markwhitton

At first I never thought I would get into this game because the camera angles and the general perception of the game was so nauseating, in a literal sense… However I must have got used to it as I did manage to complete the game! For all I finished the game, it was far from an interesting story and the entire thing consisted of shooting zombies, clearing areas and fetching survivors to bring back to a base… That’s pretty much the extent of the game and frankly it just wasn't that substantial or satisfying... Admittedly it holds your attention but I have a feeling there are much stronger titles out there!

If this game had a soundtrack or something it might have actually been quite a fun title, in a bizarre sort of way… However, this game was empty and riding the tracks with average sound effects and severely bad PS1-esque textures; meant the game just never really delivered in any way! The only thing it did for me was remind me of some of the biking games I enjoyed on the PS1 (back in the day) so it served as a mild nostalgia trip, but that aside the game is one you can certainly pass on.. The tablet to PC conversion of this game is very apparent…

When a stale franchise got reinvigorated. Tomb Raider Legend for me is one of my favourite video games. I am a major fan of the “Tomb Raider” series and I'm always anticipating the next release and this was the freshest and best structured sequel to be released prior to 2013's origins adventure! With the new control and combat systems, Lara is now performing highly unrealistic manoeuvre’s that only Lara Croft could pull off… And although a little short, this entry has been by far the most engaging release since Tomb Raider 2.

The over the top, mass destructive, chaos causing, parachuting agent could only mean a “Just Cause” sequel! Now, I'm the first to admit I have played the first game several times, but have never been interested long enough to complete it… The game although having fantastic environments never really done much else for me, the sequel however had me hooked. The vehicle controls had improved (there still aren't many vehicles, but they have improved) the environments still as huge and lush as ever… This game as a whole is quite awesome and as Rico so often says “It isn't a party til’ something gets broken!” and you can’t fault his efforts at starting parties!

If I'm completely honest, I didn't enjoy Tomb Raider Anniversary as much as I thought I would. When you remake an original game, you’re standing on thin grounds and can have a lot of hype to match… Especially with a classic, genre defining game like Tomb Raider! Virtually it’s the same type textures and graphics as Legend and very few other changes except the length, this game is considerably longer. I do think the biggest let down was the original challenge type scenarios have disappeared “Tomb Raider” was built on the principle of “Well, I found this, what’s it for?” or “Where the hell am I going?” but as this was a remake original players already knew what everything was for... It is a decent installation for the series, but for Lara to compete properly in today's standards, the series needs a retool.

"Wuh-Ho-Ho It's Time To Make Some Kerrrrrrazy Mon-ayyy!!!!" There is not one bad word that can be said about Crazy Taxi... Okay, the graphics aren't brilliant, the environments are repetitive and the game has been re-released a million times for sake of the buck. But it's challenging, addictive and most importantly fun… Yes fun! I’m not a major fan of racing games, but simple games like this always amuse me. I used to have it for the PC and PS2 but sold them with everything else, so when I saw it on Steam I pounced on the discount bargain; and now it sits in my library as one of my all-time favourite arcade classics!

This may sound a bit dumb, but I was completely oblivious to the fact that there was a “Second Encounter” I’d played Serious Sam 2 before but never the second part to the original. Needless to say it is just as intriguing as the first instalment. Again it is a very difficult game (for me anyways), I've never been so thankful for a quick-save button in all my life! The updated HD graphics are stunning, like its predecessor, and just when you think the madness is over it just kicks right off again. I would like to see a new Serious Sam game soon though; we need a brand new adventure… It’s time to get serious again!

Now this is a hard-core FPS, I have never played a game so challenging in all my days, seriously… Serious Sam is my second favourite First Person Shooter, falling only to the genius (forgotten gem of a) series known as No One Lives Forever. What I love about this game is the fact its old school it’s not about the adventure as such, or the spooky atmosphere or anything like that it’s just shooting everything in sight… And it’s fun as hell! In terms of the new HD Graphics, well they’re just stunning the game is the exact same as the original just with major texture upgrades, this is the way a remake of classic should be…

Tomb Raider: Underworld is very visually appealing… No question! But the dodgy camera angles and obscure bugs in this game are a considerable negative… When Lara finds herself stuck in rocks and doing odd jitter dances it does get slightly tedious… However, the environments are absolutely brilliant and, when Lara is behaving, it’s an amazing adventure game. It also brings back to play some of the puzzles that we originally loved from the older generation Tomb Raiders… All in all this is a very decent game and feel it was a step in the right direction… And with the story finally complete from the trilogy I look forward to the future instalments.

