Tomb Raider - Review

Survival is very much the word that has been thrown around as this reboot of the Tomb Raider franchise approached. This was to be a game in which a rookie Lara Croft struggled to survive much more gruelling and garish challenges than the plundering of tombs. Yet the word survival can also be applied to what has happened to the Tomb Raider franchise as an entity. At the beginning of this generation Lara began struggling to maintain gamer’s interest. The Tomb Raider games, continuing to produce the same mix of old school platforming with over the top set pieces and a colourful, unrealistic art style, were overshadowed amid large numbers of darker, more realistic action adventure titles. If Lara was to remain a video gaming icon, something needed to be done.

     The development of this reboot has hardly been without controversy, with PR disasters and journalist debacles in abundance. Yet one of the more consistent voices of discontent have come from the Tomb Raider fanbase, who claimed that the essence of the series was being sacrificed to imitate the adventures of gaming’s new favourite treasure hunter, Nathan Drake. And yes, the parallels are easily drawn, but the Uncharted series is not this reboots only influence. From the QTE sequences that give early sections a real Resident Evil vibe, and a Gears of War-esque cover system, to the large yet self-contained map packed with secrets akin to the Arkham Asylum games. Inspiration for this title has been gathered from across the past generation. But give Crystal Dynamics their due, they have combined all these elements seamlessly and still created a game that feels like a Tomb Raider.

 

     While there remains treasure to be plundered, cliffs to scale and the odd puzzle to solve, the themes of this game are a drastic departure to what has gone before. Gone is the super confident, daredevil Lara of the past; in comes a young woman overcoming her fears to save not only her life but those of her friends. In other games this transformation occurs purely though storytelling and cut-scenes, but in Tomb Raider this development of Lara happens in a much more ingenious manner. At the beginning you are bombarded with QTE’s, reflecting a terrified Lara surviving on instinct. By the end, these have all but disappeared in favour of massive action pieces in which you have complete control of Lara, reflecting how she has now taken her situation by the scruff of the neck and is now bringing the fight to the enemy.

     Rarely in gaming do shifts in gameplay also reflect character and story development, and seeing it unfold here is nothing short of masterful. Crystal Dynamics have also ensured the game is brilliantly paced, far from a relentless progression of set pieces, and the learning curve is almost perfect. Not to mention the combat system is seamless and satisfying, even if it’s entirely possible to beat the game while barely touching two out of the four main weapons due to a lack of enemy variety. There are points where you wonder if it was truly necessary to be in control of Lara, like when she’s shimmying up a rock face while you do nothing but push up on the stick, but the rest of the time she responds to your commands with lightning precision, and rarely does she faff about leaping onto unintended outcrops.      

     The story is a departure given how much time Lara spends battling unpleasant bandits instead of plundering tombs, but there are plenty of Tomb Raider staples, such as the ancient empire with magical secrets to uncover. The scripting throughout is solid, with Lara much more of a fleshed out character and a likeable cast of secondary characters, even if they do leap into ethnic stereotypes on occasion. The island you traverse is almost a character in itself, with varying weather conditions and eye-grabbing scenery, often dark and foreboding but occasionally jaw dropping when the elements calm down. The music is menacing and tribal, adding both tension and drama in equal measure.

 

      And everything all comes together to form a great, cohesive whole. Rarely does a game fuse dramatic tension with all out action and see it work. You happily switch from anxious stealth to all-out attack with relish. Never do you feel like a set piece has been forced upon you. And classic Tomb Raider platforming elements remain intact. Unfortunately another franchise staple, the puzzles, are disappointingly easy. What is also disappointing is how these puzzles are completely relegated to the optional tombs dotted around the map, and can be avoided if you merely want to finish the much more action orientated story.

     Tomb Raider is very much a game for the single player connoisseur, with a decent sized adventure for you to delve into with plenty of secrets to uncover and upgrades to unlock. It is shame then that the developers felt it necessary to include an online multiplayer. This addition provides nothing that other games do not already offer. It is an utterly soulless addition, included purely from a commercial perspective and does not add anything substantial that can elongate the games appeal beyond the single player.

