that particular issue with Zelda.
I found the previous chapter in Cal Kestis' story to be good but not brilliant, with a plethora of things I wanted to see improved in the sequel. So I'm delighted that most of this issues have indeed been eradicated in Jedi Survivor - an excellent sequel that absolutely improves on Fallen Order in almost every conceivable way.
Taking place 5 years after the first game, Jedi Survivor manages to tell a brilliant Star Wars tale in such a satisfactory way that it's possible to liken it to the very best stories in the galaxy. With plenty of bombastic set pieces, excellent characters, twists, turns, lightsabers, blasters, dogfights, weird and wonderful creates etc etc - so much has been jam packed into this sequel using the now familiar Star Wars shine that EA have managed to achieve with all their recent Star Wars-based offerings.
In fact, I'd go as far as to say that the story itself is the highlight of the whole package. It looks great (well, it does now - the well documented issues with the performance at launch can't be totally ignored here, even though there are now fixes for this making it a much smoother experience) and it sounds magnificent - this is definitely a game you should experience with a headset. There are a few set pieces (and fortunately no QTEs to suffer through) which are genuinely incredible, adding to the story and the overall satisfactory feel of the whole thing. Whilst I wouldn't dare spoil anything for anyone yet to finish the game, the pacing, the character acting and the ups and downs of the campaign are absolutely excellent. Oh and I've not yet mentioned BD-1. What an absolute delight he is - I want one.
Combat is a lot better than the previous instalment as well, with lots more new moves, abilities and even lightsaber stances to try and perfect. Even though I preferred the double-bladed saber in combat, I used all 4 stances at various times, all coming with specific moves which were handy against different foes and scenarios. There's plenty of variety with these bad guys too. Kudos to EA for not following the lazy trope of the lead character having to start from the very beginning with zero abilities. The Cal who starts this game is still hard as nails - yet the journey he goes on and the levelling up he does makes the skill sets you have by the end feel amazing, and you'll be pulling off some pretty special kickass Jedi-ing in no time.
Jedi Survivor manages to solve a massive issue I had with the previous game which was the lack of no fast travel. Platform sections are still fun, but once you unlock save points, you're able to fast travel between any others you've unlocked - so no more back tracking across confusing sections to get back to the next starting location. The map itself is still a let down though, annoyingly difficult to navigate on the few occasions I was unsure where to head - the map has that spot on Star Wars feel to it, but this is the one aspect I wish they'd have dispensed with the theme and just given us a map that was easier to read!
It's also a much bigger game - each area has plenty to find, collectables, 'rumours' (side quests) and legendary adversaries. The main world of Koboh also acts as a mini hub with plenty of NPCs to speak to set in a wonderfully Star Wars-y cantina. There's lots more for me to do even though I've finished the main story - I've bounties to collect, beasts to slay, areas to explore and still some combat moves to unlock. There's even a garden you can add new flora to on the cantina roof. You're probably looking at a good 40 hours of gameplay before you've seen everything.
Jedi Survivor is a great game, a worthy sequel with a terrific story. Fans of action platformers will enjoy it, fans of Star Wars and action platformers will adore it. I'm in the latter camp and I'm sure that I'll return to this to play the NG+ mode again in a few months as there's loads to enjoy here.
Taking place 5 years after the first game, Jedi Survivor manages to tell a brilliant Star Wars tale in such a satisfactory way that it's possible to liken it to the very best stories in the galaxy. With plenty of bombastic set pieces, excellent characters, twists, turns, lightsabers, blasters, dogfights, weird and wonderful creates etc etc - so much has been jam packed into this sequel using the now familiar Star Wars shine that EA have managed to achieve with all their recent Star Wars-based offerings.
