Review No. 147 Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection - PS4 (16+)

Strong Points:
Strong characters
Humour
Stunning graphics, detail and animation
Great set pieces
Intriguing story...
Great use of parkour, especially in the latter two games...
Nice gunplay
Throwing grenades back mechanic adds a touch more strategy... (Uncharted 3)
Brilliant voice acting
Great value for money (the collection)

Weak Points:
...That sometimes feels too quick or too long
Jet-ski levels (Uncharted 1)
...Although the objects used can be quite samey (Uncharted 1)
...Until you throw a grenade at a wall (Uncharted 3)
Sometimes feels like there's little point to any of this
Some large difficulty spikes
Detailed environments but lack of climbable objects (Uncharted 2/3)
Boss fights (Uncharted 1/2)
The villains don't get quite the attention of the heroes

Video Game Character of the Month - March 2019 - Lydia - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Video Game Character of the Month

March 2019
Lydia
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Overview:
'I am your sword, and your shield'. Thanks Lydia, but now that I have Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield (there, Satamer, is that enough of a plug?) I don't really need you to be. 'I am sworn to carry your burdens'. Terrific, but I'm telling you that I don't need your service anymore. 'I am sworn to protect you'. Seriously, Lydia, you can leave. 'I have a bad feeling about this'. Alright, what if I give you the prestigious Video Game Character of the Month award? Then will you leave? 'As you wish, my Thane'. Fantastic.
And now for a little bit of information on Lydia:

Film Review No. 47 The Favourite (15+)

Strong Points:
Great production design
Interesting camera shots
Good acting from all
Great casting
Some bits of humour
Original story
Characters constantly change status, including in the minds of the audience
Lots of subtext in dialogue

Weak Points:
Some odd camera shots
Some odd plot choices
Gratuitous with language and sex

Some spoilers below:

Video Game Character of the Month - February 2019 - Tenzin - Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Video Game Character of the Month

February 2019
Tenzin
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Overview:

A trusted protector. Master of the punchline. Wisdom for the ages. Now, if only I (or the game's subtitles) spoke Tibetan. Yes, today we are awarding the VGCOTM to Tenzin from Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, a character who's got two brilliant characteristics - he is almost superhuman and he shares a name with a character from Legend of Korra. What more could you ask for? Besides a universal language
And now for a little bit of information on Tenzin:
Some spoilers for the Uncharted series ahead

Review No. 146 Bioshock 2 Remastered - PC (18+)

Strong Points:
Great expansion of the world
Awesome voice acting
Interesting story concept - communism instead of capitalism
Sense of time running out
Gunplay was mostly great...
Plasmids were also fun...
Choices
Hacking was sped up a lot
Reduced sense of dread made sense in terms of story...

Weak Points:
Crashes
Slow start
Hard mode goes against the game design
...Felt the Rivet Gun wasn't different enough to justify
...Although not very different from the first game
...But removed some of the atmosphere
Removal of choice at one point felt odd

Note: this is a review of The Bioshock Collection rerelease version and won't include multiplayer or Minerva's Den (might come separately)

Also, some spoilers ahead:

Video Game Character of the Month - January 2019 - Master Hand - Super Smash Bros.

Video Game Character of the Month

January 2019
Master Hand
Super Smash Bros.

Overview:
Ah yes, the personification of the creative spirit itself, Master Hand. The greatest being in all of the Super Smash Bros. Universe, nay, the entire universe. Beautiful, all-powerful and... *help*... the greatest *puppet-master* ever. No fighter will ever defeat Master Hand and he will grant himself all the Video Game Character of the Month Awards that he wants... *HE'S WRITING THIS, RU...!*
And now for a little bit of information on Master Hand:
Spoilers for Subspace Emissary and World of Light ahead:

New Years Resolutions Version 6.0

Ah, the end of the year, who would have thought you'd appear so soon? With life ramping up and changing its workload, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you who have read one of our posts this year. Hopefully, each one has been informative and entertaining - the old adage of quality over quantity should ring true this year. I honestly don't know what the future holds, but this blog should be there, in some capacity, for years to come.

First Impressions Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

A new challenger approaches! And it's... all of them? That's the first thing you'll notice about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - just how much content there is.

Review No. 145 Mr Shifty - PC (12+)

Strong Points:
Great art style
Tongue-in-cheek humour without resorting to vulgarity
Teleport (Shifting) technique
One hit deaths add suspense...
Can pull off great moves
A large array of items at your disposal
Slow-Mo
Shift Meter adds risk and reward
A short, easily digestible game...
Satisfying combat

Weak Points:
...But can also lead to frustration
A few oddly placed checkpoints
Removing the ability to teleport to make the game artificially harder
...Which still suffers pacing problems
A tower block doesn't make for the most interesting environments

Video Game Character of the Month - December 2018 - Clem - Warframe

Video Game Character of the Month

December 2018
Clem
Warframe

Overview:
So, Clem what do you think about earning this prestigious reward?
Clem.
Ah, yes, it really is a high honour, and most deserving to
Clem.
Oh, you want to thank some people?
Clem. 
Your Grakatas. You want to thank your Grakatas?
Clem.
Okay then.
...Clem
...
...
...
Clem
And now, some more information on the enigma that is Clem.