Tag: Reviews - Page 19
Primal Rage
Different Tale's Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Heart of the Forest is a visual novel set in the long-running World of Darkness tabletop RPG universe, a universe most video game players will likely know best from 2004's Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines. Swapping blood-suckers for lycanthropes, this is a tale that gets off to a strong...
Review Double Dragon Neon (Switch) - An Energetic Reboot Which Has Aged Surprisingly Well
Neon Night Riders Forever
It has been no less than eight years since the Lee brothers' Saturday morning cartoon outing, Double Dragon Neon, was released. As 2020 comes to an end, does this over-the-top scrolling beat’em up still glow in face of stiff competition on the Switch from the likes of Streets of Rage 4? Genre similarities aside, it is...
Review Wingspan - A Fun And Compulsive Card Game
For the birds, or really falcon good?
Birdwatching used to be the domain of the socially ostracised. One of the go-to spod hobbies, along with trainspotting and, well, Warhammer. But now the tides have changed. The spods have the power. Former social pariahs are now cultural arbiters. Being into comics is cool, now. In this world gone topsy-turvy,...
Review Aleste Collection - M2 Does It Again With This Wonderful Fusion Of Old And New
Vintage shmup action on Switch
M2's Shot Triggers range has a track record of bringing rare and refined arcade shmups home, either making them available on consoles for the first time ever or at the very least making them affordable for the first time in decades. The titles M2 work hard to preserve for future generations are often so incredible...
Review Fatal Fury: First Contact - Lightweight Brawling Action That's Fun In Short Bursts
A second chance at a first impression
The Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection release list keeps hopping up and down the hardware's original timeline like a TARDIS with a major fault in its timey-wimey gubbins, resulting in Fatal Fury: First Contact, one of the handheld's earlier fighting games, turning up on the Switch roughly two months after one of...
Review Grindstone - A Thrilling And Compelling Puzzle Adventure
A lot of grinding, but no Stony Hawk
Apply the minutiae of your daily tasks to the mechanics of Grindstone, and you’ve got a recipe for a satisfying lifestyle as far as we’re concerned. This methodical puzzle game has a delightful focus on the excitement of building momentum and a beautifully balanced sense of risk and reward. It’s also about...
Review Collection of SaGa Final Fantasy Legend - A Nostalgic Curiosity, But That's About It
Not quite legendary
The SaGa franchise has always been the odd one out in Square Enix’s deep vault of RPGs. Not only has the series gotten a somewhat infamous reputation for its weird, open-ended progression systems and high difficulty, but most entries came out years after their Japanese debuts, if they made it to the west at all. The first three...
Review Space Invaders Forever - One Great Game Does Not A Great Package Make
We'd rather have a packet of Space Raiders
It’s probably a contentious thought, but does Space Invaders really need to keep coming back? We get it, the game was important. Is it fun to play Space Invaders in the year of our lord 2020? God, no. Not in the slightest. The game, in anything close to its original form, simply doesn’t hold up. But...
Review When The Past Was Around - The Perfect Video Game Tonic For 2020
The last of something bright burning, still burning
It’s particularly affecting to play a game like When The Past Was Around as the most devastating year of many of our lives comes to its chaotic close. A lot of us have experienced personal loss in 2020, which makes this game's tasteful, cleverly-constructed exploration of the subject both welcome...
Review Super Meat Boy Forever - A New Formula That Takes Away More Than It Adds
Beat the Meat
Some ten whole years after the original Super Meat Boy first took the indie gaming scene by storm, fans of the original game's brutally difficult action finally get the chance to return to Team Meat's gloriously bloody world in a sequel that decides to make some pretty big changes to the series' core platforming mechanics. Super Meat...
Review Football Manager 2021 Touch - With Patience, This One's Got Great Potential
It's got a Silva lining
Well, it’s that time of year again. Quite literally, in fact, as it was on this very date last year that we published our Football Manager 2020 Touch review. Here we now have the 2021 edition, and to Sports Interactive’s credit there have at least been some attempts made to mix things up a bit. Whereas EA’s FIFA series...
Review Dicey Dungeons - A Raucous Roguelike Adventure Which Everyone Should Try
You feeling lucky, punk?
Terry Cavanagh is known for making some tough games. If you’ve played the likes of VVVVVV or Super Hexagon, you’re no doubt familiar with his unique brand of simplistic and punishing game design. That design is on full display, albeit in a completely new form, with his latest project, Dicey Dungeons. Here, instead of...
Review Among Us - The Lockdown Hit Finally Comes To Switch
Don't be sus
Innersloth's Among Us has become something of a gaming sensation in 2020, some two whole years after it first quietly released as a free-to-play title on iOS and Android devices. Due to a combination of factors – which no doubt include huge Twitch popularity driven by its unique social dynamics and a captive lockdown audience looking...
