Daniel Lipscombe


65 games reviewed
68.9 average score
70 median score
69.2% of games recommended
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7 / 10 - Moon Hunters
Nov 3, 2017

Moon Hunters is easily summed up by saying it's akin to a Dungeons and Dragons-style "choose your own adventure". Some choices you make can play out very differently with your third, sixth, or twentieth playthrough. Every tale has the same start and end, but the middle can be incredibly varied. It's a sumptuous title in both story and presentation; with visuals that could stand up next to Hyper Light Drifter and sound design that sweeps through orchestral themes and folk songs. It's a shame that the fighting mechanics feel a little too similar because the story itself is a real treat.

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At one point I assumed that it’s likely I’m not the target audience, so I gave the game to my daughters – aged eight and ten – to play. They love Cartoon Network, so I thought that Cartoon Network: Battle Crashers would give them something new to experience. While both of them enjoyed the visual spectacle and the set pieces of special moves, they each gave up citing that it simply wasn’t fun, ironically choosing to watch The Regular Show instead. So, if my thoughts don’t nail what I want to say, I’ll leave it to my eight-year-old daughter – “This is boring, can we play Mario Kart instead?”

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8 / 10 - Cat Quest
Dec 4, 2017

Did I mention that as a cat you have to fight an army of dragons controlled by an evil mage? I’m not kidding, it’s a purrfect combination of crazy and fun. It’s pawsome. The cat’s pajamas. It’s refreshing to find a game that doesn’t take itself seriously, but can also deliver interesting takes on tried and tested video game tropes that stay entertaining.

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On all points, Batman: The Telltale Series is a must have for fans of Telltale, Batman and narrative-driven games. But, it needs to be more accessible. I can’t help but feel that Telltale is pricing themselves out of the market by charging so much for a game that is much cheaper elsewhere. Yes, it’s a great game and it shows what can be done with the Switch in terms of showing off narrative in a portable experience, but the naïve pricing is a sore point.

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Dec 12, 2017

Yes, this last point would occur on any touchscreen system, but here it feels even more ludicrous because the Switch is a system that has sticks and buttons. The developer could have experimented with implementing these controls into the game, rather than just shoehorning the Red Game Without A Great Name onto the system. It’s a real shame as the premise itself is appealing and the art style is sumptuous and brooding. But, beauty is only skin deep, after all.

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Dec 12, 2017

Everything feels very budget. The sound isn’t great, the visuals are only okay and the idea of a single player campaign only goes as far as a few races in each cup which ends with a message thanking you for playing. It could have been so much more and all I got from my time with the game was a hankering to break out my SNES and find a copy of Super Off Road, which did it all so much better… in 1992.

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Jan 3, 2018

It’s an unmissable game that truly feels at home here. And whether you’re playing for the first time or the 896th, it feels exciting, fresh and unique. Enter the Gungeon has always been a game that you must play, now, on the Switch, it’s a game you must OWN.

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5 / 10 - Violett
Jan 3, 2018

It’s clear that the developer has a wonderful vision and creates something that feels it could have achieved a level of wonder seen in its obvious inspiration, Alice in Wonderland. However, there are too many small issues and the lack of any solid narrative makes the game, well, boring.

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7 / 10 - Crawl
Jan 12, 2018

There’s no doubting the enjoyment that’s possible in Crawl. I would love to have seen a proper story mode that allows the unlocking of items, etc, because the universe the devs have created is intriguing. There’s a lot here to love, but a lot that can lower the experience. It doesn’t have the draw of an Isaac or Gungeon and it won’t beat out ARMS or Mario Kart 8 Deluxe when you have friends round, but it’s worthy of time because it does so many things differently.

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Jan 12, 2018

There’s variation in the areas as winding paths and multiple lines of marbles are introduced. There’s an extra hard difficulty if you want a challenge or to grind your teeth into dust with frustration. It’s not a bad game at all, it just does what it says on the tin and while that’s fine, it doesn’t stand up above other games – many of which flood the Nintendo eShop each week – to steal your attention away.

