Pirante

Just because it is better than Fifa does not necessarily mean it is good - this is an important distinction to make. Just because I don't like it also doesn't mean I am a fanboy, EA lover, or anything else. This is my honest opinion on the game, is you disagree that's fine, but there is no vested interest here for me - ultimately I just want to play a good football game and this year, sadly, neither franchises offerings are something I could recommend people purchasing. PES offline is a better game in my opinion although the regens being players who have retired is, despite fans wanting it changed for years, ridiculous - the most immersion-breaking thing possible and almost enough, by itself, to warrant not purchasing this game if you're a dedicated offline player. Aside from this is it good, my biggest irk is with the game play which has serious issues that people just aren't mentioning: - the passing is wildly erratic and constantly goes to the wrong player. This is frequent. - the referees treatment of the AI, compared to the human player, is completely skewed (already many games were the cpu never made a single foul, ridiculous) - the overall feel and touch of the players feels very unresponsive and not at all intuitive responsive, it's like every player now has a first touch and reaction time like me (and believe me mine is bad), weird - switching players has serious issues, namely either switching to the wrong player or stopping the player you switch to dead in their tracks, hugely annoying - there is a slight input delay, even offline, which seriously hampers the feel - the mini-loading screens, unnecessary replays, and manager reactions from the sidelines are hugely irritating in game and need altering, PES has gotten this wrong for years now The list goes on and on but for sure this is not a flawless game (10 out of 10, seriously?) and being better than Fifa doesn't make it so. Fifa is so poor that to be even compared to it should be shameful in itself, not some sort of barometer to be compared against. PES and FIFA are both substandard games in my opinion and it is a shame that is the case - I long for the day a new developer takes a crack at making a football game, because it is clear EA and Konami are going backwards, I would say play a demo first but as the demo's of both PES and FIFA this year have been different from the reality presented I would say wait a year and see if things improve, I'm personally disappointed I dropped the money I did on PES only to dislike the game play so much I already feel like not wanting to play it.

Another year, another Fifa I won't be buying. I think a lot of people had already given up on the single player Fifa but there was substantial hype about it this time round over the big changes they've made. I'm going to systematically go through them in an effort to convince you, the consumer, to not buy this game, especially if you already own any Fifa game from the past 5 years+. 1) Customisable manager - this is just insulting. A feature which should've been in ages ago is finally added and it is hailed as some sort of new and exciting feature. This is the bare minimum EA, that it took this long is nothing short of a joke. 2) Press conferences/face the media - anybody really want some more tedious cut-scenes? Well congratulations now you have them. I don't know exactly how they perform but here's a prediction: they're an interesting novelty for the first week only then becoming completely asinine and annoying. 3) Dynamic player potential - this is the one that has received most fan fare from EA, from the game changers who laud every tiny thing as amazing so they can still operate their youtube channels, and from everyone else. I remember PES6 had dynamic potential with players performing above potential when playing well. PES 6 - that's PS2! It is again a case of EA drip feeding minor improvements and hailing them as some sort of revolution. They're not, they are the bare minimum that should have and could have been in the game much sooner than now. By hailing changes like this is something amazing you encourage EA to carry on adding only the tiniest of improvements year after year whilst failing to improve the core game and experience. 4) Managing morale - on paper this sounds interesting but from what I understand it to be it's just an extra addition to players coming to you and saying stuff like 'I'm not happy with my game time boss' and you padding one of three responses back to them and the mythical morale moves up and down slightly. If this was implemented properly, in a deep and meaningful way, it'd be a good feature. Sadly this is EA, so I guarantee that this whole system will be, at best, shallow and meaningless. 5) League specific themes - a) does anyone really care? b) why couldn't this have been implemented in previous releases? Another classic case of EA drip-feeding miniscule improvements. 6) Live screenshots - see number 5. 7) Ability to disable international management offers - this is such a basic feature, and one which could've been in years and years ago, that I am truly angered by it. It is a LONG overdue option, EA gets not credit for that. 8) Miscellaneous improvements - things listed by EA like sorting fixture congestion, and youth player values, etc are things you would expect in a rudimentary patch, no an (allegedly) brand new game, you certainly wouldn't expect them to be advertised but I suppose when you have so little new going on in your game you have to try and squeeze all the juice you can out of anything remotely different. Things that could've made the experience better that weren't included: 1) A proper, well-integrated youth system/academy. Every year fans say this is what they want, every year they are ignored. 2) A properly implemented transfer system - players, especially young players with high potential, can still be bought on the cheap which does not reflect the reality of the transfer market. Add to the fact you can buy any player from any club, provided you have the money, and it's just daft. Zero realism and immersion breaking. 3) Depth - this is very vague I know but everything in Fifa, from negotiations to transfers to youth players to (I suspect) the press conferences and morale is all just superficial gloss. They actually impact the game very little overall and if they do impact the game, like say youth players, they do so in such a ham-fisted way that it removes the enjoyment anyway. 4) An actual new game - once more you have rehash of old ideas and concepts rather than anything new and meaningful. Career mode, make no mistake, has been abandoned. How Fifa have managed to stretch a game like this over several years, and still maintain sales, is beyond me. Anybody looking for a new, fresh experience needs to look somewhere else because you ain't getting it from Fifa. If you buy the game you tacitly support EA's piss poor contribution to single player mode and their slavish dedication to the FUT money spinning modes - if enough players stopped buying the game (which they won't, sadly) it would force EA to change. Whilst they continue to make money hand-over-fist expect further disappointments long into the future. And if your pining for the next gen Fifa, like you think something will be new or different or spectacular, then please just take a look EA's past record and stop deluding yourself.

