Recent reviews by Alpha

Makes me look good at golf IRL

As a big fan of Dirt Rally and Dirt Rally 2.0, I was really excited to hear that Codemasters were back to release a new 'proper' rally title, and I think they delivered fairly well.

As far as the actual game and gameplay goes, I think it's excellent. I have been enjoying the career and championship modes, which are definitely a step up from DR2.0. The WRC license is a real bonus and I have to say I've been enjoying the new cars. I also think the map selection is pretty great; I like the new stages a lot. The physics on all surfaces feel great in my opinion (with absolutely zero knowledge of how a real rally car handles, like 99% of other reviewers), with each providing their own challenge and feel. The stages have decent scenery, but to be honest they're way to hectic and fun to be paying attention. I can't exactly narrow down what it is, but they feel even more fun and engaging than the older Rally titles. The car sounds are decent; I can't say I've noticed that much of a difference from DR2.0, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. I quite like the menu music too, very much giving me Dirt 4 and Dirt Rally vibes which I like.

Of course, it's not perfect. I think it's actually too forgiving, which I am thankful for, but can take away from the experience. I have had quite a few moments where I've tapped a wall or a rock in a way that would probably kill me IRL, but the car just moves slightly on the track and continues as if nothing happened. The damage model also seems quite basic, but that could be partly due to my fairly low graphics settings. There are also definitely some performance issues, which is probably detailed in 90% of the negative reviews, but I haven't found them to be too terrible. I personally think the graphics are a bit lack-lustre when compared to DR2.0 (I'm running a 1070 so fairly old but still DR2.0 looks a lot better on the same card), but these are both issues that can and hopefully will be fixed in the future.

Overall, as a rally fan, I think the game is definitely worth the price, just for the amount of content and gameplay quality alone. It's a shame that it's released in a laggy state, something that is happening way too much with games nowadays, but I'm really excited to see how this game develops, hopefully by first fixing the issues, and then somehow adding even more content (new cars, tracks, rallycross?).

I've really been wanting a proper police game for a while now, and there wasn't any game that could scratch that itch.. until now.

This game is actually really solid and a lot of fun. Given it's in early access, I actually found it to be very well polished. There are some small graphical glitches here and there (by no means do they damage the experience), but the actual gameplay is really great. The UI is very clear and easy to use, there is a decent variety of events and the graphics are good.

The fact that the game is like this already, despite being out on steam for only 2 days at the time of this review, makes me quite hopeful for the future. It's not perfect yet, but I think with a bit of time and love this could easily be the best police simulator out there!

Spent 12 hours building a super-efficient factory, only to get new, faster upgrades that make all my work redundant.

I haven't played a game this relaxing, satisfying, funny and addictive in a long time 10/10 would recommend it!

Crash into a wall at 200mph simulator

This has to be one of the best games I've played in years. Now I'm no medieval fan, but wow this game is just so immersive and engaging. The game definitely isn't easy, but I don't think it is as hard as some people make it out to be. You start out being a noob at everything, you can't use a sword at all, you can't read, you can barely even ride a horse. Through-out the game, you'll improve on all sorts of skills, and it's really satisfying to see the progress you've made.

The graphics and the world are amazing in my opinion. I really love the fact that each town is a real place and the story is somewhat historically accurate. The castles in the game really do feel grand compared to the small towns and villages, and it really helps to immerse you further in the world. The forests in this game are beautiful, and the trails you can follow are just exceptional in their detail. Each NPC has daily tasks, and can be found at different locations at different times of the day, which I find amazing. It really helps to create a living, breathing open world.

The story and the writing is really well done. Each character is memorable and the voice acting is really good. The story has a perfect mix of seriousness and humour, and the development of both the characters and the world is really well done. While you play as a set character, the writing and choices are great, meaning you really do feel like you're playing as Henry of Skalitz. Each quest feels unique, and isn't always just A to B mundane tasks. Some of them are just so bizarre and make for a really good time, while some are much more serious, which acts as a reminder of the world in which you are living in.

Personally, I didn't find there to be too many bugs, as I know that that is often most people's problem with this game. Of course there was a visual bug here and there but nothing terrible. Compared to Cyberpunk this game is pretty bug-free now. I had maybe one crash in total, which isn't ideal, but definitely not terrible.

This game is 100% worth a try, even if you haven't really considered the genre before. I didn't really get behind Skyrim or the Witcher, but I found this game to be an absolute treat, and a true RPG, and would recommend it to anyone.

Now that the collection is complete, I feel I can finally write a review. Halo is probably my favourite game franchise of all time, despite having only been able to play each game for a few months. I played Halo CE and Halo 2 years ago on PC, before it became an Xbox exclusive, and it was the most amazing thing to see it return in a full-HD, high frame-rate, PC release.

Halo Reach is an incredible game. The story is gritty and gripping, and provides a real contrast to the original trilogy. The soundtrack is incredible and the graphics are stunning. I'd argue that it has the best story of all the Halo games, although it's hard to compare as most of them are great.

Halo CE is an absolute classic. Despite being 19 years old, it still very much plays like a modern FPS. It kind of blows my mind how much content they managed to fit into the original game. It has two graphics versions, the original and remastered, and you have the ability to swap between the two instantaneously using the tab button, which is one of my favourite features. The story is a great introduction into the universe, and it's more than worth a play.

