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 …
When Anakin Skywalker described sand as “coarse, and rough, and irritating” he certainly wasn’t wrong. Even the construction-infatuated protagonist in this casual but deep lifestyle sim must occasionally contend with sand clogging up their equipment, as well as sandstorms requiring specialist gear to endure. But there’s also a mountain of riches under the sandy dunes …
It was easy to tell that Smurf games from the ’80s and ’90s were developed under strict guidelines from the licensees. Most took the form of simple side scrollers, mimicking the look and feel of the harmless ‘80s Hanna-Barbera cartoon series. These days appear to be behind us. Prisoner of the Green Stone is surprisingly …
If you’re a Switch owner with a passion for RPGs, you’re spoilt for choice. A handful release every month, which is a remarkably different situation to the GameCube era. When Nintendo’s purple cube had its plug pulled, it had only a dozen to its name – some of which never made it to Europe, including …
This interactive visual novel, henceforth just called Inescapable, is set on a tropical desert island. You find yourself kidnapped along with ten other seemingly unrelated individuals and forced to participate in a six month long social experiment. Think Love Island with a murderous Big Brother twist. At the end, as the last person standing, you’ll …
World of Horror is an unsettling but interesting myriad of genres, twisting together Lovecraftian themes with a Junji Ito inspired art style, and packaged together as a 1-bit text-based cosmic horror RPG rogue-like. And what a blessed mishmash – everything has been intricately created in MS Paint with a chiptune soundtrack. Ahh the olden days. …
Recently revived publisher Sunsoft released an incredible number of licensed games during their heyday – covering everything from Batman to Road Runner. When it comes to creating retro collections nowadays, this is largely problematic, limiting the number of potential re-releases. Coupled with the fact that Blaze is more than likely holding back several titles for …
The Official PlayStation 2 Magazine played a pivotal part in generating hype for EA/Criterion’s 2006 first-person shooter Black. They claimed it would progress the shooter genre significantly, comparing its shootouts to Burnout’s crashes – every bullet had the potential to ricochet, bouncing off surfaces and into explosive barrels, causing unforeseen chain reactions. For the most …
This deductive strategy card game pits players against each other to deduce their opponent’s cards and take the crown as Logic King – or Queen. Players each have 10 cards numbered from 0-9, and on the face of things seems quite simple, but there is some strategy and tactical planning required. Think Battleships but with …
In life, nothing is certain other than death and taxes. Over in the world of video games, you can always bank on yearly Call of Duty titles and annual sports sims from Activision and EA, along with regular inexpensive 2D shoot’em ups from indie specialists eastasiasoft. RedRaptor is their latest, being a vertical affair with …
Vincent the thief steals a treasured necklace from a powerful witch believing he was simply robbing a wealthy old lady. As punishment, she condemns him to spend eternity in Whateverland, the witch’s personal purgatorial prison, where she sends just about anyone for a good enough reason. In this point and click adventure, we embark through …