Ollie Barder Avatar Image

Ollie Barder


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

82 games reviewed
82.4 average score
80 median score
54.9% 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.
Feb 15, 2016

So if you like your shoot-em-ups to unleash hell at an insane pace but all the while expect you to keep your head, then Dariusburst: Chronicle Saviours is definitely the game for you.

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8 / 10.0 - Street Fighter V
Feb 15, 2016

Overall, Street Fighter V is a thoroughly excellent game and one that Capcom intend to support for a good while to come. It is, however, an intensely involved beat-em-up, as well as a work in progress, and only time will tell if the online community will be able to support players unfamiliar with the series. If you are into your beat-em-ups though, then Street Fighter V definitely has you covered for the foreseeable future.

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8 / 10.0 - Attack on Titan
Feb 24, 2016

Overall, I really enjoyed playing Attack on Titan. Being able to traverse the environment and fluidly take out giants felt great. While there are some glitches and it could get repetitive for some, I can still happily recommend this to any curiously minded gamer and doubly so if you are an Attack on Titan fan.

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May 13, 2016

Overall, this is a great platformer done better than most of the competition out there. If you have a 3DS then this is a necessary purchase, as it needs to be part of your gaming library.

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Overall, 4.1 is a raucous and fun shooter with a different as well as more open ended approach compared to the more scripted movie wannabe type games out there.

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5 / 10.0 - Mighty No. 9
Jul 19, 2016

Mighty No. 9 then is definitely a missed opportunity, not only in terms of crowdfunded gaming but also as a homage to what made the Mega Man games so great in the first place.

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So as a companion game to the mainline Gundam Extreme Versus series and as a game you can dip in and out of on the move, Force is great. However, as a standalone game it may leave many confused as to why certain mechanics play out the way they do.

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Nov 28, 2016

Pokémon Sun and Moon is a wonderful investment of time and I can happily recommend it to anyone that owns a 3DS, regardless of whether you want to catch all the Pokémon or not.

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7.5 / 10.0 - The Last Guardian
Dec 5, 2016

Overall, The Last Guardian for all its faults is a good game and one that I have enjoyed. Yes, there are many frustrating elements, amplified by the fact they feel unnecessary and out of character for the series, but the journey this game takes you on is a worthwhile one.

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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 - 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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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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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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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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