FingerGuns
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Despite some initially awkward controls, a few difficulty spikes and some fool hardy camera angles, Steel Rats is a wheelie good time. An excellent art style, nuanced and enjoyable combat, testing platforming, metroidvania-esque level design, meaty audio and some unique traversal mechanics combine to make this game feel much bigger than the sum of its unoriginal parts. While it’s not going to win any Game of the Year awards, this is a game that’ll keep you highly entertained for a week or so.
A shame, then, that Road Redemption falls a bit flat for this generation. Boasting graphics that wouldn’t challenge Motorcross Madness in any beauty pageants, combined with some flaky controls and handling, it becomes more of a challenge than enjoyment.
Resonair and Monstars have reinvented something I didn’t think could be reinvented. They have created as much an experience as they have a game.
Timber Tennis: Versus will become repetitive long before you’re unlocked every skin it has to offer and doesn’t do anything unique, proving to be little more than super powered Pong when you really get down to it. A lack of innovation however doesn’t detract from what is a fun little pixel art arcade game with surprising tactical depth and a cracking soundtrack.
It’s by no means an awful game. The level design is solid, it keeps you on your toes constantly and playing with friends can be a blast. The issue is I’ve no doubt you have similar games in your collection which are similar and much, much better.
Grip: Combat Racing is a content filled tribute to a fan favourite racer from the good ol’ days. If you liked Rollcage, you’ll likely love Grip. Slick combat, fast racing, splendid visuals and a pumping soundtrack from the likes of Hospital Records including Full Kontact and Mart-E that’s driving you ever forward, it’s a joy to play…eventually. The track design and it’s lack of obvious visual clues on where to go next, however, make the first few hours with Grip a litany of crashes against its unpolished edges.
I can only recommend this if you feel like something different, or you’ve got some company around to enjoy trying to figure it out with. It’s not groundbreaking, it’s not a fast paced roller-coaster of suspense. But it is a delightful, self-aware romp that plays more like Clue! and less like Identity, so have a laugh with it.
If you want something with a fresh take on the Alien Isolation/Condemned/Outlast style of first person experience, this will suit you. It’s got some hammy dialogue, graphics aren’t going to be on par with some upcoming cowboy game you might have heard about, but it’s a rich story driven game that will keep your noodle thoroughly scratched.
The Heist then is a packed DLC, kicking off with a terrific new story and leaving us desperately awaiting the next episode. There’s plenty to be getting on with and with a whole new story to tell, it’s been great to jump back into Insomniac’s New York and I can’t wait to see what’s next.
A lack of official music from the TV show and being devoid of any vocals from the pups themselves does dampen the excellent attention to detail applied elsewhere however, which is a big disappointment to the young fan in my house who is so used to singing along to the theme song and to the Pup Pup boogie.
The whole team weigh in on Insomniac's mighty Marvel triumph, Spider-Man.
It’s a kart racer, that’s it. Nothing more, nothing less and let’s be honest, these characters deserve far, far better than this.
LEGO DC Super Villains delivers good, clean, accessible family fun with recognisable comic book villains getting up to mischief. If you’re a fan of the LEGO games, rest assured, this is another fantastic, content filled entry into the series. It’s not the best entry point for new comers and has a few technical niggles but for those in its target demographic, it’s a real hit.
It does become incredibly stale well before the credits roll but Heavy Fire: Red Shadow is “take your brain out and just shoot” dumb fun. For those moments after a bad day at work, when you just want to pop some melons, sink some ships and blow up a Jeep or 2, Heavy Fire: Red Shadow offers that catharsis but very little else.
The Legend of Evil is a fun little game that you can complete in a few hours if you’re any good at it (you can switch over to a lower difficulty at the beginning of each level if you’re finding it particularly tricky) and with its sense of humour and lovely visuals, it’s got an awful lot of bang for your five quid (yeah, this game’s a fiver). The added Rogue Conquest mode turns the game once its head once again by making the levels procedurally generated, adding an extra layer of difficulty which brings an entirely new way to play the game right from the off. It’s all about that risk and reward.
So if you wanted SkyScrappers from the PS4 and PC on your Switch, you’ve got it. You have the definitive version thanks to the brilliantly executed Tate Mode, allowing SkyScrappers to be played in a far more natural orientation. There lack of any real updates elsewhere is a bit of a shame but let’s be honest, I’m just glad I now have SkyScrappers on my Switch. It’s a welcome return to a game I thought I’d never see anything more of again and that’s just fine by me.
Fast Striker then is a competent score focused shooter that’s short but satisfying. It’s missing some modern day features like online leader boards but it’s a visual treat for the eye balls that’s accessible for newcomers on the Novice difficulty and a real test for shmup veterans on Manic or Omake. If you already have the 1.5 edition on the Dreamcast, the only new additions here are screen sizing and button mapping so it’s probably not worth the double dip but if this is the first you’re hearing about Fast Striker and you fancy a coin-op inspired shoot ‘em up to tide you over, Fast Striker could fit the bill.
I’d heartily recommend Space Hulk Tactics if you’re a fan of Warhammer, or you’ve looking for something to fill that XCOM void, or maybe even both. Or perhaps you’ve not heard of the franchise, in which case you could do far worse than this. Campaign replayability, online play and map creation will make this a worthwhile investment.
All in all – and I hate finishing reviews like this but there’s no real other way of saying it – if you got something out of the main game, you’re going to want to dip in here. It’s nothing more, nothing less than exactly what you’ve already played, just more of it. And seeing as we’re big fans of Strange Brigade, that’s absolutely fine by us.
Fossil Hunters is, in almost everything that it does, good, clean family fun. My young tribe and I have had a real blast playing it together despite the technical hiccups and the fiddly nature of some of the controls. It’s a game best played in a team, when you can all have a responsibility, but it does require at least some gaming experience in the group to overcome its toughest challenges that’ll frustrate the younger gaming archaeologists out there. If you’re looking for a game to play with a bunch of Dinosaur obsessed children or with a couple of older friends who’re up for a laugh, it’s worth digging into Fossil Hunters during the upcoming Autumn/Winter nights.