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DIRT 5 is the 14th game in the legendary Colin McRae Rally series of games, and 8th under the Dirt brand. Codemasters have pushed these games in so many directions over its 22 year span. I was right there on day one 1998, playing the original on my PlayStation. It created this overwhelming rush of excitement rallying cars through the mud and winding country roads of Scotland. So much has changed since then, but one thing that’s remained constant. The rush; red lining the revs in a Ford Fiesta, feeling your wheels slip across the loose terrain, torrential rain downpours and sprays of mud across the screen. That’s all still here, but the experience is amplified to an incredible level of realism.
Ever wanted to build, manage and run your own dinosaur laden park? Well, now is the time. I had heard many good things about Jurassic World Evolution but for some weird reason, I’ve never got round to playing it. Since then it has had a vast amount of DLC, different editions and now, a portable Nintendo Switch version. This suits me down to the ground, I can now breed T-Rex while on the loo or build new dinosaur-related attractions while out and about. Show me the dinos!
I have a keen interest in martial arts, Chinese and Japanese cultures and of course, beating up videogame baddies. This gives a fairly comprehensive explanation as to why 9 Monkeys of Shaolin appealed to me in the first place. It has all the ingredients to be a hit for gamers with tastes similar to mine. Read on to find out what I made of this beat’em up from Russia based developers, Sobaka Studio.
DID SOMEBODY SAY CAKE? Cake Bash, the new cake bashing, topping shopping party game. Compete to be the most delicious, tastiest cake in the bakery, go up against bots or your friends, and make your cake exactly what the customer would love.
The juggernaut battle royale that is Fortnite has quite literally taken the gaming world by storm. From its simple multiplayer gameplay to its wealth of seasonal content, Fortnite shows no signs of slowing down. With the Xbox Series S|X consoles now with us, Fortnite has inevitably found its way to the newest members of the Xbox family.
Observer: System Redux is a remake that just so happens to also be the first for this new generation of gaming. Blooper Team and Aspyr have decided to remaster the psychological horror of Observer to take advantage of the new technology and power available with the Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5. This means that the cyberpunk world now features HDR lighting, support for 4K resolution, Ray Tracing and improved character animations.
In June, we were first introduced to the world of Snaktooth Island and its strange snack inhabitants. I was immediately fascinated by the distinct charm and oddness to Bugsnax but is the game worth a bite? Find out in this Rapid Review!
Our journey through the Assassin’s Creed series has taken us from Italy to London to Egypt, meeting historical figures along the way. We’ve delved into the past and become a pirate or a Medjay, yet always fighting for the Assassins against the Templars. In the latest addition to the series, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, we now take on the role of a ruthless Viking warrior!
I’m a sucker for survival games, so when the opportunity to review The Long Dark came through I jumped at the chance to review it. Playing The Long Dark on the Nintendo Switch isn’t my first experience with the game. I had previously played the game during its early access state on the Xbox One way back in 2017/2018. Back then The Long Dark was just a shell of what it is now and only contained two explorable areas and none of the episodic story.
Based on a French audio series by the same name, The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk isn’t a franchise I’ve encountered before – most likely as it hasn’t been formally translated into English. It has its own fervent fanbase, and has split off into comics, novels, and even a band.
Rez Plz is a pixel-art puzzle-platformer that brings a new twist to the co-op formula. The goal of Rez Plz is to kill your brother to then solve the various puzzles and dungeons. It’s a simple yet delightful adventure that aims to stand out from the crowded puzzle-platformer genre through its humour and unique gameplay.
You ever had those annoying neighbours, up past 1 AM blaring their music with all their friends round? Partying… drinking… shouting and laughing, even sometimes arguing? If you answered yes for every single one of those, then you must be exactly like the Party Hard Killer. Yes, Party Hard 2 is a strategy action adventure where you play as a serial killer who hates the plague of rats that have no respect for other people and continue to drink and party… what could go wrong, right?
Starting a new job is never easy. But for Aliph, a freshly-qualified power plant technician, the pressure is taken to a whole other level when her colleague Cassidy is killed in a tragic accident on her first day. With her protective armour damaged beyond repair, and no working radio to call for help, she is forced to manually balance the light and dark energies of the world within herself and navigate through the dangerous Fay Rouge power plant alone in order to repair its circuits and restore its power to the city of Whiteforge.
DustOff Z is a shoot em’ up which does not present a deep narrative. Instead, the game is mostly a series of levels that will give the player better equipment and weapons. You’re asked to keep going until the end and beat the game with the highest rating in every level. Each of these is rated from 1 to 3 stars, depending on the time and accuracy with which the player completes them. The higher the rating, the better.
Tropico 6 is a city builder that places us in charge of a little slice of island life. Do we rule this island as a benevolent leader, one who is kind and caring? Or do we rule with an iron fist as an evil tyrant, one who’s not afraid to get their hands dirty? That’s what makes Tropico 6 appealing. We’re given the tools but not told how to use them.
Going Under is a dungeon crawler where most of the action happens underneath your new place of work. You are working as an unpaid intern looking to get your dream job but you are set the goal of defeating monsters instead. Each time your character thinks they are getting closer to their dream job they are then given another monster-bashing mission to do.
TROLL HUNTER… Embark on a magical fantasy of past and future in Arcadia, as you take on the evil troll trickster Porgon, and his vast band of minions. You are sent back in time and only defeating him will return you home and save Arcadia in this family-friendly platformer.
G.I. Joe: Operation Blackout is an exciting premise; you play as both the Joes and Cobra, helping to restore order and conquer the world at the same time. It’s a team-based game, where you can solo/co-op play through the campaign and duke it out with your buddy, split-screen locally of course, (not an option for this Covid era, however).
Ghostrunner is an action platformer published by 505 games set in the post-apocalyptic yet visually vibrant Dharma Tower. In a world without hope, does Ghostrunner do enough to stand out? Find out in this Rapid Review.
It seems like forever since we had a big Nintendo Switch exclusive and while Pikmin 3 Deluxe may not be a true exclusive, this port certainly has enough bells and whistles to entice players back in. Not only that, I am sure a lot of Switch players, due to not owning a WiiU, will be playing it for the first time, you lucky buggers. Pikmin is a very popular franchise and I will be splitting this review up into two halves, half talking about the game itself and half discussing its improvements from the WiiU version.