Game Reviews scoring 5/10
Review Gururin (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Hell is other people
Neo Geo fans never had to look far when feeling the need to get on some puzzle action in order to take a break from all the fighting, thanks to many an excellent offering from Taito and Data East. But even nowadays, Gururin remains the odd puzzler out. So why did Face’s 1994 offering leave no mark in MVS history? At its...
Bare-bones
If you’re already a fan of the Gal*Gun series then you’ll likely have a pretty firm idea of what this game is all about; if you’re not, you’ll still probably have a pretty good idea based on the screenshots and artwork currently covering this page. Gal*Gun 2 is actually the fourth entry in this fantasy, over-the-top world, with a...
Review Arcade Archives Star Force (Switch eShop)
A shooter from older and tougher times
Released in 1984, Star Force sticks you in control of a space ship as you go through levels blasting a variety of enemy types. Yes, it’s yet another retro shmup on Switch, this time set across 25 levels and offering quite a stripped down shooting experience. In Arcade Archives Star Force your ship (the Final...
Review Arcade Archives Heroic Episode (Switch eShop)
Middling experience
HAMSTER may not release titles in its Arcade Archives series as frequently as with its ACA Neo Geo one, but it does similarly seem determined to release whatever it can. R-Type is on the way, but before then there’s this lesser-known Irem title. Originally released in Japan as Yōjūden, Arcade Archives Heroic Episode puts you...
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...
Review Midnight Deluxe (Switch eShop)
Driving at something different
Midnight Deluxe is a swift follow-up to last year's slight Switch eShop platformer, 36 Fragments Of Midnight. While it looks nigh-on identical, however, it's actually a very different game indeed. If 36 Fragments of Midnight was a fairly traditional bite-sized 2D platformer, Midnight Deluxe has more in common with the...
Review Packet Queen # (Switch eShop)
A royal flush, or just a joker?
Described as a ‘competitive-type active solitaire game’, Packet Queen # is essentially a puzzle game that is trying to be a little different to your average brainteaser title. Mixing the ideas of single-player puzzle action with a Poker-inspired points system, the game certainly feels unique when looking purely at...
Freedom is slavery
Science fiction is often based on real life, modern society, real world events and proceeds to warp them into something outside our own imagination. Take no better examples than George Orwell’s 1949 novel Nineteen Eight-Four and Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel Dune which carry topics that remain as relevant today as they were...
Review Super Toy Cars (Switch eShop)
Tabletop chaos
Everybody loves a bit of Micro Machines, right? Driving toy cars around the most ordinary bits of scenery you can imagine is strangely fun; many kids can happily drive their parents round the bend by whizzing little plastic vehicles up and down the walls, and a whole host of video games have tried to replicate the very idea over the...
Review Paper Wars: Cannon Fodder Devastated (Switch eShop)
Papers, please.
War. War never changes. But Paper Wars: Cannon Fodder Devastated? No, those don’t change either. We first stumbled upon iFun4all tower defence game back in 2011 where a very wise man stated the Wiiware offering was “(...) far from the worst game ever”. Seven years later, does this new entry bring anything new to the paper...
Review Escape Trick: 35 Fateful Enigmas (Switch eShop)
Derren Brown's knock-off
Whenever someone reminisces about the “escape from a locked room” genre, their first thoughts are usually of the Nonary games, 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors on Nintendo DS and its follow up, Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward on Nintendo 3DS. They were defining releases on their respective consoles, and for...
Review TorqueL -Physics Modified Edition- (Switch eShop)
Boxed in
Standing out from the crowd of games on the Switch’s eShop right now is a very challenging task indeed; countless indie developers have flocked to the console to show their support and generate sales of their games, and the digital store’s user interface doesn’t really offer much help to lost customers. On gameplay ideas alone,...
Don’t byte more than you can chew
Jumping ship from the mobile market to Nintendo Switch, Forever Entertainment’s Millie promises to be a, “joyful, casual puzzle game that will tease both your wits and your memory,” but it forgot to mention another quality needed to properly enjoy this one: patience. Tread on your 100 legs lightly…. Equal...
Review AeternoBlade (Switch eShop)
Needs more sharpening
Back in 2014, the 3DS eShop received AeternoBlade, a hack ‘n’ slash focused Metroidvania that’s centered around the gameplay concept of controlling time. After a failed attempt at Kickstarting a sequel, Corecell Technology has opted to port the game to the Switch eShop, no doubt in hopes of building up the fanbase...
Review Mad Carnage (Switch eShop)
A bit of a tame road
It’s safe to say that Mad Max: Fury Road has become a bit of a modern classic in the years since its 2015 cinema launch. Praised for its exhilarating action, humour, and narrative focus, its influence can of course be felt the most in the film industry, but videogames are also looking for a piece of the action. Mad Carnage is...
Review Space Dave (Switch eShop)
"I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that"
Some games take inspiration from those of yesteryear, weaving in classic elements or perhaps adorning a retro aesthetic to show its love for what came before. Then there are games that want to be part of a bygone era, and do such a convincing job you half expect to see them glowing, blinking and blooping...
Review Oh...Sir! The Insult Simulator (Switch eShop)
Sharpen your wits, not your sword
Video games frequently rely on a good old-fashioned fist fight in order to resolve conflict, relishing the chance to set up riotous action scenes at the drop of a hat. In all of that excitement it's often too easy to forget that most demoralising of attacks; the humble insult. If someone takes your seat on the...
Review Power Spikes II (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Underpowered volleyball action
In among the Neo Geo library of games there are a number of titles (some already on Switch) that take a sport and rework it into a simple, quick-to-play arcade experience. The latest arrival on the eShop is Video System’s Power Spikes II, a volleyball game that gives you a choice of eight four-person teams and then...
Review Nightmare Boy (Switch eShop)
Boy, it's a nightmare
Despite the console only being less than year old, we Switch owners aren't exactly short of top notch Metroidvania games to call upon. Axiom Verge and and Steamworld Dig 2 spring instantly to mind - probably using hard-won jump-boots. All of which means that when an interesting-but-flawed take on the genre such...
Review King Of The Monsters (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Fun for a few rounds
Thanks to HAMSTER’s ACA Neo Geo series there are plenty of options for Switch owners looking to engage in some virtual fisticuffs. SNK’s King Of The Monsters offers something a bit different to the other choices however, as it is essentially a wrestling game, albeit a wrestling game with giant monsters duking it out and...
Review Woodle Tree Adventures (Switch eShop)
Branch out
Woodle Tree Adventures from Fabio Ferrara and Chubby Pixel is a 3D platformer that takes place in a natural and soft yet rather angular world. You are the offspring of a giant mustache-toting square tree who tasks you with collecting fairy tears to quench the thirst of the increasingly demanding world you inhabit. With a rucksack on your...
Review Tiny Troopers: Joint Ops XL (Switch eShop)
War can be hell (and a little bland)
Having already reported for duty on mobile platforms and other consoles, you’d think that Tiny Troopers: Joint Ops XL had seen enough tours to earn itself a little extended leave. But the top-down, ‘roguelight’ shooter has donned its camo paint one last time as it guns its way onto Nintendo Switch. This...
Review Super Putty Squad (Switch)
Super name, average game
In 2013 an updated Putty Squad arrived on modern systems (3DS version in 2014) and this is now available on Switch, slightly re-titled as Super Putty Squad for reasons unknown. You control a stretchy blue blob and employ various abilities in this platformer as you navigate the stages collecting all the red blobs to...
Review World Heroes (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Joan of Arc VS. Hulk Hogan. Round 1. Fight!
Many, many fighting games were released on the Neo Geo and these are slowly but surely filling up the Switch’s eShop. Compared to most of the options available World Heroes and its sequels offer a simpler experience with less depth, but the series can still entertain when its varied cast of fighters...
Review Red Game Without a Great Name (Switch eShop)
Flying low
The influx of mobile games on the Nintendo Switch since its launch has been met with mixed reactions. On the one hand it provides some approachable experiences, complimenting the other games on the eShop and indeed on store shelves. At their best, these mobile titles introduce new audiences to hidden gems with complete content packages...
Review Snow Moto Racing Freedom (Switch)
Snow joke
Without the spectre of Wave Race lurking over its shoulder (unlike label-mate Aqua Moto Racing Utopia), Snow Moto Racing Freedom would seem to be free to carve out its own arcade racing niche on Switch. In this case developer Zordix shifts its attention from jet-ski to snowmobile racing, and the result is a slightly rough arcade racer...
Review Aqua Moto Racing Utopia (Switch)
Just wave as it races past
From one perspective Nintendo's Switch is slowly striking the N64 classics off its hit list - in the nicest possible way. Over the past year the likes of Super Mario 64, Mario Kart 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time have passed the torch to the likes of Super Mario Odyssey, Ma
Review Green Game: TimeSwapper (Switch eShop)
Tick, tock, flock
The Nintendo Switch hardware has provided developers with a range of different inputs to utilise; we've seen games previously released on mobile taking advantage of traditional sticks and buttons, while the touchscreen has also been put to work. There have been some interesting examples - the wonderfully kooky touch-only adventure...
Review Karnov's Revenge (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Yes it's another Neo Geo one-on-one fighter...
Hamster has done a good job of providing a variety of genres with its ACA Neo Geo series, but SNK's machine had a lot of one-on-one brawlers and consequently Switch owners are not exactly short of options when browsing the eShop. Here's another one, this time from the Fighter's History series...
Review Sparkle 2 EVO (Switch eShop)
Falling off a DNA ladder
In a shocking turn of events, arcade-styled games starring evolutionary entities searching through petri dish detritus for food are not in fact a dime a dozen. Sparkle 2 EVO is a game by which you experience a world not unlike what you’d find under a microscope in biology class, in order to climb the chain of...
