GlobalNightmare

Enemy unknown was a fantastic game. Though not being the greatest player of turn-based strategy titles, I made it through to the end, and enjoyed every minute. I couldn't believe my luck when I discovered the sequel would be coming to the PS4. It was an instant-buy, no question about it. My excitement soon turned to disappointment however, upon experiencing the harsh, unforgiving difficulty. It was then that I realized that this game was not designed for me, or indeed a wider audience of gamers. It has seemingly been designed for hardcore xcom players only. I looked at my "Demon's souls" platinum trophy in disbelief; this game is too hard. Way too hard for the casual gamer, or novices of the genre. Even on the easiest difficulty setting. There's too much stacked against you here. My biggest problem is the inclusion of timed missions. Time limits in strategy games are never a good thing as far as I'm concerned. People want to play at their own pace. They don't want to feel rushed, or shoved head-first into a horde of enemies before they can plan or think. There's RTS's for that. I constantly felt outnumbered, outgunned, and outmaneuvered at every turn. Shouting at the television in anger as a 90% hit chance misses an enemy, yet again. I found myself constantly reloading my last save in an attempt to keep my soldiers from dying, but becoming frustrated as the lengthy load times here are an absolute joke. Eventually, I'd had enough. The aliens can keep the Earth. Its not worth my sanity. I'll go back to "darkest dungeon" for my strategy fix. The bad outweighs the good here, which is a huge shame as I loved the original, and there's so many good inclusions to the gameplay and presentation here worth talking about, but I just cant enjoy any of it to care. Its just too hard, and too frustrating. For hardcore xcom players ONLY.

A true next gen title. Looks amazing, sounds amazing, and tells a story worthy of a hollywood blockbuster. Alien fans get all the fan service they're looking for here, and more. The Alien itself is truly frightening, and really does feel alive, almost as if its being controlled by a human player. The best AI I've encountered anywhere. Its not an easy game, and does require patience, but an experience and tense as this, is not to be missed.

This game is just like Farcry 3. Just not as good, and with less interesting characters, and story, and lacks a decent multiplayer mode. Just get Farcry 3 instead. This release should of been; Farcry 4: Blood dragon 2 - Vietnam 3.

Resident evil: revelations 2 feels like a step back from its predecessor. Its unsure on what kind of game it wants to be. The game itself is a part action, part puzzle, part stealth, survival horror game that feels very low budget and unfinished. The character models are decent enough, but backgrounds and textures are shockingly bad for a next-gen title. It does have a nice smooth frame rate though. Voice acting is as camp as you would expect, sound effects and music are pretty standard for this type of game. Capcom has decided yet again to pair you up with a useless AI companion, which causes frustration and eliminates any feeling of isolation. If you have a friend who would like to play as either a moody teenager who is anti-firearm, or a little girl that can throw bricks and see through walls, you're in luck; the game can become splitscreen from the pause menu. If you don't however, you will find yourself having to switch between these third-wheel characters to solve puzzles. The single player campaign is only four chapters long, switching between Claire Redfield and Barry Burton, six months apart on a virus infected island. I found the pacing of the game inconsistent. I found myself wondering around quietly solving puzzles one minute, then suddenly overwhelmed by enemies the next, leading to a quick death. You will die a lot in this game, and it feels cheap every time the game decides to spring an unexpected battle upon you. On a personal note; whoever decided to add invisible enemies to this game needs to never work on video games again. Controls are pretty responsive, although attaching to ladders can sometimes be a pain, especially if you are too close to activate the climb prompt. The inventory screen is better than the last game; its no "resi 4" attache case by any means, but it will do. Why Capcom have never brought back the attache case is beyond me. I got the feeling this game wanted to be "the evil within". Unfortunately, said game was better in every respect. Capcom really need to sort this franchise out. its laughable. Look at the sales of the resi 1 remake; you would think they would have figured it out by now. Maybe next time. The only redeeming quality of this game is its "raid" mode. Its so much fun, and saves the game from being a complete failure. Its two-player split screen mode is a joy to play, and it will have you coming back for more. Its a fairly cheap game to buy, and I would only recommend it for its raid mode. If you want a decent single player experience, get the resi 1 remake instead.

