lach1223

This is a solid mario sports party game, but is by no means a perfect experience. The graphics engine is pretty good with a variety of colours and courses, although you can see the blocky pixels at times. It is also good to see that Camelot prioritised framerate with a smooth 60fps experience. There is also a decent variety of courses, with the most recent New Donk City being a good addition. The new speed golf mode while fun, can also be a bit chaotic and at times can suffer from a bit of down time. The single player story mode makes a promising start, but loses its charm and appeal rather quickly due to a small number of things to do and weak RPG mechanics. The cross country mode is an interesting feature and I'm surprised that there is no option to play this mode out of the story mode (perhaps this will be added later on?). The recent update also added monthly tournament play which is nice, although I wish power shots were turned off, as in my experience online play involves waiting for your opponents to go first so that you can hit them with a powerful shot and potentially screw up their game. If you have friends or family to play with, I think local play is a great option as well with both split screen and turn by turn play possible. Overall, this is a pretty solid experience that will hopefully continue to get better with more updates just like Mario Tennis Aces.

This is a fantastic re-release for the Switch. I remember playing the shareware episode as a kid and it is great to play this on a handheld. Couch co-op is also great for split screen fun. I own the game on Steam but I bought it again just to play it on the Switch. There's a great amount of content here with not only the original game but both mission packs as well as two additional packs of high quality levels. There's also mod/ map pack support with only Quake 64 available at the moment but the developers have stated more are coming. If Doom is anything to go by, we will get more high quality level packs soon! In terms of the Switch release, you get gyro aiming and it runs very smoothly at 60fps although there are drops here and there, which is more noticeable in the bigger mission pack maps or when there is alot of action in split screen mode. It is great we also get a level select option, although I will say that it is clear that this isn't the intended way to play the game as some of the later levels don't give you many weapons (the levels were originally intended to play in one go so that your weapons are brought through). If they could add more weapons throughout some later levels (like extra double barrel shotguns) that would be great (fact: all Doom levels were double balanced to ensure a pistol start is possible). The music is also relatively quiet (as has been reported), but I'm sure this will be patched soon. Overall though, a great re-release for a classic!

A good little RTS for those looking for a more casual and laid back experience. The game is a little stripped down at the moment, but the developers have stated they plan to release many updates to add more features such as more factions, campaigns and maps. Lets hope these start arriving soon!

A truly amazing game. I have been waiting a very long time for a good city building game and now we finally have one! Everything here is great: the large cities, the individual peeps who live their own lives, the sound effects, the graphics and of course the steam workshop (which already has some great mods and additions available). If you have even the remotest interest in city building, strategy or tycoon games, pick this one up. You won't regret it!

I can understand the hate about the hefty price tag. I admit, $30 is a bit much for a 12 year old game with the only real difference being the graphics. To be honest though, if you were paying attention to its pre-release, you could actually get it much cheaper, I got it for $19 from GMG when I pre-ordered it. I do believe however, that this game is worth the price. The graphics in my opinion are noticeably better and the whole steam integration makes multiplayer a smooth experience with no extra account to log in to. There are also some decent mods already available in the steam workshop and some truly awesome ones are bound to drop by at some point. One of my all time favourite games receiving updated graphics and a streamlined multiplayer experience is worth the time and money in my opinion. The campaign is always a lot of fun too, even all these years after the release of the original game and the added steam achievements bring more fun to the game.

Having not played the original, Borderlands 2 offers a gameplay structure that is entirely new to me. This game is a great showcase of how to integrate FPS and RPG elements together. Most of the FPS elements you could want are here: lots of enemies, weapons, locations, voice overs and a strong overall presentation. The RPG elements are also great: you gain experience and levels, find items and you can complete quests in large open worlds in the order that you like. Enemies also respawn so you can gain experience by farming in the same area. You can also find money and loot to spend at gun and ammo machines, a mechanic that very much reminds me of Bioshock. Aside from the successful integration of two genres, the game's presentation is excellent. The colour style is great and the whole cartoonly look really creates a vibrant world full of attitude. The voice acting is strong with a rich dialogue and a great sense of humour. The game's characters also have great personality, although I found Claptrap to be rather annoying and a weaker version of Wheatly from Portal 2. What makes the gameplay experience even better is that you can play the campaign cooperatively with friends and work together to complete quests.

