Ryan Brown's Reviews
Kingdom Hearts III is an experience that's been worth waiting for, with this entry serving as one of the series' finest moments. Although the tangled storyline and horde of characters may be unapproachable to newcomers, the colourful, mind-boggling variation of the weapons and attacks in your arsenal is a truly dazzling spectacle, and undeniably fun for the duration of this 30-40 hour long epic. For long-time fans, this is a grand send off that completes the current story, with a particularly memorable finale that gives those fans exactly what they've been waiting for. With a killer soundtrack and an amazing array of enemies and worlds to boot, this could be 2019's first must-play hit.
Fun to both build and play with, the Nintendo Labo Vehicle Kit is a very unique video gaming experience that is sure to delight kids that are already fans of both construction toys and Nintendo.
If you are a big Adventure Time fan and don’t require every game you play to be an original, stellar experience, there’s definitely fun to be had here thanks to the game’s charm and authenticity alone. For fans looking to say goodbye to the land of Ooo, you could definitely do a lot worse.
Fear Effect Sedna is one of those games that were I not reviewing it, I'd have stopped playing very early on. Its few redeeming qualities actually fail to redeem it at all; it's simply not a very good video game, one that could only be satisfactory to the most eager of Fear Effect fans. For everyone else, it's impossible to recommend.
Shadow of the Colossus is one of the finest remakes ever made, despite some returning issues from the original game
Yes, you could easily dismiss this as 'just another Portal clone', but it's more than that - it uses its own original gameplay mechanics to provide some genuinely thoughtful, tricky puzzles. Until the Portal games show up on the Nintendo Switch eShop (which is unlikely, I might add), ChromaGun is a great addition to the console's library that will help fill that void.
Given that it's on the portable Nintendo Switch console though, I don't think that's a particularly bad thing at all - in fact, it's a good thing! At just a few quid, Baseball Riot may not be the most original game in the world, but it's enjoyable to pick up and play in short bursts when out and about, making for a neat addition to the Switch's library.
I fear we may have published our Game of the Year list too early, because Gorogoa definitely deserves some sort of a mention. It's the best puzzle game I've played all year.
Due to the portable nature of the Nintendo Switch, Mantis Burn Racing is worth grabbing if you're a fan of arcade racing games. It's perfect for a few quick races while waiting for a bus or a train, especially due to its simple and easy-to-remember control scheme.
If you own multiple devices and play primarily in your own home, buy DOOM on another console. If you play whilst on the go a lot, DOOM may very well be the best first-person shooter ever put on to a handheld device. In any case, DOOM is still DOOM, and DOOM is great. Here's hoping we get more portable experiences like this on the Switch.
Simply put, it's one of the most varied, enjoyable, memorable video games available on the market, and takes Super Mario Galaxy head-on as the best 3D platformer ever released. If you don't yet own a Nintendo Switch, Super Mario Odyssey is your excuse to buy one. It is absolute perfection, with virtually no flaws worth pointing out. I'll say it again, because you should be told both at the start and end of this review: Super Mario Odyssey is one of the greatest video games ever made.
With gorgeously faithful 16-bit graphics and a catchy soundtrack to boot, it's a wonderful addition to one of my favourite genres.
In a month full to the brim with humongous, time-sinking, big-budget games, it's a welcome break to experience a brief but calming game like AER: Memories of Old. With gentle music, appealing visuals and a majestically simple flight mechanic, AER is as pleasant a journey as I first expected it to be and makes for a great break between the huge October releases.
Depending on what you're aiming to get out of it, Fire Emblem Warriors is either a very good game or a bore, although either way perhaps not quite justifiable for its price point during the busiest release period of the year.
Please, do not let its screenshots deter you - Expand is an expertly crafted game that demands to be played.
There are certainly signs that this may have been rushed to coincide with a movie, but it's definitely not a cash-in. Serious thought and effort has gone into making sure this is an enjoyable experience. Providing the biggest shake-up to the LEGO game formula since the series begun, not only is this a genuinely engaging action game, it joins the ranks as one of the few great movie tie-in games.
As Baja can hardly be called a beloved classic, it's an odd choice for the remaster treatment, never managing to feel anything more than a decade-old racer. Who says remasters should be reserved for the cream of the crop though?
It is ostensibly still Knack though, bland characters and all, so if you disliked the first game for its weak story, this isn't going to win you over. It's not a must-have, but as a cheap, easy-to-grasp game to entertain you or your kids for a short while, you can't go too wrong with Knack 2.
Before the Storm evokes everything wonderful about the first game, with even the loss of Max Caulfield and her time-rewind mechanic not as great as one might think. This is fan service at its best. If you were a fan of Life is Strange, you'll love this opening episode and the tease of what's coming in the following episodes.
Criticising the very point of the game might seem unfair, but I can't change my own tastes and can only speak from my own experience. If procedurally-generated worlds sit better with you and you enjoy dungeon-crawlers and action games, chances are this one's for you.