REVIEW – Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp
Way back in 2001, a classic Intelligent Systems franchise made its western debut on the Game Boy Advance in the form of Advance Wars. Whilst most known for their Fire Emblem series, the “Wars” games had numerous Japan exclusive releases on the Famicom and Game Boy lines of systems and it was deemed worth releasing in the west. This was clearly successful, as every game afterwards got a western release too, particularly the second Advance title; Black Hole Rising. Both of these GBA offerings have now been remade by WarForward in a dual-package. Will these games lead themselves to victory, or will they fall on their own battlefield?
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REVIEW – Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon
Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon is a prequel to the hit trilogy of action titles developed by PlatinumGames. Initially teased as a bonus unlockable in Bayonetta 3, it was finally revealed to be a full-fledged game at the 2022 Game Awards. In stark contrast to the rest of the series, this game takes a radically different approach, more akin to a Zelda-lite game than the combo heavy action romps the series is most known for. Does this game stick the landing and become a well-respected addition to the franchise? Or does it get lost in the forest of its own ambitions?
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REVIEW – Metroid Prime Remastered
The legacy of Metroid Prime speaks for itself, having been elected one of the best games of all time on numerous occasions. It led to a renaissance of Metroid titles between the years of 2002 and 2007, with a well renowned trilogy under its belt. Unfortunately, the series went into a hiatus, the second in its storied history, which has led many newer gamers not realising the impact these games had. With 2017’s announcement of Metroid Prime 4 though, another chance was upon us, and now Nintendo has gone and remastered Metroid Prime for a new generation to experience. Buckle up, this is not just another chapter in that history.
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REVIEW – Fire Emblem Engage
Fire Emblem has been a longstanding franchise for Nintendo, being their premier strategy RPG series amongst their ranks for over 30 years. There have been ups and downs along the way, with some notable highlights in recent times that have propelled it to the heights we see today. However, there has been some doubt since the announcement of Fire Emblem Engage. Ditching the aspects that made Fire Emblem: Three Houses so popular and instead going back to its simpler roots, does Engage live up to the franchise’s pedigree, or does it fail to be engaging?
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REVIEW – Lone Ruin
All alone you approach a dilapidated ruin with one mission in mind: to seek an ancient and mysterious power! Nothing will get in your way as you battle hoards of enemies with a range of upgradable spells, and if it does, there’s no shame in trying again.
Perhaps Lone Ruin is the mysterious power you seek, or maybe it’s just that, a ruin of a game. Find out in our review!
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Feature: The Legacy of Pokémon
Preface
For over twenty-three years, the Pokémon franchise has been a constant and welcomed presence in my life. This massively successful series started in 1996 in Japan, with the release of Pokémon Red & Pokémon Green for the Nintendo Game Boy by a company called Game Freak. Its huge financial success and popularity eventually found its way overseas, finally reaching Europe in 1999. It continued to dominate the lives of children and their parents’ wallets with an obscene amount of content and merchandise, such as toys, animation, trading cards, and video games. At twelve years old, it was impossible for me to avoid the craze that had captured the attention and imagination of kids throughout the world. Here, I will attempt to recount my own memories of the Pokémon series, and share highlights from my personal journey through a franchise that means so much to me.
Darren
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