Nick "Shpeshal Nick" Baker
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XboxEraLatest Reviews
Sifu
Put simply, SIFU is a fantastic game. It’s everything I wish more modern video games were. Short (the game can be beaten in just a handful of hours if you’re good enough) but with an absolute stack of replay value. Be it via the brand new Arenas mode or through...
The options on offer here are pretty standard fare. Arcade, VS, Practice and “All Star Battle” is sort of your “Story” mode where you get to work your way through a bunch of scenarios. For example, fighting a character who replenishes their life periodically. It’s an interesting spin on a...
Fans of the series will feel right at home. Monkey Craft has put together a really nice package to celebrate Klonoa’s 25th birthday and everything has been executed really well. Right down to the menu screens which are simple, convenient and logical to navigate. At any stage you can jump...
While local co-op has been a staple of the series since the first game released in the arcades (as it naturally would be), Shredder’s Revenge cranks it up by allowing up to 6 players locally as well as online, which as you can imagine, gets as hectic as it sounds...
The Artful Escape takes its focus on identity even further by letting you choose the rock persona you want Francis to take on. There’s a point in the story where you’re given the opportunity to use a character editor to completely customise Francis into the rock god that suits your...
Even in isolation, Mr. X Nightmare is worth the small price of admission. As well as the 3 new characters that all bring their own unique play style to an already large cast, the Survival Mode is a fantastic addition that’s well worth your time and adds potentially dozens upon...
There’s not much else that needs to be said. Tetris Effect: Connected is to this point the best version of Tetris that exists. I adore Tetris99 and up until now, Tetris DS was probably my all-time favourite, but Connected just blows right past both. Outside very very minor quibbles with...
As mentioned earlier, you can definitely lose hours just repeating side missions without even noticing and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The core gameplay is a really enjoyable experience, even something to chill out and relax with. Flying across a vast ocean with a Mongolian throat singing soundtrack is...
The customisation does go pretty in depth in terms of the sheer volume of it. Characters just have colour palette swaps, but cars go a little further with body kit modifications as well as colour options. It helps add re-playability and depth to what would otherwise be a pretty shallow...
There’s more than enough content here to keep younger gamers busy and even older gamers nostalgic for the genre will enjoy what’s on offer. The caveat being that the game has no difficulty settings and more seasoned gamers might find it a touch easy. But I feel the game is...
West of Dead
The art is in learning enemy patterns, hazards and a weapon combination that suits your play style. For those who also like the extra thrill of the challenge, there are lost souls throughout the game that give you their “burden”. This burden is effectively an insta-death curse than can only...
Streets of Rage 4 is everything I could have wanted in a sequel to such a venerable series that I’ve always held in such high regard. It’s clear that both Lizardcube and Guard Crush get it. They managed to create a sequel that belongs right alongside its predecessors despite having...
