Broken Sword 5: A Serpent's Curse (Xbox One) - Review

Broken Sword 5: A Serpent's Curse will be available on September the 4th on the Xbox One and will be priced at £19.99.

I've been a fan of Broken Sword games as far back as I can remember, when I used to sit and watch my Dad play the first game, The Shadow of the Templars on the old Playstation as a little kid. There was something about it that just captured my attention, and I remember begging my dad not to get rid of it when he'd finished with it because 'one day I want to play it'. I tried and tried on the Playstation to play through it, but only being young I lacked the know how. Years later I got it on the PC and locked myself away until I'd completed it. Since then I've completed each game multiple times and honestly, haven't bored of them yet. I actually bought the first game in iPad too, just because.

Broken Sword 5: A Serpent's Curse was released on Vita about a year ago in two parts. I bought the season pass straight away and threw myself into another adventure with George and Nico. As sad as this sounds, it felt like meeting up with old friends again, the characters are just how I remembered from my last foray into the Broken Sword world. Hell Nico still hasn't changed her outfit!

When I heard about the upcoming release on Xbox One I was super excited to play it again, man, I'm still hoping they'll somehow bring all of the old games to the console!

It doesn't disappoint. For ANYONE who has been a fan of the Broken Sword series, for no matter how long this game is a must buy. It goes back to the Broken Sword days of the original two rather than the fancy 3D graphics of the latter two. And it is all the more brilliant for it! As much as I enjoyed all of the games that Revolution have given me, my heart really does lie with the original two, they are by far the best in my opinion. With 5 they have brought back the 2D backgrounds, but have mapped the characters in 3D, giving it a slightly strange look, but one that totally works.

If you haven't already played the Broken Sword games WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? Go and get one of the older ones on iPad or something and play it. Then come back and play this one. For anyone who hated the 3D games don't be put off buying this one, as it honestly recaptures the greatness of the original two.

I was worried about playing it on a console after really only playing these games on PC's for the most part, but the mapping to the Xbox controller is brilliant and works seamlessly. There were a few moments where I had lined up to click something to examine as George made his way there and missed because he was moving, but that was my fault. I was too impatient to move on and didn't want to wait for George, or Nico to get there. Unfortunately they haven't mastered the art of teleportation just yet.

I'm not gonna ruin story for you, but suffice it to say that it is too the usual standard for a Broken Sword game. There are plenty of characters to talk to as you get to the bottom of what's happened and plenty of good old fashioned puzzles to solve. I really hope that this game is the first of many MANY more to come.

10/10 BUY IT!

A code was provided for the purpose of this review. 

Stick It To The Man (Xbox One) - Review

I bought this on the Vita awhile back and never got round to playing much of it. So when I got sent it to review on the Xbox One I was pretty happy that I skipped the Vita version. This game is now available on a multitude of platforms. So I figured, it must be pretty awesome, for it to warrant releasing on the new gen of consoles long after it was first released.

The idea behind this game is interesting enough and it is pretty novel. You play as Ray, a guy who after an accident at work ends up with a giant purple hand sticking out of his head. You know, as you do. He can use this to help him get around his environments, put stickers down and, weirdly, read peoples minds.

Great cardboard landscapes.

The art style is really cool. The game world is made up of cardboard cut outs, which honestly are pretty gorgeous. It is 2D and this game works all the better for it. The people Ray encounters are all flat paper cut-outs too and the stickers you collect to help solve everyones problems have a really neat white outline on them. The game really is beautiful in quite a non-conventional way.

The soundtrack is relaxing but I think this is quite a downfall. The gameplay itself isn't all that stressful and in parts feels a little boring. Usually a little peppy music would liven these parts up, making the game feel less of a drag until the next good thing happens, but with the peaceful tunes that run through Stick It To The Man you kinda feel like you could fall asleep. And I almost did a few times.

That isn't to say this game doesn't hold some appeal though. It did draw me in for a time and it is an interesting concept. It is a short game, but again I think this only counts in its favour - any longer and it would have been a real drag. As it stands, I'd probably say it could even stand to be a little bit shorter just because, after awhile I was just eagerly anticipating the end.

The annoying thing is I don't have any huge reason for disliking this game. I can't really say that I did thoroughly dislike it. I just can't say I have any particularly positive feelings towards it either. It begins to feel very monotonous fairly early on and this isn't helped by the fact that all the minds that you read seem to repeat pretty often. There are certain times where you'll need to knock a guard asleep by using a 'zzz' sticker, which you will get from reading a guards mind. But each time you have to do this you get the exact same soundbite. It would have been nice to even hear ONE other variation to this really.

I'd say if you're looking to while away a few hours with something a little bit different then this game is worth a punt. Don't go in expecting to be blown away and you probably won't be too disappointed. If you bore easily and hate repetition STAY AWAY!

4/10 TRY IT!

A code was provided for the purpose of this review.