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A PlayStation fan for most of his childhood, once he picked up an Xbox with Panzer Dragoon Orta he never looked back.
Tamarin on Xbox is a game that does not know what it wants to be, one capable of completely blindsiding player expectations. It’s simply a weird game, perhaps one of the weirdest in the platformer genre. Still, the real disappointment is just how boring and bare the third person shooting action is, with no real sense of rewarding level design or progression.
Alchemic Cutie on Xbox is an interesting but tough sell. It no doubt has its charms and strengths, and yet its distinguishing ideas lack real substance in execution; the experience as a whole can feel pointless for a genre that is known to champion a pointless slice of life loop in the first place.
Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town is a solid and enjoyable remake of a Harvest Moon classic. Yet while you get to enjoy a classic experience intact, it also feels incredibly dated given the other options available on Xbox today.
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy- Definitive Edition on Xbox is an overpriced and poorly produced release which does absolutely no favours to the classic games it attempts to celebrate. The experience here is far from definitive, and aside from the sheer laziness in the graphical remastering and performance, it introduces a whole slew of performance issues.
Cosmic Top Secret is a unique and novel way to use video games to create an experience that no book or documentary format could even come close to achieve. There’s a great deal to learn and discover in this adventure, and above all it presents a very raw and honest look into the very human lives of those who worked tirelessly and confidentially during a very unique period in history.
Crime Opera: The Butterfly Effect fails to capitalise on its unique premise and setting by falling short where it matters. The writing is juvenile, cringe-inducing, and at times even offensively embarrassing. It takes some level of care and maturity to explore adult themes, and unfortunately the writing here just doesn’t feel appropriate.
Angels of Death on Xbox will likely win over horror fans who are after a compelling and twisted narrative, featuring a cast of characters that are just as complex as they are nefarious. It’s easy to see how the storyline has spawned so many related media, but as a video game this feels like a conceptual RPG Maker effort at best; one where some of its best ideas are held back by the inherent limitations of the engine.
The friends of Ringo Ishikawa on Xbox is an unconventional beat ‘em up, with an opaque design and almost aimless sense of progression. The game has a strong atmosphere as it provides a setting for players to lose themselves in, yet there is no real gameplay loop or substance here as players need to create this for themselves.
Balan Wonderworld, even with all of its surface-level faults, is a genuinely charming 3D platformer that is blissfully imaginative both in its artistic presentation and game design.
Luckslinger on Xbox is a fun and interesting take on the Wild West action platformer, using luck as a substantial gameplay mechanic within the level design. The luck elements don’t always alter the course of level progression in a meaningful way, and the platforming and adventure elements can feel a bit disconnected from each other, but still the whole hip-hop presentation of Luckslinger manages to shine, thanks to the soundtrack.
Angry Video Game Nerd I & II Deluxe on Xbox is more than just a video game based on a popular YouTube channel; it’s an amalgamation of all things that made gaming in the NES era so special and timeless.
Thunderflash on Xbox is as derivative and basic as they come; a homage to top-down arcade shooters of yesteryear that provides a fun and functional experience at best, without delivering a sense of compelling challenge or encouraging subsequent replays.
Risk System on Xbox is a game that does the opposite of a traditional shooter, as rather than getting distracted with mounting an attack, the game solely places emphasis on careful avoidance and manoeuvring. Although it shies away from bullet hell conventions, it offers a style of challenge which is satisfying in a different way; a rush that comes with barely scraping by an enemy attack.
Baobabs Mausoleum Grindhouse Edition on Xbox is one of those underground sleeper hits likely to become a future cult classic - if it hasn’t already done so. This release comes packed with all the chapters and other extras, and it is the best way for the uninitiated to jump right in and experience a game world and adventure like no other.
Taxi Chaos is not Crazy Taxi, not even close, but it is competent and functional enough to scratch an itch until SEGA’s arcade classic receives a modern 4K remaster treatment.
Golden Force on Xbox isn’t anything remarkable or fascinating, but it offers a more structured and defined 2D action platformer experience compared to other alternatives which largely adhere to Metroidvania conventions.
Sword of the Necromancer is a roguelike RPG that is largely experimental, and when all the little parts come together, it’s an experience which manages to standout from so many other procedurally generated indie games on the market.
Balan Wonderworld may not change the world come March, and it may not bring famed designer Yuji Naka to the same level as Shigeru Miyamoto is right now, but in 2021 it is awesome to see a gaming legend return to the spotlight with a major platformer release under a big name publisher like Square Enix. If anything, Balan Wonderworld will be a reintroduction to one of the best minds in gaming, and for now that’s probably going to be good enough.
The final week of the Horizon Race Off dawns in Forza Horizon 5, yet as we prepare to bid farewell, there is a last hoorah in the shape of the Festival Playlist Weekly Challenges for Series 32 Spring.
