Category

GAMES

PlayStation 5 – Rise of the Ronin

By GAMES

PlayStation 5 – Rise of the Ronin Review

Rise of the Ronin is a Souls-like story game where you travel around 1860s Japan, killing
enemies and completing many fun missions. All whilst searching for your blade twin – your samurai
partner who went missing after being attacked by the blue demon on a ‘foreigner’s’ ship.
This gameplay is honestly the standout of this title. There is an incredibly wide variety of
different weapons for you to choose from, and for each weapon there’s a giant range of
fighting styles you can play with, each having benefits and drawbacks that let you really play
the game the way you want to. The movement mechanics, though simple, are a lots of fun
with a glider and grappling hook as well as the classic horse option for when you’re travelling
long distances.

There’s also an insane amount of customisation and, although gear that has stats can
become annoying at times, the variety for both your character, their clothes, and their
weapons makes up for this. There’s also a unique buddy system that lets you make bonds
with the different people you meet through missions, letting you call on them when you need
a helping hand. As well as this, the co-op works really well, so if you have a friend you want to
play with you definitely need to try that option!

And the final awesome gameplay mechanic is when you parry projectiles, your blade can become infused with the projectile. This means you can light your blades on fire before attacking enemies.

The drawbacks of this game don’t relate to the gameplay specifically, but rather in the story
and the graphics. The story is very one dimensional and drags on a bit, leaving no urge
to do the story mode and rather just run around attacking random bad guys. As well as this, the
graphics are not always the best in some areas. This doesn’t make the game unplayable by any means but in a title like this, when world building is everything you definitely notice it. But this game is fun and well worth playing!

Available on PlayStation 5 22/3/24 (PEGI 18) 4 Stars

Youth #Gottit View:

Fan of ‘Ghost of Tsushima’ or the ‘Dark Souls’ games will really love this game. The story though simplistic is definitely impactful in sections and the gameplay is unique and fun. Well worth a play!!!

PlayStation 5 – Helldivers 2

By GAMES

PlayStation 5 – Helldivers 2 review

Helldivers 2 is the long awaited sequel to a game that was released nine years ago! In this time, the world of Helldivers has been relatively peaceful. Super earth had almost completely defeated the Terminids and as such, the Helldivers had been retired. Although the Terminids managed to begin colonising the planet again, leading to the Helldivers being brought back to fight once again against the Terminids. 

This game uses an awesome variety of weapons, as well as a totally unique gunplay style which together provides a really enjoyable gaming experience. When you land on the planet you don’t get overwhelmed by the Terminids instantly, yet they do build up if you don’t kill them quickly, which adds a level of pressure to get the missions.

The stratagems are also a fun tool that can be used to resupply your character, bringing back teammates or gain massively powerful weapons to devastate enemies and your teammates indiscriminately. The graphics in this game also look really good, there’s a clear art style they’re going for, whilst still having it look very realistic. And one of the most important things about this game is its multiplayer aspect, which both works well and fast so you can load up your friends or random players with great convenience. And at a price point of just £35, it’s a great game for a group of friends to buy and play together. 

The only problem with the game is sadly quite a prevalent one. The maps all feel really similar, and the missions have very little major differences between them. This means personally I couldn’t really play this game for more than half an hour at a time without the repetition getting to me. 

So if you want a new multiplayer game to play with friends, this might be that for you. But without a proper story mode or any real differences, it does become a little repetitive after a while.

Available on PlayStation 5 and PC 8/2/24 (PEGI 18) 3.5 Stars

Youth #Gottit View:

This is a fun game that’s clearly inspired by the movie ‘Starship Troopers’, with a great multiplayer mode. Alas the story mode does become a little bit repetitive after time. But the Multiplayer mode is awesome!!!

Suicide Squad – Kill the Justice League

By GAMES

Suicide Squad – Kill the Justice League Review

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is a looter shooter game where you play as one of the Four Suicide squad members as you plan to take out the Justice League members one by one. Brainiac has arrived on the planet and has converted the worlds mightiest heroes into subservient slaves who are helping him destroy the earth and rebuild it into a clone of his former planet Colu. You (As Task Force X) have been forced by Amanda Waller to find a way to bring down Brainiac. And any deviancy will be met by a very painful headache (She’ll blow your head off).

This game’s story works for a lot of reasons. For starters I appreciated the way they integrated the creation of side missions in the main story. Generally in most games they feel quite shoehorned in however in this one it flows well , mostly as the story has the squad track down different DC characters so you can take down the heroes, and those characters in turn will have requests for you. Also, the cutscenes in this game are incredible. The graphics alone are enough to make this game’s cut scenes a cut above the rest ( pun intended) but the general goofiness of the squad really shines, with a lot of the game being laugh out loud funny! The story also has a nice transition from story game to online multiplayer objective game which is so seamless that you might not even notice that you’re now playing for yourself rather than beating the story.

