Soap Dodgem is perfectly functional as a five-minute app to get you through your train journey but doesn’t feel worthy of a console port. The simplistic gameplay may give you some challenge in navigating its increasingly difficult puzzles, but there simply isn’t enough here to recommend.
I Am The Hero is aesthetically pleasing, and its pixel art characters would have been at home on the SNES. The soundtrack also keeps you pumped, with a steady beat that compliments the fast combo-building pace. There are occasional lag issues sprinkled around when enemies start to swarm the screen, and particularly when you knock multiple foes into a wall. This is especially evident in co-op multiplayer, which only doubles the amount of chaos on the screen. However, this is a minor fault in an effective beat em’ up with layers of depth. While some may find it a tad on the easy side and lacking in story, the unlockables, great visuals, and just plain fun combo-building make it a good time.
While not a revolution in the point-and-click adventure genre, the crude humour and amusing story keep Demetrios feeling fresh and fun. While it won’t be to everyone’s tastes, if you’re a fan of cynical commentary and games that self-satirise, then you won’t go far wrong here.
Screencheat is highly recommended and will provide hours and hours of multiplayer fun. The matches might start off basic, but you’ll be itching to unlock more and more content to dial the crazy factor up to 11. This is a great concept with smooth gameplay that culminates in really enjoyable multiplayer pandemonium, although the lack of online play in this Switch version (the 'Unplugged' of the title), does limit things to local-only multiplayer, unfortunately.
Overall, Storm Boy is a compelling emotional tale that has a phenomenal soundtrack that will get even the stoniest-hearted player tearing up. It’s gorgeously presented and is a wonderful piece of interactive art, but its length severely diminishes its value. If you rush through, you can finish the game within ten minutes. However, writing it off entirely would be doing a disservice to its brilliant atmosphere and immersive plot. If you’re a fan of story-driven experiences and gorgeous soundtracks, then you may wish to check it out.
Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee is a classic and one of the defining games of the PlayStation era. From its grim, dystopian setting to its quirky sense of humour, it exudes personality and charm. Though on the surface it may appear to be aimed at children, its surprisingly dark tone, plot, and difficulty make it more appropriate for an older audience. Due to the clever choice using a 2.5D perspective, it's aged quite well graphically. Though the platforming controls are a little sloppy, the puzzle solving is still great fun and the atmosphere and world are established so well that you'll be too invested in its odd tale to notice.
Terminator: Resistance Enhanced is a decent looking PS3 game that’s 10 years too late. It adds little value to the disappointing original release, and will only please hardcore fans of the movies. If you want to read more about the game, check out our review of the PS4 version.
Aesthetically, Skate City fares well. The visuals are simple, but Snowman has nailed the grunge look that the sport is known for. The original score is excellent, and soaking up its relaxing lo-fi beats makes even the most frustrating challenges enjoyable. Unfortunately, the three courses are a tad too realistic and end up feeling interchangeable. However, the addition of a slow-mo function and a dynamic camera make capturing your tricks to craft your own videos a neat additional feature. Take the time to master it, and there's fun to be had in this city.
The biggest problem with the game is its length. If you storm through the eight main levels, you can breeze through in about five hours. With that said, there’s a selection of unlockables, mini-quests, and even a secret final level. It also offers the ability to replay past levels with new equipment. It’s a fleeting experience that stands out from the web with its humour, excellent sound design, and genuine laughs, frights, and thrills.
If it were one complete collection it’d be easily recommended but, as two separate purchases, these are for hardcore Namco fans only.
With five worlds, each with five sub-levels consisting of between one and four stages, as well as a plethora of secrets to find, there’s enough here to keep any FPS fanatic entertained for hours.
There is something engaging here, but it’s marred by weak scares and, less forgivably, dull as dishwater gameplay.
Put simply, Sparklite is best enjoyed as a single player experience, and to that end, it excels.
Overall, Pig Eat Ball is solid fun. With tweaks to the multiplayer, it could be a fantastic party game too.
Ultimately, you’ll want to pack some paracetamol for this headache.
If you’re skilled, you can speed through in a little over ten hours, though exploring every nook and cranny of the map and finding all of the collectables can take upwards of double that, especially considering there are two endings to experience. At any rate, Blasphemous is torturously fun, and one of the best the genre has to offer.
Overall, RAD is a great time. A simplistic roguelike with a humble, yet ingenious mechanic.
On the surface, Bear With Me appears to be little more than an amusing, story-driven, point and click adventure, infused with the tone and style of noir classics like The Maltese Falcon. However, there's much more at play within this clever episodic tale.
Overall, Doughlings: Invasion is a surprisingly fun time. Though it appears on the surface to be little more than an unpleasant looking clone of Space Invaders, its surprisingly deep gameplay elements, well sloped difficulty curve, and some banging tunes make it a simple yet effective bit of arcade fun for short bursts. Though players are unlikely to pick it up for more than an hour due to the lack of multiplayer or meaningful rewards for completion, that hour will at least be entertaining. Don't let the ugly graphics put you off; if you've got a spare bit of dough, it might be worth a look.
Overall, the Contra Anniversary Collection is a pleasant shoot down memory lane, but the duplicate games are frustrating additions, taking up slots that could’ve been filled by more unique titles.