David White

A lot of people rate Black Flag as one of the best AC games. I found it on a level with AC 3, but with much better naval action. Characters and character acting. Edward is one of the best main characters I have played in AC. There are also other standout characters amongst the privateer captains. Characterisation overall is better than any other AC game. The story is okay, but Ubisoft are just not that good at story telling. They don't make enough use of characters as individual people, there is no sense of time passing, and they don't help the player to understand the plot. Consequently much of the time you are assassinating people, sinking ships, or completing missions without a clear idea of how it all pieces together. For me this is a problem they did not solve until Odyssey, where the player-controlled destruction of the cult draws everything together. The naval action is fun, but no where near as accomplished and addictive as in Odyssey. I disliked the additional boarding objectives. They become annoying because they show up how fiddly the control system is. I don't understand why they fitted rams to ship's (not historically accurate), and I was disappointed they did not make ship battles more strategic. The ship's sail like motorised vessels with not even a nod towards wind direction. The simple introduction of wind could have transformed the naval battles. There is a problem with the PS4 control scheme in that the R2 sprint control on a DS4 does not work. This is exactly the same bug as in AC 3 and Liberation. It should have been sorted. For any chase sequence I had to keep swapping to my spare controller, and then back again afterwards because I prefer the DS4s ergonomics. The stealth is quite good - hiding in undergrowth, merging with crowds etc. But why is there no crouch control? It is immersion breaking because you cannot actually sneak - you walk upright between hiding places. I never got used to that. I disliked the reliance on 'tailing' and 'eavesdropping' tasks in missions. They always took several attempts because they have to be done in a specific way with little allowance for mistakes. It just doesn't fit with the open world nature of the game - it's no longer a tactical task, but just one of learning where the game wants you to go. After I completed the story I was not motivated to play with the end game content, or even the online content, because It is all so grind-heavy. Shipwrecks are an annoying lottery where lack of air and multiple sharks and eels mean constant replays. Contracts are unengaging "go there sink this" tasks. Even upgrading your ship is a pointless ship-sinking grind, and is mandatory if you want to attack the legendary 'boss' ships. To be fair, the game provides plenty of end game content, and that's even before you consider the on line element. I can see how it is attractive to MMO style players who are not afraid of a grind to achieve an optimum build. But if you are a mainly solo game player, it will not appeal - even going for a platinum will demand a huge commitment in grind time. Overall Black Flag was a disappointment. I'd say it was better than AC 3 because the naval element provides more game play variety. But I preferred Origins (you can at least go for the platinum), and it is way below Odyssey in every department.

My review is on PS4 after 180 hours of game play. FS22 is a step change in the franchise, towards more simulation and greater realism. The emphasis is on the farm as a small business through time, measured by the passing seasons in an annual cycle. The changes enhance the RPG potential and hence the replayability. It is a game which will appeal to anyone who likes open ended strategy/ building/ logistics problems - albeit with plenty of hands-on machinery use. The changes have proven controversial as shown by the 1-star/ 5-star split in reviews here. Some long-time fans of the franchise prefer an 'arcade' style game, in which crops are sown one day and harvested the next (or sooner). The two main changes are: 1. The seasonal cycle; and 2. Production chains - which allow creation of small businesses to process harvested crops. These have deepened the gaming experience - the first for those who approach the game as an RPG, and the second for those who are more interested in the building and planning. Other notable improvements: 1. Audio sampling. The sounds are spot-on. The experience of sitting in a tractor when the power is switched to a land machine is visceral. The engine roars and strains, the rev counter shoots up and the tractor shudders and vibrates. 2. The physics for the object handling. Using a forklift to stack and load pallets is an absolute joy. 3. More complex cultivation modelling. Decision making is enhanced by modelling both the benefits and drawbacks of actions. Cash flow, machinery choice and cultivation technique present problems which now have multiple possibilities rather than a single 'one-size fits all' answer. The game is 5 weeks old and there are some glitches and bugs. These are of the 'annoying' category rather than 'game breaking'. Expect them to be fixed in the coming months. The game has just won a Steam award for the most relaxing game of 2021. It is slow-time. Stacking pallets or ploughing a furrow can be therapeutic. I was going to give 4-stars, but £45 for 180 hours of play? That speaks of a good value and engaging game.

