Gaming LYF's Reviews
Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of the most impressive games I have ever played. A truly monumental achievement. It's not without its flaws, nor will it be for everyone. However the staggering attention to detail and sheer number of stunningly impressive elements put it up there with some of my favourite moments in gaming. A genuinely superb open world experience in almost every regard.
Marvel's Spider-Man is an absolute blast to play from start to finish. This is clearly an incredibly expensive game to make, one that shows an amazing attention to detail and level of polish throughout. Visually stunning, mechanically fun and just downright fantastic in almost every aspect. Whilst not quite perfect, it's easily Insomniac's finest hour
PES 2019 is one of the best football games in recent memory. On the pitch, the core gameplay is absolutely superb - Konami's constant iteration really shows. It's a joy to play with each match feeling dynamic and exciting. It's not perfect however, off the pitch there's still certainly room for improvement - the game's menus and presentation overall could still use some serious work.
The OlliOlli series offered some of the best skateboarding games you could buy back when they released many years ago. Fast forward to 2019 and both games still hold up brilliantly. OlliOlli: Switch Stance is a fantastic port of a superb set of games, and it's priced fairly to boot. This slick yet brutally addictive gameplay loop is just as much of a blast to play as it was 5 years ago.
Darksiders 3 shifts the series in a new Souls-like direction. Whilst not all of the new elements are a home-run, the game's combat is fantastic throughout. Despite some frustrating difficulty spikes and performance issues here and there, the game still manages to provide a whole lot of fun from start to finish. In an era of microtransaction riddled experiences, Darksiders 3 feels like a breath of fresh air.
State of Decay 2 is a lot of fun. Co-op really helps the game's replayability and the number of systems at work lead to some fantastic unexpected moments. The game is still a little rough around the edges, both in terms of bugs and performance, but it's possible to overlook some of the niggles thanks to the overall enjoyable and addictive gameplay.
Whilst each element isn't perfect, Vampyr manages to weave a brilliant dialogue system into a bleak yet atmospheric depiction of early 19th century London. The combat is serviceable, and the crafting system is basic. Yet the game is still a fantastic accomplishment - a refreshing reminder of just how important mid-tier titles can be.
Priced at £19.99 for the Shadow Edition, the package offers great value. The Nightfall expansion adds an enjoyable extension of gameplay from the base game, and is a great addition when bundled. Purchased separately however the deal isn't quite as sweet. Fans of the genre will find a lot to like here, Aragami's gameplay is a lot of fun. There are a few issues here and there, but the replayability, fantastic online co-op and multiple different ways to approach the game, make it a worthwhile addition to your library.
A solid remaster which has evidently had plenty of work put into it. Red Faction Guerrilla still holds up today thanks to its fantastic destruction which remains relatively unrivalled. Whilst some areas of the game do show their age, this is still a great game being sold at a fair price point.
Assassin's Creed Odyssey is a stunning game - a gigantic beautiful recreation of Greece, with wonderful ship combat, smooth traversal and plenty of satisfying gameplay moments. Unfortunately numerous design decisions lead to a mix of frustrating gameplay with numerous glimpses of greatness. It's not perfect, but it undoubtedly offers plenty of the series' best.
The Division 2 feels like a new benchmark for the looter shooter genre. The game feels surprisingly well refined at launch, with a wonderful amount of content, solid endgame and great gameplay changes coming from the original. The combat feels both tactical and fun, particularly when played with others, and D.C. is teeming with loot around every corner. Whilst there's some bugs here and there, and the game's narrative could be significantly better, The Division 2 provides a fantastic base for Ubisoft to build upon moving forward.
RAGE 2 is a bombastic blast to play from beginning to end. The game's combat offers some of the most satisfyingly enjoyable shooting found in a video game in years. Whilst the open world elements add little to the package with repetitive side content, the core gameplay loop is more than enjoyable throughout. At 30fps base console owners should beware, ideally experienced on the enhanced consoles or a PC. RAGE 2 is simply a straight up fun video game.
Hyper Jam harkens back to the golden era of Xbox Live Arcade. A low priced no-frills arena brawler that oozes style and nails what's important, whilst offering a brilliant amount of hidden depth for higher level players. It's easy to pick up and play, and full of hilariously enjoyable moments thanks to the incredibly tight feeling moment to moment gameplay. A true indie classic.
A Plague Tale Innocence isn't a flawless experience, but it's certainly a superb one. The game features plenty of solid stealth and puzzle mechanics, an intriguing narrative, some beautiful environments, and one of the best video game soundtracks in recent memory. It's a title which puts fairly unknown developer Asobo Studio firmly on the map. A Plague Tale is well worth your hard earned cash.
Priced at $24.99 / £22.49, SteamWorld Quest provides brilliant value for money. The genre blending turn-based RPG meets card game mechanics serve as a refreshingly addictive change of pace. It's all wrapped up in a polished, quirky and light-hearted adventure featuring fun characters and a beautiful hand-drawn art style. The game is a blast from beginning to end, and is well worth your time and hard earned cash.
Control is a fantastic game that comes so close to being an absolutely incredible one. Providing some of the best gameplay Remedy have created since Max Payne, it's an undoubtedly fun game with an intriguing story. Some areas such as the weapon and environment variety only slightly negatively impact what's an otherwise brilliant title.
GreedFall punches way above its weight thanks to some excellent writing, surprisingly in-depth RPG mechanics, a strong presentation and plenty of interesting quest lines. Whilst it's a little rough around the edges in areas such as the undeniably poor lip syncing and occasional bugs, this is still a fantastic RPG. GreedFall is well worth the asking price - RPG fans will find a lot to love here.
eFootball PES 2020 provides some of the best gameplay the series has ever seen, thanks to some excellent tweaks and changes to the on pitch action. Disappointingly some of the game's modes still lack depth, such as the Ultimate Team competitor - MyClub, however that doesn't stop PES 2020 from offering arguably the finest footballing experience available in a video game right now.
Titan Quest on the Switch is a solid port. The game looks good, runs smoothly in portable and docked modes (most of the time) and controls well. Other players have experienced some fairly serious bugs, but in my lengthy time with the game things have been largely smooth sailing. Whilst the port is a little unambitious in scope and shows its age in spots, over a decade later Titan Quest remains a blast to play and is just as addictive as ever.
Conan Exiles is a fantastic survival game, arguably one of the genre's best. Right now the game suffers from some ropey console performance, server issues and a range of bugs. But despite these issues the game is a whole lot of fun, especially with friends. Don't sleep on Conan Exiles.