Seminal RPG that sent the genre mainstream and the first of its type I really got into. It's not quite the masterpiece I remembered it to be but has a nice balance of depth and accessibility and is still the perfect starting point for RPG novices.
Tekken 6 introduces a quest mode similar to Soul Calibur's which is an update of Tekken Force, their attempt at a Streets Of Rage style scrolling beat 'em up that didn't really work. It still doesn't quite work but it's an okay subgame that acts as a way of earning extra fighters and items for the tournament mode...which is better but a little brief.
Space-bound explore 'em up that's like a low key cross between an adventure and a resource management/survival game. Discover new planets, explore, mine, upgrade and move on while learning to communicate with alien species. One of those games that's more absorbing than exciting, but it works.
The third Timesplitters game is slicker but more linear and much too easy, even on the hardest level with the auto aim turned off...except for the escort mission which is infuriatingly over-difficult. Still good, but easily the least of the three.
The third Timesplitters game is slicker but more linear and much too easy, even on the hardest level with the auto aim turned off...except for the escort mission which is infuriatingly over-difficult. Still good, but easily the least of the three.
Nice hybrid of mech game and horizontal scrolling shooter with 5 different characters, a varied weapons load out and lots of opportunities for upgrades. But despite the more impressive visuals, it's still not as good as the similar Steredenn: Binary Stars.
Very much more of the same but with new characters each with a close combat special move, less powerful smart bombs and although the levels are still a little short, it's tougher as a result. Quality retro shooting action.
Retro vertical shooter with a novel control system where you can rotate your chopper enabling you to shoot in any direction; think Raiden crossed with asteroids. It takes a little getting used to but it's a hectic and fun retro shooter when it clicks.
A conversion of a 90s vertical shmup, Gunbird has a nice selection of characters, weapons and enemies. The levels are a little short but for fans of retro shooters, this is a good one.
A fantastic sense of speed, lovely visuals, well designed tracks, a nice combat/racing balance and a soundtrack by The Ministry Of Sound make for the best future-racer outside of the Wipeout and F-Zero franchises.
Mildly entertaining rogue-like action RPG that dispenses with in-depth story-telling in favour of turn-based combat and quirky characters spouting one-liners. It's a bit grindy but the combat is entertaining and there's plenty of loot and upgrades to customise your characters with. Flimsy but reasonably good fun.
Three genre-defining action RPGs in one updated with high definition visuals and a host of downloadable content. The best games of their type, full stop.
Another good, solid entry in the WRC franchise that once again is not different enough from the previous iteration to justify owning both but in its own right, it's a quality racing title.
One of those games much beloved by critics but I have trouble understanding why exactly. The platform element is simplistic, the fighting although smooth and accessible is little more than two button-bashing and the boss fights can be infuriating. Sounds good on paper but It's not much fun to play in reality. And that name is *awful*.
A collection of three old school first person shooters that play very much like an arcade game rather than the stealth/tactical approach taken these days; Timesplitters is probably the clostest in spirit to these games. A deliberate exercise in midless blasting that relies on an itchy trigger finger rather more than brains but it succeeds at what it sets out to do by just being good, old-fashioned fun.
The superior processing power of the PS3 meant that Hideo Kojima's vision could finally be fully realised with truly cinematic cut scenes, a far more intuitive control system and more forgiving difficulty level; you can actually fight your way out of situations instead of discovery meaning an instant "GAME OVER". Some of the dialogue and characterisation is still a little clunky, but no more than your average anime movie. A classic bit of stealth gaming.
A kind of fantasy-based cousin to the Mass Effect games, Dragon Age has a more sandbox, less narrative-based approach and as such doesn't feel as involving. It looks fantastic and has a huge play area to explore with plenty to discover; it's just a shame that the combat isn't very satisfying.
The platform/Metroidvania elements that made the original Banjo games so enjoyable are ditched in favour of a vehicle based collect 'em up. It works pretty well, but I couldn't help thinking that a blend of the two would've been better as it's just not as much fun as the first game in particular. Good, but not *as* good.
Sprawling 3D platform shoot 'em up with nice graphics, lots of variety and a sense of humour. A little lacking in challeneg but there's so much to see and do it's a pleasure to play.
Visually striking beat 'em up featuring a roster of characters of varying quality; the Marvel superheroes are done well but some of their Capcom counterparts don't really work. It's also a little over-reliant on projectiles and special moves and the fact that the most spectacular of these are activated by a single button press feels unsatisfying. On the whole though it's fast-paced, addictive and fun in small doses despite being a little shallow.
The Forza series ditches Gran Turismo purity for Need For Speed style thrills and it works well. A refreshing change of pace that breathed new life into the series.
I was looking forward to this sequel to my favourite twin-stick shooter of all time, but it feels more like DLC than a follow up. It ditches the format for 2D platforming and there's no exploration with your weapons constantly changing randomly throughout the game. This makes it feel much more shallow and flimsy than its predecessor. Reasonably good fun, but nowhere near as good as Enter.
