May2020
Review Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath - An Expensive Way To Get The Full Mortal Kombat 11 Experience
I'd buy that for a dollar!
Ever since the launch of Mortal Kombat X in 2015, NetherRealm Studios’ output has continued to soar in quality. The alternate fighting styles of X fed into the impressive facial animation of Injustice 2, with that second round of DC super-fighting leaving its mark on the customisation depth of last year’s Mortal Kombat...
April2019
Review Mortal Kombat 11 - A Satisfying Dose Of Comic Hyper-Violence Despite Loot Balance Issues
Fighting dirty
It's bizarre to think that it's been 13 years since the likes of Scorpion, Kung Lao and Raiden spilled blood on a Nintendo platform with 2006's Mortal Kombat: Armageddon on Wii, but that absence has enabled NetherRealm Studios to finally bring the quality of its combat model to the level that reflects its devotion to slapstick gore...
March2018
Review Scribblenauts: Showdown (Switch)
Pure (un)imagination
Ever since the series first debuted on DS back in 2009, Scribblenauts has offered something few games ever could: an experience limited only by the boundaries of your own imagination. Even up to Scribblenauts Unlimited on Wii U in 2012, the antics of Maxwell and his magical notepad have remained fresh and bubbling with...
November2017
Review LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 (Switch)
It's about time
The LEGO effect has benefited many a popular fiction franchise since 2005, from Star Wars to Jurassic Park to Harry Potter. Throughout that time, though, there’s arguably been no better fit for the Danish toy brand than Marvel. With the comic giant’s peerless roster of colourful characters, developer Traveller’s Tales has the...
October2017
Review The LEGO Ninjago Movie Video Game (Switch)
Let go of this LEGO
The LEGO franchise and the Switch have been good bedfellows of late, with both LEGO City Undercover and LEGO Worlds releasing on the console so far. The former we enjoyed. The latter? Not so much. Unfortunately for all of us, The LEGO Ninjago Movie Video Game
September2017
Brick by brick
This was originally published as an unscored 'review in progress' on 11th September as we waited for online play to be added in an announced update. Following an update to add online functionality this review was edited to reflect that feature, with a score applied. When Minecraft first hit the scene years back, many likened playing...
April2017
Review LEGO City: Undercover (Switch)
Chasing more sales
LEGO City: Undercover, understandably, was considered a big deal by Nintendo when it came to the Wii U exclusively back in early 2013. While it was a welcome arrival, it struggled - like various other titles - to arrest the early slump in system sales, and though Nintendo published the title it was evidently not locked down...
December2014
Review LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham (Wii U)
Bricks, Bats and Beyond
With a steady schedule of semi-annual releases, dependably decent (and sometimes downright excellent) gameplay, and an ever-expanding stable of licenses, LEGO games are fast becoming the comfort food of family-friendly gaming. The Wii U alone has seen a half a dozen of the titles in the two years since its launch, and the...
August2014
Review LEGO Ninjago: Nindroids (3DS)
Cyberpunk ninja bricks
It's a new month, which means that the team behind the ever-popular LEGO games has a new release to share with the world. Rather than building a game based off of a popular book or film series, the latest addition to the LEGO pantheon is based on the company's own Ninjago universe. Acting somewhat as a sequel to 2011's LEGO...
June2014
Review LEGO The Hobbit (Wii U)
We hates it forever
The LEGO series of games is a sales phenomenon, now established to a degree that it seems no matter how many releases are churned out on a yearly basis the sales flow, and steady praise flows its way. That's to the credit of TT Games and Warner Bros., but it's always a franchise at risk of spreading itself too thinly — as Bilbo...
May2014
Barrel full of mediocrity
It doesn’t take an analyst to know that the entertainment industry loves a good trend, and one current example is to find a hugely popular work of fiction, turn it into a big-budget film, then let Warner Bros. make a LEGO video game out of it. The works of beloved fantasy author J. R. R. Tolkien, of Lord of the Rings and...
January2014
Review Hot Wheels: World's Best Driver (Wii U)
Lead it Away
It’s wonderful to think about the toys of our childhood and how they’re being brought back to life as video games. Through gaming, new generations of youngsters can enjoy the same things that older gamers did in their youth, but in a completely different way. It’s safe to assume that many of you reading this grew up building with...
