VideogameUK

Review: Thexder Neo (PSP)

Jennifer Allen

Published: March 5, 2010

Robots are very cool. We all know that. Sure they’re ridiculously geeky at times but who can resist a good robot, that’s why Transformers continues to be so successful after all. Despite quite enjoying both robots and side scrolling shoot em ups, I’d never heard of the Thexder series of games, that is until Thexder Neo appeared for the PSP recently.

Thexder Neo is a return to the old days of the arcade shoot em up. This means that it is horrifically difficult at times. There are no continues, no save points and no lives. Once you die in this game, you go straight back to the beginning. This is not a game for those with limited patience as it’s quite clearly aimed at the ‘hardcore’ minority who yearn for the days of mindless ’schmups’ with no hint of a storyline and survival being the sole aim of the game. At times this is quite fun and it is nice to be able to switch your brain off to a certain extent and enjoy relying on your reflexes rather than having to concentrate on a storyline. However it doesn’t take long for this to change to resentment as you continually die time after time, all because you’re overwhelmed by so many enemies and all you have is a trusty laser gun.

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Review: Your Doodles Are Bugged! (Xbox 360)

Jennifer Allen

Published: March 4, 2010

Review: Your Doodles Are Bugged! (Xbox 360)

Your Doodles are Bugged is a title that has a few too many jokes attached to it. Besides the obvious misspelling of bugged creating a whole new genre of gaming, it conjures up images of doodles with massive bugging devices attached to them. Or at least it does if you’ve got my sort of imagination. In the case of Your Doodles are Bugged, there’s no sign of covert spying devices nor intimate relations with doodles, instead it’s much like the classic puzzle game Lemmings.

Your mission is simple: guide various doodle bugs to a honey pot using a magic pen to create platforms and stairs. Simple eh? Not exactly as after the early tutorial levels, things get rather tricky to figure out. The first time that you’re left to your own devices, things become a little overwhelming. With a number of doodle bugs in different locations across the drawing, it’s all a matter of focusing on each group while ensuring that you clean up after yourself so as not to run out of ink. It takes a fair bit of practice to work out the best method of getting all the doodles back to the honey pot. Fortunately there’s a zoom function which helps with accurate drawing, particularly useful considering the 360’s analogue stick doesn’t lend itself to artistry.

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Review: Need for Speed: Nitro (Wii)

Ed Guy

Published: March 4, 2010

The “Need for Speed” series has been a steady force for well over a decade now. Most recently, we have seen the release of Need for Speed: Shift, which, following modern day gaming trends, was released on every console, computer, mobile phone, and washing machine under the sun. Unusually though, the Nintendo Wii was left off the guest list; there is quite a shortage of solid racing titles on Nintendo’s home console, so why pass-up on this seemingly great opportunity? Well, it seems Electronic Arts (EA) are well aware of this particular gap in the market, which explains their latest foray into the casual games market, Need for Speed: Nitro. Not only is this the Wii’s foremost “Need for Speed” title, but the Wii is in fact the only home console that will play host to the game. (A handheld version is available for Nintendo DS.)

Initial impressions were positive; a console specific instalment may allow developers EA Montreal to focus on their target audience, as well as creating an opportunity for them to implement the Wii’s unique control system effectively…a rare luxury these days.

A brief overview of the game’s features, followed by a few fantastically weak attempts at racing victory, led to those positive initial impressions becoming equally positive game-play experiences. The art direction is bold, bright, and in-favour of simple geometry, a fitting choice for the modest graphical capabilities of Nintendo’s home console. The control method is minimalistic, the automobiles handle with the precision of a St. Bernard dog, and the NPCs (non player controlled characters) are all wearing sunglasses. That is sensibly all you should ask of an arcade racing title.

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