Mike

About Mike

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

The visual novel deluge shows no signs of stopping although at least A Hero and a Garden is more of a clicker than a choose your own adventure. Coming from npckc, this knight’s story features some green thumb gardening and some charming life lessons. Simple in its approach, there’s a […]

A Hero and A Garden – PS4 Review

September 9, 2020 in PS4 / Reviews tagged a hero and a garden / clicker / idle / knight / monsters / narratively-driven / npckc by Mike

Kylotonn’s handling of the long-running WRC series has seen it steadily refined into a formidable off-road simulation. I felt that last year’s effort was a real step forward with a substantial career mode and some stunning recreations of the Championship’s dirt and gravel roads. In this, the most strangest of […]

WRC 9 FIA World Rally Championship – PS4 Review

September 3, 2020 in PS4 / Reviews tagged dirt / GRAVEL / kylotonn / motorsport / mud / rallying / time trial / wrc 9 fia world rally championship by Mike

I’m having a hard time with the visual novel genre. There’s something about the writing in general that puts me off. It’s a very wordy genre and it’s all very geared towards telling, rather than showing. The next one on my docket is Cinders, from MoaCube. It’s a retelling of […]

Cinders – PS4 Review

August 29, 2020 in PS4 / Reviews tagged choices / cinderella / cinders / fairytale / godmother / moacube / narratively-driven / visual novel by Mike

One thing I like about this job is the opportunity to be genuinely surprised by something. I’ll admit my expectations for Peaky Blinders: Mastermind, based on the BBC drama, were pretty low. Futurlab are at the helm who you might remember as the developers of Velocity2X. They’ve been prolific over […]

Peaky Blinders: Mastermind – PS4 Review

August 23, 2020 in PS4 / Reviews tagged bbc / cillian murphy / futurlab / gang / heist / peaky blinders mastermind / puzzle / stealth / teamwork / time management by Mike

Classic adventure games are a genre where I’ve enjoyed the wit an writing at the expense of enduring the puzzles. Epic Llama’s 2017 effort, Darkestville Castle has now arrived on consoles with a clear vision to pay homage to the old Lucas Arts formula. With that comes certain expectations but […]

Darkestville Castle – PS4 Review

August 22, 2020 in PS4 / Reviews tagged darkestville castle / demons / epic llama / fish rescue / point and click adventure / puzzles by Mike

It’s a stone could fact that there are more visual novels born than people these days. Sure enough, another one has crossed my path asking me to look at some anime artwork whilst trying to pay attention to some dialogue. It’s Nicole‘s turn. Coming from Winter Wolves, this dating simulator […]

Nicole – PS4 Review

August 6, 2020 in PS4 / Reviews tagged college / dating life simulator / mystery / narratively-driven / nicole / visual novel / winter wolves by Mike

Jisei the First Case HD is a visual novel focused entirely around a murder mystery. Centred around a killing at a diner, Sakevisual’s focused narrative provides some simple investigative thrills whilst lacking in some longevity and nuance. The story concerns a murder mystery held entirely within a diner’s premises. A […]

Jisei: The First Case HD – PS4 Review

August 1, 2020 in PS4 / Reviews tagged detective / jisei the first case hd / Murder mystery / narratively-driven / sakevisual / visual novel by Mike

Tower Defence is not my thing but Ace Team’s Rock of Ages series does carry a daft Monty Python-esque sense of humour. Couple that with a level editor and you have me intrigued. For the third iteration, Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break, they’ve combined a lengthy campaign with […]

Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break – PS4 Review

July 25, 2020 in PS4 / Reviews tagged ace team / boulder / creation tools / history / monty python / rock of ages 3 make & break / skeeball / strategy / time travel / time trial / tower defence by Mike

I’ve grown to like the NASCAR Heat series. Whilst I tend to spend most of my gaming around circuits, the ovals of North America provide something different and the racing has a compact competitiveness I just don’t tend to find much outside of Touring Cars. 704 Games are back with […]

NASCAR Heat 5 – PS4 Review

July 14, 2020 in PS4 / Reviews tagged 704 games / esports / motorsports / nascar heat 5 / online multiplayer / ovals / racing by Mike

With the new season just getting underway, it seems F1 2020 release has been accidentally well timed. Representing the season Covid won’t allow you to have, Codemasters’ latest effort features the two new circuits and a new mode to express your inner Jack Brabham. Some of the tech is looking […]

F1 2020 – PS4 Review

July 11, 2020 in PS4 / Reviews tagged cars / codemasters / esports / f1 2020 / formula 2 / formula one / motorsport / online multiplayer / racing / team management / time trial by Mike

Now I’ve done it. I’ve opened the Pandora’s box on visual novels now and another one has been sent my way. It’s not a genre I’ve ever been enamoured with but at least A Summer With the Shiba Inu offers a decent mystery on paper. It’s a genre where the […]

A Summer with the Shiba Inu

July 5, 2020 in PS4 / Reviews tagged a summer with the shiba inu / dogs / military laser tag / mystery / narratively-driven / quill game studios / spying / visual novel by Mike

You probably know this by now but I’m a sucker for hardcore race sims. There’s something about the act of driving that I want to pursue. Unfortunately, life as a cowardly pedestrian has left me resigned to playing at being a boy racer virtually. More often than not, the good […]

Assetto Corsa Competizione – PS4 Review

June 29, 2020 in PS4 / Reviews tagged assetto corsa competizione / endurance / gr world challenge / hotlap / hotstint / kunos simulazioni / motorsports / racing gt3 / simulation / time trial by Mike