Adrian Burrows's Reviews
YesterMorrow is an entirely competent and mostly sound platformer. Sure, there's some issues around the occasionally finicky controls, but these are mostly balanced out through the exemplary level design. The main issue here is that the gameplay experience is so very hum-drum. YesterMorrow is a mish-mash of many other better games that we've all played before. As such it struggles to build its own identity and never becomes a compelling experience.
The Wild Eight is an accessible and rewarding survival game that works on so many levels. Considering that I'm not a fan of survival games, the fact that I enjoyed my time with The Wild Eight is high praise indeed. If only the combat wasn't such a bore, then I'd have no hesitating in giving it two thumbs up. As it is, one thumb and a pinkie will have to suffice. Or a seven if you prefer your scores out of ten.
There's a lot to like about PAW Patrol: Mighty Pups Save Adventure Bay, particularly when it comes to how accessible it is for its target audience. This is a game that even the most novice of gamers can pick-up, play and enjoy. It also looks great, my son delighting in seeing all the pups and their vehicles. On initial play my son declared he "super loved" it and gave the game two thumbs up, but over the course of only a couple of sessions, the game's obvious flaws began to dampen both his, and my, enthusiasm. Far too soon, this latest Paw Patrol video game had been entirely forgotten about as we've gone back to playing with Lego instead.
Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga is a very nostalgic game, but not in the way you might think. It's not that it's a beat 'em up, nor that it's based on an ageing franchise, or even because it looks like it should be able to run on a Sega Saturn. No, it's nostalgic because this a licensed video game that is fairly terrible, using its branding as a smokescreen to hide a multitude of problems from an unwitting buyer until it's far too late. It's just like the good old days. If this was 1991 then Cobra Kai would have been published by Ocean Software.
Some games demand a remaster, to be brought bang up to date for an entirely new audience to find and enjoy. Asterix & Obelix XXL is not one of those games. In 2003 it was a solid, if unremarkable, effort. Now, seventeen years later, it just feels entirely unnecessary, with drab combat, pointless collectables and frustrating challenges. If you really need an Asterix and Obelix fix, best just go back and reread the comics I'd say.
I honestly didn't know what to expect when I sat down to play Monster Prom XXL, what is a high school multiplayer monster dating sim anyway? The answer is: a whole lot of fun with some big laughs to be had. How long that fun will last with such a repetitive structure is up for debate however. One thing's for certain though: Monster Prom XXL is the best high school multiplayer monster dating sim I've every played.
9 Monkeys of Shaolin is so close to being a really good side-scrolling brawler that it physically hurts. Hurts worse than a rolling cartwheel kick to the soft and delicates. There's a truly brilliant, satisfying, fun and deep combat system here, but whether you can see it beneath the shadows, silhouettes, staircases and stupid Green Tea meters is another thing entirely.
Foregone, being a 2D action platformer with a Metroidvania structure, looting mechanics and a smattering of soulslike tendencies, is certainly part of a crowded genre. The fact that it manages to stand out from the pack is a high recommendation indeed. This is a fast, fluid and beautiful action title that will keep you playing until the very end. I may never be able to retrieve that planet orbiting pair of socks, but it was totally worth it.
Cake Bash has provided my family and I the most fun we've had in front of the telly all year. It's a wonderfully enjoyable and completely hilarious party game, one that is accessible to all players. The argument can be made that it's a little light on content but then isn't that that the way with the best of cakes? Sweet, delicious, moreish and gone all too soon.
Tamarin may look like the ideal nostalgic fix - evoking fond memories of Rare's Jet Force Gemini - but this is not the game you are looking for. Tamarin's external charms hide flawed and deeply dull gameplay. What's most frustrating is the squandered potential of Tamarin, this could have been a game worth playing, but sadly you're best keeping a safe distance from this particular monkey.
Dog Duty is certainly an experience, I'll give it that, though not exactly a good one. There's a grand parade of issues here, from poor visuals to inept path finding and everything else in between. I'm not saying Dog Duty is the worst game I've ever played, but it's certainly up for contention.
If you'd have told me before I played Shing! that I would like a control scheme that see's you launch combo attacks with an analogue stick, I would have karate chopped your kidney in anger. Ultimately, you would have been right. It's a control scheme that innovates, is accessible and offers a degree of combo flexibility not seen in more traditional beat 'em ups. In a stellar year for nostalgic side-scrolling beat 'em ups, Shing! is a new IP that absolutely demands your attention.
Minoria is an exemplary Metroidvania, offering enjoyable combat, fantastic boss fights and stellar exploration all wrapped up in a narrative that is worth paying attention to and with resolute old school sensibilities. I wouldn't say it's the best Metroidvania I've ever played, but it's certainly in my top 10. In short, if you're a fan of the genre, Minoria is essential.
For content starved fans of the classic point and click adventure, it's hard not to get excited about a new entry in the genre, particularly one whose visuals inspire a feel good nostalgic hit for all things LucasArts. Dig a little deeper though and you'll find this is an underwhelming imitator of the legends of yesteryear. Too many obscure puzzles and too many unfunny jokes prevent Darkestville Castle from being the Secret of Monkey Island successor it so obsessively wants to be.
Peaky Blinders: Mastermind offers one of the most essential puzzling experiences of 2020. The masterminding may come to an end far too soon, but when it does the the sublime gameplay mash-up you've just had will make you realise that Futurlab have forged an entirely new genre: rewind time strategy. Peaky Blinders: Mastermind is so good that it compelled me to go and watch the original TV show. Now, how many games based on a franchise can say that?
At its heart, Void Terrarium is a delightful, charming and compelling Tamagotchi-inspired 'keep them alive 'em up.' Sadly these magical moments are coated in so much tedious and overly-difficult combat and exploration bloat that it is exhausting to find them. There's magic hidden deep in this game, just be prepared to grind long and hard to find it.
Lost Wing is a hugely enjoyable and exciting arcade mash-up of endless runner, roguelite, Wipeout and Tron. There's a bit too much grinding for content and the nauseating screen-rotating anomalies, but these are sufficiently offset by thrills of the rest of the game and a budget price point. It's a game that managed to make me both punch the air and slap my face in despair on a regular basis; how many video games can you say that about?
I often feel uncomfortable playing military shooters. Is it really morally acceptable for me to be having fun in a virtual playground that depicts a real life conflict in which thousands lost their lives? I don't know the answer, but thankfully Tannenberg never forces me to consider this ethical question. Tannenberg has some good ideas, but it's a slightly dull online FPS that never really gets going. As a budget multiplayer shooter there's some satisfaction to be had, but overall this is a far too limited and sluggish experience.
Forget Walking Simulators, Beyond Blue proves that Swimming Simulators is where it's at. This is a beautiful, relaxing and enchanting video game experience that acts as a soothing balm against the stresses of modern life. Sebastian was right, it really is better down where its wetter.
1971 Project Helios has an enjoyable plot to unravel, decent character development and challenging AI to defeat, but it's mired in murky and unclear visuals and repetitive gameplay. You're probably best off giving this one a miss.