I picked this up for under $10 in some bargain sales and I'm not sure it's even worth that. Firstly, I am a career mode player, so anything related to FUT is irrelevant to me - I'm looking for a solid, engaging single player game, that's it. Fifa 19 delivers this is you've never bought Fifa before and this is your first football game - anyone who has even casually forayed into Career mode of past Fifa's will notice that it is exactly the same. Literally nothing has changed except some Champions League skins, not what I would class as a game play upgrade of any sort. Ignoring EA's wanton neglect of career mode and complete lack of effort to actually improve things we come to the game play itself which is, from my perspective, the worst it has been. There are a number of significant issues which I will touch on but first it should be mentioned Fifa's new systems. The 'timed' shooting is bad but multiple reasons - 1) it is very erratic at best but, when works, is ridiculously powerful to the point of stupid, in short the balance is terrible and it adds little to the actual game play. 2) this system has changed the button set-up so now low shots are a lot more fiddly to actually use. The word 'frustrating' comes to mind. There has also been a noticeable emphasis on fast, attacking players not being able to just cripple defences with their pace - in principle not an awful idea, reduce the effectiveness of pace to reflect a more realistic game - the execution, though, is abysmal. I had a 99 pace and accelaration Mbappe smoked by a defender with both attributes below 75. Instead of EA actually designing a cogent system which naturally reduces the effectiveness of pass they have simply nerfed attacks pace/over powered defenders recovery pace. That is it. A dreadful way of programming the game but not at all surprising. They've done similar with the AI's strength before so now, instead of a balanced game, you just have unrealistic representations of players and AI that makes every AI controlled player behave the same way. There is way too much to keep talking about but in short this is, from a career mode perspective, the worst current gen Fifa. Don't worry though! Fifa 20 is just around the corner with exciting new features like manager customization, performance related development, press conferences, etc. Honestly, if this what people are getting buzzed about then it shows just how bad Fifa has been in recent years that these sorts of changes excite player. Manager customization should've been sorted years ago, there is no excuse. I remember performance related development being in PES6! PES6!! This is hardly ground-breaking, again it should be the minimum expected but as it's Fifa. As for press conferences? Great, another addition to get bored and frustrated with after 5 minutes that takes away game play from the actual enjoyable stuff. Even those who love Football Manager and games of that ilk don't like press conferences and things - there's never enough dialogue to keep it fresh so all's it eventually becomes is added tedium. Honestly brace yourselves for more disappointment because whilst EA drip feeds the most minor of improvements you will be forking out serious cash for what is essentially the same game, again. Madness.

