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a-train:-all-aboard!-tourism-review-–-a-fun-transport-sim-in-need-of-better-tutorials VG247

A-Train: All Aboard! Tourism review – a fun transport sim in need of better tutorials

April 7, 2021VG247

The Switch’s entry in the A-Train series won’t be for everyone, but if you can push past its complexities, there’s much to enjoy.A-Train is one of those video game series that I wish had a more consistent path to localization. While over the years things like niche Japanese RPGs have gotten better at eventually surfacing with English-language versions, this little strategy simulation franchise has remained spotty at best.A-Train, or ‘Let’s Take the A-Train’ as its Japanese name actually translates, is basically a business simulation franchise in the vein of the finest PC efforts. It so fits into that definition, in…

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evil-genius-2-review Rock,Paper,Shotgun

Evil Genius 2 review

March 29, 2021RockPaperShotgun

The lair is on fire. A generator just exploded. A superspy has infiltrated the vault. This is Evil Genius 2 at its most hectic, a game of base-building and minion management, with a bit of tower defense thrown in. In true supervillain style, this game has two dramatically different faces. One reveals a handsomely animated base-building game of trap-setting and floor-planning, with a fun theme, appropriately silly voice-acting and plenty of panicked fire-fighting. The other shows a gurning numbers game, a stubborn goblin of timers and clicky icons, withholding resources and chuckling. I like one of these faces a lot…

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yakuza-6:-the-song-of-life-review Rock,Paper,Shotgun

Yakuza 6: The Song Of Life review

March 26, 2021RockPaperShotgun

After I completed Yakuza 6: The Song Of Life, I don’t think I recovered for weeks. It was almost new year’s day, and I watched as it faded to black, the roll of the credits followed by the tinkle of piano. It hit me then: that was it, Kiryu’s chapter had come to a close. As the music swelled, I remember thinking about all the great times I had shared with my buff boy. “Man, what a journey”, I thought to myself, “but what a send-off.” And now I’ve revisited the action-RPG on PC, I’m not surprised at my response….

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spacebase-startopia-does-exactly-what-it-needs-to Rock,Paper,Shotgun

Spacebase Startopia does exactly what it needs to

March 26, 2021RockPaperShotgun

Nostalgia is a dangerous beast, as I’m sure you all know already. Like a lot of people, I have almost pathologically fond memories of the original Startopia, a management sim about running a donut-shaped space station (so in this case, the nostalgia beast is some kind of tentacled monster that lives in a space bin and eats robots). Any reboot, sequel or remake of Startopia has a lot of built-in good will, but also a lot of rose-tinted expectations to meet. Spacebase Startopia is not technically a sequel to – or indeed a remaster or remake of – the Startopia…

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genesis-noir-review Rock,Paper,Shotgun

Genesis Noir review

March 26, 2021RockPaperShotgun

If malevolent aliens were designing a Matrix-style simulation to break my spirit, it would culminate in a house party. The party would be underwhelming at most. But then, in the kitchen at 3am, with only warm Tizer and Beefeater Gin left to drink, I would be cornered by a man determined to tell me all about jazz, film noir, and the formation of the universe. At 5am, he would move on to magical realism, and I would begin, stoically, to eat my own hands. There’s nothing wrong with any of these things, of course. But they are frequently used as…

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monster-hunter-rise-review-|-big-monsters-on-the-small-screen VG247

Monster Hunter Rise review | Big monsters on the small screen

March 23, 2021VG247

In Monster Hunter Rise, the Rampage comes at you fast. With a face full of Pukei-Pukei poison and a sumo-wrestling hippo belly-bopping my front door to pieces, my hunter glacially lifts an antidote to his lips just in time to see two more monsters scale the fence in search of mischief. Maybe it’s just not my day. Built from the ground-up for Nintendo Switch with Capcom’s RE Engine, Monster Hunter Rise is a condensed experience, but not necessarily a reduced one, ticking all of the necessary boxes of a modern Monster Hunter, while scaling back some of the scope to…

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the-new-official-xbox-wireless-headset-is-a-best-in-class-offering-for-the-price VG247

The new official Xbox Wireless Headset is a best-in-class offering for the price

March 16, 2021VG247

Microsoft’s entry into the gaming headset market isn’t perfect, but it’s a very strong offering for the price. The design team behind the new Official Xbox Wireless Headset plainly had two missions: first, to create a best-in-class Xbox headset at a sub-$100 price. But second, and equally important, it also had to be a solid, high-quality multi-purpose headset in general, comfortable to be used with your PC, phone, or whatever other audio tech you might use. It’s not a complete home run, but it’s definitely a very good attempt, and a real contender for one of the best headsets on…

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little-nightmares-2-review-–-little-people,-sizable-fear VG247

Little Nightmares 2 review – little people, sizable fear

February 9, 2021VG247

Some slight pacing and gameplay mechanic issues aside, Little Nightmares 2 is a brilliant sequel that will delight as much as it’ll unnervingly linger.There’s a lot to be said for a game creating a creepy atmosphere. While full-blown horror titles have often tried and failed to really get under my skin, Little Nightmares 2 slowly seeped into my pores. It’s not a game that goes out of its way to shock, its appearance on the surface coming across as rather tame among its horror stablemates, but the nightmares depicted here are truly insidious.Six, the main character from the original game,…

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unto-the-end-review Rock,Paper,Shotgun

Unto The End review

December 8, 2020RockPaperShotgun

Unto The End review A unique, demanding 2D sword fighting game that frustrates as much as it impresses. Developer: 2 Ton Studios Publisher: Big Sugar Release: 9th December On: Windows From: Steam, GOG, Xbox Game Pass For PC Price: $25 Unto The End is a 2D sword fighting game about a little beardy man trying to find his way back home after getting lost hunting a deer. You’ll guide him through gloomy, cramped caves, climbing and exploring and gathering scraps of leather, bone, and healing herbs. And you’ll fight. Lord, you’ll fight. It’s very much a game about sword fights,…

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cyberpunk-2077-review:-complicated,-deep,-perception,-reality VG247

Cyberpunk 2077 Review: Complicated, Deep, Perception, Reality

December 7, 2020VG247

Through the terrible power of 2020, Cyberpunk 2077 has gone from capping off the last generation to being one of the first huge games of the next – as if the expectations weren’t high enough already. Between delays and a hype cycle that’s lasted the best part of a decade at this point, CD Projekt Red has the impossible task of making good on all the blanks filled in by 8 years of eager imaginations. The scale of Cyberpunk 2077 and Night City is vast, as is its level of detail. But at the same time, it’s definitely not what…

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