Recent reviews by SimplyMonkey

I've given this a thumbs down however if you, like me, played this when it first came out on PS1 then it is a great nostalgia trip. I played the game from start to finish on Steam Deck and encountered no issues. Overall I had a decent time reliving memories of first playing this but the game doesn't hold up.

As a game, FF8 is one of the weakest in the series. It's Junction system where you assign "Guardian Forces" and Magic ("GFs" - FF8 version of a summon) can be broken so much that it makes the game a cake walk before the end of disc 1 without much work. This remaster has updated a few things, especially the in-game character models but I would have liked to see more polish from a remaster.

Aside from Squall who has become iconic with his cool Gunblade, the other characters fail to make a mark on FF history and are largely forgetful (I had a actually forgotten Irvine was in this when I started my recent playthrough). The romance between Rinoa and Squall feels incredible forced. The story also takes some "convenient" turns that use concepts such as "memory loss" to push the plot along. The big bad in the game is also forgettable and you don't really get much time to understand her reasons or motivations. Gunblade aside, Seifer is also super lame.

Overall, this is still a decent JRPG and isn't the worst FF game, however when put alongside its other PS titles like 7 and 9, it really is a thorn between two roses.

I'm 70 hours in right now and nowhere near done. Simply put, this is one of the best RPGs ever made.

Playing exclusively on the Steam Deck with a mixture of High and Med settings and it runs great.

This recommendation is with the caveat that you can get the game on sale. I played through the main story once on Steam Deck with very no major issues. It took around 10 hours to complete.

This game is what you get if you cross God of War (2018) with The Order: 1886, and sprinkle in a bit of the TV Show "The Strain". At first I really liked the gameplay loop, but around the 5 hour mark you will realize that each mission entails doing the same thing, and by the end of the game I'd become a bit bored. Midway through the story also starts to stutter and some missions feel like filler. That said, the overall story was decent enough, and the characters were pretty cool with a creepy nemesis in the form of a young girl turned vampire.

The setting of the Wild West mixed with the occult and supernatural is a really cool idea, and the gameplay is good if repetative. If you can pick this up for cheap, you wont regret it as it's a good time for what it is.

If you're a fan of Terminator this is definitely a game you should be playing. It's the best story to come out of the franchise since T2 and ties really well into the main story. The gameplay is satisfying and you feel a genuine sense of fear when you first encounter a Terminator!

This studio clearly has a love for older sci-fi movies and has managed to fill this game full of nostalgia while at the same time crafting a really fun gaming experience.

I played this game from start to finish on the Steam Deck and it worked well without any issues.

Played on Steam Deck in full. Run's flawlessly.

This is such an under-rated game that has a story that hooked me from start to finish. Interesting characters and a Japanese crime story that takes twists and turns throughout. While the combat is a little dated and clunky, the connection to the story and characters more than makes up for it. It's a great kick off to the story of the Yakuza series.

This is one of those games where I find myself smiling every time I play. I grew up with the Harry Potter books and movies, and this game compliments them by slotting smoothly into the lore and continues the world building for the benefit of the franchise. It's got a great mix of fantastic gameplay which makes you feel like you're a powerful witch/wizard, awesome characters that I enjoy engaging with and a storyline that hooks you from the start. I highly recommend this game even for people not familiar with Harry Potter. 9/10.

From the minute I played the demo I was hooked. This is a fantastic take on football management. It takes aspects from games like XCOM and plugs them well into a sports setting. It's an easy game to understand but a difficult one to master. Taking a club from National League obscurity to Premier League glory has never been so satisfying.
Steam deck note: It runs well except for a couple of crashes, thankfully the frequent saving avoids a lot of frustration.

This game is a blast but it is pretty short. It also becomes very clear early on that it's basically a wave fighter. The game takes you through various areas and you have to fight waves of enemies until the path opens up again. Luckily, the combat is satisfying and the game does a good job of making you feel like you're an Ultramarine capable of amazing feats. I'd recommend if you're looking for a quick (7 hours-ish) romp through the 40k Universe. Even more so given the sequel has been announced and it will carry on the story of this game.

I'd recommend this game if you are a fan of the Mafia franchise. There are better open world games out there but this game series grabs me and I really enjoyed the third installment. I didn't have any issues with perfomance, running a steady 60 fps at most times with my 1070. The story is nothing out of the ordinary, it's a revenge story so you'll see the plot coming a mile off but it's still enjoyable (though not as good as Mafia 2). The game can get repetative but played in short bursts I found it enjoyable. Gunplay and driving are really well done and the DLC is pretty good if a bit short.

I got this game as part of the Humble Bundle early access with two other games for $15 approx and of course it's worth it at that price, I'm glad I didn't pay full RRP though as it's a decent game but one with many flaws.

I would definetely recommend this game as the gameplay is a lot of fun and leaves you feeling like one of the coolest assassins ever. That said, the story goes from engaging (full of political intrigue and twists) to ending rushed and I felt a bit deflated.

The game gives you a few different routes to take on the way to completing your objectives and the side quests are cool, though there aren't that many of them. A couple of missions make up some of my favourite in all the games I've played.

Haven't played the DLC (yet) though from what I read they add another 8-10 hours of gameplay. Main story on a "no-kill" run took me around 10-12 hours while finding most of the collectibles and, as I said, not killing. I imagine if you run in all guns blazing you can go through quicker.

All in all, a good game and I have my eyes on the sequel.