GameSpew's Reviews
If you’ve never played Alan Wake before and love spooky games with strong stories and plenty of action, consider this remaster a must-have. Thanks to its upgraded visuals, ardent Alan Wake fans are likely to want to pick it up, too, and they won’t be disappointed. This is a game that has stood the test of time, and now being available on more formats than ever before, it’s time for it to step into the light and truly be seen.
Although playable in single-player, it’s hard to recommend KeyWe as a solo experience. This has been very much designed with co-op play in mind, so unless you have someone to play with, don’t bother picking it up. It’s a commendable concept and fun can be had in short bursts, but ultimately the tasks given to these adorable kiwi birds boil down to nothing but repetitive busywork.
Ultimately, Blaze and the Monster Machines: Axel City Racers is what it is – a simple racing game aimed at young children, with informative loading screens that aim to teach. There’s not much to it, which might make its asking price appear a little steep, but its colourful visuals and basic yet enjoyable gameplay make it a perfect entry point into the racing genre. In the grand scheme of things, however, it doesn’t really impress all that much.
The Addams Family: Mansion Mayhem is a very average platform game. It plays it safe, and doesn’t try to do anything interesting – or in fact, anything at all – with its license. As such, it’s hard to recommend to Addams Family fans, as there’s very little here that evokes any kind of spooky, kooky mayhem. There are plenty of better platforming games out there, but it’s serviceable for younger players – and the minigames do at least add a bit more fun into the proceedings.
Steel Assault is a hell of a lot of fun while it lasts, but unfortunately that’s not likely to be long. After that, there’s not much else to do but play through it again on a harder difficulty or try to tackle arcade mode, but that doesn’t really offer anything new. At least it looks and sounds great while it has you in its grasp. And its price is fairly reasonable.
Although short, A Juggler’s Tale is an intelligent game well worth spending a few hours with. Its visuals are spectacular, and its haunting poetic narration – although jarring at times – provides an excellent and unexpected ending. Abby might not speak, but you’ll be rooting for her each step of the way.
Gearshifters’ fresh take on the horizontally-scrolling shooter template makes it easy to recommend not only to shoot ’em up fans, but also those into car combat games. There’s something immensely satisfying about slamming hard on the brakes to quickly get behind a group of assailants, before unleashing a barrage of bullets at their rears and speeding back up to ram them. Throw in a wealth of car upgrade and customisation options, and you have a game that’s fun to return to time and time again.
It has its flaws in both the action and settlement-building stages, but they’re quite easily overlooked in the grand scheme of things thanks to the fact that it’s still such a unique blend. Add in a fantastic soundtrack reworked by Yuzo Koshiro as well as additional content and multiple difficulty levels, and you have a game that should please the majority of series fans while also possibly bringing some new ones into the fold.
It’s a shame that the camera works against you at times, and pretty much all of the content here may be recycled from previous games, but that doesn’t stop Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania from being outrageously entertaining. Also, while the game’s premise is simple, there’s a great level of challenge here that will keep players returning time and time again to master all of the stages on offer. Throw in the party games that each offer their own unique take on Monkey Ball action, and you have a package that’s not to be missed by those who simply like to have fun.
Still, even with its frustrations, there’s something alluring about The Plane Effect. Its art style, its eerie and slightly unsettling soundtrack, its dystopian sci-fi vibe; it all leaves you with questions that you’ll be desperate to get answers for. It’s just a shame that the gameplay you’ll need to endure in an attempt to uncover those answers isn’t as enjoyable as it could be.
It may be based on a particular brand of die-cast toy cars aimed at kids, but Hot Wheels Unleashed is a fun arcade-style racer suitable for all ages and, for the most part, skill levels. Bursting with content, it’ll be a while before you’ve grown tired of its many tracks and unlocked all of the 60-plus cars that it offers. Throw in online and offline multiplayer, a track builder, and gameplay that’s easy to pick up but has some additional depth for more skilled players, and you have a package that’s easy to recommend.
I can’t recommend picking up Truth Quest unless you absolutely loved Maneater. It does nothing to advance or even mix up the formula in any way. It’s more of the same, but with increased emphasis on the more frustrating elements of the main game. At least Chris Parnell’s excellent narration remains on point.
There’s nothing really new or overly exciting to be found in Flynn: Son of Crimson, but its well-executed blend of platforming, combat and light puzzle-solving keeps you occupied from beginning to end. It’s a fairly short, easy-going adventure (though it does have difficulty levels if you want more of a challenge), and one that’s sure to please fans of old-school platformers – just as long as they’re not expecting anything revolutionary.
If the idea of a game that offers you a true sense of freedom appeals to you, you’ll undoubtedly get a kick out of Sable. Its expertly-crafted narrative alone will inspire you to keep going, but repetitive quests and an often barren world may dampen your spirits a little. Still, there’s a lot to enjoy here, and if its art style resonates with you, you’ll find it easy to lose hour after hour in Sable‘s unique world.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits truly is something special, and I can’t wait to see what Ember Lab does next.
While it’s initially fun nipping around Aragami 2‘s maps thanks to traversal options such as shadow leap, and later unlockable abilities really empower you, repetition does take its toll on the experience. All the while, frequent bugs and technical issues make you wonder if you’re playing something that was ready to step into the light for all to see.
I wanted to like The Amazing American Circus. The idea of a card battler game that isn’t necessarily about combat sounded appealing, and its 1800s travelling circus theme makes a rather interesting backdrop. But its gameplay just isn’t fun, and its systems are convoluted and often make little sense. Chances are you’ll get so fed up of long-winded, unsuccessful performances that you’ll give up long before you make any sort of meaningful progress. The bottom line? There are much, much better games in the genre, so play something else instead.
Tails of Iron isn’t the biggest adventure in the world – while it has numerous maps to explore, they’re not particularly expansive – but it does have a lot of heart. It’s easy to warm to Redgi despite him not having a voice, which is quite an achievement in itself, and as you travel around his kingdom, fighting off bugs, frogs and other pesky creatures, you’ll come to care about his fate. It’s the combat that’s the real star of the show here though, encouraging you to keep an eye on the various quest boards even when the tasks they offer only send you to the same few locations.
For those who have played and enjoyed Judgment, the decision to pick up Lost Judgment should be a no-brainer. With a brand new story that’s just as engaging (if not more so) than the first, as well as many gameplay improvements and a bucketload of new content, it’s a fine example of a sequel done right. It’s like a lucky dip where every time you load it up to play you’re never sure what you’re in for – but you’ll rarely, if ever, be disappointed. Variety is the spice of life, they say, and Lost Judgment might just be the spiciest game I’ve played this year.
It may be short, but TOEM delivers heart by the truckload. This gorgeous hand-drawn adventure will have you fully invested in its quaint little world, taking photos of everything you see – whether it’s for a mission or just for the sheer joy of it. It’s the sort of game that makes the world seem like a better place – even if only for a few hours.