Some of the checkpointing is quite unforgiving at times and the physics occasionally feel off, but power through GRAPPIN and you'll find a decent view from the top.
Sure, it’s on the unfairly punishing side, and both the controls and the weapons could have done with more work, but this is a worthy rewind to the time of the Dreamcast. Pick up Rainbow Cotton on the Xbox and save yourself that £300.
A few graphical and menu based issues aside, Farm Manager 2022 is a solid game that I’d be happy to recommend to anyone looking for a bit of an escape from the real world, or anyone interested in a simulator offering layers upon layers of customization.
A Memoir Blue isn’t prime Annapurna Interactive: we liked, but didn’t fall in love. But a mixed-media take on the love between a mother and daughter is wholly endearing, and there isn’t a barb or rough edge in its simplistic gameplay.
Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus? is another Wales Interactive FMV game that is hugely enjoyable, especially in the way they have worked with the constraints of filming, inspired by it to give the situation the characters are in some form of context.
What was once the standard-bearer for open-worlds has been overshadowed in the near decade since its first release. Grand Theft Auto V still holds up really well, but playing it now does feel like stepping into a time machine, such is the way that real-world and video game development has changed in the years since.
Megaquarium: Freshwater Frenzy is able to deliver more of the same. This is a great and underrated sim management game, now with a new injection of fresh content for players to enjoy.
Puzzling platformers have never really been in short supply, but that didn’t make the announcement of Time Loader any less interesting at the back end of 2020. Promising a time-travelling robot adventure, with throwbacks to the things many of us enjoyed in the ‘90s, it was enough to capture my attention. Now that Time Loader has arrived on Xbox, have the developers Flazm created a timeless classic, or could they do with a time machine to make it better?
Aztech Forgotten Gods is not a perfect game. There’s a lack of entertaining side-content. There’s no voice talent. It’s relatively short. But does that mean you should avoid it? No. Because it largely delivers with its story and its core gameplay - the two most important elements of any good video game.Â
If you fancy a budget Legend of Zelda that gently warms up your muscles, then Mages and Treasures has all the charm and unlockables that you could possibly want.
The neon-clad battle for survival between an adorable snail and a killer AI gives Will You Snail something of a distinctive feel. However, ultimately you will need to be a talented, patient platformer fan to get the most from it.
The core driving experience found in Super Toy Cars Offroad is fun. It’s fast and hectic, the majority of races will keep you engaged and you will really have to prove yourself to be first across that finish line.
Skautfold: Shrouded in Sanity is a rewarding battler. Dodge, block and parry your way to victory, and you will soon find yourself taking down the King.
ELEX II might struggle to find a market when it is put alongside other open-world games, but ultimately there is a lot of good adventuring to be found in this neat RPG.Â
