Reviews

Freelance Game Reviews Portfolio

I write game reviews for a range of UK and US publications, covering a wide range of genres and formats.

Click article titles below for external links to the original material, where available.

For my features portfolio click here.

Highlights

The Last Worker - A dystopian satire on automation that labours its point

Rock Paper Shotgun | March 2023

Scorn - "Captures the sense of a place that's truly alien"

Gamesradar+ | October 2022

A Plague Tale: Requiem - A sequel that gets all its rats in a row

PC Gamer | October 2022

Weird West is an ambitious RPG that bites off more than it can chew

Washington Post | March 2022

Far Cry 6

Edge Magazine | November 2021

Returnal - Endless runner and gunner

Wireframe Magazine | July 2021

‘Ninja Gaiden Master Collection’: three slices of ninja action chart the highs and lows of a series

NME | June 2021

Ghost of Tsushima Has Atmosphere and Sharp Combat But Too Much Filler

Video Games Chronicle | July 2020

Lost Ember conjures up an epic animal adventure, but can’t deliver on its promise

Polygon | November 2019

All Reviews

Everspace 2

Edge Magazine | April 2023

Dead Island 2 review - a bludgeoning zombie sequel

Whynow Gaming | April 2023

Road 96: Mile 0 - Teen spirit

Whynow Gaming | April 2023

The Last Worker - A dystopian satire on automation that labours its point

Rock Paper Shotgun | March 2023

Dredge - Catch of the day

Whynow Gaming | March 2023

Deliver Us Mars

Edge Magazine | March 2023

Storyteller - A short but sweet puzzle game about building tall tales

PC Gamer | March 2023

Clash Artifacts of Chaos - Flips God of War on its head

PC Gamer | March 2023

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty - "Builds on the core quality of the Nioh games"

Gamesradar+ | March 2023

Returnal - an immaculate third-person shooter that may keep you in its loop forever

Rock Paper Shotgun | February 2023

Octopath Traveler 2 - "Seems afraid to escape the limitations of the first game"

Gamesradar+ | February 2023

Wanted: Dead - "The well of ideas runs dry all too soon"

Gamesradar+ | February 2023

Inkulinati turns farting animals into a cunning strategy game

PC Gamer | January 2023

The Devil in Me

Edge Magazine | January 2023

Gungrave GORE

Edge Magazine | January 2023

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion has plenty to offer as a remaster

Video Games Chronicle | December 2022

The Chant

Edge Magazine | December 2022

A Little to the Left - Everything in its place

Wireframe Magazine | December 2022

Marvel's Midnight Suns - "A superhero game that wants you to stop and smell the flowers"

Gamesradar+ | November 2022

Evil West - Pitting cowboys against vampires in a beefy brawler

PC Gamer | November 2022

Somerville - A narrative adventure that turns the apocalypse into a slog

PC Gamer | November 2022

Saturnalia - Murder in the Dark

Wireframe Magazine | November 2022

Pentiment - "It's like scampering around inside a 16th century comic book"

Gamesradar+ | November 2022

Serial Cleaners - All Cops Are Bozos

Wireframe Magazine | November 2022

Signalis - "Adheres too closely to Resident Evil's aging rules"

Gamesradar+ | October 2022

A Plague Tale: Requiem - A sequel that gets all its rats in a row

PC Gamer | October 2022

Scorn - "Captures the sense of a place that's truly alien"

Gamesradar+ | October 2022

Saint's Row - Raucous open-world reboot has little guile or personality

Wireframe Magazine | October 2022

Dome Keeper - Mine for your life in this smart, condensed roguelike

PC Gamer | September 2022

Soulstice - "A disorderly and aggressively tepid experience"

Gamesradar+ | September 2022

Rebuild civilisation on the back of a giant dinosaur in The Wandering Village

PC Gamer | September 2022

Endling: Extinction Is Forever - An awkward environmental tail

Wireframe Magazine | September 2022

Escape Academy - Your chance to become the master of unlocking

PLAY Magazine | August 2022

Rollerdrome - "Reaches impressive heights, but keeps dropping back down to earth"

