GameSpew's Reviews
Needless to say, there’s never been a better time to play Streets of Rage 4 if you haven’t already done so, or return to it. While the free goodies are undoubtedly welcome, it’s the extra characters, Survival mode and moves offered by Mr. X Nightmare that really breathe new life into this magnificent side-scrolling beat ’em up. With the DLC installed, Streets of Rage 4 becomes one of the best gaming experiences you can have right now. It’s utterly essential. Now we’re just hoping that Dotemu, Lizardcube and Guard Crush get to work together again on Streets of Rage 5.
There’s a lot of promise here but it’s smothered by Claire de Lune’s insistence on punishing you for not being able to read its designers’ minds. If you were to take the game’s inside levels, pretend the outdoor areas don’t exist and halve the price accordingly, you’d have a real gem. Or just disabling all of its infuriating invisible walls would do the trick. As it is, Claire de Lune left me fighting to have fun and, missing daughter or not, that’s not a battle I have the stamina for.
With more attention to detail in the writing, Where the Heart Leads could have been something truly special. As it is, it’s an intriguing journey through a regular life. Some moments outstay their welcome and others could do with being refined, but on the whole, Whit’s journey is one that you’ll quickly become invested in. The decisions you make carry serious weight, and after spending a few hours with these characters, you’ll only want the best for them.
F1 2021 is, without a doubt, Codemasters’ best F1 game to date. It’s just a shame that coronavirus hasn’t made its career mode quite as accurate as some might hope it to be, and some bits here and there seem to be lacking a bit of polish. Still, if you’re open to look past such issues, you’ll find a deep, rewarding racing experience that’s highly customisable. And if you delve into Braking Point, you’ll also find a story mode that genuinely adds to the package. Whether you’re an ardent F1 fan or not, F1 2021 is likely to be a contender for the accolade of best racing game of the year, that’s for sure.
I applaud Indigo 7: Quest For Love for trying something different. It’s a fun enough puzzle game that fans of Tetris and Puyo will be interested in, and its presentation is charming and eye-catching. Sadly it’s let down by a poorly thought-out scoring system, which is likely to bring any enjoyment of the game to a premature halt.
If you’re a big fan of the original Watch Dogs, there’s no doubt you’ll get a kick out of stepping into Aiden Pearce’s Iconic shoes once more. Watch Dogs Legion: Bloodline tells a decent story, but it doesn’t do a great deal to expand the game’s world in any meaningful way. It’s another excuse to roam around London and gawp at the beautiful sights – but aside from one truly standout gameplay section, that’s about it.
As unpolished as it may be, though, there’s no denying that Crash Drive 3 is entertaining. It doesn’t try to be the best racing game or the best stunt-driving game, but it is a fun sandbox of exploration, competition and vehicular mayhem. If you’ve got a friend or two to join in with, it’s a perfectly adequate way to while away some hours.
Ultimately, Sniper Elite VR is what it is. If you want to snipe enemies across a range of scenarios, all the while carrying out the actions required to reload a bolt-action rifle between shots, you’ll no doubt get some enjoyment out of it. It’s not particularly impressive visually, however, and beyond the additional arm-work required the dispatch the enemies you’re up against, the gameplay is rather basic. Throw in the additional fiddliness associated with VR, and the fact that the series’ kill-cam doesn’t quite gel with the format, and you have a game that’s fun to delve in and out of as a curio, but largely forgettable overall.
Trenga Unlimited is a worthwhile puzzle game for anyone who enjoys the likes of Tetris. It’s a surprisingly pleasant way to pass some time, and while you’ll probably be done with its campaign in a few hours, survival mode will likely keep you going back. Just get ready to hear ‘Ultimate Trenga!’ over and over – and over – again until the words are etched in your brain forever.
Filled with glitches, fallible logic and a list of problems as long as my arm, I absolutely cannot call Open Country a good game. But despite its rough edges, there’s something to be said about the freedom it provides players. Exploring the vast wilderness, being fully responsible for your own survival, can be exhilarating. Just don’t expect a polished experience, and you won’t be too disappointed.
It’s easy to recommend Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny to series fans, especially if they plan on playing in handheld mode which alleviates most of the performance issues. Thanks to some efforts to streamline certain aspects of the game, and the new auto-battle mode, however, it also serves as a great entry point for those keen to find out what the fuss is all about. It may not have the best story in the series, and some gameplay changes might not seem so favourable, but overall Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny continues the series’ legacy of providing enjoyable strategy gameplay alongside plenty of laughs.
If you’re a visual novel fan, or at least open to them, you should definitely give Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! a try.
If you’re a huge fan of twin-stick space shooters, Curved Space will do enough to hold your attention for a while. Its unique features don’t amount to much, however, leaving you with a rather mundane entry into an already crowded genre. Simply put, there are much better arcade shooters out there to spend your time and money on.
Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 – The Official Video Game is fun, especially when played with a friend. While some events aren’t as engaging as others, there’s enough variety here that everyone will find something they can enjoy or excel at. The huge range of outfits available to unlock gives completionists a reason to keep going back, but most players will find this best enjoyed in short bursts.
At the moment, Dungeon & Dragons: Dark Alliance is just too rough around the edges to recommend, but some will be able get enjoyment out of it if they can work past its issues. As ever, it’s fun battling your way through dungeons with friends, collecting loot as you go – especially once you’ve powered up your characters and learned some new moves. But until the camera has been tweaked to give you a better view, enemy AI has been improved and bugs have been quashed, the action will always be accompanied by an element of frustration and disappointment. It might be a good idea to wait for a patch or two before jumping in, basically.
Its challenging puzzles and fiddly controls make it something more suited to older players, but those of all ages will find delight in its colourful and downright charming visuals. If nothing else, it makes me keen to see what Light Brick Studio develops in the future. Like being presented with a bag of actual LEGO bricks, there are many opportunities to be explored by a bunch of open-minded creatives.
Like other great roguelikes, the more of Roguebook you play, the more you want to play. Each death is simply a nudge to continue; to assess your strategy and try something new. Exploring the game’s world is a joy, and combat is easy to get to grips with while still being deep and engaging. There’s a lot to love here, all wrapped up in a package of sumptuous art.
Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights‘ combat could still do with some work, not least because the animation is so gorgeous that limiting your physical attacks deprives the game of an extra dose of visual finesse. But this is still a magical outing that will have you hooked until the Blight is nothing but a bad memory.
Offering a lengthy adventure that you’ll need to play through twice if you want the full picture, Scarlet Nexus is entertaining enough. Due to numerous issues with its gameplay, however, it’s a game that’s carried by its story. It’s a shame really, because the world created here is genuinely interesting and unique; I’d certainly like to see more Scarlet Nexus games in the future, and will definitely check out the anime when it arrives on Netflix. But there were times throughout my adventure where the combat was irritating rather than fun, and traipsing through an environment just felt like a chore rather than an exciting foray into the unknown.
It’s hard to fully condemn Legend of Mana Remastered, because the original game’s choices are unusual, and some players will certainly find merit in its hands-off approach to steering the gameplay. Others, however, will undoubtedly find the lack of direction infuriating. So, Legend of Mana Remastered won’t be for everyone then. Its combat and lack of engaging narrative holds it back, but its soundtrack – both the original and rearranged version – is truly a standout feature.