Probably the best game I've played this year (and my recent games include Horizon ZD, God of War and AC Origins). It is Fallout 4 meets Last of Us. You get Fallout's huge open world rendered in grittier detail (and without the comic book monsters). And you get a Last of Us-style post-apocalyptic survival story - but with bigger and more memorable npc characters. And you do all of this on a motorbike and with some really cool tattoes. The controls and combat mechanics are good. Great stealth and sniping opportunities. Wide variety of weapons to suit different play styles and approaches. The human enemy AI is basic. Fighting hordes (up to 500 strong) requires strategy. Bend Studios really nailed the motorbiking mechanics. Controls are simple but probably some of the best travel action I've had, EVER. There is a fast travel system, but I never used it. Even when mopping up end game content for the platinum trophy I rode my bike everywhere. With roads, tracks and x-country, lakes, mountains, towns, sun, rain and snow and all in a beautifully rendered landscape - you could have made a whole game out of just riding your bike. In fact DG could be a biking game with zombies, not a zombie game with bikes. I tell you, it's no accident one of the PS trophies is to accumulate 10 minutes of rear wheel drifting! The whole post apocalypse formula is a familiar trope. But DG manages to do something different. It doesn't overdo the mutant monster angle, which keeps it grittier and more realistic. And it throws in the horror aspect with the zombie horde - hundreds of infected humans acting with a hive mind. Plenty of challenge. Lots to do. Good story. The game never felt repetitive and from beginning to end I never got bored. The npc characterisation and voice acting, their stories, their camps - it made it feel like a real place. Sony have reportedly pulled the plug on Days Gone 2 (summer 2021). But this game is going to be a cult classic - in a couple of years Sony will regret it hasn't started work on DG2, I'm sure of it.

My first GoW game. At launch the reviewers thought it was better than RDR2 - so I'd always intended to try it. The incentives for me were: 1. The father son story; and 2. Big, beautiful open world. So comments on these two points first. 1. The story was disappointing. Beyond the basic premise - father and son get to know each other - nothing much else really happens. Their two characters are stereotyped and rather shallow, and their father/ son journey is all familiar trope. By mid game I'd stopped caring about the story and the characters became just battle tools. 2. Sure ... the world is quite big and well rendered. But ... you are constantly going back over old ground and I was never moved to capture a view using the camera tool. You also keep coming up against locked areas which forces you to have to return and re-walk familiar paths. The game reminded me of Tomb Raider - follow paths, solve puzzles, collect things and kill mobs. And it does these parts very well. I enjoyed the fighting and was prepared mid game to give it 4 stars despite not living up to my (more RPG focused) expectations. The final let down for me was the endgame. After completion of the story more areas are opened up allowing you to collect the best armour and fully upgrade your weapons. But to reach these you have to farm rewards in a maze, multiple times. According to one guide the max reward from one maze run is 5k, but you need 70k to unlock the armour/ upgrades. That is a minimum 14 runs. If you are less good at combat you have to cut short the maze and claim 1.5 to 2k. I quit after about 4 attempts (killed twice which means losing your credits). It's just not my idea of fun - and that was really annoying because it means abandoning any chance of a platinum trophy. So overall - great gameplay, poor story, poxy endgame. Was it better than Red Dead? What do you think!

I have played several hundreds of hours on AC Odyssey and platinumed it on PS4. My review is based on comparisons specifically with AC Origins and Witcher 3 - similar games both played/ replayed in the last 3 months. Odyssey has a fabulously beautiful open world. It is very large (and full of things to do). But memorably it is so photogenic it invites you to fill up your storage with stunning panoramas. The limestone islands, sapphire blue sea and Mediterranean light are breath-taking. It is the first game I've played where I want to run around with a camera - and where whenever I go some where in a hurry I am sad I may have missed something. And I haven't even mentioned the detailed towns and cities. You wander around a city and you could actually imagine yourself being there 1100 years ago. I'm not claiming it is authentic (I wouldn't know) but the creativity and imagination is awe-inspiring. I have played both main characters. Alexios is the least convincing. There is character customisation via skill trees, but no real character development. I never really identified with my characters as I would like to do in an RPG. I think this is partly because I want my characters to reject Sparta, but the story does not allow it. The main quest line is a good story with engaging quests. I never felt bored or inclined to rush through them. I really enjoyed the whole side issue of hunting down the Cult members - I felt this was much better handled than in AC Origins. It's not a gripping story (like Witcher 3) nor does it have the same memorable characters - the NPCs just seem to come and go. Combat is fun once you learn it. There are some useful and fun skills to pick up. Sea combat is just brilliantly entertaining - I have never played a game with such good sea travel and sea based action. You really could feel sea sick as your galley rises and falls in big seas and storms. It is a vast improvement on the characterless sea battles in Origins. There is a lot to do in Odyssey and it can become repetitive. But the whole experience before boredom starts to creep in is worth it. Odyssey is better than Origins - for me - in all respects. Witcher 3 is the better story and better RPG experience, but Odyssey is just jaw-droppingly beautiful.

Skyrim probably doesn't need another review, so this piece is really answering the question, "Is Skyrim still worth playing in 2021?" I've played thousands of hours on PC, PS3 and PS4 versions. A lot of new games do a lot of things a whole lot better than Skyrim. So what is it's enduring appeal? For me Skyrim does RPG like no other game. When I go back to it I always start a new character, and I begin by asking myself how do I want to play this? What kind of a character do I want to be? Then I choose an appropriate race and the skill system will back up all my role playing choices. I can be a Bosmer hunter; I can be a magic hating Nord; Altmer wizard; pacifist Breton healer; a sneak thief assassin and so on. Skyrim allows you to create a role - a character in keeping with Elder Scrolls lore - and to only play the game strictly according to the racial, ethical and character boundaries of that role. That's why I find Skyrim so replayable. I love the thrill of starting and building a new character. Each one seems real because he/ she has individual inclinations, strengths and weaknesses which the game mechanics will support me in developing. The character customisation means you customise each new game experience. No other modern game allows you to do this. You cannot do everything in Skyrim with one character or in one play through. It makes you design new people and create new paths through the massive content. Sure, I get bored with the game after a few months. But I always seem to come back and start again.