I loved Demon's souls. I loved Dark souls. So much so, I felt the compulsion to grab all those tricky trophies and finish them both completely. I had high hopes for the sequel. I was able to look past the graphical downgrade, because lets face it, it's not all about looks is it? As bad as it looks, I carried on regardless. I quite liked the hollow/human system, and the fact that you can warp bonfire to bonfire at the get-go. I also liked the vast amount of places to visit. Unfortunately, I felt unsatisfied upon finishing the game. The game becomes less enjoyable and confusing the deeper you get into it. There is only a vague explanation to what it is you're doing in Drangleic, and there is a great lack of explanation on where to go to finish your quest. Sure, there is plenty of lore to find and read through but it's all too vague. It is so easy to become lost and frustrated on where to go next it can become a real pain. For example I had no idea where to find the final boss, and I didn't understand the relevance of the "giant souls" as it was not explained. As least in the original you had a clear idea of what you were doing, and who you had to defeat in order to link the fires and end the curse to finish the game. An introduction to "soul level" restricts multiplayer and invader interaction. Infusing weapons is far too easy, and boss soul weapons are weak and too easy to craft. There not even worth creating as they're so underpowered I must say though the combat was pretty solid, if a little glitchy at times. All in all, Dark souls 2 feels rushed, unfinished, and disappointing. It's not a complete disaster mind you, there is some fun to be had here, I just wish more time had been spent of it's flaws.

Oh dear. Imagine if you will, the possibilities of a modern third-person interpretation of a classic Castlevania adventure. Good isn't it? Now imagine that experience pushed aside for a "God of war clone". And a bad one at that. As I played through the game, it just made me want to play God of war 2. So I did. I had a great time.

Now this is the FPS I've been waiting for. I've not had this much fun blasting bad guys since the "timesplitters" series. Blood dragon is a tribute to the action movies of the 80's. There are so many references to much loved movies of the time, it is a pleasure to discover them all. The visuals ooze 80's charm ,the guns are satisfying, the action is over the top and fun, and my god the soundtrack; its amazing. My only complaint is that the campaign is not long enough. The story was so much fun, the credits rolled leaving me wanting more. Sure, there's hunting missons and enemy bases to capture to keep you busy, but the story is so funny, and the characters are so likable you don't want it to end as quickly as it does. I really hope hope Ubisoft takes the feedback from these reviews and creates a larger stand alone sequel. We all need more Rex Colt in our lives. We also need titles like this to show us a FPS doesn't have to be a serious affair to be successful. Well done Ubisoft. More please.

Every once in a while, a shooter comes along that blows your socks off. This is one of those shooters. It presents excellence at every turn. There's so much to see, and do and a lets you approach a task however you see fit. Beautiful visuals, great sounds, a fantastic story and so much to experience ensures a long time spent playing the single player over and over again. It has its own multiplayer campaign, with its own story and colourful characters. And FREE dlc! It's no nonsense blasting that presents a good challenge and satisfying shooting, that will see you and three others working together to get back a stash of stolen cash. I particularly love the addition of competitive challenges in every level; Quad bike and jet ski racing, sniper range and so much more. The competitive multiplayer is the weakest aspect, but still good fun due to the ability to play custom made maps and upload your own creations. Buy it, play it, and play it again. Far cry 3 is a must own.

How did this game pass me by? If it wasn't for Playstation plus, I probably would never had played it. Years ago, me and my mate used to play space crusade on the Commadore Amiga 500. It was a turn based strategy game, your squad against a bunch of aliens, moving room to room to complete an objective and get safely back to your ship, sometimes without all of your squad. It was tense, it was a thinking mans game and I thought I would never play another like it, until now. XCOM: enemy unknown is that game from my childhood. It has all the things I've just mentioned, and so much more. It takes you through an easy tutorial of all the game mechanics, from the frontline, to managing your base's facilities, weapons development and financial income. You really feel like its you against an overwhelming alien threat, and its so much fun from the beginning to the end. You'll even want to play it all over again. My only criticism is the missed opportunity with multiplayer. Remember how much fun "worms" was? This could of been much the same amount of fun. Imagine, four local players in a room together, each with a team of four marines. Passing a pad around, blowing each other away until there's just one team left standing. Instead we get an online only, one on one battle. Such a shame. Regardless, single player is incredible. Well worth a play, and a refreshing change from all the first-person shooters out there.

