Gripshift feels like a game where the developers really didnt know what they wanted so instead of picking and choosing carefully, they just threw every concept into a pile and worked from there. Thats how we get GripShift, a weird mix of racing, car combat, Super-Monkey-Ball stunt driving and some other things all to a rather dated 'Fun Hip Hop' atheistic which thankfully comes off as more corny and cheesy than anything.

And... well... Not all the game modes work. Sure the stunt driving is incredibly fun thanks to a large variety of tracks and a wide difficulty curve allowing most people to sample everything the game has to offer.

Less good is the racing segments as the physics just dont lend themselves very well to standard racing and while some of the courses adjust to allow for these issues, a good chunk of the courses feel like they were made for an entirely different game.

So yeah. A very mixed game thats still worth picking up... Just with a fair few caveats that really stop it from being something special.

Mooom. I want Castlevania

We have Castlevania at home

Castlevania at home: 8 Eyes

Yeah. Its a ripoff and not a very good one at that thanks to the main character having the attack reach of a paperclip, controls that feel like you're battling through a glue mountain and enemies that feel far too agressive and spongey at all times leading to just nothing but fustration.

I wish I had nice things to say about this game I really do as I can feel the sheer passion for the genre pulsing through the entire game, from the level design, the focus on pure action with the occasional silly twist and the attempt to stay close to an original formula.

Problem is you cant stay 100% to a formula and expect it to work. The original Rise of the Triad was speedy. VERY speedy. This normally wouldnt be an issue but with the graphics used in the game along with the awkward FOV, it turns what should be a good game into a one way ticket into puke city. Trying to play this game is just vomit-enducing as the roller-coaster esque movement makes it impossible to play. Oof.

Theres certainly a fair amount of usual Nintendo charm here but the overall design of this just feels clunky and rushed. On the face its a very simple platformer, running around various levels and using disguises in order to use abilities to progress. And unfortunately that face value sticks thanks to a variety of rather dull level designs.

The controls dont exactly help matters, in order to change costume, you need to draw various images on the touchscreen. Unfortunately half the time it just flat out doesnt work. Even when they do work, it just feels like a chore to swap in and out of costumes for minor tasks, some of which again involve the touchscreen, some of which again dont work half the time.

So yeah. A tedious mess of a game.

Honestly I wish Sony would revisit this fun little rabbit as Vib Ribbon is honestly so cheery, silly and manages to be one of those rhythm games that manages to be so easy to understand on the outset yet still has a lot of challenge inside. Its charming as hell.

Dont get me wrong, its not perfect. While the main game difficulty is nicely tuned, because of the rather random nature of the music generation, the difficulty outside on custom tracks can be really all over the place without warning. This probably is why the game should get another look as advances in tech could make this game really shine.