GamePitt's Reviews
Neon Caves is a fun arcade shmup with a lot of personality and uniqueness to make it a standout shooter. It has a very strange, but interesting mechanic that allows it to separate itself from others in the genre. It is a little repetitive as there is only one mode, and there is a steep learning curve right out of the blocks, which may put people off. However, the leaderboards and the addition of a list of challenging achievements should keep hardcore players coming back for more and more because of how addictive it can be.
Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid could have been amazing if they had remembered to put in all the content! As a fighting game with only nine characters on launch, a mechanic where you have to pick 1/3 of the roster for your team per match, a season pass selling four skins for £12.99, and 8x less content than the developers mobile game, it’s unforgivable. The actual fighting, visuals, performance and fun you have whilst playing the game, all help try and redeem it, but it’s not enough to balance out the lack of content you get for your money.
Rollercoaster Tycoon Joyride is so close to being a game I would highly recommend, but it’s let down by a few issues. If you can overlook and get used to its cumbersome controls and you remember to set your PS4 Pro to 1080p output, then the game isn’t bad. You can create your own rides, ride them whilst participating in a mandatory shooting gallery, and then either play with friends locally or try out other peoples tracks online. It has a tonne of potential but it’s let down by a few things which appear to have been overlooked or ignored.
Heavy Fire: Red Shadow is a very simple arcade shooter which anyone can pick up and play. The whole campaign can be completed in one sitting, as you work your way through four various locations to unlock new abilities which make you god-like. The endless mode will provide a bit of extra enjoyment as you compete for the top spot on the leaderboards, whilst utilising all of your previously acquired abilities. Unfortunately, After putting in about 4-5 hours into the game, I don’t see myself coming back to the game that often. I felt I’ve seen everything there is to see and reached the peak of what it has to offer.
Warface is a Free to Play game which will have you coming back for more, but maybe only in co-op. Just like most of the games out there which follow this Free to Play model, if you dive into the Versus mode then you’ll clearly see how the game changes into the ‘Pay to Win’ formula as you’re taken out by people with much better gear. However, if you’re looking for a fun co-op experience for free with your friends, Warface has you covered – for free.
Le Tour de France, from Cyanide Studio and Focus Home Interactive, is back again for its usual yearly iteration in the form of Tour de France 2018. It’s a cycling management game in which you can build your own dream team in the world of cyclists whilst you micro-manage the in-depth career.
I don't hate Lunar Stone, I had a lot of fun playing it and I've still not jumped as much as I did when the skeleton was in my face! However, if you are looking for a game you can spend hours and hours on as you progress through various levels and unlock the trophies over a few hours based on unlockable criteria, then this isn't for you. If you are looking for a nice, quick 100% on your PSN account and enjoy cheesy dialogue, decent enough combat mechanics and some really cool looking bosses, then pick this game up.
Rise of Insanity is so confusing, I couldn’t stop playing until I finished it but I can’t say that it’s because I really enjoyed it. There are some really good scares in the game but there’s not enough tension or atmosphere. The story is gripping and the files you find are really interesting, but it eventually disappoints. There are better horror games out there but this is overall a pretty solid offering and I can see the talent the studio has.
Sonic Forces has come out at a bad time. Had it come out at a time where Sonic Mania wasn't a thing then I'm sure it would be seen as a decent iteration of the Sonic franchise. With that said, it isn't technically a bad game, it looks and runs great, it just tries too hard to be a bit of everything which in-turn results in it being forgetful and lacking in a lot of areas.
One More Dungeon is an interesting take on the roguelike genre as it offers it in a first-person perspective and via a pixel-art style. The game itself allows you to customise the game to your own playstyle and increase the difficulty accordingly but the core mechanics don't pull you in and scream 'replay me' once you have achieved your platinum.
Rainbow Skies could have been much better if it made exploring the maps less clustered and the pace of the game (and movement) was a bit faster. The combat really needs an overhaul so that fights aren’t taking as long and have less probability of movement errors. Otherwise, it’s a decent game, just a bit too slow. This could be due to the game being available for various PlayStation platforms and by not focusing on more modern hardware, like the PS4 and PS Vita, it feels like it’s possibly been held back.
