Every year it goes without saying that there’s going to be a new entry into Activision’s best-selling first-person shooter series, Call of Duty. However, with the news that a 2023 addition to the series will not be coming to light, does this latest entry have what it takes to carry the flame? We will be discussing the single-player campaign of the game in this review, our thoughts on the multiplayer will come at a later date.
It would be fair to say that the Watch Dogs series of games has had its share of ups and downs, from unfulfilled promises to trailers that weren’t representative of the final product. All of this had an impact on the trust of the gaming community and the series fan base. When Ubisoft first revealed Watch Dogs: Legion back at E3 2019, the stakes were high. They promised an expansive open world where any NPC (non-player character) could be recruited into your team and they would have unique missions, skills and personality. This went beyond anything that a game had promised before, but did Ubisoft pull it off? We’re pleased to say that they most certainly did and have made Watch Dogs: Legion a must-buy for any action-adventure loving gamer.
Taking characters from an RPG game and turning it into a crazy, hilarious and tough platform game, is not something that’s done every day. Prinny 1•2 Exploded & Reloaded comes bounding onto the Nintendo Switch from the guys over at Nippon Ichi Software and NIS America. Does this hard platform game live up to its lineage? Let’s dive right in.
Let’s get it out of the way, this game is about shooting aliens to strip animé girls of their clothes. There’s no way to make it sound any better than that. The game has a certain audience it’s looking for…however; a quick Google search would allow players to find all the naked animé girls they want without having to pay for this title. Waifu Uncovered tries to be funny, but it misses the mark with its childish and immature attempt at humour. Often it’s left until the boss fights at the end of each stage, but even the pre and post-stage screens have some text that feels like it’s written by the child in school who tried too hard to be funny.
Huntdown is set in a dystopian future, in a city where gangs run rampant and the police have resorted to hiring bounty hunters to deal with the worst of the worst. Choosing from one of three possible hunters, players can enforce law and order on the streets as Ana Conda, John Sawyer or Mow Man. Each will start with a unique gun and projectile, and they all come fully loaded with quick-witted replies and catchphrases ripped right out of an action movie script. This game can be enjoyed in both single and multiplayer, but for the sake of this review, only the single-player experience has been covered.
“A love letter to ‘90s classics for the Amiga and PC” is how developer Studio Evil refers to Syder Reloaded. Hot off the tails of the Steam release, known as Syder Arcade, Syder Reloaded allows players to experience high octane shoot ‘em up action to a pumping soundtrack and flashy visuals. Does this game have what it takes to bring back the glorious shmup days of yore? Or is Syder Reloaded a love letter that gets lost in the post?
Regardless of what the date is, the internet is always full to the brim with video game industry rumours and news. On one day in particular it is important to remember (more so than usual) that not everything you read online is true. April Fool’s Day has given us some brilliant gags over the years from IGN’s 2008 trailer for a movie based on The Legend Of Zelda, to Valve putting Half-Life 3 on the Steam store. These types of pranks always provide a great laugh but usually lead to nothing.
Remastering a game from a beloved franchise can always be a dangerous game, especially one that’s held in such high regard as Xenoblade Chronicles. There are three groups that will be picking up this game and it’s important they’re all treated with the respect they deserve. Firstly you have the dedicated and hardcore fans that will want to have everything as it was, with minimal changes as to not risk damaging the memories of a game they hold dear. Then you’ll have the players who are familiar with the series but may have missed this entry; essentially they’re going back in time to try out a game whilst comparing it to the newer entries in the series.
It’s easy to see why this game has garnered the fandom that it has. From memes to coffee shops all over the place putting up “No Geese” signs (mimicking an act done in the game), this game is beyond popular. This game has even gone as far as to beat the new Link’s Awakening off the top spot of the digital charts in the USA! It’s a true underdog story, and all the success is truly deserved. Pick this game up, and you will not regret it, and remember, press Y to honk!