IOS highlight: Lumino City

A City on the verge of a puzzle breakthrough

The first thing you'll likely to notice about Lumino City is its visuals. Now I know, us gamers all like to pretend that visuals don't matter and games can be amazing while still looking rough, but cor blimey! Not only is Lumino City easy on the eyes it also has a brillo art design and a unique visual style - the whole game world being created in real life by hand, then framed and lit for in game scenes. There's a slight stop motion and origami feel to the city, whenever the camera sweeps over into the next scene, the jaw can't help but drop slightly.

SOMA succeeds in being more than just a horror game

Everyrobots gone to Rapture

I think the first thing to establish about SOMA is that - yes it is scary. And yes there are those contrarians that say "well *readjusts monocle* SOMA really isn't scary at all", which is always going to happen with a scary game. Fear is subjective, what I find scary in SOMA (everything) other people might not even flinch. It's one of the reasons why Horror, along with comedy are the hardest things to get right in games.

Indie Game Recommendation: Downwell

Downwell is a brilliant and admittedly addictive 2d platform shooter from Devolver Digital. The spin being that your character is constantly falling down a well while fending off different types of enemies. There are multiple stages including an underwater one - each with new obstacles and enemies. As standard there are end of level upgrades aswell as shops in the middle of levels. It's definitely not an easy game but one in which you could easily spend hours trying to get further down the seemingly never ending well. Once you die you have to restart back from the top but you do unlock permanent things - new graphic filters and different characters. Give it a look it's currently available on Steam and the App Store for IOS.

Looking back: Alan Wake - Part One

Alan Wake glanced at the review and scoffed, "pretentious critics"

It's Been over 5 years since Alan Wake was released and around 10 since it was announced. This shocks me, as Alan Wake hasn't been out shadowed since then, it's writing is still better than most and it's use of episodic narrative has been embraced by many others but still not been outdone. I recently went back to Bright Falls, fearing how the game has aged, but it hasn't. It's hyperbole I know, to say Alan Wake was ahead of its time seems crazy but if it was released now, I have no doubts it would of done better.

Thoughts on Uncharted: Drakes Fortune - Remastered

Charting already charted waters

Uncharted Drakes Fortune ah memories...... Of blinding rage. Ok exaggeration but out of the three games the first is the most forgettable and frustrating. You know something's off when you get stuck at the exact same points you did years ago when first playing a game. I'm not even really talking about dying over and over again, the bigger issue was always figuring out where on earth you were supposed to run, jump, climb or drop next. It's a problem that's instantly remedied when starting up the second game but to call the way-pointing in the first game sketchy is putting it mildly. One thing (among others) that all three Uncharted games get wrong is the ending, adhering to the gaming tactic of ramping up difficulty by throwing swarms of bullet sponge enemies at you. Which results in the game arriving at the ending with all the enthusiasm of a teenager doing well.... Anything.

Story holds up as well as can be though, biggest strengths being dialogue and characters. The actual plot isn't exactly a Shakespeare drama (take that as a insult), with about all the subtlety of a bomb going off in a church during silent prayer. Someone dies but they don't really, someone's double crossed you, now they haven't, treasure is cursed and it goes on, this structure can actual be applied to all three games to varying degrees. Nate is still charming and never fails to quip about slaughtering an entire nation of people but that's what's endearing, it doesn't take itself too seriously. The acting and writing still shows up most modern released games, it's what NaughtyDog excel at most and it's only got better with time. Elena and Victor 'goddamn' Sullivan are a joy to be around as characters, every scene being uplifted by their presence. The sense of real back and forth and what would be considered as on stage chemistry is what makes the trio the most standout achievement across all the Uncharted games, I've no doubt the same will be said about A thief's end next year. Play it for the story but the real gold in terms of pacing and cinematic set pieces lie in the two follow up sequels.