Digitally Downloaded
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Bet you never thought you’d feel this peaceful on a racetrack, huh?
MeiQ: Labyrinth of Death is a serviceable dungeon crawler that newcomers to the dungeon crawler craze can pour dozens of hours into. The appeal to genre veterans is going to be far lower due to the lack of a substantial plot and the underutilised battle system, but the game functions wonderfully as addictive comfort food.
There’s a clever mix of addictiveness with basic gameplay to keep players going without getting them too irritated about the more difficult levels. Ultimately the experience of playing this mirror's Shiba Kari himself - the game will never be as notable as the heroes that exist in its world, but humble as it is, there is a real sense of satisfaction in clearing that field of long grass.
Calling Touhou Genso Rondo: Bullet Ballet accessible would be a joke in poor taste. Even so, there’s never been a better time in history for those upset with conservative shooters to set aside all preconceived notions and just experiment. Touhou deserves to be praised equally as a bullet hell and a fighter, performing like almost nothing else on the market. This, ladies and gentlemen, is bullet heaven.
As a fan of board games I do like video games takes on them, as there's no cleanup, no cheating, and no people flipping the table in a tantrum. It's also nice to play against the AI when friends aren't around. This applies to Ubisoft's take on Battleship as well, and the new rules really add to the overall experience.
Madden NFL 17 is not a perfect game. You still have a handful of oddball AI and animation moments, but they are far fewer between than in years past and this year's iteration delivers a much more authentic experience than any football game has to date. Is Madden NFL 17 worth upgrading to if you already own last year's version? I believe so as it is a step forward in just about every area and there were no discernible steps backwards.
The depth available in F1 2016 is staggering, and the difficulty can ramp up to ludicrous levels. I’m impressed with the excellent work that Codemasters put into the latest addition of the F1 series, and I’d be just as impressed to watch someone play this game on Legend difficulty and win.
It's a game about loneliness, love, and what it means to be human, and that's a beautiful thing.
Wildly difficult? Check. Set in space? Check. The goal of shooting the other things in space? Check. Solar Shifter EX doesn’t add anything special to its genre, but it is certainly a solid entry worth a play or two if you dare.
While Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X isn’t as brilliant as Future Tone, nothing is, and the core rhythm game action is faultless. An inspiring, entertaining soundtrack, coupled with stunning characters, costumes, and choreography makes this essential. Not just for Miku fans, but for anyone who enjoys fun. And you enjoy fun, right?
You'll be genuinely challenged by what's on offer in A.O.T, and there is most definitely a strong sense of satisfaction from slicing through the monstrous titans. Given that this is the first attempt at a very different kind of game for Koei Tecmo, I'd say that Attack on Titan franchise is in good hands going forward.
Really the appeal of Assetto Corsa is in taking control of Lamborghinis and Ferraris and racing around tracks that are really beautiful for high precision cars that have good acceleration built into them. It's far more focused on what it does well than many other racing games, and unfortunately the overall package suffers a little as a consequence, but I just can't get over how much I accelerating out of corners in this one.
W.M.D is a fun game, loaded with tons of content that should keep Worm fans and newcomers alike very busy. The series still has that sense of humour that it is so well known, while constantly adding in new features to deepen the gameplay experience. This one, in particular, is a really well formed game, and deserves to be on high multiplayer rotation for a long time to come.
As with many classic board and card games, Uno isn’t perfect. It’s driven by luck, games tend to go overlong, and Ubisoft’s no-frills approach is workable, but workmanlike. Despite that, I do really enjoy the core game of Uno in short bursts, and for people who regularly play online with family and friends (and can thus do away with the occasionally irritating random players), this is a great, low-cost way to spend a Saturday evening together when separated by distance.
Emily Wants to Play is a horror game for the age of Twitch and YouTube. It’s a game for people to play and give themselves heart attack after heart attack, to the amusement of whoever is watching. There’s value in that, and this game does that better than most, but it doesn’t get its claws into you – it doesn’t really even try to. When playing with Emily gets too scary, all you have to do is stop.
The King of Fighter XIV channels the spirit of the 90s whilst very subtly evolving to attract more casual players. Coupled with a truly electrifying character roster and robust single player options, the game feels like a legitimate classical experience done justice. It caters to more than just the hardened warriors of yesteryear. If eSports are your forte, though, SNK has you covered with one of the fighting genre’s broadest spectrums of options to tinker with.
The Huntsman’s greatest flaw is that it’s ultimately quite forgettable. You’ll remember having fun with the combat system, and if you’re anything like me you’ll remember enjoying the art style. Unfortunately (and a little like the films in this regard), the game simply struggles to justify itself as something unique or compelling within the context of being a modern reimaging of a fairytale.
What sets Little King’s Story apart is how utterly charming it is. Classical music blaring out of the speakers, you’ll wander through your bright, happy kingdom drinking in the colour and vibrancy of it all.
As a spin on air hockey’s basic premise, Power Disc is decent, but it’s also frustrating, and that’s even if you can figure out how to perform necessary advanced techniques.
Ant Queen isn't a perfect game but it is fun to play for a few hours now and again. The developers also seem very eager to make this game better and are always listening to what fans request. It's perhaps not the spiritual sequel to SimAnt that I was quite hoping for, but as a casual strategy game it's a solid, charming, time-waster.