Reviews by Lewis Denby

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City review

A dismally unimaginative co-op shooter, coupled with a half-finished idea for an intriguing competitive component. Play it in either mode and you’ll be bored or irritated within minutes.

Lewis Denby · March 23, 2012

Staff PC HG exclusive

To the Moon review

Its retro graphics look beautiful. The original soundtrack is utterly stunning. Its story is one of the most confident and grown-up that our medium has ever seen. Don’t approach To the Moon expecting taxing puzzles or combat or stats…

Lewis Denby · March 1, 2012

Staff PC

Unreal review

As a first-person shooter, it’s incredibly competent. Quake 2 might have had the tempo, and Half-Life the suspenseful pacing, but Unreal had the variety and the challenge. Its weapons drew criticism for feeling weak and weedy against the…

Lewis Denby · December 30, 2011

Staff PC

Quake review

Quake still absolutely stands up today. Its visuals might be pixellated, the environments often rather monochrome, as became the running gag. Yet the design of the world is tremendous, the levels balanced, structured and elegantly paced…

Lewis Denby · December 30, 2011

Staff PC

Quake II review

Enemies dart and dodge, firing sprays of bullets in the final seconds of their lives, trying everything they can to bring you down, even if it means losing their own lives in the process. The range of enemies on display is perhaps the only…

Lewis Denby · December 30, 2011

Staff PC

Planescape: Torment review

Planescape’s fiction is perfect: it takes two intrinsic human fears, turns one on its head, and allows the other so much room to breathe. In Planescape, you play as a man who has already lost his entire memory, including that of his own…

Lewis Denby · December 30, 2011

Staff PC

Omikron: The Nomad Soul review

In The Nomad Soul, you don’t play as any of the main characters. Instead, you play as all of them. Sort of. In fact, you play as a person playing a computer game, in which the player plays as a soul who can transfer between different…

Lewis Denby · December 30, 2011

Staff PC Review of the Week

Fallout review

I’ve found Fallout to be enormously irritating. It’s a grotesquely unfriendly game. Its interface is convoluted and confusing. Wandering through the desert early on will almost certainly get you killed by foes you’re totally unequipped to…

Lewis Denby · December 17, 2011

Staff PC Review of the Week

Dreamfall: The Longest Journey review

The central narrative arc is beautiful: this is a game which expands on its predecessor’s coming of age story, and presents something altogether more grown-up. If The Longest Journey demonstrated the progression from the naivety of youth…

Lewis Denby · November 14, 2011

Staff PC

Dragon Age II review

There have been complaints, and will be many more, that Dragon Age II is appealing for a more mainstream audience by removing all the fiddling of its predecessor, but I don’t think this is a fair accusation. There is very little that you…

Lewis Denby · October 31, 2011

Staff Xbox 360

Deadly Premonition review

It’s a game in which you want nothing more than to see what’s thrown at you next, just so you can eagerly ramble about the amazing things that have just happened, and share theories with friends who are also playing. It’s so effective in…

Lewis Denby · October 27, 2011

Staff PC

Civilization V review

And here’s a major place in which Civilization V seems to fall down. Maybe it’s just too long since I last tackled a Civ game, and I’ve simply lost my ability to play make believe within its boundaries. More likely, there’s a problem…

Lewis Denby · October 18, 2011

Staff PC

The Tiny Bang Story review

The latest lovely hidden object/adventure hybrid is The Tiny Bang Story - and, frustratingly, it gets the mix half-right. It’s evocative, painting a world that seems to spring more and more to life the further you progress into the game…

Lewis Denby · July 28, 2011

Staff PC HG exclusive

F.3.A.R. review

This means combat becomes an often entertaining game of cat-and-mouse. It’s bad news if you stay behind the same piece of cover for too long, as FEAR 3’s goons are more intelligent than that. They’ll lob in a grenade, or send someone to…

Lewis Denby · June 26, 2011

Staff PC Review of the Week

Frozen Synapse review

Generally speaking, multiplayer matches consist of a few minutes of head-scratching, a bit of experimentation, a final check, a click of the ‘Prime’ button, and an edge-of-seat wait for your opponent to submit his or her next turn. It’s…

Lewis Denby · June 3, 2011

Staff PC Review of the Week HG exclusive

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings review

If you can look past the balancing, pacing and technical issues, there is an extremely solid RPG here - nothing especially innovative, but definitely a game that sets out to be the most absorbing, rich and spectacular experience it…

Lewis Denby · May 23, 2011

Staff PC HG exclusive

Myst review

If you bought a computer between about 1993 and 1996, you'll have got a free computer game with it. Perhaps your mum will have played it, sitting in front of the PC for hours on end, trying to figure out solutions to the game's many…

Lewis Denby · March 25, 2011

Staff PC HG exclusive

The Longest Journey review

The Longest Journey isn't perfect, but in that imperfection lies something hugely special: something so magical, and so human. It isn't the best adventure game I've ever played, but it is the one I adore the most.

Lewis Denby · August 25, 2010

Staff PC HG exclusive

Gratuitous Space Battles review

Gratuitious Space Battles is a sort of turn-based strategy game, except it’s not really turn-based as such. As in, there’s only one turn per game. On the surface, you arrange your fleet of spaceships then send them into battle against an…

Lewis Denby · August 12, 2010

Staff PC HG exclusive

Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon review

Recently, a Director’s Cut of the first game has been released on both the iPhone and the Wii. Both versions prove what a remarkable title that still is, despite feeling somewhat aged now. But for me, The Sleeping Dragon will always mark…

Lewis Denby · July 24, 2010