Review: Asterix at the Olympic Games (Wii) The indomitable Asterix the Gaul first appeared in 1959 and has been defying Julius Caesar and the Roman Empire ever since. Asterix’s comic book adventures took him throughout the Ancient World and now he has found his way onto the Wii. Asterix at the Olympic Games follows Lovestorix(…)
Games
Game Review: Aliens Vs Predator Requiem
Review: Aliens Vs Predator Requiem (PSP) One of the great mysteries in Hollywood is why two legendary sci-fi creations – Aliens and Predators – cannot be put together in a memorable film. So far there have been two attempts at this but, alas, a director is yet to find that winning formula. Both the Alien(…)
Game Review: Shadow of the Beast II
Shadow of the Beast II (Amiga) This one takes me back. It’s one of my earliest gaming memories. I can still picture the ridiculously huge box Shadow of the Beast II came in along with a T-shirt. This side-scrolling platform game is one of the most difficult I have ever encountered. So much so that there(…)
Game Review: King of Fighters XII
Review: King of Fighters XII (PS3) The latest installment of King of Fighters comes in honour of the series’ 15th birthday and has already divided the critics. Entering the competitive market of fighting games, King of Fighters XII proves to be both rewarding and at times frustrating. There is no story or background to King(…)
Game Review: Beneath a Steel Sky
Beneath a Steel Sky (Amiga) Point and click adventures were never better than the Monkey Island series though there were many competitors that tried to steal the crown from the hapless pirate, Guybrush Threepwood. Amongst the serious rivals was Beneath a Steel Sky, a dystopian adventure set in a futuristic Australian city. I remember owning(…)
Game Review: Super Smash Bros Brawl
Review: Super Smash Bros Brawl (Wii) Mario and Bowser lock horns in a fierce battle but unfortunately it looks like evil is going to prevail. Suddenly, a handy light saber falls from the sky, Mario grabs it and unleashes a series of strikes Luke Skywalker would have been proud of before sending Bowser hurtling off(…)
Game Review: Apidya
Review: Apidya (Amiga) I used to love the horizontal-scrolling shooters. My earliest memory of these games was playing R-Type on the Atari ST. I was useless at that game but it never stopped me playing it. Back in the Amiga days I recall debate about what was the best of these horizontal-scrolling shooter games. The(…)
Game Review: Rainbow Islands
Review: Rainbow Islands (1990) One of my earliest memories of playing games back on the Amiga in the early nineties was Rainbow Islands. This sequel to Bubble Bobble was released as an arcade game in 1987 and founds its way onto the Amiga in 1990. Looking back it had the same simplicity as it predecessor(…)
Game Review: Shadow of Memories
Review: Shadow of Memories (PS2) Time travel has always been a popular theme whether it’s Michael J Fox leaving a trail of burning tyre prints in Back to the Future or Tom Cruise scouring the timelines for would be criminals in Minority Report. In 2001 Konami released Shadow of Memories, which explored not only the(…)
Game Review: Treasure Island Dizzy
Review: Treasure Island Dizzy (1988) Back in the days when I was playing on the humble but brilliant Amiga I recall a day out with my mother, grandmother and brother. I couldn’t tell you where we went, perhaps the coast, but we ventured into a market at one point and from a very small games(…)
Game Review: Blood Bowl
Review: Blood Bowl (X360) Blood Bowl takes the basis of American Football into a fantasy world where careers are ended not just through injury but death on the pitch. Adapted from the board game first produced by Games Workshop in 1987, Blood Bowl has already divided the critics but it does offer both positive and(…)
Game Review: Premiere
Review: Premiere (1992) Is it really 20 years since this game was released? There’s nothing like an anniversary to make you feel your age and nostalgic at the same time. Core Design released this platform game based around movies to generally favourable responses but two decades on does it still retain and of that previous(…)
Game Review: Farm Frenzy 3
Review: Farm Frenzy 3 (PC) Anyone who has ever believed that farmers have an easy life could learn a lot from Farmer Frenzy 3. Combining many aspects of the agricultural life into 95 intense levels, this game is a great test of your reactions and decision making. The story begins with a renowned farmer, Scarlett,(…)
Game Review: Pang
Pang a.k.a. Buster Bros (1990) How do you summarise Pang? Well, it’s one or two players, there are some balloons terrorising the world and it’s down to you to burst them with harpoons and things. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? You might even be thinking that’s a terrible idea, but back in 1990 on the Amiga(…)
Game Review: Tomb Raider
Review: Tomb Raider (PS1) I don’t recall the day when I first heard about Tomb Raider but I do remember the fascination many gamers had with Lara Croft. Personally, I couldn’t understand an infatuation with a computer game character but beyond the appeal of Lara Croft, Tomb Raider sounded like a game worth trying. Playing(…)
Game Review: Midnight Resistance
Midnight Resistance (1989) I first came to own Midnight Resistance by chance. Returning a faulty game to Microfun, which once traded in Barnsley, my mother asked the staff to recommend a game for her juvenile son (that’s me by the way!) and they picked Midnight Resistance. What a good choice it turned out to be(…)
Game Review: Final Fantasy X
Review: Final Fantasy X (PS2) My first taste of Final Fantasy came in 1998 with Final Fantasy VII. That was superseded by Final Fantasy VIII which remains my favourite game to this day. Final Fantasy IX soon followed and though it was superb it wasn’t up to the standards of the previous two instalments. Final(…)
Game Review: Head Over Heels
Head Over Heels (1987) I remember playing Head Over Heels when I was still at primary school. It was full of complex puzzles and frequent hazards to kill the two heroes. It was a game I never finished so the chance to go back 25 years later (that doesn’t sound right!) was too good an(…)