Review Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure (Wii U)
Well-written heroes
There’s an oddly profound moment at the beginning of Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure in which Batman tells Maxwell, the series protagonist, that “no one respects a hero who takes the easy way out.” That one line, though innocuous as it may be, actually sets the tone for the rest of the game. It’s a reminder...
April2013
Review Injustice: Gods Among Us (Wii U)
Immortal kombat
We’ve all had this same discussion. Who would win in a fight between Batman and Superman? NetherRealm Studios — the development team behind the successful 2011 reboot of the Mortal Kombat franchise — was kind enough to create Injustice: Gods Among Us, a fighting game almost specifically designed to answer that one burning...
January2013
Review Scribblenauts Unlimited (3DS)
Doodle dandy
After enjoying some success with its Drawn to Life title on Nintendo DS, developer 5th Cell set out to create a unique action/puzzler that allowed the player to conjure up almost any object they could think of by merely typing the name of that object into the game. This offered not only a large array of creativity, but also allowed...
December2012
Review Batman: Arkham City Armoured Edition (Wii U)
The Dark Knight Rises… again
Last year saw the release of Batman: Arkham City, an open-world action adventure game that was touted as one of the best titles of its generation. Now Nintendo gamers are treated to an all new iteration of the already classic game made specifically for Wii U, with Batman: Arkham City: Armored Edition. While the new...
Review Game Party Champions (Wii U)
Mini lame
Whenever a new console is launched, there are always one or two decidedly awful titles released that have been thrown together in time for the big night. The publisher’s thinking here is that most early adopters will want to leave the store with a stack of games for their new console, and if they keep the retail price low, their atrocity...
November2012
Review Scribblenauts Unlimited (Wii U)
Scribble to your heart’s content
The Scribblenauts series has always been about pushing your imagination to its limits and solving puzzles in unique and often hilarious ways. With its various open worlds and the ability to seamlessly traverse between them, as well as the brand new object editor which lets you create almost anything and everything,...
January2012
Review LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 (3DS)
Half-blood, whole fun
Isn't it about time TT Games did something new with its LEGO franchise? How many others have gotten away with utilising near-identical gameplay formulas this many times? Not that it's a terribly bad thing – we'll happily trek through another humorous toy-sized tribute as the team rarely misfires. Delivering the same casual...
Review LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 (Wii)
Let's finish this the way we started it... together
Legend has it that every time Billy Joel drives to a holiday party that has a piano, he knows that he's going to end up playing Piano Man by request. He's played it countless times before, but when he plays it again, people will like it. It won't be surprising or innovative, but it will be...
July2011
Review Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters (3DS)
"Anything I see in my mind, I cannot create"
The premise behind the superhero powers of the Lantern Corps, in which a Green Lantern can use their willpower to create solid green light constructs based upon anything they imagine, is a near impossible ability to recreate in a video game. It would take a brave developer to truly innovate in a game...
May2011
Review LEGO Battles: Ninjago (DS)
Half RTS, half adventure, halfway fun
2009 saw the release of LEGO Battles to complement the action orientation of the main series titles, with a second iteration now aiming once more to provide a light and accessible real time strategy experience within the LEGO world. Unfortunately, LEGO Battles: Ninjago tries to spread its shallow formula too far...
April2011
Review Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest (Wii)
“It is but a shadow and a thought that you love. I cannot give you what you seek.”
As a hack-'n-slash game based on the famous movie franchise, Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest enters a field that is already well-plowed by earlier releases. But with it's unusual twist on storytelling, is there something here worthwhile to nudge burned-out fans...
December2010
Review Scooby-Doo! and the Spooky Swamp (DS)
Decent but a bit murky
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! premiered over 40 years ago, introducing television audiences to the lovable Mystery Inc. team and its unique line-up of distinct characters, each charming in their own way. It followed them as they took on spooky yet ridiculous case after case, and over time the show firmly embedded the phrase...
Review Scooby-Doo! and the Spooky Swamp (Wii)
A Scooby Snack's worth of fun
The latest game based on the hit animated franchise now creeping into its fifth decade, Scooby-Doo! and the Spooky Swamp, is a platformer that should feel familiar to fans – as a licensed game, it taps into the huge built-in audience of the show that has, over the years, demonstrated a very high tolerance for...
