GameSpew's Reviews
RIDE 4 is the best-looking bike-based racing game yet, and the visuals are backed-up by handling and physics that have been noticeably fine-tuned. This is about as good as it gets for those who like donning virtual leather and tearing up a track on just two wheels, providing they’re not too fussed about human competition.
So, Star Wars: Squadrons is yet another sign that EA can do good – actually, scratch that – great things with the Star Wars licence. It’s not the biggest game in the world but its price reflects that. And besides, with a core so strong, it doesn’t really matter. Once you’re done with Star Wars: Squadrons‘ truly enjoyable single-player campaign, there’s tens of hours of fun to be had in multiplayer if you’ve ever wanted to jump into the cockpit of a Y-Wing, A-Wing, TIE Interceptor and more.
But it is a beautiful-looking game, and fans of the series will undoubtedly get a serious kick out of being back in control of Crash – even if they will need god-like patience for some of the game’s more trying sections. Its extra content is a let-down though, and the full RRP for a game that most players will be done with in around eight hours leaves a big question mark over whether Crash Bandicoot 4 is a worthwhile purchase. Ultimately, it comes down to how strongly you feel about the franchise.
Clever puzzles, a decent story and beautiful pixel graphics make up Alwa’s Legacy‘s strengths. But there’s little here that makes it stand out from a sea of more superior games in the genre. If you enjoy classic Metroidvania-style platforming, Alwa’s Legacy is worth a play – but don’t expect an experience that will blow you away.
Perhaps Nexomon: Extinction will always live in the shadows of the Pokémon series, but it has enough of its own personality to stand on its own two feet. Its world is beautiful, its story is humorous and captivating, and its budget price makes it an absolute steal. When you’re done with the Kanto and Galar regions and everything in between, you might find the world of Nexomon surprisingly charming.
Ultimately, The Walking Dead: Onslaught feels like a VR version of The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct, 2013’s mediocre first person shooter, also a Daryl-centric experience. There’s fun to be had if you experience it in small bites, but it’s so grind-heavy, repetitive and limited in scope that even if you’re a die-hard fan of the show, it’s barely worth sinking your teeth into.
Even with its faults, Mafia: Definitive Edition is a fantastic remake of the original game. Its story is as engrossing as ever, tempting you to play just one more chapter before hitting that quit button. And while the gameplay isn’t perfect, it’s solid enough to keep you entertained.
There’s a lot of layers to Port Royale 4. Its gameplay is impressively deep, and to truly succeed at it, you need to excel at multitasking and strategising. Like any sim game, it’s not something that just anybody is going to enjoy. But if you are a fan of deep simulation games, there’s a lot to love here.
But Trollhunters lacks the polish and finesse of Shantae. Like the majority of TV or movie tie-in games, it ultimately feels a bit soulless and hollow.
On the whole, Super Mario 3D All-Stars is a decent collection. It doesn’t try to impress with extra features or fancy padding; it simply puts three games from the past in a simple collection for old fans to enjoy.
Is Serious Sam 4 the best game in the series yet? Quite possibly. I still prefer the Egyptian setting of Serious Sam: The First Encounter, but the action found in Serious Sam 4 is unrivalled. Trudging through city streets in the early hours of the game can be uninspiring at times, but it’s never dull.
Running around Going Under‘s dungeons is a joy, and you’re never quite sure what will be waiting for you behind a new door. Every time you die, you’ll be keen to jump straight back in and see if you can get just that bit further. It might not be the deepest Rogue-like game out there, but you’ll be hard pushed to find another quite as fun as this.
Hades is a fantastic title. Even after sinking multiple hours in, it never gets boring. It’s a beautiful-looking game; from the environments to the character art, a lot of love and care has gone into bringing it to life. Better yet, it’s simply a joy to play.
There’s a bit of a budget feel to WWE 2K Battlegrounds, thanks to its shared movesets and story presentation. Despite that though, it’s actually quite endearing to play, and it’s easy to have fun with it. Get a friend or two to play it in local multiplayer with you, and it really is a blast.
If you have fond memories of Crysis and wish to play it again but with better visuals on the format of your choice, you’ll probably get some enjoyment out of Crysis Remastered. Well, unless your favourite thing about it was the multiplayer – that’s been ripped out.
If you’re in the market for a new dungeon crawler on Switch and don’t mind rubbing semi-naked anime girls on your screen, chances are you’ll love Moero Crystal H. It ticks all the right boxes for fans of the genre, then adds a bit of naughtiness that will either make you like it even more, or turn your head away in disgust.
Its colourful visuals and challenging gameplay are an enjoyable combination, but one that’s best consumed in small amounts. Otherwise, your right thumb will never forgive you.
It may be short, but Welcome to Elk is an adventure like no other, and one that everyone should experience.
Ultimately then, Necromunda: Underhive Wars is actually a pretty decent strategy RPG once you dig into it. It does itself a great disservice by simply being obscure and steering you towards its boring story mode from the outset, but go against it and create your own gang and you’ll find an experience that is hugely rewarding.
If heavy metal has you running for the hills, then BPM: Bullets Per Minute won’t convert you. But for everyone else, this is an adrenaline fuelled heavy-metal ride that you’d be daft to miss.