Rapid Reviews UK
HomepageRapid Reviews UK's Reviews
The year is 2020 and yet the world is not at its peak; therefore, many individuals look to nostalgia to remind them of happier, better times. The current generation is one of remakes and remasters aplenty, and THQ Nordic is capitalizing on that. Not long after the release of their remake for SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom (which was a flop), they follow with a remake for Destroy All Humans!.
I’ve had a long-standing fascination with horror from an early age, maybe too early. By the start of high school, I had been equally terrified and enthralled by films such as Candyman and Creepshow, had read The Shining and was devouring any horror novel that came my way. In 1999 Silent Hill dropped me right into a horror story, and I’ve loved horror games ever since. This week I’ve taken a shaky stroll through the psychological horror house of Infliction: Extended Cut.
I am far more accustomed to playing games where my character is equipped with a gun than a sword, so it’s fair to say that Thy Sword is not the typical type of game that I choose. So, was it good to get out of my comfort zone, or did I find myself longing to get back to more familiar ground?
Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break is ACE Team’s third game in their tower defence/arcade hybrid series. As a fan of the sequel, I was very eager to review Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break. Does this third entry into the series build upon the previous games?
Videogames, like any creative work, are liable to age, or instead to age poorly. Not only from a technical point of view but also from a playable point of view. There are mechanics, and even game concepts that have gone down in history, or at least have gone out of style. However, there are also immortal works, and forms of play that are always fresh, modern, or at least don’t taste old. One of these classics is Dungeon Keeper, which explored the strategy in real-time in such a personal and original way, that in their day, they didn’t even dare to imitate it.
Let’s get straight down to brass tacks. The performance of Deadly Premonition 2 is nothing short of appalling. With a stuttering frame-rate, inaudible cutscenes, texture pop-in that begs the question as to why they even bothered adding the asset in at all and loading times so long you’ll be left wondering if the game has crashed. All of these equate to a game that is almost unplayable. The most important word in this paragraph? Almost.
As the world starts to come out of hibernation, and sport is slowly returning to the screens, it felt like the right time to turn my hand to Rugby 20. Being a fan of the game – playing it – and admittedly a dedicated follower of major tournament rugby only, I was all too eager to get my hands on the game. I am always partial to a sports game and was lucky enough to review NHL 20 for this site earlier in the year. But how does rugby translate from the pitch to the console? Does it score a try, or should it be relegated to the sin bin quicker than Saracens during a salary audit? Keep reading this Rapid Review to find out.
Imagine what it would feel like to be in a coma. Now, imagine that upon waking up from the coma, the world was a nightmare. In Neversong (formerly known as ‘Once Upon a Coma’), the new adventure platformer developed by Atmos Games and published by Serenity Forge, the lead character finds himself in this exact situation.
“Tower of Babel – No Mercy” is a physics-based multiplayer game from DNA Studios where players either compete or help each other build the tallest tower. Building on wonky foundations results in failure but does the game reach for the stars or, like many of my tower-building attempts, result in a catastrophic collapse?
Normally, licensed video games have a hard time being good, however, Spongebob Squarepants Battle for Bikini Bottom hit it out of the park and the game gained a following for being so good. So when Spongebob Squarepants Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated was announced, you can understand the excitement that fans of that title must have felt. For me, someone who loves the original, my expectations and hype were sky-rocketed, and I couldn’t wait to play this title. Now that I have played it, did the game hit those expectations? The simple answer is… No. No, it didn’t. Keep reading to find out why.
Woodle Tree is a kid-friendly adventure platformer series developed by Chubby Pixel. The original entry has seen its release on an array of platforms over the years, now followed by Woodle Tree 2. As one would expect, the new release is very similar to its predecessor with some changes and adjustments, along with a new story again focused on Woodle saving the Wood Lands from the encompassing evil black-matter.
Sometimes a game comes along that completely splits your opinion in two. Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate is one of those games for me. It is the latest instalment in the Warriors Orochi crossover series; which fuses together the worlds and characters of Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors. I have always had a “love or hate” relationship with these games, as such I can see both sides of the argument. I’ve enjoyed time with some titles from this genre over the years but I’ve never really fallen hard for one. There’s a couple of things that really turn me off about this game. Firstly, it’s an almost perfect example of an adolescent power fantasy. I’m aware that many popular titles incorporate this theme and as a player, a part of us wants to live this fantasy (we’ve all taken to the streets of GTA with mayhem in mind), but Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate’s sole purpose is this yearning for power and destruction.
In Hunting Simulator 2, realism takes us to the edge of the video game experience. To the surprise of a person who knows nothing of the hunting world, when you were finally able to locate a fox and shoot him hastily, a message on the screen surprised us. A warning that you had been fined for lack of professionalism. Unexpected and confusing at first, but this is the way of the game and the world we were entering.
Ratalaika Games have become one of the most prolific publishers for small indie games over the past couple of years, and earlier this year they decided to step further into the visual novel genre. Syrup and the Ultimate Sweet, developed by NomnomNami, is one of their first releases under their new umbrella. For those unfamiliar with the genre, a visual novel isn’t a typical video game, but instead more of an interactive story with a big focus on narrative.
We Should Talk is a linear narrative game that centres around the philosophy ‘It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it’. The game allows players to communicate with characters in the game by creating their very own sentences from a variety of options. But what’s the point? We Should Talk follows an unnamed character and the interactions they have with certain people throughout a night – and ultimately, what relationships you will (or won’t) continue with. The game begins with you seemingly entering a bar and talking to the bartender, ordering a drink. You are able to choose your combination of drink and also how you speak to the bartender – do you want to be flirty or straight to the point? The choice is yours.
What intrigued me to pick up Potata: Fairy Flower to review was the magical forest setting and the art style; I love anything fantastical in a natural but mysterious environment. It looked sweet and pretty, and I’m always down to play a platformer!
IT’S INDEPENDENCE DAY IN THE WORLD AND ONLY YOU MY FRIEND CAN STOP IT! In this alien shooter, you are on a mission to save humanity from the blood thirsty, pink, sharp toothed alien menaces; their pink eyes will haunt your dreams. Although your mission is to take out every alien in your path, your objective is to get to the safe houses and start making your way to the alien’s overly large egg to eradicate the evil visitors from outer space
By far the most popular genre of VR game at the moment is rhythm. Beatsaber has absolutely dominated the VR scene with games such as Oh-Shape and Tetris Effect attempting to ride the success wave of VR rhythm titles. One of these games that takes inspiration with a twist is Synth Riders. Its electronic heavy style blends with full body movement in a game that has you dancing along to the rhythm at every beat.
Well howdy, partner, I am Woody, and this is the Wild West… Oops, wrong game. Welcome to the Wild West and get ready to go up against bandits and corrupt businessmen as you fight through the world of western times.
It is not often that I get excited about a game. Not that wrapped up, clock-watching excitement. Yet that is precisely what I felt from the moment I saw the trailer for Night Call. It had something about it that intrigued me. I had to play this game.