Jamie Ward
NBA Playgrounds is fun, of that there is no doubt. It’s just that the fun doesn’t last all that long. After playing a few matches I simply had no motivation to have another without taking a break from it first. If you’re a huge basketball fan and you’re planning on playing a lot of local multiplayer, it’ll be far more appealing to you. If all you want is a game that will ease the itch for an over the top street basketball game in the same vein as NBA Jam then this will satisfy it somewhat. Just don’t expect it to become your favourite ever basketball game, because it has some way to go.
In the end though, Hey! Pikmin is a solid game and a decent first attempt at bridging out the franchise to multiple genres. The Pikmin seem to have a lot more personality in this game than previous entries and you get to see a more playful side to them. It isn’t the longest game out there but there are plenty of things to do that will elongate the experience such as beating each level without losing any Pikmin, as that grants you a gold trophy and of course you can challenge yourself to find every single piece of treasure in the game.
Human Resource Machine is a really smart game and one that makes you feel like both a mastermind at times and, well, quite the opposite too. It throws a unique spin on the puzzle genre which many fans will love but also at times grow frustrated at due to the difficulty spike.
However, Little Inferno will not be everybody’s cup of tea and at some points, you will be really enjoying the experience and then all of a sudden think the opposite, it really is that kind of game. It’s a relatively enjoyable experience but I personally would try out the two other Switch games by the same developer first before becoming a pyromaniac in Little Inferno.
I simply have to commend Lizardcube for the effort they have put into Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap, even if it is a remake. A lot of other companies that remake older games can learn a thing or two from this developer. It looks great, sounds great and still plays wonderfully too. It was a great game in 1989 and whilst maybe some of that greatness has now gone, because games have simply moved on since then, it is still certainly a really fun game and one that I did not want to put down from start to finish.
All of us at some point in our lives would have bought a much more inferior game than Kamiko that would have lasted a lot longer. But at the end of the day, if you get a better game at a very low price, regardless of how long the experience lasts, if you asked me which is the better deal of the two, I would go with Kamiko every day.
I had a number of incredibly funny moments during my time with the game. The presentation is spot on, it has some funny writing and it allows you to quite easily play an eight-player game because of the use of a phone as a controller, which isn’t something that you can say about many games out there. Just make sure you do have a stable internet connection, as it is required. Overall The Jackbox Party Pack 3, as a package, is certainly a compelling one and undoubtedly is a great addition if played with the right crowd.
I found Mr. Shifty to be a really fun and enjoyable game, that had a great core mechanic and played like one of my all-time favourite games. The challenge isn’t quite there however and it does get a bit repetitive the more you go on. There isn’t a great deal of replayability besides beating previous times, which isn’t enough to keep me coming back. But for those who want a short-lived but super slick and really fun game then I can certainly recommend Mr. Shifty to those people. It’s no Hotline Miami beater, but then again, what is?
Blaster Master Zero unquestionably isn’t the finest of the modern retro games, but it is still a blast to play through. If you’re harkening for a smaller game that isn’t going to break the bank then you can certainly do a lot worse than this.