GameSpew's Reviews
Project Warlock is a blood-splattered love letter to retro-shooters, but still there’s plenty here to hook you even if you’ve never experienced the titles that inspired it. A glorious, gruesome outing, Project Warlock is sometimes unforgiving, but once you push past the first few levels, it’s a bloody joy to play.
The mixture of farming simulator and life simulator elements work really well. Much like real life, tasks aren’t always quick to complete and can be quite time-consuming, but that’s what makes Farmer’s Dynasty feel so realistic; it’s all about putting the hard time in to reap the rewards. The lack of customisation options, terrible voice acting and casual sexism do mar the experience, but there’s still fun to be found in starting with nothing and working hard to build your farming empire.
Desperados III is an accomplished real-time tactical stealth game that is practically flawless outside of some minor technical issues. Those seeking a title that they can really sink their teeth into, learning the ins and outs of its world so that they can master it will find a hell of a lot to enjoy here, especially if they resonate with the Wild West theme. Players will need to accept that failure is a part of the process, however, as is dealing with occasionally fiddly controls.
The Last of Us Part II is Naughty Dog’s magnum opus; the result of years spent mastering its craft.
It’s short-lived, and the unnecessary focus on survival elements takes the fun out of it. A sizeable assortment of camera locations means a second playthrough might show you something new – but it’s debatable whether you’ll be bothered to go through it again.
From its interesting story, fantastic soundtrack and admirable inclusion of educational elements, Beyond Blue is an excellent title that a wide gamut of gamers will enjoy. It isn’t free of issues, but they don’t deter from the magic of diving into an unexplored underwater world.
Despite its issues, if you’ve had your fill of Streets of Rage 4 and are after another side-scrolling beat ’em up to play, you should definitely consider adding The TakeOver to your collection. Though it does eventually lose some of its shine, its combat system offers more depth than most in the genre, and the package as a whole has some genuinely nice ideas. The fact that it looks so good and has a great soundtrack is just icing on the cake.
Ys: Memories of Celceta is a good game. This PS4 port just doesn’t do enough to make it stand out in the current market, however.
51 Worldwide Games should be in everybody’s Switch library, without a doubt.
Adding to the mix the Emperor DLC and the extra decisions, missions and incidents it imposes onto Europe, and you’ve got a wholly upgraded experience. The wrestling matches for power and influence become that much more apparent, that much more important and actually – very unlike Europa Universalis IV of the past – much more clear.
It might be fast, but Antigraviator never really leaves second gear.
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition isn’t going to blow anyone away, but it’s undoubtedly the best version of a very good JRPG.
Skelattack isn’t a very long game – most will complete it within 4-5 hours. There’s not really any reason to return to it once the credits have rolled, either. It is somewhat enjoyable while it lasts though, even if a little infuriating at times. That’s largely thanks to Skully and Imber, who are lovable every step of the way, and a surprisingly entertaining story. It’s just a shame that the gameplay isn’t a little deeper and more polished, then it could have been something special. As it is, Skelattack offers an evening of fun, with ample lashings of frustration along the way.
Despite its issues though, Command & Conquer Remastered Collection provides an excellent trip down memory lane – even if it is one that reminds us of how far videogames have come in the last 25 years. The real-time strategy might have moved on, but the Command & Conquer games still have a unique charm all of their own. Command & Conquer Remastered Collection certainly won’t win over any newcomers, but it makes for a commendable slice of nostalgia for those of us who grew up playing the games.
It can’t be denied that Virtuos has done a great job porting Bioshock: The Collection to Switch on the whole. All three games are complete, look great and perform well. It’s just Bioshock: Infinite‘s problems, both old and new, that let it down. Still, if you’ve never played these games before and have a Switch, you’re bound to have a great time with them. These titles have mostly stood the test of time, and still present some of the best video game storytelling to date.
There’s a lot of competition on Switch when it comes to picross games. Many simply offer a pure puzzle experience, with no distraction from solving picross puzzles. But Piczle Cross Adventure‘s cute narrative doesn’t feel like a distraction. It offers a unique framing to the game, giving it some much-needed personality. It’s a joy to play and, packed with over 300 puzzles, there’s a lot to sink your teeth into. If you’re looking for a new picross puzzle game to pass the time, don’t sleep on Piczle Cross Adventure.
At its best, Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted delivers the kind of jump scares and edge-of-your-seat tension the series is known for. But, minus a VR headset, it’s not a great way to experience Five Nights at Freddy’s, even factoring in the bonus games and the additional lore it imparts. Given that you can get the first three Five Nights games on Nintendo Switch in their original, superior incarnations, it’s hard to recommend Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted to anyone but FNAF completionists.
For those who already own Mortal Kombat 11, the Aftermath expansion simply doesn’t add enough to warrant its additional cost, even though what’s included is decent enough.
Signs of the Sojourner is clever and charming. While the game mechanics can put a dampener on the laid-back feeling of the game, you’ll probably be too engrossed in the touching story to care. In a time where everyone in the world is being forced apart, a game about making connections and appreciating what you have feels like the perfect antidote.
With two different endings, Those Who Remain is worth playing through all the way at least once to find out how the story ends. But with so many issues, it’s hard to find the motivation to jump back in to reveal that second ending. There’s a small bit of horror and well-crafted atmosphere on offer, but it’s short lived – and there’s definitely better games to play in the genre. Maybe give it a miss, at least until the technical issues have been (hopefully) fixed.