The Touryst (Switch)
Preface: It’s definitely been a while since I’ve written a review on this site, but considering I need to get back on track, here is a game I completed over the weekend and thought would be cool to write about. I don’t know how the quality of my reviews will be after so long of not writing in this style, but the length and quality do not matter – all that matters is getting back into the hang of things. The Nintendo Switch is genuinely such a marvel of a console to behold. Given it’s tiny size, the quality of the games available on it never seizes to amaze me, both graphically and from a gameplay perspective. It’s been rare to actually find a bad game on the platform (even if they do exist). Thankfully, The Touryst was another such game that managed to fit into the former camp, with…
Weekly Gaming: The Station (PC) Review
Hey all, So you recall how I said I was working on some reviews that were under embargo? This is one such game. The Station was pretty nifty, if a little short, with the ending being guessed by myself within the first 15 minutes of the game. You can read my full impressions on the game below: http://www.vgchartz.com/article/272495/the-station-pc/ So apologies I’m behind schedule, but as I said before, I will definitely ensure that before the end of the year I’ve reviewed 52 games. Until next week! – Dan
A little update
Yo all! Just a little update – whilst I have indeed been keeping up with my one game a week scheme, you unfortunately haven’t seen a review on here in a while as the games I reviewed/completed are well before their release date, meaning they’re all embargoed. Rest assured that once the embargoes are up, they’ll all be posted on here, meaning I’ll definitely have 52 game reviews on the site by the years end. In other news, I’ve been hard at work on my popcorn simulator game, and am quite happy with the progress made. I think it should be done soon (says every games developer ever), so will post more details in the coming weeks, but otherwise, I’m excited! Hope you’re all well, and until next time, have a great week! – Dan
Weekly Gaming: The Mind’s Eclipse (PC)
Hi all! This week, I look into the new game The Mind’s Eclipse – a sci-fi visual novel game by the new studio, Mind’s Eclipse Interactive. It has to be said that whilst some elements of the game were repetitive (e.g. the layout of the rooms), the rest of the game, such as it’s world buidling and plot, were stunning. You can read my full impressions on the game using the link below: http://www.vgchartz.com/article/272273/the-minds-eclipse-pc/ Hope you have a great week! – Dan
Weekly Gaming: It’s Quiz Time (Xbox One)
It’s been a while since I last played a quiz game, especially one that I can play with family and friends. In fact, it’s thanks to my friends that It’s Quiz Time even come on my radar at all. After a great catch up around their house they proceeded to ask me if I enjoy quiz games and whether I’d be interested in playing one on the xbox, with my iPhone as the controller. Intrigued I jumped at the idea, and proceeded to have a great time answering questions and losing terribly, all in the name of catching up with old friends and having a good time. Fast forward a few weeks and another set of friends were wondering what we could do at a meet up. Thinking back, I recalled it’s quiz time, and how it’d be really useful at this encounter due to it’s control scheme of using…
Weekly Gaming: A good Snowman is Hard to Build (iOS)
Like clockwork, it’s another friday, so that means another game to review! This week I take a look at A Good Snowman is Hard to Build, a game I bought when it was on sale due to a snow day here in the UK. So without further ado, here’s my thoughts on the game. First up, AGSIHTB grabs your attention from the offset due to it’s absolutely charming design, and sweet animation. No matter how long you play the game, you’ll consistently be surprised at how cute the game is, especially given how few assets are on display here. Each snowman/woman you successfully create has its own unique look, leading you to believe they have their own personalities, despite them being technically inanimate objects. It’s charming, and down right amazing in your entire time with the game. So, I should probably at this point talk about the game’s core loop.…
Weekly Gaming: Fast RMX (Switch)
It’s been a while since I’ve played a fast, arcade racing game, and for the first time in a while, I didn’t play Fast RMX purely to review it within a fast timeline for VGChartz.com. You see, since first getting the Switch I’ve been clamouring for games I can play on the nifty handheld – it sucks having a highly capable machine with next to no games to actually play on it. So from the offset, Fast RMX caught my attention, with me adding it to my wishlist when I first set eyes on it. Thankfully, with it just being the holiday season and with it being New Year sales, Fast RMX came down in price, instantly prompting me to download the gorgeous and fast racer. First things first – it has to be said that Fast RMX is a perfect portable game. The short stages (each about 2-3 minutes…
Weekly Gaming – Crash Bandicoot N’sane Trilogy (PS4)
I apologise that this is a day late! It’s always hard to start the year if you haven’t prepared accordingly, and this week was no exception. Being 3 games in one, Crash Bandicoot Remastered was always going to be a struggle to finish, and as I write this I have two worlds left in the final game. So whilst I would usually make a point of completing every game I review, here I don’t feel so bad as I 1. played the games when they first came out in the 90’s, and 2. I feel I’ve played enough of the games to get a feel for the quality of the overall package. So without further ado! Here’s my impressions/review of Crash Bandicoot N’Sane Trilogy! Nostalgia is most definitely a weird quality we all seem to share. We look back on our childhood memories with awe, and proceed to place many…
2017 Year in Review
