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007 First Light is, ultimately, a better game for the Bond nerd than I expected it would be. The team at IO Interactive clearly love the property and have done for it what Larian Studios did for Baldur’s Gate 3; provide a level of dedication to the source material that’s so fastidious that you might argue with a decision here or there, but it’s difficult to get too cynical about a game clearly made by genuine fans of the property.

Neva is what happens when you let actual artists make a game. That we rarely get works like this is depressing, but there’s no sense that anything in Neva was produced according to what a suit thought would be best for the share value. Yes, Neva lacks in subtlety, but it is nonetheless a beautiful, heartfelt and evocative experience. It makes it clear up front that its goal is to make you cry, and even though you know what it’s doing, you are going to cry on cue at the end of it.

However, for all the good, the reality is that Bleak Sword is in serious need of substance, and the novelty of a “lo-fi Soulslike” on mobile is lost a little on a proper console.

What I’m saying is that I’m not entirely sure who is going to enjoy Curse of the Sea Rats. I do know that there’s going to be an audience out there for it, because while it has several issues it also has many redeeming qualities. However, when it’s one of a few million Metroidvanias that are already on the Switch, I fear that Sea Rats will struggle to find that audience, despite being a clear passion project from everyone involved.

Spy Bros. is fun. It’s by no means a classic arcade title, but it’s the kind of thing that you can pick up and have fun with in short bursts of time, particularly in multiplayer. Some will find the “all-ages” revision to be appealing too, precisely because this is the kind of game that everyone in the family can play, and enjoy together. It won’t last you like some other great arcade games, but it’s also priced nicely as an impulse buy and a chance to discover (half) of one of the more obscure titles in Toaplan’s history.

Temtem’s disappointing, because it promised to be so much. In a genre that has been so utterly dominated by one particular property, and then lightyears back to the nearest rival, here was a game that seemed like it had the ambition and scope to actually rival Game Freak’s giant on its home turf. Unfortunately the result is more akin to the more egregious MMOs – a waste of time that exists to be a waste of time.

I left Metroid Dread feeling quite conflicted about it. On the one hand, I do think it is fundamentally well designed, and the main gameplay element - the robot stalkers - are woven into the Metroid formula beautifully. On the other hand, that Metroid formula is getting long in the tooth and Dread doesn't do nearly enough to revitalise it. Dread is fine. It's not just nearly memorable enough for a game that fans have been waiting for so many years for now.

I could certainly see plenty of others finding it less compelling, however, because beyond the visuals, so very little has changed in 35 years. Yikes. 35 years. Presumably, Prince Alex is now King Alex of Radaxian by now. I'd better get back to my throne.

This is precisely the kind of small, warm story that is fundamentally impossible in our bombastic, capitalist conception of the games industry. If all we celebrate are the big games, the ones that leave us feeling like we got our money’s worth, the ones which have us posting screenshots on Twitter and the ones which blow up on Twitch – if this is the zeitgeist of our medium’s discourse, then what place could there be for the ordinary, the mediocre, the quintessentially human? I don’t know if Essays on Empathy will find an audience. If anything, it incorporates numerous design decisions which seem to impede its ability to find an audience. But it is a game which I, personally, am thankful for, and will be for a long time to come.

Nothing redeems Asphalt 9. It's shallow, inferior game that has been built with the exclusive purpose of getting suckers to throw more money at it. This stuff should be left on mobile platforms or, better yet, never made.

It still tells a potent, important story, and looks the part, but I fear the only thing people are going to notice as they play is how unrefined and often downright irritating they find the button-pressing bits, because they are so poor they completely overwhelm the stuff that players should be focusing on instead.

Regardless, by the time the credits roll, Gris makes it feel like you've climbed a mountain. Between the gorgeous artwork, haunting score, and increasingly abstract world, it manages to take you on a journey through depression that words alone never could. If it's something you've experienced yourself, you can probably guess where it's going and what those shadows might be, but Gris is no less powerful for it. In fact, it's quite the opposite: at least for me, the familiarity of Gris' journey is what made it so impactful, like it was reaching out a hand and saying "I understand." 

For its escape-room premise, Stay's narrative is surprisingly large in scope, and despite all its shortfalls the eerie atmosphere does linger with you as you play. It's hard to deny that there are some incredible ideas at play here – and even if the execution is lacking in parts, the game's sense of mystery kept drawing me in long after the puzzles and thriller plotline stopped being interesting.

If only the rest of the game could live up to those visuals. Crossing Souls works just fine as a vessel for rose-tinted '80s nostalgia, but shallow storytelling and gameplay that shifts from uninteresting to outright frustrating ensures that it never gets to be anything more than that.

Candle: The Power of the Flame is an interesting title that almost looks like an old-school point-and-click adventure game, but its mix of platforming and exploration make for a deeper if flawed experience. It is unfortunate that the controls and some of the more vague environmental puzzles are not more refined, because they hold back what otherwise is still a memorable game. Even with those blemishes, the way the world is woven together and the interesting premise are more than enough reason to spend some time exploring.

