JJDoom
2023
The developers of Hogwarts Legacy have crafted a beautiful rendition of the castle and surrounding areas, filling them with interesting secrets, challenges and encounters. Unfortunately, the story and characters are a little lackluster, with mostly generic quest design.
2020
One of the best survival games in recent memory that features a refreshingly unique premise, setting and story. Discovering new parts of the enormous garden is a blast with friends as you encounter new creatures and uncover new crafting opportunities. At times however, the difficulty feels uneven and the core survival mechanics can feel overly oppressive, which dampens an otherwise excellent experience.
2017
Although not as consistent as the first game, Halo Wars 2 features some fantastic levels that more than make up for its downfalls.
2020
I've now played every soulsborne game and I have to say, this one is near the bottom of the pile for me. It's still a good game, but it does feel dated in many ways despite the remarkable lick of paint that Bluepoint have given it. While the visuals and the gameplay are excellent, there is plenty of frustrating level design, uninspired boss fights and annoying runbacks weighing it down. The archstone system makes the levels feel fragmented and disjointed.
2010
To this day one of the finest RPGs of all time where your choices and actions genuinely feel like they matter. Alongside one of the most memorable casts in all of gaming history, the story of ME2 culminates in perhaps the best final mission I've ever played.
2022
Potentially one of the most overrated video games in recent memory. Bad game design all over the shop here that results in a mostly frustrating experience.
2023
Dead Space is once again a masterwork of survival horror, presented with beautiful modern graphics and smooth gameplay. What a joy to experience this nightmare all over again in 2023.
2007
Ahead of its... time.
Fun, creative levels packaged up with stellar graphics and charming animations.
2022
As a lover of retro survival horror, I really wanted to love this. Unfortunately, it just didn't click with me.
2022
Not really a game at all
After playing this for an hour or so, I feared that I had wasted my time and money. I decided to stick with it and push through a few more hours and I am so glad that I did. An addictive roguelike with hundreds of hours of fun gameplay and plenty of build variety.
2012
As a massive Resident Evil fan, I decided to replay this in 2023 since I never actually finished it back when it initially released. Capcom clearly went for something really ambitious here, with a highly cinematic game that interweaves four distinct campaigns into one package. The result is a complete mess that strays so far from what made this series great.
Due to this cinematic approach, Capcom opted for lots of interactive cutscenes with terrible quick-time-events. These sections strip the tension and fun away from so many moments, resulting in a very boring experience. The gameplay somehow holds up even worse than the original Resident Evil 4, with clunky character movements and awful melee combat that is often encouraged.
The story is rubbish too and the bits where the separate campaigns overlap can often feel repetitive since you effectively need to replay some sections (albeit from different perspectives). As Ada you pilot an attack chopper, as Jake you attack an aircraft carrier with a fighter jet, as Chris you jump a 4x4 over some skyscrapers and as Leon you are dragged to the depths of a watery cave by a zombie shark. To some, this all might sound extremely cool but to me, this isn't Resident Evil.
With other entries in this historic franchise, I can't stop playing. With Resident Evil 6, every time I picked it up I couldn't wait for it to be over.
Due to this cinematic approach, Capcom opted for lots of interactive cutscenes with terrible quick-time-events. These sections strip the tension and fun away from so many moments, resulting in a very boring experience. The gameplay somehow holds up even worse than the original Resident Evil 4, with clunky character movements and awful melee combat that is often encouraged.
The story is rubbish too and the bits where the separate campaigns overlap can often feel repetitive since you effectively need to replay some sections (albeit from different perspectives). As Ada you pilot an attack chopper, as Jake you attack an aircraft carrier with a fighter jet, as Chris you jump a 4x4 over some skyscrapers and as Leon you are dragged to the depths of a watery cave by a zombie shark. To some, this all might sound extremely cool but to me, this isn't Resident Evil.
With other entries in this historic franchise, I can't stop playing. With Resident Evil 6, every time I picked it up I couldn't wait for it to be over.
2023
This remake of a certified classic game is an absolute masterclass from Capcom. With stunning visuals and smooth gameplay, it remains faithful to the original while expanding things in satisfying ways. Excited to see what this team does next with the incredible RE Engine.
2017
A lesson for other developers in atmosphere, level design, boss encounters and pretty much every other aspect.