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An intriguing premise eventually becomes your own personal purgatory. I don't think I've ever played a game like this before. The story and gameplay loop **** you in from its opening few minutes. The events that unfold throughout your 8 or so hour adventure takes place in a single apartment over a course of 12 minutes. The setting; you play as a man having dinner with his wife and all seems serene until the night slowly spirals into chaos as a policeman abruptly interrupts and wreaks havoc. Then, boom! The day repeats. Timeloop. The game is played from a single top down perspective and is essentially a point and click adventure. You click on things and direct the husband throughout his 12 minute evening choosing different dialogue options and choosing certain actions that cause the events to drastically change on each repeated time loop. The games goal is that your wife is being accused of murder and you must prove her innocence. The art style is pleasing enough and the sound design does the job. The voice talent hear is excellent with James McAvoy, Daisy Ridley and Willem Defoe voicing the husband, wife and policeman respectively. Defoe here is a particular joy to listen to and stands out as the menacing mysterious policeman. Unfortuantley what starts out with intrigue and mystery and a desire to press on quickly gets bogged down in tedium and frustration. You have to repeat dialogue loops over and over to progress. The story often hits a brick wall with regards progression and randomly trying different options to progress can become tiring. The game over stays its welcome by about 3 or so hours and doesn't serve to guide the player or have any system other than trial an error in some cases to advance things along. In the end after sinking 5 or so hours I had had enough and just used a guide to suss out the endings. There are multiple resolutions to this tale and the twist ending feels somewhat unearned and not as intelligent as it thinks it is. All in all the premise here is exciting but its execution could have done with some refinement. An interesting game with some excellent performances that unfortunately out stays its welcome. Try it on game pass or pick it up in a sale.

6 long years since the dumpster fire that was Halo 5's main campaign. John 117 is officially back in what is arguably studio 343's finest piece of work. Set after the events of Halo 5 and also after the void where perhaps there was once an idea for a Halo 6, the story picks up with the Chief comatose in space after a failed altercation with our new villains 'The Banished'. The story told here is a simple one, this is not to say poor, but most importantly decided to focus on the Chief and his emotional fall out from the events involving Cortana in Halo 4 & 5 as he attempts to stop 'The Banished' from achieving their evil plan. The gameplay in this game feels refined and is very reminiscent of when I first picked up the Xbox controller years ago and stepped foot into combat evolved. The nostalgia here is indeed strong with this one. With the move sets on offer, this is the closest to letting you feel like a Spartan the games have ever achieved. The environments are rich in detail although sometimes a bit sparse with activity and the graphical detail is glorious and really sings in 4K. A big part for any story driven game for me is the musical score. Gareth Coker really nails his composition and uses subtle Halo motifs to reinforce his original work. The result is a score that can move you and get your adrenaline pumping when the time is right. The rest of the sound design is also spectacular particularly when run through a 5.1 set up with an excellent mix of dialogue, music and sound effects with excellent spatial separation. Disclaimer: I am a Halo nut. My only criticism with the game is that you essentially only inhabit 2 biomes throughout your 20 something hour journey. Although the gameplay always kept it feeling fresh as the loop was so addictive I did feel by the end game I would have liked to have seen a little variety in the locations throughout the game. Hopefully these will be used in whatever Halo Infinite will become as it is my impression that this is the platform for the future of Halo. Overall, this is a masterpiece. Was it worth the wait? A resounding yes. Although location variety an issue throughout the main campaign I spent my entire time eager to jump back in and progress with finishing the fight. Welcome back Master Chief, you have been missed.

Having only just yesterday finished the first episode in this series I was keen to jump back in again. This is more of the same with the same caveats as the first instalment. It is short, it is probably over priced and if you are not a Star Wars nut you will probably leave unsatisfied. But as a Star Wars fan you get to live out your child hood fantasies of wielding the force, fighting Rancors and using a lightsaber all at the same time! It feels bloody awesome. I found myself frantically flailing my arms around as I attempted to impress Lord Vader with my new found skills and left with a massive smile on my face. A slight negative which I have noticed is running this on a HP Reverb G2 the game is particularly dark to the point it becomes a little tricky to play at times. But apart from that the art design is excellent and the sound design is exactly what you would expect. Igniting a lightsaber has never felt so good. For the Star Wars fan with a VR setup, this is essential.

As a new user to VR and an avid lover of anything Star Wars this seemed like an excellent title to wet my VR whistle. It must be said from the outset that the run time here probably doesn't justify the price. **** anyone who is a Star Wars fan, this game is awesome! To inhabit the world of Star Wars in a VR setting and have Lord Vader himself intimidatingly stand over you is something my younger self could only dream of. Graphically this game looks brilliant and has all the hall marks of excellent Lucasfilm sound design. My only nit-pick with the presentation is that it is awfully dark, however I think this can be tweaked with some messing around with the files. The story is short and sweet, nicely tees up the next chapter and I can't wait to jump in and continue the journey. It loses 2 for it's high price point, short length and almost no replay ability unless you wish to experience the story again. There is a lightsaber dojo which is good fun but not enough to pull me back repeatedly Overall, this is essential for any Star Wars fan who is lucky enough to have a VR setup. For anyone else, probably wait for a sale (you can currently buy all 3 episodes for a small discount on the Oculus store).

I really didn't engage with this game. I found the level design to be bland and tedious in nature. Although it was playable I found myself eager to finish so I could move onto the next game. The dungeons are fine and the combat works but there are far better alternatives out there. This should only be for the severe Zelda nut (which this game aims to pay homage to) who has truly exhausted all other gaming options.

