Tag: Reviews - Page 15
Review Hot Wheels Unleashed (Switch) - Probably The Best Hot Wheels Game Ever
More die-cast fun than a game of D&D
There are few licences out there that are better suited to a video game than Hot Wheels. After all, when the whole brand revolves around collecting a wide variety of tiny cars then creating over-the-top tracks for them to race on, it’s fair to say that any game that manages to capture that essence of pure fun...
Review Colors Live (Switch) - A Basic Art Application Elevated By Clever Hardware
The Sonar Pen is mightier than the thumb
Note: Special thanks to Sasha Stowe for acting as consultant for this review. You can find her art on Instagram and Twitter. A fair few ‘applications’ have made their way to the Switch, usually just stuff like YouTube, Calculator, Netflix, that sort of thing, but now we have a full-blown digital art...
Review RiMS Racing (Switch) - A Poor Switch Port Makes For An Uneasy Rider
Brake drag
In order to very quickly condense exactly what kind of motorcycle sim RiMS Racing is, consider this: There are over 500 fully licenced vehicle parts in this game and just eight actual bikes. This isn't a sleight on Raceward Studio's game, far from it, the eight bikes here are very obviously authentically detailed and lovingly crafted,...
Review Metallic Child (Switch) - A Robot Smashing 'Roguelite' Anime Adventure
Isometric action inspired by Mega Man
The venerable hobby of “games” has borne witness to innumerable robotic sprogs. Metallic Child attempts to be a definitive answer to the likes of Mega Man, Astro Boy and - most formidably of all - Mighty No. 9. We jest, of course. Inafune's infamous crowdfunded project (resulting in an incredibly mediocre...
Review Kitaria Fables (Switch) - A Delightfully Cute, Fantasy Life-Style RPG Adventure
One for the grinders
It's been seven years since Level-5's toylike RPG masterpiece Fantasy Life came to the 3DS in the West, and like addicts seeking our next hit we've been searching for something that replicates that feeling ever since. Between games like Ni No Kuni (also Level-5) and cutesy Rune Factory-likes such as Littlewood, we've come...
Review Active Life Outdoor Challenge / Family Trainer (Switch) - Fit Enough For Purpose
Wii think we've seen this before
There used to be a time during the Wii era where you couldn't move for fitness games. The enormous success of Wii Fit led to a steady stream of imitators, from well-known established publishers all the way down to the shovelware merchants looking to cash in on the latest fad. One of the more unique offerings was...
Review Eastward (Switch) - A Creative Zelda-Like Adventure With Absolutely Killer Art
East? I thought you said Weast
The line between an homage and a copycat can often be a blurry one, and it feels like all too often that new games borrowing ideas from old games fall on the wrong side of it. Instead of offering creative new takes on favored concepts, these games are more content to prod you with a sharp elbow as they say...
Review Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom (Switch) - A Sublime Port Of An Awesome Adventure
Ding Dong Delightful
Level-5's Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom originally released on PS4 back in March 2018 to pretty much unanimous critical praise, and playing it now in this latest Switch iteration, it's really not too hard to see why. This is a wonderfully well-crafted adventure that hits the ground running, nails pretty much every single...
Review NBA 2K22 (Switch) - Loading Aside, This Baller's Got It Where It Counts
Hoop Dreams?
With another year's NBA season not too far away, a brand new edition of NBA 2K makes its way onto Switch just in time to give b-ball fans a wealth of slam-dunking sports action to get stuck into. This time around developer Visual Concepts has made a few neat changes to shooting and defence, improved upon last year's controversial shot...
Review SkateBIRD (Switch) - A Chirpy, Charming Tony Hawk-Alike That Fails To Stick The Landing
Flip the bird
The skateboarding game, as a genre, has been under-explored. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater defined it with such finesse in 1999 that there has barely been any room for improvement – as borne out by the continuing appeal of that first game two decades later. But considering how much it has in common with a 3D platformer – open...
