GameSpew's Reviews
Inevitably, Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem doesn’t do much to attract newcomers to the series. It is what it is: an expansion designed to offer Serious Sam 4 fans more hair-raising combat encounters, with a sprinkling of new enemies and weapons. It’s disappointing that some of the technical issues that have plagued Serious Sam 4 since launch still persist, but if the idea of having an entire army of Headless Kamikazes running your way yet again gets you hot under the collar, it’s well worth the investment.
While some of Rainbow Six Extraction‘s systems do feel a little unfair at times, there’s one hell of a thrilling experience to be found if you can get into the groove. I’m not usually a fan of stealth, but sneaking around the game’s excellently-designed environments trying to get the upper hand on a bunch of freaky-as-hell aliens is exhilarating. You’re constantly on-edge, not knowing what waits around the next corner, poised to attack if you need to. Add to that a solid progression system that keeps you wanting to jump back in, and you’ve got one of Ubisoft’s best multiplayer experiences yet.
Dimension Tripper Neptune: TOP NEP‘s ace up its sleeve is the fact that it costs just £3.99/$4.99. And for that price you just can’t go wrong. Whether you’re a fan of Neptune or rail shooters, it’s highly recommended that you add this to your Steam library. It may be short, but it’s also very sweet.
Existing fans of the Windjammers series will absolutely love Windjammers 2 – no doubt about it. Newcomers willing to put the effort in to learn its mechanics will find a lot to enjoy, too. It’s just a shame that its single-player offerings are so slight, and the AI isn’t much fun to go up against. Multiplayer is the highlight here, and if you do plan on playing against friends, family and/or strangers, you’ll get way more than your money’s worth.
Entertaining, funny and thought-provoking in all the right places, Not For Broadcast is a hugely engrossing foray into the nightly news arena. You’ll laugh your face off at times, but like the best satire, it’s also disquieting enough to have you uncomfortably squirming in your seat.
There’s something so very enthralling about Strange Horticulture; the way it lets you take the lead and figure out everything by yourself will really appeal to those with an analytical mind. The story could perhaps be a little more engaging, but it serves its purpose. Ultimately, it’s going to be Strange Horticulture‘s puzzles, its delicate but eerie presentation, and its satisfying and calming gameplay that will keep you hooked. Something very special awaits for those curious enough to enter Strange Horticulture.
Knockout Home Fitness is fairly simple when it comes to content and presentation, but there’s everything here you need for a great workout. The exercise regimes it has you completing are energetic, fun, and really do work up a sweat. It’s easy enough to follow along even if you’re a complete beginner, and the fact that you can tailor your daily workout to suit you is a nice touch. If you’re looking for a video game to help you get in shape, this is a fine choice.
Making your way around Nobody Saves the World‘s map is nothing but a pure joy. This gorgeous, whimsical adventure feels like a more playful A Link to the Past at times – if A Link to the Past had you changing into a slug or a zombie, that is. If you’re a fan of accessible action RPGs and enjoy laying waste to tonnes of enemies, you can’t go wrong here. Once again, Drinkbox Studios has taken an oversaturated genre and turned it into something unique and delightful.
Considering its budget price, there’s a lot to like about Labyrinth Legend. Its combat is a little simple, and inventory management can be a bit of a pain at times, but crawling its dungeons in search of powerful loot is engrossing nonetheless. The bite-sized nature of its action works in its favour, too, allowing you to delve in and out of it before it wears thin. So, if the idea of a cute-looking dungeon crawler that doesn’t over-complicate itself appeals to you, Labyrinth Legend is well worth checking out.
They say good things come to those who wait, and in this case it rings true for PC gamers. This PC port is undoubtedly the best way to experience God of War, boasting improved visuals and additional features such as ultra-wide support and NVIDIA Reflex for reduced latency. Ultimately, this is a brilliant port of a phenomenal game, instantly making it a must-have for any PC gamer seeking out an engaging adventure full of intense combat and thoughtful puzzles.
So, if you’ve played Terminator: Resistance and found yourself wanting more, Annihilation Line is definitely worth considering. It doesn’t really try to offer anything new gameplay-wise, but it does allow you fight beside Kyle Reese and go behind the titular Annihilation Line. Those two factors alone will be enough to convince most fans.
Despite its frustrations, you’re likely to get sucked into Shovel Knight: Pocket Dungeon‘s gameplay loop. With an adventure mode, a daily challenge and a versus mode, there’s plenty to go at, too. Even if you do die frequently, you’ll probably want to jump straight back in, each time vying to get just that bit further. And the assistive options are a nice touch, even if they do disable trophies and achievements.
Short as it may be, my time with The Gunk has been wonderful. Image & Form’s move into the 3D realm has solidified it as a truly talented developer – and this may just be its best game yet. Beautiful, satisfying and engaging from start to finish, The Gunk is definitely worth getting stuck into.
There’s a lot to like about Firegirl, but it’s not free of issues. You’ll undoubtedly grin with glee whenever you’re lucky enough to successfully complete a run, having rescued all survivors. But chances are you’ll come across insurmountable frustrations more often than not, bringing your time with the game to a grinding halt. Continually upgrading Firegirl‘s abilities certainly helps, but the mechanics need a bit of tweaking before this is as enjoyable as it deserves to be.
Ultimately, Monopoly Madness is a novel twist on the Monopoly formula, which can be fun to play in short bursts. But it doesn’t quite scratch the itch of playing the classic board game.
All that being said, there’s no denying that this is the best MXGP release yet. While they’re not particularly sizeable, improvements have been made, and it’s nice to have some new tracks thrown into the mix. Just be aware that if you already own MXGP 2020, MXGP 2021 isn’t going to offer a wildly different experience. It feels more like a refinement or expansion rather than a sequel. Whether that makes it worth the asking price is up to you.
Stick Serious Sam 4 in performance mode, then, and while your experience won’t be perfect on PS5, you’ll still have a bloody good time. It’s perhaps the humour and simple premise of the game that will be more divisive; some will love it for its daft one-liners and balls-to-the-wall action, others may find it too repetitive and macho. If you like the idea of butchering an entire army of monsters ranging from vampires to reptilian demons that throw green balls of energy at you, however, then be sure to give it a go. And what other game lets you loose in a combine harvester to up your body count?
After the disappointing Halo 5: Guardians, it really does feel like 343 Industries is getting the series back on track with Halo Infinite. The setting is familiar, and so is the gameplay, but like returning to your hometown to meet up with long-lost friends, it’s a wholesome experience and, once you scratch the surface, things are different enough to allay any fears that you’re just re-treading the same old ground. Perhaps the biggest shame is that co-op won’t be available until after launch, because those open areas could really do with multiple Spartans causing havoc in them. But until then, even playing solo is bound to be captivating thanks to firefights that put most other first-person shooters to shame.
When you’re engaging your enemies in the middle of deep space, boosting then drifting to rotate your ship around and snipe three or more enemies with your laser rifle before warping behind another and switching to your missiles to unleash a mighty payload, there’s nothing else quite like it.
There’s a lot more to Solar Ash than simply gliding and grinding around its luscious world, but by god is it good fun.