Review Mercenaries Blaze: Dawn Of The Twin Dragons - A Tactical RPG That's Short On Surprises
A tactics game for tactics fans
Over the past several years, Rideon has carved out a nice niche for itself with the Mercenaries series. Taking after titles such as Final Fantasy Tactics and Tactics Ogre, these games have long offered up simple and faithful examples of the tactical RPG experience. The fifth release, Mercenaries Blaze: Dawn of the...
Review Drawn To Life: Two Realms - A Strange Sequel Which Totally Misses The Point
Styleless And Stylusless
Drawn To Life: Two Realms is the second sequel in a series that last came out in 2009, the same year that Obama first came to office. It's a lifetime ago. No one had "new Drawn To Life" game on their 2020 bingo, yet here it is anyway, attempting to revitalise and reinvent a beloved cult classic that found its home on the DS...
Review PixelJunk Eden 2 - More Than Simply An 'Audiovisual Experience'
In the Garden of Eden, honey, don't you know that I lo-ove you-ou
Calling your game "Eden" promises three things; a garden, naked people, and the original sin that led to the inexorable corruption of humanity and, ultimately, all of the misery in existence. Big shoes to fill, then, for Q-Games' twelve-years-later sequel to their downloadable...
Review Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythmic Adventure Pack - A Fine Western Debut For This Drumming Duo
A thumpin’ good time
The Switch is no stranger to ports of older titles. Following hot on the heels of the delightful Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun! in 2018, Don and Katsu are back with a pair of beefed up 3DS titles never before released in the West: Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythmic Adventure 1 and Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythmic Adventure 2...
Review Monster Sanctuary - A Pokémon / Metroidvania Mashup For Number Lovers
They did the monster maths
When disparate genres come together, it's the hope of any reviewer that they'll be able to deploy the traditional "peanut butter and jam" simile. Styles that ought to clash like the wrestling finisher of the same name often synchronise beautifully, with the likes of Crypt of the Necrodancer or the more recent Lair of the...
Review DOOM Eternal - This 'Impossible' Port Is Nothing Short Of A Miracle
It's a Hell of a conversion
Look, we know how this is going to go. We’ve been around the blocks more than a few times, and we’re old enough to have been using the internet when people still gave their emoticons noses (and still called them emoticons), so at this point, we don’t have to be soothsayers to know what’s going to happen here: some...
Review Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light - We've Come A Long Way In 30 Years
A burning flame or a dying ember?
It wasn’t until 2003 that western players first got a taste of the Fire Emblem series with the simply named Fire Emblem that launched on the Game Boy Advance. The title seemed to imply that it was the first release in the franchise, but it was in fact the seventh game in the series, while the previous six remained...
Review Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 - Another Fine Fusion Of Two Puzzle Greats
Another one of those block-dropping feats
The original Puyo Puyo Tetris was one of those strange combinations that didn't seem like it would work but was actually surprisingly moreish, sort of like whoever came up with the idea of cola chicken: a mad idea, without a doubt, but the results speak for themselves. Now Puyo Puyo Tetris has returned, and...
Review Sam & Max Save The World - An Excellent Point-And-Click Series Remastered For 2020
Has all the Telltale signs of a solid update
In the world of point-and-click adventure games, there are a few names that stand out as icons of the genre, especially if you’re of a certain vintage. Monkey Island. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The Walking Dead (more recently). Sam & Max Hit the Road. The last of these was a 1993 adventure...
Quite the gamble
You’ve likely heard of the Mystery Dungeon series before, but that’s probably because you’ve seen one of the many Pokémon or Final Fantasy spin-offs. Though the spin-offs have taken on a life of their own, they owe their origins to the Shiren the Wanderer games, which stretch back as far as the SNES. Shiren the Wanderer: The...
Review Star Renegades - Borrows Ideas From The Best To Create A Truly Inventive RPG
"Something good? Something bad? A bit of both?"
Modern game design can be a fickle beast, in that it often falls on either end of the spectrum of innovation. On one hand, you have games that are content to ‘play it safe’ and only stick to well-worn genre conventions that are satisfying, if not unsurprising. On the other end, you have games that...
Review Phogs! - Utterly Cute And Charming Co-Op Fun
Where poodle meets noodle
What do you get if you take one part Push Me Pull You, one part Noby Noby Boy, one part CatDog and a weirdly large helping of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons? Depending on which parts you take, you'll either end up with a tale of fraternal love and body horror, or you'll end up with Phogs: a game in which you play,...
Review John Wick Hex - Stylish Turn-Based Action With Too Many Rough Edges
Hex Bomb
John Wick Hex is a rather clever turn-based action/strategy effort that sees you step into the blood-caked boots of Keanu Reeves' stylish and unstoppable killing machine – a man who's always ready, willing and more than able to punch, kick, shoot and fling his gun at the heads of as many bad guys as it takes to do the bidding of the High...
