Ben Mac

Odyssey’s broken gameplay loop, and how an idiot would fix it

Arguably, the game’s forte is a genuinely picturesque depiction of ancient Greece, which presents massive potential to generate wonder through exploration – those “wow” moments games can evoke through spectacle (think The Last of Us giraffes). The way the game directs the player takes away all of this. Having us venture into the wilderness withContinue reading “Odyssey’s broken gameplay loop, and how an idiot would fix it”

Better than Icarus: Odyssey Review

If informed prior to playing, that Ubisoft aimed to deliver the strengths of Assassin’s Creed, Skyrim, The Witcher 3 and more in a single experience spanning well over sixty hours, I would’ve assumed they were flying far too close to the sun. It would appear that if Ubi were to retell the tale of Icarus,Continue reading “Better than Icarus: Odyssey Review”

Double the fun: A Way Out Review

Not only is A Way Out of a very high quality when held to the standards of other games, but, as it was designed from the ground up to be played by two, it actually offers this level of quality within its co-op – this is key considering most co-op experiences available are essentially secondaryContinue reading “Double the fun: A Way Out Review”

Strong: God of War review

God of War does almost everything almost perfectly. A strong story, with strong gameplay, within an especially strong world, with the only glaring issue being the way certain level design strategies would break my immersion. The game has undeniable flaws, yet they are sparse, and so heavily outweighed by what it gets right, that there’sContinue reading “Strong: God of War review”

Summarising Single Player: How I score solo experiences

A single number cannot accurately convey the worth of a game to everyone with an interest in playing it. Different people seek different things from these games, and whilst so many offer an experience worthy of a conventional perfect score, they would still be the wrong choice for some players. A prime example of thisContinue reading “Summarising Single Player: How I score solo experiences”

Reckless ambition: The Last of Us Part II Review

The first game built something beautiful, and, as if scared of being judged for relying on that, the second strays about as far away from it as possible. There is a world within which they could’ve pulled this off, but they haven’t, which makes this overly ambitious leap into new territory feel nothing short ofContinue reading “Reckless ambition: The Last of Us Part II Review”

Amazon wants me dead

I was browsing Amazon the other day, denying offers to ‘join Prime’ with more resilience than I had ever shown prior in life, when they suggested I buy a defibrillator – a purchase I immediately dismissed as stupid, then read about nonetheless, demonstrating procrastination prowess only accessible to life’s greatest losers. This is one ofContinue reading “Amazon wants me dead”

Masterstrokes: Player choice in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

(Note: There are certain contexts I have ignored in the name of simplifying the two dilemmas, as my goal is to highlight what player agency does for the game, not debate the chosen cases) It appears clear to me that a key component of the masterpiece that is The Witcher 3, is the degree ofContinue reading “Masterstrokes: Player choice in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt”