Geoffrey Tim's Reviews
Fireproof Games' The Room remains an engaging, clever puzzle game. It's a delight to uncover the secrets hidden within the mechanical boxes, but the Switch version just isn't a good value proposition.
The World Ends with You is a little less fresh and exciting than it was a decade ago. But, despite a few shortcomings and the loss of dual-screen play, it's still an incredible game and worthwhile for those who've yet to play it. There's not quite enough that's new here for returning fans though.
Astro Bot would stand tall as a platformer on its own, but it genuinely uses virtual reality to elevate it beyond that. Delightful and joyous, It's one of the best VR games to date, and an essential part of every PSVR library.
Assassin's Creed's gradual evolution to RPG is complete. While it remains familiar, the deeper combat, dialogue choices and consequences have upended Assassin's Creed's stealthy roots to deliver a sprawling, multi-tiered historical RPG epic. It's the culmination of the series own journey, and only fitting it be called Odyssey.
Forza Horizon 4 isn't as surprising or inventive as the last one, but that's hardly a slight considering how good it was. Playground Games' latest sequel continues to shine as one of the best things on the Xbox One. It's beautiful to look at, it's fast and it's unbelievably fun. Forza Horizon 4 is a joyous, enthralling celebration of racing.
Despite a few issues and a dearth of modes, Firewall Zero Hour is the best multiplayer shooter available on PlayStation VR, and one of the platform's best games. It's exhilarating, immersive, tactical team-based fun, and one of those rare VR games that I'll keep playing long after finishing this review.
Beyond the resolution increase, improved audio mix and middling VR, there's really not much to this remaster. The exclusion of the first game also makes recommending last gen's collection easier. If you're a fan of Kojima's mech series, then Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner MARS is worth picking up. It's unlikely to win any new fans though.
SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy might rightly draw ire for its overt, unnecessary sexualisation of fighting games' femme fatales, but its problems extend further than social problems. It's anaemic in content and the fighting itself lacks any real depth.
Wario's relentless onslaught of microgaming still packs in a tonne of fun, especially for newcomers. For long-time Wario players, WarioWare Gold is a blessing and a curse. It's nice to have a collection of games from across the franchise in one collection, but it also means that fatigue and familiarity can set in pretty quickly.
Sonic Mania is a celebration of everything that made Sonic the Hedgehog such an enduring, beloved character. Plus adds to that, making one of the best Sonic games in decades even better.
Semblance is a frequently delightful, innovative platformer that's all about breaking the rules. When it's at its best, it's devilishly clever, but it has a curiously stilted pacing and flow. Its subversive take on mouldable platforming is fun to play, but ultimately its underutilised core concepts will leave you wanting more.
If you don't mind the lower resolution and slightly less crisp visuals, then the Switch version is incredibly easy to recommend, especially as it gains portability. It's a cracking port of one of the best remasters around. It's odd to say, but it almost feels like this should be Crash's new home.
While almost every LEGO game has included some sort of new mechanic to differentiate itself in some way, LEGO The Incredibles just feels like it's going through the motions. The formula is wearing mighty thin, and is the least inventive, most unexciting LEGO game in ages. Still, it's a decent kid's game, with plenty of family-friendly fun to be had.
The minimalist art design is beautiful, and its characters are wonderfully expressive and emotive despite their simplicity. There's an elegance to Pode, that belies its imperfect platforming and frequent frustrations.
While its premise is absurd, Sushi Striker's core action/puzzle mechanics are undeniably fun and initially addictive. It wears a little thin though, with the campaign becoming laborious well before it comes to an end. Thankfully the multiplayer is superb, and is a perfect fit for both the 3DS and the Switch.
Yoku's Island Express is whimsical, charming and a joy to play. It's developed by people who have an obvious love and deep knowledge for both pinball and Metroidvania games, and frequently delights and surprises by taking established genre conventions and quite literally flipping them about.
Those hoping for an engaging, exciting Tennis game are bound to be disappointed. Tennis World Tennis World Tour is an unpolished, unfinished simulation that's impossible to recommend.
It's quite simple. If you loved the first game, you'll appreciate the changes, like a more structured take on base building and community management. There are fantastic systems, hampered by repetitive and shallow gameplay that ultimately feels pointless. State of Decay 2's scale and lower price don't quite make up for its lack of polish.
The Switch version of South Park: the Fractured But Whole is a straight port. It's a good game that will appeal to anyone who has a love of violently tolerant rednecks and children caught up in increasingly bizarre situations, but a few loading time issues stop it from being the best way to play.
The new funky Mode dials down the challenge, but Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze remains one of the most inventive and exciting 2D platformers. It may not be surprising, or as fresh as it once was, but it's varied and challenging gameplay cement it as one of modern gaming's best platformers.