Geek Culture Reviews

Everyone has secrets but some aren’t as big as Lauren and Jay’s… The Perfect Girlfriend is the debut psychological thriller from Hayley Smith  who takes us on a rollercoaster ride of secrets from two people who meet at a music festival. Could this be a sleeper hit of the Summer? Come with me as I find out. Smith focuses her narrative on the relationship of two characters; Lauren and Jay. We first meet the duo as they both separately attend a music festival, to then cross paths as their motivations and lives entwine. As their relationship develops  Lauren moves into Jay's dilapidated house which also happens to be in the middle of nowhere. With Jay often out performing errands, and Lauren far from home, and cut off from the wider world due to a poor phone reception, she spends most of her time and energy in bringing a bit of colour to her new home.  As the narrative develops we get great insight into the minds of these two characters. We learn that Jay is quite protective...

Ellie reviews Little Friends: Puppy Island on Nintendo Switch… An adventure on an island with man's best friend and the change to make many more. Whats not to like? Join me as I give you a glimpse into island life. Little Friends: Puppy Island is the new adventure game in the ‘Little Friends’ series from developer Big Blue Bubble and has been published by Fireshine Games.   Once you’ve loaded into the game, your soon asked to dog-sit by your best friend; Sam. It’s not all plain sailing as while Sam is away on vacation you’ll get roped into rejuvenating the island and making it the go-to for pet owners - and their pets. To help achieve the goal for the island, your soon given a pet of your own - a Husky. You’ll get to chose its name, and then it’s off to see what tasks Sam has in store, who instructs you via text message. The islands Summer House is the main hub of the island, and it’s here where you’ll take care of your furry friends. Heading to the garden, and it’s here where yo...

Ellie reviews The Honeymoon… A honeymoon in Bali soon turns deadly as Kate Gray turns what should be one of the happiest times of your life turns into a rollercoaster of secrets and cover ups. Erin and Jamie are a newly married couple enjoying their honeymoon. It isn’t long until Erin meets Sophia, who is also on her own honeymoon, along with her husband Mark. Both Erin and Sophia get chatting around the pool while Jamie is sleeping and Mark is at a market. As both couples are on the last day of their honeymoon, Erin asks if Sophia and Mark would like to join herself and Jamie for a meal at the popular restaurant, the Blue Fin. Without a second thought for Jamie’s plans, Sophia calls ahead and adds the two to their reservation. The meal starts off pleasantly, but then Erin accidently spills a drink on to one of the of the other diners causing some tension which ends with Sofia and Mark leaving the restaurant. Embarrassed by the ordeal Erin and Jamie also leave however they don’t go st...

Ellie reviews Wobbledogs on Xbox Series S… Owning a dog is cool but have you ever wanted a mutant dog? Well with Wobbledogs your chance is here. I knew from the first moment I saw the trailer this would be a game I’d enjoy. Wobbledogs is a new pet simulation game from solo developer/designer Tom Astle , alongside the developers over at Animal Uprising,  and published by Secret Mode . Wobbledogs is a quick moving sandbox game that’s been designed for all ages to enjoy. Its a simple game that allows you to simply pick up anytime to then spend hours caring for your virtual friends.  As expected, the gameplay to the title is also pretty easy going with the whole premise being to care for these “Wobbledogs”. As you spend time with the dogs, they start to go through their various life stages. When the animal is ready to grow, much like a caterpillar, they develop a cocoon until its time for them to hatch into the next stage of their lives - bigger and better. To keep things inter...

Ellie receives The Chase: Ultimate Edition on Nintendo Switch...  The long-running hit game show has come to the Nintendo Switch thanks to Barnstorm . But, you clever enough to take on the Chaser?  We've all played along at home screaming the answers to the questions and telling the players not to take the high offer as though they can hear us. But now - thanks to Barnstorm - we can play the television show on the Nintendo Switch.  When you first start the game you are given three options VS Mode, Play and Statistics. VS Mode you can pick to play with up to 3 other players so 4 or going alone. VS Mode gives you the option to play as The Chaser so it's better with other players. You can also play as a solo player, which means you'll play against yourself as both contestant and The Chaser. Play Mode allows you to choose between Easy, Medium or Hard questions and can be played with up to four other players. This model also sees your team take on an A.I. Chaser b...

Ellie reviews Freshly Frosted on Xbox Series S... Working in a doughnut factory doesn't sound fun but Freshly Frosted is here to change all that. Freshly Frosted is a new puzzle game developed and published by The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild , it's a brand new and unique puzzler that doesn't disappoint.  With 144 puzzles set over 12 different doughnut boxes to fill. We are put in charge of making conveyor belts go from the oven to the delivery counter. Some doubts may be plain, with sprinkles, cream and even cherry. All toppings may be required on some and it's our job to find a way to get from the oven through to the toppings and delivery counter. Each topping needs to be added in a certain order so it would be icing then sprinkles, cream and cherry. The first box is pretty simple to work out but as you move on through the other boxes you need to fill it requires a bit more thinking time to get through especially as you get to a ...

