Gareth Brierley

Whenever you play a massive RPG, you normally find yourself playing as the hero of the hour causing destruction, burning down towns, fighting a huge battle and causing mayhem with dragons. But have you ever thought about the little people who have to clean up after you? The poor street cleaners? The builders? The fire department? The insurance claimers? What about the place you buy all your fancy equipment for the adventure ahead from? Have you thought about how hard it is to get that equipment for you to buy? Or what it is like to be an honest retailer in a world of magic, monsters, and barbarians? The developers of Shoppe Keep have and they've built a whole game around it. But is it a Level 10 flaming broadsword or a small pair of worn out leather shoes?

When I left school in the summer of ‘87, my first real job was picking peas at the local farm for £1 per hour - and more peas than I could eat. This time last week however, I was in charge of six farms across five countries, and I produce wheat, coffee and olives. I had a myriad of farm equipment at my disposal and was cash rich and happy with life. Most importantly though? I was a champion farmer. You see, this time last week I was in a small room, with nice coffee on tap, being lucky enough to have a couple of hours hands-on with Pure Farming 2018.

If you see a very tall, very thin man, in a sharp suit it is always going to spell trouble.

For you budding railway enthusiasts there is a game now available whereby you can build track, stations, trains and design a whole world of railway fun. Railway Empire has arrived, just on time and with no delays.  

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.