After so many years since the original Company of Heroes, many people, including me feel rather let down by what is on offer in this game. The campaign is pretty standard, and is quite similar to that in the original game in terms of objectives and the level design and the voice acting is decent. The fact that your units can freeze to death and that you must go near fire to keep warm is interesting at first, but the concept gets old and repetitive rather quickly. In many ways the Russians seem like a reskinned USA from the first game. Many units and buildings look underwhelming with the models used in the first game looking much better in comparison. What is even more disappointing is that the game's optimization is horrendous. This game looks very similar to the original Company of Heroes and performs terribly. I struggle to get a constant 40fps on low settings on my laptop, and this same laptop gets 60+ fps in the original Company of Heroes with maxed out detail and 50+ fps on high settings in Starcraft 2. There are some good points of this game though. The Theatre of War game mode is quite interesting as there are multiple challenging missions to complete either solo or with a friend but it does seem a bit of a stretch that you have to pay to play the additional challenges. The integration of Steam Workshop is also quite cool. Your troops can also jump over sandbags now, but honestly is that really game changing? At the end of the day, Company of Heroes 2 is difficult to recommend. The game is hardly any different than the original Company of Heroes, costs much more and performs terribly. Company of Heroes 2 also lacks clan support and the like, a mechanic that RTS games such as Starcraft 2 implement very well. If you want a great RTS experience I would suggest you pick up Starcraft 2 and its expansion or even the original Company of Heroes for a fraction of the price.

This game is pretty solid, and in alot of ways is a toned down version of GTA. The main problem of the game though is that it feels a bit empty and lifeless. Although the city is large, it does feel a bit lacking in substance as there are not many interactive locations like those in GTA. Some of the missions are also very dull, such as going to the fridge to get something to eat or answering a call on the telephone. It seems very strange to see exciting shooting missions and then get to the "get something to eat" objectives in between the good missions.

Really great game. Although difficult, Spelunky keeps you coming back thanks to the addicting gameplay and randomly generated levels. It has that "just one more try" addictiveness. The visual design is excellent and the music is really catchy. The game's humour is also great with some of the captions of the journal. The character models are also quite funny, especially that of the shop keeper, and the way he behaves after you steal from his shop is really cool! My one complaint is that the multiplayer is pretty weak. The deathmatch game mode is a bit ridiculous and I was disappointed to find that co-op is only local, not online. Otherwise, a really great game.

Skyrim is the fifth instalment of the Elder Scrolls series and is another fantastic game in the long running Elder Scrolls series. Like earlier games in the series, you create the character of your dreams and make your own way around a large world completing quests, discovering locations, finding items and interacting with NPCs. It is really up to you how you want to play; whether that be as a noble swordsman, sneaky thief or sorcerer and so forth. The graphics and audio have been drastically improved in Skyrim and the whole ice sort of environment looks fantastic. The in-game cinematic at the start of Skyrim really sets the scene well and is definitely better than the introduction in Morrowind and Oblivion. If I were to criticise the game, it is that this along side the other Elder Scrolls games have no multiplayer whatsoever, so the game does feel a bit lonely sometimes. Still, this is a minor complaint really. If you like RPGs or even if you don't Skyrim is a game that is simply fantastic and well is well worth your time and money.

Cities XL 2011 on initial impressions looks great. The graphical style is really nice, there are lots of different maps to chose from and there are many different types of structures and services at your disposal in building the city of your dreams. There are some other nice features such as being able to trade resources between cities and you can also zoom right in to see cars and people at close-ups. It is also quite convenient that you can zone properties very quickly rather than having to click for each new house you would like to build. Unfortunately, the initial great impression is only skin deep and the game is at its core, quite lifeless. There is very little feedback given to you as the player, forcing you to rely merely on the text presented to you. Despite the fact you see cars and people around the city, it just feels really empty. The music while decent, has the potential to make you fall asleep, and the interface is quite clunky with many different tabs which I constantly get lost in. The game's optimisation is also not great, with even my new computer struggling once cities reach a certain size. At the end of the day, Cities XL 2011 succeeds in presentation, but lets itself down in its implementation. If you want a great city builder I would suggest you pick up Simcity 4 instead. Tropico 4 is also a good city builder option as well.

