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Parkitect: Deluxe Edition is honestly fantastic and well worth the purchase if you are into park builders. Not only does it give me the nostalgic nod to the past that I very much needed, but it does it in a modern style with beautiful polish and shine. The fact that you get access to the already-released DLCs in this entire package makes for potentially hundreds of hours of gameplay if you want it. I found it difficult to draw any criticisms from the entire experience other than some fiddly controls especially when laying underground pipes and some other fine-tuning elements. Aside from this though, this is an incredible indie title which has all the same vibes as Bullfrog Productions Theme Park from 30 years ago. For £19.99 it is an absolute steal and well worth every penny and a game that I will continue to play even after this review it is that brilliant.
I won't lie, I become invested for countless hours in creative games like Planet Coaster 2 and it retains the qualities from 2016 and then some. As someone who pretended to be ill in my school days so I could stay at home and plough extra hours into adventures like Theme Park and Rollercoaster Tycoon in the 90s, this sends me back to that headspace. What we have here is a joyful, addictive and rich park builder which will no doubt become more fruitful with updates over time. The real draw though is how reasonably priced the game is. At just £39.99 for the base edition and £49.99 for the deluxe version, it is well worth the money and your time investment if you adore this genre like I do.
On the surface Tiebreak: Official Game of the ATP & WTA is a well constructed and playable Tennis title, but often its mechanics had me feeling a bit frustrated. It felt more simplistic to get to grips with than Top Spin 2K25, but the mechanics and AI become infuriating to deal with at times. If you’re looking for a Tennis title though that has the largest roster available with accurate atmosphere and feel of the real sport though, this one might be for you. But in my opinion it does fall short in terms of gameplay and modes despite its excellent presentation. I do hope Big Ant Studios return next year though with some refreshed mechanics to compliment its sterling work everywhere else.
Squirrel With A Gun never takes itself seriously and it doesn’t need to. Me and my little lad loved playing this one together and at various points, he did have to hand me the controller for a helping hand with some of the trickier platforming moments throughout. The game doesn’t focus on just mindlessly gunning everything down in sight, it has some puzzle elements and areas for you to explore and discover along the way. But if you ever fancied taking a tree rat into moments akin to The Matrix and Max Payne, then this is a real treat. For the price point, it offers several hours of enjoyment and whilst it is a little clunky and frustrating in particular moments, it never stops being fun. For those with youngsters who are out for a laugh, or just want some casual fun its worth a punt.
Vengeance Hunters is one of the better and most enjoyable beat’em ups to release in the last year or so. It has that perfect 90s flair, combat is surprisingly deep, boss battles are quite unique and provide a decent challenge. While levels do feel a bit long, the overall experience is incredibly enjoyable and is definitely a must play; especially if you’re a fan of classic beat’em ups. Don’t miss this little gem.
The best way to sum this up: Retro Revengers was clearly not QA’ed for the fun factor. It’s a generic irritating platformer with questionable level design and iffy controls. While it’s a nice touch to have a variety of unique skills, it also means they don’t control all the same; some feel floaty, others feel like they have cement filled boots. There are many more better platformers available on Xbox Marketplace; so unless you’ve played them all or want to experience this out of curiosity, don’t bother.
The whole package is a thing of beauty and it’s interesting enough that after two games I want more and I’m hoping for DLC again. It’s addictive and always had me having one more go to see if I could get those extra stars I was missing. Mad Fellows have another absolute winner on their hands here, and as I often say when it comes to indies, I absolutely implore you check this out.
Valfaris: Mecha Therion is a another indie gem. The original was one of best, most challenging and enjoyable run n’ gun games I had played. Switching the sequel to the shmup genre while keeping the action packed gameplay from the previous entry offers a fresh take. Valfairs: Mecha Therion, much like its predecessor, is a must play experience. If you’re looking for a fun challenge, don’t miss out.
