Author Profile
- Username
- BrandonMarlow
- Articles
- 43 (34 reviews)
- First Article
- Sun 22nd, May 2016
- Avg. Review Score
- 6.1
Review Away: Journey to the Unexpected - A JRPG-Roguelike Mashup With Serious Flaws
Going rogue
The roguelike genre has exploded in popularity in recent years with titles like Rogue Legacy acting as a shining example of what games in that style can be. One of the great things about Rogue Legacy is that you can tackle its four bosses in any order, allowing for enormous amounts of freedom. Away: Journey to the Unexpected is a game...
Review Portal Knights - Likeable Minecraft-Esque Action RPG
Knight and day
It's no surprise that a global phenomenon like Minecraft has inspired countless other games in a similar style. Portal Knights is another title that borrows Minecraft's blocky art style and crafting system, but it manages to put a fresh spin on many things and in some ways outdoes those that have come before it. The most obvious way...
Review NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 - A Disappointing Sequel
Alley-oops
In 2017, NBA Playgrounds came out of nowhere and slam dunked its way onto the PlayStation 4, giving basketball fans a solid alternative to the ultra-realistic simulation the NBA 2K series offers. It was something we hadn’t seen since NBA Jam’s last entry in 2010, and while it wasn’t perfect it did provide a lot of fun. It seems that...
Review WWE 2K19 - The New King of the Ring
The crown jewel
Much like the WWE’s actual touring schedule, the WWE 2K series never stops. This lineage of games has been releasing every single year since WWF SmackDown on the original PlayStation in 2000. As a result, each entry has started to become mostly iterative rather than radically different, as all annual sports games eventually become...
Basketbawl
When it comes to sport simulation video games, it’s clear that EA Sports is king. It has the crown in just about every major sport, and this was the case for many years with its NBA Live series. Live was the standard bearer for close to 15 years, but during the jump from the PlayStation 2 to the PlayStation 3, it began to lose its grip,...
Find a new slant
It gets lonely at the top. The NBA 2K franchise has been the undisputed king for almost a decade now when it comes to virtual basketball. Long gone are the days of being the plucky underdog who scrapped for years, slowly but surely chipping away at EA’s vast, seemingly untouchable, video game sporting kingdom. NBA 2K is now the...
Review Adventure Time: Pirates of the Enchiridion (PS4)
A pirate's life for me
Adventure Time has been a juggernaut series for Cartoon Network since debuting way back in 2010. Its 10-season run is about to come to an end, and over this span the escapades of Finn the Human and Jake the Dog have spawned six video game entries covering a wide variety of genres. The latest entry, Adventure Time: Pirates of...
Review Super Bomberman R (PS4)
Bombs away
With over 30 entries in the Bomberman series, you’d be excused for thinking the formula would be getting stale and running out of ideas. However, Super Bomberman R proves that there are still a few tricks up those bomb-filled sleeves. Recent years have seen a plethora of spin-offs released, but this year’s entry is a return to the...
As cold as ice
The atmosphere and intrigue of Impact Winter's world are truly gripping, and developer Mojo Bones has sculpted an environment that's begging for an incredible gameplay experience to take place within it. This aura alone is enough to make this title engrossing for the first couple of hours, but unfortunately, the gameplay is not nearly...
Review Way of the Passive Fist (PS4)
Wayward fist
The side-scrolling beat-'em-up is a genre that has been around for almost as long as video games have existed. Countless games have been released in this style to the point where coming up with something that feels original and unique is almost impossible. However, Household Games Inc found a distinctive spin to put on this tried and...
Review Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth - Hacker's Memory (PS4)
Hacked up
Since 1999, the Digimon franchise has had a constant presence in the video game industry, with dozens of entries in all different genres. However, 2015’s Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth put the franchise back on the map, surprising both fans and newcomers to the series with how well crafted it was. Media Vision has returned to the series...
