November2023
Review Bluey: The Videogame (Switch) - Captures The Look, But Not The Family Magic
Oh biscuits!
Given Bluey’s meteoric rise since the show's television debut in 2018, it seemed inevitable that a video game adaptation would eventually make its way into the hands of eager fans worldwide. Thanks to developer Artax Games and publisher Outright, that adaptation is now here, with Bluey: The Videogame letting you directly control each...
March2023
Cel of the century
Foolish is the person who looks at a tie-in game aimed mainly at younger players and instantly dismisses it as a load of old bums. Of course, most of the time they’re completely right – we still have occasional nightmares of that time we played Hotel for Dogs on the Wii – but every now and then a licensed game will go above...
October2022
Review Star Trek Prodigy: Supernova (Switch) - A Ragtag But Competent Co-op Adventure
Jankom Pog abides
It's been a long road getting from there to here. Star Trek fans might have a whole new constellation of shows to enjoy (or complain about amirite), but when it comes to video games the range of available options has been decidedly slimmer, especially on Nintendo systems. In fact, Star Trek: Conquest on Wii was the last time the...
October2020
Review Transformers: Battlegrounds - Accessible Turn-Based Action That's For Noobs Only
Bah weep grana weep Ninty bong
Hot on the heels of fellow Hasbro license G.I. Joe comes this turn-based tactical outing for those robots that take on the form of mack trucks, massive pistols, sheds and benches, the Transformers! Given the sheer love fans have for the series, Transformers: Battlegrounds has a lot to live up to – even more so when...
Review Zoids Wild: Blast Unleashed - Flashy Fighting Ruined By Basic Gameplay And A Lack Of Content
Into the Zoid
This new Switch release takes us on a trip down memory lane to the world of Zoids, Tomy's massive mechanical animals and their mad human riders who've been doing the rounds since all the way back in 1984. Zoids Wild: Blast Unleashed, which originally released as Zoids Wild: King of Blast in Japan last year, ties into the long-running...
Review Ben 10: Power Trip! - An Underwhelming Adaptation Of A Cartoon Favourite
It's hero time
The Ben 10 franchise is one of the most popular productions from Cartoon Network, with a fourteen-year run that’s spanned five iterations of the TV show, with the current one being a reboot of the first show. As one would expect of a multimedia franchise such as this, a litany of video game adaptations (of varying quality) have been...
Review Trollhunters: Defenders Of Arcadia - WayForward Take A Big Step WayBack
You're trolling us, surely?
Aliens: InfestationCall off the hunt, the trolls have been located. Somehow they have infiltrated WayFoward, usually purveyors of fine digital entertainment, and forced them to create this, the drabbest platformer in recent memory. Worse, it is cynically wrapped in the skin of a TV show that is, by all accounts,...
March2020
Review Gigantosaurus: The Game - Yet Another Poor Licensed Tie-In
A gigantic mess
Licensed games continue to be incredibly hit and miss. There are certainly examples of titles that have got it right, such as South Park: The Stick of Truth and its sequel, but sadly there are countless other games that just simply feel like shameless cash grabs, relying solely on the popularity of the property over compelling...
November2019
Review Race With Ryan - A Thoroughly Average Racer Tied To The Most Annoying Licence Imaginable
Team Cynic Racing
It might be difficult to believe, but Race With Ryan is one of the most difficult reviews we’ve written in a while. When you’re covering a game based on a licence it’s always important to make sure your opinion of the licence itself doesn’t get in the way of the review. After all, nobody wants to read a review of an NBA...
October2019
Review Ice Age: Scrat's Nutty Adventure - You'd Have To Be Off Your Nut To Play This
Glacial disaster
Wow, there’s just no stopping Ice Age, is there? Just like The Pleistocene, 20th Century Fox’s (or Disney’s now, we guess) animated juggernaut has been relentless since the release of the first movie back in 2002, with a total of five cinematic releases, a host of short films and TV shows, and a plethora of console and online...
February2019
My first Diablo
It’s fair to say most licensed tie-in games these days – with the exception of TT Games’ LEGO output -– tend to fall somewhere between ‘awful’ and ‘meh’. Usually developed and shipped out in double-quick time to save money and hit a theatrical release deadline, these sorry bits of software are more often than not...
July2018
Review Adventure Time: Pirates of the Enchiridion (Switch)
A faithful comedy RPG that’s lacking depth
Adventure Time is one of the best modern cartoons currently on the air. It’s nearing the end of its long run with its ninth and final season, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a show that’s so consistently funny for viewers of all ages while mixing in emotionally mature themes and content in one...
November2017
Not bad Ben, but it ain't a 10
Licensed games are a slippery slope. You’d like to believe that developers and publishers are going about them from a good place; obviously there’s something there that people love, so why not make an interactive experience of it? A devil’s advocate would say they’re nothing but a shill, a way to prey on...