Call Of Duty Black Ops 6 stays true to the previous titles and carries the torch into this interesting period for Call Of Duty. For Xbox players with an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, it is fantastic that it is available to players on launch. Not only will this reign in veterans, but the casual crowd can dip their toes in if they choose. From the multiplayer perspective, it is a welcome change from Modern Warfare and bears similarities to Cold War in how it feels to play. A classic prestige system being re-introduced allows players to digest the game at their own pace and not feel left behind by seasonal updates. This year feels like Call Of Duty has gone back to basics. It still angers me that Xbox still doesn’t allow players to switch off the crossplay options within the internal menu system and skill-based matchmaking appears to be ever-present. These issues aside though, we have a nice refreshing return to Black Ops that not only looks great but also feels satisfying to play for hours on end. For now, time to level up those guns for Warzone on November 14th!
Night Slashers: Remake is ok at best. It’s nothing special; it’s extremely generic and bland. Also very short and bosses, who should instill fear, are just big cronies. It could be some way to pass some time, solo or with friends, but other than that, it’s hard to recommend Night Slashers: Remake knowing there are much, much better beat’em up available. Try at your own risk.
Well, I am glad I listened to all the great feedback about this game and picked it up for a review. If you’re into RPG titles with simplistic turn-based combat that doesn’t have you diving into millions of skill trees and classes, then you’ll love the experience. This will go down as one of the most memorable indie titles I have played not just in 2024, but probably ever. Every year I collate a pot of indie titles that are bordering on masterpiece status, games like Cuphead, Cult Of The Lamb, Deaths Door and Balataro. This belongs in that pot and stays there for sure, and is worth every single penny of the £14.99 asking price. As indie titles go, this is a must-buy, don’t even hesitate just go and play it.
If you missed the boat with Dead Rising in 2006, I highly recommend picking up the Deluxe Remaster. It has been wonderfully reworked across the board to bring a refreshed experience that is more aesthetically pleasing and satisfying to play. Even though I had completed this one back in the day, I would say it is also worth a replay if you’re on the fence. Capcom has done a fantastic job not only giving the visuals an entire overhaul but also some great adjustments to other elements of the experience. The auto-save is a much-welcome addition and NPC’s appear to behave a little less erratically this time. I have to say though, I enjoyed the game just as much today as I did 18 years ago and in this congested schedule of games, I kept going back for more. It retains all the qualities and story from the original game and the wackiness and spontaneous nature of smashing zombies in with a variance of weapons doesn’t seem to tire. Sometimes I do roll my eyes at the amount of remasters and remakes that seem to surface lately, but I guarantee you, this is one of the great ones and Dead Rising deserves some new eyes to the franchise. That said, Capcom we need a Dead Rising 5.
The game looks great with its dark and brooding visuals. While each level has a menacing, dark-ish style, they are uniquely themed such as a forest, living train or even shooting the undead on the Moon. Enemy design, while a bit repetitive, is top-notch and creepy. Bosses are big and grotesque creations fun to challenge. The soundtrack is a high octave hard rock score to get your blood pumping as you shred The Meat’s armies. There’s nothing inherently wrong with Iron Meat aside from the fact that unlocked characters doesn’t offer any variety in terms of gameplay and the fact that given its old school inspiration, the gameplay is limited. When clearing the game, you can replay it and choose which level to play. Whether you’re looking for an old school inspired challenge or some quick fun, Iron Meat is an absolute must play. The gameplay is addictive, easy to pick up and play and some classic co-op action. While the gameplay is limited, the levels and challenge is very fun and addictive. Even after clearing the game, you’ll find yourself replaying levels to hone to skills or just as a stress relief. Iron Meat is a must buy. Don’t miss out.
Metaphor: ReFantazio is definitely going to be in the game of the year conversation. Time management nuisance aside, the game has it all; great environments/locale, enjoyable cast of characters, addictive combat system thanks to its combination of real-time and turn based; not to mention the Archetypes mechanics. Gamers looking for something diverse that will keep them busy for the foreseeable future absolutely need to get their hands on Atlus’ latest opus.
