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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.
Alchemist: The Potion Monger is a unique experience that can be enjoyable for certain players. It is an accessible title for the most casual gamers or a nice break from the online world of competitive multiplayer games. It is family-friendly, and those with a love of animals may love its cutesy, colourful aesthetics. Don’t let the simplistic-looking screenshots sway you from giving this one a try, because there is a surprisingly deep 8-10 hours of gameplay here if you want it.
Even in 2024, Chainsaw Lollipop RePOP is just big, dumb fun. The story, while existing, is there to give a premise to all of this, but the gameplay of running around and comboing enemies is the meat of the matter. Combat is surprisingly deep, especially as you purchase new skills; easier to learn, hard to master. But it does show its age; janky camera, messed up auto-aim, 2012 visuals. If you never played it and looking for big stupid fun or if you previously enjoyed it, it’s worth revisiting. Just not at that price.
Overall, while “Bleak Faith: Forsaken” has potential and some standout elements, the overwhelming difficulty and technical issues make it a challenging game to recommend. If you’re a fan of extremely tough Souls-like games and can overlook the technical shortcomings, you might find some enjoyment here. Otherwise, it might be best to wait for further updates and improvements.
House Of Golf 2 is a well-crafted title which I had a great time with and whilst I did find it immensely challenging in parts, this drove me to like it even more. If you’re like me and get frustrated at your talents but are determined to succeed, then it is one of those experiences where practice makes perfect. There is a plethora of courses that are wonderfully designed to get hands-on with over 100 holes to attempt. If you’re the type of gamer who is constantly looking for titles to play that you can pass the controller around the room and involve friends and family from the comfort of your home, then this is absolutely for you. For the lone players out there though, there is plenty of room for addictive gameplay with chasing those all-important leaderboard scores and gaining all the cosmetic unlockables throughout. As Golf games go, this is easily up there with some of the best.
There are many adjustments in this year’s instalment of EA Sports FC, plenty of them minor and some of them a bit more obvious. I always come back to the fact though that it must be incredibly difficult to change a football game year on year without changing the gameplay loop. The stand-out addition for me is the addition of Rush in both Pro Clubs and Ultimate Team, allowing you to play five a side without those silly Volta power-ups from years gone by. If you’re on the fence about whether you want to spend your hard-earned on a game that may not differ much if you invest time in a particular mode, then I recommend playing the ten-hour trial.
The Ace Attorney Investigations Collection is a great collection of games that is wildly different than the typical shooter or adventure. And also a great way for fans of the Ace Attorney series to experience an official localized version of Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Gambit. This bundle offers a very lenghty experience, especially without a walkthrough. While entertaining, reading a game on TV isn’t ideal and not necessarily the best type of game for long gaming sessions. If you’re looking for something new and quirky, Ace Attorney Investigations Collection is a must play
Looney Tunes: Wacky World Of Sports is one of those games you’ll want to perhaps explore if you’re looking for options to play with your family with same-screen fun. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t feature any online multiplayer which I found a bit odd as this would have easily increased the longevity and replayability. Whilst the overall presentation of the game is very charming with characters I’ve grown up watching as a kid, the game does get stale very quickly. Playing alone allowed me to discover everything in just under an hour of gameplay which isn’t great for a game that is £39.99/£49.99 to purchase. That said, I did have a couple of hours of fun and laughs with my six-year-old. So whilst I recommend this as a game to factor in for time with younger ones, it doesn’t justify its high price tag in return for its content.
The Karate Kid: Street Rumble is actually a decent and fun gaming experience. Easy to pick up and play, but hard to master thanks to its surprisingly deep combat system, RPG like mechanics and replay value. While character movement can feel a bit slow and the crazy difficulty spike 1/4 of the way in, it’ll easily fill your beat’em up void. But given its steep price tag for something that can be finished in about a 2 hour single sitting, might wanna wait for a sale.
While it may be enough for the ardent retro platforming enthusiast or for hardcore fans of the show, it’s difficult to see this is anything more than a barebones release aimed at cashing in on those hoping for a dose of nostalgia. Adventures in Gameland never stopped amazing me, regrettably most of my amazement wasn’t in a positive manner. It’s been 20 years since the last Rugrats video game, but perhaps this is proof that some things are better left in the past.
Train Sim World 5 builds on the previous games and just keeps getting better. You won’t find a more true-to-life simulation of train driving. The beauty of the yearly releases means that you can pull across any previous routes you’ve purchased and have them all accessible at any given time. The introduction of conductor mode brings a new aspect of working a train from the perspective of the exterior of the driving cab. If you’re an Xbox Game Pass subscriber then there has never been a better time to give it a go if you haven’t tried it. If you’re a fan of previous games or just into your traction, then you will find hundreds of hours of gameplay here if you want to divulge in the hundreds of timetable scenarios both in the driving seat or dispatching trains from stations. The creator club will allow you to customise and curtail your experience alongside creating your very own scenarios. Train Sim World 5 is the best in the genre and the greatest it’s ever been.
Gori Cuddly Carnage is definitely one of 2024’s most obvious hidden gem. It’s a fun, hilarious, addictive 3D action platformer. The combat, while simplistic, mixed with regular and special attacks, is fun to use. The levels are all fun to explore and the action is top notch. Despite its shortcomings such as the repetitive nature of certain sequences, you can definitely do worst than Gori. If you’re looking for a fun and challenge action game, Gori Cuddly Carnage is a must-play.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is near perfect and the greatest game I’ve played in that universe. With a meaty campaign, fantastic horde-based modes and PvP online multiplayer included, there is the potential for hundreds of hours of gameplay here. It is far more exciting playing this co-operatively with friends but I had great joy from reviewing this alone in the weeks leading up to launch. The team at Saber Interactive already has a well-established roadmap for the next 12 months which adds even more in the way of cosmetics, weapons, modes and more. The future for this title is exciting and whilst it retains an active player base, I believe the team at Saber will keep adding content to the game. For Xbox Series X players though, this is one of the best-looking games I’ve seen on the console to date and for the most part performance is buttery smooth throughout. For die-hard Warhammer fans, this is an absolute must-buy, but for those who just love the shooter genre as a whole then this will be one of the best you’ll see in 2024.
Do I recommend Shadow of the Ninja Reborn? Well it depends. While they did make a few good improvements like the variety of sub-items, they made levels too long, with an unforgiving checkpoint/continue system, and forces players, as ninjas, to take it slow. Bottom line is if you played the original and loved it, this will feel like a completely unnecessary re-imaging. But if you haven’t played the original, this is a decent action game if you can get around its flaws.
Aspyr did a good job bringing Star Wars Bounty Hunter to a new generation of gamers, but unfortunately, they couldn’t address the core mechanics of the game such as the navigational aspect of it, the clunky lock-on system. If, like me, you are curious to try to 2002 classic or want to relive it for nostalgia, this remaster is worth (re)visiting, but if you’re too familiar and reliant on more recent gaming features such as checkpoints and map/objective tracker, you might feel more frustrated than anything else.
Mars 2120 is an action-adventure game offering a classic Metroidvania experience. Set in a Martian colony, players take on the role of Sgt. Anna “Thirteen” Charlotte, navigating through a series of challenges to uncover the mysteries of the colony. Mars 2120 has its moments, particularly in its exploration and upgrade mechanics. However, it falls short in control, storytelling and enemy design, making it a solid but not exceptional entry in the Metroidvania genre.