Joseph Sale
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GameSpew Latest Reviews
I accept that this is the simulator genre, which is a whole unique kettle of fish, and Bridge Constructor is not a piss-take like Surgeon Simulator, which deliberately exposes the lunacy of absolute realism; at the same time I can’t get the thought out of my head that life’s too short to play a game that is so, well, mundane. I guess what I’m saying is that for those of you who love bridges and hate monsters and explosions, Bridge Constructor is the one for you. For the rest of us, there’s Gears of War 4.
Overall, all the best aspects of Earthlock can be summed up in its music: hints of the ethereal, the playful and the deeply engrossing, with more profoundly moving melodies each time you listen. Earthlock is not a grand AAA release with next gen graphics, nor is it a strikingly original concept: it has rough edges and elements which could be improved. But, having said all that, I think it is a tremendous achievement and one that you can easily lose yourself in for hours on end, and one that you will certainly feel a burning curiosity to get to the end of once you commit.
Yes, there are issues. It would be nice to be able to play this game offline; it would be nice to have the extra planets added before they released the game; and yes, I worry that essential features will be added to the game in the future and they will not be free, but as it stands, Battlefront is one of the most immersive videogame war experiences of this console generation. In fact, it is one of the most immersive war-games of all time, which is ironic considering it is based on a mythical science-fiction universe, but pains have been taken to create a dirty kind of realism. Watch your character flinch as a laser grazes their shoulder; they stagger on, only to stumble as the shockwave from a thermal imploder rocks the screen. TIE fighters scream overhead, dropping payloads of laser fire, sending your comrades up in flames. It is in many respects a brutal game, reminding us that the Star Wars universe is at its best when it is dark.