Ben Sellwood
- Wave Race 64
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.
Perhaps I am missing the point here, but nothing was fun, nothing was engaging and everything was painfully boring to watch. This game single-handedly drives home the fact that 360-degree video experiences are not the future of video games, especially when it feels like a hugely amateur production with horrible attention to detail with their own intellectual property.
This is not a game that I would recommend to anyone other than really hardcore horror fans with a penchant for point-and-click style gameplay. While it has a nice little story going on throughout it just doesn't captivate or craft a memorable or original experience. I understand that it is inspired by classic supernatural films and TV series, but frankly, it just doesn't work to make Those who Remain an enjoyable game.
Monster Jam Steel Titans is destined for the sale bin. It's too devoid of enjoyment to be worth picking up on eShop, and definitely not worth the strangely staggered physical release that's touted for February. If you're a major petrolhead you may get a portable kick out of it, if not, it's best just to steer clear.
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.
Not the worst game in the world and although on paper the pros slightly outweigh the cons I'm finding it incredibly hard to really recommend it beyond it being a nice idea.
Gameplay and translation issues aside, there is a great idea here that is well presented overall, if a little confusing in its execution. Even if it's difficult to enjoy as a detective experience, the core elements that make up Chronique des Silencieux have merit and could easily be improved in patches, updates and possibly sequels.
I'm quite disappointed by Gangs of Sherwood, as despite looking and sounding great on paper, the presentation is low-end, the voice acting is alarming, and the environments are rudimentary.
Enchanted Portals should have been so much better, and it really could have! Give us more polished controls, more interesting characters, more engaging cut-scenes and more impetus to play!
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.
Windbound should have been better. The potential and aesthetic are strong, but it is such an uninterestingly strict jaunt that I really couldn't find many redeeming features to make me want to play it any further than I have.
I found this game difficult to enjoy. It just doesn't do enough to keep you entertained and, at points, I struggled to even want to try to finish it. The repetitive nature of the game may appeal to some and while this type of game may have been "milestone" back in the '80s, nowadays we always hope for more bang for our buck. I would wait until it's on sale before purchasing as I just can't justify the £35 price tag.
Quite a short game, but quite a compelling one. Without Escape captures some of the magic of the '90s and brings it to your Switch, however it misses a few key ingredients to make this an essential purchase.
Skellboy breaks no barriers and raises no bars, but it provides a relatively easy outing for people starting out in the Action RPG genre. Its comedically written script and variety of items lift it up, but dull, monotonous gameplay draws it back down to the depths from which it came.
I would have loved to score this game far higher, but the delicate balance of storytelling and gameplay is just not there. The storytelling and artwork are what massively carry the points I've scored for this title because in my opinion far more effort needed to be put into making compellingly fleshed-out beat-em-up sections as this game should have been absolutely incredible.
I couldn't say Somerville is my favourite game, nor would I say it's particularly action-packed or noteworthy in terms of puzzles, but technically it's a serviceable emotion-stirring two-and-a-half-hour jaunt that some may find value in.
I adored the concept but was entirely underwhelmed by the reality. Session Skate Sim is enjoyable, but only if that's what you're into. It's clever but only if you're appreciative of its exacting existence. And Ultimately it is rewarding strictly to yourself, with no scoring system or a competitive edge to set it against your friends or even existing skating IP's.
An enjoyable game but not something that you have to play, it's disappointingly short and has a definite unfinished feel in places. I finished the game in three sittings, in well under five hours combined without really even trying to hammer through it on a moderate difficulty, so seasoned gamers will have this smashed in no time.
While I liked this far more than Wildlands it still has a fair way to go before it's as entertaining to play as some of the other shooters out there. It needed more going on; more variety and more spontaneity to take it up a notch and push it towards being an essential purchase. In its current state, it's just not "there" yet.
Evil West is a basic game for basic players. There are no taxing puzzles, no major hurdles to overcome, and no massive pull for me to replay it now it's done. While it can be semi-enjoyable in places, overall Evil West is a disappointingly unremarkable experience in my opinion.