Good entertainment for 6 hours. Worth 3.5 stars. Interesting game play idea - you play the part of the computer (like Hal in 2001: A Space Odyssey). The tasks and puzzles are just right to give you the feeling of being the AI, and to keep you engaged with the action. Probably takes 6 hours to learn how to be the AI, which can prove frustrating at times when it's unclear how/ where/ what comes next. And way-finding can be frustrating too, particularly if you misunderstand how to do a task. The story and situation build really well. But I found the ending underwhelming. Lazy story telling that uses enigma to cover up the incompleteness of the underlying ideas. The latter is just a personal view, because many will find the open endedness part of the mystery.

This game (KCD) is very good and very bad in equal measure. It is an RPG but also a simulation. As such, it often gets wrong the balance between realism and playability. This makes it a difficult game to enjoy, and whilst there is loads of potential for replayability, now I have finished the main story line I won't be returning. The game just wasn't enough fun. The other main issue was with game design. After 40+ hours of play it felt like I spent half my time in front of a black screen waiting for the game to load. There seems to be a lengthy loading delay for everything, including eating a spoonful of soup from a pot. Fast moving battle quests are punctuated with loading screens. You wait 30 seconds for a load, then a cut screen plays for 8 seconds, then you wait another 30 seconds for the next load. I actually gave up following optional steps, side quests and activities because I couldn't face all the delays. More time is wasted with a ludicrously slow 'Wait' clock (with the mandatory loading screen afterwards of course), and the snail's pace "fast travel" mechanic (a foot slog across a world map followed by - yes you guessed it, a loading screen). The wasted time really matters especially because of the 'Save' system. In effect you buy saves with in game currency - which means you avoid being lavish but risk losing game-play if you die. There are some auto saves, but not enough to avoid frequent and annoying replays (with all the attendant loading screens). The combat mechanics emphasise realism. There are no button controlled combos. You control shield positioning and angle as well as attack direction and body movement. It will take many hours of practice to achieve the necessary coordination. You have to read your opponent to anticipate their attack moves, and you need to use variety and feints to get behind an opponents shield. There are weapon perks which enable higher damage from specific attack sequences; however a PS4 controller is just not designed to meet the timing and positional accuracy required. I never pulled off a single combo. The one-to-one combat training is great fun once you have put in the hours to master it. I maxxed out on axe and shield. But once in a real fight situation often with multiple enemies, you discover how hard it is to survive. The targeting mechanism locks you onto a random opponent; while you struggle to unlock and lock onto a more logical target. Meanwhile you are attacked by another npc, and if it is from behind then you will die very quickly. The clunky controls and the lack of 3rd person view mean you get rooted to the spot and can't even turn to face your attacker because you are locked to an npc in front of you. If you face 2 or more opponents then the only safe tactic is to try running away. This imbalance between realism and fun made the combat deeply unsatisfying. In the massed battles it was always safer to just stand back and let your comrades do the fighting. As a gamer you want to get stuck in and have some fun. If you can get past these issues (and many do) there is a really good story line underneath. It was what kept me going. The quests are always engaging, and often different and novel (e.g. signing up as a monk). The open world is well rendered though distant views lack any atmosphere. There is the chance to play the character in a number of different ways. Given a better game design I would go for the platinum on KCD. There were so many things in the game I didn't try, but was put-off trying because I could not face the frustrating mechanics.

I played the first two dungeon maps using online co-op with a friend. It is a good co-op experience. Reminded me of playing the original Doom, so I was looking forward to many evenings of co-op gaming. However we gave up after failing repeatedly on the first boss battle. The level of difficulty was just too frustrating and there was no way to reduce the challenge. The previous maps had taken multiple restarts already, but we at least completed them. The combat is very basic - either shoot or melee. In melee situations you have only two controls bash and dodge. So there is no finesse in fights other than dodging at exactly the right moment (very small margin for error). Movement is very slow compared with the speed of the mobs so even running away is a non starter. It is a shame because the co-op was good, but we both quit the boss battle because after many attempts with varying strategies (including a return to lower levels to grind some more exp) it felt like a no-win situation.

Not just for tractor nerds. If you like a game with slow-time building/ strategy/ logistics problems, then you will get something from this. I platinumed it on ps4, role playing a farm manager and using the AI to do the tedious work. (For this reason steer clear of animals because your labourers cannot aid you). Look up the: 'give me 10 mil euro's' exploit - offers the chance to use the big, expensive machines. Some mechanics are a bit buggy e.g. stacking/ loading, and anything to do with handling tree trunks. It has a neat on line coop mode. The kind of game you come back to when you are bored because it's easy, relaxing and totally open ended. Take it too seriously and you risk becoming that nerd!