Inescapable: No Rules, No Rescue isn’t a bad game, it’s just that others of a similar ilk, like Danganronpa, do the social thriller visual novel concept much better.
There’s no doubt that LoveChoice will take you on an emotional rollercoaster. It’s sensitive and wistful, and you will feel the highs and lows of its characters through the three visual novels. But too often the rollercoaster judders to a stop, and you have to guess what illogical thing the game wants from you before it restarts again. By that time, that sensitive, wistful feeling has gone.Â
NBA 2K22 is a great basketball game. In fact it's probably the best basketball game out there and actually hitting the court and playing games is thrilling, exciting, and looks brilliant. And alongside that, MyNBA will eat away at your life; fantastically detailed and absorbing, while MyTEAM will cater to the many. It’s only MyCAREER which lets it down
The puzzles in Flowlines VS. are simple and relaxing enough, if not taxing. But, by offering 486 of them and then forcing the player to plod through every… last… one on the hunt for something resembling a challenge, Flowlines VS. loses a large chunk of its audience.
Inked: A Tale of Love is hugely enjoyable - and whilst you’ll probably realise this from the first few moments, it never disappoints from there on out. The controls aren’t perfect, but the experience as a whole is great; one that is helped by a very good price point.Â
So what do we have with Virtuous Western? Well, it's nothing more than a nice idea, with average execution. It has some brilliant ways of dispatching enemies and solving puzzles, and the easy achievements are a nice addition. But plonking a puzzle game in the Wild West ultimately falls short here, because the game simply lacks any sense of challenge.
Omen of Sorrow on Xbox is a pretend fighting game at best. It may try to look the part, but it is barely coherent or logical in execution. Fighting fans can give this one a miss without a second thought
Tales of Arise is great at almost everything it attempts, but it does just falls short of having the wow factor and possesses a couple of niggling factors to boot. Nevertheless it’s absolutely worth picking up if you’re after an action-RPG to sink a load of hours into.
I wanted to completely zone out and enjoy the zen-like peace that From Earth to Heaven promises. And at times it allows this, but in other moments it frustrates, with basic controls and floaty jumping at the heart of it. I think the lack of purpose is what the game is aiming for, but some will need more from their games.
Over the 3 to 4 hour running time, The Last Show of Mr. Chardish is one of huge enjoyment. Framed by theatre it takes us on a journey about regret, power, and ultimately love. It's a game that is ambitious, adventurous, and inspiring, so if you want to get yourself on stage and tread the boards then come join the drama that is The Last Show of Mr. Chardish.
BloodRayne Betrayal: Fresh Bites is a game that is a lot of fun to play; it’s fast, bloody and violent, and in terms of combat at least is right up there. The platforming is where things take a turn for the worse though, and the sections where you are trying to keep her alive via pixel perfect jumps are extremely frustrating.
I’m going to have to use the most damning word I know in the context of a review: I have been left disappointed by Animus: Revenant. The promise of what Animus - Last Stand first delivered has been let down by a lack of polish and a new game style that just doesn’t work. The fixed camera is the biggest issue, but control problems and a dodge that moves you six inches are the final nail in the coffin.
If you have a like-minded friend to hand, Operation Tango is brilliant. The pacing is just right, the missions aren’t too long, and there is replayability built in, with plenty of achievements popping for each level depending on who you complete it as.
When we came to Blind Postman, we winced at the prospect of an ice-slider. We’ve rarely had a good experience with them. But our minds are changed: this is a little gift in the post that we absolutely didn’t expect. We’d suggest that you send a stamp-addressed envelope to get your own.
The best of the supernatural survival games introduce new mechanics and enemies throughout the play time, yet Yuoni doesn’t, and it suffers for it. If you fancy a bit of a scare, you could do worse than play Yuoni, but there are better games out there as well.Â
The world has enough zombie shooters, and - like the zombies themselves - there’s probably nothing we can do to stop the swarm. But we can attempt to ignore them, and that’s exactly what you should do with Earth Marines.