Ellie reviews Kao The Kangaroo on Xbox Series S... Video game mascots based around animals are an endangered spectacle. During the 80s and 90s, we were introduced to mascots such as Crash Bandicoot , Spyro the Dragon , and Sonic the Hedgehog . While these three heavyweights would spawn multiple sequels there are those often forgotten animal mascots too ( Johnny Bazookatone, Gex , and Blinx: The Timesweeper ). However, one once forgotten anthropomorphic video game character is attempting to make a "bounce back".  Remember Kao? The cute bouncy boxing kangaroo from the early 00s is back! And whether you have fond memories of his previous outings or not...you won't be disappointed. Kao The Kangaroo starts in a typical bleak fashion. With his father and sister missing, Kao ventures out from their tropical island home in search of discovery of their whereabouts. Armed with his father's magical boxing gloves and trusty advisor Walt, Kao soon discover...

Ellie reviews Martha Is Dead on Xbox Series X|S... Martha Is Dead is a psychological thriller that isn't afraid to shock its players. Featuring content such as; torture, self-harm, child abuse, and the horrors of war, Martha Is Dead isn't going to be a game to everyone's tastes.  So, what's it all about?  Set in Italy during World War 2, Martha Is Dead  sets you into the shoes of its protagonist - Giulia. Giulia lives with her parents and twin sister - Martha - in a large and quiet farmhouse within the Italian countryside. Under the constant threat of the Nazi Warmachine, Guilia is soon to realise that the horror is not just outside - but inside too. The game begins with Giulia retrieving her cameras that's been set up along the local lake. Excited to see what she's captured, things take a drastic turn as she spots a body floating on the lake's calm surface. Rushing down into the water, Giulia realises too late that the body is none other than ...

Ellie reviews Lawn Mowing Simulator: Dino Safari on Xbox Series S... Last year saw the release of Lawn Mowing Simulator  and as such another slice of the mundane real-world was given a virtual makeover. I originally reviewed the base title , which to be fair - didn't disappoint. So when I saw there was the option to review this dinosaur-themed DLC I was instantly drawn to it. Even as an adult I find dinosaurs fascinating so of course I was going to jump at the chance to mow some grass around them!  The  Dino Safari  pack gives us four brand new areas and twelve contracts that all take place within a dinosaur theme park. Our time is mainly spent within four areas which all revolve around a dinosaur theme; T-Rex Paddock, Herbivore Valley, Raptor Enclosure and Cretaceous Canyon. Each offers various contracts to complete with varying degrees of difficulty. I initially wondered how it would work with the dinosaurs. Would they be walking around whi...

Ellie reviews Fantasy Friends: Under The Sea on Nintendo Switch... Fantasy Friends: Under The Sea is the new instalment to the Fantasy Friends family from developer Xaloc Studios and published by JUST FOR GAMES .  Fantasy Friends: Under The Sea is a peaceful slow-paced game. When you start you take to this pretty underwater world where you meet the mermaid Aurea - your guide to this world. When you start you're taken to the plaza which is the main area where you'll spend a lot of your time. From here you can move the Sea creatures into their homes, decorate the area, and buy clothing, toys and brushes to clean our new friends.  The plaza is also the place where you'll get the eggs required for your new residents. To hatch the eggs you need to make sure that they are at the right temperature. It's quite back and forth to keep rubbing the eggs but they don't take too long to hatch. While rubbing the eggs you will also receive in-game currency. This is ...

Ellie reviews Lawn Mowing Simulator on Xbox Series X... Ever wanted to have a go on a ride on a lawnmower? Well here's your chance!  Lawn Mowing Simulator is exactly what the name suggests - a game about cutting the grass - and lot's of it! Created by developers  Skyhook Games and published by Curve Digital, you'll mow various lawns as you attempt to build a grass cutting empire. So come with me as we go from being the newbie of mowing to the in-demand pro of the gardening world The first thing that stuck with me is that the game is set within the countryside of Great Britain. My experience started straight away by jumping into career mode. Here you choose your company name, company logo, uniform colour,  and customise your character. There isn't a lot of options to choose from, but this game is all about the mower - not it's the rider. Next up you have to choose which mower you want to buy as your first. To start with you only get to choose between...

Ellie reviews Ayo The Clown on Nintendo Switch... Ayo The Clown is a family-friendly platformer that's been developed by Cloud M1 for the Nintendo Switch. The game's story is fairly simple and is pretty accessible for younger players too. Ayo and Bo do everything together. They like to hang out at the carnival, juggle in the park, they even dream of doing a circus act together. Bo is Ayo's best friend. One day Bo mysteriously disappears and Ayo has to do everything he can to find him. So come with me as we go on Ayo's journey to find his best friend... Along the way, Ayo comes across many friendly faces to help him along on his journey. Ayo also comes across various weapons that allow you to get past the many enemies and bosses that litter the game's stages. These weapons range from Tanks to water balloons. Yes, you read correctly! You can defeat an enemy with the throw of a water balloon. Ayo also has many skills up his sleeve with a couple of these be...