Another game used by EA as a financial pawn to simply milk more money from the players. Another game infested with increasingly prevalent micro transactions. Another game which focuses on online modes only and which does little, if anything, to actually make improvements to the base game. EA are undoubtedly the most toxic games developers in the world today - the only way to stop them is with your wallet, with your business. If you stop purchasing mediocre, rehashed games you already own, instead of clamouring for the latest release, then EA would be forced to change. Instead the same happens each year, and not just Madden but all EA sports franchises: skin upgrades, roster updates, abandonment of improvement in any mode except the online mode, increased focus on micro transactions, complaints from the public but ultimately good sales, disgusting amounts of money made, and a rinse and repeat attitude for the following year. People have to start taking a stand otherwise we will never have the sports game franchises we deserve. EA has followed the path of pure greed, with no concern or respect for the buying public - hitting them in the wallet is the only way to effect any change. Buying their awful products - products most of us know will disappoint - and then bemoaning their quality after the fact will do nothing. I hope by the next iteration things will have changed but the sad reality is that is will not. Honestly, boycott EA, all games - it is the only way to make an impact on an increasingly avaricious industry.

Picked this up on sale for a miserly $10 and can say at that price it is beyond worth it. Even at full price there is clearly enough content, and enough quality, to make this game worth both your time and money. We'll start with the goods things: - The story is interesting, This weird dynamic of a post-apocalyptic world, mechanised animals, and dynamic relationships between tribes **** me in. Whilst its true that the story's progress is somewhat predictable it was, for me, unique and kept me engaged. - Gameworld - this is vast and wonderfully realised. Graphically it is very good, in terms of how interesting it is I would say on the whole it is very interesting with a lot of things to find and discover. There are no go area's and dreaded 'you are leaving the playing arena, you will reset' elements but overall I found it to be very good. - AI. It is very good. The AI is responsive, seems to learn and seems ready for your plans of attack. I am not a sophisticated player by any means and am quite happy to hack and slash my way to glory. This is simply not possible here - you have to plan, you have to develop strategy, and you often have to use your entire arsenal or weapons. This is quite unique as, with most open world games I play, I will have a favorite weapon and stick with it. You are not afforded that luxury here and this keeps the game fresh. - Controls. On the whole I found these very intuitive, very responsive, and this makes for an enjoyable experience. There is nothing worse than poorly conceived controls as this basically impacts on everything in game - thankfully this game does not suffer from such issues. - Characters. I thought these were well conceived and provided enough interest to make the game, and story, engaging. Overall a definite plus. I really live the protagonist too, good strong character who I certainly felt an affinity towards. Some negatives: - The side quests. These can be very repetitive and sometimes very time consuming. A number of them do have interesting stories attached which helps alleviate the feeling of 'been there, done that' but the overall nature of then, often 'fetch this' or 'speak to that guy' makes them tedious after a while. The hunting lodge side quests were, though, an excellent addition, and a great way to teach/re-enforce some of the more complex battle mechanics and tactics. - Climbing. It may be that a few of the more recent games I have played and enjoyed, Assassin's Creed Origins and Zelda: BOTW, have superb climbing mechanics in them which makes Horizon's look all the worse. But there are numerous points were a relatively short jump to a higher platform should be easily made but isn't because the programming simply doesn't allow for it. This is not game breaking but it is something that I do not think should be present in AAA games. To have a jump up to a different platform, in which your head is touching the platform, but be unable to make it is really poor - especially as in other points in the game your character scales mountain with veritable ease (but only because they have 'climbing points' on them). - There is a lot of looting and crafting. This is just a personal gripe but I do not like excessive collecting and crafting, I do not like spending tons of time in the in-game menu's managing my itinerary because I do not have enough space for something I found, I know it adds to the realism somewhat but this is a game about post-apocalyptic earth in which robot animals reign supreme, I do not think foregoing inventory limits would've had much of a negative impact on proceedings, This is a minor gripe, but a personal pet peeve. Overall - I would recommend this game to others. It's a lot of fun, it is very intuitive, the story and setting is unique and compelling, and, whilst the missions/main quest do not offer anything different from other open world titles, the open world itself does provide a unique twist and one which well keep you interested.

