Neil Bolt
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Metal Gear Solid 2
- XCOM 2
Neil Bolt's Reviews
Arkham Knight has some flaws, but they generally pale in comparison to the wondrous spectacle Rocksteady serves us up. A fine end to the Arkham trilogy.
Whether you played and enjoyed Journey before or are curious to see what the fuss is all about, the PS4 version provides a great excuse to experience one of PSN's greatest titles for a first or second time.
Intimidating, tough and thoroughly overwhelming, Divinity: Original Sin is no easy sell for those into a more modern RPG. Yet looking past that, you will find one of 2015's deepest and most rewarding titles, full of wit, charm and deadly challenge, all within a world that is a joy to exist in.
The football is sublime in PES 2016. There are small improvements made to other areas of the game, and some are still needed, but on the pitch the series is in title-winning form once again.
XCOM 2's PS4 port is hobbled by some turgid technical issues, but it's a testament to how magnificent a game it is that it still rises above them. Outstanding, brutally challenging and endlessly enjoyable, XCOM 2 is a legitimate triumph.
Mankind Divided is a thoroughly satisfying Action RPG that understands how to make stealth play enjoyable, flexible and challenging. The design of its near-future world is remarkable, and the stories held within it are compelling. The only sour taste here is an ending at odds, and the slightest whiff of over-familiarity.
Unravel is a gorgeous, tender, heartwarming experience. Endearing to the last thanks to a well-designed world and achingly sweet protagonist.
Layers of Fear is everything a mature, modern horror game should be. Subtle, smart, unnerving and genuinely intriguing.
World of Tomorrow is the best slice of Hitman for a decade. Sapienza holds so many deliciously dark secrets within its Mediterranean walls, and it’s worth exploring every single one of them.
Virginia takes the adventure game to new places, and while not everyone might want to join in on the trip, those that do will be rewarded with a thoroughly mesmerising experience that stays with you long after the credits roll
Hitman’s first season is a full-blown triumph. IO Interactive has masterfully pulled off this gamble with relatively few hiccups along the way. The world of assassination has never been a finer place to visit than it is right now.
Much like its predecessor, Steins;Gate 0 proves to be among the finest examples of creating a thoroughly engaging visual novel.
As improbable as it sounds, Thimbleweed Park has brought the Lucasarts adventuring heyday kicking and screaming like a three-headed monkey into 2017 with the sort of verve few would have expected. Thimbleweed Park is utterly essential for point and click adventurers everywhere.
Housemarque has broken its own quality barrier with Nex Machina. This pulse-pounding twin-stick arcade shooter is the developer's finest work. Brutal, compelling, enthralling and layered with hidden depths, Nex Machina is awash with retrotastic glory, and serves as the new benchmark for twin-stick shooters.
Whether it's delivering chaos or absurdity, grim drama or theatrical villainy, Wolfenstein II handles it all superbly.
While it doesn't address some longstanding degradation of ingenuity in certain areas, PES 2018 provides the best pure football found in a videogame, and the additions it has made only amplify that.
War of the Chosen overhauls the already fabulous XCOM 2 and turns it into absolutely essential fare. The introduction of the Chosen, the soldier bonding system, and the photobooth mode, are perfect additions in that they amplify the base game's best qualities. It's just a shame the shine is dulled ever so slightly by a bunch of needless technical issues.
This is another chance for one of the most underappreciated adventures to appear on a PlayStation console to gain a new, much deserved, audience. Time has been fairly kind to Okami despite minor gripes. If you've yet to experience the wonderful world of Okami, then this is as good a chance as any.
It doesn't rip up any trees in terms of the horror genre, even in VR, but The Persistence is a game that understands how to deliver proper terror and tension for Sony's virtual reality hardware. Finally, we have a horror game that is fully designed for PSVR and the end result is something pretty special.
The already marvelous Civilization VI makes the jump to PS4 almost entirely intact, and with the addition of two meaty expansions, this is an essential title for console strategy fans. It's a little overwhelming for newcomers, but it treats the player with respect and rewards a curious mind with an utterly absorbing experience.