You're a ninja, you've been given a scroll and have a banging soundtrack to kick ass too........lets go save the world. I knew limited information about The Messenger before diving in and damn am I glad I took a gamble. This game rocks. From its epic chip tune soundtrack to the simple but effective gameplay 'The Messenger' will keep you hooked until you reach its conclusion and reveal what the message you are carrying is all about. Without giving too much away, which arguably may have already been revealed to you if you have seen any trailers for the game, the game is split into two halves. The first half, a traditional platformer and the latter half a metroidvania. Utilising some clever gameplay mechanics and a dynamically changing soundtrack I couldn't wait to jump back in each time and start kicking ass all over again. The writing is very clever and never afraid to poke fun at itself which made the story that much more enjoyable. Please keep an eye out for the sarcastic shop keeper. The one criticism which has been raised in other reviews and I accept it too is that the pace slows a tad at the mid point. Its very easy to fall off the band wagon at this point but I'm very glad I stuck it through. An indie gem and a standout title for 2018. Now go and deliver that message.

Once in a while a game comes along that I would consider special. Arthur Morgans turbulent journey through the wild west is long, arduous, heart breaking and ultimately a journey that I won't be forgetting any time soon. After spending 50 hours taking the game to its melancholy conclusion I can only think back on the tremendous feat Rockstar have accomplished with their latest magnum opus. The world feels vast and lived in, the characters well developed and the musical score that envelopes you is subtle, perfect and never overbearing. The gameplay has its quirks, the combat is not quite as fluid as you would sometimes want and you will fall off your horse after slamming into a tree on occasion but this never detracted from the immersion. It is very easy to forgive RDR2's little quirks when the story being told is so perfectly executed and the connection with your character so strong, largely down to a stand out performance from Roger Clark who spent years recording dialogue and motion capture for Arthur. If you didn't like RDR1 then I'm afraid this isn't going to change your mind. However, if you're ready to go on one last ride then saddle up and experience one of the most emotionally rewarding games in recent memory. It might not end how you **** that's the way it is.

Limbo is minimalistic in its design, offers limited guidance and is shrouded in an unnerving sense of dread and mystery. You are dropped into a forest playing a young boy who seemingly must escape or progress through the unwinding labyrinth before you. The sound design is fantastic with audio cues sometimes the only thing giving you a hint to what lies ahead and the aesthetic is suitably gloomy and foreboding. The gameplay mechanics are simple, intuitive and don't outstay their welcome in this short but worthwhile adventure. Even though this is a short game, it is often challenging and occasionally left me stumped as to how to progress. If you are after a short game with fantastic art and a bleak horror setting to take on the go this is for you. I can't wait to sink my teeth into the teams follow up 'Inside' which is next on my hit list.

You would be forgiven for assuming this is just another in the long list of metroid-vania's to hit the Nintendo Switch. However, once the initial first steps are taken into young Otus' journey to save his home land of Advent your heart will be warmed as you start to care about the tale that unfolds before you. A story of an underdog overcoming adversity, it is once a gain a testament to the game and its writing as to how much you begin to care about your pixelated heroes. The music is soaring, the gameplay satisfying and by the time the credits rolled I was well and truly invested in my merry band of adventurers. Don't let the fact that this is another in a long line of 2D side-scrolling metoridvania's put you off. This is an adventure worth taking and a rare gem that should be experienced if you have a Switch.

This game is wonderful. I've just gone through a replay of this and have bathed in sweet 2009 nostalgia. Playing like an extended episode of Firefly (a lot of the cast provide voice work) the story takes you on a journey running in tandem with the events of Halo 2. Clearly Bungie have made subtle improvements since Halo 3 and have mastered the engine to provide a slightly tighter gaming experience. This is by no means a knock at Halo 3, a game I have a great fondness for, but merely a testament to how good this follow up is. Although the narrative does slow down somewhat in the segments dedicated purely to the rookie, taking on a much more stealth orientated focus, the action quickly picks up the pace again when returning back to one of our main protagonists. The gameplay is tight and the music on point drenching the New Mombassa streets in piano soaked atmosphere. 9 years after its creation Halo: ODST still stands out as a pleasure to play and a journey worth taking even if its not your first time dropping from orbit.

Fast, frenetic, infuriatingly challenging and a joy to play. Donkey Kong was the first game I played on the SNES and retro have captured the magic I remember from so long ago exquisitely. This game is challenging and will test the most hardened platforming veterans but the addition of funky mode is welcome for those with younger players who also want to experience the magic without them putting their fist through the switch. The music plays all the classic tropes from previous DK games with some new additions and the sound design is awesome. 10 out of 10 might seem excessive but I still keep returning to this game trying to beat the near impossible hard mode. For a bit more of that sweet Nintendo magic, look no further.

Managed to pick this up in a sale on the eshop for £4 and have thoroughly enjoyed it. Plot is simple, dig and find treasure to discover why your estranged robot uncle invited you to a mining town in the middle of nowhere. Charming, colourful, an Ennio Morricone-esque soundtrack and addictive gameplay. It is rather short and I managed to complete it in one sitting at 3 1/2 hours with no real replay value. But at the price I paid who's complaining. Roll on SteamWorld Dig 2!

As part of the generation who's first Super Mario experience was on the SNES, this harps back to the excitement that I originally experienced all those many years ago. This is an absolute joy to behold from start to finish and being truthful, although I have sunk over 50 hours into this I am still not done with it. The controls are sublime, the worlds innovative and most importantly it delivers on Nintendos frequent ability to teleport you back to your childhood. In short, magical.