Review Cruis'n Blast (Switch) - An Arcade Racing Icon Returns In Spectacular Fashion
A Blast from the past
Long-time Nintendo fans will know that the Cruis’n series has an interesting history with the company. The original arcade version of the first game, Cruis’n USA, was said to be the first title running on Nintendo's upcoming Ultra 64 hardware, a claim which ultimately turned out to be a bit of a porky pie. Its subsequent...
Review Espgaluda II (Switch) - Localisation Issues Can't Spoil This Superb Shmup
There’s a fly in the full extent of the jam
Espgaluda II’s originally a 2005 arcade game by legendary developer Cave, responsible for the already-released Switch ports of Mushihimesama and Progear (via Capcom Arcade Stadium), the upcoming Deathsmiles I & II collection, and before that a string of high-quality arcade shmups stretching all the...
Review Residual (Switch) - A Deep, Vibrant 2D Survival Platformer With Just A Couple Of Issues
One small step for man and bot
Booting up Residual for the first time can feel a tad overwhelming. You’re chucked head-first onto a strange, seemingly barren planet with nothing but a few bits and bobs to get you started. You step out of the comfort of your ship into the harsh, unforgiving 2D environment and you can actually see your hunger and...
Review Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions (Switch) - Comes Out Swinging On Switch
That’s how winnin’ is done!
The Rocky series has deservedly cemented itself as one of the most iconic franchises of modern cinema. It naturally spawned a number of games over the years, with developer Survios turning out the latest efforts: the 2018 VR title Creed: Rise to Glory and Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions. The latter is a departure...
Review The Outer Worlds: Murder On Eridanos (Switch) - A Fun Final Slice Of 'Whoddunnit' DLC
Set your impertinence levels to "flagrant"
The final slice of DLC for The Outer Worlds, Obsidian's superb action-RPG, Murder on Eridanos attempts to switch things up by ditching the mostly combat-centric action of the main game in favour of a narrative-driven whoddunnit that throws you into a tangled web of intrigue on a floating island of treachery...
Review Ultra Age (Switch) - Surprisingly Satisfying Devil May Cry-Style Hack-And-Slash Action
Devil May Try
Fans of hack-and-slash games in the Devil May Cry / Bayonetta mould don't have a particularly large library of titles to choose from on Switch, although with both of these famous franchises, plus the excellent Astral Chain and a (two-thirds dodgy) Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection port on the console, the quality of what is available is...
Review BloodRayne Betrayal: Fresh Bites (Switch) - Sheer Bloody Style Atones For Poor Platforming
Bloody re-vamp
The customer is always right, so the saying goes. But when BloodRayne Betrayal: Fresh Bites presents to you its wares, it’s not quite ready to concede that much. If the customer thinks there’s actually a few too many monsters on screen, well, they’re wrong. If they think those platforms are a bit too narrow, that’s also...
Review WarioWare: Get It Together! (Switch) - More Magnificent Microgame Mayhem
Wario always win!
We've all been waiting a good long while now for a brand new WarioWare game to dive into as, in terms of a proper fully-formed entry in the series — one that isn't a greatest hits compilation or experimental spin-off — it's been well over a decade since the last mainline addition to the franchise dropped. However, the long wait...
Review Monster Harvest (Switch) - Poor Execution Of A Promising 'Stardew Valley X Pokémon' Premise
It hurt itself in its confusion!
It must be tough to be a hopeful dev working on a farm sim project. Stardew Valley—a simple looking project made by one guy—has so effectively raised the bar for what a pure farm sim can be that matching it seems almost impossible by this point. The only way that a new game could feasibly beat it would be by...
Review Baldo: The Guardian Owls (Switch) - Exquisite Ghibli-Esque Art Can't Hide Tortuous Gameplay
You Died
Since this review was originally published, patches and updates have reportedly addressed or improved one or more of the issues cited. Unfortunately, cannot revisit games on an individual basis, but it should be noted that the updated game may offer an improved experience over the one detailed below. Excruciating. It's not a word you...
