Lee Bradley
This author account hasn't been claimed yet. To claim this account, please contact the outlet owner to request access.
Writing For
Xbox AchievementsLatest Reviews
The Dark Souls games inspire an odd kind of fanaticism. From the outside in, it has often seemed childishly elitist to me. I’ve seen people highlight what appeared to be legitimate grumbles about director Miyazaki’s creations, only to be quickly countered by suggestions that they’re crap at games, or are too stupid to understand. “Boo hoo, baby wants someone to hold their hand?” It makes me think: well fuck Dark Souls then.
A co-op, third-person cover shooter with a whole load of loot-based, ability upgrading, gear crafting, stat levelling stuff built in, The Division is an entertaining game. If you want to play through all the content and move on, you’ll have a good time. If you’ve a weakness for loadout-tinkering and don’t mind grinding, it could be your new obsession.
A fun, familiar experience, Action Henk is a lovely little one-more-go arcade racer that’ll have you attempting levels over and over to shave a few milliseconds off your time. You’ve done it all before, but that won’t stop it putting a smile on your face.
Let’s get this out of the way first: Far Cry Primal is a full-size game. Ubisoft has been pretty clear about this, yet I’ve still seen some lingering confusion so it’s worth clearing up. Far Cry Primal will take you around 15-20 hours to complete. More if you get super wrapped-up with side-missions and collectibles. It’s a big, busy, open-world Far Cry game. All that’s missing is co-op and multiplayer.
This year’s most beautiful game so far, Unravel doesn’t quite display the design prowess to match its wonderful visuals, but it’s nevertheless an enjoyable, charming experience. And in Yarny, EA has an adorable new mascot.
Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India is the second in a trilogy of spin-off 2.5D stealth action platformers from Ubisoft, following last year’s flawed but enjoyable ACC: China. Remixing the original’s core gameplay and adding a handful of new features, it’s a better game than its predecessor. But only just. Let me explain why.
I really didn’t enjoy the Rainbow Six: Siege betas. Unresponsive, ugly, repetitive and victim of some terrible server issues, they failed to grab me. Based on the reaction of some of the more vocal members of our community, odds are you felt the same.
Despite its vast scope, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt tells a personal, intimate and touching story, filled with characters you’ll love and hate, and stuffed with monsters to slay. I completed the main storyline in around 50 hours and - yes I know this is a cliche - I’ve barely scratched the surface. The Witcher 3 is an astounding achievement.
Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China is like a diet version of a full fat AC game. It's a 2.5D side-scroller that almost slavishly includes nods to many of the series' conventions; the memory synchronising, the combat, the long dives into bales of hay. But what's most notable about the game is how it ramps up the importance of something AC has never properly nailed: stealth.
The opening minutes of Ori and the Blind Forest are stunning. Establishing the story of a forest spirit adopted by a maternal bear-like figure, the beautiful animation, sweeping music and spare storytelling sells you completely. You’re in. It ranks alongside The Last of Us and BioShock as one of the best game openings in recent years.