Xbox One

Bayonetta-Vanquish Anniversary - Feature
GamingGame ReviewsPS4Xbox One

Bayonetta and Vanquish Review (Xbox One X)

Barrie Clarke 1711 Views ,  , 

I like this idea, I like it a lot. There are plenty of remasters/re-releases coming out these days, and rightly so. There are more than a few games that NEED to be seen by people new to the gaming scene.

Yes, many will seek out past gems and try them out. But a lo-fi game in a hi-fi world won’t get the same response as it did a decade ago. Making a few tweaks to the visuals is the way to go. Especially to grab the attention of the younger generation. And that is exactly what PlatinumGames have done to their two classics, Bayonetta and Vanquish.

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Zombie Army 4 Dead War
GamingGame ReviewsPC / MacPS4PSNetworkXBLAXbox One

Zombie Army 4: Dead War, PS4 Review

Richard Armitt 1549 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

The Zombie Army franchise is one I’ve not picked up before, which is strange to me as Zombie Army 4 ticks so many boxes. The zombie genre is evergreen and whether you are a hardcore horror zombie fan, or kitsch, tongue through cheek zombie fan there is always something to sate your appetite.

From the Sniper stalwart slow-motion x-ray camera that crops up and shows your nut busting shot in all its glory. To the environmental hazards, topped only by the zombified Great White, that you wake and watch as it munches happily on the braindead.

Zombie Army 4 has everything I want in a great title, there is no overwrought narrative that pushes me away, it has drive to be completed and replayed. I’m sure there will be plenty of like minded Nazi Zombie killers online to team up with for a long time. It might be the setting, it’s more likely the gameplay. 

It’s a game and fun one at that, if you want to play something alone or in a crowd with a big dumb grin on your chops. This is for you.

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2019 Retrospective
Game PassFeature ArticleNintendoPC / MacPS4PSVRSwitch ConsoleXbox One

Happy New 2020 and putting a pin in 2019

Richard Armitt 928 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

The rest of the team have had their turn. It is interesting to see that we have all been touched by different games over the last 12 months.

The standout for Guy being Control, although we do agree on Blood and Truth being a landmark title for PSVR. Whereas Barrie loved Outer Worlds, I tried it, but wasn’t in the right space. Maybe I need to give it another spin now the fuss has died down. Gerard plumped for Plague Tale, which is title I have seen often recommended, but never looked close enough.

The great thing is, it looks like my Pile of Shame is about to get at least 3 games bigger.

Right now, looking back at 2019 we had some great titles to play and it really is hard to pull out a shortlist of favourites. That said, here’s my take.

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The Barrie's Highlights Edition
GamingFeature ArticleNintendoPC / MacPS4Xbox One

2019 – How Did It Stack Up? (The Barrie’s Highlights Edition)

Barrie Clarke 1319 Views ,  ,  ,  , 

This years highlights for me are a bit tough. Basically because of all the older games I have been playing.

Thanks to Game Pass on the Xbox I have been enjoying a absolute plethora of classic titles and games I would otherwise not have looked at. And on the flip side many of the great releases in 2019 for me were actually remasters or re-releases.

So I will try and rattle off a few highlights, and of course a disappointment or two.

All these titles were played on the Xbox One X.

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Shenmue 3
GamingByte Size ReviewPS4Xbox One

Shenmue 3, Review

Gerard Campbell 1238 Views ,  , 

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.

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Halo Reach : Finish the Fight
GamingGame PassGame ReviewsPC / MacXbox One

Halo Reach (PC): Finishing the fight on a new platform

Gerard Campbell 1146 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

There’s no denying that Gregorian chants are a cornerstone of the Halo series. They’re unmistakable identifiers for the Master Chief and the fight against the alien covenant. Halo Reach is no exception.

So when the Gregorian chants fired up on the menu screen of the PC version, it brought a smile to both my face – and my ears (if my ears could smile, that is).

I’m not the world’s greatest Halo fan but I’ve played them all. Reach was always at the top of my list as my favourite of the series. Maybe it was because the story told of the close-knit camaraderie between the six members of Noble team. Cat, Emile, Jorge, Jun, Carter and Spartan B-312 (that’s you, by the way). As they take the fight to the covenant on the planet Reach, or maybe it was because Reach wasn’t about Master Chief. Whatever it was, Reach just resonated with me.

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New Super Lucky's Tale
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New Super Lucky’s Tale, Nintendo Switch

Richard Armitt 1271 Views ,  , 

New Super Lucky’s Tale obviously treads well worn ground, and the Switch is the place for cutesy platformers. I did not play Super Lucky last time around when it graced the Xbox. In fact I haven’t played many platformers for a good while. The simple crux is, Super Lucky does the job well, it’s a joy to play.

Everything the game does it does well, without layers of complexity. There is no need to add depth, New Super Lucky’s Tale is here to scratch the itch of the classic platforming addict. Nice to look at and fun to play in this high paced disposable world, here’s a few hours of pleasant-ness.

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Don't Die Minerva - Feature
GamingGame ReviewsIndie GamePC / MacPS4Xbox One

Don’t Die, Minerva! Review (Xbox One X)

Barrie Clarke 1024 Views ,  ,  ,  , 

Every second game I have played recently seems to be a rogue-like or have rogue-like elements in them.

Thankfully, unlike the rest of the team, I am not adverse to this as I quite like the format and play style that rogue-likes fall into. That is not to say I don’t throw the odd controller in frustration at my 145th death in 3 minutes.

I have just learnt to throw it gently onto the couch beside me. But with a little Luigi flair this could be fun to play.

Don’t Die, Minerva! looks really nice and plays well. Although there isn’t a huge variety in what you are doing and where you are doing it, it maintains that, just one more run, feel you expect from a good rogue-like.

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