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Review – Marvel’s Spider-Man

22nd December 2025

Review – Marvel’s Spider-Man Developer: Insomniac Games Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment Genre: Action-Adventure Director: Brian Horton Release Date: September 7th 2018 Getting to go back and review Marvel’s Spider-man was a dream. I had a great time revisiting one of the biggest games of 2018. Developed by Insomniac Games and following an original story, – not tied in to the any MCU movie, – this release was the most exciting superhero game since the Arkham series for a lot of people. Thankfully, Insomniac did manage to deliver a brilliant game, but not quite a perfect one. The game’s opening fantastically sets up the tone and energy of what’s to follow and it’s probably one of the best video game openings I have ever played in that respect. Once the rush and momentum of that first mission wears off, you are introduced to the open world that you will be exploring for the next 20 or so hours. Manhattan does look good here, possibly the best it ever had done in a game up until this point . Landmarks like the Empire State Building and Madison Square Garden are rendered extremely accurately to their real life counterparts. The stuff that they chose to include in the game’s version of Manhattan is great, but the issue is all of the parts that they left out. Battery Park is has halved in size, the One World Trade Centre has changed shape and everything above mid Harlem has vanished, making the district feel stumpy. Hopefully some of this stuff is amended for the sequel, along with the addition of at least a couple of the other boroughs. Although the environment looks good graphically, as do Spidey’s various suits that can be unlocked during the game, the human character models aren’t the best and are fairly ugly when compared to character models in other 2018 games such as God of War, Red Dead 2 and Detroit: Become Human. Usually, in cutscenes etc, the game presents these character models well enough that it isn’t too noticeable, but there were a good few times during gameplay that I would catch a glimpse of MJ’s or Miles’ weird faces and scratch my head wondering why they don’t look better. And don’t even get me started on the changed Peter face in the PS5 version of the game where he now looks like MJ’s little brother rather than her ex-boyfriend. A few other reviews of this game make a point of complaining about the orchestral score that plays in the background as you swing around the city, but I personally really enjoyed it and it made me feel even more like a superhero than I already do when swinging through the middle of Times Square. I felt that all of the musical choices were well implemented and matched the story beats aptly to add impact in the right places. The web swinging mechanic in this game is extremely satisfying and comes out on top of any other Spider-man game’s web swinging system previous to this. Again, it’s not flawless, there are moments that it will frustrate you and you will web to the opposite side of what you were aiming for. Also, for some reason the wall crawling mechanic is really slow and finicky and can often break the fast paced momentum of the web swinging/zipping/wall running combo that you have going. Most of the time though, it works fantastically and feels extremely fluid and immersive and it was probably one of the most satisfying game mechanics of 2018, along with Kratos’ axe in GOW. Overall, Marvel’s Spider-man is great, but not perfect. There is definitely room for improvement, but this could be the start of a potentially incredible series of Marvel superhero games and hopefully the sequel, (that Insomniac is undoubtedly working on following the release of the Miles Morales spin-off,) can improve on some of the flaws present in this game and deliver something incredible.

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Review – The Last Of Us Part 2 (2020)

