Tag: 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” →

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” →

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” →

Ultra Street Fighter II (Switch) review

Published on by Chris Scullion1 Comment
Nintendo / Capcom
Switch

Street Fighter is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. While its popularity may have started in the arcades, gamers of a certain age (i.e. old pricks like me) will always associate it with Nintendo too.

The Super Famicom version of Street Fighter II was the game that got countless western SNES gamers curious about importing, with magazines like Super Play guiding us through the process.

I distinctly remember convertor cartridges being sold out of independent game shops all over Glasgow as I (well, my dad) and many others happily dropped upwards of £100 on the Japanese version of the game so we didn’t have to wait six months for the European release.

For the longest time the SNES version of Street Fighter II and its ‘sequel’ Street Fighter II Turbo were the big winning blow in the 16-bit console wars, the game Mega Drive owners were jealous they didn’t have. Until they got it a year later, mind.

My (needlessly long) point is that when I think back to the early days of Street Fighter II, my mind goes back to the early ‘90s as I played it for hours every night on the SNES, wearing out my L and R shoulder buttons with endless Dragon Punches, Spinning Bird Kicks and Hundred-Hand Slaps.

It’s fitting, then, that Capcom should celebrate Street Fighter’s 30th anniversary with a return to Nintendo and what it hopes is the definitive version of the game that kicked it all off in the first place. And for the most part, it’s succeeded. Continue reading “Ultra Street Fighter II (Switch) review” →

Review round-up #2: NBA Playgrounds, OK Golf, Puyo Puyo Tetris, Kitty Powers, Ruin Of The Reckless

Published on by Chris Scullion1 Comment

It’s time for my second review round-up, covering the games I’ve been playing over the past week or two. This time around:

• Is NBA Playgrounds more Space Jam or Shaq Fu?
• Is OK Golf more Tiger Woods ten years ago or Tiger Woods today?
• Is Puyo Puyo Tetris more Bloc Party or New Kids On The Block?
• Is Kitty Powers’ Matchmaker more drag queen or Drag Me To Hell?
• Is Ruin Of The Reckless more procedural perfection or by-the-numbers baws?

Read on to find out, innit. Continue reading “Review round-up #2: NBA Playgrounds, OK Golf, Puyo Puyo Tetris, Kitty Powers, Ruin Of The Reckless” →

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch) review

Published on by Chris Scullion8 Comments
Nintendo / Nintendo EAD
Switch

For most games, selling 8 million copies would be considered a huge success. Much whooping and hollering would take place, and both publisher and developer would metaphorically and physically kiss each other on the lips at a job well done.

Mario Kart isn’t most games though. For it, 8 million is quite an underachievement. Considering the DS, Wii and 3DS entries sold 23, 36 and 14 million copies respectively, a ‘mere’ 8 million has to go down, bizarrely, as a disappointment.

This was the fate that befell the appropriately named Mario Kart 8, which failed to hit octuple figures through no fault of its own. Indeed, most people who played it considered it the greatest Mario Kart game ever made.

The reason for its relative sales funk, of course, was that it was released on the Wii U, a console that – as genuinely great as it was – ended up being about as popular as an Al Jolson cosplayer at the MOBO awards.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, then, finds itself in an interesting position. It’s essentially an enhanced version of a game that, despite already selling 8 million copies, is set to be experienced by a whole host of new players for the first time. Continue reading “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch) review” →

Voodoo Vince Remastered (Xbox One) review

Published on by Chris Scullion1 Comment
Microsoft / Beep Games
Xbox One, PC (Xbox One version reviewed)

A fortnight ago I posted a review of Yooka-Laylee, saying that long-time gamers who fondly remembered Rare’s glory days would enjoy it.

If you fall under that category and you’re looking for more old-school runny-jumpy goodness, Voodoo Vince Remastered is another recent release that should appeal to fans of turn-of-the-millennium platformers.

Mainly because it literally is one. Continue reading “Voodoo Vince Remastered (Xbox One) review” →

Kamiko (Switch) review

Published on by Chris Scullion5 Comments
Skipmore / Flyhigh Works
Switch

Well, here’s a nice wee surprise. After last night’s Nintendo Direct ended I decided to check out the Japanese eShop out of curiosity, and there I found Kamiko.

It’s a little Japanese indie game made by a chap called ‘Y. Kimura’, but who prefers to go by Skipmore. He enjoyed a bit of cult success with the Fairune RPGs on the 3DS eShop, and now he’s back on the Switch.

Whereas Fairune was a fairly slow-paced take on the original Legend Of Zelda though, Kamiko is… um, a fairly fast-paced take on it. Continue reading “Kamiko (Switch) review” →