Ravaged video review

Coming fresh off of a successful Kickstarter buffer, Ravaged is the brainchild of indie studio 2 Dawn Games, which is comprised of such industry veterans as Joe Halper. Hoping to distinguish itself from the games it drew heavy inspiration from, it's clear Ravaged contains some truly ambitious and competitive design. Blending the notable open-field combat of Battlefield with the post-apocalyptic environments and vehicles of Mad Max, the world of Ravaged will welcome you openly... with a respawn. Great as it sounds on paper, Ravaged is a ramshackle, stripped-down version of those games that helped inspire it.

FTL (Faster Than Light) video review

FTL is one of those games that's ostensibly simple, but given enough time ends up doing far more than you ever thought possible. Being part of the rogue-like genre, it's as unforgiving as it is exciting and that's a part of the reason why it's so damn addictive. If you're into random events, permanent decisions and strategic combat in space, there's little reason to avoid Subset's impressive showpiece.

Double Dragon: Neon review

Back in the late 80's, Double Dragon defined the side-scrolling beat 'em up. Implementing couch co-op, heinous acts of bodily violence and the most intense opening to a game ever, it's no wonder why Double Dragon is still respected in contemporary gaming culture. While it's been well over 20 years since we've seen anything from the famed franchise, WayForward has magicked their way into bringing us a love letter to the series; something they call Double Dragon: Neon.

Mass Effect 3: Leviathan DLC review

For better or for worse, Mass Effect 3 is one of those games that's pretty difficult to forget. Despite garnering heavy criticism from its rabid fan-base for its questionable end, ME3 still retains one of the best narratives of the year. Leviathan, the game's first piece of paid DLC, not only expands upon an already riveting storyline, it contains information that will likely make die-hard fans explode in a cloud of gore and joy. That's a good thing.

Orcs Must Die! 2 video review

Entering the overflowing tower defense genre, last year's Orcs Must Die! was a breath of fresh air. Fast forward nine-months later and Robot Entertainment has improved its Orc murder-simulator tenfold. Adding a host of new traps, weapons and the much sought after co-op mode, Orcs Must Die! 2 is a perfect representation of how a different take on a familiar genre can reinvigorate even the most worn out trends. More importantly, from start to finish it's just a damn good time.

Diablo III review (with video review)

It's been 12 years since Diablo II enveloped our world with its addictive gameplay and instilled its audience with an insatiable lust for more loot.

The impossibly anticipated follow-up, Diablo III, has finally arrived and successfully builds off of what made the franchise so great to begin with. However, while it does keep to its roots, Diablo III's streamlined nature, rocky launch and post-release patching have brought with it some very controversial changes that's made it very tough to love.

Spec Ops: The Line review (with video review)

If you're looking for a new game to sate your thirst for something seminal, you'd surely laugh at the notion of a third-person military shooter being pushed toward you - I know I would. Yager Development's Spec Ops: The Line is a game that looks and feels like the competition, but instead of following the safe and derivative path that's usually carved out for the genre, forges its own dark and gritty route that contemporary games hardly use. If, by year's end, people still aren't talking about the narrative this game yields, some of the magic of the gaming industry will have surely faded.

Prototype 2 review

The original Prototype was a divisive title, managing to impress while also to wholly annoy. It successfully made you feel the part of the anti-hero badass with your ample supply of treacherous mutations, but it progressively fell short in both the narrative and gameplay departments. Prototype 2 disposes of these issues and goes far beyond what Radical Entertainment gave us with the original game, almost three years ago.

Bastion review (with video review)

 

Bastion is Supergiant Games' attempt at resurrecting a forgotten medium within contemporary game design. The isometric action-RPG is a deep and twisted beast with plenty of meat to go around, but it isn't exactly the most popular format out there presently. Whilst its gameplay may contain an anachronistic feel, Bastion is the game that's ever come closest to unseating Squaresoft's vintage SNES title, The Secret of Mana, as my most favourite title in the genre. Believe me when I tell you that's quite a feat in itself.

Bayonetta Review - Seriously bizarre, seriously awesome

If one was to inquire about what games they should purchase for their entertainment needs titles like God of War, Devil May Cry, Ninja Gaiden and stuff like Batman: Arkham Asylum would come up undoubtedly. Bayonetta bends that talk in a unique direction but will no less be added to this list of must-play action titles. But coming from the mind of DMC creator Hideki Kamiya, that was almost a sure-fire bet anyhow. 

What’s different about it? The answer is what isn’t. Bayonetta is one of those games that’s very difficult to describe. On one hand it’s a fast and frantic action game comparable to the likes of Devil May Cry and Ninja Gaiden. Combat is solid and undeniably fluid with plenty of combos and weapons at your disposal to prevent any onset of boredom. However, it’s over the top and exaggerated approach is unequivocally ridiculous and a considerable hook to the already excellent action.