Jurassic Park was actually a pleasant surprise for me… The thought of a whole game based on interactive cut-scenes similar to those we have in the Resident Evil’s and Tomb Raiders had me relatively unimpressed, however you find yourself engrossed in the action. It’s like watching an animated movie which allows you to join in. Telltale has a very unique set of ideas for games and I can honestly say I have enjoyed this to an extent… Is it the most action packed game? No… Does it have replay value? That’s debatable… But I would definitely recommend it for a change of pace; it makes a refreshing change when you can’t be bothered with yet another shooter!

Telltale has always been very hit and miss; however ‘The Walking Dead’ has definitely been the companies best release yet! The biggest positive of this title is the decision making element involved and how it has an effect on how you play! Ultimately, the outcomes will be very similar, but giving you the option to choose what happens at certain points, and deciding the best way to act in a situation, really makes the game much more interactive. This is what you should expect from a story telling game; however TellTale has now set a new standard and will need to go the extra mile to ensure they keep this quality. Overall, a very engaging game!

Hydrophobia is a really interesting game… For a game that’s based, for the majority of its run, in and around water you would expect it to be a little dull and repetitive; however the water looks phenomenal! That may sound like an obscure statement, but it does look and act like real water and its manipulated by the game so well! The downsides to the game do include character control as sometimes our Lara Croft clone just truly irritates you beyond belief doing things you never asked and of course occasional obscure and difficult camera angles; combat seems unusual at first but it does grow on you… Well worth a look to check out the water alone!

Cloning Clyde may not exactly be one of the greatest games ever, but it’s an entertaining and fun platformer mixed with puzzle elements… One of the reasons I don’t enjoy a lot of puzzle platformer’s comes down to the fact that the focus tends to go towards puzzles and in turn fails to deliver on the platforming side. Cloning Clyde doesn’t have that problem and the puzzles are not as confusing as many other titles out there. So the fact that you don’t need mind bending drugs to complete the game is definitely a positive factor that makes this game significantly more enjoyable. The character animations are also another added bonus.

As far as this game goes it provided me with some light entertainment to kill a few hours here and there and although the resolution could have been tweaked better I refuse to complain because considering I bought Puzzler World 2 for like 99p in the Steam sales and this came free with it you really can’t negatively review a game that did actually hold my interest and I enjoyed playing. If you enjoy crosswords, Sudoku’s, word searches, letter games and similar puzzles you can’t really go wrong!

Just click everything seems to be the solution to this game... Okay maybe not, however it’s a really well presented game with very well thought out aesthetic environments. Point and click as a genre, is very hit and miss for me. I will either love the game or despise it; there is very little middle ground… I personally loved this game because it felt a lot like a HOG with occasional mini puzzles so it felt fresh and interesting… The game is quite short, I appear to have completed this within 3 hours, however I must say if it had gone on for too much longer I possibly could have lost interest due to repetitiveness or some stinker mini-puzzles.

What can you really say about a “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” game? More to the point how did it end up in my library…? It’s a very average game in every aspect, the animations are average, characters average and the whole look seems quite cheap! However, if you like quiz type games where questions are fired at you then it probably would be okay! I would have enjoyed the experience more if you got to pick a character who had a personality and talked instead of just being this silent person in the hot seat, in the dark? I get that I'm supposed to believe it’s me in the seat, but I just didn't like that very much it felt empty!

Another point and click game, yes indeed… Midnight Mysteries Salem Witch Trials is primarily a hidden object game but it also has an inventory aspect and other various mini-games involved. However, there is something very interesting about this game as is actually centred around quite an interesting story. This is something I have never really seen point and click games do very well before… The general quality of the game in terms of environments (well scenes) is quite average, however I have been thoroughly entertained by playing this game… It’s probably the perfect kind of game to play on a rainy afternoon!

