Adam Riley's Reviews
Paper Mario: Color Splash is a complete joy aesthetically, looking and sounding fantastic, complemented by some very amusing script work. At its core, though, whilst attempting to mix things up as much as it can in order to keep the action fresh, its battle system grows tiresome very quickly, dragging the enjoyment factor down several notches. When tied in with its unnecessary - and awkward - reliance on the GamePad, it makes for somewhat of a rollercoaster ride, with fun elements followed by lots of frustrating experiences during the battling sections. Nintendo and Intelligent Systems should pick one route and stick with it: either go for straight-up platform action or make it the true RPG successor to the original Paper Mario and The Thousand Year Door that fans keep asking for. This current mish-mash of styles just drags down the series' reputation. For now, stick with the Mario & Luigi titles…
Without a doubt the best Rhythm Paradise game so far, Rhythm Paradise Megamix is the ultimate package - almost like Nintendo's own NOW That's What I Call Music compilation. Rather than some half-baked bundling of past releases together, the team has taken the most loved rhythm mini-games from the past, spruced them up, pieced them together nicely on 3DS, covered them with comical storylines, and then whipped up a fresh batch of mini-game goodness to add in, just for good measure. Rhythm Paradise Megamix is just what the doctor ordered, and the perfect early Christmas present for Nintendo 3DS owners of all ages.
What an intriguing game! Soulless: Ray of Hope mixes all sorts of clever puzzles with some fine platform antics, keeping players on their toes in terms of the difficulty throughout. Sure, there are times where it may seem too tough to the point of having to almost memorise a certain pattern to progress past specific hazards, and the camera's slow movement does not always help matters at all, but there is so much charm here that simply cannot be overlooked, complemented by a gorgeous soundtrack full of emotion and a wonderful art approach. Ray of Hope impresses at every turn, taking a now well known formula and polishing it to reveal new beauty within.
The price of Death Ray Manta had already been placed at £1.99, and at the time of writing it is now on offer for a mere £0.59! It would be complete madness to overlook this even at that ~£2 mark, let alone its super bargain price now. Death Ray Manta SE is a must for anyone shmup fan out there, especially those that adored the Geometry Wars releases. This is high octane, nerve-racking fun, and truly exhilarating with each and every play - twin-stick shooting at its very best. To quote something a wise man once said, "Absolutely brilliant!"
Despite a soft start through the first half of the adventure, the thoroughly impressive time-switching mechanic used for puzzles, as well as the engrossing story and stellar final run to the end credits, all help to make The Silent Age something very special indeed. Given how impressive the journey develops, it can only be hoped that more is on the way. The time-jumping aspect for puzzle solving is fantastic, but starts to wear thin slightly, at which point the developer, thankfully, eases off to a degree, and brings in more traditional style point-and-click adventuring that spices up matters considerably. The Silent Age has a good start, then has a really strong race to the finish line, and leaves with massive potential for the future.
There are not enough adjectives to describe what a pleasure it is to experience Tesla Effect: A Tex Murphy Adventure. From the smart acting and intriguing story, to the clever puzzles included and great locations to explore, everything in Big Finish Games' project is a resounding success. Adventure fans have been waiting a long time for this, and it is pleasing to see that the wait was indeed more than worth it. Tex Murphy is back, and hopefully there is much more to come, especially with the officially-supported fan remake of Overseer, The Poisoned Pawn well underway.
1954 Alcatraz has its own level of charm that helps it to just about keep its head above water. However, it also lacks any punch throughout. None of the characters are particularly beguiling, the puzzles faced are not especially memorable or even taxing, and the story itself only just holds the attention long enough to finish the approximately eight-hour journey. Thankfully, there are multiple junctures during the tale that are just about intriguing enough to warrant keeping multiple saves to see how things play out differently - but only the most perseverant will likely do so, with the majority just switching off post-credits. Those sticking around to see the ending variations, though, will find that 1954 will forever be resigned to the past, with no strong memories remaining at all, neither negative, nor positive.
One of the best just got even better! RIVE: Wreck, Hack, Die, Retry! was an exhilarating ride for fans of all styles of space shooters to start with, but now even more genre enthusiasts can enjoy this stunning effort thanks to the extra difficulty mode offered. As for those who signed up for the initial release, they also have some fantastic reasons to come back and enjoy the excellence that Two Tribes has delivered. Will this superb shooter be transferred to Nintendo Switch now, rather than staying on the near enough finished Wii U? Given how amazing this update was, the only thing that could possibly better it would be the promise of further tweaks, and maybe even a multiplayer element, all in time for a Switch release! For now, PC and PlayStation 4 gamers are in for a massive treat with this sublime update…
Whilst not on the same shaky ground as Final Fantasy XV by any means, despite Tales of Berseria bringing with it a great story, wonderful animation scenes, a sublime soundtrack and voice cast, it lets the side down with its dull environments, lack of engaging puzzles and quests, overly-wordy interactions that go off on pointless tangents, as well as a battle system that is quite hit and miss, resigning many gamers to mere button-bashing to get through most of the adventure. Bandai Namco has managed to deliver yet another solid Tales entry, but not one that will be remembered anywhere near as fondly as past classics, unfortunately.
