We’re well into the lull between Xmas and the New Year, and this week’s Switch eShop line-up reflects this. A bunch of games of dubious quality launched on Christmas Day, most of which have hefty discounts. A few manage to stand out from the crowd though. Space Papers: Planet’s Border appears to be a cartoony, …
Flynn’s Arcade has a pretty good batting average when it comes to their range of $5 Switch games. Their next release is a retro-style RPG with pixel art visuals, comprising of just eight colours. Turns out this fits into the theming incredibly well, with characters clearly based on a certain squad of monster fighting teens. …
Influenced by Evangelion, Gundam, and other mech-filled anime, HARDCORE MECHA – originally released on Switch, and now available on Xbox One – takes the form of a side-scrolling shooter with platforming elements. The SNES classic Cybernator (also known as Assault Suits Valken) is a reasonable comparison, only this is far more contemporary. Even the humble SEGA …
Pigeons, those perpetually head-bobbing birds with a rhythm only they can comprehend, have found their stage in Headbangers: Rhythm Royale. Picture this avian extravaganza where pigeons compete to the beat, each flaunting their customisable feathered flair. It’s a whimsical world of headbanging and harmonies, where the silly meets the sublime, and you can’t help but …
The Official PlayStation Magazine UK was renowned for putting the biggest and most anticipated PSone games on its front cover, usually alongside a demo disc with a playable teaser. A winning combo to help that month’s issue fly off shelves. Whatever was tipped to become the PSone’s next big hit almost certainly took the cover …
A quiet spell for retail releases has made for a stagnate UK physical release chart, with no new releases to speak of. A few games are bouncing around the top 40 though, so at least there’s that. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora has left the top 10 already, falling to #12 during its second week on …
With the Metroidvania genre as crowded as it is, it certainly helps to have a few gimmicks to stand out. Cookie Cutter isn’t short on personality and style, and you won’t have to look far for a sprinkling of fresh ideas either. These don’t immediately come to light, however – even during the opening its …
Publishers are tripping over themselves to get their new Switch releases on the eShop before Christmas. Speaking of which, a slew of shovelware is due on Christmas Day, clearly hoping to entice those who find eShop credit or a shiny new Switch in their stocking. Be vigilant. Two very different retro games are on this …
The offbeat virtual pet/life sim hybrid Seaman was a hit in Japan, becoming one of the Dreamcast’s best-selling games in that region, and one closely associated with the console itself. It offered a remarkably different experience to the arcade conversions and beat’em ups the system was renowned for, while also riding the tailcoats of the …
A sign of strong world building is when it takes a while for certain elements to sink in, either due to a unique lexicon being used or elements working in an unconventional way that later makes sense. That’s certainly the case here. This side-scrolling action RPG, clearly inspired by the Paper Mario series, takes place …
‘Twas the week before Christmas, when all through gaming’s madhouse; Publishers were stirring, dropping new releases as quietly as a mouse; The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that digital store credit soon would be there; The children were nestled all snug in their beds; While visions of Swole Peter Griffin …
Every month of this year, including the typically quiet months of January and December, has seen a handful of must-play releases. An assault not just on gamer’s wallets, but their spare time as well. Browsing through 2023’s release lists, it soon becomes apparent that dozens of positively reviewed games failed to generate much of a …
There’s a lot to be said for simplicity in the world of gaming. New iterations of Tetris continue to engage veterans and newcomers alike, barely a year goes by without a new variant of Pac-Man, while Vampire Survivors – and its slew of clones – simply involve circling enemies with everything else handled automatically. Ideally, …
The next couple of weeks are looking reasonably busy for the Switch, with several new releases even due on Christmas Day. As you may have guessed, though, these are mostly casual low-effort titles merely being rolled out to capitalise on anyone receiving eShop credit for crimbo. This week is at least moderately more enticing. We …
“You’re now ready,” duly informed Hell Well’s tutorial. Only, this wasn’t quite the case. I fumbled my way through to this point, not really understanding what kind of objectives Hell Well has in store. It also didn’t help that the UI is presented in an abstract way, favouriting ‘1-bit’ style pixel art. Fortunately, in less …