Quite a nice spin on 3D platforming that plays like the stepping stone between Prince Of Persia and God Of War. The cartoony graphics won't be to everyone's taste and it could've done with a few more save points, but it's inventive and fun to play.
A kind of cross between the Fighting Fantasy books of the eighties and Final Fantasy Tactics style turn-based RPG, this kind of works but every time I play a game of this type it just makes me appreciate the XCom games all the more because nothing else comes close to matching them.
Another great addition to the best karting franchise by a country mile, the character swapping premise adds the ability to carry two power-ups at once which is hardly an **** innovation, but the added speed, funky graphics and hectic combat make for one of the very best instalments in the series.
A kind of cross between Boulder Dash and Metroidvania, Image & Form have a track record of making games that can make grinding seem quite chilled and relaxing. Bigger, more varied and with a better story than the first game, which was pretty good in itself.
Arcade-style FPS where you fight from room to room destroying everything in your path. Said rooms are very samey and there's no strategy besides "don't stay still and shoot everything that moves" so it's as deep as a puddle, but the weapon crafting system works pretty well and it's reasonably good fun if you're in the mood for some completely mindless blasting.
Essentially Dead Island with an added platforming element, Dying Light makes a mistake common to a lot of open world RPGs; it's all grinding and looting and no fun thanks to a weak story, repetitive missions and tedious combat.
Blatant rip-off of R-Type but at least it was developed by a team that understood why and how it worked. If its rather workmanlike graphics had a little more flair and imagination it could've been great, but as it stands it's a good, solid horizontal scroller that ranks amongst the best I've played on the PS4.
Fixing everything that was wrong with GTA IV, the latest in the genre-defining series is much more fun to play with a collection of whacky characters with interesting stories and the ability to switch between them at any time opening up new character-specific missions. An absolute must buy and one of the best games on the 360.
Good, solid racing game in a similar vain to the Forza and NFS Shift franchises in that you enter competitions to earn experience points and extra vehicles. A bit lacking in ambition but good at what it does.
Basically Ico with a dragon instead of a damsel in distress, The Last Guardian is a similarly beautiful looking exploration-based platform puzzle game with the monster-climbing apects of Shadow Of The Colossus thrown in.
Hotline Miami-style overhead shoot 'em up that's not as hardcore but is still rather reliant on trial and error. Nice graphics, an interesting story and upgradable characters go a long way toward making it stand out from the herd, however.
Steredenn with better presentation but inferior in every other respect. It's still an enjoyable and inventive shooter, but of the two titles Steredenn wins hands down.
Decent enough hoverboard-based racing game, but the mechanics and controls don't quite work making it far less fun to play than both Mario Kart and Sonic & Sega All Stars. Okay, but nothing more than that.
Sonic reinvents himself by taking cues from the past making a 3D/2D hybrid reminsicent of his origins on the Sega Megadrive. The addition of special "powers" that unlock new areasgive it replay value but it's still possible to race through the game pretty easily if you're not that bothered about exploration. It's certainly a solid platformer but it doesn't hold a candle to its main competition, the Super Mario Galaxy games.
Flashout 3 is exactly what it sounds like; a lower budget rip-off of Wipeout. But having played many, many others I'd have to say that this is probably the best of them; it's fast enough, the tracks look fine, there are plenty of weapons and the combat is hectic. Of course it's a pale shadow of the genuine article (it reminds me of Wipeout Fusion on the PS2 more than anything) but judged on its own merits, it's actually pretty good.
Essentially a platform game without the platforms, NiGHTS consists of a broad variety of sections of varying quality. It is fun in places but the cheesy story, annoying characters, unwieldly control system and fact that you have to start the entire level again from scratch if you fail the boss fight all conspire to make it a rather mediocre experience.
Open wolrd 3D platformer that's pretty to look at and pleasnat to play butfeels rather flimsy compared to the best Nintendo has to offer. More Crash Bandicoot than Super Mario Galaxy.
Horizontally scrolling semi-sequel to Ginga Force which makes the same mistake of not including weapon-swapping, but it makes you work rather harder to achieve upgraded weapon systems and is therefore slightly more satisfying to play.
Colourful, frenetic vertical shmup that ticks all the right boxes, although the strategy and variety of mid-level weapon changing is absent preferring a system based upon "buying" upgraded weapon systems with experience points that are far too easy to come by. For this reason it feels more like a phone game than a console one and as such is just good rather than great.
Decent enough little action-strategy game that plays like a third person version of Command & Conquer. It leans more towards action than strategy though, so hardcore armchair tacticians may find it a little shallow for their tastes.
Another quality entry in a series that has rarely put a foot wrong. The Wii racing wheel adds another fun dimension to the formula although, as ever, the single player mode is too easy.
Lots of fun characters to choose from, varied tracks and a nice balance of weapons makes for the best non-Italian plumber based karting game I've played. It's just a shame that the Monkey Ball tracks with their blind 90 degree turns and no side barriers are so frustratingly badly designed. Otherwise, it's great.