In fact, I'd go as far as to say that the story itself is the highlight of the whole package. It looks great (well, it does now - the well documented issues with the performance at launch can't be totally ignored here, even though there are now fixes for this making it a much smoother experience) and it sounds magnificent - this is definitely a game you should experience with a headset. There are a few set pieces (and fortunately no QTEs to suffer through) which are genuinely incredible, adding to the story and the overall satisfactory feel of the whole thing. Whilst I wouldn't dare spoil anything for anyone yet to finish the game, the pacing, the character acting and the ups and downs of the campaign are absolutely excellent. Oh and I've not yet mentioned BD-1. What an absolute delight he is - I want one.
Combat is a lot better than the previous instalment as well, with lots more new moves, abilities and even lightsaber stances to try and perfect. Even though I preferred the double-bladed saber in combat, I used all 4 stances at various times, all coming with specific moves which were handy against different foes and scenarios. There's plenty of variety with these bad guys too. Kudos to EA for not following the lazy trope of the lead character having to start from the very beginning with zero abilities. The Cal who starts this game is still hard as nails - yet the journey he goes on and the levelling up he does makes the skill sets you have by the end feel amazing, and you'll be pulling off some pretty special kickass Jedi-ing in no time.
Jedi Survivor manages to solve a massive issue I had with the previous game which was the lack of no fast travel. Platform sections are still fun, but once you unlock save points, you're able to fast travel between any others you've unlocked - so no more back tracking across confusing sections to get back to the next starting location. The map itself is still a let down though, annoyingly difficult to navigate on the few occasions I was unsure where to head - the map has that spot on Star Wars feel to it, but this is the one aspect I wish they'd have dispensed with the theme and just given us a map that was easier to read!
It's also a much bigger game - each area has plenty to find, collectables, 'rumours' (side quests) and legendary adversaries. The main world of Koboh also acts as a mini hub with plenty of NPCs to speak to set in a wonderfully Star Wars-y cantina. There's lots more for me to do even though I've finished the main story - I've bounties to collect, beasts to slay, areas to explore and still some combat moves to unlock. There's even a garden you can add new flora to on the cantina roof. You're probably looking at a good 40 hours of gameplay before you've seen everything.
Jedi Survivor is a great game, a worthy sequel with a terrific story. Fans of action platformers will enjoy it, fans of Star Wars and action platformers will adore it. I'm in the latter camp and I'm sure that I'll return to this to play the NG+ mode again in a few months as there's loads to enjoy here.
2023
What a beautiful little game, with a charming, vibrant art style. I'd say it's perfect for younger players who fancy the idea of a huge, open world RPG such as Zelda, but are rather overwhelmed by the scale and time involved in such an epic quest. Ravenlok only took me 5-ish hours to complete, and I managed to unlock all achievements (which are very generous) in that time. A Microsoft Reward hunter's dream really.
It's a charming little story - you play as a small girl whose family has just moved house from the city to the countryside, and as you brood from leaving behind all your friends, you find an old mirror in your new barn, and that's the gateway to a fantastical world and a new adventure. Lots of Alice in Wonderland references, and it works well.
Ravenlok has pretty much all the tropes from bigger games in the genre, there's absolutely nothing new or original here in that sense, and it's all very basic. You get a sword, a shield, the ability to block and dash, and 4 separate special moves that require cooldowns to use, utilised with the 4 shoulder buttons - these unlock as you progress through the story.
Again, there's a simplicity to everything, particularly the combat. It's fine, it's serviceable, it's fun. Don't expect complicated combos or advanced enemy AI here, but enemies are varied and interesting and there are plenty of really good boss fights. But nothing that will put up too much of a challenge. Levelling up is done via accumulating XP and it doesn't take long at all to reach the max level of 20 (pop achievement unlocked!)
Puzzles mainly involve fetch quests, all are very charming - but trying to find certain items can be a bit annoying with no indication of where you need to look whatsoever. That's probably the biggest issue I have with Ravenlok as I found myself searching every nook and cranny for quest items that were found in a totally different place, seemingly with no real reason for its location. Not a huge issue, but a bit of a pain at times.
