Recent reviews by Exe

There's no doubt Fall Guys deserves every ounce of the hype it's receiving - the game is ridiculously fun and an absolute blast to play alone or alongside a handful of friends, easily knocking Gang Beasts and similar titles off of their pedestals.

I trust Mediatonic will listen to the outcry for new levels, balancing, and content... but Fall Guys will inevitably get repetitive and boring in the long run. For this reason, I encourage them to say attentive to community feedback and not fall into the void of trend-games; to do so, Fall Guys could follow in these three steps:


Step One - Essentials

To begin, there's clearly a few minor issues with the game that most people are reporting across all platforms - notably regarding team games. Working together to complete objectives is fun, but individual skill currently holds no weight when qualifying for the next round.

Solving this is straightforward; team games should stay, but players may individually qualify throughout the round if they score enough points or hold the objective for enough seconds. Playing team games during a semi-final is very disappointing, since it's hard to shake the feeling that you may not qualify for the finals due to a rogue teammate.

Aside from team games, the majority of the minigames are hilarious, but I really hope that we don't have to wait for the end of the season for new maps. Seasons are around 60 days long which concerns me since there's a chance that we'll be in the same rotation of maps for another 2 months.


Step Two - Update and Innovate

Undoubtedly, the most obvious way to maintain an active playerbase is to add new maps and skins, but this option can only be done so much before stagnating - I really want to see Fall Guys reaching the numbers it's doing right now around this time next year. To do this, Mediatonic need to be actively innovating and bringing in new features beyond the base game. Examples include:

8-player Parties

Doubling the party size would be a great first non-map/non-cosmetic update - this currently being the main barrier holding back a few of my friends from buying, since our group cannot fit in a single party.

New Moves

Controlling your Fall Guy is genius in its simplicity. Jumping, diving, and grabbing seem basic on the surface, but play a huge role in finding shortcuts, eliminating other players or getting a final boost of speed before reaching the finish line. However, as there are still many unused keys on both keyboard and controller, it'd be great to throw in an extra move or two.

One idea may be a high risk, yet high reward 'punt' button, allowing you to kick over a nearby opponent after a few seconds of charging up. However, missing a kick would cause your character to tumble forward, leaving them at risk to obstacles or other players.

Weekly Event Days

Counter-Strike's War Games and Fortnite's LTM's opened up a new market for developers to satisfy niches in their audience, but tend to be stale and unexciting after a while.

Rather than sticking to the cookie-cut format of scattering limited-time modes throughout the year, Mediatonic could innovate by claiming a specific day of the week, introducing a unique spin on the entire game for 24 hours. '100-player Fridays' may be feasible; a once-a-week alternative to standard 60 player matches, containing exciting minigames tailored for larger groups alongside prodigious rewards for those who secure the crown. Providing the community with interesting spins on standard gameplay in small but addictive chunks may assist Fall Guys in moulding into "that game we always play on Fridays", gradually shifting towards a lifestyle game that keeps people coming back to play week by week.

Streamer Lobbies

Streamers will often return to games that enable them to play with their community, or host games such as 'Marbles On Stream' allowing active viewers to compete for personalised gifts such as a paid subscription, shout-out, or merchandise. With minimal crossover in this niche already, Fall Guys has an opportunity to grant streamers the ability to open a private lobby - rather than compete for crowns, viewers instead join through a room code and compete for a predetermined prize at the discretion of the streamer.


Step Three - Sustaining Beyond 2020

With a mixture of luck and commitment, Fall Guys could become a smash hit, continuing to flourish over many years. Without getting too ahead of themselves, Mediatonic could consider opening their game up to the Steam workshop later down the line so players can upload their own maps and modes for approval. This way, Fall Guys is never short of quality content and unique ideas for the years to come!


To summarise, Fall Guys is awesome yet still has legroom to grow even bigger and better. In spite of expected day one issues, Fall Guys is far from being just another washed up gimmick, on the exception that Mediatonic really knuckle down on content and balancing before the first season ends.

I strongly recommend Fall Guys and wish the very best for Mediatonic moving forward!

Reviewed on full Valve Index Kit

By some miracle, Half-Life: Alyx is that bygone fascination you once had when you first stepped foot in Skyrim or took a drive through Los Santos - a feeling that for myself had become absent for almost a decade.

Alyx is the return of that lost feeling, amplified tenfold.

Seriously, aside from the worldwide 'Valve Is Back' hype, the game is a concrete 10/10. Passion has been put into all aspects of the game and it is blatantly clear that Valve are trying to push the VR industry far forward. Alyx has clearly proven that the typical keyboard or controller video game has unavoidable barriers to immersion, and that it's about time virtual reality became standard for every household - with Alyx being the principle step in this direction.

Alyx's journey through City 17 - it's intense, well-paced and is enriched by Valve's trademark humour. You do not need to have knowledge on the previous titles to follow and empathize with the characters, yet diehard HL enthusiasts will agree that this game gives you goosebumps from start to end. Lore and familiar references are scattered along the levels, and Russel is a very cosy addition to the franchise.

Almost every object in the game feels completely authentic when you grasp it, and the functions of the knuckles controllers deeply add to the immersive experience. Crumpling a can in your palm or squeezing a Xen grenade to arm it feels very convincing and unrelentlessly fun. Sound design in Alyx is both nostalgic and intuitive, with tiny details you don't initially expect - a notable object being the condiment tins which you can shake by your ear to hear the grains slosh around inside. High above all this is the extensive focus on haptics, which are tightly synchronised with the visuals; holding an object pulsating with electricity feels like the knuckles controller is about to explode in your grasp... it's next level.

Jeff deserves an entire review on it's own, but I won't spoil. It was by far one of the most intense experiences I've ever had in a video game and Valve gloated every last ingredient.

Alyx has minimal downsides, which I felt hadn't disconnected me from the experience. Aside from a few day one bugs, the game ran remarkably smooth throughout the campaign. Melee isn't an option, which I was surprised about given the prominence of the crowbar in previous Half-Life games - though it didn't cross my mind while playing. While the small interactive scenarios were super fun, such as the ability to draw on windows with markers or play the piano, they felt way too short-lived and could've been utilised more frequently - again, this is something I didn't notice in my first playthrough and did not damage the experience.

Does Alyx ruin the current VR library? Surprisingly no; perhaps it's best compared to how phone apps contrast with experiences played on a computer or console - they're fun to toy around with, but the technology is still considerably behind and we accept that because they're enjoyable in their own regard. Boneworks still holds a firm spot in the library and is still a must-buy for VR owners. I'm very optimistic that both Alyx and Boneworks will substantially shake up the future of VR game design, and the gaming industry as a whole.

Half-Life: Alyx seemlessly fits into my top 5 favourite games of all time, and words can't describe my excitement for the upcoming mods and maps.

Exceptional job, Valve!