Review Commandos 2 - HD Remaster - A Shoddy Update Plagued With Both New And Old Annoyances
An in-fuhrer-ating remaster of an age-old classic
2001 really is beginning to feel like quite a long time ago indeed and Commandos 2, which originally released way back in September of that year is, it has to be said, now showing its age in many ways. Pyro Studios real-time tactics effort is undoubtedly something of a classic of the genre, for sure;...
Review Wildfire - A Thoroughly Enjoyable Slow-Burn Of A Game
I am the god of hellfire, and I bring you...
Sidestepping any potential controversy about whether or not they exist or if their persecution is merely an expression of historical misogyny, I think it’s a universal truth that if you’ve got a Witch, you need to be able to burn it. It’s an alarming development, then, that Wildfire begins with the...
Review Empire of Sin - A Criminal Waste Of A Superb Premise
Eliot Mess
Romero Games' Empire of Sin is an excellent premise for a turn-based strategy/management mash-up that sticks you in 1920s Chicago during the heyday of Al Capone and a host of other real-life gangster legends and charges you with building up your very own criminal enterprise. It's an era that absolutely oozes atmosphere and one that we...
Review Fitness Boxing 2: Rhythm & Exercise - More Of The Same, And That Might Not Be Enough
You might swipe left after a while
The original Fitness Boxing launched a couple of years ago, and while it certainly served its purpose, two years is a long time for anyone to be playing one game on a daily basis, as was its intention. With that in mind, Fitness Boxing 2: Rhythm & Exercise is now with us, but a lot has changed in two years:...
Review Immortals Fenyx Rising - An Off-Brand Breath Of The Wild That's Still Worth A Look
Breath of the Assassin's Creed of War
Do you remember when you were five, and your mum would ask you if you wanted anything from the supermarket, and you'd probably reply with whatever branded cereal you'd last seen an advert for in-between episodes of Scooby-Doo? Then, two hours later, she'd return with whatever off-brand cereal approximation she...
Review Ghostrunner - A Thrilling Cyberpunk Epic Dulled By Performance Problems On Switch
Be a literal runner of blades
It seems the cyberpunk genre has seen something of a resurgence in the indie game scene lately, no doubt spurred on by CDProjektRed’s anticipated tentpole release which now appears set to launch somewhere in the actual year 2077 (only kidding, of course! It's sure to be here by at least 2055). Ghostrunner is the...
Review Serious Sam Collection - Two-Thirds Enormous Fun, One-Third Crushing Disappointment
Seriously below-par
The central joke of Serious Sam is that he isn't very serious at all. And nor are his games. In fact, they're extremely silly, and if they don't start behaving they're not going to get any sweets. Yes, Croteam's long-running flagship FPS is a gleefully daft blaster that revels in throwing as many enemies at you as possible,...
Review Cake Bash - Delicious Multiplayer Action That's Too Tasty To Ignore
Much ado about muffin
The majority of people, young or old, would be forced to concede that cakes are delicious. Nobody dislikes sweets, and anyone who did would rightfully be cast out from society and forced to live in some sort of modified bin. It's a canny move, then, to make a game about said desserts. It guarantees at least a 5/10 from any...
Review Just Dance 2021 - Still Fun, But Feels More Like A Cash-Grab Than Ever Before
Blame it on the boogie
Just Dance 2021 is the latest in a long line of Just Dance games, each marginally different from the last. Much like serialised sports games, Ubisoft's choreographed creation is born anew each year, with a couple of new features thrown in, and a helping of new songs sprinkled over the top. Innovation is it not, but this isn't...
Mini Review Arcade Archives Zero Team - A Long-Lost Coin-Op Relic That's Worth Unearthing
We could be zeroes, just for one day
While the arrival of Streets of Rage 4 and The TakeOver might lead you to assume that the belt-scrolling brawler is back in vogue, it's still a pretty niche genre in 2020 – and, to be brutally honest, that has been the case since the mid-'90s, by which point Street Fighter II had made the one-on-one fighter the...
Review Chicken Police - Paint it RED! - No Fowl Play Here, This Is A Great Detective Adventure
Finger lickin' good
Chickens know things. It's obvious. They have that look in their eye, the slightly disdainful squint of someone who knows what you did and why you did it. They'd be perfect detectives, if not for the small obstacle of their inability to communicate in any meaningful way. Thankfully, developers The Wild Gentlemen saw the potential...
Review Kingdom Hearts: Melody Of Memory - A Marvelous Musical Trip Down Memory Lane
Simple and clean
It’s hard to believe that the Kingdom Hearts franchise has been around for nearly twenty years. The odd pairing of Final Fantasy and several Disney franchises always sounded like an idea that just wouldn’t play out right, but the series has gone on to garner quite a sizable and passionate fanbase over its long run. With last...