Review Sonic Colors Ultimate (Switch) - The Best 3D Sonic Game Gets A Respectable Remaster
Just take my hand, we're gonna reach for the stars
Being a Sonic fan is hard. The Blue Blur has starred in quite a few legitimately great games over the years, but he’s also been in just about as many clunkers that tanked his reputation. Sonic has especially struggled when it’s come to his forays into 3D environments, yet there was an all too...
Mini Review Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins (Switch) - The Best Doctor Who Game Ever Made
You were fantastic. Absolutely fantastic.
Have you ever wanted to receive text messages from the Doctor Who universe? No, us neither. That’s not to diminish the long-running sci-fi telecast as a whole; more of a sad acknowledgement that its current incarnation perhaps doesn’t represent the programme at its best. We were surprised, then, to find...
Review Super Animal Royale (Switch) - Fortnite X Animal Crossing + Skunk Gas = What's Not To Like?
Mortal wombat
Super Animal Royale is an animal-based, free-to-play, 2D, top-down, 64-player, crossplay battle royale with premium cosmetics. That’s a lot of concepts piled up on top of each other – and it shows how our gaming vocabulary has expanded over the last decade or so. There are notions here that you would have had to explain in detail...
Review Rustler (Switch) - GTA Goes To The Ren Faire And Makes A Medieval Mess
Medieval times
Editor’s note: Having been informed of a launch day patch (not made known to us prior to publication of this review) that improves various performance and stability issues on Switch, a reviewer's note has been added to the end of the text below. Jutsu Games' Rustler attempts to take us back to the chaotic top-down craziness of...
Review Secret Neighbor (Switch) - An Intriguing Premise, But Unbalanced And Tedious
If it weren’t for those meddling kids...
Of all the indie games released over the last decade, you’d be forgiven for thinking of stealth horror game Hello Neighbor is one of the lesser-known creations, one which was engulfed in the flood of — let’s face it — better games. Yet despite the poor critical reception, Hello Neighbor found its...
Brave Souls and the Phantom Nomad Eaters
We live in a golden age of remasters and remakes when it comes to video games. It seems like every week there are more classic games that are getting new life on a current gen console. This might seem like a crass attempt to squeeze a few more pennies out of gamers (and in many cases it is), but it is also...
Review No More Heroes III (Switch) - A Swaggering Joke Of A Game That Suda51 Fans Will Love
FU Fighters
It's certainly a relatively novel take on the whole E.T. thing. You all saw that instantly iconic "Goddamn Superhero" trailer back at the 2019 Game Awards, right? Cute little alien FU (pronounced "foo" - careful now) returns to earth 20 years after he was taken in and cared for by hapless Elliott-alike Damon Ricitiello (last seen in...
Review Spelunky 2 (Switch) - A Masterclass In Great Roguelite Game Design
"I did not tell half of what I saw, for I knew I would not be believed."
It’s sometimes tough to decide what you want out of a sequel of a beloved game. On one hand, you want something fresh and new that builds on and surpasses what came before. On the other, you kind of want things to stay mostly the same, because you liked what you already...
Review Quake (Switch) - The Definitive Version Of An Iconic, Flawless FPS
Gothic Revival
What is there left to say about Quake at this stage really? Arriving on the FPS scene some 25 years ago as a successor to iD Software's phenomenal DOOM, it single-handedly revolutionised a genre with its real-time 3D rendering ushering in a new era of immersion that left its storied predecessor feeling resolutely old-school by...
Review Garden Story (Switch) - A Flawed But Charming RPG In Farm Sim's Clothing
Role Playing Grape
Games are often about escapism, and Garden Story offers yet another way to lose yourself in the virtual world: the hero protagonist is a grape, burdened with great purpose. Concord (see what they did there) is but a youngling, wrenched from the Kindergarden to fulfil the role of Guardian after their predecessor decides to leave...