It is a pretty game, is does contain a huge amount of depth and realism, and the main story is good and engaging. However, outside of these positives, lie a ton of negatives that critics seems to be deliberately ignoring.... The bounty system is just horrible. Anything bad you do results in a bounty being put on your head (which increases if you do more bad things) - you have no choice put to pay off the bounty. If you do not bounty hunters randomly spawn and will shoot you to death. They will shoot you to death because 1) The computer has a very good shot and 2) because the shooting mechanic is so badly implemented that you will really struggle to fend off more than 2 of them. There is also an issue that NPC's assault you with abandon but, as soon as you defend yourself, you have a bounty marked on you. This, combined with the poor shooting system, means you spend most of your time avoiding combat - it's so weird because I was expecting to be able to cause havoc, instead I can't risk it because money is scarce and the bounty's so frequent. A stifling game mechanic. The realism and depth. The game is realistic, so realistic that it is boring because it is so like real life. You have to cook, you have to dress accordingly, you have to brush your horse, the list goes on and on and on. I'm surprised they didn't make you take your turn to wash the dishes in camp in order to keep harmony. I understand realism and why it is important in games like this (large, cinematic games) but the depth here doesn't add anything to the game except excess hours spent by the player doing these chores instead of actually engaging in the game. 'Depth' is fast becoming a code word in the gaming world for 'needlessly tedious tasks' but is defended with the 'realism' mantle. Realism and realistic are not the same things - I want the game to give me a sense of a real world, I do not want it to mimic my actual life. I play games to have fun, not to cook herbs I found. Flawed features. The hunting system works to a degree but has a number of issues. The rewards for hunting are pitiful and, given the time it takes to hunt, as well as the lack of space to store hunted animals, it is pretty much a redundant feature. The poker game in-game is nothing short of a joke. Don't even bother playing it as you will lose money if you play more than, say, 20 hands against the AI. Travel. By far the biggest problem. It takes ages to navigate this map - not because it is so big - but because you pretty much have to travel with your horse the whole time. Oh, and you cannot even follow set paths, so you have to control the giddy bastard for the entire time. Shooting system. Poor, very twitchy and inaccurate - not at all fun to use. Crafting. Requires hunting stuff. Hunting stuff is very time-consuming and, by an large, boring. Controls. They are awkward. It does not feel smooth nor intuitive. They aren't game breaking by any means but they could be a damn sight better. It is another game that equates quantity with quality, a trend in the gaming world whereby if you have massive crafting menu's and the ability to brush your teeth manually you're somehow revolutionising the industry. Maybe I'm the only gamer who wants the games to be, first and foremost, fun? I suspect there will be patches changing certain aspects of the game and, until they happen, I'd avoid buying the game. I'm playing now and wondering why I continue to do so because, after getting out of the snow section (the very first part of the story), everything has become a lot more tedious and dull. 10 out of 10 is honestly a joke score - that indicates perfection, and this game comes nowhere near that.

This is probably the most fun I have had on the PS4. The game world is huge, immersive, with a really interesting intersection into actual historic events and characters. In short the game world will captivate you. Anybody reading this should note that I am a casual gamer and that, as a casual gamer, this game fulfilled my needs perfectly. If you are a 'serious' gamer or a 'pro' gamer then you may find it a little too easy, or a little lacking in depth in terms of inventories and upgrading. For me I loved the ease at which I could glide into the action combined with the decent, though not overwhelming, depth. Onto the game. Positives: - Beautiful visuals - Interesting characters and story line - Good amount of depth without being too tedious or time-consuming - Excellent controls. Really the control system, for both movement and combat, is superbly realised. When you go back to other games after playing this you will wonder why they cannot be as intuitive as Origins. - Large open world with lots to do. - It is, at its core, a fun game to play. -The expansions are also really well realised, in particular the Valley of the Pharaohs which adds a hell of a lot of additional content. Negatives: - Perhaps lacking in a bit of depth in the upgrading systems (though for me personally I didn't mind that) - Some repetitive missions. - AI could be better in certain situations. - I personally hate when the games story line fades out and it cuts back to the present time (in game). I find it breaks the narrative, and the suspension of reality, when playing. I know they won't, as it is a staple of the AC universe, but I wish they'd just throw that part out. - The boss fights tend to be quite one-dimensional and rarely provide much of a challenge. An excellent game for me, I would highly recommend it.

