The Game Guy

Game: Crayola Scoot Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Windows Played On: Xbox One Price: £24.99 Available on Xbox Game Pass: No I decided to spend lockdown playing quite a few video games as you’d imagine, hopefully by the time you’re reading this the lockdown is very much a memory but if not, join me in finding out if this video game made by a crayon company is any good?? I played Crayola Scoot, a 2018 release developed by Climax Studios and published by Outright Games LTD. I will admit I got this game on sale at a pretty reasonable £5 but I will be scratching that from my mind as always and review the game as if it was full price. I load up the game and a little to my surprise it looks pretty good. You can customise your character (granted there aren’t a million customisation options) but still there’s enough choice there. And again this game doesn’t look bad at all, graphically this game is smashing any expectation I had which is a nice surprise with ga...

Game: F1 2020 Available On: Xbox One, PS4, Windows, Google Stadia Played On: Xbox One Price: £44.99 Available on Xbox Game Pass or PS Now: No Sim Racing. Maybe this wasn’t even something you knew existed before lockdown, but if you enjoy formula one even as the most casual fan, you’ll be well aware of the phenomena it became. With the real drivers unable to race, a virtual series involving them became one of the big hits of no sport period of us all being stuck indoors. This led to the timely release in July of F1 2020, developed and developed by Codemasters. Much like FIFA, Madden or a 2k game, F1 is normally a yearly release and coming to the end of last decade, these games were going from strength to strength and improving quite rapidly year on year, and after last years massive reworking on the AI, this year saw the ambitious addition of a my team, where you become a teams owner/driver and build your own formula one team from the ground up as well as having all the other...

Game: House Flipper Available On: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Windows, Mac Played On: Xbox One Price: £24.99 (Xbox) £19.99 (PS4) Available on Xbox Game Pass or PSnow?: No Have you ever watched those shows on reality tv channels that come in around mid day? You know the ones, someone finds an old dilapidated, run down house and magically decide to turn it into something amazing on a shoestring budget, all in the space of a week and sell it for massive profit. The ones that are clearly scripted and the people in the shows have clearly done no work at all, you know the ones. Well how about a game that’s basically that?? This is house flipper, a 2018 release developed by Empyrean and published by Frozen District, PlayWay and Merge Games. Quick one, I have played this game briefly on pc but today I’ll be reviewing the console version. The objectives of the game are simple, it’s in the title, but houses, do them up and sell them for profit, what could be easier? Ag...

Game: Toybox Turbos Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Windows Played On: Xbox 360 Price: £7.99 Available on Xbox Game Pass: No Today I played the free offering from the Xbox Games with Gold scheme for April and downloaded Toybox Turbos, a 2014 real was developed and published by Codemasters. To be honest I wasn’t expecting anything truly exceptional but it was free and I’m in lockdown so I thought why not?? I might as well play it then I can at least bring a small amount of content to you! I know, you’re all incredibly lucky. The game we have here is a call back to the old Micro Machines game on PS1 and Nintendo 64, curiously they were also developed by Codemasters and it was a game I used to own and have played and I have to say I thought it was amazing. So really this leads me to a question, why have they made a game, almost identical to a previous title they own but not made a remake?? The game was good enough. As much as I love remakes and think there’s plenty of gam...

Game: Island Saver Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Windows Played On: Xbox One Price: Free!! (There is an extra level available for £3.99 if you want it) Available on Xbox Game Pass or PS now: No Have you ever wondered what would happen if a British bank wanted to make a kids game about recycling and the environment all while teaching the importance of saving money and the risk of loans?? You did?? Well then I have a treat for you, this is Island Saver, a 2020 release developed by Stormcloud Games and published by NatWest, yes that NatWest. I came across this game thanks to watching a twitch streamer (Brownman) playing it and it peaked my curiosity, and as it cost me nothing I thought why not, it’s something free in these harder times. Plus it gives me something to write about. Some of you may be aware of a little game called Slime Rancher, and if not, this game has a very similar mechanics in that you have a sucker/blower gun and you suck up rubbish lik...