        Tomb Raider has gained a reputation prior to release as an old pillar of the community trying to keep up with the modern Joneses. This is an unfair assumption, because while the influences on this reboot are all too apparent, the game successfully utilises them in a manner which is easy to pick up, but fresh enough to maintain your interest. Compare Tomb Raider Anniversary to this title, and you are given an almost perfect example of how gameplay styles and practices have changed within the industry over the past generation. Yet at the same time, the identity of Tomb Raider remains very much in evidence, and you never get a sense of déjà vu brought about by playing a game you’ve already experienced.

    Lara’s new adventure is bold in many ways. Bold in the themes it deals with and the scenarios it presents you with, and also bold in how it is not afraid to take a gaming institution and update it to modern gaming standards. It is to Crystal Dynamics credit then, that you do not feel that the franchise has been sold out, but rather enhanced by this new vision for Ms Croft. It is not a perfect game, with issues relating to the drab multiplayer and uninspiring puzzles, but when you’re guiding Lara through an intense fire fight or helping her leap across a crevasse, these flaws will barely cross your mind. Tomb Raiding may not be as novel a concept as it was in the nineties, but Lara proves here that it can still be just as fun.

 

Four stars out of five.

The Xbox One - Controversial by name, controversial by nature

The rumours and rumblings and misinformation surrounding the upcoming unveiling of a new console are part and parcel of the whole ‘dawn of a new generation’ experience. The enthusiast community and forum goers love nothing more than a good gossip as they digest any potential leak of information. Durango was no different, but what was notable about this phase was how every single rumour about it seemed to be inherently negative. It was generally assumed that the rumours of used game blocking, always online and constantly on Kinect were too outlandish and stupid to be true. Which was why everyone was shocked into stunned surprise when it turned out each and every major rumour was in fact based on reality.

    What followed immediately after the reveal of Xbox One (another bizarre console name choice), was a cluster of titbits, sound bites and throwaway comments that confirmed the worst fears of many gamers. Microsoft have seemingly caved in to temptation, providing a console which requires an internet connection to function properly even for single player and extreme measures designed to curb the used games market, which effectively renders it impossible to rent games or even lend them to your friends; The very definition of throwing the baby out with the bathwater. This coupled with the company’s refocusing on providing a multimedia entertainment device as opposed to a straight forward game console, and how many of their new partnerships and features will only really apply to US audiences, and it has left a distinctly sour taste in the mouths of many an enthusiast gamer.

     The backlash on the internet has been vicious and unremitting. This is a drastic change to the way we buy our video games and the terms of game ownership; a complete change to how video games have always been played, but whether this is positive change is very much up for debate. Microsoft have sought to dictate how you play your games, how you play them with your friends and what you do with your disk once you have finished with it. They say they are working on systems which would allow you to resell games (albeit with a likely cut of the resale value for them and developers), and it looks like you can play games on your friends console if you sign into your profile, but it’s needlessly troublesome. Hardly an evolution on simply sticking a disk on a tray and pressing start.

        Why have Microsoft done this? Well it’s an obvious attempt to court third parties to their side. The likes of EA, Activison and others have been calling for restrictions on used games for ages, and let’s not forget EA pushing ahead with always online for Sim City, among other titles. This is the direction the big publishers have been desperate to go in, and Microsoft has listened. They knew it would cause a furore, they only needed to see the outrage caused when the rumours started to break. Yet they went ahead anyway. Why is that?

      There are three things a console needs to have at launch. A solid, easy to understand and prolific marketing campaign, an affordable price and an array of intriguing titles which show off the consoles capabilities. Their marketing campaign may have got off to a bad start, but that Microsoft can rectify. What Microsoft knows for certain is that games and price are what really matter to their customers, and they will look to elaborate on these at E3. They are banking heavily on their upcoming library of titles to make gamers to admit defeat, accept these new policies and generate some hype. It’s a risky strategy. People have long memories. Not only that, but concealing these anti-used games and always online policies behind a smokescreen of PR jargon will only hurt them in the long term. I wouldn’t want to be on the Microsoft support hotline when a confused parent wonders why FIFA works on one child’s console but not on their brothers.

     So is it advantage Sony and Nintendo then? Not necessarily, they have their own problems to sort out. It all makes for one very, VERY interesting E3 where all three console manufacturers have something to prove. What is certain is we now have three companies trying to take the video game industry in three different directions. How the market will respond we cannot say with any real certainty. But at the very least having three wildly different competitors will surely be beneficial to us consumers…even if used games restrictions fobs us off.   

Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes - Review

 

Lego is quite the miraculous toy. Not only brilliant in its simplicity and fuel to the desires of children to both construct and destruct. What is equally impressive is how it has adapted to changes presented by their competition. Whether it’s opening theme parks or releasing new sets in the likeness of other famous childhood brands, they’ve managed to remain more than relevant as the years have gone by. Even with video games stealing away more and more of youngster’s free time, Lego has managed to adapt. And they’ve done so, quite wisely, by following a policy of, ‘if you can’t beat them, join them.’

    Thus they recruited developer Travellers’ Tales to produce a series of adventure games based on properties that Lego have acquired the rights, including this most recent release, Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes. These titles have a solid reputation in being decent, well-crafted and light hearted jaunts. They treat the property with the utmost respect, often in as humorous and jovial manner as possible. Nothing, from the story tropes to the way the scenery is always made out of destructible Lego bricks, is above lampooning.  

    It’s no different here. In a summer where we’ve seen the more serious side to Batman in cinema’s, we now see the more cartoony side to the Great Detectives adventures here, in a video game that’s very reminiscent of the old and very much loved animated series. The story is definitively aimed at families and younger audiences, but there is plenty here to amuse the comic enthusiast too, with sly nods and references to tales of old. Even another recent notable Batman game can’t escape a mention with a knowing wink. The plot trots along pleasantly, aided by how it is the first Lego tales game to feature full voice acting. And there’s some wonderful characterisation of old favourites. The representation of Superman as an overtly happy, bold goody two shoes is a joy to witness.

 

    The game is a mix of an open world setting split by story episodes. You can travel around Gotham in the worlds least manoeuvrable Batmobile, (so terrible at handling no citizen or lamppost is safe when you’re patrolling the streets), scouring out the wild assortment of villains on the loose from Arkham Asylum, before seeking out the next story episode and putting paid to Lex Luthor and the Joker’s nefarious scheme.

    These story episodes play out just like in every other Lego tales game. You blast from A to B solving puzzles, vaulting obstacles and beating back an assortment of goons to get to the end. Yet it always slightly deceptive to call it a straight action adventure title. Rather it’s more of a puzzle adventure game, requiring you to solve a variety of obstacles and riddles to progress. Often these revolve around making use of each character’s unique abilities, or a differing array of costumes with their own attributes. Yet more often than not these puzzles centre about the construction or indeed deconstruction of those famous Lego bricks, as you use them to create new paths and ways of progressing. These puzzles are hardly brain taxing, and despite a couple of head scratching moments you’re unlikely to be truly stumped. 

      It is not just the puzzles that are easy to get past. The combat itself is incredibly simplistic; often a push of a button is all that’s required to beat back a pantomime goon. Death rarely occurs, and in the case of Superman it’s nigh on impossible, and even if your Lego character does dissemble there’s barely a punishment for doing so. It’s hardly a game for those seeking a challenge. But it is ideal for younger gamers, or indeed family playing sessions. The game is designed very much with co-op play in mind, with collaboration between characters essential in places. Fortunately a seamless character swap option means this happens quickly and without irritation when in single player.

 

     But what is there for the seasoned gamer then, if you aren’t interested in puzzle solving or button bash gameplay? Well how about at least four kitchen sink’s worth of additional content, which revels in the history of Batman and DC comics. This title, much like all other Lego tales before it, is a collectaholics paradise. In addition to 150 golden bricks to find, Lego stud targets to reach and citizens to save, there are a huge number of characters which can be unlocked and then played as, both around Gotham and during free plays of the story episode. It’s a huge cast call of DC heroes and villains, from Wonder Woman down to Killer Moth. Again each character has their own sets of skills, and some of these will be needed to uncover yet more secrets tucked away inside each stage. There are extra vehicles to construct, villains to find and battle about Gotham, and hidden objectives to attain. It’s perhaps a shame that all these iconic characters do not make appearances until late in the game, or until they are unlocked.

    When it comes down to the nitty gritty, it’s business as usual for a Lego tales game. The same gameplay, the same formula, the same style and the same routine. This is not necessarily a bad thing; it’s served the series well in the past. It’s the latest instalment in a franchise that thrives on familiarity. Despite the different properties being used in each title you know that the gameplay will remain largely the same. And ultimately, this is what customers expect from this series.

