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Sam Brooke

Writes for
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Push Square
Reviews66
Outlets1
Avg score64
Agreement

Reviews

66 reviews
Signalis2022
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Push Square
Sam Brooke·Oct 25, 2022
Critic80/100
Agreement

All in all, this is an astoundingly stylish effort from such a small studio. Signalis is riveting in both the construction of its world and the tense survival horror gameplay it executes so well. Don’t overlook it because of its very late last-gen release: rose-engine’s effort has its feet firmly planted in the future.

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No vote recorded.
Weird West2022
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Push Square
Sam Brooke·Mar 31, 2022
Critic70/100
Agreement

Weird West sets its sights high by promising player freedom and a responsive world to butterfly effect the hell out of, and it very nearly delivers on all of it. At its best, WolfEye Studios' first outing offers delightfully chaotic combat and an interesting supernatural setting that leaves no actions without consequence. But while in many respects Weird West achieves some of its grander ambitions, it fails to nail some of the basics. Immersive sim fans will be in their element here, but Raphael Colantonio's latest won't have as wide an appeal as his previous successes with Arkane.

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No vote recorded.
Shadow Warrior 32022
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Critic60/100
Agreement

Simple but tight, Shadow Warrior 3 is a solid shooter with some occasional flashes of excitement. It's a shame the game's attempts at comedy squeeze the life out of it — and £40 for an eight-hour campaign is barely good value.

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No vote recorded.
Crysis Remastered Trilogy2021
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Push Square
Sam Brooke·Oct 15, 2021
Critic60/100
Agreement

Three ten-hour games in one package might seem good value, but the truth is the Crysis series only hits its stride in fits and spurts until the third game. On PS4 the remastered graphics get better as the series goes on, so there’s no real reason to play the first game unless you’re already a fan or you’re interested to see how Crysis started. Crytek’s series is certainly interesting to dissect as you go through. Consistently fun to play, though? That’s a different story.

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No vote recorded.
Cities: Skylines2015
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Push Square
Sam Brooke·Apr 29, 2020
Critic80/100
Agreement

With Cities: Skylines, developer Colossal Order has laid the foundations for the city-building genre to return to consoles. Simple controls, immeasurable details, and accessible gameplay all ensure that the urban planning sim is a fun yet challenging experience.

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No vote recorded.
eFootball PES 20202019
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Push Square
Sam Brooke·Sep 17, 2019
Critic70/100
Agreement

eFootball PES 2020 won't convince any FIFA fans over to Konami's side, but it will certainly appease those who are already enthralled with Master League and myClub. There really isn't too much to write home about this year, but when the gameplay is this enjoyable, there's hardly any reason to complain.

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No vote recorded.
Xenon Racer2019
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Critic40/100
Agreement

Xenon Racer isn't a terrible racing game, but in order to enjoy it you need to overlook the game's atrocious handling, horrible difficulty spikes, and general mediocrity. Not having big ambitions is fine for a game as long as it's fun, but developer 3D Clouds is wide of the mark on both counts.

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No vote recorded.
Desert Child2018
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Push Square
Sam Brooke·Dec 16, 2018
Critic60/100
Agreement

Desert Child is stylistically fantastic and has some of the more exciting racing gameplay we've seen this year, but it really suffers from its short length. There's an interesting, colourful world to explore in Olympia, but unfortunately things ends when it feels like Desert Child is just getting started. Still, it's an admirable effort from a talented one-man team.

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No vote recorded.
Just deal with it!2018
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Critic40/100
Agreement

Just Deal With It is another disappointing addition to the PlayLink library. The online functionality will certainly be a selling point for some, but as a couch party game it fails to add any major draws that separate it from physical card games. It may do what it says on the tin, but that's about it.

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No vote recorded.
Chimparty2018
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Push Square
Sam Brooke·Nov 13, 2018
Critic50/100
Agreement

Chimparty is fun in places, but the repetition and occasional frustrations of its minigames means it's not likely to stay that way for long. As a family game it's too fiddly to be enjoyable for a sustained period of time, though its visual style is appealing enough to soften the blows of the substandard gameplay. Mario Party it certainly isn't – hopefully there'll be some better family games coming to PlayLink sooner or later.

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No vote recorded.
The Jackbox Party Pack 52018
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Critic70/100
Agreement

Bar the frustrating Zeeple Dome and a few bugs, The Jackbox Party Pack 5 is yet another fantastic collection of party games. With each game offering something different -- and Mad Verse City in particular being a highlight -- Jackbox Games has made a game that should keep you and your friends entertained for a while.

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No vote recorded.
My Memory of Us2018
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Push Square
Sam Brooke·Oct 19, 2018
Critic70/100
Agreement

My Memory of Us is an exciting and emotional trip through a dark period of human history. Its bittersweet story mixes well with its tense stealth-based gameplay, while clever puzzles flesh things out. Fittingly for a game about memories, we won't forget our time with Juggler Games' project for quite a while.

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No vote recorded.
Fire Pro Wrestling World2017
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Push Square
Sam Brooke·Aug 28, 2018
Critic70/100
Agreement

Though it's not very accessible and lacks a bit of polish, the amount of pure heart that has gone into Fire Pro Wrestling World means that it's a fun retro wrestling game once you get used to it. The endless customisation options and deep story mode provide great value, while the game's oddball nature is pretty charming. Like The Rock, Fire Pro Wrestling World is somehow still going after all these years. Unlike The Rock, its legacy hasn't been tarnished by an appearance in the Baywatch reboot.

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No vote recorded.
Super Daryl Deluxe2018
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Critic40/100
Agreement

Dan & Gary Games has given the Metroidvania-RPG genre a fair crack of the whip with Super Daryl Deluxe, but its needless amount of monotonous side quests and its floaty, button-mashing combat negates the occasional humorous highlights. There is a good game in here somewhere, but plenty of fat trimming is in order before you can get to it.

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No vote recorded.