Super Mario Bros. | Review

Super Mario Bros. is a game that needs no introduction, it's perhaps the most recognisable video game of all time. It's a 2D platformer released on the NES in 1985 and it's among one of the games that popularised the platforming genre on home consoles.

Everyone knows who Mario is, everyone knows what he does, everyone knows the music and most people who are avid gamers know the first levels of this game inside out. Having said that, a lot of people (that aren't avid gamers or that simply don't play retro games) may not have actually played the original game and those that have may not have played it to completion. So this review is going to talk about the game as a complete entity and give an opinion on whether the game holds up today, or whether it's dated and should be left as naught but a pleasant memory.

My Top 10 Highlights of E3 2016 | List

This is a list of my top 10 highlights of E3 2016, the list is about games which have either been announced or have previously been revealed and just expanded on at the event. This year has been one of the strongest ever for Sony and because of that a lot of the games on the list are from that conference, however there are also quite a few from the other conferences too. All in all it's been a really good year for E3, with a lot of games being announced, a lot of actual gameplay being shown, a lot of release dates given and a lot of unexpected shocks. Anyway, without further ado, here's the list, starting from my least anticipated to most anticipated.

Doom II (PlayStation) (Part Two) | Review

This is the second part of my review of Doom on the PlayStation, the first part is available by clicking 'here' if you haven't already read it (I highly recommend reading the first part before this).

As I mentioned in part one, the PlayStation port of Doom also features Doom II, so rather than look at both games in one review, I decided to split them up into two parts because they are technically two different games (at least their original PC versions were). This review is a lot shorter than the first part due to the fact that I went into a lot of detail with the mechanics of the first Doom in part one of my review and most of these mechanics are the same in Doom II.

But here, to celebrate the release of Doom (2016), is the second part of my review of Doom for the PlayStation, this time focusing on the Doom II section.

Doom (PlayStation) (Part One) | Review

This is a review of the PlayStation port of the original Doom (originally released in 1993, and ported to the PlayStation in 1995, making it a very early PlayStation game). With the new Doom game being released tomorrow, I decided to go back to the series' roots and try out the classic Doom experience.

This will be my first review which has been split into two parts (the second part will be released tomorrow to celebrate the release of the new Doom), this is because the PlayStation Doom is actually both the first Doom (well it's actually Ultimate Doom, which contains the forth episode added to the original version of Doom after it's initial release) and Doom II. This first part focuses on the first Doom and the second part is all about Doom II (which, before writing this review, I had never played).

I'm going to warn you, this is quite a long review. My reviews do tend to be quite long, but this one has an excuse because; A: It's technically two games in one and B: I feel like it deserves it. It is probably one of the most well designed first person shooters of all time and let's face it, it's Doom and Doom deserves nothing less than a long review!

Tenchu: Stealth Assassins | Review

I really enjoy stealth games, Metal Gear Solid is one of my favourite game series of all time and Hitman: Blood Money is up there in my favourite games too. Unfortunately in the grand scheme of things, there aren't that many pure stealth games, and good ones are even harder to come by.

I've been looking for a new one sink my teeth into and came across a series called Tenchu. I already have some pre-existing knowledge of the Tenchu series having played Tenchu Z on the Xbox 360 and I remember it being relatively good although somewhat forgettable. But after sending Tenchu Z to the back of my mind, I decided to go back to where the series started on the PlayStation and see if the Tenchu series is something I've been missing out on, or if it's just another game to throw onto the mediocre pile.

Ty the Tasmanian Tiger | Review

3D platformers are quite a rarity today, and it's a shame because they can be awesome and highly influential too, just look at Super Mario 64 and the acclaim that surrounds it. Even though they have a tendency to be simplistic in terms of gameplay mechanics and story, they are just fun, rewarding and challenging to play. Because of my passion for 3D platformers, I'm always on the lookout for new ones to try.

One particular series I missed out on was Ty The Tasmanian Tiger (as you can tell by the name of my blog, I can appreciate the use of alliteration). Ty has recently been getting some attention in the gaming world because of the upcoming remake of the original game (I say upcoming, it's actually on PC now, but in 'Early Access', meaning it's in a unfinished state, but is playable and available to buy). So I thought, why not revisit the original PS2 version of the game, and see what it's like.

15 Things I Want From the New Nintendo Console: Codename NX | List

For those that don't know, Nintendo have been working on a successor to the Wii U for quite some time now, but not very much information at all is known about it (beyond the fact it's codename is the NX). This has obviously led to people speculating as to what the console is, how it will work and what games will be on it. I would assume that Nintendo have a lot to say about the NX at this year's E3 event, but for now, I thought I would throw some of my thoughts onto the table. So below is a list of things (in no particular order) I want to see from Nintendo's new console.

Robotron: 2084 | Review

Robotron: 2084 is a 2D top down shooter originally released in arcades in 1982, it's also an early entry into the 'Bullet Hell' sub-genre. Bullet Hell games differ from standard top down shooters by featuring a lot of enemy projectiles darting around the screen at the same time, making it difficult for the player to avoid getting hit and thus avoid dying.

So, why am I reviewing this game now you ask? Well, a homage to Robotron: 2084 was recently included in the Fallout 4 DLC, 'Automatron', as a holotape game you can use on your in-game personal computer. After playing Automatron (the holotape game), I wanted to go back and play the game it was inspired by.

My Top 10 Best Platformers of the 7th Generation | List

During the seventh generation of games consoles (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii), there was a resurgence in the amount of platformers (particularly 2D platformers) being made. This probably started at around the time Braid and Bionic Commando: Rearmed came out on the Xbox Live Arcade, and were actually quite big hits. Nowadays, we can get a platformer from Steam, Xbox Live or the PlayStation Store easily because there are quite a lot to choose from, but back then it was slightly different.

Because of this resurgence, the seventh gen actually had quite a lot of very good platformers, and this list compiles my favourite ten. There are probably some platformers I haven't played, but I've played most of the popular ones and quite a few lesser known ones too. But obviously the ones I haven't played (or haven't played a lot of) won't be on this list.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD | Review

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD is the newest game in the The Legend of Zelda franchise, or rather, it's the newest remaster of an older Zelda game. Twilight Princess was released in 2006 on Gamecube and Wii to universal acclaim, and now on it's 10 year anniversary, we have a HD remaster on the Wii U. Rather than focusing on the game itself, this review will primarily be about what makes Twilight Princess different from other Zelda titles and what's new in the HD version. By now we all know (and if you don't, you should know) how Zelda games are structured, so I won't be going into that here.

So let's start by talking about the HD remaster and the differences to the original. The most obvious difference which slaps you in the face the moment you turn the game on, is that the graphics are now HD. The game looks fantastic, it's clearer than the original versions (they were blurry to hide the bad draw distances caused by hardware limitations) and all the character and environment models and textures have been upgraded. I didn't come across a single thing in the game I thought looked bad.