Edward’s Campaign

Pros.
+ Thoroughly immersive and thick atmosphere. Great blend of noir, trippy horror mystique and gory, B-movie schlock.
+ Well paced.
+ Graphics are solid…
+ Old school feel to the level design and presentation of the characters/conversations. Good to see Harbour & Comer involved and the rest of the cast give strong performances.
+ Decent puzzle variety…

Cons.
- … however, there is some graphical roughness around the edges and clipping.
- … however, the puzzles are sometimes incredibly simplistic and the game makes some hints too obvious.
- Whilst it gets the job done. Combat can feel clunky and overly scrappy.
- Never genuinely scary or intense.

Boasting a unique premise, an immersive morbid and off-kilter tone certainly helps carry the repetitive, simplistic gameplay, which admittedly is very much a product of 2014, when compared to the investigation methods seen in later releases in the genre. Though it may be fairly dated in terms of its character animations and graphics, the game undeniably still cuts a gloriously stylistic and gothic noir edge. The mystery, protagonist presentation and mood of the game all bleed noir, which for me is huge positive. A worthy and decent revisit to the game that was actually my first foray into the previous XONE/PS4 generation.

A ridiculously short (my playthrough total was around 90 minutes) horror puzzler, that has plenty of potential lore and world building to explore, as well as delivering some truly spine tingling sound effects, creeping dread and sharp jump scares. Unfortunately it is frequently squandered by a frustratingly thin story with a shockingly abrupt ending. Clunky movement, repetition in both its story and scare tactics are also certainly noticeable. You will begin to realise fairly soon when not to worry about the creaking and shuffling oddities behind you. Graphically the game is solid and there is some fun and creative horror imagery on display, but it is fleeting due to the pacing. For its cheap price I would say it is worth a peek for horror fans, but only if you have a gap in the schedule, as it certainly isn't essential.

A timed exclusive that was originally released on the Xbox Series X & PC at the beginning of the year, before finally arriving on the PS5 earlier this month. The Medium follows Marianne (featuring a standout performance by Kelly Burke), a medium, who becomes wrapped up in a dark mystery that could potentially unlock the mysteries of her past, as well as exploring another potentially dangerous realm that also hides lethal and shocking secrets. Developed by Bloober Team (of Layers of Fear and Observer fame), the game delivers a frequently intriguing, creative and immersive experience that will have fans of the older Silent Hill titles and other third person horror adventures immediately on board. However a short playtime, repetitive gameplay and typical convoluted and unnecessary Bloober story beats hold it back. The story deals with many traumatic and disturbing themes, be it supernatural or grounded in reality. This sets a bleak tone for the proceedings and with the help of the score, sound design and location design, really helps craft an enrapturing atmosphere, especially during the game’s first half. Unfortunately there are a couple of sections dedicated to another character that, whilst visually impressive and deranged, do overstay their welcome and take away from Marianne, who is far more of an interesting protagonist. World building comes in the form of listening to past memories, helping lost souls back to their resting place and the ever reliable notes, diary entries etc. The main gameplay hook and unique selling point is the split screen implementation, which sees Marianne’s physical and otherworldly forms be utilised to solve puzzles and open up a whole other gameplay dynamic. This is seamlessly integrated and provides some fun puzzles and tense chase encounters (the highlight being a forest sequence which switches between both realities in real time). The main threat of the game is the twisted Maw (brilliantly voiced by Troy Baker), whose encounters switch between intense chases and largely simplistic stealth sections. Aside from him, you quickly realise the game doesn’t provide any other dangers to Marianne, which does unfortunately neuter the tension throughout. Graphically the game is genuinely stunning at certain points. The forest section is incredibly photorealistic and the contrast between the dulled down grounded real life sequences and the rusty, orange and spectral spirit realm. Obviously Bloober Team were still under some budgetary limitations, however this is by far their biggest and best looking game. Had it been longer and with a larger variety of enemy encounters The Medium could really have been something special, especially with its already unique and very solid main gameplay hook. The visual style, eeriness, world building and engaging lead character do make it worth a play overall.