As far as platformer games go, this is one of the best I've played in a very long time… The animations are superb, the environments are incredible, the menus are all well presented and the character selections are vast. I wasn't overly optimistic about Rayman becoming a 2.5D side scroll game as a supposed to the 3D adventure style of the past, but it truly was a fantastic gaming experience. The only gripes I have with the game comes down to some of the truly unnecessary difficult moments near the end, every single move during certain segments has to be performed point perfect, it felt like BIT.TRIP.RUNNER but overall it was an awesome game!

Puzzle Agent 2 is a very humorous game, but equally as average… For a puzzle game you wouldn't expect several of the puzzles to be bug filled, but unfortunately that is the case! The art style used in the game is quite unique and it works well with the style of humour and overall represents the personalities of the characters aptly… I do credit the game with having a good storyline, but it just felt like something was missing from the whole experience… If you enjoy puzzle games, I would recommend this, it was great fun, but it is short! Also, some puzzles are ridiculously easy, but some are absurdly hard there really isn't too much middle ground!

Lume is a really atrocious experience, don’t get me wrong the art style of the game is fantastic but this game proves why Steam sales are so dangerous. Had this not of been in some special sale bundle it would have never made my library because it doesn't belong on steam… The puzzles are hard, the animation movements are sloppy, but let’s be honest it’s a cheap Flash game which should be free to play in a browser... If you love unbelievably confusing puzzle games (with virtually no clues), this could be for you but it sure isn't worth the £4.99 price tag, that’s absurd!

Where the hell did I get so many puzzle games from…? Actually, in fairness I did buy this game for like 99p in the sales and as far as game-play goes it is an improvement on Puzzler World, simply because of the further types of puzzle added to the game… The presentation of Puzzler World 2 is also much (much) sharper which doesn't make it quite as ugly as it’s predecessor… However, it is virtually an extended version of Puzzler World 1. The main difference is this game has extra added bugs (what fun?) which results in one achievement being completely un-achievable and some in game navigation issues! The £9.99 price tag is a massive no-no though!

No… Just, no! It’s safe to say I wasn't exactly blown away by this title by any stretch of the imagination… Fishing is not really a sport, so this is why this game easily falls under the simulation genre and if the game isn't quirky it will be a chore, so this makes it undeniably boring… I got this game as part of the Dreamcast Collection, otherwise I certainly wouldn't have bothered! It clearly appeals to two kinds of people, those who love fishing or for anyone who may be a Dreamcast enthusiast. However this game, just like most simulation games, didn't do anything for me…. It was really quite a boring repetitive experience…

Well when it comes down to it there really aren't a lot of racing games like this available these days; especially enjoyable ones… So I'm kind of thankful this game was released on PC. I must admit I'm not a racing game (or kart racing game) lover, but I do enjoy the occasional dabble in these fun “wacky” sort of adventures! Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing doesn't really bring anything new to the genre it’s fundamentally race people, find power up’s, use power up’s on enemy’s, win race… Ta-Dah! I did like the system for unlocking new characters and arenas but the missions do get unbelievably repetitive and by number 50 you will have had enough!

As far as standard letter puzzle games, this was a moderately fun game... It does get repetitive after a while but it is for some obscure reason quite an addictive experience! However, it doesn't offer anything new to the puzzle genre and if you don’t like puzzles, then stay well clear… The presentation of the game is fair; however it does look like a typical freebie you could find on the internet! As a whole I did enjoy the game and the custom puzzle making element could enhance the games longevity with the chance to create unlimeted puzzles, however I had no desire to do that… Let’s just say it’s entertaining for what it is…

Braid is a very nice looking game with great aesthetic scenery… And it’s challenging… For me it was perhaps a little too far on the frustrating side! I did enjoy playing the game, providing I didn't get stuck in a place for too long, it’s then when I didn't enjoy my experience! The mechanic of time control is manipulated well (considering it’s the only one used that would be expected) and adds an interesting dynamic to the game! I personally didn't really have a clue what was going on in the game for the most part, however I did still enjoy it… The downside I feel is complete lack of replay-ability, I have no interest in playing the game again, but maybe that’s just me!

