richardwakeling's profile

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The First Descendant Review - Grind Me Down

The First Descendant's monotonous mission design and asinine grind is all in service of a malicious free-to-play model that puts monetization above all else.

7

Good

Flintlock: The Siege Of Dawn Review - Gunpowder and Deicide

With hyper-mobile combat and traversal, and a varied arsenal of 17th-century firepower, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn stands apart from its peers in more ways than one.

7

Good

F1 24 Review - Narrowly Misses Pole Position

F1 24 is too familiar in many areas, but an overhauled Driver Career mode and emphasis on aggressive racing ensure that Codemasters' latest is still an engaging motorsports experience.

6

Fair

XDefiant Review - Modern Warfare

XDefiant is unoriginal, and its disparate styles don't quite fit together, but solid gunplay and excellent map design elevate Ubisoft's free-to-play shooter.

8

Great

Crow Country Review - Old School Horror

Crow Country pays loving homage to a golden age of survival horror while distinguishing itself with an enthralling story, excellent world design, and creative puzzles.

9

Superb

Animal Well Review - Going Deeper

Animal Well delights with its non-traditional approach to Metroidvanias, combining unique items with a reactive and surreal world that's full of surprises.

6

Fair

Sand Land Review - Tanks A Lot

Sand Land's fantastic vehicular combat and adherence to the source material are let down by bland and repetitive stealth, melee combat, and mission design.

8

Great

Children Of The Sun Review - One Shot

Children of the Sun's gritty and surreal world is home to an innovative puzzle game that mixes long-range sniping with macabre brain teasers, culminating in your enemy's brains painting the ...

7

Good

MLB The Show 24 Review - Base Hit

MLB The Show 24 delights with another season of Storylines: The Negro Leagues and continued on-field excellence, but some modes are still in desperate need of an overhaul.

9

Superb

Dragon's Dogma 2 Review - Pawn Stars

Dragon's Dogma 2 is an excellent sequel that builds upon the first game's core concepts to create a thrilling open-world adventure.

4

Poor

Skull And Bones Review - Dead In The Water

Skull and Bones strips away everything great about Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, resulting in a dull live-service game that's often a chore.

7

Good

Banishers: Ghosts Of New Eden Review - Ghostbusters

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is a love story about loss and sacrifice, propelling its choice-driven narrative forward amidst middling combat.

8

Great

The Finals Review - An Explosive Game Show

The Finals mixes solid shooting with dynamic destruction and game-show-infused presentation to create a thrillingly chaotic concoction.

7

Good

RoboCop: Rogue City Review - I'd Buy That For A Dollar!

RoboCop: Rogue City is a methodical shooter that makes you feel like Old Detroit's greatest crime fighter, but it errs when its devotion to authenticity wanes.

8

Great

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 Review - Kept You Waiting, Huh?

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 bundles some of the most influential video games of all time in one comprehensive package, providing an extensive history of stealth-action.

7

Good

Hellboy: Web Of Wyrd Review - A Way With Wyrds

Hellboy's Right Hand of Doom is the star of Hellboy: Web of Wyrd, but this melee-focused roguelite lacks substance outside of pummeling mythical creatures to dust.

7

Good

EA Sports FC 24 Review - New Name, Same Game

With a rebrand and the FIFA license out of the picture, EA Sports FC 24 signals a new era for the long-running series, but it's mostly business as usual.

8

Great

Lies Of P Review - No Strings Attached

With its bleak reimagining of Pinocchio and a stunning Belle Epoque era setting, Lies of P stands apart even when its gameplay relies on imitation.

8

Great

Armored Core 6: Fires Of Rubicon Review - Mechlike

Armored Core VI sees From Software return to and refine its roots with a game of thrilling mech combat built on aggression, agility, and customization.

9

Superb

Blasphemous 2 Review - Unholy Pilgrimage

With robust combat, improved traversal, and a return to the series' surreal art style and fascinating world-building, Blasphemous 2 is a triumphant sequel.

7

Good

Remnant 2 Review - What The Dog Doing?

Remnant 2 builds on its predecessor to create a rewarding and unpredictable experience that's difficult to put down.

8

Great

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun Review - Purge And Tear

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun captures the fast-paced action of classic '90s shooters and accentuates it with an assortment of the Space Marines' finest weaponry.

7

Good

EA Sports PGA Tour Review - Hit The Links

EA returns to the world of golf with a challenging and rewarding title that's let down by a couple of inconsistencies and an underwhelming swing mechanic.

8

Great

MLB The Show 23 Review - Grand Slam

By exploring the Negro Leagues and some of its most notable players, MLB The Show 23 shines a spotlight on an important part of baseball and American history.

8

Great

WWE 2K23 Review - Head Of The Table

WWE 2K23 sees the series return to form by building on the solid foundations laid down last year to improve both its in-ring action and suite of game modes.

8

Great

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Review - Souls-Like Of The Three Kingdoms

Wo Long has stylish, parry-heavy combat and a more approachable challenge than most Souls-like games, but difficulty spikes may prove to be a barrier.

