Jordan Oloman's Reviews
FIFA 23’s slick and dramatic virtual football is fitting for the series’ last hurrah under its long-time name, but familiar frustrations abound, and it still greatly undervalues some of its most beloved modes.
Microtransactions still loom large, but small iterative changes and the horsepower of new-gen consoles combine to make FIFA 22 feel like a worthwhile upgrade without needing anything revolutionary or terribly exciting from EA's side.
The Crew 2 is a fantastic open-world racing game that creates an unintentional post-apocalypse out of its gorgeous open-world by failing to ply it with meaningful modes
Deck 13 improve on Lords of the Fallen with a sci-fi Souls game in a gorgeous universe, but it still falls short at a couple of hurdles before it can be considered a worthwhile experience for fans of this emergent genre.
Where the Water Tastes Like Wine excels in its narrative, visuals and audio but really struggles to fit into the video game medium with its tedious gameplay. This is overshadowed by beautiful stories and moments of pure humanity.
The Darkside Detective is a short but worthy addition to your adventure game library, with endearing characters and references, wrapped up in an appealing art style and score.
Shadow of War is like someone telling you a really exciting story, but they're so indulged in it that they trip over their words and you end up confused and you can't grasp the great magnitude of the adventure in their brain. Muddled but ultimately satisfying and fun, this is a gorgeous Orc pancake with a little too much sickly syrup.
Immortal Redneck is an old-school first-person roguelike with all the bells and whistles. It's tough but fair, fun and steeped in a silly aesthetic. Perfect for a reliable departure from your backlog.
Death Squared is an impressive use of the Nintendo Switch hardware and the first great puzzle game on the system. It's worth a punt if you're looking for fun puzzle domestics with friends or just want to embolden that home screen with a fun pick me up for your commute.
Redfall is a compelling adventure with killer combat and an atmospheric setting in which you can easily lose a weekend. Even though it feels watered down by Arkane’s systemic standards, it’s an ambitious, primarily successful experiment full of narrative nuance and unique ideas. Hopefully, Redfall’s shakeup of the genre will pave the way for more inspired looter shooters in the future and, selfishly… another immersive simulator?
Sackboy doesn’t have the tight movement tech of Crash Bandicoot 4 or the butter-melting charms of a game like Astro’s Playroom, but it’s well worth a look if you’re in the market for an innovative platformer that makes the most of the PS5’s exclusive features.
What The Golf is a hilarious, addicting golf game that unravels the sport into clever puzzles and intrigue.
WindJammers is a totally radical 90s sports game that is a bunch of high octane fun with friends at home or in the frisbee gauntlet online. Master every cardinal direction and become the one true discus God!
Snake Pass is a formidable, acutely designed puzzle platformer with a unique twist, unlike anything I've ever played
This is a game that wants to delight you. It is unapologetically hopeful, like nothing I’ve ever played, offering a seemingly endless font of positivity that is difficult to ignore. Alas, it is still very much a Kingdom Hearts game, and the staunchly unwavering architecture of it is felt in every U.I element and cutscene.
Whilst this isn’t the most essential Wii U port to come to the Switch compared to more inventive titles like Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe is easily the best modern Super Mario Bros. game, and if you’re looking for that kind of fix after the 3D heights of Super Mario Odyssey, this 2D golden oldie is worth your money and your time.
Regardless of the lack of new content, this game was and still is a seriously funny, perhaps underrated title from the PS2 era. The gameplay still feels solid on a fancy new controller, and it’s always going to be an interesting premise, in this case executed well. If you’re looking for a nostalgic way to pass the time, I’d like to think this is the game for you.
Even though the game basically pulls you from one remarkable situation to the next, that is kind of the point, and I really enjoyed my time with Maize. It has that self-aware LucasArts ridiculousness that is wonderfully endearing, and seeing as we’re currently lacking in adventure games, Maize is a welcome breath of fresh air.
Valorant has already won over many esports and live-streaming stars and their millions of teen fans. If it can do what Fortnite and Overwatch have done and bring in more casual players as well, we will be talking about it for years to come.
Come for the crunchy combat and stay for the seductive systems that will keep you playing long after the compelling campaign has been conquered.