Ashley Bates's Reviews
Nostalgia only carries this bundle so far. Whilst these are enjoyable games, they're showing an age befitting their 10 year anniversary.
A brutal, bloody and brilliant multiplayer brawler.
The old adage goes "War Never Changes". The same could be said for EA and DICE's historical shooter, and we wouldn't have it any other way. With the single player campaign delivering engaging stories and informative training, and the multiplayer being as frantic and unpredictable as usual, Battlefield 1 offers shooting fans the complete package.
ClusterTruck isn't a complicated game. The formula has been around since games began: avoid obstacles and reach the goal. The interpretation that ClusterTruck delivers is interesting and fun to play, but can be quite short lived.
Whilst there's a lot of enjoyment to be found from carving the aliens into tiny pieces, the campaign offers nothing of real consequence. Earth's Dawn feels like a game that could have been improved using permadeath or more significant time management implementation. Instead, we've got a fun, if disposable beat ‘em up.
Xbox has been crying out for a Power Stone type of fighting game, so it’s good to see LASTFIGHT filling that particular niche, but the game has a void of its own when it comes to content. Hopefully, that will be addressed by the developer Piranaking, but currently that does devalue LASTFIGHT in comparison to other fighting games on the market. Still, you do get a satisfying brawler that truly comes into its element at a party or with friends and family.
An audiovisual tour-de-force and a lesson on how to fuse the shoot 'em up and beat 'em up genres, Furi is a must have game for any fans of challenging beat 'em ups. The difficulty and precision required will put some casual gamers off, but Furi sets out to please the hardcore crowd and over-achieves.
Frank's a likeable protagonist - witty, gruff, and we suspect he has a heart of gold to go with the elixir of eternal life he's clearly been sampling. And, to be frank, Frank deserves a little more polish and a lot more jeopardy than Capcom Vancouver has delivered with Dead Rising 4. Slaying zombies with a variety of ridiculous weapons is as fun as ever, but we hoped for more.
With its content-rich Multiverse mode and the boundless possibilities of the gear system, the thrilling Story experience, and the superlative game mechanics under the hood, Injustice 2 proves why NetherRealm are setting the pace for all fighting game developers.
The meagre selection of modes and underwhelming story in Tekken 7 might put off the lonesome player, but if you've got two controllers and a friend/sibling/partner to play with, Tekken 7 will keep you occupied forever. Besides, where else are you going to see a bear smack seven shades out of a vampire wearing a Bullet Club t-shirt?
Unless you have a rabble of drunk friends on your couch, Nidhogg 2 is a pretty hard sell.
Early on in the game, you're told that Kiwami means “Extreme”. While this isn't an extreme makeover, Yakuza Kiwami is an extremely good retelling of an underrated PS2 gem.
It was the undisputed ruler of the golfing genre, and that crown remains unchallenged, but Everybody's Golf is one of few games that could benefit from better online integration.
We've been waiting years for Cuphead, and it's been totally worth it. Some issues with the run and gun levels do dampen the overall experience, but not to any significant degree. Cuphead is challenging, exciting and most importantly, enjoyable.
Though Raiders of the Broken Planet brings some unique characters and ideas to the table, and can be a lot of fun either as an antagonist or with a full party, it's simply too frustrating to enjoy for any long period of time.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and that's especially true for a game like Fe. For every beautiful moment and every emotional musical chord, there's a gameplay element that just gets in the way.
Though it's not totally devoid of positives, Metal Gear Survive suffers the curse of being wholly unremarkable in pretty much every way. Bland survival gameplay, unoriginal ideas and unresponsive melee combat make for a tedious experience. Metal Gear Survive is certainly a functional game, but someone forgot to add the "fun".
Though not a perfect experience, Way of the Passive Fist offers an interesting take on a tried and tested genre, creating something beautiful in the process.
Even though De Blob 2 isn't without fault, it's a joyful and wholesome experience that amuses more than it frustrates. Adults might find it too simplistic, but it's perfect for children.
A strong start for the latest in a long wave of episodic narrative adventure games, The Council sets its stall out from the beginning as something unique, inventive and deserving of your attention.