Category: Reviews

Few deny the impressive and surprisingly consistent creativity Nintendo has delivered for more than 40 years, but even within that ecosystem of fun ideas, Rhythm Heaven stands out. The series represents a wonderful and wildly unique collection of concepts that are not beholden to Nintendo’s history and make me happy, proud, anxious, and angry all in equal measure. Groove is not my favorite in the series, but it stands tall alongside the rest to earn permanent placement on my Switch hard drive. If you’re unfamiliar, Rhythm Heaven (and Groove is no exception) is a collection of individual rhythm minigames that…

Gothic 1 Remake review A perceptive modern production of a classic that makes countless subtle improvements while preserving almost everything that matters. Developer: Alkimia Interactive Publisher: Alkimia Interactive, THQ Nordic Release: Out now On: Windows From: Steam, GOG Price: £42/€50/$50 Reviewed on: AMD Ryzen 5 Pro 3400G, Radeon RX 590, 24GB RAM, Windows 10 Old-timey German RPG Gothic had a few spiritual successors, but most were offshoots from the same studio. Thanks to pre-digital distribution limits of 2001, it was obscure in North America, which of course means it never existed. It didn’t even have Mario in. But…

Despite starring a hero clad in red, it’s clear that The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales is a game trying to fill the proverbial green tunic worn by Nintendo’s star swordsman, Link. Between its talking fairy, time-traveling narrative, and arsenal of weapons/puzzle solving tools that includes bombs, a bow, and a boomerang, the comparison is impossible to deny. While it arguably improves on some elements, like its enjoyable combat system, I spent most of my time with Elliot entertained, but never satisfied. Link did it better, but my 25 hours in the land of Philabieldia were pleasant nonetheless. Elliot…

Legendary boxer Marvin Hagler once said, “It’s difficult to get up and do roadwork at five in the morning when you’re sleeping in silk sheets.” While this refers to getting rich through combat sports and therefore losing the work ethic you once had, the notion could also be applied to EA Sports and its lack of competition. The Madden franchise, with its NFL exclusivity, has long drawn the ire of fans for a perceived lack of innovation due to its monopolization of the NFL video game space, and after spending many hours with EA Sports UFC 6, I’m starting to…

It’s surprisingly difficult to recommend one of the best narrative VR experiences, for a few reasons.Before jumping into this review, a brief behind the scenes. This review for Kamitsubaki City Under Construction: Virtual Reality was initially slated to be published in December, to coincide with the game’s release. The title first came to my attention over two years prior at Tokyo Game Show, where I played a snippet of the game’s early story on the show floor and came away impressed at what was being presented. It had ambitious goals too: this was a fully-voiced, expansive 40+ hour musical visual…

Nearly 30 years and now two whole remakes later, Star Fox 64 is still the “animals in airplanes” franchise’s crowning achievement. Not even Shigeru Miyamoto’s efforts with 2016’s Star Fox Zero (which to date marks the last time the word “director” appeared in Miyamoto’s title on a video game) could fully pull the series away from that inescapable N64 memory. This Switch 2 remake is a joyful, updated reminder of why that 1997 game is, in fact, very good and fun, but it also casts a spotlight on the fact that we are long overdue for something – frankly, anything…

Steam Machine specs: CPU: AMD Zen 4 (6 cores / 12 threads) GPU: AMD RDNA 3 (8GB GDDR6) RAM: 16GB DDR5 Storage: 512GB / 2TB NVMe SSD Ports: 2x USB 3.1, 2x USB 2.0, 1x USB-C, 1x microSD, 1x Ethernet, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x HDMI-CEC 2.0 Wireless connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, Steam Controller wireless adapter Dimensions: 152x162x156mm Weight: 2.6kg Ooperating system: SteamOS 3 Price: From £879 / $1049 / €1039 (512GB), £1149 / $1349 / €1359 (2TB) Have to say, it was more fun when the Steam Deck launched. That was a cool thing, afforded the space and the…

A relaxed, accessible VR coloring app built around simplicity, comfort, and low-friction design.The FactsWhat is it?: A VR coloring appPlatforms: Meta QuestRelease Date: 3/30/2026Developer: Sysdia Solutions, LtdPublisher: Sysdia Solutions, LtdPrice: $9.99I sat down planning to spend a few minutes with Outside The Lines VR. About half an hour later, I was still there, quietly coloring on a virtual canvas while everything else around me faded into the background.Moments like that are why I keep coming back to VR.I first came across Outside The Lines VR through a Reddit post from developer Harvey Ball, who was looking for feedback as he…

We visited Japan’s Immersive Journey to try two of these experiences for ourselves.Free-roaming VR and XR experiences feel like a glimpse into the potential of VR beyond gaming as a tool for education or entertainment communally, beyond the solitary experience often found when putting on a headset. VR concerts and fan content, or experiences like the recent Ghost in the Shell exhibition, showcase how you can create a social experience that enhances, rather than detaches, from the real world, bringing people together. Often the thing holding them back is not ambition but practicality. Space, language and scale are all factors…

I got so excited about the thought of One Move Away when I first heard about the Ramage Games title, as it seemed like a puzzle game where you analyze object shapes and get them into small or defined spaces. Sort of like that The Simpsons season 14 episode where, after visiting Rainier Wolfcastle’s garage sale, Homer has to “Tetris” all of the finds into their station wagon. While there is some of that here, it’s really more physics challenge than anything else. And when that comes into play or to the forefront, as it does in the Cam portion…