RETROSPECTIVE: 'Runescape'

Every once in a while, my brain suddenly reminds me that Runescape still exists. This usually happens every three years or so, and whenever I do I log in, play for an hour or so to see what's changed and what's still the same, then I sign off and forget about the whole thing for another couple of years.

REVIEW: 'A Blind Legend'

I was agonising over what game to review this week for two reasons: 1. The only new thing out is Dark Souls 3 which is not the sort of game you can power through over a weekend (I still need to play the first game) and 2. I've had a recurring headache all week, so the last thing I want to do is play a game.

REVIEW: 'F.E.A.R'

First Person Shooters and Horror do not mix. This is perhaps a curious statement considering three of my favourite games are Horror FPS's - or at least FPS's with horror elements. System Shock 2, Half Life 2, and the Thief series. Part of the reason why the latter two work is that they aren't actual horror games. Out of no-where they suddenly spring levels from hell, where you find yourself stuck in an abandoned town infested with zombies or in a haunted catacomb.

REVIEW: 'Shadow Of Mordor'

Despite being completely mad about fantasy as a child...I never really got into Lord Of The Rings. It's filled with empty characters and Tolkien was such a raging Bible-basher. A man obsessed with a binary good vs evil conflict, with absolutely no attachment to the endeavour of man. I know some people complain about how the movies made Gimli into a drunken idiot, Legolas's fighting ability is ridiculous, and every scene with Frodo and Sam made me scream: "KISS HIM YOU FOOL!!" But at least it gave these characters traits. At least it gave these people something.

REVIEW: 'SuperHOT'

Remember when I reviewed a prototype version of SuperHOT, an FPS where TIME ONLY MOVES WHEN YOU DO? I said it had the potential to be the next best thing, and presented a unique mechanic that just needed some firm context and a bit more content then we could've had a really great game on our hands.

REVIEW: 'Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare'

I've said some nasty things about Call Of Duty in the past. In my review of the Black Ops 3 Beta, I called the franchise "brain-corrupting filth" only redeemed by a mindless multi-player mode that's since become surpassed by every other multi-player game ever made. I've described this series as the lowest standard in gaming, and propagandistic filth.

REVIEW: 'Firewatch'

I loved reviewing XCOM 2 last week. I've reviewed nothing but either independent or pseudo-independent games throughout the whole of 2016, and you have no idea how satisfying it was returning to a game that had actual gameplay - where you were faced with a scenario and the scenario was completely altered by your choices. It was an organic experience, not a 'walk over here'-em-up.

REVIEW: 'XCOM 2'

It's so rare to see a genuine turn based strategy game these days, where you actually need to use tactics to conquer your foes instead of reflexes. All other games still have you battle in real-time whilst having to battle with a massive interface. Even Undertale's combat was just a mini-game that got old very quickly rather than a head-to-head battle of minds. I've said this before, but turn-based games should ideally be like Chess...except with explosions.

REVIEW: 'The Witness'

One of my first reviews was Antichamber. It was an immersive, first person game that for some reason was fascinated by line-puzzles even whilst it was breaking the conventions of gaming. A perfect metaphor would be if people used advanced sonar technology to play Pong- OHWAIT.

REVIEW: 'That Dragon: Cancer'

With the deaths of David Bowie, Alan Rickman, several of my friends, my relatives, friends of relatives, relatives of friends, friends of friends, I don't think it's controversial to say that cancer sucks. Well, perhaps a more stronger word would be in order to describe the destruction of cancer. In fact, I think a better name for this game would be 'That Dick: Cancer.'

REVIEW: 'FNaF World'

....I have no idea where to start with this one.

REVIEW: 'Deus Ex: Revision' (Mod)

If you don't know, Deus Ex is one of my favourite games. It's a 2000 PC classic released at the peak of the Golden Age that combines shooting, roleplaying, and stealth to create an experience never seen before or since. Even it's inferior sequels/prequels/awful mobile games keep trying to scale things back down.

REVIEW: 'Just Cause 3'

Thus, we come to the third installment of the Just Cause franchise. Or, as it's fans like to call it: "KABOOM!!"

REVIEW: 'Floor 13 "Pretty Alpha"'

You'll recall that Floor 13 was my second review on this site. Like many retro games, it's not a masterpiece; but it without a doubt deserves a place in gaming history for what it achieved. And what it achieved was being a fascinatingly disturbing strategy game.

REVIEW: 'Fallout 4'

It was a week ago today when the reviewer embargo on this game was lifted. It was also six days go today that this game was available to us proletarians to play. Since then everyone and their head-lice has discussed this game. Alas: I must join them...

RE-REVIEW: 'BioShock Infinite' (1999 Mode)

...it's one of those times. I'm not really playing games and there aren't really any interesting games coming out. Well, there's Assasin's Creed - but I still can't believe this series is still going after the romp that was Black Flag. As much as I respect UbiSoft for writing a female protagonist, ultimately I care about gameplay and how well it services the experience. Ever since sailing the high-seas in one of the best pirate simulators I've ever played, every Assasin's Creed game since is a comedown. They might as well just stop and move onto something else.

REVIEW: 'Scream Fortress 2015'

If you don't know, 'Scream Fortress' is an annual event that happens within the game Team Fortress 2 - an online team-based FPS. For a few weeks in October/November, the game unlocks a series of new game modes and maps for players to enjoy. The maps from previous years are also available again for a brief time.

RETROSPECTIVE: 'The Stanley Parable'

Max took a look at the recent releases and despaired. There wasn't a single horror title out there, let alone a single interesting looking title. It seemed developers were holding out until November to release their massive Triple A titles like Fallout 4, Battlefront, and Just Cause 3 in time for Christmas. So he decided to look back at The Stanley Parable instead. 

REVIEW: 'The Beginner's Guide'

Go and play this game.

I want to leave my review there. It's a cheap, low-spec game available on Steam. It plays on PC, MAC, and Linux systems. It uses a modified yet simple version of the Source Engine. It's about 80 mins long. You can always claim a refund afterwards thanks to Steam's new service.

REVIEW: 'Undertale'

In my Psychonauts retrospective, I lamented on the absence of comedy games. Aside from The Stanley Parable, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, and Portal 2 - I cannot name a comedy game made in the past 5 years. There's the LEGO games I suppose, but now they've become an entity unto themselves with the whole Dimensions thing. I would've reviewed it, but I don't have a PS4 or all the money in the world to actually buy Dimensions.