When Aspyr began re-releasing Star Wars games almost five years ago, it was assumed they were going to choose from the best of the bunch. While this was the case for a while, with early remasters including Episode 1 Racer and the former Xbox exclusive Republic Commando, the conversion specialists presently appears to be simply …
Historia’s free-to-play party racer Faaast Penguin finally arrived on the Xbox Store over the festive period, having successfully launched on other platforms a few months prior. While a full review would be of questionable use (free games are regularly updated with new modes and content) it is worth discussing what it gets right and wrong. …
It’s tricky to talk about 2022’s Atari Mania without mentioning the Wario Ware series, so I may as well get it out of the way: Atari Mania is brazenly influenced by Nintendo’s celebrated microgame compendiums. In some ways it’s more diverse, but never any better for it. And it certainly isn’t any better than even …
In this digital age, gaming is almost synonymous with Christmas. There’s no better time of year for the younger generation to ask their parents for a new game console, gaming credit vouchers, or an assortment of new releases. For the older generation, Christmas also represents a time to catch up on games they may have …
It’s always neat when a demo of an upcoming game has more to offer than just a level or two. I’m not referring to things like ten-hour trials, as beneficial as they are, but rather when a developer turns a demo into a standalone product, such as a prologue. That’s the case with KIBORG: Arena, …
When I play games, I play with the experience gained from other games. I might mess around with the combat system to see how it differs from similar titles. I might look at the responsiveness and intuitiveness of the controls and compare them to genre standouts. With Endless Ocean Luminous things were remarkably different; I …
The Official PlayStation Magazine UK was renowned for putting the biggest and most anticipated PSone games on its front cover, usually alongside a demo disc with a playable teaser. A winning combo to help that month’s issue fly off shelves. Whatever was tipped to become the PSone’s next big hit almost certainly took the cover …
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 …
Christmas is fast approaching, and social media is awash with recycled memes. Yes, even more than usual. In addition to guff about Die Hard being a Christmas movie, UK retailer GAME’s infamous Christmas Tinner appears to be doing the rounds again. Back in our day, it was only rubbish BBC Christmas specials that were repeated. …
On paper, Wanted: Dead puts a lot of ticks in a lot of boxes. Originating from Japan, it’s a gory third-person shooter with hack ‘n slash elements, blessed with a smattering of silliness and a bunch of mini-games that wouldn’t look out of place in SEGA’s Yakuza series. It also reminded me of SEGA’s overlooked …
After observing a Japanese salaryman playing with a calculator while travelling, Nintendo’s R&D director Gunpei Yokoi was left feeling inspired. An idea for a handheld toy sprung to mind, not for children but rather for adults to play discreetly in the palm of their hand to pass time. Nintendo’s president Hiroshi Yamauchi realised the potential …
There aren’t many games around that allow you to re-live the innocence of being a child. Unless those games are ones you previously played as a youngster, you’re hard pressed to find something that awakens the inner child, knocking at the door of long forgotten memories and emotions. However, there is a fine line between …
Three years after the coronavirus pandemic hit Japan, resulting in the closure of hundreds of arcades nationwide and even SEGA selling its chain of game centres to Genda, you’d think few companies would be willing to invest in new arcade software and hardware. Yet here we are with Chase Chase Jokers, a brand new release …
If you’ve played Nintendo’s monochrome marvel Zelda: Link’s Awakening, then you may feel a sense of familiarity with Time on Frog Island. Specifically, Link’s Awakening’s optional trade quest that entailed swapping items with certain characters, starting with a Yoshi doll won from a claw machine. Time on Frog Island takes the concept of ‘trading …
I have in my mitts the first festive issue of Sonic the Comic, dated November 27th1993. It wasn’t the closest issue to Christmas, but it did come with a cardboard tree decoration. Now seems a good time to talk about this issue, the history of Sonic the Comic, and my relationship with Fleetway’s fortnightly publication. …