Alex Beaty
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Writing For
Checkpoint Gaming
WellPlayedLatest Reviews
Since its release on the Nintendo Wii back in 2010, Epic Mickey has been begging for a re-release. Despite getting a sequel that was more widely available, it’s only now that the original game is getting a much-needed update. Announced during a Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase, Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed finally gives the game a new coat of paint. It’s exciting to see this creative Disney title come back to life, but does it live up to its potential, or does it fall short of the maste...
It’s been over eight years since the asymmetric multiplayer horror game Dead By Daylight first shocked players with its brutal gameplay and eclectic roster of characters dubbed killers and survivors. Since DBD’s beginning though there’s always been a call for more. With lore presented throughout the game via little more than short cinematics, stories and flavour text it’s only now that we’ve begun to see this world open up. In the last few years, we’ve had a dating sim and even a ...
The Outlast Trials takes that first-person horror experience we’ve come to know from the franchise and transforms it. Players become part of the game in a way they’ve never been able to before. The Outlast games have always been known to push the barrier with players enduring visceral experiences as they delve into terrifying conspiracies. We were lucky enough to check this one out in early access last year, so has the game progressed now it’s fully released and available on console? Wi...
In recent years, many 4v4 multiplayer arena shooters have been brought to us with varying levels of success. Some, like the crowd-favourite Splatoon series, survive the distance, but most don’t last long. Games such as Knockout City or the soon-to-be-laid-to-rest Rocket Arena are among many other online games that hit the ground running but fail to hook players in the long term. So of course, to chase the oversaturated trend, more are developed in the hopes of cracking the next microtransac...
Cosy games have become somewhat of a megalodon in the gaming space. With genre mainstays like Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley becoming a blueprint for player expectations, it’s been interesting seeing how new games interpret this space. Mineko’s Night Market is an upbeat narrative-driven story game about a girl moving with her father to a small island town and it certainly fits the cosy game niche well.
Few horror films have garnered such a bloody and macabre reputation as The Texas Chain Saw Massacre series, so it’s only right that a game adaptation be just as terrifying. While fans are used to the plight of the victims in the movies, the game also lets players rev the chainsaw and become one of the dreadful killers that appear in the films. With roots in the horror asynchronous genre, many are quite familiar with the aim of the game, but how does an iconic IP make it it’s own? Give the...
Few horror games have garnered a reputation like the Amnesia series. Now spanning four separate games, the series is an anthology of experiences that draw on the works of H.P. Lovecraft. Amnesia: The Bunker is the latest from the IP and it’s a fascinating turn indeed. Set during World War 1, you play as French soldier, Henri Clément, who after a very close call with death, awakens in the sick room of a Bunker that’s been torn apart.
Minecraft Legends is the next anticipated game in the Minecraft franchise, though it isn’t quite the sandbox game you might be expecting. Legends is made in a new mold entirely, pulling back the game’s original freedom for a focused action-strategy experience that puts the player in control of new and familiar mobs to fight back a piglin uprising. In recent years, we’ve seen the franchise explore other genres with the standout being Minecraft Dungeons which is still receiving paid DLC u...
Telling stories isn’t always the focus in puzzle games, but Storyteller makes the story itself the puzzle. Players become a sort of narrator, having full control of all elements of the story. The goal is to tell the tale, but it’s not always as easy as you might think. Players have control of everything from the setting to the characters and the events that transpire as you build the narrative. The story takes shape through its archetypes and building blocks, with a mere title being the o...
As far as genre mashups go, Metroidvanias and Souls-likes are often a match made in heaven. Ghost Song, one of the newest kids on the block, attempts just this blend. An atmospheric and melancholic journey through an obtuse narrative, your time on an alien planet will leave you questioning more than just your purpose there. Originally beginning development in 2013 before receiving over US $54,000 from a Kickstarter campaign, Ghost Song has come a long way from the game pitched on the crowdfun...