Nier Automata – Final Thoughts (Updated Review)

Image result for nier automataHaving had a few weeks to mull over Nier Automata since completing it and taking the time to read/watch several reviews, I’d like to layout my final thoughts on the game and offer a closing review that coves the game’s whole scope rather than my first impressions review. Obviously there are spoilers ahead.

I’m not planning to retread old grown. My more general thoughts haven changed so for mechanics and the like you can read though my original review here, and for my feelings after Ending E that cover a major theme of the game then you can check out this.

My original score for Nier Automata was an 8, which in my system is a god score. Too much hyperbole exists within reviews now with many looking at anything less than a 9 as somehow bad. But for me, some of my all time favourite games I would score as low as 7 because to me a score should include mechanics, scope, characters, story and enjoyment. Something that I absolutely loved could be clunky and sparse of content while something I personally hate could be a masterpiece. In my head, an 8 is a great game that I would recommend to everyone. Continue reading

Review – Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City DLC.

Image result for the ringed city

The final ever piece of Dark Souls content has been release for a few weeks now, giving fans plenty of time to fight through the fresh terrors and study the obscure clues to piece together some semblance of lore. But how does this final bit of content compare with the grand legacy that the Dark Souls series has created?

Well, it is certainly more Dark Souls. The enemies, the level designs and everything else feel like they belong with the rest of the game. They got the tone right and produced more great content which is really all that most fans want. We got more weapons, spells and armour to play with and new challenges to overcome. And boy were there some challenges. Continue reading

Review: Overwatch

Overwatch is the hugely praised first person multiplayer shooter from Blizzard. It has been a massive talking point from its colourful characters, its Pixar quality animated shorts, its solid gameplay and its rampant use in porn. Some sing its praise while others see it as an overhyped Team Fortress 2 clone.

I don’t usually play FPS games. In fact the only one that comes to mind is the Halo series. I tend to prefer narrative driven RPGs but the vivid visuals and a strange longing for human interaction like in the days of early Halo 3 made me interested in Blizzard’s first venture into the genre. I played Overwatch in the open beta and have put a fair few hours into its release version. Continue reading

Xcom 2 Review

Xcom 2 is a turn based strategy game about human resistance fighters trying to overthrow the aliens who now control Earth.

If you played the first of the new Xcom games Enemy Unknown or its expansion Enemy Within and did not like them then you will not like this one any more. Lots of little things have changed but the visuals and mechanics are still very much in the same vain as the previous game. It is improved in most ways but nothing is different enough to sway opinions on the series.

If you did enjoy the previous Xcom then chances are that you will enjoy this one too. This review is more for the people who have never played an Xcom game or were left on the fence about their feelings towards them. Continue reading

Review – Fallout 4

Bethesda’s Fallout 4 is a good game. You don’t need some nobody on the internet to tell you that. How good is it though?

I enjoyed Fallout 3 back when I played that but was not as fond of New Vegas. Of the games that I’ve played, Fallout 4 is the best game of the series graphically, mechanically and narratively. It is not perfect though and has split opinion.

With the hype that the game received when it was announced, it was impossible for it to fully live up to people’s expectations without heralding the second coming of Christ. That isn’t to say that it failed to please. Continue reading

Review – The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone

A strange first review. The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt feels too old to review now but I have yet to finish enough of Fallout 4 to do a write up on that. Being the last piece of game content that I completed, the first dlc content for The Witcher 3 seems like the best place to start.

I loved the main game of The Witcher 3 to the point that it will likely be my game of the year. I bought the £130 collector’s edition and got my money’s worth out of it. Before Hearts of Stone my gameplay time was at 146 hours. I purchased the collector’s version of HoS too, (I needed those gwent decks after not getting any with the PC version of the main game), spending £15 on it.

Hearts of Stone is late game content that expands the existing region of Novigrad, adding more weapons, armour and enemies on top of the new quests and mass of new question marks to investigate on your map. It truly is an expansion like those of the past. While the extra area added is not massive, it is densely packed and beautiful to behold. Continue reading