Game: Minecraft Dungeons Available On: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Windows Played On: Xbox One Price: £16.74 Available on Xbox Game Pass or PSnow: It’s on Game Pass Look at me being all current and trendy for a change, bit of a difference from last time when I reviewed a game made in late noughties, oh no, I’m coming right up to date and playing new a game that came out a mere few days ago. Yes it’s Minecraft Dungeons, the 2020 release developed by Majong Studios and Double Eleven and published by Xbox Game Studios. The fact that this is made by Microsoft and on so many platforms hopefully shows a bit of progress in the stupid and tiring console war, just play on whatever platform you like, it’s all good. I never really thought I’d need a Diablo esque style game set in the universe of Minecraft but here we are and I’m playing it. I remember seeing it’s reveal at E3 and sort of taking note as that being something to look out for but not much else. A cynical part...

Game: Lego Star Wars 2: The Original Trilogy Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Xbox, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, PSP, Gameboy Advance Player On: Xbox 360 Backwards Compatible: Yes Price: £11.99 Available on Xbox Game Pass: No Another little gift from Microsoft, this game cost me nothing with the Games with Gold scheme so I thought why not? We have Lego Star Wars 2: The Original Trilogy, the 2006 release developed by Traveller’s Tales and published by LucasArts and TT Games Publishing. This was only the second themed Lego game made (after Lego Star Wars: The Video Game) and rather unsurprisingly follows the antics from episodes iv, v and vi. I have sort of been wanting to get this game anyway as I have set a personal goal of perfecting all the licensed Lego games, sadly I can’t do the first Lego Star Wars (as it didn’t reach Xbox 360) but that still gives me 29 games to perfect. I’ve already completed 2 (The Complete Saga and Indiana Jones) so finding this one costing me n...

Thought I’d try something a bit different today. We seem to live in a world of nostalgia, a real wanting for the good old days in everything it seems. ‘TV is terrible’ ‘kids don’t go outside anymore’ ‘things aren’t made like they’re used to’ and I thought I’d tap into that. I love a remake, if it’s done well, and the success of the Crash Bandicoot and Spyro remasters in the last few years have brought through a whole host of older titles getting the HD remake or being brought to new consoles. With no signs of slowing as this summer we will get a dusting off of Destroy All Humans and Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom, let’s see, what in my opinion (I can’t stress that enough), should be brought into 4K (Small disclaimer, all the games can’t have been announced to be remastered like the potential remasters of the Mario games Nintendo recently announced. This is a list of games I’d love to see, however rumoured games with no official announcement do make the list) No....

Game: Totally Reliable Delivery Service Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Windows, MAC, Android Played On: Xbox One Price: £12.49 Available on Xbox Game Pass: Yes Another day, another physics based game. I’ve seen a few gameplay videos and was intrigued by what I was seeing, so was pleasantly surprised to see that this game had been put on Game Pass for it’s console release. Totally Reliable Delivery Service is a 2019 game developed by We’re Five Games and Published by TinyBuild Games. So let’s see if this game is really as fun as it looks. Physics based games have been on the up recently. Titles like Human Fall Flat and Gang Beasts really started putting them on the map. They use a very simple formula and that’s by giving the game ridiculous physics then comedy is almost assured as your character will be flailing and flopping without even trying. Add to it something simple (like delivering packages) and in theory you’ll strike gold. As I’ve said, after ...

Game: Banjo-Kazooie Platforms: Nintendo 64, Xbox 360, Xbox One (as part of Rare Replay) Played On: Xbox 360 Price: £9.99 (Xbox 360 - will vary for other platforms) Available on Xbox Game Pass: Yes It’s a classic, I decided it was time I finally played the 1998 hit Banjo-Kazooie, Developed by Rare and published of course by Nintendo. Now obviously if you’ve read the bit above I’m actually playing the Xbox Live Arcade version released 10 years later in 2008 by Microsoft, Developed by 4J Studios. So I’m sorry for you purists out there but it was on Game Pass and at this point I’d been locked up for a week. For the purposes of trying not to anger people, I’m reviewing just the 360 remake, not the original version. Now I have to go a little bit further back into the past and talk about the original console wars between the Nintendo 64 and it’s cartridges and the PlayStation with it’s discs. I was a PlayStation owner, that was the console bought for 6 year old me, you didn’t get a...

Game: Train Sim World 2020 Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Windows Played On: Xbox One Price: £24.99 Available on Xbox Game Pass: Yes Lockdowns got to me a little bit I can’t lie, but with me being indoors a lot more means I obviously have more time to play games. But I still wanted to get out, go to work but I can’t do that with my normal 9-5 at this time so instead I’ve taken up the job of train driver... virtually of course. This week I’ve been playing Train Sim World 2020 developed and published by Dovetail Games. I will say I’m just reviewing the main game here which takes place on the Great Western Railway if anyone was interested. I said a few reviews back that there truly is a sim game for everyone now and train sim is probably one the originals, be it in a computer or even on a mobile phone, most of us would have seen a version of a train sim. Granted you all might be wondering how bored I must be to play an incredibly detailed game that revolves around driving ...

