Category Archives: Game Reviews

Review – Quantum Break

I don’t know many people who played Quantum Break, and nobody ever talks about it anymore, so it must have been rather forgettable for those who did. Even as I write this, two days after blasting my way to the … Read More ››

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Review – Doki Doki Literature Club

Doki Doki Literature Club has dug its way into my chest and ripped me apart over the last couple of nights. It’s a free visual novel game where you get to know a bunch of girls in an afterschool book club… except not really. It looks exactly like any other tropey Japanese dating sim type game, but what lurks underneath this cutesy exterior is something really quite sinister and thought-provoking. The game’s tagline does a good job of reminding you that all is not what it seems: “This game is not suitable for children or those who are easily disturbed.

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Review – The Last Guardian

The Last Guardian

It’s safe to say that Fumito Ueda’s third game was one of my most anticipated titles of the previous generation. Announced in 2009, I eagerly watched every gameplay trailer and read up every snippet of information I could. Ico and Shadow of the Colossus remain two of my most beloved games, and I found the idea of another game by the same studio a mouth-watering temptation. A multitude of delays and long periods of silence from both Sony and the developers led many to believe it would never see the light of day, not to mention the troubling news that Ueda himself had left the project due to creative differences with Sony. The game lingered in development hell for several years and its fate was uncertain. Ueda and his team remained with the project as consultants and the game eventually had a release date set for December 2016. My excitement rekindled and I wondered how it could ever live upto 7 years of anticipation. So, was it worth the wait? Read More ››

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Review – Firewatch

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Last night I finished Firewatch. It’s a first-person mystery game, being rudely dubbed a ‘walking simulator’ by some of the reviews I’ve seen elsewhere. While it’s true, the game has you fulfilling various tasks in a forest in which you navigate solely by hiking, that description completely ignores the beautifully told story and the reason you are there at all. Having completed it, I want to recommend it to everyone because it’s fantastic. I also would say that the less you know the better, so don’t read the rest of this review, just go and get it.

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Beyond: Two Souls – Game Review

Beyond: Two Souls

Beyond: Two Souls is a paranormal action thriller starring Ellen Page and Willem Dafoe. You’d be forgiven for assuming it’s a Hollywood film based on that description, but it is in fact the latest game from Quantic Dream, the studio behind the equally cinematic Heavy Rain. It’s tempting to compare the two, but Beyond is a different experience, opting to tell a linear story with fewer choices and consequences. As a big fan of Heavy Rain’s dynamic storytelling approach, I expected to be disappointed but as soon as I started playing I realised what writer and director David Cage was trying to achieve and felt satisfied to go along for the ride. Because what a ride it is… Read More ››

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Review – Renegade Ops

Last weekend we spent our time festering at Multiplay’s i44, not sleeping and eating a horiffic number of doughnuts. While we were there, we blasted our way through Renegade Ops with our two mates Jon and Sam. Made by the same team who gave us Just Cause 2, and built in that very same engine, we expected mindless carnage and plenty of explosions. It certainly didn’t disappoint.

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Review – Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

This glorious glut of gaming goodness continues as another reason to dust off the PS3 came along in the form of Uncharted 3 last month. Its predecessor, Among Thieves is the best game the SonyBox has to offer, and so I went into Nathan Drake’s third adventure with high hopes and expectations. With strong characters, epic action set-pieces, and unparalleled visual design wrapped up in a bombastic globe-trotting plot, it gives fans of the series more of exactly what we wanted. So, why did I trade it in the day after I finished it? Let me tell you…

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Review – Portal 2: Peer Review

Portal 2: Peer Review

You may remember that a few months back, a little game called ‘Portal 2’ was released. It was no big deal or anything, just a sequel to an enormous cult success of a side-project game, which was only very slightly hyped up before release, so that a handful of people would be aware of it and maybe buy it later on. Of course – in true GLaDOS spirit – I’m lying, and it was one of the most cleverly hyped up games I have ever committed my wallet to. So naturally, when we finished that game, we did a review-thingy of the robotty co-op mode. Now, several months later, we’ve got round to trying out the brand new – and free! – Peer Review DLC, and spent roughly three hours completing the brain-melting puzzles that came with it.

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Review – Deus Ex: Human Revolution

To say I’m a fan of the original Deus Ex is a bit of an understatement, and I must admit that my hopes and expectations of this prequel were mountainous. Dozens of trailers and gameplay previews teased me with what was clearly a beautifully designed game graphically, but I was dying to know if the story and gameplay would prove to be as deep and ambitious as its older brother. And now we find ourselves in the present. I have played through the entirety of Human Revolution, and I now know the answer…

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Review – Mortal Kombat

Mortal Kombat

Guest Article : Ray Fletcher

The Mortal Kombat series has long been known for its over the top and brutal 2D fighting roots, but in recent years the series has also pushed into the realm of 3D. Now, as a fan of the series, I’ll openly admit the series has been gradually running itself into the ground – losing sight of what made it awesome in the first place; but as my devotion to the fighting game I used to know and love dies off suddenly I hear news of a reboot for the series… What!? Really!?

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Review – Red Faction: Armageddon

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more – literally. Red Faction: Armageddon takes us back into the mines, back into the tunnels that were the familiar setting of the original Red Faction, the one that stole our hearts, blew endless chunks of rock out of our walls, and killed mutated freaky things that wanted to eat you alive. Yes, to me it feels kind of like a journey back to the start of it all, but sadly there were a few things missing.

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Review – L.A Noire

LA Noire

It’s a thundering, rainy evening. I pull up to a crime scene with my partner, the tyres of the car squelching to a stop in the wet mud. I take a step out of the car and make my way past the reporters and flash photography, up to the cordoned off area to speak with the officer on duty about the situation. I’m given the details, and find myself right in the middle of a murder investigation. There’s a body, some footprints, and a variety of possible clues scattered around the area. A shocked witness sits nearby beneath an umbrella, ready for questioning. It’s time to get my hands dirty and solve another gruesome case. This is LA Noire.

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