I'd never played Shadow of the Colossus on the PS2 and, after reading numerous positive reviews about the game, decided to give the remaster a try. The story is certainly unique as is the environment and premise of the game (no enemies except for massive large stone obelisks which roam the land). I love the idea of the story and the unique approach to game design it takes. What I cannot accept are the absolutely horrific controls and camera placement issues this game has. From first moment to last the controls are so unwieldy, so unresponsive, and oh so annoying that all of the potential this game had to be good lay in ruins. Had I known the control system was so flawed I would have never dreamed of buying the game. I had heard that the original controls for the PS2 were also finicky but had expected (yes, I am gullible) the remaster to perhaps correct these problems. Instead it simply upgraded the graphics and kept all the problems the original game suffered from. I'm not sure how anyone can score this game beyond a 7 with such dire control mechanisms and clunky movement - especially when the entire game is based upon roaming the land using said woeful controls. Unless you are a die hard fan I'd recommend you avoid it - certainly if you've never played the game before give it a wide berth. I managed about 3 hours before becoming so frustrated that I turned it off.

These are the positives and negatives, as much as I am able to sum up. Positives: - Gorgeous visuals. - Gorgeous, vast open world. - A wonderful music score. - Good link-up with the lore of the franchise. - Exploration is, by and large, fun. - Secrets are still plentiful and a joy to find, it really helps push the drive to explore. - A challenging level of difficulty which makes this a game in which you need to focus on, hack and slash will not serve you well (as it does in many previous Zelda titles). - SOME really fun puzzles (others not so much). - A lot to do, sinking 100+ hours into this game is easy to do. - I like the story, it fits the game and makes sense to me. - Variety of locations and environments is excellent, you really do have a sense of exploring a real world. Negatives: - Lack of intuitive controls. Combat in particularly feels clunky and inaccurate. - Baptism of fire. The game tells you how to do very little at the beginning. This resulted in me wandering about for hours getting one-hit killed by enemies and not understanding why. [Pro-tip: Upgrade your armour as soon as possible, enemy avoidance will be a key strategy early on] - The weather. The idea of changeable weather is good. The idea that wet weather makes climbing more difficult is plausible. The idea that rain can stop you climbing an average sized tree - you who have literally scaled mountains - is absurd. It can also cause you to waste time waiting for weather to pass, this is annoying. - Breakable weapons. Not being able to keep pretty much all of your weapons makes you hoard good weapons, I think this detracts from the game play. Having to collect Korok seeds to increase inventory space is also very tedious. - Puzzles. There are some unbelievably tedious puzzles in this game and, with the sheer number of shrines, these really grate. The puzzles using the gyroscope are a nightmare to use as the controls are so absurdly awful. How this passed the play-testing phase without being removed is a mystery to me. - Tedium. I think there are too many moments in this game whereby the action you are required to do is more tedious than fun. Cooking, whilst a good idea in principle, loses its charm after the 100th cut scene and subsequent musical ditty. Some of the items required to upgrade armour are a chore to find and frustrate rather than entertain. The game suffers from too many of these moments. - Cut-scenes (or lack of them). They do exist in the game, but much of the dialogue takes place via scrolling text. They were doing this with the very first Zelda games. They should really have better developed and more extensive cut-scenes in 2018, scrolling text as the predominate means of conveying the story is pretty poor in my view. - Complete lack of tuition. The idea of a free world to explore is great, but some hints/teaching mechanisms to help players adapt and understand the game would be a big help. This is the first Zelda title where I have had to use guides in order to figure out how to progress. Conclusion: I really like the game but I cannot fathom the perfect and near perfect scores. This is a game that does lots of things well but that has some pretty big issues as well. The beauty of the game should not be able to conceal the fact that there are flaws that can be improved upon. Is this a good game? Absolutely. Does this game have flaws? Certainly. It is/was it the game of 2017? I don't think so. Is it the best Zelda game? Unequivocally no for me. The biggest plus for this game? The world itself, it is truly exceptional and a huge amount of fun exploring. The biggest negative? The tedium/wasted time in some of the game play - these are a real negative. Feeling like you're having your time wasted due to a games mechanics seriously impacts on your ability to enjoy the game and I found myself putting it down, on more than one occasion, when presented with such tedium.

