Reviews

Kirby is no stranger to reinvention. For over three decades, Nintendo’s pink hero has shape-shifted through 2D platformers, spin-offs, party games, and even pinball. Yet 2022’s Kirby and the Forgotten Land felt like a genuine breakthrough the moment when HAL Laboratory finally committed to a fully 3D Kirby adventure, blending classic charm with bold new…

Gears of War: Reloaded is a strange beast; a remaster of a remaster, almost 20 years after the original defined an era of cover-based shooters on Xbox 360. For many, this was the game that shaped what third-person action could look and feel like. Its influence is undeniable, paving the way for the likes of…

Whenever a classic series like Shinobi makes a return, we are torn between excitement and anxiety. Will it honour its roots, or lean too heavily on nostalgia? Will it reinvent itself to the point of being unrecognisable? Or worse, will it simply be forgettable? Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, developed by Lizardcube, confidently cuts through those…

  1000 Deaths is one of those games where it only takes one glance to know if it’s your thing or not, something you’ve probably already worked out from the header on this article. Bright, bold, weird and proud of it, it is a game that is everything it sets out to be. And just…

It’s almost impossible to overstate the cultural weight of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-Earth. From the moment The Hobbit was first published in 1937, the world he built has continued to capture imaginations, inspiring countless adaptations, games, and creative works. Most video games based on The Lord of the Rings have followed a fairly predictable formula, epic…

Nintendo has a long history of taking sports games in unexpected directions. They turned tennis into a Mushroom Kingdom showdown, turned kart racing into an all-out weaponised brawl, and made golf somehow involve chain chomps. Now, with Drag X Drive, they’ve taken one of the most technical, fast-paced adaptive sports — wheelchair basketball — and…

When Super Mario Party Jamboree launched on the original Switch, it genuinely surprised me. What looked like another family-friendly board game romp turned out to be one of the most fun and fully-realised party games Nintendo has ever made. Fast-forward to its new incarnation on the Switch 2, bundled with the shiny new Jamboree TV…

Nothing could have prepared me for the full weight of Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster on Nintendo Switch 2. I knew going in that it was an enhanced re-release of a cult-favourite Square Enix RPG originally on the 3DS. I knew there would be tactical turn-based battles, branching strategies, and a Job system built…

Before we get into this review, there are a few things you should know about me. I’m an Australian with Italian heritage, and my favourite film of all time is The Godfather. My grandparents are actually from Sicily, and I can even speak the Sicilian dialect myself. And to top it all off, I’ll be…

It’s remastered games like these that are beginning to make me feel old. The original Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver was one of the first games I played on my original PlayStation when it released back in 1999. Sure I was only five when it released (you can do the math as to how old…

It feels like we don’t get enough skateboarding games these days. So, naturally, when Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 dropped back in 2020, it felt like the return we were all waiting for. As a collection, it felt like the ultimate package, refining its visuals and mechanics, all while keeping its core intact….

Can you believe that Donkey Kong Banaza is only the second 3D Donkey Kong game ever and the first one in 25 years, since Donkey Kong 64? While you let that sink in, it’s also worth taking the time to consider what incredible weight such a sequel or follow-up would even bring with it in…

Two Point Museum, a game in which you do exactly what you would imagine, has just received its first DLC. Your museum has already got bones, fish, space devices, normal devices, and ghosts, so this new expansion adds the obvious area the base game was missing: some fantasy nonsense. You heard that correctly; in the…

In the lead-up to the launch of the first Death Stranding back in 2019, it’s safe to say the stakes were high. Hideo Kojima had left Konami, founded his own development company in Kojima Productions Co., Ltd. and created one of the more ambiguous games we had seen in quite some time. Was it a horror…

I must say, the Nintendo Switch got it right with the original Pro Controller. Maybe it was the uncomfortable Joy-Cons, which were way too small, but after begging for an alternative, the Pro Controller brought the goods. The Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller feels like Nintendo understood what we were already happy with. With a…

