The popularity of the auto-shooting genre doesn’t seem to be on the wane, with 2-3 typically launching weekly. With stiff competition in mind, it definitely helps to have a unique selling point or at least attempt to incorporate something new. Simply being a cheap download offering similar thrills to Vampire Survivors no longer cuts it. …
For whatever reason, an official UK retail chart wasn’t published last week – or at least not made public. However, this week’s chart reveals that Mario & Luigi: Brotherhood debuted at #3, while Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions took #12. Both have taken a tumble this week, with Brotherhood exiting the top ten already. The top …
This deckbuilding top-down hack ‘n slash presents an alternative take on the French Revolution. How alternative, you ask? Well, there’s a cosmic humanoid dwelling within the lower levels of Paris, spawning brain-controlling flower blossoms. Referred to as Lady Bliss, this entity descended from space during the King’s coronation. Playing as skilled swordsman René, renowned for …
Microsoft begins to fight back this week, starting their holiday campaign. The anticipated UE5 powered survival shooter S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Heart of Chornobyl – originally revived in 2018 following a cancellation in 2012 – comes to Xbox Game Pass, as does the bigger than ever Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. If early impressions are to go by, …
When famous landmarks are transported into space by a cackling skull-shaped UFO, it falls upon not the army or even superheroes to retrieve them, but rather the planet’s sports stars with their powerful backhands and precision slapshots. It’s a simple premise, but enough to facilitate a jaunt around the globe, with this being an arcade-style …
This hand-drawn Lithuania developed RPG commences in a magical realm full of floating platforms, giant mushrooms, and demonic monsters. Magic users known as Veds protect this world, guided by mystical creatures and a powerful witch. No sooner than being introduced to this fantasy setting, we’re flung into the near future where a shady corporation is …
This week sees more of this winter’s big name releases on Switch. It has fallen onto Sony, of all companies, to make a quieter-than-usual season slightly less quiet. Allegedly Sony and LEGO agreed that putting LEGO Horizon Adventures – a light hearted retelling of Horizon Zero Dawn – on Switch made a lot of sense …
Back in August it was revealed that Net Yaroze games are coming to Antstream Arcade. Today, the first five games are ready to launch on the retro game streaming service. Firstly though, and for the uninformed, Net Yaroze was Sony’s home development system based on the PS1, allowing budding programmers to create their own games. …
It seems fair to say that games based around caring for animals are aimed at a younger audience, specifically those looking to pursue a career as a vet. With this in mind, and using the likes of Nintendogs as a comparison, you’d expect a game titled ‘Pets Hotel’ to be filled with bright colours, fun …
Square-Enix recently announced plans to bring their games to more formats to boost their sales potential. As such, this week’s Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake – originally known as Dragon Warrior III in the US – is due on all four major formats. It is a little strange, however, that Square has chosen to start …
Over the past few months prolific indie publisher Ratalaika has been re-releasing games in the 16-bit platformer series Aero The Acro-Bat, including spin-off Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel. We’ve duly arrived at the last entry in the franchise, and it’s something of a departure. Whereas the previous games were for Mega Drive and SNES, Aero The Acro-Bat: …
It seems not a single publisher was worried about the newest Call of Duty potentially harming sales, with several big-name titles launching the same week as Black Ops 6. Even more amusing, then, to see that few publishers deem themselves worthy to go up against the Switch’s big winter title Mario & Luigi: Brothership, with …
A snow coated cyberpunk city provides the backdrop for this top-down twin-stick shooter. Although our gruff private investigator protagonist Yanus – who has a penchant for strong liquor, along with anything else he can get his hands on – carries a machine gun, I don’t think we’ll be debating whether SlavicPunk: Oldtimer is a Christmas …
A few generations ago horror games were seldom seen, especially on Nintendo platforms. Even something low budget such as Cursed Mountain – a forgotten survival horror from 2009, published by a fledgling Deep Silver – gained a reasonable amount of press coverage, at least during launch week. Skip forward some fifteen years later, and things …
The UK retail top 40 sees a handful of new arrivals this week, some of which are a tad unexpected. Coming as no real surprise, the well-received (at least by the press) Dragon Age: The Veilguard managed to enter at #3, with EA’s own EA Sports FC 25 remaining at #2 and Call of Duty: …