8

Great

Wild Hearts Review - Build Me Up

Wild Hearts latches onto the familiar gameplay loop of Monster Hunter and infuses it with a fast-paced crafting system that lets you build your way to victory.

9

Superb

Hi-Fi Rush Review - Good Vibes Only

Hi-Fi Rush is an excellent break from the norm for the horror buffs at Tango Gameworks, meshing the energetic combat of a character-action brawler with the toe-tapping beats of a ...

9

Superb

Dead Space Remake Review - Hits The Marker

The Dead Space remake may not feel entirely necessary, but it improves upon the original with some smart new additions to almost every aspect of its design.

7

Good

Need For Speed Unbound Review - Comic Book Racing

Need for Speed Unbound delights with a vibrant new art style and some exciting arcade racing, but familiar issues are as frustrating as an inopportune oil slick

6

Fair

Evil West Review - Undead Redemption

Evil West's kinetic combat thrills as you dismember vampires by the bucket load, but it's dragged down by level design that's both formulaic and repetitive.

7

Good

Sonic Frontiers Review - Sonic, Is That You?

Sonic Frontiers marks a bold new direction for the series, meshing traditional Sonic action with an open-ended approach to progression and exploration across its semi-open world.

6

Fair

Resident Evil Village - Winters' Expansion Review - This Rose Doesn't Bloom

New additions to The Mercenaries make the Winters' Expansion for Resident Evil Village worthwhile, but Shadows of Rose is a fleeting slice of forgettable story DLC.

7

Good

A Plague Tale: Requiem Review - Picturesque Terror

A Plague Tale: Requiem eventually expands in scope and improves upon its predecessor's stealth action, but the heartrending story of two siblings battling against the odds is where it truly ...

7

Good

FIFA 23 Review - Football Is Life

FIFA 23 makes incremental improvements to last year's game, but the looming presence of Ultimate Team's microtransactions cast a shadow over everything.

9

Superb

Return To Monkey Island Review - Happiness Is A Warm Manatee

The iconic point-and-click adventure series returns with a heartfelt and nostalgic adventure that any mighty pirate would be a fool to miss.

8

Great

Metal: Hellsinger Review - Walk With Me In Hell

The rhythmic interplay between Metal: Hellsinger's rip-roaring soundtrack and frenetic action is a magical concoction.

7

Good

Steelrising Review - Like Clockwork

With an engaging and aggressive combat system, and a unique alternative-history setting, Steelrising is an interesting albeit familiar Souls-like.

6

Fair

Saints Row Review - Open-World Nostalgia

The Saints Row reboot ditches the over-the-top aspects of its predecessor, but still feels like it's trapped in the past.

8

Great

Midnight Fight Express Review - Streets of Rage

Midnight Fight Express is a modern beat-'em-up with extensive motion-captured animations that bring its frenetic combat to life with wince-inducing satisfaction.

Richard Wakeling / Staff

richardwakeling's Reviews

The First Descendant Review - Grind Me Down

Flintlock: The Siege Of Dawn Review - Gunpowder and Deicide

F1 24 Review - Narrowly Misses Pole Position

XDefiant Review - Modern Warfare

Crow Country Review - Old School Horror

Animal Well Review - Going Deeper

Sand Land Review - Tanks A Lot

Children Of The Sun Review - One Shot

MLB The Show 24 Review - Base Hit

Dragon's Dogma 2 Review - Pawn Stars

Skull And Bones Review - Dead In The Water

Banishers: Ghosts Of New Eden Review - Ghostbusters

The Finals Review - An Explosive Game Show

RoboCop: Rogue City Review - I'd Buy That For A Dollar!

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 Review - Kept You Waiting, Huh?

Hellboy: Web Of Wyrd Review - A Way With Wyrds

EA Sports FC 24 Review - New Name, Same Game

Lies Of P Review - No Strings Attached

Armored Core 6: Fires Of Rubicon Review - Mechlike

Blasphemous 2 Review - Unholy Pilgrimage

Remnant 2 Review - What The Dog Doing?

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun Review - Purge And Tear

EA Sports PGA Tour Review - Hit The Links

MLB The Show 23 Review - Grand Slam

WWE 2K23 Review - Head Of The Table

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Review - Souls-Like Of The Three Kingdoms

Wild Hearts Review - Build Me Up

Hi-Fi Rush Review - Good Vibes Only

Dead Space Remake Review - Hits The Marker

Need For Speed Unbound Review - Comic Book Racing

Evil West Review - Undead Redemption

Sonic Frontiers Review - Sonic, Is That You?

Resident Evil Village - Winters' Expansion Review - This Rose Doesn't Bloom

A Plague Tale: Requiem Review - Picturesque Terror

FIFA 23 Review - Football Is Life

Return To Monkey Island Review - Happiness Is A Warm Manatee

Metal: Hellsinger Review - Walk With Me In Hell

Steelrising Review - Like Clockwork

Saints Row Review - Open-World Nostalgia

Midnight Fight Express Review - Streets of Rage