Matt Gander 
A quiet spell for retail releases has made for a stagnate UK physical release chart, with no new releases to speak of. A few games are bouncing around the top 40 though, so at least there’s that. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora has left the top 10 already, falling to #12 during its second week on …
With the Metroidvania genre as crowded as it is, it certainly helps to have a few gimmicks to stand out. Cookie Cutter isn’t short on personality and style, and you won’t have to look far for a sprinkling of fresh ideas either. These don’t immediately come to light, however – even during the opening its …
Publishers are tripping over themselves to get their new Switch releases on the eShop before Christmas. Speaking of which, a slew of shovelware is due on Christmas Day, clearly hoping to entice those who find eShop credit or a shiny new Switch in their stocking. Be vigilant. Two very different retro games are on this …
The offbeat virtual pet/life sim hybrid Seaman was a hit in Japan, becoming one of the Dreamcast’s best-selling games in that region, and one closely associated with the console itself. It offered a remarkably different experience to the arcade conversions and beat’em ups the system was renowned for, while also riding the tailcoats of the …
A sign of strong world building is when it takes a while for certain elements to sink in, either due to a unique lexicon being used or elements working in an unconventional way that later makes sense. That’s certainly the case here. This side-scrolling action RPG, clearly inspired by the Paper Mario series, takes place …
‘Twas the week before Christmas, when all through gaming’s madhouse; Publishers were stirring, dropping new releases as quietly as a mouse; The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that digital store credit soon would be there; The children were nestled all snug in their beds; While visions of Swole Peter Griffin …
Every month of this year, including the typically quiet months of January and December, has seen a handful of must-play releases. An assault not just on gamer’s wallets, but their spare time as well. Browsing through 2023’s release lists, it soon becomes apparent that dozens of positively reviewed games failed to generate much of a …
There’s a lot to be said for simplicity in the world of gaming. New iterations of Tetris continue to engage veterans and newcomers alike, barely a year goes by without a new variant of Pac-Man, while Vampire Survivors – and its slew of clones – simply involve circling enemies with everything else handled automatically. Ideally, …
The next couple of weeks are looking reasonably busy for the Switch, with several new releases even due on Christmas Day. As you may have guessed, though, these are mostly casual low-effort titles merely being rolled out to capitalise on anyone receiving eShop credit for crimbo. This week is at least moderately more enticing. We …
“You’re now ready,” duly informed Hell Well’s tutorial. Only, this wasn’t quite the case. I fumbled my way through to this point, not really understanding what kind of objectives Hell Well has in store. It also didn’t help that the UI is presented in an abstract way, favouriting ‘1-bit’ style pixel art. Fortunately, in less …
Chess pieces are the collectable of choice in this outdoorsy 3D platformer, replacing customary spinning gold stars and giant coins. This isn’t quite as random as it seems, with the mystical one-of-a-kind chess set being a symbol of balance. Black and white. Light and dark. Ying and Yang. After the pieces become scattered, our spritely …
Had this 2D platformer launched in the ‘90s, it would likely be mentioned in the same sentence as Natsume’s Pocky & Rocky and Konami’s Goemon (aka The Legend of Mystical Ninja,) due to it featuring similar sights. This too uses ancient Japanese folklore as its central theme, set in a world full of yōkai of …
Ubisoft’s Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is one of two new entries in this week’s UK retail chart, making its debut at #5. The open-world movie adaptation also took #2 in the PS5 chart and #3 in the Xbox Series chart, which would suggest a reasonably successful launch. The DLC packed Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition then …
Rewinding to last week, GOTY contender Baldur’s Gate 3 is out now on Xbox, dropping during The Game Awards. That was joined by the slick-looking, and potentially massive, multiplayer battler THE FINALS for PlayStation and Xbox formats, along with Epic’s Rocket Racing and LEGO Fortnite. If anything can make Fortnite even more popular, it’s LEGO. …
SEGA has revealed a ‘new era’ of classic IP revivals, with new games in five cherished franchises in active development. Specifically, Crazy Taxi, Golden Axe, Jet Set Radio, Shinobi, and Streets of Rage. “In recent years, Sonic the Hedgehog has forged new paths for SEGA, bringing the franchise to life and reaching new audiences in ways we …