Josh Shoup
Personally, I would strongly advise everyone against picking up Blood Waves, even if it’s featured within a sale. The game is not worth time and money you will put into it. If the game was updated with more locations, better combat, less-spongy enemies, a decent soundtrack, more original and define enemies and protagonists, and maybe allow for fantastical weaponry and abilities – then it MAY be worth trying out and re-visiting. However, until that happens, I don't see myself returning to the game any time soon.
Rad Rodgers: Radical Edition sets out to be a product that us 90s kids can look at in nostalgic joy. In some ways, they really capture that with the Earthworm Jim type gameplay with more adult humour (you can turn off blood and swearing in the menu!). Unfortunately, they also captured some of the more annoying parts of those games as well. I think the game has good ideas, but I did not feel like it was executed well enough for modern gamers wanting a nostalgic trip or those looking for a solid platformer.
I think that the inclusion of cross-play will be welcomed by all gamers. This certainly guarantees that the wait time for getting into any matches will be all but gone.
911 Operator is an interesting game which truly shows what it is like to be the person at the end of the phone who has to direct emergency crews around cities. This won’t make you envy the job but hopefully, give empathy. The game suffers from the repetitive nature of the missions, but I don’t think anyone is an expecting fast high-octane action. For the price, I imagine fans of strategy and simulation games will get the most out of this title!
The game is not without its problems. I, honestly, did not like the game at first. As a gamer used to fast-paced action titles with cars that can go 0-100 mph in under 5 seconds, this game was like a tortoise racing a hare.
Let’s talk about the story! As we all know from the initial trailer, the game opens up with a massive Avengers-themed Con where the biggest fans gather in celebration of the Earth’s Heroes. The main narrative of Marvel Avengers is told through the eyes of Kamala Khan, also known as Ms. Marvel. Kamala is an interesting character to play as because at the beginning of the game, she has no powers and is just an average you teenager with a big love for comic books. As we know though, this celebration is disrupted and a catastrophic event happens, which is blamed on The Avengers, causing them to disband. The main game takes place a few years later with the focus of reuniting the team and persuading the world of The Avenger’s innocence.
Everything I said about Pipe Push Paradise being hard is very true. You can look at that as a nice challenge, or just avoid the game. The game does not hold your hand after level 3. I would rather that than for it to be too simple though. Just remember, if you do get stuck on a puzzle, only use the internet to look up the solution as a last resort.
Yomawari: The Long Night Collection is a survival horror game that is unique because of its gorgeous, and cute, art style. It looks so innocent, but it packs the punch of a deep, depressing story mixed in with sheer horror as you never know when an enemy is going to jump out at you. Both stories follow a very similar plot with the same mechanics and emphasis on stealth - at times it feels like Yomawari 1 and 1.5 rather than 2. You'll also find yourself becoming more and more frustrated as you continue to die over and over again.
There’s not much to say about Path to Mnemosyne as it is a very simple and short game. I know I have detailed how there are multiple aspects that I was not a fan of, but at the end of the day, it is excusable. Path to Mnemosyne really is special in other ways. The artwork is fantastic and it’s also nice to play a game that gets you to think about things, rather than just mindlessly shooting zombies.
Spectrum is a minimalistic platformer which really tests your patience with it’s more advanced Dark World levels. The simplistic nature of the game makes this a great game to pick up and play in short bursts, but there is also enough content for longer play sessions as well. The addition of a two-player time-attack mode was fun, but it doesn’t deviate from the core mechanic of the main game or offer anything new other than declaring who’s the fastest between the two players. However, based on the current price point and how much time Spectrum entertained us, I wouldn’t have any issues recommending this to casual gamers or those looking for a simple game they can just pick up and play.
Dollhouse had me from the get-go with its fascinating ‘Noir’ design and interesting story of mystery. Creazn Studio went into this game with amazing ideas, and where some of them paid off well, others seemed to have fallen on their face. I felt that by the time I was up to the third chapter, everything felt very repetitive, the visuals may be different but the core gameplay mechanics of what to do in each level was very much the same. I do feel the game could be salvaged with updates but it would take quite a bit to turn this into a game which is solid from start to finish.
I don’t hate Crackdown 3. There are certain design flaws in the game and it is clear that perhaps the end product is still not exactly what people were wanting to see. Graphically it is heavily underwhelming, but the gameplay itself is very fluid and the game offers a lot of stuff for you to do, almost too much. This is a game that Crackdown fans will enjoy, but I would say it’s best to either wait for a sale or utilise Gamepass to get the game for at least a month.
Playing Creature in the Well was great because it combined several game styles that I never would’ve thought to combine. After about four hours though, some of the game’s charm started to wear off as the difficulty level started to really spike and the level designs started to become all too familiar. That being said though, I really hope this is not the last we’ve seen of this type of game! With some different characters and locations, I can see this type of game thrive in the long run.
You are able to move in three dimensions in a 2.5 dimension action-racing arcade game, think of it like driving in lanes. These lanes can take you all over the place depending on the level.
Despite not being the most original horror game out there, Silver Chains is a nice combination of tropes from various influences. It may not the most inspiring story in a game, but what it lacks in that, it makes up with decent visuals and some good jump scares. Normally most jump scares don’t get me, but there are a few in Silver Chains that got me to jump and say words I shouldn’t say in front of my innocent children! I personally want to give kudos to Cracked Heads Games – I encountered some issues whilst playing the game pre-release yet they were able to fix them immediately, ensuring the final version which went live today runs great for everyone with no progress-blocking occurrences.
Build a Bridge! is a simple take on the complex simulation of crafting imaginative bridges. There isn’t really any bells or whistles that make it stand out against other Indie titles in the Nintendo e-Shop though. In answer to whether you should pick up the Switch version or play the FREEmium version on mobiles, I’d side with the switch as it still works out cheaper if you add up the cost of the content you receive. However, those who will get the most out of this game are the people who like taking control of building creative and elaborate structures.
The Forest was an experience that took me some getting used to because I'm not used to non-linear games. However, once you realise that you can do whatever you want, you eventually grow to enjoy it. It did take me a few hours to appreciate what the game has to offer, but once I figured out what I was doing, I understood the hype behind the game a little bit more. Trophy hunters beware, this game will be a VERY difficult game to achieve the coveted Plat!
Once you take control of your first character, you are free to do what you want to do. You have the ability to scan and recruit literally anyone you see. I thought this was amazing at first, but after a while, I noticed the flaw in this idea. I got to the point where I simply did not care anymore.
Indivisible was a game that I would say that, at the end of the day, I enjoyed. There’s a mountain of charm residing in the young teenage body of Ajna and any time she opened her mouth to speak, I found myself laughing out loud. I really enjoyed the battle system as well as the beautifully animated world. Sadly, the issues I had with the game were still pretty big. The combat is fun but it will get dull quick with how ridiculously long fights are. The story is not exactly the most riveting either, but as the old saying goes “It’s not about the final destination but rather the friends you made along the way”.
Let there be no mistakes though. While there have been some changes to Far Cry, the formula is still pretty much the same it has always been for the Far Cry series. Upon getting thru the tutorial and the beginning area (a small island), you will be unloaded onto a giant map full of different activities to do.