REVIEW: Statik Institute of Retention [B]

PSVR, 2017 by Tarsier Studios. Hmm, it's tricky to talk too much about the mysterious virtual reality puzzle game that is Statik without giving away its secrets. The premise is very original: you're strapped to a chair and are unable to move - playing the role of some sort of human lab experiment - with …

REVIEW: Astro Bot Rescue Mission [A]

PSVR, 2018 by Sony Japan. From start to finish, my time with Astro Bot Rescue Mission was spent with a massive smile on my face, beaming out from behind my VR headset as I basked in one of the best 3D platform games I've played in a long time. It's no exaggeration to say this …

REVIEW: Gears of War [A]

Xbox 360, 2006 by Epic. While most of the best formulas in gaming are perfected over several years and many iterations, a rare few nail it in one. Gears of War arrived within the launch year of the Xbox 360 and set a new standard for the third person shooter genre, with over-the-top action, endlessly …

REVIEW: Spider-Man [C]

https://youtu.be/flACyg4ibho PS4, 2018 by Insomniac Games. There's no escaping the fact that Insomniac took a good, long look at Batman: Arkham City before designing their own superhero sim. Everything about the PS4 exclusive Spider-Man has echoes of Rocksteady's work - from the combat system, to the stealth sections, to the open world traversal, albiet tailored …

REVIEW: Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu! and Eevee! [C]

Nintendo Switch, 2018 by Game Freak. This is a real treat for those for whom Pokémon Red, Blue and Yellow were their childhood, or indeed anyone who's latched on to the recently popular mobile Go game and wants to jump into one of the main Pokémon RPGs. Let's Go Pikachu! and Eevee! (I chose the …

REVIEW: Binary Domain [B]

Xbox 360, 2012 by Sega. Many eyes appeared to roll when Sega revealed it was working on a sci-fi themed third-person cover shooter called Binary Domain at a time when, quite simply put, there were loads of them around. On the outside there's little to make it stand out from the crowd, with its uninspired …

REVIEW: The Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn [D]

Xbox 360, 2011 by Ubisoft. The comic strip adventures of Tintin were real childhood favourites of mine and this game, plus the 2011 film it's based on, while both flawed in various ways, make for fairly decent new adaptations of the classic stories. Variety is the order of the day in this Xbox 360 escapade, …

REVIEW: Child of Eden [A]

Xbox 360, 2011 by Q Entertainment. I'll start by saying Child of Eden - Tetsuya Mizuguchi's musical rail-shooter masterpiece - is at its best when played on Xbox 360 with Kinect. This is a game that should be played while standing, moving your feet and bobbing to the sound of the music, while waving your hands …

REVIEW: Jet Set Radio Future [A]

Xbox, 2002 by Sega. The sequel to Jet Set Radio presents players with a surprisingly bold reworking of the Dreamcast original's winning formula. Released just two years later, Future ditches the time limits and QTE graffiti tagging that defined the fast-paced, arcade-style action of the first game, and instead opts for bigger areas which must …

REVIEW: Super Mario Galaxy [A]

Nintendo Wii, 2007 by Nintendo. It's that rare sort of game you can barely put down until it's done, whether to play another much-anticipated title, or write up a gushing review. Super Mario Galaxy has long been my favourite 3D Mario game and after the mildly disappointing experience that was Super Mario Odyssey, I was …