22nd December 2025

Review – The Last Of Us Part 2 Developer: Naughty Dog Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment Starring: Ashley Johnson & Troy Baker Director: Neil Druckmann Release Date: June 19th 2020 The Last Of Us Part 2 was my biggest disappointment of 2020. Let me provide you with some context, I wanted to like this game more than anyone. The first Last Of Us is one of my favourite games of all time and because of the spectacular writing and performances in that first game, I was really excited to see what would happen to these characters. The Last Of Us part 2 was definitely one of my most anticipated releases in recent years and I’m genuinely in awe at how much of a let down it was, especially after the 10/10 reviews I had been reading leading up to the game’s release. Spoilers will follow from this point on as it’s pretty difficult to discuss my reasoning for being let down by the game without getting in depth, so please tread carefully if you have yet to play through the game. The game opens slowly, juxtaposing the intense opening of the first game. However these slow opening few hours really allow you to drink in the breathtaking visuals and fantastic sound design. These elements really help to sell the cinematic nature of the game, along with consistently stellar performances. Then we are shown the main conflict that will propel the story for the sequel. Joel is unceremoniosly murdered by Abby, a new character that we know nothing about at this point. Now I don’t have a problem with main characters being killed off in a story, in fact as a Tarantino fan, I relish it when it’s done properly. The problem with Joel’s death is the way that it was executed. First off, Joel and Tommy would never in a million years have blindly trusted this random faction that they’ve just bumped into enough to give them their names so quickly. They’ve both survived 25 years in the apocalypse and yet the writers still expect you to believe that they would be this naïve and stupid. Then, there’s the fact that this is how they choose to introduce this new group that you are later expected to sympathise with and this character that they will later force you to play as for half the game. Why would anyone who is a fan of this world and these characters want to play and learn about this random ruthless killer? Now, what you might be asking is “aren’t Joel and Ellie also ruthless killers at this point?” And you would be right, they are. However the point is that we were already invested in these characters before we seen them ruthlessly murdering infected and humans alike and therefore are able to put it down to them having to do what they had to in order to survive. With Abby you are introduced to her killing a beloved character from the first game for the sake of pure shock value. The first game came out during an oversaturation period of zombie stories across media and yet because of it’s stellar writing, it managed to stand out from the crowd and actually become one of the most unique games of the last generation in terms of the story it told. The story in The Last Of Us 2 feels so generic by comparison. I remember watching interviews with Neil Druckman in the lead up to the game’s release where he would talk about how the main hurdle of writing this game was justifying it’s existence after the first one ended so well. Really? You had seven years and another generic revenge plot was the best thing that you could come up with? Another highlight from the first game was the fleshed out side characters that all felt deep and like they really existed in the world. Characters like Tess, Bill and Marlene all naturally fitted into the plot and felt necessary to the overall story being told. The same cannot be said for the side characters in this The Last Of Us 2. I have already mentioned how it is made impossible to sympathize with Abby and her crew after seeing what they did to Joel. There are two other new characters introduced called Yara and Lev. They are siblings, which put me in mind of Henry and Sam from the first game, but where Henry and Sam felt layered and genuine, Yara and Lev feel shallow and shoehorned in to give Abby’s plotline some narrative weight. Then there is the strange pacing of the story. I feel like I must reiterate, they introduce a character that murders the beloved protagonist from the first game and later expect you to sympathize with her. Then there is the fact that you play as Ellie for the next 8 hours or so before they present you with a shocking cliffhanger, only to then force you to play as Abby for the next 10 hours. Not only are they making you play as the character that murdered Joel and Jessie in cold blood, but every extra hour that they unsuccessfully attempt to make you feel sorry for Abby is another hour before you can get back to see how the cliffhanger, (that was introduced 10 hours ago,) is resolved. And then, they bafflingly make you fight Ellie while playing as Abby. Why would the game expect me to want to hurt this character that I care about as this brand new random stranger? You are then eventually given control back as Ellie and the game lulls you into a false sense of thinking that you are finally done playing as Abby. Then Ellie makes the totally nonsensical decision to abandon a nice, cushty, quiet farm life that she’s carved out for herself, to go after Abby yet again. After that, you guessed it! You are forced to play as Abby yet again. Thankfully it’s only briefly as

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Review – Fallout 76 (2018)

