Developer/Publisher: Capcom Released: October 2013

Played on: 3DS

There is a case you need to solve in Dual Destinies that involves ancient Japanese spirits haunting an old town. Normally this is the fun kind of nonsense one expects from a light-hearted mystery or an episode of Scooby-Doo. The problem here is that the English versions of Phoenix Wright have previously been set in North America, because clearly Westerners can’t deal with crime investigations and court battles set in Japan. So the localisation team clumsily create a “Japantown” in the USA which feels intolerably insincere and stupid, particularly when the rest of the game is filled with Japanese design, weapons and food. Condescending localisation decisions don’t break Dual Destinies by any means, but illustrate just how problematic poor decisions made 8 years ago can become, distracting from the story and characters with unnecessary nonsense. I really need to learn Japanese. Continue reading →

Developer/Publisher: Arkane Studio/Bethesda Softworks Released: October 2012

Played on: PS3 (also available on 360, PC)

I feel like I’m doing Dishonored a slight disservice writing about it having only played through it once. Each mission of this stealth-action game gives you free reign over how you wish to approach it, and playing through it again would be an almost completely different experience. Continue reading →

Developer/Publisher: Next Level Games/Nintendo Released: March 2013

Played on: 3DS

This sequel to the Gamecube’s fun but forgettable launch title takes the Luigi’s Mansion premise and turns it into a great little game for the 3DS. You play as Luigi of course, as is customary in the Year of Luigi, and you’ve been tasked by Professor E. Gadd to collect 6 pieces of the “dark moon” to make all the recently disturbed ghosts of the Evershade Valley sane again. Continue reading →

Developer/Publisher: Yager Development/2K Games Released: June 2012

Played on: PS3 (also available on 360, PC, Mac)

Spec Ops: The Line loosely adapts Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness via Apocalypse Now. This third-person shooter puts you in the role of Captain Martin Walker who arrives in a future post-catastrophe Dubai to discover an earlier American military relief unit, led by the elusive Konrad, having potentially established a more militaristic stance than one of aid. Continue reading →

Gone Home’s 1995 period details are spot on

Developer: The Fullbright Company Released: August 2013

Played on: Mac (also available on PC, Linux)

Kaitlin Briar arrives at her new family home in 1995 after a year abroad. Her parents and younger sister aren’t home, and as she explores the dark and eerie mansion she realises something is amiss. Armed with only her Poltergust Vacuum Cleaner, Kaitlin must capture each room’s ghosts to free her family from the big Boo in the attic. Wait – scratch that last bit, I was playing Luigi’s Mansion around the same time and got confused. Continue reading →

Develepor/Publisher: Crystal Dynamics/Square Enix Released: March 2013

Played on: PS3 (also on 360, PS4, Xbone, PC, Mac)

I expected this game to be lazy and exploitative, so was surprised when reviews for the game were almost universally positive. A few months later I snatched it on sale to try out myself. Continue reading →

Developer/Publisher: Rockstar Games Released: September 2013

Played on: PS3 (also available on 360)

The ending credits of GTAV send a camera sweeping through the streets and landscapes of Los Santos – uptown shopping districts, rundown ghettos, sunny beaches, sprawling freeways, huge mountain ranges, glitzy rich suburbs, bullet-ridden shacks in the desert – all depicted with minute attention detail, bathed in stunning sunlight. Rockstar’s fictional LA-inspired city is truly impressive, completely believable in its design and awe-inspiring in scope. Los Santos is more than just a location to drive your stolen car around, if you ignore the game’s missions you can still partake in a dozen outdoor activities that you’re too lazy to do in real life like golf, hunting, parachuting, triathlons, and a tennis mini-game that is more fun than most dedicated tennis video games I’ve played in recent years. The NPCs that populate the world all seem to be living their own lives and behave in completely believable ways (if a little aggressively) and the limited interior environments you can explore have the same staggering level of detail and personality the outdoor environments have. Los Santos is probably the most accomplished sandbox ever created in videogames. Continue reading →

Developer/Publisher: CD Project RED/Namco Bandai Released: May 2011

Played on: PC (also available on Mac, 360)

The original Witcher game was impressive – a linear and contained 3rd person high fantasy action-RPG with scope for exploration and discovery that featured a sophisticated approach to moral ambiguity and a quality ensemble of characters. I was excited for the sequel and ordered it when I could, but sadly couldn’t get it to run sufficiently on my PC. A couple years later the hype for Witcher 3 started building, I couldn’t bear it and tried a different install of Witcher 2 (this time from a Steam sale) and got it to run…barely. At low resolution and with lots of the fancy textures turned off, the game played JUST smoothly enough to get through it. Sadly, I didn’t have the same graphical experience as those with beefier setups (I’ve since upgraded my RAM but not sure how much difference that would make.) Continue reading →

Developer/Publisher: Nintendo Released: July 2013

Played on: Wii U

I resisted buying this New Super Mario Bros U DLC for a long time, it seemed overpriced and not offering much more than the original game’s experience. I eventually caved and while I was still a bit miffed about the cost (I think it was close to $30 from memory) I was relieved and pleased with the quality of the new levels. Continue reading →

Developer: The Chinese Room Released: February 2012

Played on: Mac (also available on PC & Linux)

When I installed Dear Esther the top user comment on Steam read “WARNING: THIS IS NOT A GAME.” I want to avoid getting into a definition debate over what Dear Esther should be classified as (although I think “art house game” works fine for me) but as a piece of digital art with simple interactions, lush aesthetics and intriguing storytelling, it is certainly an experience worth having. Continue reading →