I had heard a lot about this game, good and bad, but had not played any of the previous Fallout games and, as a result, was heading into the game totally fresh. I do believe a lot of the negative scores for this game are related to unmet expectations developed from previous experiences of the franchise. This is a Fallout 4 review from a Fallout novice. We'll start with the positives - the game, to me, looks fantastic. Grim, post-apocalyptic world, huge range of enemies, and all of it retaining the atmosphere of a post-nuclear future. I honestly think the game looks great - some have said its textures are repetitive, which may be true, but I can see why that's necessary in a game of this type. The gameplay itself is good - as challenging as you want it to be, lots to do and explore and build up and improve, it really is expansive and you can lose hours of your days in this game - I've lost 40 already and have barely done any of the missions, I've just romped around the map exploring. The combat can get a little repetitive as, while the locations change, the battles are often similar be they 'bosses' or regular enemies. This can become an issue but on the whole I've really enjoyed it. The missions are something I cannot really comment on as I haven't really focused on doing them - whether this makes the experience better or worse is utterly dependent on the individual player but, for me at least, it feels more authentic to just explore, meet people and respond to the situation at hand. This might not be a sentiment echoed by others and, for those who enjoy a heavy reliance on narrative built through missions, I can see how the game may not cut the ****. For me it's been enjoyable just to explore and interact and understand the world - this might not be the same for others (especially those who have played previous editions of the game). To sum up the positives for me I love the exploration, the range of enemies and locations, the size of the map and basically most elements of the game - I have had fun, which is why I play games. The negatives, the things which stop this game being a 10, boil down to a few things. Frame rate issues will occur on the PS4 and these can be annoying. For me it is not a big deal but these can be huge deal-breakers for others - it depends how these affect your perception of the game personally. The few missions I have done have been very, very similar which doe snot bode well for the multitude of missions I have yet to complete. I think this is where a lot of criticism has come in - for me I have simply not followed the conventional narrative and have enjoyed myself, maybe how you play the game affects your enjoyment? The characters have been decent but certainly lack a bit of background - of the ones I have met there never seems to be enough background to become really invested in them. This is again a big issue is character development is central to your enjoyment and experience of games - for me it is a bonus rather than a key element. I understand the negative reviews - if you have never played the franchise before I would definitely say play the game. If you have then you'll maybe have to read other reviews and decide whether or not to take the plunge. I did get this game with a discount of 60% due to special offers via PS+ and, at that price, I really think there can be no complaints.

If we are talking about the single player game then, in my eyes, it is a comfortable 10. Enagaging storyline, huge open world, tons of stuff to do both main quests and side quests and just a really cool sandbox to mess around in if you don't want to follow any of the narrative - honestly I was expecting big things and it was better than I expected, a true accomplishment. However, if we talk about GTAV Online then the story changes and not for the best. GTAV Online has huge potential and, in some of the formats it presents, it succeeds massively. The developers have continued to add thorough, new content as and when available and, for a long time, kept it fresh. There are multiple problems though and these shall be listed below: - Sharkcards. These are at the heart of the big issues online. It is very difficult to make money due to the low financial gains you make in the various modes (seriously even cocaine dealing is programmed to make only marginal profits). This incentivizes players to do one of two things: 1) buy a sharkcard; 2) stop playing. That leads to empty servers, a lack of atmosphere and the death of online. It also leads to the hackers (level 8000 people this is you) though certainly not the only reason. I cannot make peace with what is a blatant attempt by Rockstar to rake in even more money through these microtransactions - if the financial rewards were even close to realistic for completing missions then it would be palatable - that they so obviously skew the game to try and maximize profit grates on me enormously. I cannot score the game a 10 when developers do what they have done to the Online mode - it is unforgivable and a common trend in the gaming world to try and milk every last drop of money from the players - it ain't on in my opinion. I'd give single player a 10 - Online a 5, total 7.5 downgraded to a 7 for lascivious business practice.

