Sammy Barker

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Sammy Barker·May 24, 2016

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Unless Lassie's got our back, then we'd never normally want to get lost down a well – but Downwell is a strong exception. This fun little freefallin' title ties you up in its gun-boot antics, and is difficult to put down once you casually drop in. The action's perhaps better suited to vertical screens, and it can be a bit obtuse – but for the price of a Big Mac, this is one deadly descent that deserves your tuppence.

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Sammy Barker·May 5, 2016

Critic100/100

Agreement—

A fitting end for one of PlayStation's most famous franchises, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End sits alongside The Last of Us at the apex of cinematic action experiences. Naughty Dog's ability to tell engaging tales is unmatched, with Nate's final chapter expertly balancing bombast against genuinely relatable themes. It won't redefine the genre quite like Uncharted 2, but the developer's boundless ambition means that this is a bigger, better, and more beautiful adventure than ever before.

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Sammy Barker·Apr 26, 2016

Critic60/100

Agreement—

A valiant attempt at creating a touch screen-based action experience with real depth, Severed struts confidently for four or five hours – before ultimately devolving into the same old swipe-fest that it seems to detest. Still, this is a wonderfully presented experience, with a mystifying world and some intelligent level design. If you're the kind of person who appreciates tailored Vita titles, then you'll more than get your money's worth here. It's just a shame that the studio fails to cut the foray off before it gets stale.

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Sammy Barker·Mar 22, 2016

Critic60/100

Agreement—

TrackMania: Turbo's a gaudy game that demands you excel in short bursts. A truly compelling online component and a meaty single player campaign is offset by some shaky handling that, in the case of one car in particular, is far too fiddly to be fun – but those that like a challenge will still enjoy attempting to tame the title's increasingly outlandish maps. With a clumsy but empowering track editor there's certainly no danger of this racer running out of gas – it just depends how long you're willing to keep up with the quest to be the best.

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Sammy Barker·Mar 20, 2016

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Kholat may be daunting to approach at first with its massive scale, but its eerie setting is worth exploring for its intentionally perplexing narrative and unsettling visual and aural atmosphere. The simplistic gameplay may turn some off with how tedious exploration can become with few scares and long stretches of nothing, but if you choose to remain steadfast on this trail, the sights, sounds, and story may very well be worth your effort.

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Sammy Barker·Feb 23, 2016

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Blockbuster brands like Hitman seldom make the transition to mobile successfully, but Hitman Go: Definitive Edition is a well-presented puzzler that we can get behind. Despite being respectful of the source material, its slide puzzle spin on the series is strongly executed – even if it can feel a teensy bit too rigid at times. This port's perhaps a little pricey, but with plenty of content and cross-buy on the cards, we'd recommend moving in and pulling the trigger if you've got the appetite for a little assassination.

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Sammy Barker·Feb 14, 2016

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Layers of Fear isn't shy about its influences, but if you were impressed by the P.T. demo, then how do you fancy five or so hours more? This is a tidily presented, tantalisingly tense trip through a fractured psyche – it's dark, desperate, and depraved. Bloober Team hasn't concocted the most original slice of horror in history, but it has pulled its inspirations together shrewdly – and the results are both repulsive and rousing.

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Sammy Barker·Feb 8, 2016

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Firewatch has the embers of a great narrative-driven game, but it fails to ever ignite into a furnace. Unforgivable performance issues detract from the otherwise outstanding art direction, but it's the abrupt story and unconvincing characters that really douse the hype here. Campo Santo's inaugural outing starts incredibly strongly, but your alarm bells will be ringing long before it burns out without ever really sparking into life.

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Sammy Barker·Jan 26, 2016

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Gravity Rush Remastered will have you purring at the potential that its sequel looks set to fulfil, but it's a fine release in its own right. The mission variety's not quite there and the plot's paper-thin, but the traversal's some of the finest that you'll find on consoles full-stop, and the audio-visual achievements are outstanding across the board. It's an excellent first attempt, then, so irrespective of the laws of gravity, the only direction for this promising property is up.

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Sammy Barker·Jan 7, 2016

Critic50/100

Agreement—

Hardware: Rivals is slow and safe – it's a far-cry from the high-octane vehicle eviscerator that we'd anticipated. Its slightest of similarities to Rocket League may have hurt it, but even if Psyonix's excellent on-wheels outing didn't exist, this would still be a pretty darn tedious title. It's a shame because it's not hard to imagine a faster iteration of the exact same game being ten times more satisfying, but ultimately Hardware's only real rival is its squandered potential.

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Sammy Barker·Dec 19, 2015

Critic70/100

Agreement—

After the dreadful Dead Kings, Ubisoft has proven that it can make decent DLC with Assassin's Creed Syndicate's Jack the Ripper add-on pack. The new fear system is a novel addition here, while the whole campaign has a compelling, creepy vibe. The story missions are strong, and we appreciate the developer's decision to lead with an aging Evie Frye. If the expansion's titular serial killer famously came from hell, then this content is very much heaven sent.

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Sammy Barker·Nov 23, 2015

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Bloodborne: The Old Hunters is much more of the same from what is already an outstanding game. The new environments and boss encounters add hours to the main experience, but it's the deluge of additional equipment that will keep veterans most occupied. If you've been yearning for a reason to return to Yharnam, then this DLC practically demands your Blood Echoes. Just remember that the life of hunter is defined by death – and you're going to die a lot.

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Sammy Barker·Nov 8, 2015

Critic50/100

Agreement—

Need for Speed's got many of the parts required of a great racer, but it's lacking a mechanic to assemble them and apply a lick of paint. The cutscenes, as obnoxious as they may be, are the real stars here, which may just be an indictment of the game as a whole. Sure, the handling's good, but the events are insipid – and the visuals may sparkle, but Ventura Bay is as vanilla as open worlds come. For as pumped-up as its excitable cast of characters are, this reboot quite simply lacks energy. Now, has anybody got any Monster?

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Sammy Barker·Oct 22, 2015

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Much like the Victorian city that it's based upon, you have to dig into Assassin's Creed Syndicate in order to identify its problems. The core gameplay loop is solid and it's built upon a sound structure, but familiarity and filler lessen the appeal of this open world outing. Vastly improved performance and all around impressive presentation mean that London's most definitely not burning – but there may be a little panic in the offices at Ubisoft.

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Sammy Barker·Oct 16, 2015

Critic70/100

Agreement—

A surprisingly solid racing game, WRC 5's biggest undoing is its evident lack of budget. Kylotonn Games has put its priorities in the right place, delivering a slick handling model that captures the spontaneous nature of the sport well, but the presentation is fairly poor across the board – and the frame rate issues really detract from the responsiveness of the driving. Still, this is a strong base to work from, and we can only hope that the positive reception results in the studio receiving a bigger budget for the release's inevitable sequel.