Steven Impson's Reviews
Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake is a delicious serve of JRPG comfort food. It's got depth that kept me experimenting with new party setups, challenging enough situations to really test them, and an overall story that's keeps things interesting from start to finish with a beautiful visual style and music to match.
Outside the co-drivers, I enjoyed my time with Drive Rally. While the career mode is bare bones, the actual rally driving is wonderful. It strikes a balance between being approachable and having the depth to keep you playing and improving. Well worth a look if you miss the glory days of 90s era rally games.
Duck Detective: The Secret Salami sets out to be a quick, breezy mystery and at this it excels. It's full of fascinating characters with interesting relationships, set in a world brimming with detail to inform your investigation and when at its best makes you truly feel like a detective on the case. While I feel it's fill-in-the-blanks system could be a smidge more helpful, that's a small blemish on an otherwise excellent little mystery title that's well worth settling in with one afternoon with a cup o' joe and a sleuthing mind.
The simple gameplay of Wrath of the Mutants can be enjoyable in the right mood, but don't expect anything more than a bland and repetitive button masher.
Contra: Operation Galuga brings the essential Contra experience into the modern era. It retains the classic's white knuckle challenge, awesome level designs, boss creativity and firepower while adding some modern touches to make the game palatable and enjoyable by more people. It's not particularly long, but playing through once has never been the draw of a Contra game. It's a game that begs to be re-played and perfected. If you've ever been curious to try Contra, this is a great way to get into the franchise.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Lost Crown. It took me a little under 18 hours to finish the game with quite a bit of exploring off the beaten track along the way – and the next day all I wanted to do was pick the game back up get to more exploring. It's got compelling exploration, great feeling movement, engaging combat and satisfying puzzles. Genuine innovation in the genre and smartly integrated accessibility features make The Lost Crown a game I heartily recommend.
Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 is great fun in short bursts. The chaotic energy, ridiculous car designs, new abilities and commitment to the miniature racing aesthetic make for a bombastic racing experience, for a while. The campaign storyline left me cold, and the freedom to screw up might be fun in a silly multiplayer session but becomes annoying solo. The sheer amount of track and car customisation options should at least add longevity to the online multiplayer experience.
Detective Pikachu Returns is a decently fun little detective story. Don't expect any intense logical deductions or unpredictable twists – but it's fun enough to follow along with even so. The relationship between Tim and Pikachu is a highlight as are the Pokémon who help you along the way. Uninspired human character designs marr an otherwise decent presentation full of cool Pokémon and fun music.
It's unfortunate that pervasive online requirements and microtransactions sully what is otherwise a chilled out, holiday vibe in The Crew Motorfest, but I had a good time regardless. Hanging out on O'ahu, learning about various car cultures and driving some awesome-feeling vehicles over varied terrain and event types is just damned good fun.
Samba de Amigo is a hoot with friends, sure to generate laughs and memorable moments. Just don't expect an engrossing single-player rhythm game experience.
The Switch port of Red Dead Redemption is a faithful way to get into the world of Red Dead. It looks good as long as you adjust expectations and consider the game's age, and performs consistently well in both handheld and docked modes. While many aspects will feel dated, I still had a fun time exploring the old west with John during the last gasps of the American frontier.
I struggle to think of a positive experience over the thirteen-odd hours I spent playing this game. Gollum is uninspired and dated and The Lord of the Rings fans deserve better than this.
Scars Above's exploration gameplay is rewarding, if a little trite and it's characters mostly forgettable – but some inventive combat saves it mediocrity. A decently fun, if not overly groundbreaking, sci-fi action adventure.
There's a lot to like in Unbound, but some of the characters and the tedious police chases bring down what is otherwise a thrilling high-speed race through Lakeshore.
There is some joy in the mindless blasting, but overall G.O.R.E. is a messy, repetitive experience that could have used a bit more time in the oven.
I suspect that people with fondness for the original Pac-Man World, or even just this specific era of platforming games will be the ones who get the most from RePac. It's a style of game that has been out of fashion for a while, but it's simplicity could still hold some appeal. When you can get lovingly re-created versions of the standard-setting Crash Bandicoot series for the price of this though, the value proposition for a remaster of one fairly short and unremarkable game is hard to swallow. One for the fans.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is another great entry in the long-running series. Combat is complex, but well enough explained to readily understand and feels fantastic to play with. It has interesting characters, an intriguing world and an engrossing storyline that had me always wondering what was going to happen next. Whether you're new to the series or a veteran, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is stylish, intriguing, super fun, and well worth checking out for RPG fans.
I’ve had a great time levelling and fighting with my Necromancer so far, and am super excited to be able to play the game with friends when the game is released for everyone very soon. As long as the monetisation strategy doesn’t get in the way of the game being fun to play, I think this could be a game I get hooked on for a while.
Triangle Strategy is pretty special. Through its challenging yet adaptive battle system it is approachable to newcomers to the genre while still offering an engaging challenge to veterans.
Gran Turismo 7 is a car-lover's dream. Whether you love cars already or have just started your journey into being a car person, GT7 wants to welcome you to the community with open arms, get you up to speed and give you everything it can to help you enjoy cars in whatever ways it's able. It has a wealth of car history to share, incredible feeling driving and some of the best visuals I've seen in a driving game. There are some cars I wish were included (Mount Panorama and no Aussie V8 Supercars? Come on, mate!) and the always online requirement might be a deal breaker for some, but even with all that Gran Turismo 7 is the friendliest, most approachable driving simulation I've played with all the depth of options you'd expect for seasoned car enthusiasts.