    That isn’t to say there’s nothing for the seasoned gamer. It’s a fun romp while it lasts, particularly if you’re a Batman nerd or are having ‘Dark Knight Rises’ withdrawal symptoms, and the amount of content will bring smiles to these fans faces. It, just like every other Lego game before it, will hardly revolutionise the gaming world. It’s simple in its execution and gameplay yes, but it revels in this, focusing instead on simply being enjoyable and in doing justice to the world of the Dark Knight.      

Been a while since I posted here, for those of you still bothering to check this out. I've changed from Castle Howard to the Theatre Royal in York, and I'm currently in final rehearsals for 'Company' with York Light Opera Company, and will soon be strarring as Strephon in Iolanthe. Writing wise finishing off a screenplay and some short stories, so stay tuned. Will be posting some reviews soon as well for good measure.

Ramblings on the future of the Resident Evil franchise

Been playing some Resident Evil Revelations recently. As a late comer to the franchise (4 was my leaping on point), the initial stages are providing me perhaps with an insight into what it was like for gamers in 1998 when they first stepped into that fabled Racoon City mansion. It’s a decent game so far, not stellar, but enjoyable enough. Having some issues with the controls, but I guess I’m just far too used to controlling over the shoulder with dual analogue.

    But it’s left me thinking about the upcoming instalment to be released this winter. Resident Evil 6 is being hailed as the most jam packed Resident Evil yet, with three separate scenarios each catering to a different aspect of the of the franchise. First you have Leon, engaging in the type of survival horror associated with the series, with him and his new partner fending off hordes of zombies on limited resources. Then there’s Chris Redfield, who will be taking part in missions against mutants armed with guns and able to co-ordinate military tactics with each other. And finally there’s new character Jake Muller, supposedly the son dear old Albert Wesker, who has a new strain of virus in his body that gives him super human abilities.

    All this sounds rather grand, but it begs the question, why?

    Why are we having some many gameplay styles thrown into one game, rather than focusing on one style and sticking with it? Capcom say this is to provide the most epic instalment into the series yet, and cater for all the fans who want different things. But do the fans really want this variety? Last time I checked people liked Resident Evil because of its survival horror aspects. Since when has all out action become a series staple? Some would argue since 5 a few years back, but even those sections were in small doses, with most of it progressing in exactly the same manner as its predecessor.

     You can’t help but feel Capcom have seen the success of shooting games like Gears or War and Modern Warfare, and action titles like Prototype and Infamous, and decided ‘yummy, we’ll have some of that.’ But instead of taking a risk on a new franchise, they’ve shoehorned these aspects into one of the companies most successful properties in order for them to compete with the multi-million sellers produced by their western counterparts.

   I feel this is counter-productive. For one thing, it’s almost impossible for any series to replicate the mega success COD has recently enjoyed, so if Capcom think making these changes to Resident Evil will allow them to compete (I read that they want to sell 7 million copies in this fiscal year) then they are in for a rude awakening. All this will do is make fans resentful and hurt the series integrity.

    When I think about what made Resident Evil 4 one of my favouritest games, I realise it wasn’t due to over the top action. It was because of its setting. You felt like you were progressing through some kind of dark, sadistic yet incredibly cheesy pantomime, leaping happily from reserved corridor trudging to over the top set pieces in moments. It felt like a modern day gothic tale. All the traditional gothic elements, isolated landscapes and dark foreboding castles, fair maidens under threat from creepy villains and sinister monsters, a successful fusion of science and the supernatural. All the elements were there, and while due to its excellent streamlined gameplay it isn’t strictly a horror game, it sure as heck feels like one.

    Yet this all seems to be sacrificed in a vain attempt to win over the Modern Warfare crowd, and that’s a shame. Because right now the gaming world needs games in Resident Evil 4’s ilk, and it looks like that while Leon may provide some comfort, overall the next game in the series looks like it’s abandoning a lot of what made Resident Evil so popular in the first place.

   Oh and also, Leon, Chris, Sherry and Ada but no Claire Redfield? What the hell Capcom? (On disc DLC probably)  

The Plight of Tottenham Hotspurs

A quick summery I did recently of the plight of a certain North London football club. It's something I whipped out for the Premier League Owl website, and I feel it's worth sharing with you chaps and chapettes!

Imagine the Premier League as a student house party, and its teams as the guests. Man Utd would be the smarmy, self assured hosts gloating at how well they can host a party; Man City the pretty rich boy looking to upstage the hosts, and at this particular party it is Wolves who are now in A & E having their stomach pumped.