GamesRadar+ | August 2022

Thymesia is a love letter to From Software with killer combat

Washington Post | August 2022

Stray - A sparkling feline adventure that always lands on its feet

PC Gamer | July 2022

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge

Edge Magazine | July 2022

Madison - photograph your inner demons

NME | July 2022

Eternal Threads - A Timely Intervention

Wireframe Magazine | July 2022

Cuphead: The DLC - Sharpen your knives and reflexes for this tasty side dish

PC Gamer | June 2022

A Monster's Expedition - A puzzle game about felling trees. Try not to get stumped

PLAY Magazine | June 2022

Final Vendetta - A robust brawler short on modern sophistication

NME | June 2022

Silt

Edge Magazine | June 2022

The Quarry - Supermassive's latest is a refined horror romp that hits a few snags

PC Gamer | June 2022

Card Shark - Cheat the rich in a unique indie with plenty of aces up its sleeve

NME | June 2022

Best Month Ever! - Asleep at the wheel

Wireframe Magazine | June 2022

Wildcat Gun Machine - Its meow is worse than its bite

Wireframe Magazine | June 2022

Scourgebringer - Rage against the machines in a relentless roguelite

PLAY Magazine | May 2022

The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story succeeds as a FMV whodunnit

Washington Post | May 2022

Dorfromantik

Edge Magazine | May 2022

Trek to Yomi review - “An eager disciple, but hasn’t mastered the way of the warrior”

GamesRadar+ | May 2022

Abermore - All your vase are belong to us

Wireframe Magazine | May 2022

Orbital Bullet review: This roguelite has us going around in circles

Wireframe Magazine | May 2022

Chinatown Detective Agency

Edge Magazine | April 2022

Weird West is an ambitious RPG that bites off more than it can chew

Washington Post | March 2022

Far: Changing Tides

Edge Magazine | March 2022

Syberia: The World Before’ - a heartfelt and compelling point and click adventure

NME | March 2022

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin - "Not entirely awful, but alarmingly unrefined"

GamesRadar+ | March 2022

OlliOlli World - A skate to victory

Wireframe Magazine | March 2022

Please, Touch the Artwork

Edge Magazine | February 2022

‘Kingdom of the Dead’: a proficient ‘Doom’-laden FPS that lacks bite

NME | February 2022

Sifu is a kung-fu game to die for

Video Games Chronicle | February 2022

Aeterna Noctis - A hard day's night and then some

Wireframe Magazine | February 2022

White Shadows - For the birds

Wireframe Magazine | February 2022

‘Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection’: still spectacular, still flawed

NME | January 2022

Nobody Saves the World: DrinkBox's latest is a delightfully silly dungeon-crawler.

PC Gamer | January 2022

Tunche - Stumble in the Jungle

Wireframe Magazine | January 2022

In Sound Mind - Running out of patients

Wireframe Magazine | January 2022

The Eternal Cylinder

Edge Magazine | December 2021

The Gunk - "In this alien world, the challenges are too routine and familiar"

GamesRadar+ | December 2021

Chorus - "Conjures the feel of a good Star Wars battle scene"

GamesRadar+ | December 2021

Solar Ash: Shadow of the Colossus meets Jet Set Radio in a sci-fi stunner

Video Games Chronicle | December 2021

The Legend of Tianding - For the many, and the kung-fu

Wireframe Magazine | December 2021

Hoa - Sunny delight

Wireframe Magazine | November 2021

Far Cry 6

Edge Magazine | November 2021

‘Darkest Dungeon 2’: How Redhook Studios are reinventing their roguelike classic

NME | November 2021

‘Tandem: A Tale Of Shadows’: pleasing puzzles but short on character

NME | October 2021

‘JETT: The Far Shore’: an interstellar spiritual journey that feels too emotionally distant

NME | October 2021

The Ascent - The only way is up

Wireframe Magazine | October 2021

Roguebook - Nothing like getting lost in a good book

Wireframe Magazine | October 2021

A Tale of Synapse: The Chaos Theories - Less than the sum of its parts?

