The Shapeshifting Detective is an interesting idea that seems to have love and care put into it. Unfortunately, it's a little too basic, and despite the gimmick of changing into other characters, becomes dull after about an hour of play. The actual narrative is an interesting case however, with additional hinted backstory for your main character, which is somewhat compelling. The visuals and tone are good too, but the hit and miss acting and slow pace make for a slightly underwhelming shapeshifting whodunnit.
11-11: Memories Retold is an immersive, beautiful, and emotionally charged game. It's at its best when it functions as a playable film, with you making the major decisions. Where it falls down is in its clunky gameplay and story beats that are locked behind secret item collection. However, the strong celebrity performances and engaging story more than make up for this and create a really unique experience that is both thought provoking and enjoyable. As the subtlest World War game ever made, there's nothing more appropriate to play to commemorate the signing of the Armistice.
RIDE 3 will be loved by fans of motorcycle sims, but likely won't be the game to invite new audiences to the genre. The sheer number of unlockables is impressive and the extensive campaign mode is sure to give fans a lot to sink their, er, wheels into. However, some slightly sloppy visuals and the difficult to pick up gameplay will keep it reserved for that niche audience.
Conarium is a good, plot focused and atmospheric walking sim puzzler. Though it's billed as horror, it serves to get under your skin, rather than producing any massive frights. That said, the world created is wonderfully realised and quite beautiful in its freakishness. The way that the game captures the otherworldly vibe of Lovecraft's work, and develops such an engaging story quickly, is something to applaud. Ignoring the poor voice acting, bad character models, and the odd frustrating puzzle, if you're looking for a disturbing, plot focused walking sim experience, or you're just a huge Lovecraft fan, you won't go far wrong here.
Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection is a nice nostalgia trip, but not an essential purchase. Though all of the games bar Haunted Castle are good fun, none but the Gradius games and Thunder Cross truly stand the test of time. Considering the arcade games missing here, it's hard to accept this as a 'classics' collection, but for what you're given, you could certainly do worse.
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.
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.
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, RAD is a great time. A simplistic roguelike with a humble, yet ingenious mechanic.
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.
Ultimately, you’ll want to pack some paracetamol for this headache.
Overall, Pig Eat Ball is solid fun. With tweaks to the multiplayer, it could be a fantastic party game too.
Put simply, Sparklite is best enjoyed as a single player experience, and to that end, it excels.
There is something engaging here, but it’s marred by weak scares and, less forgivably, dull as dishwater gameplay.
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.
If it were one complete collection it’d be easily recommended but, as two separate purchases, these are for hardcore Namco fans only.
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.
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.
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.
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.