    But what role in this analogy is there for Spurs? Undoubtedly they are the geek who convinces themselves that this will be the night they finally get lucky. They make all the right moves, dress in the right clothes, send out all the right signals, but by the time everyone else has grabbed the last taxi home with a pretty girl on their arm Spurs remain alone, and doomed to another lonely night with a hangover to contend with in the morning.

    This season has been a particularly cruel hootenanny for the North London team. After all, it started so brilliantly for them. After an early wobble they threw themselves into the festivities with great gusto. They played with zip, flair and confidence, and watched on from a position of smugness as their London rivals uncharacteristically spluttered and stalled. The big problem, however, was that with the summit in sight the team suddenly realised that they hadn’t brought a safety harness. So when their foothold began to crumble there was nothing to stop their plummet downwards like Wile E Coyote, with their rivals watching their descent like incredible smug roadrunners.

     What cause could there be for the team that showed such promise to have crashed so spectacularly? Many will see at the departure of a furrowed browed Italian from a certain managerial position as the key factor. Redknapp strenuously denies this, as well he might, but even so he must be looking to Wembley Stadium with pound signs in his eyes. Fans will also point the finger at some questionable refereeing decisions, like Balotelli’s silent but deadly stamp on Parker at the Etihad, not to mention the goal-that-never-should-have-been in the recent FA Cup Semi Final, an event that must have had Sepp Blatter cackling against the lightning streaked sky from his cliff top castle.

     Or maybe it’s simply a case of Spurs lacking the experience to maintain a consistent challenge. Their players are talented undoubtedly, capable of playing at speed with the ball on the ground, Modrić and Parker prowling the midfield, Bale and Lennon zipping down the flanks before Adebayor and Van Der Vaart apply the finishing battering ram. Trouble is, Spurs don’t really have a plan B, and when players either fail to perform or are injured, those that remain don’t know what to do next. The team as a whole has relied too much on their midfield for their goals, and lack a Van Persie-esque striker to reward their creative play with the goals it deserves. The fact that Spurs have the worst record at scoring from corners in the league is a telling statistic.

    But Spurs’ problems will only increase should they fail to reach fourth. Last summer Redknapp took on a Del Boy persona, reassuring players that wanting to leave that ‘next year, we’ll be millionaires.’ He convinced the likes of Modrić to stay on that promise, but if he were to go to England and Spurs not qualify for the Champions League, would they stick around or would they be seen running for the nearest Barcelona and Chelsea coloured Robin Reliants.

    There has been the decided whiff of old fashioned sitcom about Spurs’ season, the characters acting on a promise of greater things before it all dissolves into chaos. All is far from lost though. Should they win their last four games (which on paper are all winnable), then their season may yet end happily depending on other results. After all, every geeky student ends up getting lucky eventually.    

Kid Icarus Uprising - Review

It was a pair of quite pleasant dilemmas that Nintendo had to deal with a couple of years back. Firstly, do they let Masahiro Sakurai, a hugely talented man with a fantastic imagination, loose on a fresh project or shackle him to the Smash Bros series where they are guaranteed gazillions of dollars? Secondly, what to do with Kid Icarus, a cult classic franchise with a popular following but one which had been gathering dust for two decades? It was a dilemma that Nintendo consolidated into one, easy to manage solution, by giving Sakurai the green light to spearhead a revival of the long dormant series. And by Palutena, what a good decision this was.

     Kid Icarus Uprising is a game brimming with confidence, bubbling with charisma and crammed with so much content it’s surprising that the cartridge isn’t the thickness of a Jane Austen novel. The temptation with a new adventure for Pit would to turn it into a Zelda clone, but instead what we a presented with is a game that very much forges its own identity. Taking only the characters and setting from the early games, the gameplay is its own beast; Arcady in feel, but concealing a huge amount of depth.

    The story is split into chapters, with each of these split in half. You start with an on-rails aerial battle in which you simply blast the living hell out of everything that moves while avoiding enemy’s attempts to do the same. These sections are frantic and there is rarely a let up in the action. Once Pit’s flying time is up (with a convenient plot device to explain why he even has to land), it’s onto the ground for some shooting, dodging and melee based japery. The pace slows in these sections, but the intensity remains high and there’s rarely a moment things dull down, though sometimes these sections go on for a little too long. At the end of each chapter await a nice variety of boss battles, providing some great set pieces. But the game does not rigidly stick to these constraints, and mixes things up on the odd occasion to keep things fresh. It’s a system that suits the games perfectly, making it a perfect adventure to be completed in short bursts as opposed to in a couple of long sittings.