Shenmue I & II is a fan service to those who have been asking SEGA to re-release the game for the last few years. They would regularly say “We don’t need a remaster, just re-release it” and SEGA heard you and gave you your wish. Aside from a boost in resolution and a few graphical touch-ups like bloom, you’re looking at the same textures, controls and voice acting used in the original games, games which haven’t aged well both visually and mechanically.
Everything I said about Pipe Push Paradise being hard is very true. You can look at that as a nice challenge, or just avoid the game. The game does not hold your hand after level 3. I would rather that than for it to be too simple though. Just remember, if you do get stuck on a puzzle, only use the internet to look up the solution as a last resort.
Zombieland: Headshot Fever is just simple and chaotic Virtual Reality fun. The characters are as witty and miserable as they are in the films, with my favourite line being “it’s as hot as two rats fucking inside a sock”. The shooting is really fun and the desire to do better and improve those high scores is very addictive, especially when you factor in the world leaderboard too. Don’t expect a game as complex or engaging as The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, it’s much simpler and just really an old-school arcade shooter with some comedy. Honestly, if this game were in the arcades, I’d be putting in a lot of coins, so it must be doing something right.
Although the game has a number of flaws and runs really slow in comparison to alternative racing games, Kandagawa Jet Girls was fun to play thanks to the intertwining arcs and multitude of customisation options – I also enjoyed the mini-games. The character models are all well-done and the physics on each of the six limbs are very realistic and nice to watch in motion, but the game itself is far too slow. I was hoping for Mario Kart and Wave Race speeds but we ended up with Mario Kart at 50cc with four flat tires. No, that’s a bit unfair, maybe three flat tires? If you play it in chunks and enjoy the stories being told, you’ll get more out of the game rather than expecting a fast, exciting arcade racer.
If you’re looking for a simple, yet dynamic VR application to relax within, ArtPulse is an easy recommendation. Even if you don’t feel like manually laying shapes in order to create your own dynamically-created beats, you can turn on the Cinematic Mode and sit back as the game randomly generates it all for you. Although the selection of tools and base music is currently not that large, the team does have plans on expanding the experience with updates – as they did with their previous title. ArtPulse is a very niche product for people looking for a particular release from the real world, it’s a very relaxing and therapeutic experience.
Where the Bees Make Honey is an interesting narrative puzzle game about childhood memories. It’s not the best looking or mechanically advanced game I’ve played this generation, but you can tell that the developer has put a lot of love into creating this game. I had fun throughout the whole experience, even though a few of the segments did frustrate me due to their control schemes and the lack of subtitles.
Yomawari: The Long Night Collection is a survival horror game that is unique because of its gorgeous, and cute, art style. It looks so innocent, but it packs the punch of a deep, depressing story mixed in with sheer horror as you never know when an enemy is going to jump out at you. Both stories follow a very similar plot with the same mechanics and emphasis on stealth - at times it feels like Yomawari 1 and 1.5 rather than 2. You'll also find yourself becoming more and more frustrated as you continue to die over and over again.
There’s not much to say about Path to Mnemosyne as it is a very simple and short game. I know I have detailed how there are multiple aspects that I was not a fan of, but at the end of the day, it is excusable. Path to Mnemosyne really is special in other ways. The artwork is fantastic and it’s also nice to play a game that gets you to think about things, rather than just mindlessly shooting zombies.
Spectrum is a minimalistic platformer which really tests your patience with it’s more advanced Dark World levels. The simplistic nature of the game makes this a great game to pick up and play in short bursts, but there is also enough content for longer play sessions as well. The addition of a two-player time-attack mode was fun, but it doesn’t deviate from the core mechanic of the main game or offer anything new other than declaring who’s the fastest between the two players. However, based on the current price point and how much time Spectrum entertained us, I wouldn’t have any issues recommending this to casual gamers or those looking for a simple game they can just pick up and play.