REVIEW - Putty Squad (PS Vita)

Like putty in my hands

Retro gamers and owners of Commodore's wonderful Amiga computer will be familiar with System 3's Putty games. The first, simply entitled Putty, was released in 1992 to favourable reviews, and gained a loyal fan-base thanks to the zany humour and stretchy protagonist. The sequel, Putty Squad, developed two years later, never made it to the system, instead finding a home on Nintendo's SNES console. This was due to the Amiga being a bit long in the tooth by this stage, and the publishers not wanting to risk releasing the, already completed, game to market. All was not lost, however, as System 3 finally released the Amiga 1200 version of Putty Squad - available as a free downloadable disk image - in 2013, as a warm up to the brand new reboot that is now doing the rounds on the PS4, 3DS, and now PS Vita. So, does the remake do the original justice? And is it still relevant in 2014, when fantastic 2D platformers such as Spelunky, Fez, Super Meat Boy and Rayman Legends exist?

Review - SteamWorld Dig (PC)

Indie platforming action, Ya Dig?

SteamWorld Dig is yet another one of those super tedious mining games. You know, those games where you constantly dig for minerals, return to the surface, and repeat ad infinitum. Big fucking yawn, right? Well normally, yes, but SteamWorld Dig is actually good. Really good in fact. I admit, I'm a little late to the party, as SteamWorld Dig has garnered positive reviews across the board over the last month or so, but it escaped my radar as I simply couldn't be arsed with a mining game. But it was one word that changed my mind, a word that may not even really fit this digtastic title, but one that got my heart pumping. That word was Metroidvania. So it was with new found excitement that I picked up my tools and headed into the desert.

The Legend of Zelda - A Link Between Worlds (3DS) - Video Trailer

News that a sequel to the Super Nintendo uber-classic, The Legend of Zelda : A Link To The Past, hit the interweb recently, and got everyone excited! The SNES game is one of the greatest games of all time and one I come back to time and time again thanks to it glorious 16-bit visuals, epic soundtrack, and exceptionally polished and fun gameplay. In my opinion, it has never been bettered by any further adventures of Link (and yes, I have played Ocarina of Time before you ask). The Minish Cap on GBA was an excellent adventure, as was Wind Waker on the Gamecube, but other than that, none have managed to grip me like the 3rd game in the series. But that could all change now, with the upcoming release of a 3DS exclusive sequel - now officially entitled A Link Between Worlds.

REVIEW - Mutant Mudds (PC)

Mutant Mudds is a 'retro' platform game released earlier in 2012 on the Nintendo 3DS via the Nintendo eShop. The game received decent enough reviews to result in a PC version with 20 extra levels being released in August. I never played the 3DS version for 2 reasons; 1) I don't have a 3DS, and 2) I don't want a 3DS. My eyes are sufficiently wonky to render anything out of the ordinary (magic eye books, 3D TVs) an uncomfortable viewing experience so I figured the 3DS wasn't for me. Anyway, I come to this PC version having no prior knowledge of Mutant Mudds, but as a sucker for anything that looks remotely like a 2D platformer from the 80's or 90's I hastily downloaded the game.