Gerard Campbell, Author at koru-cottage.com

West of Dead, [reviewed on PC]

Jun 27, 2020 Gerard Campbell 1277 Views Cel Shaded, indie, Raw Fury, rogue-like, Western

West of Dead is one of those games where if at first you don’t succeed, then try, try, try again.

And believe me, you won’t succeed your first run. You’ll end up back at the bar where you always start every run, perhaps a little wiser, definitely a little deader.

A twin stick shooter featuring a dead protagonist cowboy with a flaming skull for a head

West of Dead is a procedurally generated shooter in the vein of Dead Cells. Death is a certainty and around just about every corner. The more you die, the more you get to grips with the nuances and fine details that make this game tick.

Gaming Byte Size Review Nintendo Switch Console Video Content

The Bioshock Collection (Nintendo Switch)

Jun 17, 2020 Gerard Campbell 1364 Views 2k, Bioshock, Lighthouse, Nintendo Switch

This is not a review about the Bioshock Collection games in the sense that I will tread the now familiar narrative ground. Bioshock 1 and 2 and Infinite have graced numerous platforms since the first game appeared in 2007. So gamers don’t need to be schooled on what they’re about and what’s going on.

No, this review is purely to take in the technical spectacle that is The Bioshock Collection on Nintendo’s Switch handheld. Make no mistake: This is a port worth having on the Nintendo’s portable. Especially Bioshock Infinite, perhaps my favourite game in the series.

Gaming Game Reviews PC / Mac PS4 Xbox One

Mafia 2 review (The Mafia Trilogy Definitive editions)

Jun 2, 2020 Gerard Campbell 2104 Views 2k, GTA, Mafia

The Mafia franchise is one that has polarised gamers right from the very beginning, to say “things never change” here’s our Mafia 2 review.

You either liked it or you hated it but I have fond memories of playing the first Mafia on a PC.

Ultimately, with Mafia 2 Definitive Edition, 2K have done the bare minimum required and released it, which is disappointing. All eyes will be on the original Mafia at the end of August to see how that game fares with a new lick of paint.

Our fingers are collectively crossed and we’re all holding our breath. As the state of that Mafia will seal the fate of this so-called Definitive collection.

Gaming Game Reviews PC / Mac Switch Console Video Content

Lonely Mountains Downhill (Nintendo Switch)

May 13, 2020 Gerard Campbell 1480 Views Cycles, indie, Lonely Mountains Downhill, Mountain Biking, Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, XBOX

Lonely Mountains Downhill began life as a Kickstarter project by German game makers Daniel Helbig and Jan Bubenik.

Full disclosure here: I backed the project and my name’s in the game’s credits. It also got a mention in my pick of 2019.

As an ageing mountain biker the game appealed to me as a way to enjoy one of my passions. When I’m stuck at home and the weather’s too horrific to don the rain jacket and hit the trails. I was also attracted by its low-poly graphical style, with a blocky, chunky biker and vibrant environments.

Thanks to Lonely Mountains Downhill on Switch, I can now “ride” my mountain bike any time I want. At the office, while I’m lying in bed, while I’m, ahem, in the bathroom. It’s also the perfect thing for when I just can’t bothered kitting up and hitting my local trails. Especially with winter looming and its inevitable wet & chilly weather.

Byte Size Review Indie Game iOS Switch Console Video Content

Fledgling Heroes (Nintendo Switch), Byte sized review

May 9, 2020 Gerard Campbell 1137 Views Birds, Nintendo Switch, Puzzle, side scroller, Subtle Boom

Side-scrolling game Fledgling Heroes is bright, colourful, easy to play – and I’m having a great time with it, despite not being the target demographic.

Most likely aimed at young children due to its bright and cheerful visuals, Australian developer Subtle Boom’s Fledgling Heroes first appeared on the Apple Arcade but now it’s on Nintendo’s platform.

It’s reminiscent of that Flappy Bird game that was all the rage a few years ago but it’s much better, with a charming visual style.

Gaming Game Reviews Indie Game PC / Mac PS4 Video Content Xbox One

Cloudpunk: Tripping the neon-lit fantastic

May 2, 2020 Gerard Campbell 1748 Views Blade Runner had a baby, dystopian universe, German games development, indie game

Cloudpunk is what I’d imagine the offspring of movies Blade Runner and The Fifth Element would look like – if Blade Runner & The Fifth Element got cozy for a night, that is.

Hear me out on this one. Take Blade Runner’s dystopian and neon-lit bleakness and The Fifth Element’s chaotic driving and downright craziness and you’ve got their offspring: Cloudpunk.