The four characters (Bing Deadshot, Harley Quinn , Cpt Boomerang and King Shark) are so incredibly well made. They have ridiculously fun traversal abilities, and all have their positives and negatives in a way that makes it so that you can play any of them based on how much fun you find them, and not be negatively affected because of it. The game’s weapon customisation also feels very nice , with not too many upgrades so you can stick with the weapons that you get early story mode and still be fully capable in any boss fights. This game has a very unique skill tree which allows for you to customise your character along three different tracks, with specific options that you can change when you need to so you won’t be left regretting what you picked.

One of the major aspects of this game is the multiplayer options. I think the gameplay is better here than has been done in any other game before. To start, you can fully explore the open world with your squad of four. As well as this, you can take your friends character builds and play with them even when your friend isn’t online. And by far the greatest feature, when you pass your friends in account points, it gives you the option to send them a taunt which appears the second they log in and is hilariously unmissable. If you’re looking for a game to play with friends this is one of those games that would work perfectly!

This game is one of the best next gen games that we’ve had. The map is absolutely massive and yet always looks absolutely perfect. There are little to no load times (unless you have a bad internet connection and are playing online) and the graphics feel stylised yet it still looks absolutely gorgeous. This game really pushes consoles to the limit and you can definitely tell. Though with this I did notice the game crashed quite a few times whilst I was playing it, though they have addressed these issues and are expecting it will be fixed soon.

Now this game is genuinely great, but it does fail in some places. Inconsistent writing happens multiple times throughout the story, and honestly I was pretty disappointed they didn’t show more of how the justice league got turned given that it feels like such an important plot point. The solid transition can’t help the fact the base story is really quite short, taking me only ten hours to complete even though I spent a lot of time doing side quests. And my only other major complaint is it’s price point. Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League tries so hard to make a point that it should be multiplayer, yet based off of it’s price point it doesn’t feel very accessible without spending extra cash. As well as that, the modern attempt at pushing in-game currencies and a battle pass may least a bad taste in the mouth of many gamers, especially given there’s no organic way to earn these credits, which I’m not really a fan of when you’ve already paid for a full game.

I really enjoy this game and think it’s one of the best superhero games we’ve ever had. And more on that, it’s going to have constant free updates to the story as well as new free characters so it’s not like you don’t have plenty to do. But as of base release I can only justify giving it 4 stars. If you love the Suicide Squad as much as I do, you’ll love this game.

Available on PlayStation 5, XBox Series X/S and PC 2/2/24 (PEGI 18) 4 Stars

Youth #Gottit View:

It’s not perfect and maybe the story mode is shorter than most gamers would expect from something like this. But there’s loads to enjoy in this game and its cracking fun. A must play for DC fans!!!

Hot House Games – Hit Send

By GAMES

Hot House Games – Hit Send review by Con

Available from all good retailers (17 Years +) 5 Stars

Youth #Gottit View:

This is a game that is very much aimed at Teenagers and Students looking for a night of chaos and controversy. If you’re one of those people who worries what people will think, it’s probably not the game for you. BUT…..if you have nothing to lose and up for a night that you’re likely to talk about for years to come – get a group of like minded people together for a night of laughs. And………Good Luck. You may need it!!!

PlayStation 5 – The Last of Us Part II Remastered 

By GAMES

PlayStation 5 – The Last of Us Part II Remastered Review

After the success of the TV shows and subsequent resurgence of the fanbase, The Last of Us Part 1 was re-released in a newly remastered version in 2022. This was created for a newer audience, and as such was drastically improved in its visuals to use the full potential of the PS5. And because of this, it was only right they’d did the same for the sequel, That Last of Us Part 2 Remastered!

In the world of The Last of Us, a zombie apocalypse brought on by a mutated fungus, has sent the world into a dystopian reality where no one can trust anyone and there’s danger around every corner.

However there’s always a speck of hope, in the protagonist of the game Ellie who was immune to the infection.  And the only way that the cure could be developed was if Ellie sacrificed herself for the cause. Although her guardian (and protagonist of the first game) Joel wouldn’t have it, and instead killed all of the doctors and military in the hospital, basically ruining the world’s chance of creating a vaccine.

Fast forward Five years and people are looking for revenge! Abby captures Joel and kills him, whilst making Ellie watch. This quite obviously enrages Ellie who takes her girlfriend Dina and goes out to take revenge, creating a twisted cycle.

This game is an absolutely incredible. The gunplay in The Last of Us Part 2 works so well, with all of the weapons feeling balanced and easy to use, whilst still having room to improve using upgrades.

The upgrades that you can use for Ellie also feel so rewarding, allowing a high amount of customisation as there are many unlockable routes to go down when playing.

