Author: chrisscullion

I'm a video game expert who used to be the Games Editor of the Official Nintendo Magazine in the UK, and the Games Editor of CVG. I lived in Scotland all my life until I got the ONM job at the age of 23. I moved to London at the start of May 2006 and have been living there ever since. My spare time is more or less dedicated to movies, Celtic and building my gaming knowledge by digging through rare and retro games.

Sonic Mania (Switch) review

Published on by chrisscullion1 Comment
Sega / Christian Whitehead
Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC (Switch version reviewed)

I fucking hated the Chemical Plant Zone.

If all the zones in Sonic The Hedgehog 2 were like family members, the Chemical Plant Zone was my racist uncle: it was part of a larger group I loved, but any time I encountered it I had a lengthy, uncomfortable time interacting with it.

Even as a young 9-year-old sprog who was obsessed with Sonic and excitedly got his copy of the sequel on what was officially known as Sonic Twosday – Tuesday, 21 November 1992 – the Chemical Plant Zone rubbed me up the wrong way.

Yes, friends, I hated it. But the key word is ‘hated’, in the past tense. Amazingly, nearly 25 years later, I’ve come to peace with it: and it’s thanks to Sonic Mania. Continue reading “Sonic Mania (Switch) review” →

Night Trap 25th Anniversary Edition ‘review’

Published on by chrisscullion2 Comments
Screaming Villains
PS4, PC, Xbox One (PS4 version reviewed)

This review is available in both written and video form. The video version is below, the written version can be found underneath it.

While I personally think the video version is the best way to enjoy this review since it offers comparisons with the original game and other nifty wee tricks, the written version below offers a similar ‘script’ so you can choose either. Continue reading “Night Trap 25th Anniversary Edition ‘review’” →

Review round-up: Mega Man Legacy 2, Miitopia and more

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It’s review round-up time once again, so join me as I take a look at what I’ve been playing recently. In today’s round-up, I:

• get fired into Mega Man Legacy Collection on Xbox One, PS4 and PC
• form unlikely allegiances in Miitopia on 3DS,
• fire more bullets than a Rambo marathon in Aero Fighters 2 on Switch,
• invoke the spirit of Roberto Baggio in Super Sidekicks on Switch, and
• try my best to ignore massive tits in Puzzle Adventure Blockle on Switch.

For the first time, my review round-up will be presented in both video and written form (the ‘script’ for both is exactly the same). This lets you decide whether you want to watch or read my reviews, whatever suits your mood. Continue reading “Review round-up: Mega Man Legacy 2, Miitopia and more” →

Hey! Pikmin review

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Nintendo / Arzest
Nintendo 3DS

Hey! Pikmin is not the sequel fans of the main series have been waiting for.

It’s not the new Pikmin game that Shigeru Miyamoto said just last month was still in development.

This is not Pikmin 4. But I’m completely fine with that. Because I really like what it actually is.

Its plot is familiar, at least. Captain Olimar, returning home for some much-needed time off work, crashes his new ship the S.S. Dolphin 2 and once again finds himself on a planet inhabited by Pikmin.

The ship’s fuel supply, powered by Sparklium, is completely empty, so it’s up to Olimar to explore the planet, aided by the Pikmin, to find seeds and items that can be harvested for Sparklium. Continue reading “Hey! Pikmin review” →

Splatoon 2: single-player review

Published on by chrisscullion1 Comment
Nintendo EPD / Nintendo
Switch

Splatoon 2 is out this Friday and yer man Scullion’s been playing it for the past week. Well, sort of.

You see, I received my review code the day I headed out to Canada to visit my father-in-law, and it turns out my Switch can’t detect his router (it’s fixable but I don’t want to mess about with his stuff).

As such, my online multiplayer experience with the game has been limited to about seven or eight matches that I’ve had while sitting in Ontario malls, connected to the mall Wi-Fi as I’ve waited for Louise to finish shopping.

That certainly isn’t enough to justify a review of the game’s multiplayer aspect, so here’s the deal: having an offline Switch still hasn’t prevented me from rinsing the utter piss out of Splatoon’s single-player Hero mode instead.

Here, then, is my review: not of Splatoon 2 as a whole, but of what you have available to you any time you’re playing without an internet connection (on certain public transport, for example). Continue reading “Splatoon 2: single-player review” →