Graham Stephen
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GameSpew Latest Reviews
If this is your first time playing the old classic, then Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour is the perfect point of entry into the series. Likewise, if you’re a long time fan and have been out of the loop for a few years, this too is a great time to come back. But if you’ve been playing Duke over the years then the shadey decision by gearbox to pull the Megaton Edition from Steam might leave a sore feeling. The real saving grace, however, is the developer commentary and the new maps, which despite some inconsistent design bring some rather well designed levels in to the mix, and the new lick of paint doesn’t hurt either. It reminds me of the recent new maps by John Romero and how old veterans coming back to their work is a good thing. Despite some minor issues, and some rather low blows by Gearbox, I’d say this is a fine new outing for old man Duke.
After playing for a good few hours, the stat grind will slowly wear you down and you’ll eventually feel like hitting punching bags and doing push-ups in your garage is a little pointless. Imagine if Rocky IV’s hilariously terrible training montage was stretched out for the entire duration of the film and you have the general experience of playing Punch Club. It’s cute for the first two hours, but the grind will wear you out and these moments don’t really carry the same weight as they would have in the film. It’s a fun and addictive introduction to what could have been a really neat management simulator if the momentum of those early grinds had been built upon and expanded rather than simply repeated ad nauseam. Initially, though, Punch Club is a charming and cute look at the American underdog story that has been done to death so many times in Hollywood. It’s just a shame that it outstays its welcome so early on.
Nobunaga’s Ambition: The Sphere of Influence plays it straight, but fair, offering you the right level of politicking versus crushing military battles and financing, but its learning curve leads to a slow start. Really, in the current climate with XCOM 2 on the horizon, Civilization as popular as ever and newcomers such as Endless Legend entering the fray, it has to work extra hard to stand out and I feel that its slightly unfriendly outward appearance may ward off newcomers. But for those that brave the iron curtain, it rewards in buckets.