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Going Under takes some of the most frustrating trappings of late capitalism and turns them into literal dungeons. It’s a funny, acid-spirited take on the organisational failures of tech startup culture that doesn’t pull its punches. Between whacking baddies with a giant stapler and trading useless cryptocoins for powerups, there’s rarely a dull moment on the floors of these office hellscapes. While playing for long periods exposes some of Going Under’s repetitive elements, there’s more than enough fun here to recommend this action-packed rogue-lite to any dungeon-crawler fan with a LinkedIn profile.
Supergiant Games’ Hades has proved that the studio shows no means of slowing down, creating their best product yet. It’s firmly become my game of the year thus far and has left me in awe with its design. Like other indie staples in the gaming industry, it’s safe to say this will be a title talked about for years to come. Well done, Supergiant. Well bloody done.
Inertial Drift is an impressive effort from Level 91 Entertainment especially for a debut game. They really delivered on the visuals and atmosphere across the board, even though it will take some practice before you are able to take some time to enjoy the scenery. The varied vehicles all require very different approaches to racing which adds replay value. Drifting may not be my thing, but Inertial Drift is well worth a drive.
When it’s all said and done, I can’t shake the feeling that WWE 2K Battlegrounds is a quick pivot after last years disastrous WWE 2K20, a way to simply distract wrestling fans with a new shiny object while they work on what will hopefully be a stronger WWE 2K22. So much of this wrestling experience is copy and paste, from the animations, to the move-sets, to the painfully slow method of unlocking the roster and even the lack of polish that sometimes brings frame-rates down to a grinding halt. There’s a fun arcade fighting experience to be had, especially when it comes to local multiplayer where the shallow nature of the gameplay is less obvious. But while this may be accessible and “fun for the whole family”, it’s ultimately about as successful as a Sasha Banks title reign. Satisfying at first, but inevitably short and disappointing. We deserve better.
Overall, Necromunda: Underhive Wars misses the mark when it comes to being enjoyable. If you’re a fan of the 40K universe and can’t play the physical game, then this game may scratch an itch. But it’s a game for fans, and only the fans. And even then it’s not a very good one. If you’re new to the franchise then perhaps this may not be the best entry point. The more I sat with this game, the more I thought on it, the more sour I became. There’s a major missed opportunity here. It really could have been something amazing but instead it’s just infuriating.
With quite the high price point, Super Mario 3D All-Stars will be quite the difficult sell for long time fans. However, for every fan burned by the age old story of expensive remasters and ports, there’s players like me, getting to explore the magic of some wonderful games for the first time ever. Frustrations aside, you could do a whole of a lot worse when it comes to ports. If you’re at all keen to get your jumping, cleaning and galaxy surfing on, delve on in.
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is an amazing experience, and not just for Sci-fi or Mecha fans. Its unique combination of genres is refreshing and exciting, and its art style is the most gorgeous thing I’ve seen all year. The combat doesn’t quite match the majesty of the rest of the game, but it’s more than good enough to see the player through. It’s definitely worth it to see the ending which, while complex and difficult to fully understand, is a masterpiece.
Paradise Killer offers up a layered detective story set in a unique world with a distinct aesthetic. If you’re keen on titles like Phoenix Wright and are open to detective stories set in an unusual environment, chances are you won’t want to miss this one. With a thrilling plot and quirky characters, Paradise Killer is sure to have you hooked.
Death end re;Quest 2 is an experiment, which by itself is a great thing. It attempts to hybridise two genres of games that don’t normally share the limelight. But in the end, there is very little cohesion between the game’s two halves. It’s a JRPG with poor character development, and it’s a horror game that isn’t all that scary. And apart from the amazing battles, the game is frustrating on multiple fronts. There are parts of Death end re;Quest 2 that could be salvaged and made part of a better game, unfortunately that doesn’t amend all the shortcomings that are prolific within this title.