But the thing which makes Anima: Gate of Memories work is that despite the individual failings of nearly every part of the game, the finished package is coherent. I loved being transported into this mellowed out, warped yet familiar world – the designers are not just clear fans of the source material, but they’ve mustered a good understanding of why their inspirations were so effective. Being able to unravel the mystery of the tower and Anima Project’s dense fantasy world is fascinating. Had this game been released in 2004, there would be a dedicated online community clamouring for a sequel, or at least a remastering. If you’re playing this game in 2018, its verisimilitude is so strong that you almost feel like you’re playing a sister game to Chaos Legion, or Genji: Dawn of the Samurai. It’s an old game which is worth a look, even if it’s not going to live up to the lofty expectations of a modern Action RPG.

I could go on, but if after those five points and the video above, this game still looks of interest to you, then I clearly can't help you. You're clearly going to buy the game, and then rip me a new one in the comments because I dared to dislike a game that you enjoyed. Yes, you wouldn't be the first. But this game does offend and irritate me. Not because I lost money on a terrible game. It was $5. The money's irrelevant. I'm annoyed because I spent time playing this. Time I'll never get back, and time I was willing to invest because, as a fan of the dungeon crawler and roguelike, I expect developers who work in those genres to respect them. There is no respect from the developer in this game. Not for the genres, nor for the time that the game asks of its players. There is no greater insult that an artist can direct at their audience.

I’m really glad that a game like Solo can exist – I can easily imagine the many different walks of people who would appreciate the opportunity to be open and honest about their understanding of love. By building upon universal human experiences, Team Gotham have created a poignant game which distills romance without being sappy, compassion without ulterior motive and self-reflection without the fear of others’ expectations. Perhaps it’s not the most exciting or enjoyable of games, but I’m sure Solo will find a core audience which will appreciate it for what it does best. 

Immortal Redneck is a blast of a game in a genre that we don’t see enough of. It’s not the first roguelike FPS that we’ve seen on PlayStation 4, and I wouldn’t say it’s the best, either. It does, however, have an exceptional aesthetic, clever level design, clean action, a decent difficulty curve, and plenty of longevity. A very worthy action game indeed.

And then there’s just throwing a load of nonsense together because you liked old games and thought some memes were funny. There’s no insights on conversations to be derived out of Superola. It’s not a game developed by thinking developers to deliberately pull down the structures that hold games together. Superola is just a whole lot of nonsense that aspires to be a funny and entertaining game. 

Ultimately, The Red Strings Club tries and succeeds to be deeply thought provoking. Whereas other sci-fi games can tell a great story and make the player fear for a hypothetical future, few have made me question my personal definitions on fate, ethics and humanity. Maybe it’s because The Red Strings Club isn’t weighed down by all the empowerment that traditional action sci-fi games wear on their sleeve. Maybe it’s because the writing is simply out of this world. Either way, I can imagine this game is something which sci-fi and narrative game fans alike have been waiting eons to see – so try it out for yourself and just try to come out unchanged. 

As I overwhelmingly prefer to play games on my consoles where I can, that there are now a few strategy games on console makes me quite happy, as it's a favourite genre. Nobunaga’s Ambition and Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Grand Ages: Medieval, and now this one are all worthy and deeply enjoyable. It’s a good sign that these games all work so well, dispelling the myth that strategy games and consoles don’t mix. Numantia has really impressed me in the way that it has inspired me to learn more about the conflict it depicts, and it has done a really good job of accurately recreating the surprisingly varied range of battles, locations, and twists and turns that occurred through the war.

The Count Lucanor puts a lot of effort into doing a lot of things all at once. I’ve already mentioned the various genres that it draws inspiration from, as well as the quick twists and turns that the story delivers in a relatively short space of time. It doesn’t examine any one thing particularly deeply, but that leaves a lot of room for entertainment, and the game definitely delivers with its black humour and its uncanny ability to humanise the horrific. It’s a little too cute to give you a real fright, but I’ve found that at 1 in the morning, tucked under the covers with the ominous soundtrack ringing in my ears, the last thing you’re going to be wanting is a full-blown jump scare. There are games that deliver horror that’s confronting and often gory, but The Count Lucanor excelled at showing a different side of fear that other studios should take cues from. On the downside, I’ll never trust another goat again for as long as I live. 

There is very little to complain about with Metroid: Samus Returns, I will be the first to admit that I was sceptical upon its initial announcement, only for the fact that MercurySteam developed the less than impressive Castlevania: Mirror of Fate on the same device. What we have here instead however is a highly-polished title that shows that the ageing 3DS somehow still has legs in it. Aside from the Pokémon Sun and Moon sequels, Samus Returns could very well be one of the last big 3DS titles, but with games like this, I’m just not ready to let go of my 3DS just yet. 

Zenith’s gameplay issues don’t stop it from being a very workable system in a very entertaining genre. If it was devoid of its plot (or, better yet, with a more interesting narrative), I’d actually be arguing that it’s an enjoyable little game. However, the relentlessly juvenile attempts at humour never let up, and I didn’t laugh once. I think that says all that needs to be said about Zenith’s fundamental issues. 