Well, it was fun for about half an hour, but this just isn't my kind of game! I do very much understand why it appeals to some people, but rhythm games for me are typically more interesting as a mini-game or side mission within an open world adventure game. The fact it’s on Steam should please UK fans of the original, because I don’t believe we ever saw this released… Graphically it looks nice, it’s humorous and it is quite fun! It really is perfect for those who enjoy rhythm styled game and the port seems to work moderately well... There’s really nothing bad to say about it, except for the fact that it’s not my kind of game!

What I intended to hate, I actually kind of enjoyed… I’m not really an avid fan of RPG’s; in fact I really don’t like them at all. However, Costume Quest was just fun and cute enough to be enjoyable! The only negative thing I have to say about the game is the limited number of characters for battle, or more to the point the fact each character only has three moves! It does make the game-play quite repetitive to say the least! Considering the fact I managed to play and complete this game (and it’s expansion) certainly means I enjoyed my experience; those who tend to love this genre are the ones who may not get any value from the title, as it isn't really too challenging!

Well Mutant Blobs Attack may be a short title, but you have to give it credit for being a really fun game… Everybody should play at some point; it is so “PS1 days” awesome! The game looks good, has a varied difficulty throughout the levels and is a really interesting little title! It's aim is similar to that of “The Maw” your some blob thing from outer space and the goal is to eat things to grow in size and while “The Maw” used that as a side plot, this game focuses entirely on that basis… As it is a short game, some replay ability probably is expected, however after beating it I have no desire to do that… Maybe that’s just me!

Yes… I enjoyed “The Maw”… A game primarily made to entertain children, actually reminded me of games I used to play when I was younger. I felt like I was sitting on the PS1 trying to collect all the gems in Spyro! Video games are so thought up now and the stories can be so mind bogglingly confusing or dull… Or like most games these days based around New York or set in the year 3000 It's seriously very repetitive so being able to step away from that to a very fun cartoon adventure was quite refreshing. I can safely say I thoroughly enjoyed the simplistic style of this game and I think anyone could get into it!

In a departure from the standard Lara Croft gaming experience; this isometric shooter, adventure, puzzle game was a refreshing surprise… Although I prefer the “Tomb Raider” franchise this proved to be an enjoyable experience in its own way… The arcade style of the game was pleasant but being unfamiliar with this style of game made this a little tricky for me to get into… Unfortunately there are a few bugs present at points which do make it fairly frustrating in getting Lara to work as she has been told! Overall though I would recommend this game for some fun arcade style game-play and it could appeal to those who may not like Tomb Raider as it’s a completely new style of game!

It’s enjoyable, atmospheric and in parts quite spooky… I'm more than happy to give Limbo its props for looking and feeling different, however it is fundamentally a standard puzzle platform game! I enjoyed the game, despite completing it in just over 3 hours over two separate days **** of 1 year! So taking a year for me to finish despite only playing for over three hours comes down to the fact I didn't really get into it originally and it's not that long a game! I'm not a massive puzzle fan and there are some parts in this which I found more tedious than enjoyable! However if you do enjoy puzzle platform games, this should definitely be an awesome experience despite its fairly short length!

As far as I’m concerned Tomb Raider 2 is timeless and truly brilliant… Many regard this as their favourite of the entire Tomb Raider franchise and it certainly is one of the best… Okay it’s an old game made of square and triangle blocks and the textures are questionable at best, but despite its age, it still makes an absolute brilliant play and provides countless hours of fun! As a whole Tomb Raider 2 is one of my all-time favourite video games.

I always thought I should enjoy the city simulator genre but I really don’t! I just find myself losing interest quickly, I have no idea what I’m doing and sitting staring at cars and people running around just gets annoying… I can say it’s a very nice looking game, however it has quite a clunky interface which makes it look dated and it’s exactly the same as Cities XL (seriously it’s the same game who are they trying to kid?) I sincerely doubt that 2012, or potential platinum or titanium editions will be any different to 2011 either… However city builders aren't exactly in an abundance so if you enjoy the genre, you may like this!