Ravenlok is so pretty, so charming, with a plethora of cute creatures littering the landscape (and lots of those are bunnies). The art style is tremendous, the different areas all vibrant and interesting to look at. At the moment, there's a lot of exasperation regarding Game Pass and a particular title flopping so badly, but a game like this is the reason why Game Pass is such a good service which for me means far more successes than failures. I'd never heard of Ravenlok 24 hours ago, and now I can recommend it to anyone who wants a short, fun experience and it's a brilliant game to recommend to kids. Oh - and achievements. So many achievements in so little time.
It's a charming little story - you play as a small girl whose family has just moved house from the city to the countryside, and as you brood from leaving behind all your friends, you find an old mirror in your new barn, and that's the gateway to a fantastical world and a new adventure. Lots of Alice in Wonderland references, and it works well.
Ravenlok has pretty much all the tropes from bigger games in the genre, there's absolutely nothing new or original here in that sense, and it's all very basic. You get a sword, a shield, the ability to block and dash, and 4 separate special moves that require cooldowns to use, utilised with the 4 shoulder buttons - these unlock as you progress through the story.
Again, there's a simplicity to everything, particularly the combat. It's fine, it's serviceable, it's fun. Don't expect complicated combos or advanced enemy AI here, but enemies are varied and interesting and there are plenty of really good boss fights. But nothing that will put up too much of a challenge. Levelling up is done via accumulating XP and it doesn't take long at all to reach the max level of 20 (pop achievement unlocked!)
Puzzles mainly involve fetch quests, all are very charming - but trying to find certain items can be a bit annoying with no indication of where you need to look whatsoever. That's probably the biggest issue I have with Ravenlok as I found myself searching every nook and cranny for quest items that were found in a totally different place, seemingly with no real reason for its location. Not a huge issue, but a bit of a pain at times.
Ravenlok is so pretty, so charming, with a plethora of cute creatures littering the landscape (and lots of those are bunnies). The art style is tremendous, the different areas all vibrant and interesting to look at. At the moment, there's a lot of exasperation regarding Game Pass and a particular title flopping so badly, but a game like this is the reason why Game Pass is such a good service which for me means far more successes than failures. I'd never heard of Ravenlok 24 hours ago, and now I can recommend it to anyone who wants a short, fun experience and it's a brilliant game to recommend to kids. Oh - and achievements. So many achievements in so little time.
This game hates you. And do you know what? That's fine - the feeling is mutual. And if I wasn't so stubborn, I'd have binned this off. Maybe I should have done so - it would have saved me 15 hours of intense frustration and dissatisfaction over the really bad game design, crazy difficulty spikes, and general annoyance with the whole package.
I only started this to get the 500 MS reward points for unlocking 3 achievements. That didn't take me too long to do, and I got them all in the hand-holding opening section which is actually quite good. Combat seemed to be straightforward but reasonably fun, platforming sections were unoriginal but perfectly fine, so I thought what the hell, let's stick with it.
Unfortunately, Recore appears to age dreadfully the longer you play it. The world itself isn't particularly pretty or interesting, and if you're looking around for certain objects (more on this later) then respawning enemies seem to constantly get in your way which is a bit of a hassle. The story itself is not memorable, nor the characters you meet aside from your corebots - cute robot companions who have a specific skill you can use for both combat and platform traversals. You play as Joules, but even the protagonist isn't in any way memorable and you never feel connected to her mission.
As you learn new skills and the enemies scale with your skill levels, Recore starts to fall apart quite dramatically. I really liked the use of different colours for different enemies. Using the d-pad changes which colour you fire - if you're up against red enemies, use the red ammo, same for blue, yellow, white etc. All okay. Until you start facing a whole swarm of the bastards, with no easy way of seeing what's behind you. Combat is clunky in close quarters and totally ineffective at long range. When you get swamped by several different colours all at once, you'll be staggered back and probably hit again before you're able to recover. It takes a fair amount of skill to jump , dash, change fire colour, use your corebot as back up, ensure your weapon doesn't overheat etc but it's never fun to do it. It's frustrating, it's clunky and that's before the bugs that might take effect. Several times, my weapon stopped firing and only quitting the game back to the dashboard could stop that. Other times, poor Joules got stuck in the scenery meaning insta-death. And at once point, during a tense boss battle close to the end of the game, I lost firepower AND got stuck in the scenery.