After the largely negative reception to the live service model and alleged (I haven’t played it myself) generic and repetitive gameplay of Marvel’s Avengers last year, Square Enix’s announcement that they would be releasing a game paced on Marvel’s most popular misfits earlier this year at E3 was met with an understandably cautious and mixed response, despite no sign of any microtransactions and a commitment to a self-contained single player experience. Thankfully (just like the Guardians themselves), the underdog proves victorious, as this space adventure romp is an absolute blast to play through and is packed to the brim with heart, humour, a solid combat loop and many an Easter Egg for fans of Marvel’s cosmic output from the past.

One of the main criticisms aimed at the game pre-launch was the fact that you would only be able to play as Star-Lord, and the rest of the team would be A.I. controlled, with input provided from the player to execute a myriad of special attacks. However, within the opening sequence of the game, it is clear that this is Star-Lord’s journey. Starting the game as a young Peter Quill on Earth, before transitioning to the present day Star-Lord: “leader” of a ragtag bunch of the galaxy’s outcasts. Over the course of 12 or so hours, what starts off as the “simple” task of getting the bounty, pay the Nova Corps, turns into a potentially galaxy ending face-off against a maniacal space church cult. At the core of this bombastic sci-fi epic are themes of family (obviously) and most effectively conveyed: learning to accept and live with loss. I won’t go into too much detail due to spoilers, but the quieter moments of team interaction feature some incredibly satisfying and genuinely touching emotional weight at times. Contrasted with the fist in the air moments of teamwork pay-off during battles. The story itself does tick off a lot of familiar beats and certainly doesn’t rework the rule book, but the galaxy hopping structure and fan pleasing deep cuts keep it consistently engaging.

Gameplay-wise the game is very solid and simplistic As previously mentioned you control Star-Lord and largely blast your way through the enemy hordes with your laser guns. As you progress different elements will unlock for Star-Lord to use during puzzles, clear pathways and do significant damage to specific enemy types. Each Guardian (including Star-Lord) has four special attacks mapped to a different button that can be executed throughout combat encounters. These are satisfying to pull off and never feel too over or underpowered. Probably the most interesting and fun gameplay implementation is the ‘Team Huddle’ mechanic, where Star-Lord will pause combat to listen to the team’s thoughts on the battle in progress and you, the player, will have to choose the right option to motivate them, which in turn triggers a combat boost and kick-starts a tune. When not utilising their attacks the A.I. is consistently strong and I didn’t have any issues with them not responding, glitching etc. Admittedly combat encounters can get repetitive and messy, with the same selection of enemies (albeit with varying appearances) thrown at you in the same rhythm. Though scale-wise the boss fights are impressive, they do largely come down to the same approach for each encounter. Occasionally the game will have you piloting the Milano in dogfight style combat. These are fine, however the handling could have been tweaked, and they do feel a little like padding. Levels have branching and hidden pathways that can be explored to find outfits, collectables and scrap to upgrade Peter’s health, shield and moveset. Graphically the game is superb and frequently treads the line between photorealistic emotion for the character’s faces and vibrant comic book bombast and colour splashes for the different locations and costumes. Also the soundtrack is just as banger-filled as the films. There are countless satisfying song usages from a host of artists including: Iron Maiden, Kiss, Blondie, Gary Numan, Joan Jett and many more. The game also has its own in-universe band called Star-Lord who provide many shredding tracks (and accompanied a substantial amount of background music for me when typing up this review).

