Recent reviews by Jim Wakelin

I've only played the game for around a week now, and at the time of writing it's still the first Early Access release version, but having now accumulated 24 hours of playtime I can already tell Hades 2 is a near perfect sequel. It does what every good sequel should - takes the best parts of the first Hades and builds upon them heavily, while also re-working some of the fundamentals to make for a familiar yet truly distinct gameplay experience. The fact the game only stands to grow and improve much like the original Hades excites me greatly, because what's here - if a little unfinished in (surprisingly VERY few) places, as to be expected for Early Access - is already incredible.

As someone who really enjoyed the first Hades game, I don't think there is anything more I could ask for in a sequel, and it reminded me exactly why I liked the first game so much. If you like the original game, everything here should appeal to you and then some.

If you are new to the series, I'd recommend picking up the first Hades before playing this not only because it is a complete game with more content overall, but also because this game's story directly follows the first game's, and while it doesn't rely too heavily on you knowing that story from what I have played so far, I feel it's greatly enriched by having witnessed it. Also Hades is just an incredible game. But, if you want to play this even without knowing that story, you likely won't be disappointed.

TL;DR: Incredible game, even in it's first and most basic iteration. If you're looking for a rougelike this, along with the first game, are some of the best games you could ever buy.
And if you're a fan of the first game, this game is exactly what a sequel should be and will likely only get better with time. Even in Early Access, there is likely more than enough here to keep you coming back for a very long time to come.

As someone who has been waiting for and anticipating this mod's release for many years, it honestly exeeded all of my expectations. In terms of puzzle design, mechanics, and moment-to-moment gameplay this may be the best Portal 2 mod I have played - all of the puzzles are fun and feel rewarding to solve, the new and returning mechanics introduced are executed very well and feel like a natural fit for the Portal formula, and the flow between chambers and story sections is excellent - it never feels like there is any downtime, and there is very little padding because there is enough content here that it really isn't needed.

Music, art, models, voice acting, and other aesthetic elements are done very well and any new assets introduced fit with the style Portal 2 establishes. The Voice Acting especially is also very good, and is honestly probably some of the best voice work I have seen in a Portal mod in recent years. The Music is also a highlight and feels like a natural adaptation of the style of music heard throughout Portal 2's soundtrack.

I would say the weakest point is the story, which isn't bad by any means, but does feel a little contrived in places and I feel like certain sections could have been written better. However, I would say those are very minor nitpicks given how good the overall package presented here is, and given this is free to download provided you already own Portal 2 I would say it is more than worth your time if you are willing to invest it. The huge amount of work that went into making this mod a reality over the course of the last 8 years is evident the whole way through.

This game does things with perspective that I have never seen a game do before. While you can draw comparisons to similar games like Superliminal, which it does seem to be at least partly inspired by, this still feels unique and original in it's own right, and it forces you to think about your environment in ways that I have never done so before.

I have seen some say the puzzles are too easy - at the time of writing I am only around halfway through so I can't comment on the whole game yet, but I have already found some more difficult than others so I'm not sure I fully agree. Even if the puzzles are easy, the atmosphere and story of this game, in combination with the novelty of the concept, still make it a must-play game as far as I'm concerned.

The comparisons to Portal - which is widely considered to be one of the best puzzle games ever made, and is one of my favourite games of all time - are deserved. This game is excellent. That said, I can also see the price being a bit too high considering what you're getting, so if you're not sure about picking it up just yet I would consider waiting for a sale. If it is on sale though, or if you have enough money to spare, I highly recommend picking it up.

My overall thoughts can be summed up as this:
Everything about this game is incredible. The story, characters, world, animations, music, puzzles, mechanics - literally everything. Having this game available on multiple platforms, including Steam, is a dream come true, and I cannot express how much I hope that this increased availability will lead to this game finally getting the recognition it truly deserves.

The less you know about this game the better, so if you are on the fence about picking it up I'd recommend trying the demo, which contains the first two chapters of the game with any progress made transferable to the full version should you purchase it.

While I have only just started playing, I can already tell this game is as delightful to play as it looks. The charm, personality, artstyle, combat, story (from what I have seen so far) and most importantly the rhythm are all fantastic, and the flow between all of those things is incredibly good. For a rhythm based action platformer, this may be the best implementation and execution of that idea I have ever seen.

It's not for everyone, but for me it is easily and very clearly the best 3D Sonic game in the past decade. The character writing is exceptional, the story is good, boss battles are the best the series has ever seen, combat and flow are really good (though it's not for everyone), and the overall gameplay is unlike anything I've experienced in a Sonic game before, in the best possible way. If you're considering this game, and you are/have been a Sonic fan in the past (especially of the Adventure games) I can't recommend this game enough - at least give it a try.