Another stupid lack of foresight is the fact you can only take 2 out of your 3 corebots. Which is a pain because you'll come across some sections where you need the 1 you had to leave behind. So you have to find a fast travel station to switch round again. Then you'll find another section where you'll need the one you left behind, so you'll have to backtrack to the fast travel point and change around again. FFS, why?
On top of this - the aim of the game is to collect Prismatic Cores - found as part of the main story but also side quests, where you need all 3 of your corebots. As I didn't really fancy trying to collect some of these tedious Prismatic Cores found perched atop seemingly unassailable ledges, I just stuck to the main campaign. Until I reached a point where I only had 17 of these cores, but needed 30 to progress. Fucking hell - nothing else for it, time to grind these dull, frustrating side quests.
I have to also moan about the final 1/3 of the game. It is shit. It's basically loads of incredibly dull, frustrating and annoying platform sections interspersed with the occasional 3 waves of very tough enemies. If you die on the last enemy of the final wave, you're right back to the start of wave 1. At close quarters. It looks rubbish, it's FAR too long and by the end of each section, I was so glad to have finished. Until there was another identical looking floor with the same mix of crap platforming and frustrating combat. And then you finish that..... only to be faced with yet another identical looking floor with the same mix of crap platforming and frustrating combat. And then you finish that.... etc etc.
Also, the final boss is way too difficult. I was delighted to finish this - not for any sense of achievement (aside from my own stubbornness winning over common sense) but because I never ever want to go back to such a frustrating, poorly designed, drab game like this.
I hated it, and coming from someone who always tends to see the positives in games, that's quite the accolade. Avoid - it's not worth 500 MS reward points.
I only started this to get the 500 MS reward points for unlocking 3 achievements. That didn't take me too long to do, and I got them all in the hand-holding opening section which is actually quite good. Combat seemed to be straightforward but reasonably fun, platforming sections were unoriginal but perfectly fine, so I thought what the hell, let's stick with it.
Unfortunately, Recore appears to age dreadfully the longer you play it. The world itself isn't particularly pretty or interesting, and if you're looking around for certain objects (more on this later) then respawning enemies seem to constantly get in your way which is a bit of a hassle. The story itself is not memorable, nor the characters you meet aside from your corebots - cute robot companions who have a specific skill you can use for both combat and platform traversals. You play as Joules, but even the protagonist isn't in any way memorable and you never feel connected to her mission.
As you learn new skills and the enemies scale with your skill levels, Recore starts to fall apart quite dramatically. I really liked the use of different colours for different enemies. Using the d-pad changes which colour you fire - if you're up against red enemies, use the red ammo, same for blue, yellow, white etc. All okay. Until you start facing a whole swarm of the bastards, with no easy way of seeing what's behind you. Combat is clunky in close quarters and totally ineffective at long range. When you get swamped by several different colours all at once, you'll be staggered back and probably hit again before you're able to recover. It takes a fair amount of skill to jump , dash, change fire colour, use your corebot as back up, ensure your weapon doesn't overheat etc but it's never fun to do it. It's frustrating, it's clunky and that's before the bugs that might take effect. Several times, my weapon stopped firing and only quitting the game back to the dashboard could stop that. Other times, poor Joules got stuck in the scenery meaning insta-death. And at once point, during a tense boss battle close to the end of the game, I lost firepower AND got stuck in the scenery.
Another stupid lack of foresight is the fact you can only take 2 out of your 3 corebots. Which is a pain because you'll come across some sections where you need the 1 you had to leave behind. So you have to find a fast travel station to switch round again. Then you'll find another section where you'll need the one you left behind, so you'll have to backtrack to the fast travel point and change around again. FFS, why?
