Mike

About Mike

Mike gets all the racing games because he understands that stuff even though he doesn't drive.
I should probably stop calling this a revival. Beat ’em ups have been back for a while and it’s just become a genre developers are happy to return to. Big Helmet Heroes is the second effort from French outfit Exalted Studios. Expanding on from their similarly titled mobile game, this […]

Big Helmet Heroes – PS5 Review

 in PS5 / Reviews  tagged 2D brawler / Beat em up / belt scroller / big helmet heroes / co-op local multiplayer / combos / exalted studios / french / princess / sheep by
The belt scroller revival has been going on for a few years now. Digital Eclipse seem to be the right people for this work and the likes of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge have beenwarmly received. Following in those footsteps is Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind. This is […]

Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind – PS5 Review

 in PS5 / Reviews  tagged 2d sidescroller / angel grove / Beat em up / belt scroller / giant robots / martial arts / melee combat / mighty morphin power rangers / teenagers / time travel by
Aspyr’s been working hard at remastering Crystal Dynamics’ back catalogue. After the success of the Tomb Raider Remasters, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered is next in line. It’s one of those series I’ve merely glanced at over the years. Playing them in 2024 has made me […]

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered – ...

 in PS5 / Reviews  tagged aspyr / crystal dynamics / cut content / gothic / kain / legacy of kain soul reaver 1 and 2 remastered / melee combat / nosgoth / outtakes / platforming / puzzle solving / raziel / realm shifting / sarafan / vampires by
Another day, another search action game to check out. This time it’s Biomorph from Lucid Dreams Studio. I bet it’s hard to elevate one game within a packed genre. Thankfully, they’ve mostly been up to the task, providing some interesting twists on abilities with some smart choices around map design. […]

Biomorph – PS5 Review

 in PS5 / Reviews  tagged 2d / biomorph / cartoon aesthetic / exploration / graph paper maps / lucid dreams studio / melee combat / metroidvania / search action game / transformation by
When I looked at a trailer for VED, I wondered if it would be for me. I saw dice rolls in an RPG setting and slightly baulked at the idea of reviewing it. Thankfully, VED is an interesting mix of turn-based action with a heavy narrative focused around the discovery […]

VED – PS5 Review

 in PS5 / Reviews  tagged choose your own adventure / corporate espionage / dice rolling / faction warfare / fairies / Fantasy / karaclan / magic / narratively-driven / rpg / turn-based combat / ved by
I’ll always root for a little guy, especially if there’s a good idea on display. Shieldwall is a tactical battle simulator that uses a comedic set of characters to lighten the mood. Nezon Productions are a very tiny team and it’s unfortunate that this size has produced a game with […]

Shieldwall – PS5 Review

 in PS5 / Reviews  tagged ancient warfare / capture the flag / greek / Hero / historical / infantry / nezon productions / real time strategy / roman / shieldwall / squad management / tactical by
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Skautfold‘s been a weird series with something of an identity crisis. Each of Pugware’s games so far have settled in a different genre whilst trying to push forward a narrative about the occult, eldritch horror and colonial conflict. Whilst it does propel an air of mystery about the series, the […]

Skautfold: Into the Fray – PS5 Review

 in PS5 / Reviews  tagged 2d aesthetic / american war for independence / lovecraft / melee combat / Pixel art / pugware / rituals / skautfold into the fray / twin-stick shooter by
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In this climate of almost everything getting remastered, I was not expecting the Playstation 5 release of Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition to do a whole lot for me. I’d played the first game in the series and, whilst it did well to execute on some pretty obvious inspirations, I ran […]

Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition – PS5 Review

 in PS5 / Reviews  tagged darksiders ii deathinitive edition / death / horsemen of the apocalypse / not portal / not zelda / platforming / puzzles / third person melee combat / vigil games by
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Say what you want about remasters, they do present opportunities for cult classics or completely forgotten games to find new life. With the big hitters of the FPS genre largely covered, Nightdive Studios has turned its attention to some of the lesser known 90’s shooters. One such example being Killing […]

Killing Time: Resurrected – PS5 Review

 in PS5 / Reviews  tagged 3do / art deco / Egyptian artefact / first-person shooter / high society / horror / killing time resurrected / nightdive / old school fps / roaring 20's / socialite by
I do love being impressed. In this job, almost everything is new to me but I never get tired of seeing new ideas work brilliantly. Coming from a single developer, Sam Enright has managed to pull together a visually impressive and cohesive universe whilst also providing a smart role-playing experience. […]

Beyond Galaxyland – PS5 Review

 in PS5 / Reviews  tagged 2.5d / adventure / aliens / beyond galaxyland / photography / platforming / puzzles / sam enright / sci fi / space / turn-based rpg by