Kena: Bridge of Spirits review (Xbox Series)

While playing this magical realm reviving third-person adventure, a sense of warm familiarity soon emerges. Not so much the fact that Kena first launched on PS5 in 2021 – with this review being of the belated Xbox version – but rather that it feels like an amalgam of similar games. It arguably knows where to …

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2005 shooter Under Defeat set for a multiformat re-release

The Xbox 360 and PS3 physical releases of Under Defeat are absurdly expensive these days, so it can only be good news to hear that a current-gen re-release is coming. Clear River Games are partnering with City Connection to bring the 2005 G.Rev developed shooter to PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Steam and Switch. Both the …

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Tomba! Special Edition review

Around twenty years ago, a fellow gamer asked me to look out for a reasonably priced copy of Tomba. Some two decades later, it’s a request I’ve been unable to fulfil. Since vanishing from store shelves in the late ‘90s, Tomba (and its 1998 sequel) have been tricky to track down. Although they were published …

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Natsu-Mon, Cat Quest III, Volgarr the Viking II, SteamWorld Heist II, Yokai Club, Gray Dawn, and Omochapon hit the Switch

Talk about perfectly timed. Natsu-Mon: 20th Century Summer Kid is, as the name brazenly suggests, set during the hot summer months. Published by Spike Chunsoft, you play as the son of a circus ringmaster and spend your days exploring the town where the circus currently resides, talking to townsfolk, fishing, bug catching, and watching the …

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Mists of Noyah review

A few things about this side-scrolling survival adventure are immediately obvious, such as the fantasy setting and its resource gathering/crafting elements. These two features alone are enough to draw early comparisons, with it resembling the 16-bit renditions of Castlevania – even having a vampire-esque character within its playable character pool – but playing more like …

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Star Wars: Bounty Hunter review

In 2002 the shooter genre was in a pretty good place. We’d just had a double-whammy of Halo and Metroid Prime, while the PS2’s Medal of Honor: Frontline set the foundations for a new wave of WWII based titles. Over on PC, the influences of 1998’s Half-Life were still being felt. The PlayStation 2 was …

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Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess review

With so many of Capcom’s recent titles setting tills ringing – or whatever the digital storefront equivalent is – it isn’t a huge surprise to see new IP on the agenda. Chances are the coffers were full enough to allow for a smaller, more experimental, project. Sorry, Mega Man, Onimusha, and Dino Crisis fans – …

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Most played: Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (Dondoko Island)

At what point does a mini-game become a full game? It’s a question fans of the Yakuza/Like a Dragon franchise have likely asked themselves at least once, with each entry brimming with distractions – some of which are surprisingly in-depth, such as the competitive remote-controlled racer Pocket Circuit. I’d argue that the playable arcade games aren’t …

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The Bitmap Brothers Collection 2 comes to Evercade this September

Blaze has opened their magic pockets and penned a deal with IP holders Rebellion to secure a new Evercade collection. The Bitmap Brothers Collection 2 will include five Amiga games and one from the PlayStation. It seems that original collection featuring console games over the Amiga originals didn’t go down too well with fans. For those …

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