I have fond memories of the Shadow Warrior franchise. Having played the original a little over 20 years ago on the old family PC, I was fairly certain I was prepared for the insanity the rebooted franchise would throw at me. This rebooted trilogy has indeed proved serviceable if a little safe. Make no mistake;…
Just over 20 years ago, I unboxed the original PlayStation and with it, two of the first games I ever played, in Tekken 3 and Gran Turismo. I still remember being amazed by the stunning visuals, if a little intimidated by the realistic gameplay. Cut to the present day. I am a car lover and…
The third entry in the OlliOlli series combines the fun of learning to skate on shiny new consoles alongside an expansive world with varying locations that constantly change up the way you play. Developer Roll7 has incorporated a story mode into the series this time around with an overhaul of the graphics engine adding a…
The release of Elden Ring had me personally excited. Not just because it was another FromSoftware game, (that’s a given) but because it truly felt like the next step forward for the SoulsBorne series, a transcendent outing into a new frontier. After spending more time than I’d like to admit with Elden Ring over the…
It’s no secret that next-generation consoles are hard to come by. But with new games and exclusive features gracing such consoles, we don’t blame people for wanting to enhance their gaming experience, future-proofing their software and hardware for the best possible performance and fidelity. Cloud-based gaming has made its way over to Australia in the…
The Horizon franchise has returned with great anticipation, continuing the story of one of the most successful and beloved PlayStation exclusives of the last generation. With that being said, Horizon Forbidden West is well on its way to becoming the fan-favorite of both last generation and next-generation PlayStation owners alike, presenting an intriguing narrative, functional…
When Pokémon Legends: Arceus was first announced, I must admit that I was somewhat skeptical about it. What could The Pokémon Company and Game Freak possibly do with the Sinnoh region that we haven’t already learned by now? Then, more and more information started to come out, and I became more and more hooked on…
Fortune favors the bold as developer Naughty Dog bring two of their biggest hits to the PlayStation 5 just in time for the release of the Uncharted film starring Tom Holland. This package contains Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, both of which were originally released on the PlayStation 4 system…
I’m going to level with you; this is my first foray into the Rainbow Six world, so if you are looking for an expertly crafted history of the franchise and its entries, this is probably not the review for you. If like me, you are intrigued by the introduction of monsters into this shooter that…
Previous Halo games have always served as a single-player experience for me. While I did attempt to get into it in the previous title Halo: Guardians, There were way too many other MMO games at that time that had my attention. After a bit of a dry spell this year, I jumped into Halo Infinite…
The Big Brain Academy series is back on the Nintendo Switch with a colourful and interactive take on the classic game series that originally came out on the Nintendo DS. 2021 has been a big year for party games on the Switch and it looks like we are closing out the year with another strong…
On this, the 20th anniversary of the franchise and the Xbox platform as a whole, Halo has sparked many questions in the minds of its fans. Has the series run its course? Is the Master Chief a relevant hero for the modern age? Can such a dated franchise really exist without pushing new boundaries? Well…
Gaming has always been the past time for a bit of escapism. Now more than ever, the sheer variety of games has allowed us to be whisked away to worlds we would never have even imagined. For one, you can now self-insert as a cute little crow working for the Reaping Commission Headquarters as a…
For a franchise centred around the conflict of war, covering several eras and stories, it’s clear that Battlefield 2042 had one target left in mind; itself. What follows is an incredibly frustrating blend of smooth action and refined gunplay, paired with numerous bugs and glitches, and the overall lack of depth within its mainline modes….