After around 20-25 hours with Starship Troopers Extermination, I wish I could recommend it for purchase. But in its current launch status, it is a bit of a mess. During my playtime, almost every single match crashed and threw me to the Xbox dashboard. During gameplay, there were endless frame drops, and textures loaded slowly, and overall, the performance is frankly terrible at present on Xbox Series X. With this said, I’m almost certain the team will be working on bugs (excuse the pun) and other issues. When the game plays well it is an absolute blast to experience and whilst content seems lacking, there is a roadmap with more on the way. I’m rooting for this game to be something special because it is ambitious, but perhaps it should have had some rigorous beta testing on consoles before launch. I’d advise waiting for confirmation of fixes before taking the plunge.
Drova has really taken me by surprise and it’s all the better for it. It’s unassuming, yet pretty, art style belies a depth that’s rarely seen in indie projects. I came into it not really knowing what to expect and found myself enraptured. It’s rare that game will have me pottering about until ungodly hours, but here, it happened to me way more often than I care to admit. This is a hugely ambitious RPG from a new team, and despite a few bugs I loved my time in Drova. The combat and steep learning curve will put off a few but for those who persevere, the adventure is worth the effort. There is a rich world here full of lore and secrets to uncover. The solid writing, engaging quests and cast of characters all contribute to what is a fantastic RPG worthy of your time.
And that’s Parcel Corps in a nutshell. It will pull at those nostalgia strings for a lot of gamers and there’s a lot of fun to be had here. But, ultimately the repetitive nature of the gameplay limits the time you want to spend with it. The story isn’t enough to carry it because progress is locked behind long grinds. It also reuses so many cutscenes when you enter a new area or start a delivery rush I was skipping them. I understand it’s efficient, but when it comes to the delivery rush, I didn’t need to see it again. Just give me the pop up to let me know it’s available, and let me get on with it. I had a lot of hope for this game and maybe my expectations were too high, but it’s kinda missed the mark for me. There’s a great game here and I can’t really say I’m disappointed, I just expected a bit more.
8 Bit Adventures 2 is a great addition to the RPG genre and a great to homage to classic games from the NES era; from the pixelated visuals to the turn based gameplay. While it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it adds its own few twists on a proven formula. That being said, 8 Bit Adventures 2 is absolutely worth your time and money; whether or not you’re an RPG fan or not.
It is nice for Predator: Hunting Grounds to finally see the light of day on the Xbox platform. Illfonic has been wise and opted for the low entry cost of just over £16 for the bog standard edition of the game. The team hasn’t just ported the game across in the hope of a quick buck, either. Overall, the presentation has had a good polish and gloss-over for this new lease of life on the green side of the fence. It was fantastic to see the early crashing issues promptly resolved within a matter of days of launch, I can now report that the game runs like clockwork. Bearing in mind that the game is four and a half years old at this stage, you have to forgive that it will look a little dated. However, what we essentially have for Xbox is a brand-new FPS for the console, and we always need more. What I adored about Predator: Hunting Grounds is the ability to have fun whether playing alone or with friends online, you can succeed in both scenarios. The intensity of being stalked by whoever is playing as Predator always has you on edge and brings the atmosphere of the movies into the game. For its low-cost entry and an absolute ton to unlock and level up, it is well worth a punt!
I appreciate what the developer was going for with this project and there are absolutely areas that nail the brief. The visuals are charming and the story was a campy laugh, it also built a decent atmosphere when there were no enemies. But there’s a nagging at the back of my mind that says I didn’t enjoy it overall. The combat didn’t gel with me, even though I have a love for the old tank style. It had zero fear factor, not even the odd jump scare. There was too much ammo and health so I never felt my survival was at risk. Enemies were poor… maybe it just wasn’t for me.