May2013
Review Crash City Mayhem (3DS eShop / 3DS)
Crash n’ burn
When you read the words “crash” and “mayhem” in a game's title, it’s only natural to think that it will feature action-packed, frantic gameplay and a wholesome amount of wanton destruction. However, despite being suggestively destructive, Crash City Mayhem is a game that doesn't live up to its own name. While it certainly...
December2009
Review Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (Wii)
Hill hath frozen over
Harry Mason is not having a good day. After crashing his car in a freak snowstorm, he wakes up to find his daughter missing with nary a trace. Determined to find her, Harry sets out into the night with a flashlight to explore the town of Silent Hill in this reimagining of the series’ original entry. Yes, reimagining, not...
October2008
Review Shining Force II: Ancient Sealing (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)
It’s a dark and stormy night in the kingdom of Granseal when a thief steals two jewels from the Tower of the Ancients.
The original Shining Force was a massive success for Sega, granting the Genesis/Megadrive with a strategy RPG to rival Nintendo’s popular Fire Emblem franchise. A sequel of some description was inevitable and when it arrived the...
September2007
Review Landstalker (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)
After hearing of the legendary treasure of King Nole, the elvish treasure hunter Nigel undertakes a quest to gather various pieces of the famed loot.
Landstalker is an action RPG released in 1993. It's got an isometric view, something which is quite rare in games, and sounds a bit dated. So does it still hold up? In the game you are Nigel, a...
August2007
Review Shining in the Darkness (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)
Dark Sol has vowed to reign over the enchanted Kingdom of Thornwood, and only you can stop him.
Anyone who has played the Atari ST classic Dungeon Master (or one of the many clones that appeared in its wake) will know full well that first person RPGs can be a hell of a lot of fun. Back when Sega first announced Shining in the Darkness (often called...
July2007
Review Shining Force (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)
In ages long forgotten, Light fought Darkness for control of the world.
Although Shining Force takes place in the same universe as fellow Megadrive/Genesis epic Shining in the Darkness, the games themselves couldn’t really be more different. Whereas SitD is a first person dungeon crawler, Shining Force is a turn-based strategy title more akin to...