Battlefield 4 is better than Battlefield 3 in almost every way, although it must be said that the game is still rather unstable in its current state. The campaign is still quite dull, but its hard to criticise the game because of that, since Battlefield is definitely a multiplayer game. There are many great improvements over Battlefield 3: the graphics and sound are better, the interface has been improved and you can now select spawn locations by clicking on the map with the mouse. The best change in my opinion is that most of the maps are great. To be frank, most of the maps in Battlefield 3 were terrible. There are so many great maps here and there is a good mix of large open fields, islands and buildings. Parcel Storm in particular is really great and reminds me of Invasion of the Philippines from Battlefield 1942. The weather even changes, forcing large waves and gusty winds. Flood Zone is also good but to be honest, once the water level rises, it does get a bit ridiculous as the match turns into a swim- a-thon rather than a battle. Other maps such as Rogue Transmission and Lancang Dam are also great and improve upon the let downs that Battlefield 3 presented. In all, Battlefield 4 improves Battlefield 3 in almost every way. Sure, it may seem a bit of a stretch to pay full price for a game that seems to be very similar to its predecessor. But the many subtle improvements make it a great purchase. Once the wrinkles are ironed a little further, this will be a truly great online FPS game. Its even better optimised that Battlefield 3 too and runs flawlessly on my laptop!

After the great game that was Portal, Portal 2 takes the original and makes it better in almost every possible way. The single player game is much longer now, there are more challenging puzzles, and there are different types of environments. In addition to Glados, Portal 2 introduces some new characters, the most significant being Wheatley and to say the least he is annoyingly funny. Since its release, Valve have also provided a level editor as a free download so that you can make your own levels and share them on the Steam Workshop to share with others. Portal 2 is also great for multiplayer as you and a friend can play the co-op campaign and this provides some great challenges as you need to work together to solve the puzzles and reach the exit. If you haven't picked up Portal 2 yet, get it. Get your friends to pick it up too so then you can play the co-op campaign as well!

This is a strong sequel that adds some good new features without changing the fundamentals of the original. There are new items, weapons, characters, weapons, levels and the like as well as new music. The only real problem is that the core experience tends to get quite repetitive as all you're really doing is shooting, shooting and more shooting to get to the safe house or rescue point. However, the experience is great for the most part and can definitely be a whole lot of fun, especially with friends in co-op.

Episode One is definitely the weakest link in the Half Life 2 series. The main problem with Episode One is that not much happens: you go into the Citadel, Alyx picks up a copy of the Transmission, and then you escape the city. Add in the fact that this game is also very short. In my opinion, the beginning of Episode One (inside the Citadel) is a bit boring. The game does get better once you leave the citadel and are presented with numerous puzzles. The hospital portion is also quite good and the new zombine enemy is quite humorous. Episode One is not bad by any means, but having played through all the Half Life games, this stands out as being comparatively weak.

An all time classic. Even after playing through Half-Life 2 many times, I still get alot of fun out of the playing it. Almost everything about the game is top notch: the levels, characters, music, sound and graphical style. The game's physics were at the time unheard of and still even today are quite good in how you can use the gravity gun to pick up and throw objects at enemies and to solve puzzles. As you play, you will see the characters develop and you will start to care about them and how they interact. The whole game being a long continuous level is also really cool as you can clearly see how the whole game links together. If I were to nitpick the game, the vehicle sections are a little too long, especially the car levels, but this is just a minor complaint really. If you haven't played this where have you been?!?!?

Brave New World makes some great additions to Civilization V and makes the core game far more enjoyable and tactical. Aside from adding more Civilizations, wonders, buildings and units the game introduces some new mechanics that change the core experience greatly. The introduction of trade using merchants is an interesting addition that makes it easier to obtain large amounts of gold, gain science or to spread your religion among other civilizations. Diplomacy now has far more depth through the means of a congress system where you and other civilizations vote on issues that will drastically affect the game. It helps to be tactical with the voting because a certain affect may benefit you, but at the same time it may upset other civilizations and tarnish their relations with you and can even lead to war. The game also adds more great people such as great writers and musicians which can create great works for you and help to increase your culture output, aiding you in achieving a cultural victory. All these new additions are great and help to create a more tactical Civilization experience. This expansion is a must!

