James Swinbanks's Reviews
Planet Zoo is a detailed management sim that's both rewarding and educational, and the cute animals certainly don't hurt.
Bugs and a rough story weaken what is, at its core, a great survival game.
This 2D action-platformer is a gorgeous but frustrating test of patience.
Flatout 4 brings the franchise into the modern day and gets away from the line with a dash, but nonsensical progression and frustrating AI quickly kills its drive.
It is an entirely functional video game that (in most respects) looks, feels and plays like Payday 2, and given the right circumstances, can also be a bit of fun. But given how readily available it is on other platforms and the concessions made with this version, it doesn't highlight Payday 2's unique brand of shooting and looting the way other platforms have for years.
While this arcade-style cricket slogfest shows potential, Big Bash Boom's bugs and technical issues mean it struggles to make a lasting impression.
This nostalgic puzzle-platforming action game, newly transported into the modern day, looks great but feels old.
Elex is an open-world RPG that aims big, but only manages to shoot itself in the foot.
Earthfall is too derivative to stand out and too disappointing to inspire repeat trips through its 10 mediocre missions.
This hardcore survival sim is too dense for its own good.
This third-person stealth action game is better left alone.
A frenetic ride through a demonic underworld teeming with bad guys and plot twists that will have you smiling all the way till the credits roll
It’s pure joy for enthusiasts, offering a detailed and engaging driving experience to those who are after the sort of thing that hasn’t been on offer since the days of Richard Burns Rally.
The cars are faster than ever and feel better to drive than ever thanks to tighter controls and base improvements to the game’s car handling. Equally, the addition of accessibility features like steering help and the casual modes open up F1 2020 to an even wider degree of players, from those with a casual racing interest to people with full-blown personal racing simulators.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night’s excels with its art and design, and once it’s up to speed, offers some wonderfully enjoyable platforming action. But its slow start will inevitably push some players away.
Wolfenstein: Youngblood is a pretty rough ride that takes two steps back for every step it takes forward.
A competent, if unambitious arcade racing game that puts in a solid midfield performance, but falls well short of making the podium.
GT Sport is very good at what it’s trying to do; create a core racing esport on console, and to that end they’ve offered up a solid core.
The combat is tactile and purposeful and the story is one you’ll want to see through, but the grind to do so is long and frustrating one. It fails to take advantage of the way it successfully alters the formula by failing at others and, in doing so, doesn’t end up hitting the heights of the game it derives from so heavily.
Dirt 4 is spectacular, there really is no other way to put it. From the meta of running your own team and how that can affect your car performance, to the sheer variety of surprises that can hit you during a run… it’s just a beautifully dynamic racing experience, which is really the biggest game changer here