All of the actor’s performances in this game are incredible and pairing that with a great set of characters we’ve already grown to love, really allows for some tear-jerking moments.

And the story itself had me so engaged and wanting to keep playing every second I had the chance!

The original PS4 version of the game is multi award winning, which honestly speaks for itself. But what is important to comment on are the new additions that come with this PS5 upgraded version.

To start off, the graphics are beautiful. Now they don’t feel like a ridiculous step up from the original game, yet there is a noticeable difference so anyone who particularly enjoys using photo mode in these games will appreciate the upgrade.

There’s also 4k support and higher frame rates available. As well as this, there’s also more support for the dual sense controllers and a new survival mode. The no return survival mode is really challenging but fun, and gives you more ways to enjoy this game, even after you’ve completed it.

And finally, three levels that were cut from the original game are now featured in the remastered version making it a must own for the diehard fans.

Unlike Part 1’s remastered edition, this game isn’t really a new thing that you’d buy separate to the

original version, as the graphics were really good the first time around. But, as it’s only a 10 pound price tag for anyone who owns the original part 2 game, it does seem like a great purchase for any fans thirsting for more.

As for anyone who hasn’t had a chance to play it in the past, now you have a far better way to play an already incredible and iconic game release in all its remastered glory!!!

Available on PlayStation 5 19/1/24 (PEGI 18) 5 Stars

Youth #Gottit View:

It’s one of the greatest video games ever released, so its very hard to improve on that. But there is now a slightly tinkered with PS5 version for the die hard fans to own who want the best version of the game possible. And if you’ve never played either this or the first ‘TLOU’ game – where have you been hiding all of these years?!!! Call yourself a gamer?!!! Highly Recommended!!!!

PlayStation 5 – The Last of Us Part 1 Remastered review CLICK HERE!!!

The Last of Us Part II Remastered New Features Trailer!!!

Goliath – The Traitors Official Board Game

By GAMES, PRODUCTS

Goliath – The Traitors Official Board Game review by Con

Available from all good Retailers (12 Years+) 5 Stars

Youth #Gottit View:

This game was a huge hit with Con, and it’s looking highly likely it will be the board game choice of our family festive period. No need to have seen the show, you’ll enjoy the game either way. Highly Recommended!!!

Con at The Traitors Official Board Game Launch Party CLICK HERE!!!

RoboCop – Rogue City 

By GAMES

RoboCop – Rogue City review

Robocop fans around the world can rejoice when I say this game is everything a robocop fan could ever want. There’s even a return for Peter Weller in his most iconic role ever!

The game follows a very simple story. Robocop is busting a hostage situation, caused by a gang that distributes the drug Nuke. Whilst doing this, he suffers a fall which causes old memories to flood back into his brain, yet only in small fragments. And so he must take down the gang and stop the illegal drugs from being distributed whilst dealing with his malfunctions.

The gameplay has a very Cyberpunk 2077 and Goldeneye feel to it, with it being a first person shooter, and an assortment of different guns you can use, as well as a brutal melee attack. The movement and gunplay feels very slow and rigid, which in most games would be a downside. But seeing as it’s a Robocop game, it works incredibly well. This is paired with a very high durability, even whilst on the higher difficulties which allows you to fully embrace the Robocop all fans want to be.

The accessibility of this game is really good as well. It’s very much a pick up and play game, with simple enough story so you won’t be left confused after playing it again for a while. As well as having a really useful map guidance, even if it doesn’t necessarily tell you exactly what you need to be doing. And finally the difficulty scaling feels incredibly effective, catering to all audiences who will would want to play the game.

The only one fault this game suffers from, is the graphics. Whilst in play the graphics are fine. But the game has such a reliance on well lit cut scenes and that side of the games graphics let the Robocop: Rogue City down. These scenes don’t stand up to modern next gen games, and not even most PS4 games. That said the game is so much fun, and really enjoyable to play – so the cut scene graphics can be easily ignored.

I really enjoy this Robocop: Rogue City and think if you are a fan of the movie franchise or enjoy first person shooters, you will love this game too.

Available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC 2/11/23 (PEGI 18) 4.5 Stars

Youth #Gottit View:

We really love this game. Is it perfect? No. But, it plays so well and it’s really good fun, so the limitations to some of the graphics can be easily ignored. Goldeneye meets Cyberpunk – Highly Recommended!!!

Con with Robocop and ED-209 from the ‘RoboCop: Rogue City’ Live Action Trailer at MCM Comic Con!!!

PlayStation 5 – Spider-Man 2

By GAMES

PlayStation 5 – Spider-Man 2 review by Con

Available of PlayStation 5 20/10/23 (PEGI 16) 5 Stars

Youth #Gottit View:

This is easily one of the most highly anticipated video games of 2023, and it massively delivers. The Adventure continues and there’s lots of excitement along the way. A must play for Marvel fans – Highly Recommended!!!