Delve deeper is a cute little game with some great concepts, although the game is a bit lacking it what it offers. The actual game concepts are good: you use your dwarves to gather valuables to give you money in return. The random treasure chests are also good which offer bonuses but sometimes also offer negative effects. The combat mechanics are a bit basic though, the sound is a bit annoying and there are no random maps- only pre-built ones to select from. Although there is no online multiplayer, there is a hotseat game mode, so you can play with friends in person if you wish. Not a bad game on offer here, just don't expect the world from it.

I really wish I could love Zero Hour. It makes some fantastic additions to the game. The new units are cool, the generals add more variety,the new music is great and the new campaign missions and general challenges are wonderful. However, the game is crippled by bugs that EA has never bothered to fix. Some bugs are minor graphical glitches which are easy to dismiss, but others are major. Quite frequently the game will crash giving an error message that my computer doesn't meet the minimum requirements of the game (which is completely false), sometimes all my units and buildings will blow up, and some maps just don't work. Also, USA AI dozers will frequently sit doing nothing for a while before building structures. Theres also issues with multiplayer, with opponents sometimes quitting the game admitting defeat but somehow the game gives them the win??? The game's balance is also way out, with some units clearly being overpowered (I'm looking at you GLA rocket soldiers and USA humvees/ambulances) When an opponent "Air Force" General gets nothing but humvees, you know something is wrong with the game's balance. A 1.05 community patch has been released for those inclined but it says a lot of EA when its the community that has to patch a game and not the developers themselves. Its such as shame really. Zero Hour has made some fantastic additions to the game but the game breaking bugs and poor balance tarnish the experience.

This is a solid game with some interesting mechanics, but there are some problems. Aside from the embarrassing voice acting, the game is quite darn difficult, meaning you will likely need to repeat levels quite a few times to move forward, and it won't be long before repetition starts to sink in. Being in space, there is no terrain, meaning all levels kind of look the same and add to this the low variety of different enemies and repetition really sets in. While there is fun to be had here, you will likely get bored quite quickly as the game is mostly just same same every time.

An absolute classic that I still play sometimes even today. This game improves upon Command and Conquer in almost every possible way. The campaign missions are great, the music is superb and the differences between the 2 sides is good enough to create a vastly experience based on the side you chose. The game's cut scenes are also great and the acting (especially of Stalin makes for a good laugh. Even after all these years, there are still players to be found online for multiplayer matches courtesy of CNC Net. The game is also free to download now so if you haven't played it, downloading it is a must! Recommended!

Quake 4 is a good game that effectively utilizes the Doom 3 engine. The game’s plot is quite enthralling with often gruesome in-game cut scenes and Hollywood style acting. In order to beat the Strogg force you actually become one of them later in the game, making for some interesting plot twists. The game’s audio and visuals are excellent and create a dark and scary atmosphere that you actually feel a part of. In spite of the excellence of the campaign there are some shortcomings however. The vehicle sections are quite underwhelming and I feel they are only there to advertise the game’s capabilities and variety rather than being a fun experience in their own right. The multiplayer is also rather dull and is essentially just Quake 3 or Open Arena with more high-tech graphics and a lower player base.

I am really loving this game. The puzzles are challenging, the humor is spectacular and the graphics and sound are top notch. If you get stuck, the game has a great hint system so you can always keep moving forward if you are stumped. Would definitely recommend this game!

A great stand-alone expansion with plenty to do. You can play as all six factions, both in single player and online, although many missions are repeated in the campaign by the different factions. The gameplay is good, with more emphasis on tactics and controlling resource points rather than building units at bases from many buildings. The multiplayer is also good. You can play traditional skirmish type games where you capture points and attempt to deplete the enemy's tickets to zero. The Last Stand game mode is also interesting where you use heroes to survive waves of enemies and unlock stronger war gear as you progress. No Games for Windows Live is also good!

I particularly enjoyed the additions to Civilization V. The introduction of city states adds a layer of depth to the game. You can develop alliances with them and this can result in them giving you free units, or you can fight with them. The interface is also much cleaner in Civilization V, with the exact level of happiness and culture produced clearly displayed. The graphics have also been vastly improved, with terrain surfaces looking highly detailed and vibrant, especially the water which reflects the sunlight. The sound effects and music is also good, although I did prefer the Leonard Nimoy voice overs in Civilization IV than the voice overs in Civilization V. Some of the gameplay mechanic changes have drastically altered the tactical aspects of the game. Having only one unit on a tile encourages more tactical unit placement rather than just mass unit rushes like you can do in Civilization IV. The capture mechanics of cities is also better with cities having a health rating. I also like the fact that cities can bombard nearby units, and this is especially useful in counteracting annoying barbarian attacks.