A damn good looking child, if I say so myself, that I’m sure it’s parents (ionlands) would be so proud of what it has achieved.

Gaming Game Reviews Nintendo Switch Console

Saints Row IV Re-Elected (Nintendo Switch)

Apr 10, 2020 Gerard Campbell 1601 Views

The Saints Row series has never pulled its punches and Saints Row IV Re-Elected is no different.

Any game that has an opening sequence featuring the future president of the United States climbing the exterior of an intercontinental ballistic missile as it soars into the stratosphere or has the aforementioned future president strutting through his suburban house as the star of his own sitcom called Leave it to the Saints, with a jaunty 1950s wholesome soundtrack in the background as he munches pancakes and fetches the paper is one that you know doesn’t take itself too seriously. All hail, Mr President.

And so it is with Saints Row IV Re-Elected (originally reviewed in 2015). A game you could rightfully call the anti-Grand Theft Auto thanks to its humour firmly tongue-in-cheek.

Feature Article PC / Mac

Norton 360 Premium Lifelock, review

Mar 28, 2020 Gerard Campbell 2068 Views Anti Virus, Norton, PC, Security

Anti-virus software is one of things that’s a little bit like house and contents insurance:

You don’t feel you need it so you wonder why you’re paying the premiums. But something when goes wrong, you’re really glad you had it.

When it comes to anti-virus software, I’ve gone down the free route in the past. AVG, Avast, Karpersky, that sort of thing, which offer basic protection. Without the bells and whistles of the premium products like McAfee or Norton, which is what we’re reviewing here.

Gaming Game Reviews PC / Mac PS3 PS4 Switch Console Video Content Xbox One xbox360

Metro 2033 Redux & Metro Last Light Redux (Nintendo Switch)

Mar 10, 2020 Gerard Campbell 2323 Views Metro, Metro Exodus, Post Apocalyptic

I’m not one of these gamers who bleats that every triple A title should come to the Nintendo Switch just because it should. However, Metro 2033 Redux and Last Light make the grade.

No, I’m strongly of the belief that the Switch is best suited to games that make the most of its unique features. In my humble opinion, there have really only been a handful of “AAA” games that have managed to be ported successfully to Nintendo’s handheld in recent times. Among those; The Witcher 3, Doom (2016) and Wolfenstein The New Colossus.

Now you can add 4A Games’ Metro 2033 Redux and Metro Last Light Redux to that list of ports done right.

Set in post-apocalyptic Russia, the Metro games are based on the books by author Dmitry Glukhovsky and focus on Artyom and the survivors he lives with deep in the Moscow metro system. Not forgetting the mysterious Dark Ones that appeared, throwing life into more chaos.

Gaming Byte Size Review Nintendo Switch Console XBLA

Stranger’s Wrath HD. An old Oddworld favourite with a new lick of paint

Feb 19, 2020 Gerard Campbell 1100 Views HD, Nintendo Switch, Oddworld

When the esteemed editor of this fine online publication asked if I was keen to look at Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD on Nintendo’s Switch, I didn’t hesitate saying yes.

You see, dear readers. I had just finished watching a fascinating documentary from Ars Technica on the Oddworld series creator Lorne Lanning. Who regaled viewers about his journey from poor kid in New England (near New York) to concept artists in a US military company to co-founder of development studio Oddworld Inhabitants. (The documentary is well worth a watch (there is also a two-hour plus extended interview with Lanning), as are the remainder of Ars’ War Stories documentaries.)

Released on the original Xbox 15 years ago. Stranger’s Wrath HD is a mix of third-person and first-person action that doesn’t feature downtrodden Abe. The hero of previous Oddworld games. In his stead, a mysterious brooding stranger who must bounty hunt his way through the game world to earn enough Moolah (the in-game currency) to pay for a life-saving operation.

Gaming Byte Size Review PS4 Xbox One

Shenmue 3, Review

Jan 9, 2020 Gerard Campbell 1326 Views Action RPG, Crowd Funded, Shenmue

I never played the original Shenmue, released 18 years ago on the Dreamcast, nor did I play Shenmue 2, so I went into Syu Suzuki’s (crowd funded) third Shenmue game (Shenmue 3) without rose-tinted glasses on or a feeling of nostalgia.

I’ve decided Shenmue 3 is a strange mix of old gaming mechanics wrapped up in a modern, shiny new skin – and I’m not sure it works entirely well in today’s modern gaming landscape.