Game: Human Fall Flat Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch Played On: Xbox One Price: £11.99 Available on Xbox Game Pass: Yes Again I return to a game that’s been sitting on my Xbox for a long, long time. I must admit I’ve been lucky that this has stayed on Xbox Game Pass for so long, but I’m not complaining. What we have is Human Fall Flat, the 2016 physics based puzzle platformer developed by the Lithuanian based No Brakes Games and published by Curve Digital. This games been on my radar for quite some time after seeing a few gameplay videos years ago, at that point it was just on PC and at no point, I feel, had any intention on transferring over to console, but the charm of this game was very apparent from just watching it being played and was obviously very entertaining for those playing, this thrusting it into the limelight and garnering a sort of cult gathering. Fast forward 12 months and it’s released on console, another 12 months...

Game: Two Point Hospital Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch Played On: Xbox One Price: £34.99 Available on Xbox Game Pass: Yes Who remembers Theme Hospital?? That amazing game with punny illnesses that you had to cure?? Am I old?? It was good alright. Here with have it’s spiritual successor Two Point Hospital, a 2018 release developed by Two Point Studios and Bulldog Productions and published by Sega and EA that has just been released on console, and on Xbox Game Pass no less, so of course I downloaded it, how couldn’t I? Most people have played these games, The Sims being the obvious gateway drug into more niche titles like Theme Park World or Zoo Tycoon, as well as the previously mentioned Theme Hospital. We’re well aware how they work, like most games of this type you have to manage a number factors whilst making money and becoming successful and hitting certain goals. They’re the sort of game you think you’ll play for an hour and end...

Game: Call of Cthulhu Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Windows Played On: Xbox One Price: £34.99 (Although massively cheaper second hand) Available on Xbox Game Pass: No Yet again I’m taking the cheap way out and playing this months Games with Gold available with Xbox Live (what’s a guy to do, gamings an expensive hobby) and I’ve picked up Call of Cthulhu, available free till mid-March. This is the 2018 release developed by Cyanide and Saber Interactive and published by Focus Home Interactive and is based on the short by H.P Lovecraft. As always there might be a few minor spoilers. Now this is billed as merely a survival game but to me, this is a horror game but that is purely based on me being a whimp (I’ve been looking at Outlast on my Xbox for well over a good few years) But also there’s some obvious tropes as we load up the game. We are greeted with the classic brightness menu with a scary symbol we need to keep barely visible, we have epic art with t...

Game: Dear Esther: Landmark Edition Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, OS X, Windows Played On: Xbox One  Price: £7.99 Available on Xbox Game Pass: No Well then, this games been on my Xbox for around 3/4 years at this point, just sitting there, waiting for me to play it, and in my new purge of games that have been on my console too long, this week we have the 2012 offering from The Chinese Room and Curve Digital. I had heard very good things about this game but I went in cautious, ‘walking simulators’, as they’re now popularly called, can be a bit hit or miss for me. I am a fan of the genre and have played some very good ones and some truly dull games. Now to start with I’m aware how this game is the innovator, this is the game that kick started the whole genre. I do find the attraction of open worlds with a story hidden within to normally be engrossing, games like ‘What Remains of Edith Finch’ and ‘Gone Home’ do this very well, rewarding exploration with littl...

Game: Bridge Constructor Portal Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Linux Played On: Xbox One Price: £11.99 Available on Xbox Game Pass: Yes Can a basic concept that’s been around on flash games for many years, make it over to console and be a fun game? That’s the question I gave my self this week when I played Bridge Constructor Portal. A 2017 release by ClockStone and published by Headup Games. This game started life out as a mobile and desktop game, so with me playing the Xbox One version released a few months later in 2018, how does it hold up to console controls?? That’s why I installed it to find out. Now puzzle games in the form of bridge builders is nothing new, I remember many an IT lesson where I’d have a tab open on a flash game where I’d have to get something from one side to the next by constructing a bridge over, rather than doing my work. Probably why I’m writing reviews rather than something more importan...