     The story at first seems like little more than an excuse to update the cast and crew of the first game for the 21^st century, with numerous bosses and enemies making appearances with snazzy new designs. But then begins a series of plot twists that come out of nowhere with little precedent. This could be accused of being lazy storytelling, but it means that you begin each chapter with genuine little idea as to what you will encounter next. But it is the characters that truly shine, with Pit, Palutena and a menagerie of further deities prattling away while the action is taking place. They blabber, they jest, they bicker and they mock, usually at Pits expense. This should be annoying, but instead it’s a delight. This is because the panto-esque script never dips below the ‘tolerable’ level and often shoots up into the excellent category. The character interaction is well thought out and they break the fourth wall gleefully. They are all too aware they are characters in a video game, with references to hand holding, difficulty levels, loading screens and other Nintendo franchises. There are genuinely funny moments to boot, not laugh out loud perhaps but enough to make you smile knowingly to yourself.

     Less likely to make you laugh is the much talked about controls. Reminiscent of ‘Metroid Prime Hunters,’ you control the 3DS with your left hand and use the L-trigger to blast away while moving Pit with the control stick. In the flying sections you aim using the stylus on the touch screen, but in the walking sections it fullfills the role of a second analogue stick, moving the camera via sweeps left and right with the stylus, ‘like spinning a globe,’ as Pit helpfully describes it. This takes some getting used to, and it is bound to put some people off. However it is worth persisting with, particularly when the controls and sensitivity are all customisable. After adapting and learning to the controls it is difficult to envisage just how else this game could have been controlled, with the only legitimately bad controls coming in the vehicle driving segments (curse you Exo-tank!”) The games content keeps you coming back for more, and there is always more room for improvement and bettering your score.   

     The story in itself is enough to keep you occupied for a good few hours, but then we get to the extras. Sakurai once again takes the kitchen sink approach that he did in Smash Bros, and applies a similar stratagem to the unlockable bits. The most compelling is a weapon fusion system which allows you to fuse any two weapons you find or own into a more powerful one. This is a deceptively deep exercise, not only having to choose which weapon you want or how much damage it does, but also whether it excels best as a melee or a ranged weapon, or what extra attributes will survive the fusion process. With weapons and skills in abundance, you’ll constantly revisit old levels on higher difficulties in order to pick up more powerful weapons, which can be fused to make insanely powerful weapons.

    And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There are plenty of trophies to be won via a strange egg toss minigame, an impressive soundtrack to be unlocked, and a series of treasure maps that serve as the games achievement system, providing you with stuff that’s worth unlocking as opposed to brainlessly adding to a meaningless gamer score. It even makes use of the 3DS’s Spotpass system, allowing you to create weapon gems that can be picked up when passing fellow 3DS users in the street. Not much use when living in Easingwold, but a nice touch nonetheless.

     And finally we come to the multiplayer. Based solely on the ground based battles of the single player, there are two main modes to choose from. An all out brawl till the time runs out, or an intriguing last man standing concept whereby once a team has lost enough points one member becomes an angel and joins the fray all souped up. But once the angel has been defeated, it’s match over. It’s a very barebones multiplayer, with only two modes and no option of co-op, but it’s fun and simple to play, operating at a buttery smooth frame rate despite a truly hectic amount of action taking place onscreen. If the online for the next Smash Bros takes heed from this game then we are in for a treat indeed.          

    Rarely we see a game that offers such a complete package, but Kid Icarus Uprising offers plenty of value for your buck. But value and content is pointless when the game itself is not fun to play. So it is fortunate that this title is a delight from start to finish. You play each chapter with a knowing smirk, recognising the references and enjoying the quips, with the addictive gameplay keeping you come back for more.

    Pit certainly took his time to return properly to the video gaming scene, but it was worth the wait. Games with this level of charm and humour are a rarity in an industry that can sometimes take itself too seriously. We can only hope that it doesn’t take a further twenty five years for Pit to bring a little bit of light to the industry once again.