The 32-bit era saw quite a few battles between similar titles. At the start of the generation, Daytona USA and Ridge Racer went head-to-head, and later Virtua Fighter 2 and Tekken 2. One forgotten battle from 1997 saw a three-way struggle between snowboarding sims, with the N64’s 1080 Snowboarding, the Sony published Cool Boarders, and …
The impact of the N64’s still lauded Zelda: Ocarina of Time continues to be felt, with this 3D side-scrolling platformer brazenly borrowing OoT’s musical instrument playing element. It’s a magical flute that the minuscule elf-like hero Nai carries here, also doubling as a melee weapon. OoT may be fast approaching thirty years old, but we’re pretty …
Most RPGs cast you as a gallant warrior out to forge their own heroic destiny, or a plucky novice adventurer who suddenly finds the weight of the world on their shoulders. Our Adventurer Guild, which has just made the jump from PC to Xbox, presents a more unique proposition. As the name suggests, you’re in …
It’s not hard to imagine that many ideas added to a project during early development end up nixed, either breaking things in some way or failing to suit the overall tone. The best example I can think of is how so few fantasy games with dragons let you harness the ability to fly, as this …
While patrolling a sleepy town known only for its tomato fields, rookie officer Romeo Starglazer makes the surprise discovery of a body in the middle of the road. Things quickly take a dark and hazy turn, resulting in Romeo on the brink of death. This isn’t the end for our law-abiding hero, however – the …
One can only imagine the sights and sounds of a medieval tavern. From travelling merchants to mercenaries for hire, most folk strolling through the door likely had a story to tell, tall or otherwise. After spending close to ten hours with Tavern Manager Simulator, I can tell you about the time I clonked a thief …
This pixel art RPG is a pretty good indicator of how far the gaming industry has come in the last twenty years. Starring a young boy who’s clearly on the spectrum, it becomes apparent early on that this is a personal passion project, featuring the Texas-based developer’s own brand of warped humour and even incorporating …
Although tonally different, there are telling signs in this ‘90s franchise revival that the developers were responsible for the futuristic racer Redout. The fluorescent blue exhaust and nitro trails are the biggest giveaways, along with the neon green smears the zombie-like streetwalkers leave behind on the tarmac. We can’t ignore the ability to defy gravity …
At primary school, we had a single Acorn computer in our classroom, and if you finished schoolwork early, the teacher let you play on it. The game that fascinated me the most was simply called ‘Romans’ and covered Roman history. It was the graphics that fascinated me the most, in truth, as they were a …
When going into something with the word ‘simulator’ in the title, a first-person viewpoint is pretty much expected nowadays. If you need convincing, the last seventeen simulators we’ve reviewed used this perspective – a run broken by 2015’s Goat Simulator, of all things. Discovering that Disco Simulator has a top-down view came as quite a …
This Resident Evil influenced first-person horror begins not within the titular village or even in the outskirts while enroute, but rather in the female protagonist’s litter-strewn apartment. Waking in a stupor, a news report on TV claims that a virus is rampant in the rural farming village that’s home to her doting mother. Wasting no …
Featuring a “puntastic” name that sets the tone perfectly, this pixel art roguelike shooter stars a onesie-wearing teddy bear and takes place in a dreamworld. This means anything goes, from an enemy assortment that includes gun-toting pigs and walking AA batteries, to weapons such as a ‘mac & cheese gun’ and an everyday toaster. Even …
Your familiarity with Bomb Jack likely depends not just on which decade you grew up in, but your country of residence too. This colourful single screen action platformer was a hit in arcades during the mid ‘80s, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Pac-Land, Mr. Do and Ghosts ‘n Goblins. It was in Europe that …
Set in 2009, this first-person horror is based on a Turkish urban legend involving two girls who performed a ritual in a top floor apartment. From that night onwards, citizens of the tower block allegedly experienced unexplainable paranormal activity. Over the course of 2-3 hours, you’ll gradually learn how the ritual was performed, and what …
Imagine strolling into an ‘80s arcade and telling the young folk surrounding the arcade’s latest addition that in the future games exist that essentially play themselves. You don’t need quick reactions or a sharp memory to beat them, just lots of spare time to invest. You’d be laughed out of the arcade, but little do …