On top of this - the aim of the game is to collect Prismatic Cores - found as part of the main story but also side quests, where you need all 3 of your corebots. As I didn't really fancy trying to collect some of these tedious Prismatic Cores found perched atop seemingly unassailable ledges, I just stuck to the main campaign. Until I reached a point where I only had 17 of these cores, but needed 30 to progress. Fucking hell - nothing else for it, time to grind these dull, frustrating side quests.
I have to also moan about the final 1/3 of the game. It is shit. It's basically loads of incredibly dull, frustrating and annoying platform sections interspersed with the occasional 3 waves of very tough enemies. If you die on the last enemy of the final wave, you're right back to the start of wave 1. At close quarters. It looks rubbish, it's FAR too long and by the end of each section, I was so glad to have finished. Until there was another identical looking floor with the same mix of crap platforming and frustrating combat. And then you finish that..... only to be faced with yet another identical looking floor with the same mix of crap platforming and frustrating combat. And then you finish that.... etc etc.
Also, the final boss is way too difficult. I was delighted to finish this - not for any sense of achievement (aside from my own stubbornness winning over common sense) but because I never ever want to go back to such a frustrating, poorly designed, drab game like this.
I hated it, and coming from someone who always tends to see the positives in games, that's quite the accolade. Avoid - it's not worth 500 MS reward points.
2019
I was going to wait a while to start this, as I've played so much Borderlands in 2023 already, but the lure was too great. It was a great decision because Borderlands 3 is easily the best of the series IMO. It's classic Borderlands - the formula hasn't really been changed, it's still vibrant, massively OTT with daft humour and bombastic weapons and set pieces, but QoL fixes have been added, it looks better than ever and crucially, it plays like an absolute dream.
The best thing about the whole package is undoubtedly the insane amount of variety with the weapons. And not only that, the gunplay is probably the best I can ever think of in the whole time I've been playing games. Guns feel perfect to wield, if they're heavy, light, long/short range, rocket launchers, even the crazy grenades feel brilliant to use. Even after 30+ hours, I was still excited about what gem of a gun I'd pick up after defeating a boss. Just when I thought I had found the perfect weapon, another would come along and change how I approached each scenario. Whether it was an over powered sniper rifle that dealt shock damage from long range or a shotgun which enveloped enemies in a poisonous gas, as well as releasing a heat seeking grenade every time I reloaded, the scale and design of some of these bonkers weapons is astonishing. There will absolutely be a gun you find that perfectly suits your style, and then it's guaranteed that you'll find another which is somehow even more fun to use whilst will result in cackling manically as you clear a room in super quick time.
The downside to this is of course that inventory organisation is at times an absolute nightmare. This is an issue that's never been satisfactorily dealt with since the first Borderlands game. TBF it's a looter shooter and I really don't know what the answer is here, because the discovery of these new weapons/gadgets is one of the things I love most about Borderlands. I'd much rather suffer the inventory hassle and have so much fun with the weapons on offer.
One thing that has surprised me is reading back other players' thoughts on the story. As a result, I wasn't expecting anything much, but I didn't have any issues with it at all - in fact I thought it was quite good. The supporting cast is great, and whilst the main antagonists - the Calypso Twins - grated somewhat (not a patch on the superlative Handsome Jack from the last game), I never had a problem with the story at all. I quite enjoyed it. It's also worth mentioning how much fun the boss battles are in this - some of them were as enjoyable to face as they were spectacular to look at. If the DLC is supposedly better than the main story, I'm in for a treat when I get round to starting it.
I really don't have many problems at all with Borderlands 3. The map is still awful, but it's much improved from the first few games in the series. I'd liken it to the map in Jedi: Fallen Order - it should be much better and it can cause a lot of frustration and confusion but at least the fast travel system is more user friendly in Borderlands 3.
