The key to making a compelling construction sim is ensuring players always have something to focus on, such as town planning and micromanaging citizens, or perhaps introducing something that requires intervention often. The fear of progress going awry when your back is turned can make an experience all the more addictive. The Station, developers of …
When the humble Evercade launched in 2020 alongside some tired-looking Atari and Namco collections, offering not much we hadn’t seen before, I never expected that just three years later it would host a suite of Duke Nukem games – making the system the best way currently possible to legally sample the beefy brute’s past exploits. …
A labour of love by snowmobile enthusiasts looking to scratch the off-season itch, Sledders seeks to provide a realistic snowmobile experience where you zoom across the snowy tundras and ride powdery slopes so deep you could drown in them. Realism is the theme here. Steering isn’t controlled so much by the skis, but by the …
Back in August the almighty Red Dead Redemption launched on Switch, reportedly performing admirably from a technical standpoint. It’s likely Guns and Spurs 2 – another open-world wild west adventure – was planned for the Switch long before RDR’s arrival, intended to be an on-the-go alternative. With the real deal now available, Guns and Spurs …
Today’s youth are likely oblivious to how big a deal Jurassic Park was back in 1993. It wasn’t just a blockbuster at the cinema – it was an inescapable beast, taking the cover of magazines no matter the subject, and filling shops with all manner of licensed merchandise. The most recent comparable cinematic event is …
A little taster of something can be mightily effective. A leftover ‘fun size’ chocolate bar from Halloween may be able to curb a sweet tooth, or a slice of cheese able to satisfy a savoury craving. In the world of video games, we aren’t often treated to bite-sized, standalone, side stories to keep fans satisfied. …
Licensed games largely tend to capitalise on a franchise’s popularity, launching to coincide with a currently popular TV show, movie, comic book series, or toy line. UFO Robot Grendizer (also known as Grandizer and Goldorak) stands out as an exception, based on an obscure late ‘70s anime that has never received a standalone gaming adaptation until now. …
This puzzle platformer involves taking on the role of a nobleman haunted by sad memories. Utilizing a mirror image mechanic, we’re tasked with unraveling his intriguing past, dark secrets and all. While exploring a dilapidated mansion – in which all the reflective surfaces are smashed – a broken mirror shard proves to be invaluable, able …
Creating a game based on Detroit City’s crime fighting cyborg is no easy task. An awful lot could potentially go wrong, from the way RoboCop is presented – including his calculated movements and his hardcoded behavioural traits – to the satirical slant of the movie trilogy being somehow lost or misunderstood. Even the setting could fall …
Every so often a game comes along that’s tricky to talk about without fear of spoiling the experience. Bem Feito is a perfect example, and the fact that it only lasts 1-2 hours makes talking about it harder still. Following in the footsteps of Undertale and the more recent Everhood, it essentially presents two different …
The first Christmas of the new millennium is just days away, but there’s little in the way of festive cheer within the small European town in which this point ‘n click adventure is set. A virus is raging, forcing a mandatory lockdown. With the townsfolk degenerating into zombie-like beings, panic quickly ensues. Waking chained to …
If a publisher or developer neglects one of their cherished IPs for too long, an indie studio will often swoop in with a spiritual successor. This fan-pleasing phenomenon occurred just months ago, with Bomb Rush Cyberfunk filling in for a new Jet Set Radio. But what happens when a franchise’s original creator returns with a …
During the last console generation, Japanese publisher Hamster re-released Neo Geo games on a weekly basis. The reason this Arcade Archives sub-series ended wasn’t due to diminishing returns, but rather because they ran out of titles to re-release, with pesky licensing issues to blame. They certainly had a good crack at it, putting out a …
This unexplainable CGI movie crossover event comes from Bamtang, creators of Nickelodeon Kart Racers – a series that saw marked improvements across its three installments. The first wasn’t up to much, with Nickelodeon’s renowned characters mute throughout, effectively removing all life from the colourful cast. It seems Bamtang has access to more resources these days …
Basing a Metroidvania on the works of Charles Dickens isn’t as farfetched as it may seem. One of the best NES games was also based on the English novelist’s most renowned character. It took a few liberties, turning Scrooge into a duck, but DuckTales remains a classic to this day. Joking aside, the premise here …