Geek Culture Reviews

It feels a little surreal to be talking about Resident Evil 3: Nemesis in 2025. Yet thanks to the titles imminent release as part of the PlayStation Plus Classics offering, here we are.  Originally released in 1999 for the PlayStation, this third entry in Capcom’s survival horror juggernaut is now making its way onto the PlayStation Plus Classics Collection, giving players old and new a chance to dive into one of the most memorable chapters in the Resident Evil  franchise.  For some, Resident Evil 3 was “the other” sequel, not quite as celebrated as Resident Evil 2, which had wowed gamers a year earlier with its ambitious dual campaigns and cinematic flair. But for those who stuck with Jill Valentine as she fought her way through a city in chaos, Resident Evil 3 delivered something equally special: a faster-paced, more relentless take on survival horror, with one of gaming’s most iconic villains stalking your every step. In 2025, with modern Resident Evil titles pushing i...

A Brutal Yet Beautiful Journey Through a Cursed Empire… First Steps Into the World From the moment Wuchang: Fallen Feathers loads on PS5, the tone is unmistakable. The game greets you with dim skies, decaying towns, and vast mountains that fade into mist. It is set in a land teetering on the edge of collapse, where disease, war, and strange supernatural forces seem to be gnawing at everything. It has an immediate pull for anyone who enjoys worlds that feel heavy with history and mystery. The opening hours are slow and deliberate. Rather than rushing you into the action, the game lets you take in its environments and get familiar with its methodical combat. This pacing can feel daunting at first, but once you understand the rhythm, the immersion takes hold. Story and Atmosphere You step into the role of Bai Wuchang, a wandering fighter afflicted by a strange feather-like disease. The narrative is told with restraint. Clues come from short conversations, visual details in the ...

Another Soulslike enters the area… For fans of Dark Souls and Elden Ring, the moment you boot up Blades of Fire, you’ll already know what kind of journey you’re in for. Fires crackle in the distance, steel grinds on steel, and your character, Aran de Lira, stands at the edge of a crumbling cliff with a sword on his back and a forge hammer in his hand. This isn’t just another run of the mill Soulslike, it’s MercurySteam’s attempt to merge the genres classic combat with a deep weapon crafting. For better or worse, Blades of Fire swings hard at its lofty ambitions, yet it occasionally misses the mark on what makes a Soulslike good. At its core, the game is a story of redemption and resistance. You play as Aran, a blacksmith come warrior who’s trying to reverse a magical curse that has turned people into stone. Queen Nerea, the game’s antagonist, has effectively petrified the world, and it’s up to Aran and his companion Adso to stop the spread by fighting through legions of cursed creature...

Macross makes its way west, but does this shoot’em up survive the journey?   Fresh from watching a bootleg copy of Akira that was kindly provided by a friend's older brother, I had my mind blown by these Japanese “cartoons” that were cooler, and a lot more action-packed than the ones that were shown on UK television. On a weekend trip to my local video rental store I happened to come across Macross: Do You Remember Love? Sitting on the shelf. While I wouldn’t learn until years later that it’s just a small part in quite a large series, this adventure of Hikaru Ichijyo took me on the grand sci-fi adventure I had always dreamed of. Macross - Shooting Insight is a shmup that has players battle their way across a unique story that’s set within the Macross universe. Featuring a cast of characters who are all pulled tighter from the various sides of the intellectual property, on paper Macross - Shooting Insight should be the one game Macross fans have been waiting for. However in reality ...

Drova: Forsaken Kin, a grim dark pixel ARPG that’s not afraid to see you wander off alone within its unforgiving wasteland… I’m not going to lie, when I first stumbled into the gothic world of Drova: Forsaken Kin I thought I was in for a rough time. From a quick explanation of how to defend yourself, you’re then thrown into the thick of it with zero handholding. Where you go and what you do is completely up to you. All you have to guide you is the fleeting words of your character's companion and your sense of adventure. With no map to guide you, and no waypoints for you to follow, the world of Drova is yours for the taking.  The epic story of Drova takes place within a harsh Celtic/Slavic-gothic land. You’re a stranger within this world as you’ve been pulled into a vast conspiracy that all started when your character witnessed the druids of their village stealing a crystal with magical powers. With the druids dead, you’re then thrown into the world of Drova to reunite the crystal w...

Rob reviews Hot Wheels Monster Trucks: Stunt Mayhem on PlayStation 5…   Quite often when a video game is based upon a children’s toy franchise it boils down to a simple affair that aims to cash in on its namesake. We’ve seen it numerous times before, and any parent reading this will no doubt be able to name a few titles that ultimately didn’t live up to the child’s enthusiasm. Thankfully, Hot Wheels Monster Trucks: Stunt Mayhem isn’t one of these selfless cash-ins, and is instead something that’s a version of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater in a monster truck format.  The world of Hot Wheels miniature cars, and the stunt-filled world of pro skateboarding aren’t two genres that I’d even thought would mash together, yet here with Stunt Mayhem it does so - and very well at that. Imagine any child throwing their cars around in outlandish homemade arenas, and you’ve pretty much nailed on what this game is about. You’ll be crashing through barricades, flaming hoops, jumping ramps, and cra...

With the fantastic Dead Space remake making its way onto PlayStation Plus this month, I take a look back at my review of the game that was originally published to Rapid Reviews UK…  Welcome Back To The USG Ishimura Back in 2008 and survival horror fans were treated to a new kid on the block. With Capcom still reigning supreme with Resident Evil 4, EA decided to challenge the genre dominance with something different – Dead Space. Taking place within the confines of a spaceship, Dead Space reimagined the genre away from planet Earth and into the far reaches of Space. While Dead Space – as a video game – would spawn two more sequels, it’s been in a dormant slumber since 2013. With Dead Space 3 ending on a monumental cliffhanger, eager fans have never gotten an end to Isaac Clark’s (and John Carver’s) story. And so, for the last 10 years, Dead Space 4 was a rumor that never quite went away. Jump to 2023, and EA (along with Motive Studio) have decided to re-awaken the nightmare with the...