Borderlands 2

Next year, I'm not going to follow such a strict format on this blog. I don't feel happy reviewing games I haven't completed, even if I've put more hours into them than many games I actually finished. I guess this is stating the obvious, but I didn't finish Borderlands 2.

You know what I did finish? Borderlands 1. Every single mission in the main campaign, all of Zombie Island, all of General Knoxx bar Crawmerax and all of Robot Revolution bar the end boss. I didn't finish that end boss as a load of mid-bosses regenerated on my way to it, and I didn't play any of Mad Moxxi as it seemed more focused on multiplayer. And those two things haunted me throughout the sequel.

When I played the original, I hadn't played much in the way of RPG's and Borderlands was the game where a lot of RPGS stuff suddenly clicked with me. Grinding, levelling, skill trees- a whole new world opened to me, and I don't know what appealed more to me, the game or a previously inaccessible genre opening up to me.

People said that playing solo was a slog, but I didn't notice that at the time, but it leaps out at me this time. I've seen so many reviews compliment the multiplayer, and I can't help but feel that was the problem. If I had someone helping me, I wouldn't have been dying every few minutes or so concerned about regenerating mid-bosses.

If I'd have stuck to my original class of Soldier rather than Gunzerker, I might have enjoyed it. If the recent patch would have toned down the regenerating enemies, I might have enjoyed it. But I didn't enjoy it, and the original- that game I spent 70 hours levelling up to 45- no longer seems my favourite game of this generation.

Lollipop Chainsaw

I really enjoyed everything I played by Japanese developer Suda 51, but his last game, Shadow Of The Damned seemed a real unexpected treat.

Unsurprisingly Lollipop Chainsaw feels like a similar game, just without the contributions from (Resident Evil creator) Shinji Mikami, because that's what it is. And while Chainsaw feels a shallower game without Mikami's contributions, you do appreciate Suda's wild imagination & flair.

This game's equivalent of Johnston is Rick, your boyfriend's head, decapitated to prevent spread of zombification. Personally, I thought James Gunn's dialogue between Rick & Juliet was a game highlight.

I can't deny it feels a little short, the combat is a little basic & some of the arcade mini games were frustrating. But it's got charm & replay value- I was determined to try and save all the students and get the unlockables. Oh and a kick ass soundtrack- the most frustrating of those mini games was aost enjoyable set to Human League's "Empire State Human".

Suda 51 still works better as a collaborative designer, but is still capable of shining when solo.

7.0/10

Hotline Miami

At a time when violence in America seems to be reaching fever pitch, it seems video games are going to get a lot of bad press. Hotline Miami is the kind of game that seems like the press is looking for as a scapegoat; before the killings, the games champions would describe it as a "murder simulator".

This is incredibly misleading; the game play feels far more like a puzzle game- it constantly feels like you're on a roll in a game of Tetris, and its only after you realise the blocks are made of severed limbs.

The points after the gameplay sections set the tone; they constantly seem to be making you question if what your character is doing is real and if so, why they are doing it. There's a section late in the game where I realised that I was killing characters I may not even needed to have killed to complete the level. I still slaughtered everything that moved.

Even though you will likely die hundreds of times during the game, it doesn't feel hard, or at least not unfair. Levels are generally short when you've got the feel of them and checkpoints are on each floor of the level.

I got hooked to HM, and am still playing it after completion to try and get more of the secrets. The music, aesthetics and gameplay compliment each other, making on of this years best games and one deserving of the hype and accolades it has received.

10/10.