Wireframe Magazine | October 2021

‘Eastward’: An artful ode to classic JRPGs that doesn’t know when to stop talking

NME | September 2021

Deathloop is one of the smartest games of the year

Video Games Chronicle | September 2021

‘Lost in Random’: an enjoyable dark fairy tale marred by plodding action

NME | September 2021

Minute of Islands - Desert island risks

Wireframe Magazine | September 2021

Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights - The blight to remain silent

Wireframe Magazine | September 2021

Cris Tales - Time management skills required

Wireframe Magazine | September 2021

In ‘No More Heroes 3’ fan service beats out punk edge and innovation

Washington Post | August 2021

‘Twelve Minutes’: a rich, evolving puzzle where frustration is part of the fun

NME | August 2021

‘Road 96’: interactive storytelling at its finest

NME | August 2021

‘Glitchpunk’ offers a cyberpunk take on both ‘Grand Theft Auto’ and early access instability

NME | August 2021

Necromunda: Hired Gun - A Rusted Development

Wireframe Magazine | August 2021

Stonefly - Bug-ridden

Wireframe Magazine | August 2021

‘Eldest Souls’: a stripped-down and finely crafted 2D Soulslike

NME | July 2021

‘Last Stop’ is an entertaining boxset of interactive stories

Washington Post | July 2021

Returnal - Endless runner and gunner

Wireframe Magazine | July 2021

World Splitter - Dimension hopping in a world divided

Wireframe Magazine | July 2021

‘Legend of Mana’: A visually sharp remaster that could do with further refinement

NME | June 2021

‘Scarlet Nexus’: A tale of psychic powers that might overload your brain

NME | June 2021

Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade: A classy addition to one of last year's best games

Video Games Chronicle | June 2021

‘Ninja Gaiden Master Collection’: three slices of ninja action chart the highs and lows of a series

NME | June 2021

I Saw Black Clouds - Alone in the Dark

Wireframe Magazine | June 2021

BIomutant: A wasted potential

Video Games Chronicle | May 2021

Resident Evil Village: Capcom takes seven, adds four, and turns it up to eleven

Video Games Chronicle | May 2021

Mundaun - Drawn to death

Wireframe Magazine | May 2021

Narita Boy - Saving the world 16 bits at a time

Wireframe Magazine | May 2021

'R-Type Final 2': a shoot-’em-up revival that doesn’t quite hit the target

NME | May 2021

Oddworld Soulstorm: Plenty of smart ideas, but few of them gel

Video Games Chronicle | April 2021

Curse of the Dead Gods - Let sleeping gods lie

Wireframe Magazine | April 2021

Gods Will Fall - Make your makers meet their makers

Wireframe Magazine | April 2021

Woodsalt - Ambling without momentum

Wireframe Magazine | March 2021

Bravely Default 2: A tactically smart JRPG that lacks a sense of adventure

Video Games Chronicle | February 2021

Little Nightmares 2: A confident and wonderfully horrible sequel

Video Games Chronicle | February 2021

Carto - mapping all over the world

Wireframe Magazine | January 2021

Cyberpunk 2077 PS4: CDPR’s vision is heavily compromised

Video Games Chronicle | December 2020

Foregone - pleasing rhythm, plain design

Wireframe Magazine | December 2020

‘Twin Mirror’: a forgettable murder mystery in small town America

NME | December 2020

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla - A Hearty, Bawdy Viking Feast of a Game