Memoranda had so much going for it, but in the end it misses the mark on too many occasions and lacks that gripping nature that the best point-and-click adventures have. From the story that really does not make much sense or give any real sense of satisfaction at the end, to the awkward voice acting of the lead character, and the disappointing nature of most puzzles, what seemed like a great concept fades away from the memory quite soon after completion.
Mixing the best adventure elements of Myst with modern day Hidden Object puzzles, an intriguing story, and lovely presentation throughout, The Frostrune is an absolute pleasure to play through from start to finish. Whilst it may not play exactly like traditional point-and-click titles, relying more on outside-the-box thinking, it takes the core concept and mixes it up to keep things fresh. The attention to detail is apparent in this labour of love and it deserves to be truly appreciated.
Bear with Me: Episode 2 is a definite step in the right direction, with the world opening up more and a great selection of new characters and puzzles being introduced, accompanying the already impressive dark atmosphere. Sometimes it leans towards being slightly too easy, but there is more challenge than before, and it ends on the perfect cliff-hanger, ready for Episode 3. Hopefully the wait between episodes is not quite as long this time.
Do not be fooled by this one. All the Delicate Duplicates merely attempts to disguise a run-of-the-mill storyline by wrapping it up in pretty a first-person exploration dressing that has clearly been designed for future VR support. Sadly, the lack of interaction with the actual surroundings hurts it badly, luring players in with the promise of more to come, only to end succinctly without any effort required on the player's part, and then expecting them to do lots of background reading to get the full picture. On paper, the initial concept may have seemed like an intriguing new way to deliver a story. In reality, though, it proves to be an overly short and mundane chore of an experience that misses so many opportunities to be so much more than it actually is. An experience it may be, but it is an empty and lacklustre one, overall.
Nintendo has outdone itself with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - absolutely sublime work.
Do not let the ending put you off Firewatch, nor let the talk of 'Walking Simulator' give any sort of preconceived notion of this being boring. What has been delivered is one of the most engaging narrative experiences in recent times, draped beautifully over a thoroughly enjoyable adventure, with plenty of scope for going back to uncover more details, finding new conversation avenues, and stumbling upon all manner of intriguing information not seen the first time round.
Both Maniac Mansion and its sequel, Day of the Tentacle, are highly regarded even after all this time, and with good reason. This remastered edition of the second title is a welcome return for a highly enjoyable - and comical - point-and-click romp that would otherwise be completely overlooked in today's modern gaming world. Even in this form it might well be shunned just because of its genre, but that would be a mistake. It may no longer be King of the Hill, but it is still a mighty fine adventure, filled with smart quips, amusing one-liners, and some crafty puzzles.
What a hidden gem! Snipperclips: Cut it Out, Together is a definite must-buy on Nintendo Switch, showing off not just a fantastic idea with great puzzles, but driving home the team-work element that works so well on Switch thanks to its 'play anywhere, anytime' ethos. Sit with a friend, get family members involved, or even go it alone, play it in tabletop mode, portable, or even on the big screen - whatever the case, it all works perfectly. This is going to eat away at the hours, without a doubt. SFB Games and Nintendo have struck gold with this one.
This year's edition of the Just Dance series lifts the game beyond its former releases thanks to its focus on treating players to various extras the more they play, as well as integrating the online component so smoothly. There will always be a tendency to jiggle the Joy-Con randomly - as with the Wii Remote in the past - in the hopes of cheating to get a decent score, but some of the fun factor is removed by doing that. Just Dance 2017 on Nintendo Switch is as close to perfection in the genre as possible, even if this version has lost some of the features included in the already released Wii U edition.
The Secret Monster Society - Chapter 2: Time, Dreams and Underwater Travel picks up where the first chapter left off, improving in almost every way, including funnier quips, smarter (and tougher) puzzles, along with the same gorgeous visual style, superb voice acting, and amazing Banjo-Kazooie-esque soundtrack. It cuts off a bit quicker than expected, but for its low price there is definitely a fantastic ride here to get you through until Chapter 3 rolls around. There are still some quirks that linger from the first chapter, but hopefully they will be fixed ahead of the release of Chapter 3.
Activision and Toys for Bob have once more delivered a highly entertaining adventure, filled with hidden goodies galore, and an amusing script, on top of an extremely solid platforming escapade. Newcomers may grow frustrated at the amount of content locked behind 'pay walls' ('toy' walls?) but the core story has enough meat to keep early Nintendo Switch adopters satiated; as for long-term fans with a large toy collection, this is superb.