Sammy Barker

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Sammy Barker·Mar 27, 2015

Critic50/100

Agreement—

RIDE's adequate in almost all areas, but it's never going to offer the ride of your life. There's a clear passion for motorcycles on display here, and petrol heads will appreciate the depth of the tinkering that's on offer – but the on-track experience is far too clinical to confidently capture the pastime that the developer is so enthusiastic about. If you want to build up a stable of obsessively rendered motorcycles, each tuned to your exacting tastes, then this may get your internal engine roaring for a while – but everyone else will find a competently made racing game that, beneath all of the gusto of its creepy announcer, never really hits top gear.

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Sammy Barker·Mar 21, 2015

Critic70/100

Agreement—

One finale is better than the other, but Resident Evil: Revelations 2 is still a triumph as a whole. Episode Four: Metamorphosis' lop-sided nature means that it's individually weaker than its immediate predecessor, but when you consider its importance to the story, you'd mad to miss out. Just make sure that you get the good ending, sit back, and soak up the silliness.

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Sammy Barker·Mar 14, 2015

Critic70/100

Agreement—

A pastiche of ideas from Resident Evil's past, Episode Three: Judgment represents the best of Capcom's surprisingly enjoyable episodic series so far. Its ambition is modest, but the execution is good, with ridiculous plot beats, larger than life boss fights, and solid puzzles. Only the dismal environments let this instalment down, which are more lifeless than the corpses that you'll be pumping full of lead.

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Sammy Barker·Mar 5, 2015

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Capcom already laid out its stall with the previous instalment, so Resident Evil: Revelations 2 – Episode Two: Contemplation can no longer be considered a pleasant surprise. This is another enjoyable romp, though, which sprinkles just enough new ideas into the experience to make it stand on its own. Most importantly, the action is much tenser this time around, and while it's still largely ridiculous, it will have you squirming at points.

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Sammy Barker·Mar 2, 2015

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Who needs blockbusters when your local indie theatre is rolling out releases like this? OlliOlli 2: Welcome to Olliwood doesn't re-invent the wheel, but its subtle tweaks result in a vastly improved experience; Tony Hawk's promised Pro Skater reboot will certainly have its work cut out if it wants to top Roll7's latest take on the genre. Tight controls, top-notch levels, and tons of content ensure that this sequel makes a clean landing – the only stumble being that its excellent local multiplayer mode isn't quite ready for prime time yet.

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Sammy Barker·Feb 25, 2015

Critic70/100

Agreement—

It's hardly a revelatory release thus far – but this could yet be great.

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Sammy Barker·Feb 21, 2015

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Resogun: Defenders signs Housemarque's shooter off in predictably sublime style. Protector is arguably the game's greatest mode to date, offering everything that's enjoyable about the original – just at pulsating pace. Commando's not quite as successful, but it delivers an imaginitive twist on the existing formula, all with plenty of personality and panache. This is still, in this author's opinion, the PS4's best original game – and the frightening thing for other developers is that it just got better again.

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Sammy Barker·Feb 18, 2015

Critic60/100

Agreement—

The Order: 1886 is an antique that's aged ungracefully. The presentation is sublime from the release's rousing start right the way through to its anticlimactic finish, but several shoddy design decisions detract from its otherwise exemplary gloss. The developer's crafted an incredible universe, but outside of the title's core cast, it's failed to do much of note with it. This is a property that's begging for a sequel to realise its undeniable potential – but only time will determine whether it gets that opportunity.

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Sammy Barker·Feb 13, 2015

Critic70/100

Agreement—

It's hard to describe Super Stardust Ultra as a disappointment, because the core gameplay loop – almost eight years after its original introduction – is still as enjoyable as ever. That said, this doesn't feel like the next frontier for Housemarque's revered shooter series – more like a stopgap along the way. Veterans should know that, outside of some visual enhancements and extra modes, this is pretty much Super Stardust HD. That's not necessarily a bad thing, of course; newcomers are encouraged to take aim at this right away.

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Sammy Barker·Jan 31, 2015

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Dying Light starts out disappointing, but once you allow its brand of undead action to circulate your bloodstream, it can be difficult to put down. The storytelling is expectedly lacklustre, but with some 40 hours' worth of quests to complete, this is the type of title that's made for kicking back in co-op and culling corpses to your heart's content. The best thing about it, though, is that it gets better as the time flies by.

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Sammy Barker·Jan 18, 2015

Critic40/100

Agreement—

The bleak backdrop of Franciade sums up this miserable outing, as you engage in dreary underground missions built around the most rudimentary of brazier-based puzzles. We like the addition of the Raiders and the Guillotine Gun, but they're the only jewels in this expansion's smelted crown. Forget about the French revolution – this franchise needs an uprising of its own.