Category: Reviews

Namco Museum (Switch) review

Published on by Chris ScullionLeave a comment
Bandai Namco
Switch

If there’s one thing you can definitely say about Bandai Namco, it’s that it bloody loves making retro compilations of its older games.

Believe it or not, Namco Museum on the Switch is actually the 19th game to feature the Namco Museum title, meaning Pac-Man, Galaga and chums have been dug up more times over the years than Walt Disney’s grave. Um… I’m guessing.

Still, here we go again with yet another helping of classic Namco arcade gems from back in the day, though this time – to its credit – there are at least a few in here that have never appeared in a Namco Museum title before. Continue reading “Namco Museum (Switch) review” →

Sonic Mania (Switch) review

Published on by Chris Scullion6 Comments
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 Chris Scullion5 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

Published on by Chris Scullion1 Comment

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

Published on by Chris ScullionLeave a comment
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 Chris Scullion1 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” →

Review round-up #3: Kirby’s Blowout Blast, Flip Wars, Death Squared, Rudymical

Published on by Chris ScullionLeave a comment

It’s time for another group of mini-reviews in which I cover the games I’ve been playing over the last couple of weeks. This time:

• Is Kirby’s Blowout Blast a birthday bash or a no-show?
• Is Flip Wars a Bomberman rival or a load of flipping pish?
• Is Death Squared a block-rocking feat or a cubic whinger?
• Is Dark Witch Music Episode: Rudymical a toe-tapper or a missed beat? Continue reading “Review round-up #3: Kirby’s Blowout Blast, Flip Wars, Death Squared, Rudymical” →

New 2DS XL review

Published on by Chris Scullion6 Comments

Hello Chris!

Oh, hello there, Completely Fictional Person Created For The Purpose Of Livening Up A Review Of A Minor Hardware Iteration! I haven’t seen you since the days of the PS2 Slim.

What’s that you have there?

This? Oh, glad you asked. This is the New 2DS XL. It’s the latest in Nintendo’s 3DS family. Continue reading “New 2DS XL review” →

New 2DS XL unboxing and first hands-on impressions video

Published on by Chris Scullion4 Comments

Nintendo will be releasing the New 2DS XL on 13 July in Japan and 28 July in the US and Europe.

The latest member of the 3DS family, the New 2DS XL is the budget offering in the ‘New’ range, clocking in at £50 cheaper than the New 3DS XL.

But how does it look, and is it worth the money? Yer man Scullion will be giving a full written review next week, but until then here’s a 12-minute video of me unboxing it and pointing out some of the key good and bad points. Continue reading “New 2DS XL unboxing and first hands-on impressions video” →

ARMS (Switch) review

Published on by Chris Scullion4 Comments
Nintendo
Switch

When I first played Arms at the Nintendo Switch reveal event back in January, I left with a few concerns.

“Before I fork over my cash for it,” I wrote in my hands-on preview, “I’m going to want to see a lot more characters, plenty more stages (each with a unique gimmick, preferably) and a solid single-player mode that goes beyond arcade-style ‘beat this fighter, then this one, and so on’ stuff.

“I like what I’ve seen so far, but I remain unconvinced at this point. It’s going to take a little more than this to disarm me. You’d think I’d be sorry for that joke. You’d be wrong.”

I’ve now spent the last week playing the game at home, and I’m happy that most of those concerns have been put to rest. I’ve even come to terms with calling it ARMS instead of Arms.

And I’m still not sorry for that joke. Continue reading “ARMS (Switch) review” →