Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Xbox Review 8/10 "Satisfying Combat and more frowning men than you can shake a stick at" ⚔️ @Focus_entmt #SpaceMarine2

There are certain franchises that can feel quite overwhelming to jump into if you haven’t been involved with them since the start, the Warhammer 40k franchise has been on the periphery for me for decades; yes, I’ve dabbled with the board games and a handful of scattered video games along the way, but as for the lore and terminology? 

Mate, I don’t know my Ultramarine from my Burnt Umber.

Thief Simulator 2 Xbox Review 7/10 "Out on the nick, again!" 🦸 @ULTGames #IndieGames #IndieGameDev #GameDev

The Thief Simulator games have been on my radar for a few years now. I played the original on Switch, and - whilst it was a flawed game - there was a bizarre moreish-ness and sense of fun to just, well… going out on the nick, quite frankly. 

This is a game made by one individual which is very commendable, but – as with a lot of 3D open-world titles made by incredibly small teams - also falls into the usual issues of overreaching its grasp in some areas - much like the Autobahn Police Simulator series does. 

However, games such as these often stand out for me and become real pleasures to play.

Yes, they may not be smooth, tight or polished experiences - but there’s a vision, charm and idiosyncrasy that makes these sorts of games a very memorable experience that more often than not resonate with me as a player.