Castlevania is a game series based around the troubles of the Belmont family, as they tackle the monsters sent by Dracula to torment the people. The animated series brought to us from Netflix and written by Warren Ellis has been adapted from that core concept. With only four episodes, Castlevania is more of a proof of concept than anything else. Saying that, It’s compelling, hideous and leaves you wanting more.
Tokyo 42 is a stunningly realised depiction of a neon Pan-Asian future city. It’s also a great indie game built around clever camera controls and some really good shooting gameplay. Plus an excellently flappy coat.
Dawn of War 3 is a tricky game to describe. The original games still stand as testament to how well the 40K universe could work in games. Dawn of War 2 was a fresh tactical take on the same idea. Dawn of War 3 however is technically excellent. It just has a lot of choices I don’t like.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 is a prettier, more subtle film than it’s predecessor. Lacking in surprise this time, it more than makes up for it with heart.
Not everything made by Marvel can be great. Iron Fist is a show that has serious problems in just trying to find a point. It is incredibly hard to enjoy Iron Fist. Most of the series is spent actively trying to prevent the audience from caring about anything that’s going on.
Atomic 79 is one of those types of games I love. Take a simple concept and add just enough minor tweaks and charming touches to make it an enjoyable game. No complications. Just well crafted fun.
The Legend Of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a love letter to the venerable series. It is a summation of everything that makes the Zelda games wonderful, whilst also making the gameplay fun and approachable for older and newer players alike.
The CW has a reputation for TV like Supernatural, the ArrowVerse, One Tree Hill and The Vampire Diaries for young, fun programming. Riverdale fits right in.
To put it bluntly, the opening episodes of Walking Dead Season 3 do not inspire confidence in the rest of the season. There’s structural problems, story issues, a really weird sense of camera direction and some odd graphical problems. By now, Telltale’s Walking Dead series has a reputation. There’s good parts, like the first season’s (for the time) excellent narrative and ability to tug on heartstrings with the choices system. There’s also terrible parts, like the second season’s reliance on unrelenting solemnity and shock, and the fact that by now, after using the choices system in so many other games, it’s transparent to the player. Season Three does very little to move on from this.
DICE and their Battlefield series have a reputation in gaming. Above all else, they create incredibly authentic experiences. Not realistic. No. Other studios make realistic games, your ARMA, your Squad and Project Reality. They are fiddly, demand your sole attention and require detailed focus on perfect simulations of suppression and firefights. Battlefield games capture the feeling of those things. With a decent headset and a little suspension of disbelief, you believe in what you’re playing.