22nd December 2025

Review – Fallout 76 Developer: Bethesda Game Studios Publisher: Bethesda Softworks Genre: Action Role-Playing Director: Jeff Gardiner Release Date: November 14th 2018 When I first wrote my review for Fallout 76 after the first time I played it, I called the game, “a grotesque atrocity of modern gaming and an abhorrent insult to its audience.” Three years and multiple updates on from when I first played it, I took a look back at the game to see if my thoughts had changed any since that time. I remember when Fallout 76 was announced in summer 2017 and it initially intrigued me. Not knowing anything about it, I was surprised that we were getting another Fallout game before Starfield, (which wasn’t announced at the time but was already heavily rumoured,) or the next entry in the Elder Scrolls series. In hindsight this is hilarious since we are now into a new generation of gaming and still haven’t seen anything significant from either Starfield or The Elder Scrolls VI. At the time, I naively hoped it would be on par with the Fallout series last fantastic interim game; New Vegas. Then at Bethesda’s E3 conference that year, we were given the bad news that this was going to be an always online experience with an open world online hub and some light PvP elements. Fast forward to November 2018 and the game launches to hugely negative reviews. The majority of online reviewers are pounding the thing into the ground and criticising the barrage of issues present in the game. Connection issues, sub par graphics, a vast assortment of glitches, a distinct lack of human NPC’s, weird lighting and pop in and so on and so forth. I am quite happily playing through Red Dead Redemption 2 at this point and leaving Fallout 76 indefinitely on the backburner. The following week, the game is on sale for half of it’s RRP, then as the weeks go on the price continues to drop. Then, at the start of February 2019, I am looking for a new game to sink my teeth into and I see a copy of Fallout 76 on sale for only 20 quid. I think to myself, what the hell and give it a go. I had heard that a few patches had been put out to fix various issues and so I thought how bad can it be? I have been playing video games for the last 20 years and I don’t think that I have ever seen a more egregious assault on my principles as a consumer. There wasn’t even a game there. If you have played any of the other Fallout games since 3, you will know that you suffer through the more grindy RPG elements of the game because the progression mechanics are married well enough with the game’s other systems that they aren’t too noticeable or invasive. The characters, the locations, the quests and the story elements make up for the lacking gameplay and overall the games are enjoyable enough that the dated gameplay systems usually aren’t penalised too hard in reviews. Well imagine any of the other previous Fallout games, but with all of the reasons to play through it that I mentioned above stripped away, leaving only the annoying grindy nonsense that you normally put up with. Except here, there is simply no reason to put up with it. I came to this realisation after putting about 7 hours into the game, after which I decided to switch it off and never picked it up again. There is no plot, there are no characters, there is absolutely nothing to see that you haven’t already seen in previous Fallout games with more meat to them and therefore, there is simply no reason to play this game. If past Fallout games are a big meaty, juicy leg of lamb, then this is nothing but the dry bone that is left after all of the good stuff has been ripped away. In hindsight, it is abundantly clear that Fallout 76 was nothing but a quick cash grab. I’m not even talking specifically about the disgusting micro-transactions present in the game such as making players pay £10+ to change the colour of their power armour. No, I’m just talking about the game as a whole as there was absolutely no other merit to it or reason for it to exist or be played other than to make Bethesda some easy money. This thing shouldn’t exist and the fact that it does is a huge slap on the face to the consumer and it pretty much encapsulates everything that is wrong with the mind-set of modern publishers. At the time, I remember hearing a few industry experts saying that this was going to be the game that ends Bethesda, the final nail in the coffin after the let-downs of Fallout 4 and ESO. Although the Microsoft acquisition of Bethesda seems to have thrown them a lifeline. In September 2020, in the midst of the launch hype for the two consoles, Microsoft made one of the most industry-shaking power moves of the past decade. This paradigm shift happened when MS announced that they were purchasing Zenimax Media and by extension all of the studios under that umbrella, including Bethesda Softworks, Arkane Studios, id Software, Machine Games and Tango Gameworks. We have yet to see the true effects of this acquisition unfold, however, Microsoft did spend 7.5 billion dollars on the acquisition and you can bet on the fact they are going to want something for their money. If they can manage to claim the next Fallout game as a Microsoft exclusive, it could shift a lot of the market back to Xbox and could earn Bethesda some goodwill back due to some gamer’s brand loyalty to Microsoft. It does somewhat feel like two companies that were on the backfoot in comparison to their competitors helping each other back to their feet. However, I did really appreciate Xbox making a

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Ghost of Tsushima Review: The Ultimate Samurai Masterpiece

