Ben Sellwood
- Wave Race 64
Virtua Racing, Scud Racing, Daytona, Outrun: these games are synonymous with quality and class with that certain something only Sega could muster in the '90s, and yet here we stand in a COVID cloaked version of 2020 with a game as striking and endearing as you like, with visuals you can't help but gawp at and multiplayer playability that has through the roof levels of enjoyment. Hotshot racing does a solid job of replicating the arcade vibe, but fails to impart its own identity to really excel.
Apart from chucking together some fierce combos and actually landing a superman-triple-backflip, I really couldn't find much enjoyment in staring at this overly drab flick book of a port. Sure the Switch is underpowered, but this is a real kick in the teeth for fans who would at least want a smooth albeit downgraded "off-road racing and lifestyle experience" on their hybrid console.
Party Hard 2 is a grower, not a shower. You have to ease into it and appreciate your surroundings to produce some truly inspired executions. If skulking and lurking is your jam, then Party Hard 2 is the game for any budding clandestine manslayer.
Thanks to a variety of weapons and upgrades this game had more legs than I had initially thought, and whilst it's fun to try to unlock everything and upgrade yourself to the nth degree, but with a formulaic approach to this genre it is just a little bit too forgettable as a game to really stand out in such a saturated market.
Godfall is all style and no substance. The next-gen lick of paint certainly makes it an exquisite looking stunner, however, at its core is some lacklustre gameplay and some genuinely lethargic missions. The boss battles are exciting and momentarily engaging, and the art style incredible, but I'm left feeling more than a little underwhelmed and unfulfilled.
This is without a doubt the definitive version of this game that you should play over all other versions, but its drawn-out sequences and repetitive sequences still, unfortunately, prevent this game from becoming "Essential" tier gaming.
The failure to allow a stylus to be used is a huge oversight in my humble opinion, and, at worst, you could use your fingers to draw on the touch screen or place the level editor items around, and this would have been more intuitive and fun. Everything feels overly simplified, and though the more you play the more you get to experience, it's quite a task to endure it all.
Swords of Gargantua is a repetitive slash fest with a small amount of design and enemy diversity, but it has something most games like this don't have: playability. The controls are a little off for movement, but the swordplay is fantastic when you knuckle down into parrying and combinations to elongate your lifespan.
DMC5SE occupies its own tried and tested safe space within the world of video games. It hasn't really progressed much since 4 and doesn't seem to have broken through any genre-defining boundaries to evolve itself beyond what it already was. As a series, DMC5SE is truly the pinnacle in terms of polish and content but by way of freshening things up: it plays it far too safe and sadly won't really blow your mind.
The Pillar: Puzzle Escape is a very enjoyable game if you're into this sort of thing, but ironically, if you're into this sort of thing, you'll find it a cakewalk. Much more could have been made of this adventure to really work that grey matter and make it far more of a challenge for puzzle aficionados.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time is clearly chopped down and squeezed into portable form, but where sacrifices in framerate, draw distance, pop-in, LOD and resolution have been made they're relatively minor and entirely forgivable in the overall collect-a-thon fun-fest you're able to play on your TV and on the move!
It has to be said that even as a bare-bones online military shooter, Alvo ticks all the boxes for me, and offers rewarding, realistic, ultra-fast gameplay that really puts you under the pump and forces you to think fast. The scope of possibility for Alvo is sky high and I really look forward to the next round of tweaks and additions, from a developer that seems to really listen to its community. If you're looking for an online shooter with a definite penchant for gritty action; Alvo is your game without a shadow of a doubt.
Cannon Brawl is a fantastic mix of resource management, farming and fighting. I particularly liked the frantic race to gain supplies to outgun your foes. I would normally have looked the other way with this kind of game, but I had an incredibly good time playing this and the hours just flew away whilst I was completely absorbed.
I want to love this game, but I don't. It's an exquisite piece of design with a beautiful aesthetic that just needs a little more sense of direction in my honest opinion. Explorers and puzzlers will grow to love this game, but casual players looking for a coffee time headscratcher will probably grow tired of the scale and endless searching around for something to do quickly.
I'm a huge fan of the fighting and action games, but not so much of the shooters which all feel very samey. If there were a little more variety here I think this would be a glowing review, however the niche 3 genres it covers, though authentic and as you would expect from Capcom doesn't quite give everyone something to play.
Perhaps I don't appreciate it as it should, but I found this game a woeful yawn-fest. If you want a slow-paced mystery filled lateral-thinking inventory collect-a-thon; this might be up your alley. But if you want thrills and spills and any level of endorphin promoting action; save your time and your money.
The Eternal Castle is a fantastic experience with a stunningly unapologetic appearance that evokes strong retro vibes and has a very modern feel under its hood.
As much as I love Sniper Elite, 2016's technology is definitely letting it down in my honest opinion. Sniper Elite VR is undoubtedly an incredible experience, shoehorned into what is now last generation hardware, and though it wants so badly to show us what it's capable of, the game suffers from issues of the peripherals themselves. I have no doubt that the Oculus and Vive headsets will massively profit from enhanced resolution, field of view and refresh rates and overall deliver a far better experience on those platforms than the PSVR can currently dream of.
If you're a fan of the Movies, especially the best one of all, Aliens, then this game is a triumph in letting you live out your jovial colonial marine fantasy and bug hunt with two pals. The game is genuinely engaging if too short for its own good, but then again perhaps you could say that it doesn't outstay its welcome in being a short and sweet romp through the 12 Xenomorph filled environments. It's an absolute blast!
I'm a huge fan of PSVR because it is the ultimate vehicle for first-person shooters. Fracked transforms the typical first-person shooter by blending adventure and a novel cover system to create an immersive escapade that is incredibly enjoyable regardless of the storyline.