Jack Bampfield
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GameSpew 
Game Skinny Latest Reviews
The business and economical side of Weedcraft Inc can be engaging; mostly, this is when mulling over all your strains. But the game’s attempts to be political often don’t land as intended – for example its coffee shop named “Covfefe” is merely eye roll-inducing. For those that eke fun out of balancing profits against supply and demand and don’t mind a bit of repetitive click-work, then Weedcraft Inc may well be engaging enough. But for everyone else, its divisive subject matter is mostly wasted on dull gameplay mechanics, so if you were hoping for an engaging and edgy management sim, you’re still better off looking elsewhere.
At this point in time, Anthem feels like a title that needs more work. I want to like it, but damn does it make it hard. Like the games that came before it in this genre, I’ve no doubt that Anthem will get better and bulkier with updates over time, but if Bioware takes too long in getting there, I fear most of the player base will have moved on. For what it’s worth, Anthem does show a lot of promise, and I do sincerely hope that Bioware can get new content out efficiently while addressing the various problems currently plaguing the game. In a few months’ time I’d love to be able to say that Anthem is significantly better, and the best this genre has to offer. But as it stands now, it’s a long way from that point.
But those are very small niggles that barely dent the excellent experience that WarGroove offers. It’s a game certainly worth its asking price, there’s no question of that. It packs in a challenging campaign, brought to life with characters that are hard not to love, but it’s the level editor that really sets WarGroove apart. If it’s your jam – like it is mine – then Wargroove offers literally endless potential. And even if level designing isn’t really your thing, it’s still a lot of fun to play around with.
Despite Downward Spiral: Horus Station’s faults, there’s enough here to show promise in 3rd Eye Studios. With a game or two more under its belt, the team could definitely deliver something great. Downward Spiral’s environmental storytelling works if you’re willing to look for it, but if you miss too much information, it’ll be hard to work out what you’re doing – or even why you’re doing it. Perhaps in VR, wandering around in zero gravity will be a little more fun, but the combat will probably still disappoint.
Despite the updates to some areas of FIFA 19, there’s undoubtedly going to be a large section of the FIFA community unhappy with the lack of changes in Career Mode and Pro Clubs. I’m disappointed that Career Mode hasn’t seen any significant improvements, but the on pitch changes make for more exciting matches with attacking and defending feeling more cohesive. I’ll no doubt be sinking many hours into FIFA 19 in the months to come, but I do wish the effort put into the game by EA Sports hadn’t been spent on the modes I’m not really keen on.
In the end, Battle for Azeroth makes some great improvements in the levelling experience, but faults in its class design and the less rewarding Azerite system mean that overall, it takes too many steps back from Legion. It’s clear that Battle for Azeroth is an expansion that’s had a relatively short beta period, and many players find themselves unhappy – the messy Warfront launch typified this. Patch 8.1 needs to pull a lot of leg work to get several specs where they should be. More work needs to be done, and Blizzard is very aware of that, so there’s still hope that Battle for Azeroth may becomes greater than Legion. But so far, not so much.
So, the PC port of Monster Hunter World isn’t perfect. But despite its flaws, no other game compares to the thrill and sheer wonderment that beating a monster in a perfectly co-ordinated group can bring. In its purest essence, Monster Hunter World is simply about killing monsters to make better gear to kill bigger monsters. But boy, when it all comes off – which it does impressively frequently – no game comes close to it.
Youropa is a unique puzzle game in how its puzzles are approached, and how it wants the player to approach them. There are collectibles dotted around in every level, and given the final ability you get, going through the game again to find them all would be a different experience. Also including a level editor for you to make your own levels, Youropa offers plenty of variety and longevity. There’s no doubt the gravity-defying nature of the game is Youropa’s main selling point, and with good reason. For a game that contains no dialogue, Youropa is filled with charm from start to finish.
After completing We Were Here Too, I couldn’t help but wonder if it took the series anywhere new, or whether it could have simply been classed as an expansion to the first. In the end, what I wanted from this title was more; I wanted to do more puzzles in this world, in this unique way, and that’s exactly what We Were Here Too delivers on. The first game was free-to-play but this one isn’t — and if charging a fee is how we get more from this series then that’s alright with me.
I very much enjoyed my time with AER Memories of Old. It’s not perfect; it’s a little on the short side, its puzzles are a bit lacklustre, and it has an overt religious message — although if anything, that it adds to the world that AER creates. It’s beautifully designed, and if you stop often enough to take in your surroundings, you’ll find a very strong, moving narrative. If nothing else, though, it’s just so much fun to fly around.