Tokyo 42 is a solid game held back from greatness by a couple of quirks in its design.
There’s the core of a great game here, and it’s still fun to smash a car into oncoming traffic and watch the ensuing chaos. But the game is focused on the wrong things, specifically its Smashbreaker and aftertouch mechanics, instead of just dumping you into a simulation of a motorway and told to go nuts. There’s still fun to be had in Danger Zone, but it’s unfortunately held back by this misplaced focus.
Bokida presents a compelling world to explore that’s wrapped in a peaceful, almost zen atmosphere. You’re never in danger or racing against any sort of threat in Bokida. You’re free to go where you like, see what you want and tackle the world at your own pace and in whatever way you see fit.
Micro Machines World Series sees the franchise attempt to make the move into the competitive online multiplayer scene. But rather than do so by leveraging its strengths and the gameplay modes series fans enjoy playing, Codemasters have focused on a dull game mode that feels out of place with the rest of the franchise.
Dead Exit manages to pull of the difficult feat of being a card game with a great amount of depth while still being fairly easy to pick up and learn. There are a lot of mechanics to learn here, with a wealth of strategic options available to players.
This is a peaceful game about exploration, discovering secrets, helping people and transforming the land at your own pace, free from the threat of death or world ending implications. It’s quite refreshing to explore the land at your own pace without worrying that something is going to try and murder your face off when you round every corner.
Monks, cyborgs, mercenaries and corporate plotting – it’s all just window dressing that allows players to play out a power fantasy of kicking and punching their way through scores of armed goons and horrifying mutants. Nothing more, nothing less. And it’s a lot of fun to blast through a few levels or tackle one of the game’s arena maps.
Sundered is a game that has a lot going for it, especially in its opening moments. There are some things the game absolutely nails, but there are a few aggravations too. These aggravations never really go away and start to build up the further into the game you play.
Tacoma introduces a solid roster of characters into a brilliantly realised way of viewing and interacting with a story, but wastes both on a narrative that is unfortunately fairly dull. And because this is an interactive narrative experience, Tacoma doesn’t really have anything else to fall back on. It’s an okay time that introduces a great new mechanic that I want to see more from in the future, but the experience itself sadly falls short.
In motion when two players are facing off against each other it’s brilliant. Playing the game is nonstop fun. Heck, even watching two players have at it is a cracking time.
With just a little bit more variety and a lot less repetition, Agents of Mayhem could have been an entertaining game. It’s not a bad game, nor is it a particularly good one. There were pockets of fun in the game, for sure, but this is a mostly forgettable experience.