I think the game needed a bit more time in development to truly shine; erase the above issues and it would have been one of my favourite games of 2020 so far due to its magical storyline and Ary’s strength. A bit more time for the devs to fill up the world with more life, make the NPCs less like cardboard cut-outs and give players a bit more direction would make this game really shine.
The posturised visuals are so extreme to a point of frustration that hinders the otherwise fantastic gameplay. If you can look past the bad art, BPM: Bullets Per Minute is an energizing rhythm-based shooter with addictive play that will have you coming back for more and more.
I love Kingdoms of Amalur, and Re-Reckoning hasn’t changed that. This is a game that wasn’t loved enough at its original release and I pray that it gets all the attention it deserves this time around. If you are a fan of action RPGs I implore you to give Amalur at least a moment of your time. You won’t regret it, I promise.
For a strategy game that wants you to play for long sessions, inching your way “halt by halt” to safety for your tribe, As Far As The Eye lacks the quality of life features that would make the experience rewarding. Fans of turn-based strategy games might find enough enjoyment here to look past its most obvious flaws – there’s certainly a mechanically dense, lore-heavy strategic experience here for those willing to work for it – but if, like me, you like your games served without a healthy dose of frustration, you may want to look elsewhere.
...new tricks, restored stages, a multiplayer as fun as you remember, a killer soundtrack, and fluid skating easily make THPS1+2 a must-buy for fans. Throw in that this Tony Hawk game actually works and this game is already miles ahead than the series’ last entry and easily one of the best remakes in recent memory.
Iron Harvest is an incredibly impressive RTS game that’ll have you planning and strategising your next move on the battlefield for hours on end. If you’re a fan of RTS games and are not put off by planning and a bit of micromanagement, there’s plenty to love in the 1920+ universe for fans of games like Command and Conquer and Age of Empires.
I still feel like Immortal Realms: Vampire Wars has some potential behind its flaws. The idea of a more streamlined strategy game, with less of a resource management and empire-building focus, is something that could be appealing for newcomers to the strategy genre. However, its huge maps and clunky combat drag the experience down. Furthermore, without multiplayer or a map editor, there is not really much more to the experience than the campaign, which is only somewhat engaging. Immortal Realms: Vampire Wars certainly has enjoyable elements, but feels difficult to recommend to fans of the strategy genre.
Overall Spinch is a feast of colour and everything is so interesting to look at and absorb, but the game is very clearly designed to be difficult. The length between checkpoints is just too long, especially with much harder modern platformers using more forgiving checkpoint systems. Difficulty needs to be counteracted with speed, if every time the player falls into a pit they have to watch the camera scroll all the way back to their last checkpoint, it begins to feel like such a waste of time. Spinch is definitely a game for people looking for a challenge, and is not going to be easy to stick out if you’re someone looking for casual fun.
Coming out of Marvel’s Avengers, I’ve surprisingly been won over. With a charming set of characters both familiar and new to me, loot to keep me going and a solid promise of its future, it’s a game I’ll absolutely be keen to return to. That does come with a caveat. There are some glaring and testing faults the game exhibits. If you plan at all on jumping in and donning that cape, then do so. Just maybe keep your non-superhero day job at the ready.
Let’s not mince words, Street Power Football is just not up to scratch. Sure I love the representation and I love that recognition of actual members of the sport. But that doesn’t really sway me if the game isn’t up to par. Every element of this game has at least one major flaw that makes the game frustrating to wrestle with and takes the fun out of a certain moment. This game has a real arcadey feel to it. It’s cartoonish and colourful. But it’s also arcadey in how cheap and disposable the experience feels.
Pathfinder: Kingmaker Definitive Edition, as a console port, works impressively well. Despite some cumbersome menus, it makes the transition from mouse and keyboard to controller without losing its complexity. Combined with the substantial amount of added content, Pathfinder: Kingmaker Definitive Edition is quite an easy recommend for any fan of Baldur’s Gate, Pillars of Eternity or similar RPGs. It won’t hold your hand, even on Easy, but if you’re looking for an adventure to become immersed in, Pathfinder: Kingmaker Definitive Edition could be the game you’ve been looking for.