Alex Donaldson's Reviews
To a certain type of player, Legend of Mana is likely to be considered the perfect remaster. It touches up the visuals, but not too much. It makes quality-of-life changes, but preserves the original design and difficulty – warts and all. Some may find that preservation detrimental, with this twenty year-old game showing its age – but it does also make this the new definitive way to experience a classic.
Mario’s latest sporting adventure doesn’t exactly have the greatest story mode, but its core gameplay and modes are excellent.
A-Train: All Aboard! Tourism won’t be for everyone. That’s not just because it’s part of a niche genre – it’s also because of the way it’s structured and the time commitment to truly get into it and dig deep into the ‘good stuff’. It never quite goes off the rails, but sometimes you’ll wish the journey could be a little quicker – and not everyone will be able to stick it out. If you manage that – and more fervent fans of transport sims should be able to do that – there’s a bit of a hidden gem here.
As a retro RPG revival, Bravely Default 2 is faithful and full of heart, just like its predecessors. As a high definition 2021 video game, it sometimes falls short.
It’s clear that Respawn still has the chops to make a quality Medal of Honor game. There’s a lot of heart here, and an attention to detail that must be admired. With that said, it’s clear the studio had troubles accomplishing its goals in VR – and the result is a curious VR experience that’s worth experiencing, but equally is nothing like a VR system seller. It stands strides behind Alyx – but then again, so do most VR games.
Pokemon Sword & Shield is all too often a bit disappointing, and in some places actually feels a little unfinished, but it also fully provides that warm, fuzzy feeling that one expects from the series. Crucially, even through frustration, never once did I think about putting it down, which is to its credit. It comes recommended almost for the Galar setting and new Pokemon alone, but with a long list of caveats indeed.
Flawed though it may be, sometimes a distinctly B-tier game is exactly what the doctor ordered – especially at this time of year, in a sea of mega-hyped triple-A.
It's a smart simulation game with some really great use of modern horsepower atop the basic trappings of older games in a genre that sadly isn't as active as it likely deserves to be. Just keep in mind you'll need to go in with plenty of patience and a willingness to search outside the game if something obscure trips you up. If you can get past that, and you like a bit of simulation, you're going to have a lot of fun.
This collection gathers together a good game, an exciting demo and a movie that's strictly for hardcore fans. It's a decent package, but certainly isn't for newcomers.
The performance of this handheld port can be dubious, but the still amazing quality of the base game makes it a reasonable compromise if you can't play on another platform.
This strategy RPG sequel is simple and accessible, but will satisfy hardcore RPG fans less than the other Fire Emblem Fates releases.
This Zelda spin-off is successful when you can get three players together, but feels much more empty solo.
Bethesda's big budget, massively multiplayer trip to Tamriel has some great ideas, but struggles with execution in places.
A trip to the moon offers some decent new ideas, but also is clearly a stop-gap release.
Technical hiccups aren't enough to diminish the value of this sizable package.
Yuffie's episode is thrilling fan-service and a welcome slice of more of the same for fans of FF7 Remake, but it's also easily skippable.
This isn't the best version of Skyrim available, but the fact an RPG this large and impressive can now be played on the go is honestly a bit of a revelation.
You'll still really feel this game, but it's been visually diminished.
A slightly weak narrative can't obscure how compelling and exciting Mankind Divided's is to play. Here, the best stories are those you make yourself through emergent gameplay.
An excellent foundation that is hopefully built on, this is a solid RPG-shooter hybrid that lacks in variety but somehow keeps you well invested all the same.