Okay, this is officially an anti-recommendation… The Random Encounter was released to promote Serious Sam 3, fair enough… Unfortunately it’s truly awful… Serious Sam as an RPG should just not have been attempted! He doesn't suit the format; the game isn't fun and of course being a turn based RPG makes game-play rapidly slow, Serious Sam should not be seriously slow… This is a short game of nine levels, it’s safe to say I didn't (or couldn't) attempt to complete this as it just didn't grab me in any way! People who enjoy RPG’s may perhaps enjoy this title; but it’s pretty much choose a gun pick a direction or distance and select “OK”.

Resident Evil 5 looks good and is actually quite a fun game… I bought this on Steam in an effort to replay after having previously completed; but after starting it again, I just couldn't get into it again! I genuinely feel there is little replay-ability in this title, once you know the story that’s it really! The games have become way to action orientated and linear to really challenge you further… Sure the hardest difficulty setting is beyond ridiculously hard, but it’s more annoying than challenging! On first play however my experience was genuinely a good one and it’s nice to have a partner join you in the game, even just to carry some extra loot… It’s just a shame how the franchise is diminishing in quality and seriously forgetting its horror survival genre defining roots!

Of all the music based games that I have played this one is my favourite… I'm not a major fan of the new your music makes the game genre; but this one looks good, it's simple and quite enjoyable! The game doesn't really have great variety, despite proclaiming many game modes they’re all basically the same thing! I will admit the fun comes from trying many of your favourite songs; and the speed of your ship and the length of the route all depend on the way the track is arranged and it’s really done very well. The main downside to the game for me comes down to the general interface being quite clunky, but overall it provides a lot of fun!

I can understand why people may like this game, but it really isn't for me… “And Yet It Moves” is a puzzle platformer game which has one goal; get to the end of the level without being horribly dismembered by traps or falling too far too fast! The obscure element involved in the game is the ability to turn the map around whilst your character remains stationed the same way. Trying to be objective I can see how those who like the puzzle genre could appreciate it’s challenging nature and even the art style of the game, but as I said the game just doesn't do anything for me; I find it a little to challenging and a little bit of a bore!

Well “Flight Control” may not be the most engaging game ever made; but it is a fairly addictive title! It feels very much like a mobile/tablet game that would be perfect for a train journey! The objective of the game is simple land the various types of aircraft in the correct lanes while not having them crash into each other in the air… It may sound easy but when there are ten pink planes coming in and only one pink landing strip; let’s just say it can get a little messy! I was actually quite surprised how much I enjoyed playing this; I thoroughly expected to hate it… However, as far as casual coffee break style games go, this was really quite awesome!

Hmm… Yeah! I can play this for a while, but then my eyes truly give up on me… Hell I’m still seeing spots! I would guess whoever made this game was completely off of their head! It’s very challenging, but it just isn't interesting enough to hold my interest (possibly because it flashes everywhere and you can’t really see what’s coming and going)… I guess that’s partly the point of the game, but it really makes me nauseous… If you enjoy music based paddle style games and have strong eyes you may very well enjoy this title, it does have the classic feel to it but combines it with a modern sort of, well… Craziness!! It’s just a little bit too much for me!

Bacon Wrapped Games delivers another awesome adventure platform game… But this time it’s even better than “Cloning Clyde”, I really don’t know how these guys do such a good job at making good looking, well animated and highly interesting games… Basically, the object of the game is to collect bits and bobs throughout various levels and of course save your ‘ooga’ friends… It’s really hard to describe why this was an engaging game, but it provided me with more hours of entertainment than I could have expected from the title… I have no problem recommending this at all as it’s perfect for some casual and humorous gaming fun.

Maybe this game isn't for me; but from a constructive standpoint there are many that may enjoy this title… It’s challenging, pretty and quite a chilled soothing experience… It’s also annoying as hell! But maybe that’s just my incompetence at such fiddly titles! The object of the game is simple morph with shapes smaller than yourself to grow in size while avoiding the enemy, whom you also must grow larger than to be able to “EAT” before he gets you… It may sound a simple concept but it truly irritates me on every level. I really hate these strategy luck based games! That aside it is a very pretty game and I understand why people may enjoy this!

All that can be said is it’s a casual game that will provide a couple hours of entertainment… I have a feeling “Smuggle Truck” would have been more interesting; despite the fact it would have been exactly the same game, but you would be smuggling immigrants rather than cuddly toys… Well it just sounds more interesting doesn't it! Why would you transport cuddly toys in an open backed pick-up truck while driving up steep mountains anyways…? However, it’s a fun game for what it is (how it ended up in my Steam library I have no idea) but after playing it you do get some enjoyment… However, it’s just another android/tablet game that’s ended up on PC!