Anima is not that engaging at all because of that overreach, and it’s stressful because I really did want to enjoy this. But the games it tries to be like; titles like Nier and Dark Souls, are unforgettable, potent, important titles. I should not be forgetting almost everything about a game that aspires to that level of greatness. but in this case I did just that. 

I did enjoy this experience it was a change of pace from all the violent games that come out these days. The story could have used a little more work and if it did I feel it would almost have been better suited as an animated film, as the core themes that the game explores are a little inhibited by the need to throw "gameplay" in to the mix as well.

Nevertheless, Kromaia Omega’s technical shortcomings are kinks that can be ironed out. That I’m lavishing a game that physically ails me with so much praise is a testament to its glorious, grand vision. If other companies are bold enough to follow in Kraken Empire’s footsteps with similarly intricate shooters, this game could be the launch pad for a whole new subgenre and that’s exciting stuff indeed.

Tachyon Project does not reinvent the wheel for twin stick shooters, but it does add some creative new tread that allows it to feel familiar yet fresh at the same time. There are plenty of modes, challenges and customisations to try out, so fans of the genre should have plenty to keep them busy throughout their time with it. 

As I said at the start. Looney Tunes Galactic Sports isn't bad. It does what it set out to achieve. The problem is that it lacks any ambition to do anything more than a cash-in, and this game really isn't going to be remembered as the finest project Sony backed on its PlayStation Vita platform.

The gameplay mechanics and presentation values in Dead Synchronicity: Tomorrow Comes Today are solid, but the puzzles will frustrate a segment of the audience. Worse yet, the end does not pay off the effort to get there. There is an interesting narrative at play that makes this dark, depressing world worth exploring, but I cannot fully escape the feeling that this is an incomplete, but valiant effort.

Worse is the repetition. Not only were there very few puzzles but some of them were repeated with a slightly more complex version of the same puzzle. The overall experience could have been improved by including some different types of puzzles or by having more interaction with the items dropped in the open world. House of Caravan delivers just over an hour of fun, or a bit longer if you struggle to find things like I did. Its intriguing story and 1900’s atmosphere keeps you engaged long enough to be able to feel accomplished once you finish the game, however, its puzzles never reach their full potential. 

Nihilumbra plays with the duality of life and death. I believe it’s more focused on making the player try to connect with the character and understand this relationship, rather than focusing on the puzzles and the gameplay. Yet the post-game content more than makes up for this, as the gameplay is allowed to take centre stage and show the strengths of the developers and that they know how to put well though out puzzles together. Nihilumbra is a game that really anybody can enjoy, it’s just a shame that they hid the difficult levels behind the story mode. That being said, it’s worth a play through for the narrative alone; a strong, and somewhat emotional reflection on the player and how they exist within their own world. 

It's worth giving Rock Zombie the benefit of the doubt that it wanted to be a trash Z-grade grindhouse game. And if so, mission accomplished. It's just so bad it's worth throwing on in a drunken haze for a laugh or two.

As a fan of the Muppets, I am disappointed that there wasn't more done with the license in Movie Adventures. It's a perfectly workable game, and does have a sense of humour that anything to do with the Muppets needs, but at the same time, it's nothing more than that and whether you're a child or a nostalgic fan for the Kermet and the gang, you're probably going to left wanting after this.

Ice Cream Surfer deserves full credit for offering a taste the Wii U could use more of. I just wish the developers focused less on decking their digital sundae with chocolate sauce and realised that the ice cream beneath it was past its prime.

Super Toy Cars is a fun game to play, providing a series of increasing racing challenges, the ability to play with friends and to create custom tracks. All of it is wrapped up in a nostalgic package that calls back to my childhood days, zipping around and letting my imagination do the majority of the work.

Chances are you haven't heard of Qvadriga before reading this review. I recommend you look past the screenshots, however, and give it a go. I think you'll be surprised with just how addictive this very simple, but weirdly addictive game can be.

While I appreciate that MercurySteam wanted to do something different with the Castlevania franchise, I feel like the entire team, from director through to writer, through to the level designer has failed to grasp what makes Dracula such a wonderful character. It's not because he's a incredible force of evil. Dracula isn't a random monster; he's something more primal than that, and in failing to represent that, the developers have failed to do the Dracula story justice.

Overall Zombeer has the potential to be much much better if the mechanics can be fine tweaked in a patch to make things smoother. The lack of story in a first person shooter isn’t the end of the world, zombie apocalypse or not, but how well you can move through the apocalypse could well be.

Unepic is a solid game that holds up very well throughout. It offers up a stiff challenge, while maintaining a sound sense of humour, and will go down especially well with those of us that remember (or still play) all-night Dungeons & Dragons sessions. 

Soccer Up 3D should be avoided at all costs. Every aspect is shallow and broken, it not only brings nothing to the table but you're better off burning that hard earned money rather than spending it on this.

There is so much to like about Little Racers STREET though, that I almost feel bad about pointing out its negatives. This is a fun racer that is absolutely perfect for either a quick game here and there, or a full fledged play session to advance up the ladder and blow past your rivals. At only 80mspts, this one's almost grand theft auto and is well worth a try.