If there was any way to sort out the inventory issue and make the world more open plan and less linear, I think this would be one of my all time favourite gaming series. The games in this series have absolutely improved every time, and I'd definitely rate Borderlands 3 above any of its predecessors. Now excuse me whilst I go back to mop up some side quests using an assault rifle that deals incendiary as well as corrosive damage simultaneously.
The best thing about the whole package is undoubtedly the insane amount of variety with the weapons. And not only that, the gunplay is probably the best I can ever think of in the whole time I've been playing games. Guns feel perfect to wield, if they're heavy, light, long/short range, rocket launchers, even the crazy grenades feel brilliant to use. Even after 30+ hours, I was still excited about what gem of a gun I'd pick up after defeating a boss. Just when I thought I had found the perfect weapon, another would come along and change how I approached each scenario. Whether it was an over powered sniper rifle that dealt shock damage from long range or a shotgun which enveloped enemies in a poisonous gas, as well as releasing a heat seeking grenade every time I reloaded, the scale and design of some of these bonkers weapons is astonishing. There will absolutely be a gun you find that perfectly suits your style, and then it's guaranteed that you'll find another which is somehow even more fun to use whilst will result in cackling manically as you clear a room in super quick time.
The downside to this is of course that inventory organisation is at times an absolute nightmare. This is an issue that's never been satisfactorily dealt with since the first Borderlands game. TBF it's a looter shooter and I really don't know what the answer is here, because the discovery of these new weapons/gadgets is one of the things I love most about Borderlands. I'd much rather suffer the inventory hassle and have so much fun with the weapons on offer.
One thing that has surprised me is reading back other players' thoughts on the story. As a result, I wasn't expecting anything much, but I didn't have any issues with it at all - in fact I thought it was quite good. The supporting cast is great, and whilst the main antagonists - the Calypso Twins - grated somewhat (not a patch on the superlative Handsome Jack from the last game), I never had a problem with the story at all. I quite enjoyed it. It's also worth mentioning how much fun the boss battles are in this - some of them were as enjoyable to face as they were spectacular to look at. If the DLC is supposedly better than the main story, I'm in for a treat when I get round to starting it.
I really don't have many problems at all with Borderlands 3. The map is still awful, but it's much improved from the first few games in the series. I'd liken it to the map in Jedi: Fallen Order - it should be much better and it can cause a lot of frustration and confusion but at least the fast travel system is more user friendly in Borderlands 3.
If there was any way to sort out the inventory issue and make the world more open plan and less linear, I think this would be one of my all time favourite gaming series. The games in this series have absolutely improved every time, and I'd definitely rate Borderlands 3 above any of its predecessors. Now excuse me whilst I go back to mop up some side quests using an assault rifle that deals incendiary as well as corrosive damage simultaneously.
So - that 'more upbeat game to fall back on' I mentioned during Plague Tale: Requiem? Here it is. And 'upbeat' is one of many words you could use to describe RTMI - it's joyous, funny, relaxing, silly and fun.
I wanted the return to the lore of Monkey Island to be exactly like this. The same daft, irreverent humour but with a massive dose of nostalgia with the overall game mechanics staying pretty much the same. The biggest update here are the visuals - it did take me a while for this new look to click, but after half an hour or so, I began to love the art style, and the way each character - important or random extra - seems to have been lovingly designed from scratch.
Returning characters feel warmingly and reassuringly familiar, and the voice acting is as strong here as it ever was. And it's genuinely funny in places, daft little throwaway lines to the actual puzzle solutions made me chuckle throughout.
At roughly 10 hours, it's the perfect length for this sort of game, and there's a plethora of collectables such as trivia questions to pick up which can add some extra incentives for any purists wanting to see everything. The story flows well, no section outstays its welcome and the variety of locations and characters is well balanced.
I probably would have bought this on my Switch if it hadn't have arrived on Game Pass, but the fact it did was an added bonus. It was 10 hours well spend, and I'd have been happy to pay for the experience.
