John-Paul Jones

“A welcome surprise, Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon really clicked with me. The Euro indie Skyrim that could, Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon might not be as technically sound as other genre efforts, but across its 60-80 hour playtime there's a lot to enjoy here, while its inventive take on Arthurian legends and surprisingly effective writing all add up to make it a compelling prospect for RPG fans everywhere that don't want to wait 89 years for the next mainline Elder Scrolls title to drop.”

“For those who have already sampled the grim delights of Days Gone on PS4, paying £10 for the definitive version of one of 2019's most underrated open world adventures that brings with it a hugely entertaining and worthwhile horde mode, seems like a bargain to me. As for the rest of the package, it really did surprise me just how well Bend Studio's most marquee effort has endured, offering up a smart take on both open world game design and the zombie apocalypse more broadly that other developers have struggled to match. Put simply, if you haven't played Days Gone before, this is the point where you leap in with both feet.”

“Wanderstop won't win any awards for its deliberately thin gameplay mechanics, but over its 10-15 hours you'll be reminded how a simple act of kindness can change lives and that just slowing things down and taking time for yourself away from the stresses and white noise of daily life is perhaps just what the doctor ordered.”

“Though Killing Time: Resurrected can't really hang with other boomer shooters in 2024, let alone more contemporary fare from a fundamentals perspective, I'm still happy that Nightdive Studios has cemented its heroic status by remastering it to an extremely high standard anyway and its love for the source material is abundantly clear. In spite of its clunky and flawed fundamentals, Killing Time is indicative of a shooter that wasn't afraid to try new things in 1995 and if there's one thing that remains true even now, it's that more FPS efforts could certainly learn to take a risk or two.”

“There's no denying that Throne and Liberty is a visual treat and certainly one of the best looking MMORPGs to come along in some time. Furthermore, though its massive world event battles impress, as does its innovative take on shapeshifting traversal, Throne and Liberty's flair-free combat, banal quest design and cluttered UI all weigh down a genre effort that deserves better.”

“I certainly enjoyed my time with Wild Bastards. The blended Wild West and sci-fi settings, together with hybridised strategy and roguelike FPS approach, all make Wild Bastards feel a lot fresher than many of the shooters on the market right now. Sure, the nuts and bolts of its face-blasting might not rub shoulders with the genre's best in the purest sense and the visual presentation is lacking somewhat, but the level of design ingenuity and rough-shackle charm that is on display here ably makes up for such shortcomings.”

“Despite some hefty flaws, the fact that Antstream Arcade has come on leaps and bounds since its debut in 2013 gives me hope that the service will continue to improve in the weeks, months and years after its PlayStation debut. Even so, in its current far from perfect form, Antstream Arcade still represents great value for what is a veritable mountain of games from a broad swathe of gaming systems that would otherwise be lost to time and garnishes that offering with a compelling social gaming hook.”

“Though The Casting of Frank Stone doesn't make any sweeping changes to the formula etched out by the likes of Until Dawn, The Quarry and The Dark Pictures Anthology, it does manage to effectively marry up that formula with the universe of Dead by Daylight with impressive results. Notably, the usual flaws also apply here, with The Casting of Frank Stone beset by the same plodding horror adventuring, wooden dialogue and mostly annoying cast of characters that are usually the hallmarks of similar efforts. If however, you're fine with all of that and just want another handsomely made Supermassive Games romp then The Casting of Frank Stone will surely appeal. Should you be a devoted Dead by Daylight aficionado though, feel free to add a point or more to the score and dive in.”

“A nail-biting triumph that is without equal in the extraction shooter genre, Hunt: Showdown 1896's eye-opening overhaul couldn't come at a better time. With unmatched atmospherics, a thoroughly detailed world rife with grotesqueness to immerse yourself in and some of the most keenly honed risk and reward mechanics ever seen in the genre, Hunt: Showdown 1896 is arguably now more essential than it ever was.”

“Though the in-game shop feels poorly realised and it sometimes veers away from what it does best, Pepper Grinder nonetheless remains a resolutely well made, roundly attractive and frantically satisfying platformer that basically turns you into a terrifyingly militant dolphin obsessed with high speed loot and murder. And, well, who has never wanted to be one of those before?”