One of my main concerns going into this, was how much I would be comparing these particular versions of these characters with their MCU counterparts. Thankfully this barely happened, and thanks to tremendous voice acting and character work, Square’s Guardians stand tall and are very much their own personalities. The time spent hanging out between missions on the Milano and interacting with them, hearing their bickering, thoughts and history, really flesh them out and make it near impossible not to be interested and invested in them. A host of supporting players including Cosmo, Mantis, Adam Warlock and a few “deep cut” surprises certainly will please fans. The humour is on point throughout. Drax’s brazen and blunt observations, Rocket and Gamora’s frequent Snark and Peter and Groot’s chilled out optimism are captured perfectly. At times obviously not everything lands and both “Flark(ing)” and “Skut” are used to the point of oblivion.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy shoots to the top echelon of my favourite games of this year and is easily one of the best adaptations of these characters. Fast, fun and simple, yet effective gameplay. Brilliant voice acting, character work and world building, all work together to balance genuine heart and explosive extravaganza. At times the combat can get repetitive (as well as some of the dialogue beats) and the overarching blockbuster story certainly will be familiar to those who have seen/played a lot of the genre. However, it's undeniable how much fun I had with this and I really hope we get a sequel to carry on the adventures of this loveable, attitude filled team.

Pros.
+ A unique and interesting blend of espionage/mystery, alongside horror and action…
+ Impressive environmental graphics. Atmospheric lighting, shadows and sound design.
+ A genuinely terrifying and tense introduction to Nicolas’ storyline.
+ Sharp jump scares.
+ Over-the-top and exciting chase set pieces.
+ Old school puzzles…

Cons.
- … the switching up between these two plots is jarring and find themselves dragging at points due to backtracking and an empty feel.
- Voice acting is hit and miss.
- A handful of glitches/bugs locked me out of completing puzzles.
- … does lead to frustrating trial and error and tension/pacing killing.

The third (main) season of Telltale's most popular interactive storytelling series may be a step down from its two predecessors, but it still delivers a strong family centric story. Clementine takes more of a backseat here (with brief flashback sections), which allows new player character Javier to become an engaging protagonist. The relationship drama, tension and moments of levity between the group and though not as consistently shocking as the previous two instalments, there are some genuinely jaw-dropping reveals and plot developments that occur. The reliable gameplay mechanics, tense time limits and improved HD PS4 visuals also excel as expected.

Pros:
+ Very similar to The Wolf Among Us in its tone, world-building and characters.
+ Funny, layered, thought-provoking dialogue.
+ Art style is very unique. From the retro 2D pixelated graphics, comic book-esque scene transitions and occasional 3D backdrops.
+ Gameplay is very easy to pick up.

Cons:
- Elements of the story don’t quite gel. Would have preferred a more consistently grounded mystery, though I respect the big ‘out there’ swing of the reveal.
- The short playtime does hinder some narrative elements.
- The stealth and puzzle elements do feel a tad tacked on.

Releasing 3 years after 2016’s successful first game. This sequel sees you step into the shoes of a Hollywood actor who heeds the call of an intense and perfectionist director (voiced by the Candyman himself: Tony Todd) to take on the lead role in a film shot aboard an ocean liner. I thoroughly enjoyed the first game. The thick creepy gothic atmosphere and disturbing yet cryptic unraveling of the plot overshadowed the admittedly repetitive and basic nature of the gameplay. The sequel however doesn’t get away with this. Though featuring more dynamic set pieces and a smattering of genuine ‘boss’ encounters, this sequel largely rehashes the majority of the first game’s scare techniques, level structuring and cryptic storyline, to an unfortunately lesser effect. The core rhythm set by the first game is welcome. Beginning in your own private cabin on the ship. Each ‘Act’ begins after stepping out of the room, and each time you return something has changed, that only grows more apparent as the game progresses.Storytelling is largely up to the player to piece together through finding notes, objects and the myriad of musings from the Director, as well as the various characters seen in hallucinations and/or flashbacks. It’s just a shame that it is largely cliched and essentially is almost the same as the first game’s. Gameplay is essentially just moving the analogue stick with the occasional interaction with the triggers to sprint or open up doors, chests etc. It works for the ‘ghost train’ style of the game, however it certainly drags at points, especially due to the lack of frequent genuine frights. The sound design excels, especially with headphones. At its best the game crafts a genuinely unnerving, with a couple of hairraising chase sequences. At its worst it's simply dull and either wastes or squanders several scare tactic opportunities. The enemies are generic fodder and have zero presence. You can die (usually due to how dark the game is or picking a locked door), but death is instantaneous, as are the checkpoints and load times, so there is no real problem or large scale consequence to death. Graphically the game is impressive and there are a variety of different locales that all fit into the tone and story of the game. As a fan of noir and classic cinema, the aesthetic choices throughout were very welcome. The most simultaneously bizarre and intriguing element was the double hit of the game, outright copying scenes from Psycho and The Shining, as well as a whole section of a level serving as a walking tour through John Doe’s Se7en crimes.Tony Todd brings his usual menacing drawl as the Director to great success. The rest of the voice cast are fine and get the job done. Layers of Fear 2 is a decent albeit disappointing sequel. It certainly has its moments of chilling tension and creative imagery. However the repetitive gameplay, story beats, level design and presentation which almost completely copies the first game let it down. Worth the £3 I paid for it on sale.