I'm not sure if I've ever slammed my keyboard as much as I do when playing this game. This game is frustrating, damn difficult and very unforgiving. I have never died so many times in a game before on a single level. Despite the extreme difficulty though, I loved every minute I spent playing this game. The levels are ingeniously detailed and varied, with many obstacles in your way such as spinning saws and bottomless pits. The levels are also very short, so when (not if) you die, you will not have to constantly repeat huge segments. The game's music is also incredible and really just makes you want to keep playing even if you've died 50 times already on the level you're trying. This is a really great game that I can't recommend enough. Just make sure you don't break your keyboard out of frustration.

If there was ever a list of games to avoid, this game would come out on top. Almost everything about this game is bad although it is good for a laugh. The graphics, gameplay, sound…. It’s supposed to be a racing game and the AI truck doesn't even move!!! The game also doesn't have collision detection so you can go right through buildings (don't imitate what you can do in games in real life kids) You are also able to accelerate up completely vertical mountains at no loss of speed and are able to break suddenly even if travelling at fast speed. I must admit though it would be pretty cool if I could climb vertical mountains in real life without loss of speed. Where can I get myself one of these trucks? The best thing about this game though is that it makes a great present for someone you hate or want to torture. Don’t egg their house or their car or set fire to their letterbox; just give them a copy of Big Rigs. They’ll be sorry they ever messed around with you!

Tell a friend the concept of Bus Driver as a computer game and they would probably laugh in your face: "Hey I play this cool game called Bus Driver, I drive buses, follow road rules and stop at bus stops to take people to places"! The concepts actually work alright and it can be fun in short bursts in trying to maximize your score, but the game is always same same with poor graphics, sound and limited animations. The people you take around don't actually have any animations at all; they somehow are able to move from the bus stop into the bus and out again without moving their legs at all. I wish I was able to do that. So yeah, although the concepts work alright, in the context of a computer game, it is very repetitive and **** reaction your friend would have to you stating you play Bus Driver says it all: invest your time and money in a real game!

At first glance, you'd think Toki Tori is a cute little platformer suited for young kids, but this game is much deeper than this initial first impression. In fact, Toki Tori is not a platformer at all, its actually a puzzle game, and believe me, many of the challenges are quite tough and force you to really think ahead. If you wait for Steam sales you can get this game for really cheap, I picked it up for $0.49 not too long ago and in my opinion was as absolute steal.

Although the game’s concepts are good, options are a bit limited. There are some different game modes you can unlock by playing, but there is not a large variety, and it can be quite difficult to unlock these extra modes, forcing you to play just the standard game mode for quite some time.

Fantastic game with heaps of things to do with NO SUBSCRIPTION FEES!! The game is still regularly being updated and more things are always being added. I must say I don't generally play MMOs but this game has me hooked!

This is a very good remastered edition of an old classic. There are a fairly large array of game options available, ranging from numerous tutorials, campaigns, leveling up pieces games, and hot seat games where you can play with a friend. The graphics engine is also quite nice plus you have the option of showing the retro graphics if you prefer the old look. The music is also quit catchy, especially the music that plays when battle engages.

Worms Reloaded is a pretty solid game with some subtle improvements, but don't expect a drastically different experience to earlier 2D Worms games. Some new weapons (like termites and magnets) are cool, there are some minor graphical overhauls, and the game has a little more personality (such as worms screaming when dynamite is placed next to them). Modes such as quick game, training and campaign still exist. One new interesting mode is Body Count where you try to get as many points as possible by killing enemy worms that constantly respawn. And of course, there is still multiplayer, where you can play other people across the world. The game however does have some drawbacks. For starters, the AI seems to be very inconsistent. Sometimes they are downright stupid and will miss an easy shot or shoot themselves with a bazooka by aiming down, and at other times they are able to throw a grenade across the whole map and have it hit you perfectly, resulting in the full 45 damage. In addition, the campaign for me, was disappointing. Many of the missions are a typical death-match style game where you simply kill the enemy worms like you normally would in other game modes. There are some puzzle-like missions, but not enough: I expected more cool puzzle-style missions like those from Worms World Party- for example, shooting mines out of a boat, or something new and innovative, rather than the generic kill all enemy worms with normal weapons. If you haven’t played worms before, this is a good place to start. If you're a worms veteran, the game offers more of the same, but the new layer on top may bring a strong level of refreshment to your worms experience.