Halo 2 is probably my favourite game of all time. The story, the music, the level design, everything. When I was able to play the Anniversary edition over the summer, I was absolutely blown away by the graphics, especially in the cut-scenes, and it really brought the game to life. There is no reason not to get Halo 2, it is in many ways a perfect sequel.

Halo 3 is an interesting one. I personally feel that the first few missions are quite slow, but not necessarily bad, which surprised me a little. However, the later missions are unlike any others seen before. They consist of massive battles, both on the ground and in the air, and have a gripping story and a thrilling ending. The graphics are decent, though nothing crazy compared to the remastered versions of CE and 2. This game definitely provides a good and satisfying ending to the trilogy, and has a lot of replay ability.

Halo 3: ODST is a great edition to the game. The campaign has a decent length and varies a fair bit from the other games. You play as an ODST as opposed to the Master Chief or Noble Six, which personally I love, as it's cool to play as someone who isn't a genetically engineered super soldier. The story felt a little more light-hearted than the others for the most part, which is no bad thing, and makes for a fun game. The graphics are similar to Halo 3, so nothing spectacular but not bad either. The soundtrack in ODST is beautiful. It is simultaneously the most relaxing and intense music, perfect for the style of the game. This one is definitely worth the buy

Finally, Halo 4. I went into this one pretty blind, so that I could form an un-biased opinion of the game, as it is the first main Halo title to be made by 343 industries. It's not a bad game at all, I just think it falls flat compared to the other games. I've heard very mixed things about the story. Some people love it and some people don't. I'm kind of in the middle. Again, it's not a bad story, but it is quite different from the others and I'm not sure I'm a fan of the forerunner enemies. Graphics wise, it's a pretty good looking game, I can't fault it there. The soundtrack is different from the other games too, going for a more 'electronic' style than classical, but I think it was still well-suited and enjoyable. There is also a mode called spartan-ops, which I think is a nice little touch. You play as another spartan doing small missions different from the main story, which can be fun playing if you don't want to commit to anything too long.

The multiplayer is great, it plays well and generates a lot of laughs. I like how 343 have kept each game to it's original play-style as much as possible. Halo CE uses it's original graphics, and playing it feels like the old days. It's probably not as smooth as a modern FPS, but I actually enjoy that and it's great fun to play. Halo 2 has both original and anniversary modes, where the anniversary mode uses the Halo 4 engine, and the two feel quite similar. The original multiplayer is alright but nothing crazy, but I actually quite enjoy H2A. It's a good looking multiplayer that has a good hit-reg and a decent variety of modes and maps. Halo 3 multiplayer is definitely the best, I find myself usually loading this one up, and it's hours upon hours of fun. Halo 4 multiplayer is again pretty decent, it plays well and looks good. The maps are pretty average, which is OK, but nothing special.

While this game wasn't cross-platform, the multiplayer suffered slightly in the EU. If I were to play during the day, it could be quite hard to find a server to be able to play on, especially for a niche gamemode, however, since the addition of crossplay, this hasn't been a problem. It's very impressive how they've implemented crossplay, and I am finally able to play with my mates on Xbox, which is a nice touch.

Right, TLDR: Favourite game series of all time, more than worth the money. Worth it for the story, the multiplayer, and more than worth it for both. It has a story that will want you to learn more about the lore, and a soundtrack that you will listen to for days (seriously, Marty O'Donnell is my number one artist on spotify this year, and I use spotify a lot lol).

Best game I've played in a while and I don't even play RPGs

First game I've played in a while that's purely about fun, and its pretty good at making you laugh. I think provided that the team add more maps and gamemodes overtime, this game could definitely become extremely fun and popular. The servers have been a little hit and miss since launch however I'm sure these problems will smooth out soon enough.

Bought this game during the steam sale as I've been looking at it for a while and it's really worth it. I was a bit hesitant given its "Arcade" tag, worrying that the controls would feel a bit off, however this really wasn't the case. The movement is pretty smooth, and the physics mostly hold up. The only time it felt arcade-like is when you stall, as the nose just shoots straight down, and the landing, however the stall is no big deal and you can skip the landing if its too weird.

The story is actually very well written, and it keeps you engaged even during heavy dogfights. There are a surprising amount of missions and they are all quite fun. I've never played an Ace Combat game before, but this one has definitely caught my interest in the series.

The graphics are pretty good, with the skyboxes and clouds looking really nice. The jets themselves also look really nice, and I like that they're real-life models, other than the drones that you fight as enemies. Some of the ground textures are a little flat at times but this really doesn't matter given that you're meant to be in the sky and not hitting the ground lol.

I haven't played much mulitplayer yet, but I will definitely play some more. I was worried that there would be a lot of latency and it wouldn't play well but it pretty much feels like the campaign, other than the fact that the planes you're shooting tend to be a lot better at dodging. There aren't many matches to join, and usually in the ones there are there can be some fairly experienced players who tend to be the bigger fish. The game still rewards you regardless of your position, and it proves to be a lot of fun. I'd say the campaign alone is worth buying the game for, and the multiplayer just adds another reason to buy this game.

Overall, very happy and pleasantly surprised. Would recommend!