Jordan Campbell's Reviews
I first played Super Bomberman R Online back in September 2020 when it became a “First to Stadia” exclusive. My experience with the game was exceptional back then but I was left wondering whether it would arrive on other platforms at some stage. Fast forward to 27th May 2021 and we see the introduction of the game to Xbox (including Series S/X), Playstation 4/5, Steam and Nintendo Switch. The great news is that Super Bomberman R online features crossplay. This means we can expect to see busy servers and super quick matchmaking.
Two Parsecs From Earth has landed on Xbox and pushes itself as a simple 2D platformer. What I love about Ratalaika Games is the fact they publish some truly unique indie titles. You genuinely don’t know what to expect, and that is the beauty of choosing a game with their name branded on it. In Two Parsecs From Earth, you play as robot Z3-L1. He has had some truly terrible luck when his ship makes a crash landing on planet Dimidium. His ship smashed to absolute pieces and the contents are spread across the planet. I’m sure you’ll know where this is heading, but it is your job to locate all the missing parts and collect them. Collecting the parts is going to be the goal in order to rebuild your ship and get back to your mission at hand.
Admittedly I was sceptical about what Knockout City would be like looking from the outside in. As an adult, it is difficult to take games with cartoon-style graphics seriously sometimes, I’m looking at you Fortnite. The truth is when titles like this are developed properly and pushed in the right direction they can be a massive success. Being old enough to recall the 2004 hit movie Dodgeball (which was hilarious by the way), I often wondered how well this ideology would transition to a video game.
I think most of us can agree that none of us like a nightmare in our routine of sleep. However, some of us might all enjoy a point and click game that mimics a bad dream. Bad Dream: Coma has been on the scene for quite some time originally launching way back on 9th March 2017. Bad Dream: Coma was developed by Desert Fox and published by Ultimate Games. Finally, the title makes its mark on the Xbox family of consoles. For the purpose of this review, I’ll be playing using an Xbox Series X.
When I see Kalypso Media stamped onto a game, I immediately think of strategy titles such as Tropico, Port Royale, Dungeons and Commandos 2. They have a huge catalogue of amazing RTS experiences which span several years so I was delighted when Starbase Startopia emerged onto the scene. Developed by Realmforge Studios and launched at the back end of March 2021, you can acquire the game on PC, Xbox, Playstation and Nintendo Switch.
If you’re a fan of titles such as Yakuza and Shenmue then there is a great chance you may just enjoy The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa. Developed and published by yeo, The Friends Of Ringo Ishikawa is an existential open-world beat ’em up with some school sim elements.
There’s a wide spectrum of old-school retro-style games out on the market that are waiting to be discovered. Being a gamer with thirty years of experience has taught me that graphics don’t always make a game and that some of the classics remain fun even today.