I can see that Dota 2 is definitely a great game but to be honest its not my cup of tea. The number of gameplay options is immense with so many heroes to pick and the number is slowly increasing. The graphics and sound is also great. My main issue with this game however, is the community. If you're just getting into the game be warned that the community will eat you alive. The last time I played a match I was abused to hell. Not going to play this again I'd think.

A great rally game with many options and different tracks. The single player mode is well voiced and you will face many challenges in rising to the top. The actual menu screen however, is a bit cumbersome, with the whole triangle interface being very pointless and annoying. Games for Windows Live DRM is also very annoying, but lets hope this game drops that soon, as other games (such as Bioshock 2) have recently dropped it.

Empire Earth 3 falls short in many areas but the main problem is that this game has been simplified too much. Empire Earth 2 had 15 epochs and this game has 5. Rather than gradual changes through time that Empire Earth 2 had, Empire Earth 3 brings drastic changes as you progress and this leads to players trying to advance as quickly as possible rather than play strategically. The game’s AI is also pretty weak with poorly scripted unit path-finding. Some may say that Empire Earth 2 was a bit too deep and inaccessible to non RTS fans, but Empire Earth 3 is WAY too dumbed down. Pick up an earlier EE game instead.

Painkiller is a solid FPS game with one very simple premise: shoot, shoot and shoot. The game style is very basic as there are no keys, no real switches, or cut scenes in levels. You merely make your way through seemingly unconnected levels, killing every enemy in your sight. If you like endless shooting, the game does provide no-nonsense fun, but if you want a game with interesting characters and an intriguing plot I would suggest something like Half-Life.

This is a top down shooter that makes a solid first impression, but after a few minutes of playing you will discover that the execution of many essential elements is not very good. The gameplay gets repetitive rather quickly, as you frequently just walk from A to B, holding space bar down to interact with switches. The gun sounds and sound effects are also rather bland. The environments are also very dark, with little variety, although the actual graphics aren't too bad. You will also battle with the camera, as it sometimes switches to bizarre angles, obstructing your view to certain areas, such as the other side of a wall. There is also a load of on-screen text, so you know right off the bat which objects are interactive, and although some people may like this, I think it does take away discovery aspects of the game. Get this if you must, but there are far better top down shooters out there.

A very enjoyable tower defense game that is worth every penny. There are a variety of different modes, unlockables as well as heaps of different zombies to fight. The game's sense of humour is also fantastic and the graphical style looks really nice. Admittedly the game is a bit easy, but its all so much fun so who cares?! Definitely recommended. Only $2.50 on steam at the moment. Give it a go if you haven't!

Dwarfs!? is an interesting and lively game with some good concepts. You use your dwarfs to dig and gather gold and minerals and your warriors to kill creatures you may find. The graphical style is quite nice and the game is full of humour. The main problem with the game though is the fact that you often have to wait for dwarfs to dig, and that it can get boring waiting for dwarfs to uncover something. The dwarfs happily dig on their own, and you merely facilitate them rather than taking full control most of the time.

Human Revolution is a great game with many elements coming together well, although there are some pitfalls. The game is very open end, and you can take on challenges the way you see fit, whether that be through brute force, sneaking a back way through vents, cloaking your way through, or hacking a computer and making a robot fight for you. The voice acting for the most part is solid, and the plot is enthralling, with the added effect that what you do influences plot points. An effective dark atmosphere is created, although the gold and black colour scheme may not appeal to all. However, the game is far from perfect and has definite weakness. The AI in particular, can be quite dumb at times, especially with regards to their alertness to your presence and their reactions. Sometimes enemies get stuck in doors and sometimes they run around like complete buffoons. In addition, the boss fights are unnecessary and do not belong and often rely on saving and loading until you eventually do enough damage to kill them. This concept does not fit well with a game where choice is one of the most prevalent aspects. These pitfalls aside, Human Revolution is still a great game which presents you with many choices and ways to tackle a problem. A link between various genres is done successfully and as a result, an enthralling package is produced, despite the shortcomings.