Wow. ****. A video game has never made me cry before. "It's just a game", I thought. How have I become so emotional? How have all these characters grown on me and made such an impression? Why do I feel responsible for the safety of a little girl that isn't even real? How am I going to admit to my friends that I just sobbed like a girl? Telltale games have made the biggest emotional roller-coaster of video game history. It's a classic puzzle/adventure game featuring panic inducing moral choices and fantastic voice-over work with a refreshingly intelligent adult storyline. I will say no more other than I would recommend this game to absolutely everyone as a must play.

I loved Uncharted 2. I played it through many times over all the difficulties, picked up one of my first platinum trophies and conquered the multiplayer. As you can imagine, I was very exited for the third installment. "How will the game begin", I thought to myself, thinking back to hanging from a train that was dangling off a cliff, slowly clawing a beaten-up Nathan Drake to the top to safety. So, how did it begin? A badly controlled punch up in a pub. Ok, that was anticlimactic. But then so was the rest of the game. If you can call it a game. Uncharted 3 felt more like one of those FMV games from the mid to late nineties. This "game" feels more like Uncharted: the movie in my opinion. The visuals are definitely the games strongest point, although the multiplayer visuals are very poor, but I'll get to that in a minute. Uncharted 3 tells the story of Nathan and Sully's father-son relationship; how they met, and how strong their bond is. Which was fairly interesting, but not really groundbreaking and filled with plot holes. Disappointed, I decided to give the multiplayer a try. I had already tried the beta and had a little experience to the new dynamic. My biggest problem had remained. The addition to a "sprint" button had changed everything. Before, fights were fair given everyone could move at the same speed. The shootouts were more strategic, and it was more about the placement of your character and the cover you had. Now, fights consist of blindfire rushes, and a melee attack to finish. Everybody uses this technique. It is a huge let down in my opinion as there are some great customisation options for your character and a new boost mechanic that gives the losing team a chance to catch up. You can even plug in a second controller for local play, which unfortunately downgrades the visuals. I did enjoy the horde mode though, fighting off waves of enemies made me forget that the elimination game mode had been removed on release, which infuriated me. A recent update had seen Naughty dog add this back into the playlist, but I had got rid of my copy by that point. I'd rather play Uncharted 2. It plays more like a game. Rental only.

I feel sorry for some gamers. Its a shame that some people will shy away from this title because of its difficulty, because Dark Souls is one of the greatest video games ever made. Sure, Dark souls is difficult, but its only as difficult as you make it. You have to plan your movements throughout the world of Lordran with care and patience; if you charge through the world swinging your sword like a maniac, you will be handed your backside over, and over again. Even the more hardcore gamer will die often, but that's a part of dark souls charm. It teaches a harsh lesson to the impatient and unprepared, but in return offers an overwhelming sense of achievement unlike no other game I can think of. You will cheer, you will laugh, you will scream at your television in anger, you may even cry a tear of frustration, but you will never forget Dark souls. With over 100 hours of gameplay, a unique multiplayer and communication system, solid combat and interesting locations to fight your way through in your quest to end the undead curse, do yourself a favour and pick this up and prepare to die.

Double Dragon Neon is a colourful and amusing reboot of the original Double Dragon franchise. The most important thing to take into account here is that this game does not take itself very seriously, and is a reminder of what a video game is supposed to be; fun. At its core its a classic 2D side scrolling beat-em-up with truckloads of 80's references for your amusement. There's a light RPG element in terms of a cassette tape upgrade system which adds a lot to the replayability. The visuals and animation are great, and the game lays down a satisying fighting mechanic for you. In my opinion, the most memorable aspect of this game is the music; it's incredible. It's an original 80's inspired soundtrack which also has a few tracks poking fun at Rick Astley, NWA and Marvin Gaye. My personal favorite is the "training Wheels" power-up song. Plug in a second controller, and give this game a 9. You can even activate "friendly fire" for added fun. It's cheap, its fun, and you can trick your partner into missing a high five and laugh in their face. Double Dragon Neon is Radical.