Stephen Tailby

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Stephen Tailby·Jul 21, 2017

Critic60/100

Agreement—

When all is said and done, Cars 3: Driven to Win is a decent arcade racer that fans will enjoy. The racing is good fun once you get a handle on it, and we can see kids having a great time with the family in its four-player split screen. It's difficult to recommend it to anyone else, however. While there are plenty of ways to play, there lacks a certain depth that will keep you entertained for more than a few hours. Having said that, the PS4 is sorely lacking in arcade racing titles, so this may be worth a look if you're in the market for some bright and breezy driving – and can stand the repetitive voice lines.

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Stephen Tailby·Jul 3, 2017

Critic50/100

Agreement—

World Series is a hollow shell of a Micro Machines game. Codemasters has focused on an undercooked Battle mode and online play to the detriment of the core racing. The local multiplayer is when the game is at its most enjoyable, and zipping around the colourful courses in miniature cars remains a fun novelty. However, some glaring omissions and the small number of tracks and cars means you probably won't stick around for long, and no amount of loot boxes will change that.

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Stephen Tailby·Jun 6, 2017

Critic80/100

Agreement—

DiRT 4 is an impressive package that takes the strong foundation of DiRT Rally and sprinkles on a few friendly updates, such as DiRT Academy and the return of Landrush. The handling, whichever way you lean, is robust and extremely gratifying with cars that are a lot of fun to drive. The career mode gives you plenty to do, and Your Stage means you'll never be short of new rally challenges to take on. Some very slight graphical gripes aside, this is another success story for a developer that seems to be firing on all cylinders.

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Stephen Tailby·Jun 6, 2017

Critic60/100

Agreement—

The Town of Light is a powerful experience that highlights a fascinating, if chilling, chapter in human history. The heavy atmosphere is achieved through the very real setting of Volterra, and Renée's unfortunate tale of life inside its walls that represents the woes of many real people. The story meanders a little too far into obscurity and can become confusing, and some long load times scupper things further. While you won't necessarily have fun in the traditional sense, it's worth playing if you're at all interested, as it contains some striking sequences that will stay with you long after you finish.

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Stephen Tailby·May 25, 2017

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Tequila Works' long-awaited title takes you on a heartfelt adventure through large, open areas full of personality and imaginative puzzles. Comparisons to the likes of Journey or ICO were inevitable, and while it can imitate a little too closely, it has just enough fresh ideas to set it apart. Its clean and colourful presentation is backed up by a truly excellent soundtrack, and the story conjures up some wonderful moments along its fairly brief duration. Those looking for a fun, cohesive, and original puzzle platformer could do far worse than investing some time in RiME.

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Stephen Tailby·May 18, 2017

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Black & White Bushido is a fun and unique multiplayer arena fighter that does just enough to keep players entertained. It's limited in scope, but its tight controls and colour-based sneak-'n'-stab gameplay offer up a fun time with friends. This would be easier to recommend had there been more to keep you playing beyond the basic modes, but if you're looking for something new to play with a few buddies, this could be worth a look.

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Stephen Tailby·May 13, 2017

Critic80/100

Agreement—

What we're left with is a decent port of PlayStation's happiest game. If you can forgive the occasional audio bug and a teensy bit of slowdown, you'll have a wonderful time with LocoRoco Remastered. Fans will no doubt pick this up regardless, but newcomers should expect a kaleidoscopic, sing-songy platformer with simple, tactile controls, a catchy soundtrack, and a decent variety of stages to roll through. It's well worth the price of entry, and a pleasant reminder that not all games need to make you feel empowered or make you think.  Sometimes, it's enough simply to make you smile.

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Stephen Tailby·May 5, 2017

Critic50/100

Agreement—

Birthdays the Beginning is an oddity: it's a relaxed, cutesy god game, but it also requires you to follow strict rules and pay attention to a vast array of stats, which can kill the fun factor to a degree. The free play mode makes for a more chilled out time, however, while the challenges offer more objective-based gameplay for those that want it. The creature capturing is initially compelling, but once you've seen everything, the game doesn't really have anything to draw you back in.

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Stephen Tailby·Apr 17, 2017

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap is a ruthlessly faithful remake of the Master System classic that boasts a dramatic and beautiful audiovisual makeover. The game itself is still very enjoyable with a world map that's fun to work through and a lean Metroidvania structure that introduces new ideas right to the end. The controls are quite loose, which can lead to some frustration, but by and large this is a wonderful recreation that both fans and newcomers will enjoy.

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Stephen Tailby·Mar 12, 2017

Critic70/100

Agreement—

A Criminal Past is a decent last hurrah for Mankind Divided. Its story is fine, but doesn't really add to what's come before. However, the Penthouse is a wonderfully designed and unique level that's well worth exploring for the half-dozen or so hours you're there. It also cleverly demotes your abilities, forcing you to change up your approach. It's a strong effort that tries a lot of new things, and while it's certainly not essential, a little more Deus Ex is always welcome.

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Stephen Tailby·Feb 8, 2017

Critic40/100

Agreement—

Double Dragon 4 plays the nostalgia card harder than most, but its narrow-sighted reliance on this has left it feeling like a relic that perhaps shouldn't have been disturbed. The combat can be simplistic fun but is ruined by cheap AI, and the trio of modes don't offer much to stick around for. The presentation is a cool look back at the 80s school of design, but once the novelty wears off, you're left with a frustrating beat-em-up that inadvertently highlights the leaps in gameplay, animation, and visuals that games have made over the last three decades.

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Stephen Tailby·Jan 2, 2017

Critic70/100

Agreement—

All told, Shantae: Half-Genie Hero is a very solid Metroidvania-esque platformer that caters to fans old and new. Everything that is loved about this series remains, while a brand new art style and a simple story put the barrier to entry very low. There's a lot of backtracking, and we found the combat to be a bit shallow, but the gameplay is largely very good, and you'll constantly be switching forms as you explore and hunt down everything the game has to offer. It's wonderfully light-hearted and doesn't take itself seriously, which is sadly quite rare these days. If you're after a tightly designed platformer with memorable characters and varied gameplay, Half-Genie Hero is here to grant that wish.