I'm not a shooter fan in any sense of the word but I took a punt on Far Cry 4 after a friend recommended it to me. Not disappoijnted at all - very engaging storyline with some interesting, well-developed characters. The action itself is good and, in many cases, you have the chances to either go gung-ho or play it stealthy and safe. There are tons of side quests and missions to do (though some will be repetitive after a while) and the visuals are really impressive. The animals in the game cause you constant trouble but it's nice - they are very annoying but at the same time it keeps you sharp and, in doing this, the game stops you from becoming bored (for the most part). Towards the end it the feeling of repition has become stronger and this is why I can't give it top marks - I thoroughly enjoyed it though and would highly recommend it.

I used to get stoned and play this game with my friend. There ain't much by the way of surprises here - you build bridges that need to be structurally sound - you have limited bridge building material - if your bridge succeeds you go on to the next project. This isn't going to compete with GTAV anytime soon but it does what it says well. Ultimately your enjoyment will boil down to whether or not you enjoy a puzzle game of this sort - I found it oddly captivating.

There is simply too much wrong with this game for any updates to make much difference. They have added base-building, vehicles, lack cargo ships but all these just add padding to what is an empty experience. There are huge issues with intuitive controls and settings and you will still spend most of your time looking for resources. That is the vast majority of the game - looking for resources. Add to this the creatures you are supposed to be interested in exploring - the first few new ones I saw I was impressed by, it was unexpected and it felt new. After your tenth planet it feels very stale. The aliens are randomly generated and it shows - they don't look in anyway normal but like a collection of random parts of other animals stitched together (which is what they are to be fair). It is impossible for me to recommend this game which died for me after less than 10 hours gameplay - the new updates have not inspired a change in opinion because they cannot make up for what is the key flaw of the game - a lack of interesting things to actually do. It has a nivelty factor that keeps you engaged at first - but this fades, and when this fades so to does any sort of desire to play the game,

I bought this on the strength of Far Cry 4 which I thoroughly enjoyed. Sadly this didn't do anything for me - combat system is dull due to the dull weaponry (the limits of cavemen), the visuals are pretty but very, very similar to FC4, the upgrading system is just identical to FC4 - kill exotic animals, use skin for upgrade, repeat. I guess I was hoping for a completely new game - this is literally FC4 set 10,000 years earlier without the interesting storyline or weapons. Some will really like this dynamic, for me I felt the 'cavemen' theme gimmicky and not really represented strongly enough to justify an entirely new game for - as a downloadable extra to FC4 maybe but as a standalone game no.

First ever Assassins Creed game I'd played and I was both surprised (pleasantly) and disappointed. The game looks pretty despite being a last-gen game and was easy enough to get involved in and find joy. I liked going around destroying things, fighting, upgrading my ship, etc etc it's **** it gets repetitive. The main missions, in particular, are far more of a chore than a pleasure and something you do laboriously to progress the game as opposed to being intrigued by the story. The open world aspect is were the game shines - I just wish it was a bit more expansive (i.e. possibilty of changing ships, more extensive upgrades, etc) - the main game is the boring part (collecting tons of pointless things, doing boring stealthy missions). I also found the controls to be far from perfect, lots of incorrect inputs or unwanted actions. The parkour aspect also malfuncions and glitches from time to time, not game breaking by any means, but frequent enough to grate. It is a decent game overall - the sad thing is the potenial it has - if this was realised we could be talking about an absolute classic. Instead it is a decent game but a near-miss - I picked my copy up during the black friday deals so paid less than US$10 - at that price it is worth a look - at full retail price I think probably not.

