Ollie Barder Avatar Image

Ollie Barder


Favorite Games:
  • Cyber Troopers Virtual On
  • Super Metroid
  • Ico

89 games reviewed
81.6 average score
80 median score
53.9% of games recommended

Ollie Barder's Reviews

I cover gaming and pop-culture in Japan for Forbes. I also founded and continue to manage the mecha gaming site, Mecha Damashii. I have over a decade’s worth of games industry experience, having worked in both publishing and game development, and am currently working in the Tokyo games industry. In my limited spare time I do mecha related toy reviews for a variety of places.
Nov 18, 2018

Overall, Pokémon: Let’s Go is definitely something fans of Pokémon will have fun with and will also be familiar to newer players who have enjoyed Pokémon GO. However, don’t be fooled by the sweet looking presentation, as there is a solid challenge to be had here.

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Overall, Castlevania Requiem is an excellent collection of two very important as well as very different Castlevania games. If you have enjoyed the recent Netflix series and don't know much about the games it is based off, then this is probably the perfect collection to get to grips with the saga.

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Overall, the standard game is an excellent high-definition remaster and is the best version of the game to date. The VR mode ruins that impressive achievement and is wholly unnecessary. In short, play this for the high definition remaster and give the VR mode a very wide berth.

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While it is a massive and overly traditional role-playing game, do not let these elements dissuade you from trying it out. Stick with it and your patience will be hugely rewarded.

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Aug 15, 2018

Overall, Octopath Traveler is a very solid and engaging game.

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If you're a Zelda fan and want something more combat oriented with a strong element of strategy to it, then Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition is worth checking out.

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Feb 11, 2018

Overall, this is still the fantastic game I remember playing back at the start of 2016

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Feb 3, 2018

Overall, following the somewhat disappointing The Last Guardian, this is an astonishingly good remake of a classic PS2 game and one that everyone who owns a PS4 should play.

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Jan 7, 2018

Overall, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is a very good role-playing game and one that not only is a proud addition to the Xeno series but also adds another great game to the library of the already buoyant Switch. That said, the discrepancy in performance between the docked and portable versions of the game is somewhat unfortunate and may limit your enjoyment.

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Nov 29, 2017

Even if you unlocked all there was from the Alola region in the previous games, these Ultra iterations have even more tucked away for you to discover.

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Oct 7, 2017

A great deal of effort clearly went into making this game work and bringing SR388 to life once again. However, as a Metroid game, it still falls short of earlier releases.

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8 / 10.0 - Senko no Ronde 2
Sep 12, 2017

Overall, Senko no Ronde 2 is as good as the game it is based off and comes highly recommended to anyone that enjoys a different kind of arena battler.

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9 / 10.0 - Sonic Mania
Aug 23, 2017

Overall, Sonic Mania is probably one of the best Sonic games ever made and is a very carefully and thoughtfully crafted game.

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7 / 10.0 - Namco Museum
Jul 31, 2017

This Namco Museum release on the Switch is as good as its precursors and brilliantly accentuated with the local multiplayer focused Pac-Man Vs. but it is currently overpriced and I hope this is not a new trend when it comes to future retro gaming releases on the Switch.

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9 / 10.0 - Gundam Versus
Jul 17, 2017

Even if you are not a fan of Gundam or even mecha games, Gundam Versus is a unique and complex multiplayer game that stands up on its own merits and if you play it enough, you may even end up a Newtype.

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If you want arguably one of the best iterations in the Street Fighter series on the Switch, then Ultra Street Fighter II is definitely worth getting but bear in mind that it is definitely overpriced.

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Apr 3, 2017

If you are at all interested in the world of Berserk, either as a long time fan or a complete newbie then this game is worth a look. If you are looking for an interesting game with varied as well as involved hack and slash gameplay, you might want to give this entry a miss and check out one of the mainline Dynasty Warriors games instead.

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Feb 14, 2017

Malicious Fallen is a great package as you are effectively getting three very involved games to play with for a very reasonable price. Considering the difficulty as well as the complexity of the game, it's likely you'll be playing Malicious Fallen for a good while.

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In short, if you are new to Marvel vs. Capcom then pick this up to get ready for Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, whereas more experienced players should probably give this one a miss.

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8 / 10.0 - Gravity Rush 2
Jan 15, 2017

Overall, Gravity Rush 2 is a fantastic sequel to an already very good and interesting Vita game. Due to its unique gravity based mechanics, there are still some teething issues but the game remains eminently playable and fun with it. I am very glad Sony stuck by this series, as it is shows that games are at their best when they are weird and varied. I only hope that this is not the last we have seen of Kat and her gravity shifting abilities, as there’s a lot more scope here for something even better.

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