Review Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered - A Racer From A More Innocent Time
Cop a load of this
Here’s a fun fact for you: there isn’t a single person on this planet who can recite the titles of all 24 Need for Speed games in order. It’s actually physically impossible, like licking your own back or hearing the words “Hi, I’m Daisy” without getting irritated. While this ‘fact’ is open for debate, here’s one...
Review Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity - Not The Zelda Game You Want, But Perhaps The One You Need
Calamity game
You know the Gerudo Valley theme from Ocarina of Time? It's a kickass tune – probably top five Zelda tracks – and one that's sure to get your blood pumping. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is all Gerudo Valley, a rousing number that'll fire you up for the journey ahead. It's also a tad repetitive and just one part of the symphony...
Review Sniper Elite 4 - The Nazi-Slaying Series' Best Entry Comes To Switch
Moisten Nagant
Rebellion's Sniper Elite 4 was released to some high praise back in February of 2017, and is widely regarded as the best entry in the long-running series to date; it's a fun and flexible sniper's paradise with ten lengthy campaign missions set across the largest, most varied and vertical levels that crack Nazi skull-exploder Karl...
Review Sakuna: Of Rice And Ruin - A Unique Farming Sim Which Requires Vast Reserves Of Patience
Rice, Rice, Baby
As comedian Mitch Hedberg once said: "Rice is great when you're hungry and you want 2,000 of something." You can buy it anywhere. Everywhere. But those grains don't come from nowhere – they are grown in huge flooded paddy fields, filled with workers who painstakingly harvest the stalks, dry them on racks, hull them, and process...
Review Fuser - A Flawed, Dorky And Often Brilliant Music Game
Disc Joycon
The Harmonix office must be an absolute nightmare. Plastic instruments everywhere, like an elephant graveyard of peripherals, gathering dust and leaking memories of Rock Band parties long past. Do they use the fake drum sets as plant stands? Are the guitars mounted on the wall as if they used to belong to Van Halen? Or do they just chuck...
Review Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues - A Surprisingly Decent Belt-Scrolling Brawler
Just remember, licence never replace eye, ear, brain
The Karate Kid movie series always seemed like a bit of a hard sell to this writer. Not to detract from the inarguable skill of said Kid, but there are plenty of films out there starring at least one Karate Adult. It stands to reason that the Karate Adult would simply be better at Karate than the...
Review Dungreed - A Great Roguelite For Those New To The Genre
More like roguelove!
Live, die, repeat. Such is the way in roguelikes, which are experiencing somewhat of a resurgence in popularity lately, with the likes of Spelunky 2 and Hades dominating whatever remains of watercooler talk now that no one goes to the office any more. You live, making your way through dungeons, finding new weapons, beating a...
Review Carto - A Beautifully-Rendered Puzzler That Loses Its Way Too Quickly
Mind the map
Anyone who has ever played tile-matching, friendship-sabotaging board game Carcassonne will recognise Carto's main mechanic: square tiles must be placed according to the patterns on each side. If the patterns match the edge of another tile, they can be placed next to each other; a forest tile must border another forest tile, a desert...
Review Seven Knights: Time Wanderer - A Tragic Waste Of Time
Wander away from this one
Mobile games are very different beasts to console games. That’s why when successful properties like Granblue Fantasy and Azur Lane get standalone adaptations to home computers and consoles, they tend to unfold very differently to their pocket-sized counterparts. Console players demand more depth and don’t like...
Review Tropico 6 - This Enjoyable Empire-Building Epic Comes With A Few Technical Niggles
The great dictator
You'd be forgiven for thinking that a city builder/sim game such as Tropico 6 might be a poor fit for the Switch. A huge number of systems at play, an archipelago's worth of individually tracked citizens... it's something of a recipe for compromise. And, sure enough, there are compromises here – but far fewer than you may...
Review Crimzon Clover - World EXplosion - Another Must-Have Shmup For Your Switch
Roll out the crimson carpet for this bullet hell classic
Yotsubane’s Crimzon Clover has had quite the journey over the past decade. Beginning as a homemade doujin soft distributed back in 2010, it received an arcade port in Japan in 2013, which was followed by another version for Windows, distributed internationally, a year later. Now, it’s been...
Review Jurassic World Evolution: Complete Edition - A Murder Park Simulator With Bite
Life Finds A Way!
Ever since Steven Spielberg first made the stunning discovery of the existence of dinosaurs back in the summer of 1993 (they certainly didn't exist before then, right?), the human race has been enraptured by the power and majesty of these mysterious, magnificent beasts. In the immediate aftermath of Spielberg's Oscar-winning find,...