This is truly one of the worst games in any genre. I bought this when it came out and have been pretty underwhelmed and disappointed ever since. 1) It is ****. The amount of courses is pitiful given the variety of the courses are the single biggest factor in giving a golf game variety. On top of this numerous single player features just seem missing or empty - you 'earn money' for winning tournaments yet never see it/get to do anything with it. You cannot customize your characters look. Essentially your limited to the same courses season upon season with no real incentive to play. On top of this the cpu is, 9 times out of 10, awful and miles off the pace. You see in real life regular scores of -20 and greater yet the rarely, if ever, reaches this fold. It just feels too easy to pull miles ahead removing the thrill of actually winning. Oh and you never see who your partner is or what type of shots they played - another way all tension and drama appears to be **** from the game. Finally the clubs you choose to buy count for nothing - just go for the progressively unlocked ones and that's it - no weighing up pro's and con's, just go for the obviously better. Exhilarating. The game has zero atmosphere period it feels like a hollow, empty shell - honestly whoever worked on this game deserves to be fired or shot, it is that bad. 2) Graphics. Man this is the PS4 yet the graphics in this game are really quite bad. Some of the textures, particularly between greens and rough, and bunkers and rough, is just wrong and looks wrong. It is as if they have been designed by somebody who has never actually seen a real golf course and just created it from a description they once heard. It is bad, so very bad. 3) Night Life Sub Game. Like seriously a lot of time clearly went into this extra game play element and that would be fine if the main game was sharp and polished but the main game is turd and this is just some weird, shiny additional turd nobody wants or asked for. Add to that this mini-game is actually quite long (oh and very very dull) and to think they spent time and money on developing this? They need their heads testing. 4) Game play itself. The swing mechanic is, well, awful. Up and down and BANG and that's it. Little to no skill. I also hate this trend of games letting you decide how hard the game should be. No, I want you, the programmer, to design the game within certain parameters which I cannot change so, when I master the game and beat it, I can say I have properly beat it at a certain setting - not 'oh I'll make the shot trajectories disappear so it challenges me' - that is an awful way to make a game harder and shows a complete lack of effort on behalf of EA. To be honest I'm too exhausted with rage to type any more. Needless to say this is a bad game and one you should avoid whether it is $60 or $10 - whatever the price it is wasted money because there is nothing enjoyable in this experience. A rare example of everything being done awfully in a game. Well done EA.

Firstly the pro's: 1) The graphics have been touched up, it looks very nice. 2) The stadium atmospheres are usually good (but not always - more on that later) 3) All the latest kits, transfers, etc etc as well as ratings frequently updated to reflect form. 4) Variety of goals you can score is good and the ball physics are pretty spot on. 5) I enjoyed The Journey - I wish it was longer, maybe even over the course of a career. It feels too short but it was interesting, if they expand on it it could be the first sports game/RPG for some time. The con's: 1) Strength is just overpowered - players are free to shoulder charge you off the ball with no punishment - this becomes a much bigger issue on higher difficulties and online 2) Bad AI. In short EA is just too lazy to develop decent AI and, instead, just makes players perform way beyond there stats i.e. slow defenders catch up to 99 pace/speed players with ease. 3) Offline mode. Clearly this has been abandoned for years now - same title screens, same formula. complete lack of depth in terms of developing youngsters and having an academy, an utterly useless addition of 'controlling your budget' which basically is the same choose ratio of wages & spends. All in all it feels exactly like '15 and '16 - not good enough, 4) There are still issues over passing - the amount of times a pass will go to the exact player you do not want it to go to is ludicrous, it is so ham fisted and really detracts from the game. 5) Career mode - same old problems - players randomly deciding they want to leave (usually your best players) - negotiations being very very basic (it doesnt have to be champ manager level but it could have a little more sophistication) - other teams just being terrible (2/3's of the way through a season and the 2nd place team has like 38 points its just stupid, make the good teams more competitive so I have so worry about actually losing a game. The list is endless for career mode honestly. In short my gripe is that, for a 'new' game, I expect new additions and features. The only new addition that stands out is The Journey - everything else is just Fifa 15 & 16. The offline play has had literally zero attention paid to it and we all know why: FUT. I know this is popular, and I know EA make some serious money off of this, but it is not for everyone. The offline game should be the basis of the game not some after thought but, with Fifa, it is. For me I wish I would have got a refund when I had the chance and just kept playing Fifa 16, honestly the differences offline are so small it would make little to no difference. The game, in itself, if you ignore the previous titles, is probably a 6 or a 7 if your being very generous but it's the complete lack of progress in the series that really grates - Fifa focuses all its effort on FUT and the rest of the game suffers. They are milking the cash cow and it makes players, at least it makes me, feel ripped off. I really don't think I'll buy Fifa 18 unless large scale changes to offline mode are made - if they don't I can just keep play '17: if offline play is your thing I would choose another game as Fifa 17 just cannot cut it.