Review Love Esquire (Switch) - A Fantastic Voice Cast Elevates This Seductive Romp
Looking for love in all the right places
Visual novels and dating sims used to be hard to come by here in the West, especially on consoles. However, the Switch, with its portability and vibrant screen, has enjoyed a wealth of games in these genres over the years. One of the latest to make its way to the console is Love Esquire from publisher Mama...
Review Boyfriend Dungeon (Switch) - A Fun But Ultimately Shallow 'Dating Crawler'
Knee deep in dunj
Sometimes you come across a game that really makes you curious what the developers were thinking when they were first drafting it. Boyfriend Dungeon is one such game. It’s a dungeon crawler, rather like Hades or Diablo, with the twist that your character is probably dating the weapon they’re using to kill baddies. As ridiculous...
Review The Silver Case 2425 (Switch) - Style Over Substance In This Pair Of Early Suda51 Epics
Case closed
Every now and again, we review a game that's just absolutely no fun. The review process can sometimes be a bit of a drag — we know, complaining about a job where you play games for a living is like being annoyed that your career as a biscuit taster is making you put on weight — and unfortunately, The Silver Case 2425, a two-in-one...
Review Greak: Memories Of Azur (Switch) - A Gorgeous Platformer Crying Out For Co-op
The tri-force
The Switch is no stranger to quirky 2D platformers at this point. With so many quality titles to choose from, it can be tough for newcomers to stand out from the crowd. Greak: Memories of Azur is a solid 2D adventure game that, visually at least, can stand proud amongst some of the best examples of the genre, but with few original...
Review Shadowverse: Champion's Battle (Switch) - Switch's Best Card Battling RPG Yet
The game based on the anime based on the game!
It’s rather shocking to consider how few card games there are on the Switch today. Sure, there are quite a few deck-building roguelites that incorporate elements of card games into their design, but these don’t quite manage to scratch that same itch. Luckily, Cygames has seen fit to bring over its...
Review Axiom Verge 2 (Switch) - A Fantastic Follow-Up To A Classic Metroidvania
Gone without a Trace
In the comparatively dark days of the Wii U, we often had to focus more on indie games to get us through the worst of the months-long droughts between major first-party releases. Fortunately, various smaller studios stepped up and one such gem was Axiom Verge, an absolutely incredible Metroidvania that was produced in its...
Review Fire Tonight (Switch) - Inspired By A Song, This Puzzler Is A '90s Nostalgia Trip
Video flames
Well, there's a hot wind blowing tonight in the east And I heard that the park is filled tonight with police On the radio there's nothing but a man saying to stay inside Well, I remember what you said on the telephone That you didn't feel like it was safe to stay alone And you would get yourself to me if you could find a way across the...
Review Haven Park (Switch) - A Lovely Country Walk With A Few Stinging Nettles
A brief trek
Exploration is a big ol’ deal in some video games; you only have to look at something like Breath of the Wild or A Short Hike in order to see that. Haven Park leans heavily into that idea, and shares some DNA with the latter game we mentioned. Not least of all because you play as a bird. Haven Park sees you controlling Flint, a young...
Review PICROSS S GENESIS & Master System Edition (Switch) - Picross X SEGA Could Have Been More
SAY-GUH
It’s rather impressive how much mileage Nintendo and Jupiter Corporation have managed to get out of the Picross franchise. The beloved number puzzle series has been going for a couple decades now, while the core gameplay all along the way has remained almost completely stagnant. Though the ‘main’ games have been entertaining enough in...
Review Skydrift Infinity (Switch) - Arcade-Style Sky Racing That's Short But Sweet
Just good fun, plane and simple
One of the most irritating things anyone can say online is: “Nobody asked for this.” It’s a cocky, unfairly harsh way of shutting down any new game that isn’t on a person’s own specific wishlist, and not only is it generally disrespectful, it can also be totally meaningless. After all, a game doesn’t have...