Also worth noting that even if you've never experienced a Monkey Island game before, it's worth picking up as it doesn't need any prior knowledge. If you have it, it's yet another added bonus. One of the best gaming nostalgia trips in years.
I wanted the return to the lore of Monkey Island to be exactly like this. The same daft, irreverent humour but with a massive dose of nostalgia with the overall game mechanics staying pretty much the same. The biggest update here are the visuals - it did take me a while for this new look to click, but after half an hour or so, I began to love the art style, and the way each character - important or random extra - seems to have been lovingly designed from scratch.
Returning characters feel warmingly and reassuringly familiar, and the voice acting is as strong here as it ever was. And it's genuinely funny in places, daft little throwaway lines to the actual puzzle solutions made me chuckle throughout.
At roughly 10 hours, it's the perfect length for this sort of game, and there's a plethora of collectables such as trivia questions to pick up which can add some extra incentives for any purists wanting to see everything. The story flows well, no section outstays its welcome and the variety of locations and characters is well balanced.
I probably would have bought this on my Switch if it hadn't have arrived on Game Pass, but the fact it did was an added bonus. It was 10 hours well spend, and I'd have been happy to pay for the experience.
Also worth noting that even if you've never experienced a Monkey Island game before, it's worth picking up as it doesn't need any prior knowledge. If you have it, it's yet another added bonus. One of the best gaming nostalgia trips in years.
Blimey, this is bleak. Ridiculously so, to the point when it's actually sort of amusing just how much bleakness our poor protagonist Amicia and her little brother Hugo can take. So bleak that I had to take breaks from this - it's not a game that you can spend 5-6 hours on, unless you somehow enjoy the bleakness. Because this is BLEAK. It's worse than Brexit.
I never played the first Plague Tale game, but managed to catch up on the story via YouTube, and I'm pleased I did that because the story is key throughout all of this - and it's excellent, the main reason I came back to finish this. The characters are very good too - and together, it makes for a very enjoyable narrative full of twists and turns (spoiler - almost all of them are BLEAK).
The tale of Amicia and her brother Hugo is one most people know about - Hugo has a rare condition which means he's linked to an ancient power called The Macula, which is in turn connected to the hoard of rats causing the titular plague. And boy, are there a lot of rats in Requiem! They're terrifying in their volume and their ruthlessness and voracity, and all the best parts of Requiem feature these pesky things.
The first thing that struck me about Requiem was how incredible it looks - landscapes are absolutely spectacular, and during the 15-odd hours it took me to get through it, there's a very impressive balance of dark, dingy environments, hellish corpse-laden levels, beautiful, colourful vistas, pretty market towns, huge, imposing mountain ranges, coastlines etc etc. It never looks anything less than stunning with constant small details adding to the realism, and the lighting is also very impressive. Oh, and those rats. Likewise, the sounds are tremendous. The soundtrack is perfectly pitched, the voice acting very good indeed. So aurally and visually, Requiem is top notch from start to finish.
Gameplay here is a really mixed bag. When it's good, Requiem is very good with some clever puzzles. Unfortunately, there are far too many really bad sections which mean I could never rate Requiem as highly as the presentation, the plot and characters would otherwise deserve.
As for the good - the clever ways to lure rats around were easily my favourite parts. Using torches to keep them at bay is neat, but manipulating the environment, extinguishing enemies' torches so they fall prey to the rodents is the absolute highlight. It would have been nice if these mechanics were expanded upon somewhat.
The bad sections sadly were too frequent. Requiem doesn't really ever nail combat - it's seen as a last resort aside from some very specific sections, so stealth is the required skill around 75% of the time. Sometimes this is fine, but other levels feel overly long, tedious and dated. One level in particular has you sneaking around to hide from the antagonist in a dingy cellar, and it's painful to complete. I totally get that this is never supposed to be a combat-heavy Uncharted clone, but the balance is off and as such, is a big disappointment. I did sigh when I realised that the next level of the game would be a rat-free sneakathon trying to avoid guards who can kill you with one hit.
