Tom Bickmore
Definitely one of the strongest remasters available on the current gen consoles, with enough improvements to more than compete with most new games. In a surprise turn, it also manages to better its original release - it’s been a long time since the title “Definitive Edition” was this well earnt.
This is a sexy game designed for weirdos, and I’m fully aware of that. It’s also an entertaining brawler, mechanically. Comboing large groups of enemies into the sky is always satisfying, but I do wish I was controlling a model that wasn’t quite so ridiculously sexualised. I think all I can really say is that I had fun with it, and a lot of other people will have fun with it too. I just hope they’re having fun for the right reasons.
Overall, I think Shadwen could be a good game, but for whatever reason I was unable to play it as the developer intended. Other reviewers don’t seem to have encountered the same issue as I had, so perhaps it’s just a one-off. Consider perusing other reviews before making a purchase decision, reader, as I am going to have to give Shadwen a low score. Ultimately, I found it to be unplayable.
The Way has a lot going for it: the world is interesting, the puzzles are testing, and it has a wonderful charm. The movement is precise enough to make the platforming work, and controlling the powers is never an effort. Worth a punt if you’re looking for something a little retro this summer.
While it can be a little frustrating on occasion, as any puzzle game can, Kick and Fennick is a charming little platformer with a unique mechanical twist - well worth a shot, and I’m sure you’ll have a blast.
If you’re a die-hard fan of Deadlight, then you probably don’t even need to read a review to know whether or not to buy it, you’ll just do it anyway. For everyone else, this is an average game that has been surpassed in the years since it came out. There are far better 2D platformers available. You can give this one a miss.
As a fighting game fan, having new systems to learn has been great fun and the design of the characters and the world is instantly enjoyable if you like Japanese fighting games and/or anime. With the detailed tutorial and introduction of the Stylish control mode, it's far more approachable for new players, but the complexity of the story and how little it does to help people jump on quickly may rub people the wrong way.
Collecting all my favourite characters in one game and letting me mix and match them in combat is great fun, but doesn’t last - especially when I chose to stop playing the story mode halfway through due to not wanting to spoil the experience of reading the manga. The combat too is not one of CyberConnect2’s greatest offerings, with the fighting feeling far too loose and disconnected - completely the opposite of their last JoJo game, All Star Battle.
I found myself wishing that something would appear to redeem Mordheim: City of the Damned, but as it began to feel like every action in the game was taking a few agonizing seconds too long, I realised that I'd lost hope in much the same way as the residents of the eponymous city. Mordheim isn't a dangerous place, it's just a bit dull.