Ben not-quite-10
Ben 10 first hit television screens way back in 2005 and quickly became a smash hit for Cartoon Network, spawning three spin-off series, four movies, and eight games. It centres around Ben Tennyson, a boy who discovers a watch called the Omnitrix which allows him to turn into various aliens. The franchise had been dormant since...
Be like everyone
Wrestling fans across the globe had high hopes for the WWE video game franchise when the license was acquired by 2K Games, believing that with a fresh and more reputable publisher at the helm they would finally get the game they had always dreamed of. Unfortunately, since the franchise has moved to the PlayStation 4 it has been a...
Review The LEGO NINJAGO Movie Video Game (PS4)
Brick breaker
The LEGO franchise has been a dominant presence in the video game realm for a while now, but only recently has it begun dipping its toes into movies. The LEGO NINJAGO Movie Video Game combines both worlds, simultaneously debuting its ninja franchise on the big screen as well as the PlayStation 4. With well over a dozen games based on...
Game of many colours
Republished on Wednesday 27th September 2017: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of October's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Puzzle games often have a serious problem with striking an even balance between being challenging and fun. Too often...
Review One Piece: Unlimited World Red - Deluxe Edition (PS4)
A pirate's life for me
One Piece, for those who are unfamiliar, is an insanely popular manga and anime series that has been around for over 20 years now, and has received a slew of video games. The series focuses on Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat pirate crew as he strives to claim the title of Pirate King. One Piece: Unlimited World Red first...
Review The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II (PS4)
Monster mash
The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing franchise has been releasing regularly on PCs since 2013, but has only just started to reach the PlayStation 4. The first in the series came to the console on the 1st March of this year and was met with a mixed reception. Now, just several months later, The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II...
Leave me alone
Leaving Lyndow is less of a full-fledged game and more of a precursor to Eastshade Studios upcoming game, the aptly named Eastshade – it's a bit like what Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes was to the Phantom Pain. This experience mainly exists to provide context to the full game coming at a later date, as well as serving...
Review Toby: The Secret Mine (PS4)
Mine your manners
Toby: The Secret Mine is a game full of promise and potential, but unfortunately isn't able to reach the lofty heights it strives for. Despite taking clear inspiration from a game that in the past several years has made a serious impact on the puzzle-platform genre, one man developer Lukáš Navrátil isn't able to quite nail the...
Review Skylar & Plux: Adventure on Clover Island (PS4)
Hatchet & Shank
Don't adjust your screen: this isn't a brand new entry into the Ratchet & Clank series you somehow hadn't heard about. Skylar & Plux: Adventure on Clover Island is a 3D platformer that takes a serious dose of inspiration from Insomniac's incredibly successful series. Unfortunately, it's never able to reach the heights of...
Baller?
NBA fans have been spoiled in recent years, being treated to arguably the most accurate virtual sporting experience with the NBA 2K series. However, the rise of realistic sims has seen arcade basketball games become a thing of a bygone era. The 90s were jampacked with these types of games, while the early 2000s saw its fair share of titles...
Review Super Rude Bear Resurrection (PS4)
Not brrrap
2D platformers are an ancient genre, so it can be tough to keep new additions to this category feeling fresh. However, Super Rude Bear Resurrection brings a very interesting mechanic to the table, which sets it apart from the glut of platformers available to gamers these days. What makes Super Rude Bear Ressurection unique compared to...
Outside help
The Inner World is a fun and charming experience set in an imaginative world, but it's held back by a number of all too common flaws of the adventure game genre. You play as the naive Robert, an apprentice who has spent his whole life living in a castle under the watchful eye of Conroy, a wind monk in charge of ensuring wind continues...
Review Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey (PS4)
The Fast and the Firis
The Atelier series is one of the longest running and most prolific Japanese role-playing game franchises, with Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey being the 18th instalment in the series' 20 year history. Atelier Firis is also, in many ways, the biggest leap forward the series has ever taken, implementing a...
