Review round-up: PES 2019, De Blob 2, Haunted Dungeons, Ultra Space Battle Brawl, Chiki-Chiki Boxy Racers, Ninjin

It’s time review round-up time again, in which I share my thoughts what I’ve been playing recently.

In this round-up yer man Scullion:

• Cheats on his beloved FIFA with PES 2019
• Paints the town red in De Blob 2
• Heads back to the ’80s in Haunted Dungeons: Hyakki Castle
• Plays yet ANOTHER Indonesian Pong/Street Fighter hybrid in Ultra Space Battle Brawl
• Squares things up in Chiki-Chiki Boxy Racers
• Rabbits on a bit in Ninjin: Clash Of Carrots
Continue reading “Review round-up: PES 2019, De Blob 2, Haunted Dungeons, Ultra Space Battle Brawl, Chiki-Chiki Boxy Racers, Ninjin”

Review round-up: Pool Panic, Picross S2, Miles & Kilo, F1 2018, Disney Heroes

It’s time for another review round-up, in which I give my thoughts on the games I’ve managed to squeeze in during baby naps.

In this round-up yer man Scullion:

• Plays with some balls in Pool Panic
• Attempts another square meal in Picross S2
• Finally gets the joke in Miles & Kilo
• Is grateful to have a halo in F1 2018
• Gets down to some free-to-play fighting in Disney Heroes: Battle Mode
Continue reading “Review round-up: Pool Panic, Picross S2, Miles & Kilo, F1 2018, Disney Heroes”

Review round-up: Sonic Mania Plus, Sanrio Picross, Agony, Pocket Rumble, Lumines Remastered

Louise and I had our first daughter three weeks ago, so that’s why there’s been a relative lack of updates on the site. That doesn’t mean I haven’t managed to squeeze in some gaming though, so here’s my takes on what I’ve been playing.

In this round-up yer man Scullion:

• Jumps back in for a second helping of retro goodness in Sonic Mania Plus
• Decides whether Lumines Remastered is back with another one of those block-dropping feats
• Enjoys some 8-bit scrapping in Pocket Rumble
• Embraces his inner Japanese schoolgirl in Sanrio Characters Picross
• Discovers that Agony is appropriately named
Continue reading “Review round-up: Sonic Mania Plus, Sanrio Picross, Agony, Pocket Rumble, Lumines Remastered”

Review round-up: Retro special

Now that Tired Old Hack is back up and running at nearly full speed again, that means the return of my written review round-ups.

This week it’s a retro-themed special:

• Tell everyone it’s Alex Kidd and not Alex The Kid in Sega Mega Drive Classics
• Kick 12 different shades of shit out of folk in Street Fighter: 30th Anniversary Collection
• Duck and weave your way through a Nintendo coin-op classic in Arcade Archives: Punch-Out!!
• Harness your inner ebony and ivory in the Switch version of Ikaruga
• Give your shoot ’em up muscles a hefty workout in Tengai
• Experience an odd shooter/beat ’em up hybrid in Sol Divide
• Struggle to somehow get fun out of Lode Runner in Lode Runner Legacy Continue reading “Review round-up: Retro special”

Video: Review Round-Up Unscripted #2

Following some really positive feedback on the first of my more casual, unscripted review round-ups, it’s time for a second helping. Reviewed in this episode are:

• Tallowmere (Switch)
• Rock ‘N Racing Off Road DX (Switch)
• Aces Of The Luftwaffe: Squadron (Switch)
• Antiquia Lost (Switch)
• Ittle Dew 2+ (Switch)
• It’s Quiz Time (PS4)
• Star Wars: Battlefront II (Xbox One)
• WWE Mayhem (Android)
• Mom Hid My Game! (Switch)
• Arcade Archives: Vs Super Mario Bros (Switch) Continue reading “Video: Review Round-Up Unscripted #2”

Video: Review Round-Up Unscripted #1

Since I’m still working on a big Secret Project™ that’s been taking up the vast majority of my writing time, I’ve had to think of a better way to review games (which I still enjoy doing in my downtime).

Here, then, is the first in a regular series of review round-up videos, in which I’ll give you small reviews of a bunch of newly released games.

Most professional video reviews on YouTube are scripted, to ensure the reviewer gets across the points they want to make. Since I hate doing that fake radio-style YouTuber voice (trust me, I’ve tried it), these videos will be completely unscripted and I’ll be talking about them normally.

Think of them as a podcast that focuses on game reviews, complete with footage. Here’s episode 1: there’s more information underneath the video.

Continue reading “Video: Review Round-Up Unscripted #1”

Review round-up: Doom, Skyrim, LA Noire, Rime, Kirby Battle Royale

It’s been longer than usual since my last review round-up so here’s a special bumper edition, packed to the chops with mini-reviews.

This week:

• Get your ass to Mars in Doom on Switch
• Take an arrow in the baws in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim on Switch
• Speakeasy or forever hold your peace in LA Noire on Switch
• Getting outfoxed in Rime
• Bowing to the altar of the eternal loading screen in Moon Hunters
• Kicking it old-school in Lumo
• Point-and-click quirkiness in Violett
• Getting cheap but surprisingly non-nasty in Knight Terrors
• Speeding away from mobile roots in Gear Club Unlimited
• Having a good feline about Cat Quest
• Talking fascism and abortion (seriously) in Wheels Of Aurelia
• Passing GO with reckless abandon in Monopoly on Switch
• Smacking the hell out of a bunch of fighting bollocks in Kirby Battle Royale Continue reading “Review round-up: Doom, Skyrim, LA Noire, Rime, Kirby Battle Royale”

Review round-up: Super Lucky’s Tale, Disneyland Adventures, Splasher

Another week, another helping of reviews of games that may have passed you by.

This week:

• What the fox going on in Super Lucky’s Tale
• Pooh-related antics that aren’t X-rated for once in Disneyland Adventures
• Paint-based platforming in Splasher
• An adventure that has nothing to do with Elliot Ness in Elliot Quest
• By-the-numbers RPG Switchery in Revenant Saga
• Going back to the future in Time Recoil
• Dialling 1471 (or *69 if you’re American) in Another Lost Phone Continue reading “Review round-up: Super Lucky’s Tale, Disneyland Adventures, Splasher”

Review round-up: Dead Horizon, Party Golf, King Oddball, Yono

Time for some more mini review goodness!

This week:

• Cyberpunk dystopian twin-stickery in Neon Chrome
• Come dangerously close to a Twitter hashtag in Yono And The Celestial Elephants
• Beer pong on your Switch in Super Ping Pong Trick Shot
• A tongue that would make Gene Simmons jealous in King Oddball
• Eight-player foreplay in Party Golf
• A short sharp shock in Dead Horizon

As usual, each review (except for the last, for reasons which will become clear) is accompanied by a First Play video, in which I captured the first 15-30 minutes of each game as I played it for the first time.

This way you can see how I reacted to it at first, and then how the game eventually panned out in the review. Continue reading “Review round-up: Dead Horizon, Party Golf, King Oddball, Yono”

Review round-up: The Flame In The Flood, Sine Mora EX, Rogue Trooper Redux

It’s time for another batch of mini reviews!

I’ve tinkered with the format this time: reviews are a little shorter now, but they’re each supported with a First Play, my new video series in which I capture the first 15-30 minutes of each game as I played it for the first time.

This way you can see how I reacted to it at first, and then how the game eventually panned out in the review. Continue reading “Review round-up: The Flame In The Flood, Sine Mora EX, Rogue Trooper Redux”