TBH I didn't particularly mind the several 'slow' action-free sections of the game to break up the bleakness. These sections show off the visuals as you take in surroundings, and although they're far from interactive, they serve their purpose and certainly help the story. Even the snails pace of levels didn't bother me - it's realistic, the perils Amicia faces feel very real, it can feel particularly tense in places. I just wish there were more rat manipulation levels and fewer sneaking past those pesky guards.
Requiem is definitely worth a look, particularly if you enjoy a strong narrative with good characters. The story is worth suffering a few dud levels, and when the gameplay is good, it's very enjoyable. Maybe just have a more upbeat game to fall back on (which I did!), because the peril and jeopardy never really lets up and you'll wonder just how much more shit poor Amicia can have thrown at her. Maybe she could be the star of Powerwash Simulator 2 next time, the poor girl badly needs a break.
I never played the first Plague Tale game, but managed to catch up on the story via YouTube, and I'm pleased I did that because the story is key throughout all of this - and it's excellent, the main reason I came back to finish this. The characters are very good too - and together, it makes for a very enjoyable narrative full of twists and turns (spoiler - almost all of them are BLEAK).
The tale of Amicia and her brother Hugo is one most people know about - Hugo has a rare condition which means he's linked to an ancient power called The Macula, which is in turn connected to the hoard of rats causing the titular plague. And boy, are there a lot of rats in Requiem! They're terrifying in their volume and their ruthlessness and voracity, and all the best parts of Requiem feature these pesky things.
The first thing that struck me about Requiem was how incredible it looks - landscapes are absolutely spectacular, and during the 15-odd hours it took me to get through it, there's a very impressive balance of dark, dingy environments, hellish corpse-laden levels, beautiful, colourful vistas, pretty market towns, huge, imposing mountain ranges, coastlines etc etc. It never looks anything less than stunning with constant small details adding to the realism, and the lighting is also very impressive. Oh, and those rats. Likewise, the sounds are tremendous. The soundtrack is perfectly pitched, the voice acting very good indeed. So aurally and visually, Requiem is top notch from start to finish.
Gameplay here is a really mixed bag. When it's good, Requiem is very good with some clever puzzles. Unfortunately, there are far too many really bad sections which mean I could never rate Requiem as highly as the presentation, the plot and characters would otherwise deserve.
As for the good - the clever ways to lure rats around were easily my favourite parts. Using torches to keep them at bay is neat, but manipulating the environment, extinguishing enemies' torches so they fall prey to the rodents is the absolute highlight. It would have been nice if these mechanics were expanded upon somewhat.
The bad sections sadly were too frequent. Requiem doesn't really ever nail combat - it's seen as a last resort aside from some very specific sections, so stealth is the required skill around 75% of the time. Sometimes this is fine, but other levels feel overly long, tedious and dated. One level in particular has you sneaking around to hide from the antagonist in a dingy cellar, and it's painful to complete. I totally get that this is never supposed to be a combat-heavy Uncharted clone, but the balance is off and as such, is a big disappointment. I did sigh when I realised that the next level of the game would be a rat-free sneakathon trying to avoid guards who can kill you with one hit.
TBH I didn't particularly mind the several 'slow' action-free sections of the game to break up the bleakness. These sections show off the visuals as you take in surroundings, and although they're far from interactive, they serve their purpose and certainly help the story. Even the snails pace of levels didn't bother me - it's realistic, the perils Amicia faces feel very real, it can feel particularly tense in places. I just wish there were more rat manipulation levels and fewer sneaking past those pesky guards.
Requiem is definitely worth a look, particularly if you enjoy a strong narrative with good characters. The story is worth suffering a few dud levels, and when the gameplay is good, it's very enjoyable. Maybe just have a more upbeat game to fall back on (which I did!), because the peril and jeopardy never really lets up and you'll wonder just how much more shit poor Amicia can have thrown at her. Maybe she could be the star of Powerwash Simulator 2 next time, the poor girl badly needs a break.