Ken Talbot

“Rusty Rabbit is a standard Metroidvania that doesn't stray far from the formula, but surprises with lots of customisation and light social sim elements. It's worth playing for its protagonist alone (in the Japanese dub at least), a cute rabbit with the stern vocals of Kazama Kiryu.”

“This will be a blast for Gal Gun fans and well worth a try for newcomers. There isn't much beyond the usual Metroidvania trappings, but the build-based combat leaves lots of room for experimentation. Lack of originality aside, a strong imitation can still be an enjoyable experience, and Gal Guardians is never less than a great time. The character-swapping and revive mechanics make solo mode just as engaging as co-op, while the weapon slot system encourages replayability with new builds for Masha and Kirika.”

“An uneven, but ambitious adventure. Caracal has taken ingredients from some key titles and genres, added a brilliant traversal mechanic and cooked up a chilled-out, sci-fi wasteland odyssey. The game's mysterious, drip-fed narrative will keep you intrigued, and every moment spent on the grav board is undeniably enjoyable. Although Cebete may feel overly familiar, its vibrant landscapes and hidden secrets still make it worth exploring.”

“An engaging blend of life sim and detective mystery, On Your Tail has a wonderful setting and great characters. Unfortunately, the overall experience is bogged down by painful load times and debilitating technical issues. The game isn't a graphical powerhouse and the Switch is more than capable of maintaining a stable day in Borga Marina. Here's hoping Memorable can patch in some improvements post-launch so that Diana's search for inspiration feels less like a slog.”

“Omega 6: The Triangle Stars is a small game from a big talent. It's a bit too simplistic at times, lacking any taxing challenges beyond having enough credits and finding the right screen at the right time. However, the comedy is light, the action is breezy, and the combat system is deliberately accessible. Old-fashioned but frequently nodding to newer genre entries, it's a well-designed passion project from an industry legend.”

“With another generous set of remasters, we finally have the complete inaugural generation of a Playstation icon. The ports aren't perfect, but a generous selection of modern options balance out the imperfections of Tomb Raider: Last Revelation and its sequel Chronicles. Having The Angel Of Darkness in a good enough state to revisit might be worth the price alone.”

“Lollipop Chainsaw RePop's zombie-killing mayhem is just as childish, stupid and fun as it was in 2012. This remaster brings with it a streamlined experience and decent visual polish. Unfortunately, RePop suffers from poor optimisation, lapsed musical licenses and an extra mode that brings nothing new to the table. If you can, seek out the original.”

“This remaster treatment faithfully cleans up the visuals, adds some quality-of-life improvements, and stuffs the package with bonus materials, presenting the games at their best, notwithstanding some minor visual bugs.”

“Alas, one big gripe remains for all three titles and that's text size. On handheld, this isn't too much of an issue, but on some displays you'll be squinting to see the dialogue window's contents. This is a holdover from the original PC version of the games and it's a shame that these genuinely great remasters didn't address this.”

“Second is Tetris Time Warp, a new title that sends players through each era of the franchise via special warp blocks. This 2024 version should be played after absorbing all this collection has to offer; only then can you fully appreciate where the Time Warp Tetriminos will take you.”

“The slightly uneven middle child of the trilogy still boasts excellent performance, myriad control options and a crisp soundscape that shines on Switch.”

“For a game that came out on PC almost two decades ago, it looks great on Nintendo's console. Resolution is stable when docked and handheld, with motion smoothing that makes rapid camera movement fluid. Options are plentiful, with copious sliders for controller sensitivity. There’s only a gamma slider for visuals, though, and it would have been helpful to enlarge the tiny text, a strain to read on a large screen.”

“A funny, goofy shooter that ultimately feels just as much of a missed opportunity as it did in 2010. Visual inconsistencies and frustrating mechanics aside, Shadows Of The Damned can still offer a good time for those looking for one, but it's a shame that this remaster doesn't do enough to polish Grasshopper's cult gem and make it palatable to modern audiences.”

“A game that sometimes feels like taking on the legions of hell for real, Kill Knight is not welcoming to those without patience. It's a relentless onslaught that feels overwhelming until you get to grips with a generous and versatile set of abilities. Every attempt to push further into the abyss brings fresh challenges, testing the limits of your fortitude. Failure comes often and easily, but success is exhilarating.”

“Looney Tunes: Wacky World Of Sports' multiplayer can be fun in short bursts, especially if you just want to play a quick round of golf with friends. From a general audio-visual perspective, this is a good franchise representation. As a sports collection, though, it's clunky and frustrating. Playing with others will elevate this, but not by much.”

“Beyond Galaxyland is a well-written, artistically diverse space adventure which mixes several different flavours of RPG with puzzling and semi-open exploration. The story is filled with well-rounded characters and emotional narrative payoffs and, as much as Enright's galactic adventure is a collection of stylistic and mechanical homages, it doesn't feel like a patchwork of fan service. For all its influences and adherence to specific genre execution, Doug's journey through multiple worlds is still very much its own thing.”

“Epic Mickey is still an enjoyable platformer with impeccable artistic talent driving it. The repetitive combat and exploration remains, but the Rebrushed updates go some way to remedying those shortcomings.”

“Yet, despite being well presented, Sunsoft is Back! is a bit bare-bones for a collection. While the three games included do showcase the versatility and charm of the studio's output, there isn’t much content to explore.”

“Gori: Cuddly Carnage's hyper-violent, comic book spin on the character platformer is fun and easy to get to grips with. It's an entertaining ride, though the sheer volume of comedic banter will overwhelm as much as it entertains, and performance issues plague the experience throughout. Otherwise, it just about holds everything together and will no doubt appeal to some. Others may tire of the scattershot humour long before Gori has defeated the Adorable Army.”

“Not since P.T. has PlayStation seen such an effective single location horror experience. With its simple setup, looping story, and inventive scares, Mortuary Assistant is borderline essential for genre fans.”