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Ryan Brown

Hertford, UK (office in Canary Wharf)
Toadsanime

Favorite Games:

38 games reviewed
73.5 average score
80 median score
62.2% of games recommended

Ryan Brown's Reviews

Video games journalist for the Daily Mirror. Freelance for Switch Player, BBC Radio, etc.
Feb 3, 2019

Kingdom Hearts III is an experience that's been worth waiting for, with this entry serving as one of the series' finest moments. Although the tangled storyline and horde of characters may be unapproachable to newcomers, the colourful, mind-boggling variation of the weapons and attacks in your arsenal is a truly dazzling spectacle, and undeniably fun for the duration of this 30-40 hour long epic. For long-time fans, this is a grand send off that completes the current story, with a particularly memorable finale that gives those fans exactly what they've been waiting for. With a killer soundtrack and an amazing array of enemies and worlds to boot, this could be 2019's first must-play hit.

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Mar 21, 2017

NieR:Automata is one of the finest games I have ever played. It is a genuine masterpiece.

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Oct 26, 2017

Simply put, it's one of the most varied, enjoyable, memorable video games available on the market, and takes Super Mario Galaxy head-on as the best 3D platformer ever released. If you don't yet own a Nintendo Switch, Super Mario Odyssey is your excuse to buy one. It is absolute perfection, with virtually no flaws worth pointing out. I'll say it again, because you should be told both at the start and end of this review: Super Mario Odyssey is one of the greatest video games ever made.

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Jul 12, 2017

This is not a game you want to have to wait for - it is a must-have for a console that it feels to have been made for. It is, as I say, a masterpiece.

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Before the Storm evokes everything wonderful about the first game, with even the loss of Max Caulfield and her time-rewind mechanic not as great as one might think. This is fan service at its best. If you were a fan of Life is Strange, you'll love this opening episode and the tease of what's coming in the following episodes.

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Dec 15, 2017

I fear we may have published our Game of the Year list too early, because Gorogoa definitely deserves some sort of a mention. It's the best puzzle game I've played all year.

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Oct 3, 2017

Please, do not let its screenshots deter you - Expand is an expertly crafted game that demands to be played.

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Jan 22, 2018

Yes, you could easily dismiss this as 'just another Portal clone', but it's more than that - it uses its own original gameplay mechanics to provide some genuinely thoughtful, tricky puzzles.

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Oct 10, 2016

With an attractive art style, generally fun gameplay, catchy music and some fantastic narration, Manual Samuel isn't just another clumsy physics-based simulation game - it stands alongside Octodad and Surgeon Simulator as the cream of the physics-based crop.

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Apr 5, 2017

There's some real fun to be had here in spite of its nuisances and both platformer fans of old and newcomers alike will find this enjoyable.

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- RiME
May 25, 2017

With so many optional collectibles, RiME succeeds in filling the collect-a-thon void that other titles have failed to fill. I'm looking at you, Yooka-Laylee. This is a game about exploration, discovery and adventure. It is not a game about killing your enemies, but rather figuring out a way to avoid them. It is a game about solving puzzles as you take in beautiful environments and a wordless narrative.

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May 1, 2017

Despite its straightforward gameplay, Little Nightmares is a title worth putting in the handful of hours that it'll take you to complete, and you'll be surprised by how much ends up sticking with you.

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Jul 18, 2017

For those already fans of the series, it's more of the Splatoon you love. It could just as easily have been called 'Splatoon Deluxe', but there's more than enough here to keep anyone from getting bored. As the Switch's big release of the summer, owners of the console will find it difficult to resist Splatoon 2's charm. It's a great shooter alternative to Call of Duty for kids and still a heap of fun for adults.

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- Arms
Jun 7, 2017

Motion controls are a bit lacking, but ARMS is still immensely fun even with standard button controls. I'll definitely be mastering my technique in online matches long after I've beaten Grand Prix with every character. It may not be for everyone, but this is absolutely the Splatoon of fighters. I can't wait to fight you all online.

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Lasting a few hours, this additional content may be too brief to justify a purchase from those with only a fleeting interest in the game. One of its three colosseums is frustrating to play, and the only new musical track can hardly be heard over cheering sound effects. However, for hardcore fans, three new varied challenges, a secret boss fight, a range of customisation items and a tragic story that lives up to the base game makes what was already one of video gaming's greatest accomplishments even better.

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May 16, 2017

Though it perhaps worked best on the PSP, with alternative control methods and 4K graphics, it's a welcome addition to the PS4 library and I can only hope that more PSP classics receive similar treatment.

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Each of the games in Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 are classics in their own right, even if they don't quite match up to the fan favourite Mega Man 2. These are faithful ports with no apparent technical issues present, so there's not much to complain about.

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Oct 24, 2017

With gorgeously faithful 16-bit graphics and a catchy soundtrack to boot, it's a wonderful addition to one of my favourite genres.

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Oct 23, 2017

In a month full to the brim with humongous, time-sinking, big-budget games, it's a welcome break to experience a brief but calming game like AER: Memories of Old. With gentle music, appealing visuals and a majestically simple flight mechanic, AER is as pleasant a journey as I first expected it to be and makes for a great break between the huge October releases.

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Jan 30, 2018

Shadow of the Colossus is one of the finest remakes ever made, despite some returning issues from the original game

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