Conor Rafferty

OPINION: Microsoft layoffs and Xbox Game Pass has me re-evaluating my position as a consumer. OPINION: Maybe it’s time for us all to start paying for our games again.

GamePass has been great for our wallets. But perhaps it’s time we changed our habits?

Cyberpunk 2077:

Fun to play, always interesting to explore, visually stunning. A masterpiece in game design. One of the best games you can possibly play this current generation. Nothing ever felt a chore at any point and every one of my 100 hours played was worth it.

10/10

You’re hamstrung by poor recruitment and financial mismanagement and won’t be able to fix the squad entirely in 1 season, maybe even 2. Why the constant need to go through open heart surgery like this from clubs by changing philosophies constantly? Baffling.

Amorim will be a poor appointment from Man United. Not because he himself is poor, but the fit was wrong from the start in terms of systems and players available to play it. Why do clubs chase pipe dreams of ‘3-4-3 inverted wingers’ when they’ve not built squads to play that way?

Operation "Titans for Super Bowl LXI" underway.

I'll be honest, if Simu Liu can bring us a Sleeping Dogs film/series and a sequel to the game. Then i'll revise my initial thoughts about him.

Gretna 2007/08
Falkirk 2018/19

You have to worry for Bioware now. Mass Effect feels like its last roll of the dice, and considering they haven’t made a cultural hit for nearly 13 years it seems unlikely one is coming any time soon.

Black Ops 6 Campaign.

Packed with gameplay variety but still nails the classic COD gunplay. Great setting, cool characters, and very memorable missions. A campaign masterclass that sits up there with the best in the series to date.

10/10

COD: Black Ops 3 (Campaign).

A horrendous slurry of nonsensical elements thrown together in the name of some sci-fi futuristic shooter, a drab plot that thinks it’s smarter than it is, playing it is merely passable only through short runtime and usual COD gunplay. Boring.

5/10

Sackboy: A Big Adventure.

A quirky, well put together 3D platformer that perhaps doesn’t reinvent itself often enough towards the end to keep up its sense of fun and by the end you’re mentally done with repeating its levels to collect enough orbs to move forward.

6.5/10

Callisto Protocol.

Incredible Audio/Visuals and a methodical combat system that pair up for a decent horror experience. Some sections drag and the game repeats itself too often to the point of nullifying its scare ability. Plot is okay at best and mostly window dressing.

7.5/10

FF7: Crisis Core.

An excellent remastering of a long caged away PSP classic, with a weird storyline and wonderful characters that elevate it higher. But despite its up haul it still has its clunkier handheld ghosts lingering over its gameplay and some presentation.

8/10

Still Wakes the Deep:

A very well crafted atmospheric horror that finally has well written and voiced Scottish characters. Moment to moment gameplay can be thin beyond ‘walking sim’ but the shorter runtime meant it didn’t bore. Also bonus point for having Karen Dunbar.

8/10

COD: MW3 (Campaign)

A half baked, Warzone filled, sloppy mess that can go down as the worst COD campaign ever. Whether 5 minute long missions or lazy asset flip open map sections it lacks any depth. The story retreads old ground without a slither of its previous heights.

4/10

Star Wars: Clone Wars (2002)

Relived core memories of renting this from blockbuster. Its daft fun focused on vehicle/flying combat with good sized maps that do well to make you feel part of a bigger Clone War. Lock on mechanics a bit fiddly and on foot sections are weak

9/10

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

Quirky with great vibes throughout. But the gameplay is dated and restrictive, the investigation elements can feel a bit like guesswork and frustrating. Cases can drag too long and entire sections can feel like visual novels and kill the fun.

6/10

Slaycation.

A fun twin stick shooter with some tower defence mechanics. Quirky setting with good humour throughout, but missing co-op for any long term replay-ability beyond just playing maps on harder levels. Good fun overall but thin beyond 5/6 hours.

7.5/10

Titan Chaser.

Atmospheric indie title that despite its very janky exterior maintains an eery Twin Peaks like vibe of a town on lockdown due to Titans you must divert away to safety. Made by one guy in Ukraine it’s an interesting title that is just about worth it’s 3 hours.

6/10

LAD: Ishin!

A unique story from the Yakuza creators that pivot their characters and gameplay into 1860s Japan. Sword play is fun but a weak upgrade system, substories, open world, and technical issues can leave this one feeling more of a drag. In chunks of its runtime.

6.5/10

The Long Reach.

Interesting puzzle adventure with a story that has you questioning what is real and imaginary. Puzzles can be a bit too much guess work and forces a lot of backtracking within it’s environments. Worth a run for the story mostly.

6/10

I dream of you and ice cream.

A really interesting indie title. Consistently creepy and intriguing setting with some gameplay compromising of interesting puzzles. Very much worth a play for 2 hours and a couple of £.

8/10

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty.

An enjoyable, fast paced take, on the Souls like genre with great combat. The Three Kingdoms setting is great with a plethora of names from it. English voice acting is questionable and the game can outstay its welcome just a tad too long.

8/10

Venba -

A lovely, yet heartbreaking, look into the lives of an Indian immigrant family and their battle with cultural identity through cooking based puzzles. A really pleasant play on Game Pass at just 2 hours long, that will have you thinking on your family relationships

10/10

Vanquish -

Looks like the 360 generation action shooter it is (grey), but despite that the gunplay and movement mechanics holds up exceptionally well. A fun game throughout the 5/6 hours despite its intentional B-Movie plot. Well worth a go if you missed it before.

9/10

Resident Ev 3 Remake -

Not on the same level as 2, but a more action packed entry in comparison to it. Great way to finally play an RE storyline I never have. Very short but I didn’t mind that. Looks great, plays great. Would have hated paying full price, but worth £10.

7.5/10

LAD: Gaiden -

Some of the best combat of the series to date. Colosseum is one of the best side activities ever. From start to finish it’s filled with nods to the older entries. Ties in nicely to LAD 7 and sets up the next entry. A lot shorter than normal Yakuza entries.

9/10

Jusant -

A pleasant 5 hour experience based upon free climbing through a near inhospitable world. It’s gives you enough information in it’s environment to keep you going to make you find out more about it. Climbing is fluid and fun but gameplay remains samey throughout.

8/10

COD: Cold War -

Felt a short campaign even by COD standards. Also tried to capture the Black Ops magic but it never quite hit those highs and the twists were obvious. Some mission structures were interesting but it’s probably one of my more forgettable campaigns.

7/10

Sakura Wars -

A slow paced game with questionable writing. At its best when it focuses the plot more onto the action, but the gameplay that accompanies is still shallow and sporadic, while having to wade through a mire of relationship building side-stories to get there.

5/10