Video Games Chronicle | November 2020

Spelunky 2 review - live, die, repeat

Wireframe Magazine | November 2020

‘Vigil: The Longest Night’: A 2D action RPG full of mystery and horror

NME | October 2020

Those Who Remain - Fumbling around in the Dark

Wireframe Magazine | October 2020

No Straight Roads - The right notes, just not necessarily in the right order

Wireframe Magazine | October 2020

Marvel’s Avengers Forces the World’s Mightiest Heroes on a Tedious Grind

Video Games Chronicle | September 2020

Atomicrops - Farmed and dangerous

Wireframe Magazine | September 2020

‘Mortal Shell’: a compact action RPG that’s often overly familiar

NME | August 2020

Peaky Blinders: Mastermind - an Inventive but Lightweight Take on the TV Show

Video Games Chronicle | August 2020

Jet Lancer - More of a Goose than a Maverick

Wireframe Magazine | August 2020

One Step From Eden - mind-merging

Wireframe Magazine | July 2020

Ghost of Tsushima Has Atmosphere and Sharp Combat But Too Much Filler

Video Games Chronicle | July 2020

Streets of Rage 4 - batter up!

Wireframe Magazine | July 2020

The Last of Us 2 Is Naughty Dog's Greatest Game

Video Games Chronicle | June 2020

Bloodroots - Revenge is a dish best used as a weapon

Wireframe Magazine | June 2020

Help Will Come Tomorrow - Desperate struggle in the bleak midwinter

Wireframe Magazine | June 2020

Resident Evil 3 - STARS in his eyes

Wireframe Magazine | May 2020

Murder by Numbers - a visual novel/puzzler hybrid with heart

Wireframe Magazine | April 2020

Final Fantasy 7 Remake Is a Magical Retelling of a Timeless Classic

Video Games Chronicle | April 2020

Skellboy - A hero with no skin in the game

Wireframe Magazine | March 2020

Nioh 2 Review: “Makes bold strides forward where it really counts”

GamesRadar+ | March 2020

Journey to the Savage Planet - Metroid Primary Colours

Wireframe Magazine | February 2020

Sparklite - feature-lite

Wireframe Magazine | February 2020

Arise: A Simple Story - A tale as old as time travel

Wireframe Magazine | January 2020

Concrete Genie - steps on the cracks

Wireframe Magazine | December 2019

Lost Ember conjures up an epic animal adventure, but can’t deliver on its promise

Polygon | November 2019

The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening - curiously contemporary

Wireframe Magazine | November 2019

Felix the Reaper

Edge Magazine | November 2019

Creature in the Well - Pinball playing robots

Wireframe Magazine | October 2019

Astral Chain - a Platinum effort

Wireframe Magazine | September 2019

Nintendo's Daemon X Machina Is an Uneven Shooter

Video Games Chronicle | September 2019

The Church in the Darkness - The first cult is the deepest

Wireframe Magazine | August 2019

Sea of Solitude - You're never alone with your inner demons

Wireframe Magazine | August 2019

Fire Emblem Three Houses Is Impressive and Exhausting

Video Games Chronicle | July 2019

Second Symphony: How Bloodstained Makes Castlevania Sing Again

Kotaku UK | July 2019

Judgment - Would a Yakuza by another name smell as sweet?

Wireframe Magazine | July 2019

A Plague Tale: Innocence - verminmania

Wireframe Magazine | May 2019

Katana Zero

Edge Magazine | May 2019

Steamworld Quest - Knights made of shining armour

Wireframe Magazine | May 2019

Left Alive - If only they'd put it out of its misery

Wireframe Magazine | April 2019

The Stillness of the Wind - The old woman who stares at goats

Wireframe Magazine | March 2019

Baba Is You - a boundary-pushing puzzler

Wireframe Magazine | March 2019

Wargoove - Groove is in the art... of war

Wireframe Magazine | February 2019

Big Ideas That Are All in Vane

Kotaku UK | January 2019

Desert Child - Chilled out racing on Mars

Wireframe Magazine | January 2019