iO Review

“As the winning game of the 2012 World Game Jam and a finalist in the 2014 Indiecade festival competition, iO has quite the underground reputation. Of course, ‘underground’ there is likely to be the operative term as it’s unlikely you would have heard of this inventive little puzzle game from indie devs Gamious (props for the name, by the way). Unsurprisingly, few indie games win awards for impressive visuals or realistic simulation, it’s the strength of a title’s gameplay that draws the attention of groups like Indiecade; the more interesting and unusual the better. On this front, it’s not difficult to see why iOhas gained a cult following, and now that the game is available on Steam, it’s more accessible than ever.”

iO Review:

http://www.gamegrin.com/reviews/io-review/

Metal Gear Solid Noob Diaries #11: Poisonous Frogs

“Had some highs and some real lows today. The game is still incredibly fun and wonderfully engaging and playable – I don’t think I’ve actually praised the game enough in my previous entries but it really is a marvel of pacing and well balanced game design. So much better than MGS2 so far, and it’s not just because of the improved camera. The sense of stealth is much closer to reality; using the jungle to your advantage feels fantastic and it’s rare to be caught out without making a glaring mistake. Not having a radar consistently can throw up some slightly annoying moments where it seems impossible for a guard not to see you, but these are few and far between. Plus, more silenced weapons make everything wonderful.”

Metal Gear Solid Noob Diaries #11: Poisonous Frogs:

http://www.gamegrin.com/articles/metal-gear-solid-noob-diaries-11-poisonous-frogs/

Wickland Preview

“Don’t tell the folks behind Fallout, but war has changed. The age of simple, pick-up-and-play arena FPS games is long over. Call of Duty, Battlefield and the like have shifted the focus onto both realism and scale. The core concept is still the same (you know, kill people), but the way in which that is brought about has changed quite a lot since the late ‘90s when Quake, Counter Strike and Unreal dominated the market. For those who still look back fondly on those days, there hasn’t been a whole lot to get excited about in recent times. CS:GO is a viable option, but what if you’re looking for something a little more… spectacular. Mad Ram Software, emanating from Taiwan, has a solution to your problem.”

Wickland Preview:

http://www.gamegrin.com/previews/wickland-preview/

Metal Gear Solid Noob Diaries #10: Survival Skills

“Today was my best session yet with Snake Eater, I got to spend a good chunk of time with the game, so I’ve got a fair few thoughts.

It was during today’s session that I really started to get a feel for the whole survival schtick. For instance, killing animals is necessary to keep Snake’s stamina up and not let him starve to death. It’s a cool feature that adds to the sense of independence; Snake is alone in the jungle and nobody is going to help him survive, except the player of course. Other jungle-themed survival elements are also really cool. The enemy’s use of booby traps is really neat and provides an intriguing Vietnam war feel that layers over the whole espionage stuff.”

Metal Gear Solid Noob Diaries #10: Survival Skills:

http://www.gamegrin.com/articles/metal-gear-solid-noob-diaries-10-survival-skills/

Metal Gear Solid Noob Diaries #9: Eva, Ocelot and Khrushchev

“Short one today:

So it’s right into the action following the James Bond intro. Well, the cutscene was only about 10 minutes long, which is pretty direct relatively speaking. It was a good cutscene though – not that I’ve actually encountered a bad cutscene yet – setting up the core part of the game.”

Metal Gear Solid Noob Diaries #9: Eva, Ocelot and Khrushchev:

http://www.gamegrin.com/articles/metal-gear-solid-noob-diaries-9-eva-ocelot-and-khrushchev/

Sneaky Sneaky Review

“Sometimes, it’s good to go back to basics to figure out just what it is that makes something fun. In this day of increasingly complicated videogames featuring increasingly complicated mechanics, it can pay to strip away all the glitz and glamour and provide a game that’s just incredibly simple. Sneaky Sneaky is simple in every sense of the word. It features simple design, easy-going visuals and a progression and reward system that any gamer (of any age) will be able to understand. Nobody’s going to claim that this is the most inventive and original title ever – certainly not – but it does provide an enjoyable couple of hours play for minimal investment.”

Sneaky Sneaky Review:

http://www.gamegrin.com/reviews/sneaky-sneaky-review/

Metal Gear Solid Noob Diaries #8: Snake Eater

“Time for the next game in the series, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. A prequel to all of the previous games in the series that focuses on Big Boss (Snake’s dad), it’s set during the Cold War, which is a much more interesting time period than the ‘modern’ setting ofMGS2. So I’m looking forward to getting stuck into it. I’ve heard through the wire that this is generally regarded as the best MGS game of the lot (although that, of course, comes down to personal opinion), if it’s any better than the previous installment was, then this should be a doozy. Which isn’t a word I use very often – that’s how high my expectations are right now!”

Metal Gear Solid Noob Diaries #8: Snake Eater:

http://www.gamegrin.com/articles/metal-gear-solid-noob-diaries-8-snake-eater/

The Crew Review

“From its inception, The Crew was sold, and heavily marketed, as a next-gen driving game. Not because it looks photo-realistic, or because it incorporates revolutionary game mechanics, but rather because it acts as the ultimate example of modern connected play. A seamless online world in which you can travel around a digital representation of the US inhabited by other human drivers. You can form crews to take on missions together, and generally interact with strangers and friends alike. Yet with the game loaded and on-screen, it quickly becomes apparent that Ubisoft may have been going about this the wrong way. Ivory Tower hasn’t created an incredible online driving-world, instead, they’ve created one of the most vast, and incredible gaming locations ever.”

The Crew Review:

http://www.gamegrin.com/reviews/the-crew-review/

Metal Gear Solid Noob Diaries #7: An Incredible Ending

“Wow. Just, wow. After playing Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty for a few more hours last night, I’ve now completed the game. I can easily say that without compare it was the best finale for a game I’ve ever played. Just nonstop unbridled action and brilliant storytelling combining to make an interactive experience that I now fully understand. I understand the ebb and flow of the game, I actually understand the ridiculous story, and yes, I understand why everyone raves about this series.”

Metal Gear Solid Noob Diaries #7: An Incredible Ending:

http://www.gamegrin.com/articles/metal-gear-solid-noob-diaries-7-an-incredible-ending/

WWE 2K15 Review

“When I think of WWE games, I think long nights playing ladder matches with my friends until the early hours of the morning, creating horrible/amazing wrestlers for each other, and just generally having a great time. There’s something about the direct, but somewhat jovial, conflict within pro wrestling games that makes them both competitive and hilarious at the same time, especially (perhaps exclusively) when you’ve got friends sitting beside you. Over the last few years Yuke’s, and ever-increasingly Crystal Dynamics, has striven to improve the single-player experience. WWE 2K15, the second WWElicenced titled from 2K Sports, takes this development to a whole new level, but in the same move manages to undermine much of the work that’s been done before.”

WWE 2K15 Review:

http://www.gamegrin.com/reviews/wwe-2k15-review/