“Wrath: Aeon of Ruin feels like the hardcore peak of the so-called 'boomer-shooter' subgenre. A punishing (sometimes unfairly so), yet rewarding and surprisingly innovative exercise in first-person shooter goodness, Wrath: Aeon of Ruin is recommended for anyone looking to test their genre skills within the confines of its grim design and unrelenting onslaught.”

“An industry iconoclast, beloved eccentric and arguably the father of modern high score chasing, the sort of spotlight that the Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story puts on its titular subject feels hugely overdue to say the least. Beautifully put together with a wealth of painstakingly researched historical material, candid looks at Jeff's storied life from Jeff himself and just about all of the games that heralded his rise to prominence in the games industry packed in for kicks, Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story is a masterclass how you find out about one of the charismatic and genuinely talented legends of the games industry - and you'll have a great time doing it.”

“War Hospital is nowhere near the most sophisticated, nor the most polished strategy game money can buy, but it nonetheless does a commendable job of making you feel what managing an overwrought war hospital at the forefront of one of the most deadly wars in human history could be like. Though it's relatively simplistic tactical beats might not appeal to expert strategists, War Hospital's more narrow scope and poignant subject matter do make it a much more easily digestible proposition for both genre newcomers and perhaps more crucially, for first-person shooter folks who have ever given thought to what happens after they pull the trigger on an enemy soldier.”

“Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is the sort of game that the Warhammer 40K setting has long needed. A disgustingly massive, social calendar swallowing CRPG offering, Rogue Trader's numerous presentation issues aren't enough to distract from its galaxy-spanning odyssey into Games Workshop's most famous and beloved setting.”

“One of the best surprises of the year when it comes to the strategy genre, Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin generously lavishes a glorious amount of detail on its presentation of the tabletop Age of Sigmar setting from which it derives. Though its more streamlined tactical beats might prove too simplistic for genre veterans looking for a broader dose of macro strategy, Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin nonetheless provides a gorgeously framed and immediately compelling RTS offering that offers an irresistible on-ramp for newcomers into both the Warhammer property and the RTS genre as a whole.”

“DUSK is that rare throwback effort that not only demonstrates an intimate understanding of why we loved those retro shooters from 1990s, but also puts carefully implemented wrinkles in place that all feel like a natural progression of that classic formula. One of the most satisfying and atmospheric retro shooters available, you'll find no stronger or better love letter to the halcyon days of PC shooters than DUSK.”

“Underneath the thick red skin of its unpolished exterior there is an entertaining and surprisingly sophisticated roguelike brawler to be found in Hellboy Web of Wyrd. It's just a shame that sluggish combat, uninteresting lore and poorly executed exploration all conspire to drag Hellboy Web of Wyrd down into the depths.”

“Ultimately, The 7th Guest VR is the best sort of surprise. A great mix of entertaining puzzles, compelling exploration and some unexpectedly cutting edge visual design, for this Halloween there's probably no better reason to get out your PS VR2 headset than this.”

“Though Lil Gator Game isn't especially long, it leaves an indelible mark on you, like a high-five with a loved one that leaves your hand with a pleasant soreness to remind you of the fact. Lil Gator is restorative in a way that many games just aren't - it slowly strips away your layers of resistance until you fall in love with its straightforward, though greatly satisfying adventure platform beats. Lil Gator Game is unreservedly pure, distilled happiness and innocence all in one glorious concoction and couldn't we all do with a bit more of that these days?”

“Project Wingman: Frontier 59 will certainly slake your thirst for something Ace Combat flavoured, that much is for sure. Developer Sector D2 has absolutely nailed the fundamentals of that formula and has crafted an engaging dogfighting effort as a result. Though it lacks the sheen of its more famous counterpart, Project Wingman: Frontier 59 nonetheless arguably offers more over the longer term, thanks to its neat Conquest mode and limited, though still impressive, implementation of Sony's PlayStation VR2 technology.”