Review – Gravity Runner
The main draw of Gravity Runner is its aesthetics — the bright neon colors and synthwave soundtrack do wonders to sell the vibe and it works quite well in practice. It’s a sharp but intriguing contrast to the game’s premise — it puts us in control of an orange-clad astronaut running for his life from an ever-growing black hole. It’s all very surreal and I really do appreciate it. However, the visuals and sounds can’t save a game if its mechanics aren’t well-designed and polished, which is where Gravity Runner really misses the beat. It’s posed as a challenging, arcade-style, physics-based 3D platformer and well… It really is all of those things, for better or for worse.
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REVIEW – Dynamite Headdy (Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack)
Following on from their success with Gunstar Heroes, Treasure liberally poured their creativity into Dynamite Headdy. This is a side-scrolling 2D platformer following a puppet named Headdy on his quest to stop an evil puppet king taking over the world. His only weapon? You guessed it, his head. In an already crowded market, does Dynamite Headdy rise head and shoulders above the rest, or does it fall short?
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Pokémon Presents February 2022 Recap
The Pokémon Company has just aired their latest Pokémon Presents broadcast, detailing new and upcoming announcements.
President and CEO of the Pokémon Company, Tsunekazu Ishirara, opened the presentation to welcome fans, confirming that this year is the 26th anniversary since the birth of Pokémon, which began with Pokémon Red and Green in Japan. Updates for many existing games were highlighted in this stream, plus a few surprises!
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REVIEW – Grapple Dog
Looks can often be deceiving. Take the grapefruit for example, it looks like such a refreshing fruit when cut open. It wasn’t until I had the first bitter bite that I came to the realisation that it was the exact opposite and no fruit can ever be trusted again.
Another example is Grapple Dog. At first glance, you may think this game is a relaxing and cute title that will be a relatively easy jaunt. The only true statement is how it’s cute (and I mean really cute), but it’s anything but easy and relaxing. However, the important question to ask here is ‘is it a good game’? Well, you can find that out by reading our review, after the break.
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REVIEW – Pokémon Legends: Arceus
Last month, Pokémon Legends: Arceus was released, and like many other people, I had the opportunity to play the game and experience a different take on the Pokémon formula. Since the phenomenon arrived on the shores of the United Kingdom in 1999, I have been hooked with the Pokémon franchise, and embraced almost everything it has to offer; from collecting trading cards, plush toys and stickers in my youth, to the video game series I continue to enjoy to this day. Last year when I saw the trailer for Pokémon: Legends: Arceus, I was deeply intrigued and excited by the idea of a video game with huge open areas where wild Pokémon roam, and the opportunity to create the first Pokédex for the region. Such a departure from the norm made me compelled to see what this fresh new take was all about.
As a Pokémon fan of over two decades, I hope my thoughts below will help people still on the fence, make an informed decision on whether to buy the game or not. For the purpose of this review, I preferred to play the game on my television, using a Pro Controller.
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Nintendo Direct February 2022 Summary
Starting 2022, we knew very little about Nintendo’s lineup, other than a handful of vague release windows. All that changed Wednesday after the first Nintendo Direct of the new year.
The forty-minute presentation covered a wide range of Nintendo Switch games leading up to the end of Summer. We saw a resurfacing of classics, one of which never broke out of Japan, updates to previously launched Switch games, and even a couple new announcements to boot. Check out our Nintendo Direct February 2022 summary after the break.
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