I have always been a fan of zero-g racing games. Titles like Wipeout and Extreme-G were big players in my childhood, nothing else matched the neon rush or mind bending speed of the genre. Now R8 Games are getting into the race with PACER, but will it rise to the challenge or slide off the track?
It’s the Year of Our Lord 1919, and things are changing around the industrial backstreets of Birmingham. The streets of Small Heath are about to run red with blood, sweat, and tears. The Shelby family means business, and they are gonna take what they want. Remember “This place is under new management, by order of the Peaky Blinders”.
Superhot is the most innovative shooter I’ve played in years… Or have I just been programmed to say that? I can’t be sure myself. What I can say for sure is, Superhot: Mind Control Delete made me feel like a bullet-dodging, katana-wielding, Tron-esque John Wick and I loved every second of it!
Have you ever wished your favourite board game could come to life? If you have, Wartile is the game for you. It is an interesting blend of real-time strategy, cool-down based combat, card based abilities, and tabletop gaming. There is a lot going on, so let’s take a quick look at what Wartile has to offer.
I’ve never been much of a glutton for punishment. And I’ve never really had the time or patience for try, die and repeat gameplay. I’ll admit, I barely got out of central Yharnam during my time playing Bloodbourne. When I saw Mortal Shell I thought, it’s time to “git gud” and see what this game has to offer.
I’ve always had an interest in the strange and surreal. Who cares about the ordinary when the world offers so many wonderfully weird things to enjoy? From the title alone, I knew Ultra Hat Dimension was going to be a slice of interesting oddness.
I like to think of myself as an open minded and non-judgemental kinda guy. But I’m forced to admit that I make assumptions based on first impressions and visuals all the time. Be it reading the blurb on the back of a book or while selecting which sandwich to buy for lunch. I won’t deny that when Zero Zero Zero Zero first fell into my review pile, I unfairly judged it and was in no rush to play it. However, first impressions are often wrong, qualities are sometimes well hidden.
Rocket Arena exploded onto consoles and PC in early July, although you may not have felt the shockwave. EA released this new 3v3 online shooter with very little fanfare. I think I saw maybe two adverts for the game during its month of release. It may have had a short fuse but does Rocket Arena pack enough punch to make you take shelter?
Clash Force promises to be “a love letter to classic 8-bit run-and-gun action games and 80s cartoons!”. In reality, it is more of a postcard of influence than a love letter. The game definitely has 8-bit vibes but it’s no Contra or Metroid. It also doesn’t have the over the top action or dramatic tension found in all the best 80s cartoons. If Transformers or He-Man had been as flat as this game, we wouldn’t even remember them.
I’ve had a long-standing fascination with horror from an early age, maybe too early. By the start of high school, I had been equally terrified and enthralled by films such as Candyman and Creepshow, had read The Shining and was devouring any horror novel that came my way. In 1999 Silent Hill dropped me right into a horror story, and I’ve loved horror games ever since. This week I’ve taken a shaky stroll through the psychological horror house of Infliction: Extended Cut.
Sometimes a game comes along that completely splits your opinion in two. Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate is one of those games for me. It is the latest instalment in the Warriors Orochi crossover series; which fuses together the worlds and characters of Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors. I have always had a “love or hate” relationship with these games, as such I can see both sides of the argument. I’ve enjoyed time with some titles from this genre over the years but I’ve never really fallen hard for one. There’s a couple of things that really turn me off about this game. Firstly, it’s an almost perfect example of an adolescent power fantasy. I’m aware that many popular titles incorporate this theme and as a player, a part of us wants to live this fantasy (we’ve all taken to the streets of GTA with mayhem in mind), but Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate’s sole purpose is this yearning for power and destruction.
2008 was the year my love for strategy and tower defence games started. It was this year that I saw Tim Curry escape “to the one place that hasn’t been corrupted by capitalism… SPACE” in Red Alert 3, and Savage Moon had me building mortar towers faster than a charging insectoid. Dungeon of the Endless has recently crash-landed on the PlayStation network; should you plan an all out attack or make a tactical retreat?
Reed Remastered is a remaster (and port) of the Reed mobile game developed by pxlink. It’s a simple yet stylish little platformer that comes close to its potential, just about makes that jump, but ultimately falls flat in the spike trap.
I am a collector by nature, I think on some level we all are. I collect a wide variety of stuff; from first editions to retro action figures. We collect things without even knowing it, like personal triumphs or emotional scars. Collecting them all; completing the set, can be reassuring. It’s a way to chart progress, learn valuable lessons and take control of something in this crazy world. Book Of Demons called to the collector in me.
In recent years, popular culture has shifted and I have found myself being horrifyingly referred to as a “retro hipster”. Admittedly, I do collect vintage action figures and retro games consoles. I have done since I was a child in the 90’s. I collect these things because they are tiny windows into the past, little reminders of youth and imagination that I can hold in my hand. Playing through Thy Sword invoked the same feelings of nostalgia and wonder in me.
Random Heroes: Gold Edition reminds me of a simpler time in gaming. When consoles used cartridges, control pads had wires and three buttons, and simple sprites were cutting edge. Times have changed, we’ve moved on, but some developers still look back to those early days for inspiration.
Creativity can be a cruel and complicated mistress. All too often, a creator is their own harshest critic. I can believe that Picasso didn’t like his own paintings or that Kubrick wouldn’t watch his own films. The lifeblood that fuels creativity is the appreciation and admiration of others. Writers don’t write for themselves; they write for you; the reader. Fury Unleashed is a game that understands this far better than most.
I’ll be honest with you. I’m a bit of a PlayStation fanboy. I’ve never owned an Xbox and I occasionally find myself viewing their exclusive titles with covetous eyes: Below was one of those titles. Like a P.E teacher I used to have, this game has a reputation of being incredibly hard and unforgiving. I am by no means a glutton for punishment kind of player, but I itched to pit myself against the perilous and mysterious depths of Below.