So once again we’ve completed another orbit around the Sun, and due to this special time of year it’s time to look back and see what I’ve accomplished in those last 365 days. I must admit, I’m in two minds as to how much I’ve done – on the one hand I’ve travelled more than ever before, and produced more content and brilliant photo’s than ever before, BUT some of my achievements were not on my to-do list from the beginning of the year, so I’m unsure how good this will look. Off the top of my head though this is what I’ve been doing: Visited 6 Countries Yep! This year it appears as though I was a jet-setter, with myself going to the following six countries: Japan Norway Denmark The Netherlands Bulgaria Austria I spent a combined total of 30 days outside of the UK, which is fantastic in…
Doki Doki Literature Club (PC)
Warning: the following review contains plot spoilers for Doki Doki Literature Club. It’s recommended you play the game before reading this review. Given it’s the end of the year, and that I had to complete one more game to achieve another year of 52 games, I proceeded to look through steam for new games I could play that weren’t too long. That’s when I remembered Doki Doki Literature club, the quirky game from Team Salvato that the internet seems to be going crazy for. Looking it up, I couldn’t believe my luck: it was free! So I got on with downloading it asap and proceeded to play it one Sunday afternoon. First up, lets get this out of the way. Doki Doki Literature Club is a Visual Novel game whereby you play as a school kid who happens to find himself in a literature club with 4 very attractive girls.…
Super Mario Odyssey (NS)
It’s been a bloody good year for Nintendo, and I for one couldn’t be happier for them. Whilst I initial said the switch wouldn’t sell tremendously well, it looks like I may be being proven wholeheartedly wrong, which is a bloody good thing, as it means we get fantastic gems like Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey, all in the space of one year. The fact I’m comparing Super Mario Odyssey to easily my favourite game of 2017 in the same sentence show’s how fantastic it really is: Nintendo have made an absolutely stunning platformer, one I’ve gone back to so many times since completing it that I’ve put over 40 hours into it. So, what is Super Mario Odyssey about? Well, as per always Peach is kidnapped (along with her new tiara hat that is sentient), with Mario being blasted out of the sky upon trying to…
Weekly Gaming: Super Lucky’s Tale (PC)
It’s been a weird year for platformers. One would have expected the triumphant return of some of gamings legends in the form of Playtonic Games and their debut, Yooka-Laylee to have been something of a home run. Alas, it was not, with me cursing the game and being bored with it from start to finish. Super Lucky’s Tale then has an uphill battle, being a brand new game published by Microsoft and exclusive to Xbox One and PC’s everywhere. So does it manage to because a new original platforming franchise, or was this series doomed from the offset? As is always the case when it comes to these questions, it’s a little bit of both. The game starts out with a little intro detailing Lucky’s (the main fox protagonist) sister having stolen a magical book which a group of cats, called the litter (look into this), are after. Having crashed…
Weekly Gaming: Grow Up (PS4)
It’s been years since I sat down and gave Ubisoft’s Grow Home a go, and looking back, I remember being rather fond of BUD and his weird adventures in creating a star fruit for his mothership, MOM.With those fond memories in mind, this past weekend I decided to sit down with the sequel to that surprise hit, Grow Up, and it has to be said, the game is just as fascinating and charming as it was the first time round. Let’s explore why. Grow Up starts out with BUD riding within MOM, playing Tic-Tac-Toe indefinitely whilst exploring the cosmos. Unfortunately, with MOM concentrating on Tic-tac-toe too much, she accidentally hits into an asteroid, causing her to explode across a planet leaving BUD falling through it’s atmosphere. Upon landing, you’re straight back to where you were in the first game – controlling the weird physics of BUD and navigating an alien…
Weekly Gaming: Bound (PS4)
Man oh man has playstation Plus been a roller coaster of a service over the years. When it first started out all those years ago I couldn’t wait to get my hands on most of the games that were offered. Triple-A titles left right and centre, all whilst being the same price (if not cheaper in many instances) than Microsoft’s Xbox Live service. I open with this context, as Bound comes to me courtesy of the Playstation Plus service, and my oh man has it been a let down these last few years. Nothing but indie games people haven’t heard of combined with Sony published games that never reviewed well in the first place. Polygon’s Owen Good wrote a fantastic piece on this exact issue just a few days ago, and I feel it explains my feelings on the service perfectly: https://www.polygon.com/2017/12/2/16728566/games-with-gold-and-playstation-plus-free-games-2017-analysis-opinion So with that being said, is Bound a…
Weekly Gaming: Costume Quest 2 (Xbox One)
It’s been many years since I sat down and had a bloody good time with Costume Quest. This charming, weird game was something of a mystery to me, with the only things being heard about the game being good words by Giant Bomb and other outlets on it’s great theme. So, 6 lovely hours later after completing the main campaign, I came away impressed, and excited for a sequel (should one ever be made). Alas, not all wishes should come true, and I for one am sad that I just sat through a sequel which has tarnished my memories of a truly great and charming game. Not that Costume Quest 2 starts off bad; if anything it starts off no different to Costume Quest 1, and in fact is a direct sequel, with the whacky group you controlled in the first place finding themselves between worlds, trying to find their…