Does this PS2 platformer really deserve the 97% sticker it has on its box? Find out as I play it for the first time.
The 30 best Vita games
This is the seventh in my ’30 Best’ series of articles in which I discuss my favourite games ever on a system-by-system basis for the first time in my career. In case you missed them, the full list of other ’30 Best’ articles can be found at the bottom of this page.
’30 Best’ will now be a monthly series, thanks to my lovely Patreon followers helping me reach a stretch goal. If you want to contribute and help me reach my next goal (to start a Tired Old Hack podcast), please visit my Patreon page.
“I didn’t even know it had 30 games!”
This was the predictable reply I got from all manner of clever individuals every time I informed my Twitter followers that my next ’30 Best’ article would be dedicated to the Sony PlayStation Vita.
It’s little wonder, to be fair. Sony abandoned its handheld quicker than David Cameron abandons his children in pubs, which led to the understandable consensus that the Vita was dead before its library had a chance to grow.
In reality, the Vita does have 30 great games. Indeed, it’s got plenty more than that: I’ve added another 15 at the end of this list for good measure, and even then there were some I had to leave out. Continue reading “The 30 best Vita games”
Cover Me Badd #4 – The 20 worst GameCube game covers
Cover Me Badd is my regular series looking at the worst video game covers in history. Each article will focus on a specific format. If you missed it, catch up on Part 1: NES games, Part 2: SNES games and Part 3: Nintendo 64 games.
It’s been some time since I exposed your unsuspecting eyes to the 20 worst Nintendo 64 covers of all time. Now said eyes have had time to heal, we can continue.
While the quality of covers greatly improved during the GameCube days for the most part, that doesn’t mean there weren’t some stinkers there too. Let’s continue the groan-fest with a look at the 20 worst GameCube covers ever. As ever, click on each cover to see it in all its full-sized ‘glory’. Continue reading “Cover Me Badd #4 – The 20 worst GameCube game covers”
Xbox One S review
Disclaimer: unlike certain prolific YouTubers and the like, this review is not based on a free review sample of the Xbox One S hardware. I preordered and purchased this console at launch myself, and this review is an honest assessment of whether I feel my hard-earned money was well spent.
After enjoying obscene levels of success with the Xbox 360 last generation, Microsoft hasn’t quite dominated the industry this time around.
Its Xbox One trails behind the PlayStation 4 in terms of sales, and while Nintendo’s own problems with the Wii U have ensured Microsoft’s system isn’t going to finish third any time soon, it’s clear the One needs a rocket up its arse if it’s going to catch up with the PS4.
Enter the Xbox One S, the first of this generation’s obligatory system redesigns. Boasting a smaller frame, a new controller and support for 4K and HDR video, could the S be the console to overtake the PS4?
No. It couldn’t. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t still a nifty wee piece of kit. I should know, I just traded in my original day one Xbox One to buy an S and have been messing around with it since. The console that is, you filthy bastard.
The crucial questions are obvious – is it worth upgrading to the Xbox One S if you already have an Xbox One? And what if you don’t – is now finally the time to ‘jump in’, to coin a Microsoft slogan?
Read on as I try to answer these questions and many more. Well, a couple more. Continue reading “Xbox One S review”
Pokemon Go: 12 things it needs to become the Greatest Game Ever™
Blah blah blah living under a rock blah blah Pokemon Go blah blah taking the world by storm blah blah blah playing it while driving blah blah people being mugged blah blah.
Chances are you’re sick of Pokemon Go stories by now, with every news source jumping on the Pokewagon and trying to jam the game into any headline they can, even if it doesn’t really have anything to do with the story.
As a result, I appreciate the last thing you want to read is another bloody Pokemon Go article, but considering yer man Scullion, six-year Official Nintendo Magazine veteran, hasn’t written anything about it yet, I hope you’ll humour me and read one more piece on it from someone who at least knows his onions. Continue reading “Pokemon Go: 12 things it needs to become the Greatest Game Ever™”
HELP: The Game review
SEGA / VARIOUS
STEAM
In a time when Humble Bundles are born on a weekly basis and the idea of giving money to charity in return for gaming goodness is no longer a novel one, it takes something different to stand out from the crowd of other philanthrotainment, a word I just made up and immediately hate.
HELP: The Game attempts to do just that by offering no fewer than 12 games, each sharing three distinct properties:
1) They were all made by notable development studios.
2) They’re all exclusive to this compilation.
3) They were all made in just six days. Continue reading “HELP: The Game review”
Man or myth? My conflicting character creation conundrum
Games are often at their best when they give the player a hefty dollop of customisation options, and rarely is that better proven than character creation.
When a game lets you make your own character it’s making an empowering statement. It’s telling you that – even if just for one brief yet important moment – you’re in charge here. Continue reading “Man or myth? My conflicting character creation conundrum”
Gemhunter #5 – Mary-Kate & Ashley: Sweet 16 – Licensed To Drive
It’s the fifth episode of Gemhunter and I’m not fucking around anymore.
Let’s see if this Olsen Twins GameCube offering from n-Space (who later went on to do four brilliant DS versions of Call Of Duty games) is actually not the vapid shit it looks like it is.
Could it maybe, just maybe, actually be a hidden gem? Watch the video to find out… Continue reading “Gemhunter #5 – Mary-Kate & Ashley: Sweet 16 – Licensed To Drive”