It’s been 15 years since the release of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl—arguably the most important entry in the Pokémon gaming franchise, as it revitalised its popularity through changes to the battle system, along with Wi-Fi connectivity and the ability to connect players to the wider Pokémon community. It was the spark for the Gen IV…
Let’s get one thing out of the way. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is without a doubt my favourite entry in the Grand Theft Auto franchise and one of my favourite games of all time. So you can imagine my excitement when Rockstar had announced Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy: The Definitive Edition, containing Grand Theft…
Call of Duty: Vanguard’s return to a World War II setting is not without its merit. Since Call of Duty: WWII, the franchise had cycled back around to a Modern Warfare revival and two Black Ops titles. But was this era worth revisiting? In many respects, yes; and no. Call of Duty: Vanguard plays its…
My time with Bright Memory: Infinite has been interesting, to say the least. As I loaded up my assault rifle, picking off enemies in the distance, I quickly navigated my surroundings. I bounced off walls to get across precarious chasms. I hacked and slashed my way through obtrusive enemies. I participated in lighting fast quick…
The screen is dark. The sound of an engine roaring pierces the air, as the back on a cargo plane opens. Suddenly, your vehicle drops out of the back, parachuting down to a dense, colourful Mexican landscape. As soon as you land, you blast onto the road, on your way to your first Horizon Festival….
I owe the Mario Party franchise a great deal of credit. It’s responsible for some of the best gaming moments I’ve had on a Nintendo console. While Mario Party 3 will always remain my favourite, it’s safe to say that the franchise faltered in recent years, prompting me to drift away from the iconic mini-games…
I have to be honest. After publisher Square Enix’s last Marvel themed outing, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy instilled a sizeable amount of doubt within me. Sure, Marvel’s Avengers was a fun cooperative experience, but it lacked any depth and heart. It seems as though the second time is the charm, as Marvel’s Guardians of…
My first foray into farming simulation games dates back further than Harvest Moon‘s rebrand to Story of Seasons. I’m old enough to remember when it was called Harvest Moon: Back to Nature. That game is now 22 years old. It’s hard to overstate how uncommon slice-of-life narrative games were back then. Today, there are video…
As a fan of both the Rocky film series and the sport of boxing in general, I often wonder about the next definitive boxing game. Believe it or not, it’s been a decade since EA Sport’s Fight Night Champion, which I still dip back into until this very day. And then I saw it; the…
Leave it to Hideo Kojima to release Death Stranding Director’s Cut, the expanded version of a game over which he had complete creative control. It’s no secret that Death Stranding landed amid huge anticipation and excitement. It was then met with either an overwhelming sense of confusion and, in some circles, accusations of pretentiousness, or…
Metroid Dread is a game I thought I might never play, let alone review. For years, the Metroid franchise has sat among several other older Nintendo franchises, like F-Zero and Mother/EarthBound, gathering dust. For fans of the series, their own personal dread was real. Was their favourite Ninty franchise dead? As the wait dragged on,…
The Far Cry series has faltered over the past few years. Recent iterations were either lacking immersive worlds, memorable villains, innovative gameplay, or all three. While far from terrible, it’s clear that nothing has been as good as the darling that is Far Cry 3. And it seems as though Ubisoft has heard. Far Cry…
The Switch OLED represents the best version of the Nintendo Switch hardware to date. In the four years since the launch, the core Switch hardware has received one prior refresh. The 2019 model featured a higher capacity battery and made a small change to the shape of the Joy-Cons. The Switch OLED is, largely, more…
FIFA 22 takes the term “next-generation” pretty seriously. And it should. With every new console generation, the FIFA franchise takes major steps forward. New hardware presents an opportunity to reinvent FIFA‘s visuals, mechanics and add a range of new game modes. However, I wouldn’t blame fans for feeling disillusioned with the series in recent years. Most…
NBA 2K22 couldn’t have arrived at a better time. It’s been a rough couple of seasons for the NBA. A global pandemic, postponed games, bubble playoffs, shortened seasons and play-in tournaments have charted a new future for the sport. The lone beacon of consistency: that the NBA 2K franchise will smash out its annual instalment,…
Rustler has been on Steam’s Early Access since February of this year, but has only recently fully-launched. You’re thrown back into the good ol’ medieval days as Guy, who just wants to join the Grand Tournament. Well, his buddy, Buddy, has forced him to want to. Now, Guy’s also forced to commit all sorts of…