Terraria is a great 2D version of Minecraft with heaps to do and it should keep you busy for quite some time. There are many secrets to discover and locations to visit and it is really up to you how you want to play. The only negatives are that the actual inventory screen is a little bit cumbersome, and there is not a large amount of early game assistance, meaning that newcomers may initially be overwhelmed by the large scope of what the game has to offer. Once you're drawn in though, expect to lose many hours.

Bastion is a very interesting and engaging game. One of the biggest mechanics of the game is the graphical style: it is simply superb. Everything around you is hand-painted and the colour dynamics are incredible across the large array of different environments. The way the land forms around you as you move is also fantastic. The game’s narration is also great with a mix of serious and humorous lines and makes you feel as though you are a character that is part of a novel. While the combat mechanics are admittedly a little basic, it is through the presentation where the game truly shines.

Although the basic concept of Death Rally is solid, there are problems. There is not a large variety of tracks, and you will often race on the same track a lot. The controls are also quite difficult and frustrating, so expect to crash into walls often. The gun mechanics also do no work that well, as it actually encourages you to stay behind and shoot everyone, which is rather contradictory to the objective in a racing game. Expect frustration and repetition will set in quickly.

At first glance, Tropico 4 looks a lot like Tropico 3: the graphics engine is very similar and many models are reused. However, Tropico 4 brings many good additions to the series to create a more enjoyable experience overall. Tropico 4 adds more buildings and missions as well as a cooler soundtrack. Tropico 4 also adds more foreign factions such as China and you can now import resources rather than just export. Although the premise can get repetitive, there is lots to do in Tropico 4. From the campaign, to the random map generator sandbox to user made challenges, you are sure to have lots of fun being El Presidente.

This is a solid game, but unfortunately its many annoyances detract from the experience. The single player experience is solid, but most of the game's problems lie in its multiplayer. The lack of dedicated servers is atrocious. You cannot pick maps, you have to manually search every time you want to play and the lag at times can be unbearable. The cheap knife kills also frustrate me greatly and many of the perks are annoying and stupid. The lack of dedicated servers also means you'll encounter cheaters from time to time as well. Its a shame there are so many problems because the multiplayer experience had the potential to be great. Most of the maps are quite good and the gun mechanics are sound. It just goes to show that lots of little issues can really cripple a game.

Sonic and All Stars Racing is an unexpected gem ****. I have seen many mediocre kart racing games over the years and I expected this game to be the same. Boy was I wrong. This game is full of personality, different characters, many game modes, changing race tracks, great game mechanics, lots of multiplayer options, varying difficulty options and breathtaking graphical scenery. Pick up this game. You won’t regret it.

CS: GO may seem like an unnecessary addition to the CS franchise: the core game play is still the same and the game still only uses the source engine. However, CS: GO makes some good additions and refinements to the formula. There are new guns, improved graphics and some of the maps have been re-made and re-balanced. There are also some new game modes such as arms race and this is a good game mode for those that don't like having to wait when they die. The new game modes are representative of an experience one would expect from a traditional COD game, and Valve have done a good job fitting it into the Counter-strike experience. CS:GO is also very cheap too ($15) and if you wait for Steam sales you can even get it at half of that, making it an absolute steal. All said, CS: GO makes some good changes to the formula and adds in more modes to appeal to the broader audience. Recommended.

BF3 is a pretty good game although it is not without its flaws. The campaign for the most part is quite bland and to be honest most of the maps for multiplayer are weak. In my opinion, only Caspian Border, Operation Firestorm and Kharg island are true battlefield maps. The others generally involve ridiculous corridor fighting which is not the essence of what a Battlefield game is meant to be and rather a take off COD. Gameplaywise the game is quite solid with many vehicles and weapons. The flaws I mentioned prevent the game from soaring.

TF2 is a superb multiplayer FPS experience that continues to get better and better with every update (although the sheer number of hats can be a bit annoying). The graphical style still holds up well today and the game is full of humorous lines from the various classes. Speaking about the classes, there is a large variety of different characters to play not seen in other online FPSs as much and this adds a large layer of depth to the game. Add to that lots of maps and weapons and you have tons of different ways to play this game. I've recently clocked 1000 playtime hours, but that number will increase. If you haven't played this game yet play it. TF2 is not just the best free to play game, but it is still quite possibly the best online shooter out there.