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10 / 10 - Celeste
Jan 25, 2018

I would feel disheartened, but Celeste has taught me, in a short time, not to feel this way. The game has guided me, through Madeline, to strive for my goals, to take time and breathe, to take chances and venture out of my comfort zone. The story that eventually plays out is a powerful hit to the solar-plexus and is very welcome in the current field of video games.

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7 / 10 - InnerSpace
Feb 3, 2018

A part of me wishes there was more to sink my teeth into with InnerSpace – a proper narrative, maybe, but that takes away from what a lovely experience it is. It takes away from how it looks, sounds and moves. Most of all, it would make the game something very different and that would be a real shame because this is a very charming concept fleshed out with a great eye for detail.

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5 / 10 - BRAWL
Feb 3, 2018

Aside from the story, there are local multiplayer and challenge modes. The latter does offer some really interesting game types like a horde mode, a boss challenge and a type that asks you to protect a flock of sheep. But, for me at least, I didn’t find any urge to pick up my Switch and play Brawl. This could have been a great game, but it tries to sell players something that we’ve already seen done much better and a style that just doesn’t merge all that well with the idea.

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Feb 6, 2018

This is a game that has no right to be as much fun as it is. It should be one of those titles that’s ultimately forgettable – something that feels ported from mobile devices, but Super One More Jump is a bunch of fun with one player or more and it has that perfect ‘one more go’ attribute.

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6 / 10 - Plague Road
Feb 7, 2018

Unless I’m missing something integral, I can only say that Plague Road became boring and repetitive. I wouldn’t mind so much if I was grinding mobs to level up or mapping areas, but after so many deaths I found I just didn’t want to play any longer. Which is annoying because the game has a great aesthetic appeal, some interesting options and when it flows, it does so with verve. If I did miss anything, I can only lay blame with the tutorial system, because it doesn’t really do enough to paint a full picture for players.

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Feb 15, 2018

Within these images, we see the steps of life being laid out. A man meeting a girl. Surprising her with a boat trip. Nothing in these images is interactive, but they each encapsulate a sense of wonder and nostalgia. They reward exploration and intrigue in the scenes. Small mannerisms and gestures from the central character, before and after these images are shown, add a wealth of personality to his two-dimensional form and go a long way to creating a rounded persona, and experience, that is entirely endearing.

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Feb 20, 2018

The style is lacklustre, the sound design adds very little to the overall package and it all feels very bland. This is one of those games where, when it loads I found myself uttering ‘Oh’ out loud, because it failed to capture any part of me. Had there been some humorous narrative, a few jokes scattered throughout, maybe even just some puns, I might have enjoyed my time with Puzzle Puppers. As it stands, it’s completely forgettable, which is a massive shame considering the wealth of memes and jokes that exist and the fact that the actual puzzle design is decent.

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Feb 22, 2018

Tiny Troopers Joint Ops XL is one of those games which is perfectly fine. It isn’t a bad game and it isn’t going to blow the doors off of the barn. It’s an ideal game to burn ten minutes in between other experiences and there are some nice little moments throughout. Playing isn’t going to change your life or deliver any deep narratives, but if you want to blow stuff up and shoot mindlessly for a while, you could do a lot worse.

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Mar 15, 2018

Midnight Deluxe needed more; more levels, more variation, a better control system – why can’t I aim with the stick and use a moving power meter that requires button presses, like a golf game? Yes, the game looks gorgeous. I’m clapping for the designer, each level, while similar, does look lovely in a dark and bleak way. It’s atmospheric and spooky, made from a palette of blues and greyscale. Games like this are wonderfully simple, which makes them incredibly accessible, in the right circumstances, but they often need more depth. This is one of those games.

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Apr 7, 2018

Toki Tori is a charming little character who, when left idle, expresses himself in a number of ways that add another level to his personality. The whole game is a saccharine little gem, which has been said many times before, but is always worth saying repeatedly.

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