Stephen Tailby's Reviews
Meet Your Maker's core premise is very strong, but the game's aesthetic and samey levels currently don't live up to that vision. While it can be fun in short bursts, raiding Outposts can quickly become tedious, although building your own stages for others to try is more fulfilling. There's potential here, no question, but we'll have to see how it fares on live servers before we deliver a full verdict.
Overall, it's just not particularly well made; music will drop out occasionally, some collectibles aren't fully explained, the writing isn't good, and it's awkward to control.
Gas Guzzlers Extreme is a bad name for a pretty bad game.
For those looking for a new party game to play with some chums, this is certainly different, but you'll be done with it faster than it takes you to buy it.
Knee Deep makes a decent attempt at telling a dark, mysterious tale, but underneath lies a bland game with little interaction. The cast of characters aren't particularly likeable and the story they tell makes some bizarre missteps. Perhaps the murder mystery fans among you could get a small kick out of this, but we'd say that most of you can safely ignore this title, knee deep in problems as it is.
We wish we had more positive things to say about Maize, but unfortunately, it just doesn't have much going for it. The story and writing are atrocious, the characters are forgettable, and the puzzles themselves are too easy. The game is honestly quite boring, despite its bizarre premise, and the attempts at humour are ham-fisted at best and excruciating at worst. If you're after something different, Maize is certainly that, but be warned that it may leave a bad taste in your mouth.
Perhaps we just didn't get it, but for us, One Way Trip's tale of two poisoned brothers on the quest for a cure in an increasingly weird dystopian setting failed to leave an impression. The aesthetic is utterly unique but maybe a little too avant-garde for its own good, while the game's story drags on and on with little substance to be found. It's a confounding mess of bright colours, bizarre characters, and unpleasant sights and sounds – but then again, maybe that's entirely the point. Either way, this is a disappointing, bare-bones visual novel, and frankly, we're glad that the trip is over.
What we're trying to say is: stay away from Coffin Dodgers. It's a humorous concept, but clearly not one that supports a whole game. The awful racing and abysmal presentation are the biggest offenders here, but it's a game with problems weaving all the way through it.
We were enjoying the lowlife-detective-gets-in-way-over-his-head storyline, but it takes another turn later on into something decidedly more obscure. The final hour or two throw the whole story for a loop, and to make things worse, it feels as though none of the plot threads are resolved — you're just left hanging, probably with a furrowed brow, while the credits roll. It's a shame, as the music and visuals are excellent throughout, but the presentation just isn't enough on its own, and that's about all it has.
Initially it's quite a novel experience, despite controls feeling fairly clunky. You solve problems, earning bricks with which to create new buildings and slowly unlock new business types, which expand your options. However, after a while, it becomes more difficult to manage; if a building is really lacking appeal, a circular meter will begin to fill. If you let it fill up, the building's business will close, and will be essentially useless. The trouble comes when you have buildings that won't move, and more than one suffering this red circle. This is just an example really, but the point is that the gameplay becomes too complicated. After a while, it loses the fun factor, and becomes a frustrating balancing act with too many plates to spin.
Oddworld: Soulstorm presents itself well and shows a grand vision for the series, but as a modern game in 2021, it's just not where it needs to be. It can be extremely awkward to pull off even basic manoeuvres, some new features miss the mark, and certain levels made us want to quit altogether. Bugs exacerbate some of the gameplay frustrations with wonky AI, and ultimately the play experience can be frustratingly rigid. Fans will love this reimagining of a classic, and the franchise's unique charm shines through, but it's a tough sell for anyone coming to the series fresh.
While some of the mashes show some fun combinations of genre tropes, the majority of what you'll play in SuperMash is a bit of a mess.
Unless you're curious about the narrative, we'd beware of the dog in this case.
If you're a real Doctor Who aficionado, you may find some enjoyment here, but otherwise, this is a waste of your precious time.
As a game, Bee Simulator isn't all that enjoyable, but its heart is in the right place.
There's imagination on show here, but right now, it's not something we can recommend.
A game based on Stranger Things seems like a winning combination, but this effort based on the recent season three leaves a lot to be desired. Most of what makes the show so good is missing here, and the gameplay and presentation are terribly flat. Retelling the latest season, sometimes word for word, also alienates the game from both people who've seen the show and people who haven't. Our advice to you is to watch the source material and leave it there; the game isn't going to turn your world upside down.
The Hong Kong Massacre's inspiration is clear, but unfortunately, it doesn't have the gameplay, the personality, or the energy to stand alongside it. The slow-mo shooting can be fun, but with tough enemies and a janky dodge manoeuvre, you'll more often than not be frustrated by death after death. With a little more polish, it could've been an entertaining romp, but as it stands, redeeming qualities are few and far between.
Nippon Marathon is a curious multiplayer game that unfortunately falls prey to its own over the top nature.
Fairly decent handling isn't nearly enough to save Nickelodeon Kart Racers. Even if you ignore the squandered potential of a game featuring the network's biggest cartoon stars, this is a shallow racing game that underwhelms at every turn. Tracks have some nice details but aren't particularly imaginative, the presentation largely falls flat, and the whole thing feels undercooked. If you're a die-hard fan, it might be worth a look, but it's hard to recommend this to anyone else.