Mike

About Mike

Mike gets all the racing games because he understands that stuff even though he doesn't drive.

I’d have to look back to Farmville for the last time I took a farming game seriously. I’ve always seen them as games without concrete objectives and, whilst that is slightly true, there’s something to be said about their no-pressure approach. Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town can be […]

Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town – PS4 Review

November 2, 2021 in PS4 / Reviews tagged alpaca / chickens / cockfighting / Cows / farming / fishing / home improvement / livestock / marriage / marvellous / mining / sheep / story of seasons friends of mineral town / time management by Mike

It’s the season for spooky tales and what better way to close out October than with a visual novel with some heavy supernatural leanings? Hermitage: Strange Case Files is a detective story that puts a heavy emphasis on the bizarre goings on. I feel the genre needs no excuses to […]

Hermitage: Strange Case Files – PS4 Review

October 30, 2021 in PS4 / Reviews tagged arrowiz / hermitage strange case files / japan / lovecraft / monsters / mystery / narratively-driven / supernatural / visual novel by Mike

There’s plenty about games development that fascinates me. Even working in small teams, there’s an air of luck and circumstance that comes together that bring a game to fruition. I’ll never be technically gifted enough to make something myself but there’s tools available to give me just a taste of […]

Probe: A Game Dev Experience – PS4 Review

October 21, 2021 in PS4 / Reviews tagged artificial intelligence / educational / lighting / modelling / probe a game dev experience / ps talents / voxel labs / vr support by Mike

I think there’s been plenty of good party games that have hit over the last decade. Whilst I’d never call it saturated, the genre’s filled with some quality for local and online combatants alike. The latest one to come my way is A Gummy’s Life. A multiplayer brawler coming from […]

A Gummy’s Life – PS4 Review

October 17, 2021 in PS4 / Reviews tagged a gummy's life / brawler / candy / co-op / ep games / local multiplayer / online multiplayer / party game / physics-based / sweets / violence by Mike

There’s something odd about turning to games to effectively get a slice of working life. It’s a cheap way to get an idea of jobs you’d never really turn to but I do wonder what the appeal of the mundane is. Train Station Renovation has just pulled in from Live […]

Train Station Renovation – PS4 Review

October 15, 2021 in PS4 / Reviews tagged building / cleaning / job simulator / live motion games / painting / repairing / train station renovation by Mike

It’s funny how games centred around a day job land when I’ve got time off work. Unlike the daily tedium of an office job, Merek’s Market covers a grass roots sole proprietorship in a lot less time and feels a lot more fun. Crafting your way through dozens of time-restricted […]

Merek’s Market – PS4 Review

October 13, 2021 in PS4 / Reviews tagged against the clock / bartering / big village games / crafting / merek's market / shopkeeping by Mike

One of the things I dread in this job is having very little to talk about. Shorter games do find their way to me but, for the most part, they’re manage to inspire discussion. Even visual novels, a genre loaded with brief experiences usually manages to provide enough ammo for […]

Takorita Meets Fries – PS5 Review

October 5, 2021 in PS5 / Reviews tagged adventure / branching narrative / chips for dinner / food / mermaid / mermen / merpeople / roseverte / takorita meets fries / visual novel by Mike

I’ve never been to a circus but do have a fascination with travelling showmen like P.T. Barnum. There’s something compelling about the mix of grift, charisma and talent and The Amazing American Circus is here to recreate the experience in card form. Juggler Games have done well with the 19th […]

The Amazing American Circus – PS4 Review

September 28, 2021 in PS4 / Reviews tagged big top / card battler / fire-eater / juggler games / management / mime / pt barnum / ringmaster / strongmen / the amazing american circus by Mike

As more years go by, Visual Concepts’ NBA 2K series feels like a stuck record. Whilst it is uncontested, the basketball they deliver is largely of astounding quality. Last year’s effort felt like a backwards stumble. The changes to shooting appeared to backfire and many post-release patches were handed out […]

NBA 2K22 – PS5 Review

September 20, 2021 in PS5 / Reviews tagged basketball / mycareer / myteam / nba 2k22 / online multiplayer / quests / sports / visual concepts / wnba by Mike

Stillalive Studios managed to impress with me Bus Simulator. The relaxed and charming running of a bus company managed to resonate with me as a regular public transport peasant. Despite this, it had some clear issues with meeting mission objectives and technical issues. Now three years have passed and the […]

Bus Simulator 21 – PS4 Review

September 18, 2021 in PS4 / Reviews tagged bus simulator 21 / driving / job simulator / public transport / route mapping / stillalive studios / tickets please / time-keeping by Mike

I must admit it’s nice to see sport get back to some kind of normality in 2021. The calendar is mostly full these days and the mass cancellations of last year have been curtailed somewhat. With that in mind, it’s time to check out WRC 10 FIA World Rally Championship. […]

WRC 10 FIA World Rally Championship – PS5 Review

September 8, 2021 in PS5 / Reviews tagged group b / historical / kylotonn / motorsport / off road / racing / rallying / time trial / wrc 10 fia world rally championship by Mike

NASA will probably tell you golf and space go hand in hand. Ever since they hoofed balls on the Moon, there’s been a fascination with sport where the gravity simply isn’t there. Golf video games tend to play a lot more with reality and Golf Club: Wasteland is opting for […]

Golf Club: Wasteland – PS5 Review

September 4, 2021 in PS5 / Reviews tagged apocalypse / golf club wasteland / mars colonist / narratively-driven / radio talk show / ruins / space / sport by Mike