Review by Matt S. As we hadn’t really seen the Sakura Wars series in the west, with just the one title localised in a very primitive fashion by NISA. So, despite this being huge in Japan, I went into this new release raw, and not really being sure what to…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Nostalgia is a tricky beast to deal with. Take a beloved game (or genre) and try and modernise it too far and it stops being a nostalgic experience at all, and as a retro-inspired thing falls flat. On the other hand, if things are kept too…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. After the crushing disappointment of that woeful Secret of Mana remake from 2018 (never forget, never forgive), I wasn’t interested in the remake of Trials of Mana on any level. For one thing, Trials of Mana hadn’t been released outside of Japan (officially) until 2019’s Collection…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Some indie developers take advantage of the small overheads, budgets, and team sizes that they operate with to deliver games that are creative and different. Liberated from the need to shift the kind of numbers that cause blockbuster publishers to homogenise everything they do, indies can…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. To explain why Billion Road has so completely latched its claws into me, I’m going to need to start off with a bit of a history and art lesson. While the ultra bright and cheerful graphics may look like an off-brand Itadaki Street (Fortune Street) or…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Boot Hill Bounties is disappointing. Here is a fresh new JRPG – my favourite genre – being released onto Switch at a time that COVID-19 is forcing us all to self isolate, and therefore I have plenty of time to get stuck into it. What makes…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. One of the best things that Koei Tecmo has going for it is how adaptable its Warriors (Musou) formula is. Whether it’s medieval history (Samurai Warriors), ancient history (Dynasty Warriors), or any of a wide and growing range of anime and licensed game properties (Gundam, Arslan,…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. I try not to use the word “hate” much, because it’s an overly emotive word and doesn’t really suit video games – if you genuinely hate a game or games, you’re a little too invested in them. However, the dislike that I feel for collect-a-thon 3D platformers…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Where do you even start in talking about something like the Final Fantasy VII Remake? As a remake of a game with an almost unique gravitas as being a masterpiece and work of art, it was a massive risk on Square Enix’s part to take on…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Horror is one of the more difficult genres to get right. Silent World shows just how wrong things can go. Usually with games that are such significant misfires as this I want to give the developers the benefit of the doubt, and say that a lack…
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