Adam Riley's Reviews
As controversial as the score may be, it is hard to argue against Rayman Legends being the unrivalled platform adventure of this generation, and the 'one to beat' in the upcoming new generation of systems that is about to kick-off. Building upon the superbly solid foundation of Rayman Origins is no mean feat, but Ubisoft has indeed managed to out-do the House of Mario in the genre in which many thought Nintendo was untouchable. Made for Wii U, playing this on any other format will undoubtedly be an inferior experience.
Nintendo has outdone itself with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - absolutely sublime work.
Hollow Knight in its original PC form was exemplary, but now it has landed on Nintendo Switch, complete with all the bells and whistles that have been laden upon the gorgeous adventure since launch, as well as fresh post-release content. This proves to be the perfect antidote for those suffering from Super Metroid withdrawal symptoms. Team Cherry's ode to Nintendo's great may well have edged past its original inspiration. It truly is the game that just keeps on giving; absolutely sublime, in every sense of the word.
The wait is over; the pinnacle of 3D adventures has arrived in the form of Super Mario Odyssey. It beggars belief just how much Nintendo has packed into this latest outing, without compromising the core Mario goodness of the past. Just as with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the Mario series has now reached a special new level of greatness that will be hard to surpass in the future. The Nintendo Switch is fast becoming the hottest platform, crammed full of sublime quality gaming experiences like this fantastic new escapade.
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 and integrating the online component so smoothly into the regular play. There will always be a tendency to jiggle the Wii Remote randomly in the hope of getting a good score, but that is the player's fault, not that of the game. Just Dance 2015 on Wii U is as close to perfection in the genre as possible, also allowing for extra points to be accrued by singing along via the GamePad's microphone for good measure.
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.
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is an absolute joy to behold, from its cute visual styling and delicious soundtrack and audio utterances from the main characters, to the expertly crafted self-contained stages, jam-packed with smart puzzles to solve and a plethora of goodies to uncover. This was one of those Wii U gems that thoroughly deserved another shot at the limelight, and with its excellent new additions now, it is indeed time to shine bright.
Treasure-like in its level of sheer ingenuity, Dakko Dakko's Scram Kitty and his Buddy on Rails is the sort of addictive shooter that is a must-own for Wii U owners and belies its initially brief appearance in the length stakes. Not exactly short to start with - thanks to the difficulty stakes - it is the draw of coming back to better times in the Challenge mode or uncovering every hidden kitty on each stage that brings considerable added value to what is already a bargain at just £8.99 / €9.99.
An expansive masterpiece, with amazing controls, stunningly atmospheric music, an intriguing graphical approach and oddball story that keeps players on their toes. Tight controls and intriguing morphing abilities mean that every challenge is extremely enjoyable, and the entire world is open to exploration - no boundaries! Part of the fun is merely trying to fill every tiny part of the world map.
Revolution is back in a big way, bringing together everything that made the original Broken Sword so joyous to play. Clever puzzles, intuitive controls, stacks of humour and an array of characters that excite and frustrate in equal measure. As for the story…well, when hitting that 50% completion mark to see in the conclusion of Chapter 1, there will be a definite hunger for more. Exhilarating, hilarious, brain teasing and providing a sensory overload, Broken Sword: The Serpent's Curse strikes all the right chords and is by far the adventure game of the year. The king is back!
Kirby is back with a bang! Whilst many adored Kirby's Epic Yarn, the team at Cubed3 actually preferred the more traditional Kirby's Adventure Wii and Kirby Triple Deluxe follows in that game's footsteps. Although the quirky Kirby Mass Attack was indeed sublime, going back to the core of the Kirby series is much welcomed. This is everything that Yoshi's New Island should have been - inventive stages, tight platform action, cleverly hidden secrets that are worth finding, and a general high level of polish throughout.
All in all, Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy shows there is still plenty of mileage in the series, but as time has been called on this particular line of Hershel Layton adventures, it proves to be a fitting closure with some great twists at the story's conclusion, along with clever plot elements that tie this precursor trilogy back into the first ever game, The Curious Village. Whilst not as gripping as the finale to the original trilogy - the truly sublime and epic Professor Layton and the Lost Future - this is still one that fans should not be without.
The culmination of this special coming together of the Ace Attorney series from Capcom and Level-5's Professor Layton world is a magical one indeed. Fusing together the fundamental elements of both titles for Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney works seamlessly and the combination of characters working as partners in each other's usual settings is truly joyous to behold. What is more, having Shu Takumi back on-board is definitely telling as some sublime new courtroom techniques are introduced that most definitely need to remain for future Ace Attorney titles, whilst Akihiro Hino's traditional Professor Layton game engine is as smooth as ever. Hopefully this is the first of many crossovers between Messrs. Wright and Layton.
An absolute classic, in all meanings of the word; Lumo tugs at the nostalgia heartstrings, and proves to not only look and feel as good as the '80s and '90s Commodore 64 and Spectrum golden oldies, but plays far better than the majority actually would if dusting off the old systems nowadays. Highly inventive, with secrets galore packed in, plus dastardly puzzles that provide a fantastic challenge - it is the sort of title that just keeps on giving and giving, and it is hoped that more Lumo is on the way in the near future.
What an absolute joy to play through. With Kirby: Planet Robobot, Nintendo and HAL have delivered not only a standard Kirby platform outing for Nintendo 3DS that matches the usual high quality levels found throughout the series, but have managed to bring many new elements into the mix to ensure that this the freshest Kirby to date, merging clever ideas from other genre stable-mates with the traditional qualities everyone knows and loves.
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.
Bringing together the key players from recent Ace Attorney outings, whilst developing some of the newer characters to flesh out their stories for future entries, is a very difficult balancing act, yet with Spirit of Justice Capcom expertly navigates any pitfalls to deliver the most in-depth, enthralling episode of Phoenix Wright's adventures so far. It might, for better or worse, feel like Apollo Justice 2 to some, but the way the story unfolds over the five cases is magnificent and leaves players - new and old, alike - hungry for much more.
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…
Visual novels may not be everyone's cup of tea, but anyone that loves delving deep into the world of a great book will be right at home with this intriguing science fiction adventure, being drawn into the heart of the time travel tale thanks to narrative of the finest calibre and some first class voice acting to bring the excellent cast of characters to life.
Online play for up to 12 people, local multiplayer for up to eight players - this alone will make Mario Kart 8 Deluxe a must for many. Throw in how it does not drop in quality in the slightest when in portable mode, and suddenly the old Mario Kart 8 from Wii U becomes even more enticing. With extra polish, all DLC content included, plus various tweaks to improve the experience, Nintendo has delivered the ultimate Mario Kart experience for all comers, new and old, alike.