The cyberpunk science-fiction genre is one frequently misunderstood; its visual trappings of cyborgs, robots and neon cities are a useful visual tool for game design but as a complete genre, much media ignores its themes. Central to cyberpunk is exploring the limits of technology, not in a reductive sense of debates about “playing God” but about considering the effects of progress on society, the effects of modern industrialisation on social class boundaries and most importantly the role of the counterculture and protest movement in a connected, surveillance state. This is where Remember Me stands out – it is a game which, if not breaking new ground in its plot, shows the most capable understanding of its genre. Read the full story »

Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D joins the list of unnecessarily-lengthily-named Nintendo games which I feel conflicted about. It’s also a game which will kick your arse again and again, ever happy to see a tie-wearing gorilla fall to his death. Despite that, it’s possibly my favourite Nintendo platformer right now. Read the full story »

So you’ve rescued your mate Jacob from wandering off towards a romantic tryst in this zombie-filled nightmare and are driving him home, but at the same time no one’s heard from Jack back at the camp, Andy’s pissing everyone off, construction has stopped on the sentry tower and someone let off a gun in the camp, lowering morale. Then your car is almost on fire from slamming into zombies and you have to find a way to hoof it across town without alerting a horde… Read the full story »

London Studios’ Diggs Nightcrawler isn’t designed for adults, forcing lofty old folk to physically get down to a child’s level and sit cross legged on the floor. This isn’t a point of criticism however, as such unabashed commitment to the entertainment of our little’uns is commendable and, in actual fact, the gumshoe adventures of book-worm Diggs Nightcrawler prove to be surprisingly endearing, even for those of us who are a little long in the tooth. Read the full story »

There may not be a videogame name more generic than ‘CastleStorm’. It’s not even that accurate, either. ‘CastleBreak’ is more like it. Perhaps ‘CastleBlowUp’ suits? Crappy naming conventions aside, CastleStorm’s amalgamation of tower defense strategy and Angry Birds’ wanton desire for structural destruction makes a better and more accessible case for itself than its characterless title ever possibly could. Read the full story »