Review Pokemon Unite (Switch) - Pokémon Divides In Free-To-Start MOBA
Fun, in the right circumstances
Since the original release of Pokémon Red and Blue on the Game Boy, The Pokémon Company has consistently tried to take its successful monster-collecting RPG through many different iterations, genres, and applications. Pokémon has taken forays into genres such as digital/physical card games, the Mystery Dungeon...
Review Blaster Master Zero 3 (Switch) - A Masterful Conclusion To The Trilogy
What a blast
Few could’ve guessed that a Blaster Master reimagining would’ve been one of the standout releases of the Switch launch window line-up, yet Blaster Master Zero proved to be a potently enjoyable take on the retro classic. Then, a couple of years later, Inti Creates opted to follow it up with an all-new sequel that built upon the ideas...
Review Risk System (Switch) - A Smart And Gutsy Shmup
Do a barrel roll
Shoot-'em-up players are well known for enjoying a good graze. After all, who doesn't? Cows do, for example. But the important distinction between the bovine graze and the shmupper's graze is that the former involves feeding on grass while the latter refers to moving your craft close to bullets and other danger in order to accrue...
Review Samurai Warriors 5 (Switch) - Fast And Flashy Musou On Switch
Musou People Gonna Die?
Koei Tecmo's Samurai Warriors finally returns after a seven year hiatus with a soft reboot that takes the long-running saga back to its roots, focusing on a brash young Nobunaga Oda's unwavering determination to unify Japan whilst zeroing in on his relationship with Mitsuhide Akechi. Samurai Warriors 5 is a slick and stylish...
Review NEO: The World Ends With You (Switch) - A Striking Return To The Streets Of Shibuya
The rhythm is calling you back
For the past 13 years, fans of the Nintendo DS cult classic, The World Ends With You have been practically begging Square Enix to whip up a new entry in the world of the original. The vibes of that first venture are flavour-rich, boasting a bouncy and energetic soundtrack, a loveable cast of characters, and a combat...
Ryunosuke rises from the ashes
The last time we saw Phoenix Wright and friends, the stars of the Ace Attorney franchise, they were in a made-up country called Khura'in. Spirit of Justice came out for 3DS in 2016, and was relatively divisive — a lot of critics ranked it highly, but others found issue with its "wishy-washy" mechanics and its heavy...
Death to Heavenly Peter!
The very first moment you lay eyes on The Procession To Calvary you'll probably be reminded of the iconic British comedy series Monty Python, thanks to the use of cut-up, pre-existing classical artwork. However, while this is a huge part of the game's visual appeal, its sense of humour is actually more unique than that, and...
Cleaning up the streets
Back when belt-scrolling brawlers were the arcade genre of choice for millions of players worldwide, Capcom's output was considered by many to be the gold standard. Titles like Final Fight and Alien Vs. Predator pulled in an astonishing amount of revenue during this period, but the company didn't have the genre all to itself;...
Review Cris Tales (Switch) - A Gorgeous Indie JRPG That Does Just Enough To Stand Out
The time is now
Time travel has long been a concept that JRPGs have loved playing with. Titles like Chrono Trigger and Radiant Historia oriented their stories around time-hopping misadventures, while games like Bravely Default and Grandia have found fresh and interesting ways to involve time manipulation in the flow of combat. Cris Tales—the...
Review Cotton Reboot! (Switch) - The Wonderfully Playable "Cute 'Em Up" Is Resurrected For Switch
Bullets and Broomsticks
Witches and shoot 'em ups have proven to be an enduring alchemy for gaming’s prevailing niche, with the likes of Magical Chase, Gunbird, Deathsmiles and Trouble Witches casting a spell of bullet patterns over several generations of gamer. Success Corp. released Magical Night Dreams Cotton in 1991. One of the earliest...
