There have been quite a few beat 'em ups in recent years, and you can't swing a semi-rotten cat without hitting a zombie/nightmarish creature game. That doesn't mean that the two combined can't be something interesting and special, it just means that its harder to have the title stand out. That's unfortunate, because Final Exam probably won't get the attention it probably deserves.
Read MoreAction
Enslaved Odyssey to the West Premium Edition
Enslaved Odyssey to the West was a criminally underrated title based on the Chinese classic Journey to the West, made popular in the UK by television show Monkey (or Monkey Magic, if you're from the US). Unfortunately, sales seemed to be about as lousy as the reviews, and with the announcement of DmC: Devil May Cry, Enslaved got thrown out by the anti-Ninja Theory crowd. Released on PC for the first time last week, Enslaved has a second chance to thrive in a post-Last of Us world. Will people finally recognise it for the diamond in the rough it always was?
Read MoreLiberation Maiden Review
Goichi Suda (or Suda51, as he's most commonly known) has to be one of the oddest developers in the industry. His games, like Killer7 and No More Heroes, are filled with unique ideas, subversive and absurd writing, and gameplay that isn't exactly the easiest to grasp. Even when he takes a straight-forward approach there's always a little something off, which is exactly the case with his contribution to Level-5's Guild01 game compilation, Liberation Maiden.
Read MoreSaints Row IV Enter The Dominatrix Review
“Too crazy for Saint's Row.” That's how the developers at Volition describe the new DLC pack Enter The Dominatrix. Or rather that's how the characters in the game describe their new adventure. Fans of the series know that parts of Saint's Row IV were originally intended to be a DLC pack for Saint's Row III, but there were still a few missions and characters that never made it into SRIV. These scattered missions and incomplete cutscenes have been released in their unfinished state as a DLC pack for Saint's Row IV and the experience is presented in the same way ...
Read MoreBatman Arkham Origins Review
Long before being locked in Arkham Asylum, Batman was a talented, slightly cocky crime fighter just making a name for himself. While he still adhered to his strict code of ethics, he'd never had to really push himself before. He was a thorn in the side of the Gotham underground. He didn't have the protection of the police. He didn't have the respect of the people. He was, to some, a myth.
Read MoreAttack of the Friday Monsters A Tokyo Tale Review
Remember what it was like being a kid? Playing outside, making up weird games with friends, being confused by everything that grown ups do, and having an overactive imagination? If so, good, because that's exactly the nostalgia Japanese developer Millennium Kitchen taps into in Attack of the Friday Monsters! A Tokyo Tale.
Read MoreStreet Fighter X Tekken Review
Street Fighter X Tekken was kind of a big deal when it was first announced, and perhaps even helped the Mortal Kombat remake to herald in a new wave of fighting titles. Along with its companion title, the long presumed dead Tekken X Street Fighter, Street Fighter X Tekken was going to combine two of the biggest names in fighting, dozens of the most recognisable characters, all within a blended style that meant you'd never see the seams. In the end, this worked out rather well. It's still just a fighting game, no different from other entries in the Street ...
Read MoreBugs vs. Tanks Review
Level-5's Guild series is an interesting concept. Released in physical format for the Nintendo 3DS in Japan, both Guild01 and Guild02 contain games developed by famous Japanese developers. Strangely, none of the games go together, and each offers a completely different experience. It's an eclectic assortment of titles, to be sure, and thankfully most are available in the West via the 3DS eShop. All are worth playing, but the worst of the bunch is easily Keiji Inafune's Bugs vs. Tanks.
Read MoreOutlast Review
It's a bit odd that the Resident Evil games have become synonymous with Survival Horror. After all, they're about heavily-armed police officers who kill zombies by the hundreds. Real fear comes from facing an army of unstoppable monsters and not having any means to fight them off. Outlast locks players inside an abandoned mental institution, arms them with just a camcorder, then leaves them to creep around in the darkness, thus combining a horror storyline with stealth gaming mechanics for a genuinely terrifying experience.
Read MoreResident Evil Revelations Review
Resident Evil: Revelations was a hit when it came to 3DS ahead of Resident Evil 6 and the controversy surrounding it. A handheld Resident Evil title that seemed to manage to successfully bridge that gap between the old and the new, the survival horror of our youths and the more action-based focus of today.
Read More