We recently reviewed the Nintendo Switch 2 and thought it would be a good idea to include this in our main review, as one comprehensive article that covers all accessories. But given that the Nintendo Switch 2 Camera doesn’t come with the console, we feel it deserves its own review. The Nintendo Switch 2 Camera…

It’s hard to believe the original Nintendo Switch was released back in 2017. It’s a true testament to that console that it lasted this long and remained popular practically until the release of the Nintendo Switch 2. That being said, this new console, while pushing the platform forward in terms of its outright grunt, also…

In one of the more interesting reviews I’ve had to write in a while, Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour serves as an introductory guide to using and learning about your brand-new console. In certain ways, Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour does its job well. Through a series of mini-games and quizzes, you not only learn about…

Can you believe it’s been over a decade since we’ve had a new Mario Kart game? But along with the Nintendo Switch 2, here we are. In many ways, Mario Kart World is an awesome follow-up to an almost perfect kart-racer that has stood the test of time. On the fresh hardware, it looks fantastic…

There’s a romance to policing in fiction that real life rarely lives up to. The flashing lights, the procedural rhythm and the legend of a lone beat cop fighting against a crime-ridden city. It’s built for drama, as television has proven since the 1970s. The Precinct, from American Fugitive developers Fallen Tree Games, taps into…

Be it the stellar career of Lewis Hamilton, the recent domination of Max Verstappen, or the current rise of Aussie Oscar Piastri, Codemasters’ F1 games have been relatively fantastic over the years. They generally look great, play well and feature an impressive list of modes that remain true to the depth and authenticity of the…

I reviewed both Elden Ring and the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC upon their respective releases, and must say, it’s been a blast. Bloodborne might always be my personal favourite game within this genre for its darker tone and linear nature, but make no mistake, developer FromSoftware Inc. hasn’t really missed a beat as of…

We previewed this remaster of Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny just under a month ago, and have to say, most of our final sentiments still ring true, so we apologise if we referred to any old ground. You can check out our full preview of Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny here. This remaster of Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny is…

For as many RPGs as I’ve played over the years, I’m not necessarily a fan of the genre. Sure, you’ve got your classics, be it Final Fantasy VII or its remake, the various Pokémon games or Fire Emblem: Three Houses. But I feel as though even then, with turn-based combat a part of the core…

Looking back, Days Gone might have gotten a little more hate than it deserved when it released in 2019. But with all the zombie fatigue lately from various shows, movies and even other games, it’s a really fine line to walk. There are a few things in Days Gone Remastered to enjoy and appreciate, though….

Let’s get straight to the point: Forza Horizon 5 is one of the best racing games you can play today. Thankfully, it’s now out on the PlayStation 5 for a new audience to enjoy. It only feels right that Forza Horizon 5 would release some new DLC in line with this release, which looks to…

After nearly two decades, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion has returned, not with a sequel or a reboot, but with a remastered glow-up that breathes new life into one of Bethesda’s most endearing RPG titles thus far. This updated version, rebuilt in Unreal Engine 5 by the team at Virtuos, doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but…

The Doom franchise charges into new territory with Doom: The Dark Ages, delivering a fresh take on its signature demon-slaying mayhem. Set against a medieval backdrop, this latest instalment maintains the series’ core identity while introducing innovative elements that breathe new life into the formula. The Doom Slayer returns, now armed with period-appropriate weaponry alongside…

South of Midnight is a bold, haunting, and beautiful journey into the heart of the American South, it is one that few games have ever dared to explore, let alone with this much soul and a level of attention to detail that most games aspire to reach. Developed by Compulsion Games, South of Midnight blends…

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was released on the Xbox Series X and Series S late last year and was pretty much one of the best games of 2024. It might have taken a few extra months, but the experience is now finally available for PlayStation 5 owners, with some fancy new visual upgrades…