A welcome return to form from Frogwares, after 2019's wasted potential of The Sinking City. Taking the open world, side investigations and unique map navigation approach that the aforementioned Cthulhu centric game delivered on, but this time bolstered by the studio's committed passion to this source material. Having improved character animations, voice acting as well crafting a genuinely intriguing, investing overarching story focusing on Sherlock's past (and the smart inclusion of Jon) makes this my personal favourite entry in the series so far from a narrative standpoint. The investigation process and approach to cases should please fans of the prior instalments, though the inclusion of clunky and unnecessary combat will certainly turn some off. The game does suffer from the familiar open world trappings and a couple of frustrating dialogue phrase repetition. Overall, I look forward to see what the developers do next with this character and world.

Pros.
+ Solid, reliable and straightforward third person shooter mechanics.
+ Air traversal and combat feels superb.
+ Voice cast and performances.
+ Plenty of standout set pieces (Metroplex, Starscream’s haphazard assault on the Autobots, Grimlock Smash, the entire final chapter…)

Cons.
- First few chapters take a little while to become wholly investing.
- Dodging and blocking can feel a little clunky.

Pros.
- Reliable and familiar Don’t Nod (the folks behind the Life is Strange franchise) gameplay and tone.
- The small town locale and community of Basswood is immersive and lived in.
- Graphics and voice acting are solid.
- Mind Palace and ‘Him’ gameplay elements are interesting…

Cons.
- The game is too short and doesn’t feel as substantial as the studio’s prior works.
- The mystery/reveals are fairly standard and not as shocking as they could have been.
- A smattering of irritating trial and error puzzles.
- … however these have both been executed more effectively in other games.

The second instalment in the Dark Pictures Anthology. Little Hope is a step up from the substantially mediocre Man of Medan, but unfortunately still does falter in many of the same aspects of its predecessor. That being said, I did play this in co-op with a friend, which made for a consistently fun guessing game experience and frantically giving each other context to what the other was seeing. The psychological witchcraft infused narrative ticked a lot of my stylistic boxes and the group of characters this time around certainly aren't as irritating as in the previous game, though they still lack any tangible depth. The scare tactics largely fail miserably (with constant repeated jump scares) and the game is tremendously short (we beat it in two sittings just under 4 hours in total) and the finale reveal will certainly prove divisive for some. Overall Little Hope is a decent slice of pulp horror that is worth playing with a buddy. Intrigued to check out House of Ashes and The Quarry soon.

It's a shame that my first experience with this fan favourite spin-off was with this recently re-released PS5 port. The personality of the game thankfully still manages to shine through. With its frequent self-referential and borderline fourth wall breaking humour, coupled with the excellent retro-stylistic art style. However, even though it isn't completely unplayable, the fast paced gunplay is nearly tarnished, due to the incredibly clunky movement speed, input lag and choppy framerate, that is outright unacceptable in this generation.