Jordan Helm
This author account hasn't been claimed yet. To claim this account, please contact the outlet owner to request access.
Writing For
Hardcore Gamer Latest Reviews
Building on everything that was great about the original -- from enemy variety to boss design to the means by which one can customize their play-style -- Remnant II just about scrapes by with a follow-up that befits the mantle of "bigger, better, bolder" in numerous ways. The dangling and...
A feature-rich (at times astonishingly so) package of content -- major, minor and entirely optional alike -- Nihon Falcom have proven once again with Trails into Reverie why they remain one of the best and most renowned RPG developers still going. The story of Reverie may find itself branching out...
Far from the most inventive or unique take on the puzzle-platformer formula, Planet of Lana mitigates its relatively-safe gameplay with a striking visual style and a surprisingly compelling use of music alongside. In a genre so used to feelings of helplessness, hostility and horror, Planet of Lana serves up a...
From a studio having delivered far better and should in all likelihood have done so once more, Redfall is an uncharacteristically poor and cobbled-together brand of tedium. Though pockets of the developer's signature traits remain when it comes to exploration, level design and reading up on the world of this...
Nearly a decade on, Teslagrad 2 strides into view where the original left off, with a modest but still entertaining palette of magnetism-based gameplay and precision-platforming alike. A justifiable approach from Rain Games in parts given how easy it is to grapple with, though one that isn't as bold and...
For those more than happy with a brief game with a singular-though-solid concept at its heart, Storyteller serves up a pleasant, though far from extraordinary, take on the art of narration. A premise, though novel in its approach and easy to grasp from the word go, that sadly stops short...
Occasionally let down by a PS4 release that unlike its Switch and PC equivalents lacks the visual sharpness and touch ups to its evident age, The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure caps off the two-part Crossbell arc in satisfying fashion. A fitting, perhaps convenient, time then to finally have...
Exactly what fans of the series have come to expect, whilst still providing one or two interesting deviations in gameplay along the way, Like A Dragon: Ishin! fuses familiar traits with a delightfully-versatile combat system to great effect. Those worried that a game both spin-off in nature and far-flung from...
Already a masterstroke of design and execution on original release, Metroid Prime Remastered goes one better in cementing Retro's debut Metroid outing as one of gaming's greatest evolutions of a series. Still as brilliant to replay all these years later, now with added customization and improved technical details that are...
Sequels that don't quite match the lightning-in-a-bottle status of its originator are nothing new. But it's telling when a game like Sports Story regresses so much that the follow-up to one of 2017's most charming and delightful little adventures is as miserable and misguided a release as it is. A...
Cleverly-orchestrated, if sadly a little on the abrupt side due to its short run-time, Melatonin's way with visuals is matched only by its delightful and genuine sense of challenge across its myriad of rhythm encounters. A shame then that despite a more than solid foundation, the game doesn't go out...
Confused, contradictory and all too reliant on what came before, fantastic visuals that may stand as one of the current-gen's best can't save what's a terribly underwhelming release with The Callisto Protocol. A game that tries so desperately to be acknowledged for its own identity, all while relying on its...
