Adrian Burrows's Reviews
Despite a handful of issues issues, Tools Up! is a co-op game that does the impossible and actually makes DIY fun! It might even inspire you to do some real-life DIY. Nah, who am I kidding? That extractor fan is going to stay well and truly un-extracted.
I really, really wanted to like Blacksad: Under the Skin. I love the original graphic novels and just wanted this to be an interactive version of that. Perhaps it could have been, but we're unlikely ever to know thanks to a torrent of technical faults that kill any enjoyment it might give. Pendulo Studios need to urgently fix nearly every aspect of Blacksad: Under the Skin on PS4, and until they do that, this is one mystery best left unsolved.
It's an unsatisfying folktale then, the kind where the storyteller insists on coughing and saying 'erm' a lot, when all you want them to do it get on with it and get to the good bit.
I wanted to love River City Girls. A modern side scrolling beat 'em up, from a proven developer like WayForward, with bright, bold visuals, and two kick-ass heroines should have been great. Instead, thanks to way too much repetitive grinding, River City Girls is a bit boring. Something I never thought I'd say about a game that has high school children hitting zombie cheerleaders with wrenches.
I'd love to be able to recommended Redeemer: Enhanced Edition to you. Its top-down shoot and beat 'em up combat is tremendous fun, and the local drop-in and out co-op mode is treat, but there's way too many game breaking bugs and glitches that hold up any recommendation. If these issues are fixed with a patch then feel free to add a few points to the score, otherwise you're best off looking for your gory thrills and spills elsewhere.
If you really, really have to play an RTS on console then you could do a lot worse than Ancestors Legacy. Well thought out controls, appealing visuals, and a solid multiplayer make for a reliable RTS experience. You might never feel compelled to reach the conclusion of the samey single-player campaign but you will delight in just having one more go at flanking your pal's Teutonic Knights with your Hurscarl Warriors.
Whilst Nocked! The True Tales of Robin Hood isn't for everyone - this choose-your-own-adventure-strategy-text-video game is clearly a niche within a niche - it is an absolute necessity for anyone hankering for something unique. This is a video game that does character creation, role playing and moral choices properly. It took developer Andrew Schneider six years to craft Nocked! and the result has been worth every minute. A phenomenal achievement.
Blazing Chrome is so close to achieving what it's sets out to be – a fun retro 2D arcade shooter. There's sadly just too many issues to be overcome by the player to find the fun. If the development team are willing to put additional time into Blazing Chrome with patches and updates, then this could be well worth a punt. As it stands, Blazing Chrome is both too limited and too frustrating to recommend.
We. The Revolution is a stand-out recreation of the nightmare that was the French Revolution. Despite the turn based strategy mechanics falling flat, Polyslash still manage to put you on the edge of your seat by performing the near impossible feat of making resource management exciting. This is a game that demands you keep your head, when everyone else around you is losing theirs.
EDF: Iron Rain is big, it's dumb and it's also a ton of fun thanks to fantastic split-screen and online multiplayer. Pack your biggest auto-cannon, switch your brain off and you'll be chanting 'EDF! EDF! EDF!' in no time.
There's a good game lurking somewhere within Falcon Age. Interacting with your pet falcon in VR is an enchanting joy, so it's a shame that it's surrounded by a repetitive game structure, lacklustre visuals, and controls that are neither here nor there.
A tight and taught story that just wouldn't let me go, not until the very end. Most importantly of all, Telltale have delivered on their original remit, to allow players to make meaningful choices that truly effect those around them.
Splicing dino DNA with a very old school style of RTS, Warparty has plenty going for it conceptually, but it comes up short. Even if the gamepad controls weren't an obstacle to your success, the three races aren't balanced and it's all too easy to fall back on massed army tactics. A refreshing setting is not enough to drag this tired old school RTS out of the past.
Hell Warders provides an innovative spin on the tower defence genre, fusing third person combat, RPG elements and online play to great effect. Look past the bugs and uninspiring visuals and you'll find a deep and rewarding action strategy game.
If it means having to play Eternity to save them, you're better off letting that last Unicorn go extinct.
Whilst clunky controls and uninspiring visuals hamper proceedings, Attack of the Earthlings nonetheless offers an intoxicating mix of satisfying strategy, well designed levels and guffaw inducing humour.
There's a great deal to like about Fimbul, from its luxuriant vector inspired visuals to the solid combat and an interesting interpretation of Norse Mythology. Whilst the delivery of the plot in a comic book format disappoints, it is the failure of the frame rate that provides Fimbul's fatal and final blow. Without this issue being remedied, despite the many reasons I like the game, Fimbul is difficult to recommend.
I enjoyed what Legacy of the Blade’s first two episodes have to offer. Whilst narratively there’s no real freedom of choice, the opportunity to find and kill cultists however you see fit seems to be an evergreen gameplay mechanic, and who can resist finding even more loot to dress your character in?
8-Bit Hordes has attention grabbing visuals but little else on offer. This is Real Time Strategy by the numbers and entirely forgettable, though other developers would do well to remember and adopt the 8-Bit series control scheme. In that regard at least, Hordes might have some of its own ideas pilfered, rather than liberally borrowing everyone else's.
Battle Princess Madelyn has some lovely animated cut scenes to enjoy, the plot begins in a charming manner that brings to mind the Princess Bride, and its retro inspired pixelated graphics are on point. If only they were attached to fun and compelling gameplay, then Battle Princess Madelyn really could have been a contender to capture the crown of Ghost ‘n Goblins. As it stands, it's probably best to avoid this one and break out your SNES from storage instead.