16th February 2026

Review: Ghost of Tsushima – The Ultimate Samurai Masterpiece Released in 2020, Ghost of Tsushima is a PlayStation exclusive from Sucker Punch Productions. This third-person open-world game takes place in 13th-century Japan. You play as the samurai Jin Sakai. Your mission is to free the island of Tsushima from Mongol invaders. On the surface, the gameplay feels like a standard action title. It reminds me more of early Assassin’s Creed games than The Last of Us. The game gives you total freedom. You can fight as an honorable samurai or use stealth as the “Ghost.” A Rich World and a Simple Story The story balances a complex world with a simple, easy-to-follow plot. You clear out the Mongols and save your uncle. The writers took heavy inspiration from classic Japanese cinema. This makes the game feel familiar and epic. The side quests add the most depth to the narrative. These missions feel meaningful. They are far better than standard fetch quests. You support allies who stay with you throughout the campaign. I personally loved hunting the wayward archer and seeking vengeance for a fallen samurai house. The Island as a Living Character The island of Tsushima itself is the real star. The game is stunningly gorgeous. It features diverse terrain and beautiful vistas. Sucker Punch avoids cluttering the map with too many icons. The island is Jin’s home. It acts like a character in the story. At times, it is peaceful. At other times, it is a warzone ravaged by fire. By the end, I felt truly invested in the island’s future. I recommend playing with Japanese audio and English subtitles for the best experience. Mastering the Way of the Samurai Sucker Punch removed the morality system found in their Infamous games. This was a smart choice. It allows the story to stay focused on a specific path. However, the game still makes you feel the weight of your choices. It feels “dishonorable” to use stealth at first. The world is much bigger than I expected. The map stays fogged until you explore it. I was shocked to find two more massive sections after “finishing” the first island. This discovery was a very pleasant surprise. The swordplay is fluid and satisfying. You can master different sword stances and secondary weapons. The samurai showdowns are beautiful and brutal. The animations look fantastic even after forty hours of play. You can also choose the “Lethal” difficulty for a more realistic challenge. Final Verdict: A PlayStation Jewel Ghost of Tsushima is a jewel in Sony’s first-party crown. It is a massive reason to own a PlayStation. It belongs in the same conversation as God of War and Spider-Man. It is the samurai game many of us have wanted for years. Jin Sakai’s journey to becoming the Ghost is tragic and exciting. I will not soon forget this character. I hope Sucker Punch is already working on a sequel for the PS5. If you love open-world action, you must play this game. If you love gaming and pop culture, don’t miss our upcoming shows

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Jedi Fallen Order 2019 Review: A Broken Force Experience?

16th February 2026

Jedi Fallen Order 2019 Review: A Broken Force Experience? INTRODUCTION: A Profoundly Confusing Experience Welcome to our Jedi Fallen Order 2019 Review. When I first finished this game, I felt profoundly confused. On paper, I should have loved every minute. It combines the parkour of Uncharted with the darkest days of Star Wars lore. However, the final product often feels like it doesn’t belong in the Star Wars universe at all. While EA received praise for releasing a single-player story, they delivered it in a sloppy, janky fashion. From game-breaking bugs to muddy textures, the technical state of this release was frankly unacceptable for a major studio like Respawn. STORY: Unsympathetic Characters and Bland Villains In this Jedi Fallen Order 2019 Review, we have to address the narrative. The protagonist, Cal Kestis, is a whiny character who consistently got on my nerves. Unfortunately, the rest of the crew feels equally bland and unendearing. I grew up loving this universe, yet I found myself trying to skip every cutscene. The villains were unengaging. Furthermore, the side characters—like Cal’s master—became increasingly annoying. The only bright spot was Sister Merrin, who felt like a genuine part of the world. For most of the journey, I simply didn’t care what happened to the crew of the Stinger Mantis. GAMEPLAY: When Lightsabers Feel Like Piñata Sticks A major part of any Jedi Fallen Order 2019 Review is the combat. Jedi should be powerful warriors. Yet, in this game, you never feel truly capable. The combat lacks the satisfaction of The Force Unleashed because of the lack of dismemberment. Hitting enemies feels like striking piñatas with a glowing stick. Additionally, the checkpoint system breaks immersion. Refilling your health respawns every enemy, which feels overly “arcady.” The game also masquerades as an open-world experience. However, the “clear-as-mud” holomap and lack of guidance lead to frustrating dead ends and wasted time. VERDICT: The Final Jedi Fallen Order 2019 Review Overall, I feel like I played a different game than everyone else. I wanted to fall in love with this title, but the technical glitches and lazy design choices held it back. If you want an authentic Star Wars experience, you might be better off sticking with Battlefront 2. Graphics: 5/10 (Due to bugs) Story: 4/10 Verdict: A disappointing “Respawn.” Check out our other 2019 reviews: Review – Polar (Movie) (2019) Review – Shazam! (Movie) (2019) Want to risk it yourself? Buy Jedi: Fallen Order on Amazon.

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