Nick Burton

Void Bastards boasts an impressive amalgamation of gameplay and progression systems. Combined with its rogue-like core and fascinating graphics style, Void Bastards achieves the feat of being one of the stand-out indie titles of the year. I enjoyed my hours with Void Bastards, even if there was a little room for improvement on the story, and the level of variety offered.

Despite discussing the financial and emotional benefits of playing old games in ‘’The Convenience of Playing Old Games’, I wanted to put forward the case for purchasing and playing brand new ones. I know that it can be easy to take one stance rather than look at two. So, I thought it would be a good idea for us to talk about the thrill of playing a video game which has just released.

A peaceful and minimalistic FPS 3D platformer created by ONEVISION games, ASCENDANCE - First Horizon removes the complexity of modern gaming in favour of a more tranquil experience which creates enough space to allow the player to move with precision and timing, navigating its simple but peacefully intoxicating world.

I have found it extremely convenient to play old games rather than brand new ones while I finish nailing my back catalogue. A feat which is (unbelievably) nearly done.

Halo was the game to play on Xbox. Always has been, until now. We could go into the issues with the franchise since Bungie have passed the mantle of responsibility onto 343’s shoulders, and we will briefly, but I want to focus on why I am excited for Halo: Infinite and the potential it has as a reboot for the franchise, despite my disappointment with Halo 5: Guardians’ campaign.

I’m not expecting a revelation within the Gears formula at all, but I would like some salt and pepper added to the franchise, if only to see how some independent creativeness could spice up a long-running span of titles.

I’m a firm believer and purchaser of remakes (and remasters). Having adored every second of the Spyro: Reignited Trilogy late last year and following the critical and commercial success of the Resident Evil 2 remake in January 2019, I’ve been thinking a lot about what would make a remake a 10/10 on the everyday review scale. Granted, both of them received great reviews, but I wanted to conjure up the remake that would rightfully earn a perfect score.

Some people don’t particularly like game soundtracks outside of when they are playing games. Some people think they’re fine and that they serve their purpose. Others, like me, love game soundtracks and listen to them ferociously. As this medium moves forward, the type of soundtrack required for our games has changed.

I love Borderlands. Ever since I saw the first game’s trailer, I’ve been in love with its FPS gameplay, funny and bold character design, loot-progression systems, and scenic locations. All of these combined to create an experience which is addictive, funny as hell, and most importantly, fun. Now with the seemingly inevitable Borderlands 3 FINALLY being officially revealed post-awesome-3D-model-trailer teaser, I can happily talk about what I/we want in this new Borderlands game.

A lot of people get very excited about a lot of things. The next Marvel film, the next Rockstar game, the next episode of The Great British Bake-Off. The minds behind 2019 marketing are extremely good at what they do, demonstrated by the fact by how products are able to stand out against thousands of others. They’re almost too good at their job because of how much ‘hype’ they produce. At least, that’s what some would say.

I initially mistook Stories: The Path of Destinies as another mediocre indie game that would fail to make a lasting impact. Instead, it tingled nostalgic PS2 platformer roots with simple but compelling RPG mechanics tied up wonderfully in a package that centres on replayability, simplistic and effective story-telling, fantastic combat that mimics the Arkham games, and excellent world-building. This all makes the overall experience pretty great.

A humorous turn-based strategy game which definitely has flaws throughout, but is thoroughly enjoyable nonetheless. Attack of the Earthlings is a fine game to dive into if you're all for hating your evil human corporations and their plans for sucking the galaxy dry of resources - one lonely planet at a time.

Crackdown 3 has been a long time coming. Revealed in 2014 at Microsoft’s E3 press conference, the game has been troubled with delay after delay, but finally it has launched. And while there is definitely a fun and joyous experience to be had here, it gives me absolutely no pleasure to tell you that it is a fairly underwhelming game overall.

Unruly Heroes is a beautiful 2D platformer featuring a wonderful hand-drawn animation style. Developed by Magic Design Studios, you play as one of four heroes interchangeably: the monkey, the magician, the pig and the brute, each with their own combat style and ability selection.

Following the release of the Resident Evil 2 remake, and my completion of all three Spyro games on the Reignited Trilogy (including every achievement, of which I would and will do again in a heartbeat), I have witnessed many ensued discussions regarding how ‘we’ should review remakes and how ‘we’ should regard them considering that they are based on a game [or games] that existed prior, and that most of the assets within the game(s) already existed to some degree.