Well it’s hard to set a genre for this game to be totally honest... I like to class it as an accuracy falling game! It’s an interesting title and for a while quite enjoyable, however for me it got too repetitive to fast! The difficulty levels vary between the many areas which I got around to testing, but I found the game offering nothing other than a short unique experience… I find it hard to rate a game like this because it feels arcade-y, a little sporty, a hint of strategy and I don’t really know what it’s trying to be… But Dejobaan Games isn’t exactly known for unimaginative video games, so I do feel it’s worth a look, but unfortunately it just didn’t really impress me too much!

Open World games aren't exactly in shortage these days, but Sleeping Dogs for me has been the best released for a long while! What makes the game stand-out from the others is simple; it has a different take on combat (focussing for the most part on melee) and it takes us to a different setting (in Hong Kong) which makes this game ten times more interesting than the standard American city clones! Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience playing this game and the smaller map size actually felt refreshing as you started to remember your way around the city and got to explore it in its entirety… Definitely my favourite open world game since Just Cause 2!

All I can really say is once you finally complete the game it’s a sigh of relief! Tomb Raider 3 has some atrociously hard levels and I don’t believe anyone could complete this game entirely without checking some sort of walk-through for certain parts! I had previously never completed this game when I originally had it for the PS1 as it is so long and so difficult; limiting saves to save crystals was not a wise move for this title at all, fortunately the PC version is save anywhere and I ended up saving the game 450 times, yes that’s really bad. However although it was long, overly difficult and often down right annoying; if you love your Tomb Raider games, you’re going to enjoy it!

As much as I hate tower defence games, I decided to give this one a go... After all, I got it in the sales for a quid or something. So I tried it out and although it didn't convert me (and even though I didn't really enjoy it) it put a neat and interesting spin on something that has always felt very stale. It’s a very difficult game to categorise in a sole genre because it’s got so much involved, but the art style used is nice and the humour and characters is top notch! However, despite its variation on the tower defence genre; I still did not like the game… If you do enjoy these kinds of games I would fully expect you to enjoy this title.

For all Zuma is a repetitive and often frustrating experience; it can be fun and is also strangely addictive. I usually don’t enjoy puzzle or casual games of this nature, simply because they normally look awful and are typically very boring… This game however looks good, it’s challenging and provides entertainment in small doses. However, I’ve never understood why so many games involve matching up 3 blocks of the same colour (this is the same thing in principal). Overall it’s certainly not worth the £6.99 price tag, but picking it up in the sales for a quid or two will certainly not feel like a waste of money!

Plants vs. Zombies is a unique and challenging video game… This may fall under one of my least favourite genres of gaming, that being Tower Defense, but I found myself thoroughly entertained by this game! I think what makes this game more interesting comes down to the fact that it’s quite bizarre in theory… The aim is to stop zombies invading your home by using many varieties of plants (in the right circumstances) to kill your enemies… It also has a killer theme song involved! Overall though, graphically it looks very average with no widescreen resolutions but it provides many hours of bobsledding zombie fun…

Sonic Generations was a considerably fun game; and also very pretty! I've played quite a lot of Sonic games over the past years and many have been very average (if not god awful) titles. However Generations took both the classic sonic from 2D side scroll perspective and modern sonic in 3D perspective and merged them into one title, the result is fantastic… It has great recreations of the best stages from many of the past sonic games and also many side quests when you have completed the main stages… I personally grew tired of the side quests after completing around 50; but it does provide a lot of extra entertainment.

Arkham City brought back what we loved about Asylum and opened up the world a little bit more! I probably preferred Asylum because it was a completely new experience at the time; but getting the opportunity to play as Catwoman and Robin in Arkham City was a major benefit! Overall, the city looks great, the combat is still flawless and it’s really an all-round incredible game! I don’t care for Batman, in any respect, outside of these video games because I just don’t like super hero comic based stuff; but I thoroughly enjoy these games and Arkham City was one of the most enjoyable titles I have ever played!