Gareth Brierley

I’ve put more than 60 hours in to Assassin’s Creed Origins. That stat alone made me depressed, questioned my life choices and left me wondering how I could have used those hours for the good and betterment of mankind. But here I am once more, heading back to Egypt, forgetting the depressive mood and understanding why I loved spending so much time in Origins. It’s like when you go back to your favourite holiday destination, or bookshop or bar or park… it just feels like home. But now I have a new chapter to take in with The Hidden Ones - the first of three story-driven DLC add-ons to come to Assassin’s Creed Origins in the next few months - I've had to cancel my life once more as I’ve been drawn back to Egypt.

When you think of cities under the sea, your first thoughts - at least if you’re a man-child like me - are of Bedknobs and Broomsticks, memories of playing football with sharks or even Ariel the little mermaid and that lobster chap with the singing voice. What we don’t think of is the total annihilation of the human race, crumbling traces of humankind under water and giant sea monsters out to kill you. The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human tells the latter story and I can promise you that there isn’t any underwater singing to be had from any cute lobsters.

ARK: Survival Evolved is a strange game that appeared out of nowhere to initially hit the Xbox One Game Preview program, becoming one of the first to mix survival management, punching dinosaurs, riding them, hunting down strange monoliths and coping with endless pooping, into one whole delicious package. What I am going to do is take a look at the updates that the good Xbox One X owners can enjoy, combining it with a quick look at the two pieces of DLC that have recently arrived. So buckle up on your favourite dinosaur and let's go back... to the island.

Occasionally a game will come along where the music is soothing and the gameplay relaxing; there’s no pressure, no death and no deadlines. It’s all about the journey and the experience. That game is Innerspace.

Albert and Otto was initially released on PC, created as to be the first of four installments. Due to lack of funding this never happened, but now due to the release on console, this dream for the makers hopes to stay alive. The game is set in an imagined land based around 1939 Germany where a boy is in search of his missing sister. He finds a companion along the way - her red toy bunny - and both of them venture into the strange landscape finding clues to her whereabouts.

I’ve killed a lot of zombies in my life - at least my gaming life. So many in fact that I begin to question my whole philosophy and whether the takedown of the poor undead is justified. Maybe when they start coming towards me, arms outstretched, gently moaning, they’re just looking for a nice comforting hug? Maybe they’re just simply misunderstood? Anyway… whilst I’ve been contemplating this new way of thinking, Future War Reborn has me killing the poor zombies again. Does it make me want to exterminate them all? Or lie down and wait for that all embracing hug?

A wise man once said… “And now, the end is near, and so I face the final curtain”. Well, Life is Strange fans listen up because the final episode of Before the Storm is now with us. Will it be everything we want it to be? Will it shock us with revelations and surprise us with twists and turns as the teenage romance story reaches its conclusion? Will it make us wish to start the whole adventure again, but with different choices? It all comes down to this final chance you see - have you made the right decisions? 

There are some games that I just wished I’d played a couple of generations ago when they first released. One is Jet Set Radio, another is Super Mario World and then of course there is the critical hit that is top of that pile… Okami.

Gaming is now all about the experience, and much of the draw of recent games has been the ability to take in a journey with others - cooperative style! For me, 2017 has been a blast, playing with friends on games that I probably would have got bored with on my own. Ghost Recon Wildlands, Destiny 2 and the continuing sagas of The Division were probably my highlights, with FIFA and its Pro Clubs feature already having been a staple nightly event for years now. So without further ado I’m going to highlight my most anticipated Xbox One co-op games of 2018.

You’ll always find symmetrical opposites throughout the world of fiction. Star Wars is all about the opposing battles between light and dark and the fine line that lies between the two, whilst heroes and villains are the ying and yang of a narrative's main thrust. But what would happen if you’re put in control of both the light and the dark characters, at exactly the same time, while trying to navigate your way through the two strange worlds they occupy? Well, my friend, you’ve just entered the world of Fearful Symmetry & the Cursed Prince.

There are certain games that have the magical Minecraft effect. A game that comes from nowhere and, pretty much overnight, becomes one of the biggest games of all time. PUBG started life over on Steam before very soon selling over 20 million copies, making it the biggest selling game on that platform. Now it’s hoping to do the same on Xbox. 

There are games out there that like nothing more than to hold your hand, whisper sweet nothings of reassurance in your ear, and give you little paths to follow, telling you what button to press, even after 15 hours of gameplay. Then there are games that like to give you a world of choice, letting you discover everything alone, whilst having a ball. Then there’s a game like Rememoried - a game that basically puts you into a surreal world of philosophy, astrology and mind bending physics, and hopes you might find out what the hell is going on. Welcome to a journey of the unreal. Where am I? What is this? Who is telling me these strange things? These are just some of the questions that will be running through your head in the couple of hours of playing through this game.

I fell in love with the previous Metro games. The atmosphere, the story, the beautiful design. Yes, the combat was tricky, and sometimes, especially in the first game it was a bit clumsy, but the deep strange world was brilliant to play in. So when Deep Silver and 4A games teased Metro Exodus at E3 my heart was pumping fast. Now today I’m very close to a cardiac arrest as they’ve announced a new trailer and a confirmed Autumn release for the game. The trailer is called “THE AURORA”. Enjoy.

Someone once said to me that the key to happiness is to wear a different hat every day. I’ve never tried this, but now I might get the chance with a game that’s all about hats and the magical special powers each one gives you. But is the gaming experience like an elegant and proud top hat, or a dirty old bobble hat sold in a charity shop for five pence? Only time will tell…

When you think of a town or city drenched in snow, your heart generally skips a beat and you instantly feel warm, cosy and a bit Christmassy. Or is that just me? The twinkling lights and magical streets filled with a blanket of pure white heaven is not just superb, but hugely enticing. What you don’t think about though are the heating problems, the amount of electricity needed to keep the lights in action and the constant surge in power that starts to cause problems for the economy; let alone having to worry about keeping the roads clear as it keeps bloody snowing all the time? AHHHHH... damn you winter. But welcome to the wonderful world of Snowfall.