Seasons After Fall is a beautifully crafted adventure title that changes the gameplay mechanics of a traditional platformer with the use of the four seasons. The story is simple, although the ambiguity of it all works in its favour, as the mysteries slowly come to light. While a few flaws creep into the latter part of the adventure, and there is some repetitive exploration, this is a great title for fans of the puzzle-platforming genre looking for another way to pass a few hours.
VooFoo Studios' free DLC pack Snowbound for Mantis Burn Racing is a handy addition to have. Featuring four new snow-based tracks that can be troublesome to learn, as well as the ever-frenetic 'Spotlight' event, this is a great pack of content. There is plenty of fun to be had here, though it is not for the faint-hearted. There is a reason these tracks are packed into two additional seasons for the Veterans. It isn't supposed to be easy, so coming in with plenty of experience in the earlier races, as well as plenty of upgrades, is required to try to at least contend with the best.
Mantis Burn Racing: Elite Class adds four hovercraft racers to the mix in their own unique season. Race around in the same old tracks, but with added bonuses, such as extremely high speeds, and not having to worry about the surface of the track influencing the tyres or turns. However, the same core mechanics otherwise apply to these racers, as the turned up dial makes the already-frenetic game even more out of control!
It is unfortunate, because the atmosphere that Uncanny Valley conveys in every room, and around the intrigue of the vague story is spooky enough that this could've been a good game. However, the poorly executed gameplay mechanics really lets the title down. Once the game does away with the exploration, and becomes more of a survival horror, the health and gun mechanics fall completely flat, as uninspiring shootouts occur, and Tom more likely than not succumbs to the darkness due to the poor button mapping of reloading and shooting a gun. The story has enough intrigue to get the adventure started, but unfortunately Uncanny Valley just isn't worth it to replay multiple times in order to achieve the different endings.
If Under Pressure was meant to serve as a platform to build up the third episode, then it surely succeeded at that.
Playing as a genie has never been more fun. Shantae: Half-Genie Hero is a wonder to behold, and can be enjoyed by players of all ages.
I and Me looks like a beautifully hand-drawn game that controls quite well. Its fluid movement makes navigating the stages easy, with no mechanical drawbacks. However, the promise of a deep and meaningful story is hurt by the hard-to-read cursive font used to present all the narration, thus losing all the appeal of what is supposed to feel like a haunting tale. Beyond that, though, the stages are pretty easy to figure out and complete, though playing around with the four main mechanics introduced with each new season is fun in itself, and allowing for experimentation strengthens them. The hints that the game offers up actually overstep their mark, and instead they solve the puzzle entirely; however, they hardly need to be used, as I and Me rarely lifts the difficulty metre at all.
Episode Three: More Than a Feeling furthers the intriguing story and takes it to new grounds, thanks in part to the carryovers from the previous episodes' decisions and the heart-breaking story centring on Gamora.
Rock of Ages 2: Bigger & Boulder is a satirical take on historical and mythological figures, and blends them into this weird and wacky tower defence game. Although the tutorial may do a poor job in explaining the mechanics of the game, this is still easy to pick up and understand. However, be prepared for some ruthless beginnings while messing about with the various obstacles to better understand what works. This game is not to be taken too seriously in terms of story and aesthetics, and it is great for a laugh or two, as they serve as a precursor to the amount of tears that come from some clunky boulder mechanics and some awfully hard AI opponents. Go off- or online with two players and have heaps of fun in what is sure to be a great way to pass the time in a not-so-serious environment of pure mayhem and carnage.
Mantis Burn Racing: Battle Cars is a must-have add-on for enthusiastic fans of the original game. If the act of simply racing opponents is beginning to get a bit stale, then throw some machine guns and destructive mines into the mix to turn each race into a total bloodbath. "King of the Track" is a total blast (pun intended) to play and each race can last a while. "Survival" mode is the quicker of the two, as most matches can end in no time. This pack is pure mayhem and a heap of fun to play.
WRC 7 is a commendable rally game that does little to advance the sport on the video game platform. However, that's not to say that it has to be revolutionary to be good. It does provide plenty of adrenaline, filled tracks that span all the real world major events, with plenty of differing conditions and surfaces that are sure to be challenging to master.
Infinite Minigolf is a whimsical take on minigolf that has all the charm that only Zen Studios can bring.
DiRT 4 is a racer that purists need to get. Simply put, the rally driving is incredible to control, as every little movement can derail control of the car.
Although the base story surrounding the Eternity Forge and Hala seemed like it was ready to finally conclude, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series - Episode Four: Who Needs You does its best to drag out that narrative thread. By diverting the story into a seemingly minor "cave escape" sequence, it surprisingly delivers plenty of emotions and ends up becoming quite an important episode in the scheme of things. The same old menial gameplay features here, though, with some uninspiring sequences to endure in order to get to the meaty parts of this character-driven story.
After the up-and-down rollercoaster that has been this season of Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, Episode 5: Don't Stop Believin' has managed to tie together an emotionally-investing story.
While the story can be slow-going due to the sluggish gameplay and technical limitations causes graphical headaches, this is a great way to introduce new people to the wonderful story.
The Universal Classics pack of for Pinball FX3 delivers on three charming film-based tables of the '70s and '80s with Back to the Future, Jaws and E.T. With booming soundtracks to complement the tables, each stage captures the essence of their based-films perfectly. From the magical moments of E.T. to the heart-stopping moments of Jaws, there is a lot to do in each during that great chase for the top of the score leaderboards. While some tables are easier than others, it certainly does not make the experience any less fun, as this pack is a great way to begin the table collections for Pinball FX3.
While it has all the makings of a long-lasting space adventure, Morphite lacks any real emotion in the story it tries to tell, while lacking the denizens to populate the various planets found within. Everything feels quite empty and lifeless, made further haunting by Myrah's need to scan everything on the planet while breaking into temples to steal the rare Morphites that turn out to be…not so rare. This feels more like a concept piece for a brand new title, and it's hard to justify this as a purchase for what it offers currently. The story is bland, the procedural worlds are even blander, and the side-quests are completely broken and poorly maintained.
Although the game is forgiving by banishing cheap deaths to extend gameplay, it doesn't make the puzzles any easier to figure out. Thinking outside the box for illogical solutions to logical puzzles is the way to go, yet it can be frustrating and grating at times.
Caveman Warriors is a cutesy-looking title that is devilishly difficult as a single-player experience. Though still fun to play through, the large wave of enemies can sometimes be a little insurmountable, while the boss fights can vary from easy to defeat to unfairly difficult. However, playing it in local multiplayer seems to be the way to go, as it is more fun to work together in a team and knock away the enemies. It retains the difficulty, though, as dying is for good - until a checkpoint is reached by the surviving members. Unfortunately, the game suffers due to the animation glitches and that dreadful boss glitch that centres on the Cavernator's second encounter. Despite this, Caveman Warriors is still a game that is worth checking out.