That said, if you haven't played the Aventure games, while it is by no means a requirement to play them first familiarity with the characters and/or stroybeats of those games is recommended for some things to make sense.

Armello is a fun and addicting digital board game unlike any other I've ever played. Though games can last for quite a while (on average, games last approximately an hour to an hour and a half, though they can last longer than that or end quicker depending on a variety of factors) I believe it's well worth it. I am not a fanatic of board games, especially those that can last a long time, but contrary to that I find Armello is surprisingly easy to pick up and play every once in a while after you get the hang of it's rules and gameplay.

Armello has a wide variety of heroes, cards, and ways to win, lending well to a diverse set of playstyles and strategies that despite their variety don't feel like they clash with each other. The game is surprisingly well balanced (in my experience, at least) and no one hero or strategy feels like it is too powerful or dominant, yet each individual hero's signature power gives them a unique playstyle compared to others in the game, along with the ability to customise their loadout with unlockable Rings and Amulets allowing for greater flexibility in choosing your playstyle.

Of course, it's worth keeping in mind that no matter how much you strategise, at it's core Armello is a very RNG heavy game. The battles, perils, card draw, dungeons, quests, rewards, and many other parts of the game rely on some form of RNG which can make things unpredictable. That said, despite the amount of RNG present in the game, to say it is devoid of strategy wouldn't be fair, either. The amount of choice you are given between the heroes and their loadouts, and the ability to pivot your strategy to win towards something else mid-game if what you had going wasn't working out or an opportunity arises to do so provides a sense of flexibility and freedom that maks each game feel unique.

I think one of the more appealing aspects of Armello is that freedom, there are several ways to claim the throne and you're never really locked in to just choosing one of them in a game. Some heroes are better suited to some strategies than others, yes, but there's nothing stopping you from attempting any strategy with any hero.

Overall, I reccommend Armello to anyone who has the time (and patience) to learn it, it's not the hardest game to learn, but I can understand it might be challenging for some and does have a bit of a learning curve to begin with, as with any involved board game. Visually it's amazing, the soundtrack is epic, atmospheric, dynamic, and a delight to listen to, and the gameplay is unique and objectively really, really fun.
The game may no longer recieve any major updates, but from my experience the community is by no means dead, and with the recent addition of crossplay between platforms it should ensure that Armello has an active communtiy for (hopefully) many years to come.

..What exactly is The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe? This game, if it is a game, is both nothing and everything I could have wanted from a re-release of The Stanley Parable. Playing this game, I had no idea what to expect, and by the time I finished playing the game I had no idea what I had done.

Is there a goal here? Is there an ending? Who is Stanley really? Was this here before? This game will make you ask all of these questions, and answer every single one of them with another question. This game never ends, much like this review which has already far outstayed it's welcome. Play this game, experience it, really take it all in and maybe you will find happiness through it. I know I did.

..But I realise that this review still hasn't answered the question - why would I recommend this game to others? The answer is simple really - it's a piece of art, it's humour shines through as bright as the shine of a finely polished bucket, it's craftsmanship comparable to that of only the most durable bucket, it's very existence is in fact comparable to a very well constructed bucket! "That makes no sense!" you think, "Why are so many of these reviews talking about buckets?! Have these people gone mad?!"

The answer to that question lies within the game itself, for who are we if not the beings through which the game can tell its narrative? This game is the game that plays you, and by the time you are finished with it, you too will tell others of your experience with it, your opinions, your thoughts and feelings, and maybe even write a review of your own. There is no choice, this is the cycle that will repeat endlessly until the heat death of the universe.

But in the end, there is still that question, the question of..

Bastion is the first game Supergiant Games ever released, and from here they went on to make (as of writing) Pyre, Transistor, and Hades. All of Supergiant's games are critically acclaimed, and Bastion is certainly no exception.

If you have played any of Supergiant's other games, and have not yet played Bastion, I highly recommend you do so.
If you have *not* played any of Supergiant's other games, I still highly recommend you play Bastion.
It has an interesting story with memorable characters, a fantastic combat system with many, many different weapons and abilities to choose from and unlock, intricate level design where no level feels the same as the last, a gorgeous art style viewed from an isometric viewpoint, fantastic voice work, and a fantastic soundtrack.

Bastion was the first game Supergiant would release, and it was certainly not the last, due in no small part to the success it brought them, and it did so only because it is such a great game. I highly recommend it to anyone interested.

Half-Life: Alyx is a fantastic return to form for the Half Life series, and while it's idealy experienced having played the previous Half-Life games (Half-Life 2 and it's episodes preferably), it certainly stands up on it's own as a great VR experience that I would recommend to anyone interested in the medium.