Geek Culture Reviews

Kena: Bridge of Spirits is an action-adventure game I’ve previously enjoyed on the PlayStation 5. As part of the console's PlayStation Plus Essentials service, the title from Ember Labs is available for download free of charge - provided you have an active subscription. While PS5 and PC gamers have been able to guide Kena across her corrupted world for quite some time, the title has finally made its way into Microsoft’s Xbox ecosystem.  Taking place within a vast world, Kena: Bridge of Spirits places us into the role of Kena, a young spirit guide, tasked with guiding troubled spirits into the afterlife. On a pilgrimage to find a sacred mountain shrine, Kena comes across a powerful spirit slowly corrupting the local forest, causing it to decay and unleash vicious monsters into the world. Needing to cleanse the forest of its corruption to access the mountain shrine, Kena teams up with the elder spirit guide, Zajuro to help the wayward spirits move on to the peaceful afterlife....

It’s a pirates life as Rob reviews Skull & Bones on Xbox Series X…(originally published on Rapid Reviews UK) As some of you know, aside from flying solo here at Geek Culture Reviews I also write for uk video game and tech website, Rapid Reviews UK (click here to check them out!). It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed a game for RRUK and to mark the return to my long absence I was given the opportunity to review Skull & Bones from Ubisoft. For those of you who follow me here at Geek Culture Reviews, I thought I’d publish the review here so you can read it too (although do seriously check out my friends over at RRUK!)  Under the hood and Skull & Bones is quite an interesting game. Initially developed as an expansion to Assassins Creed: Black Flag , the pirate inspired action-adventure soon became a standalone game titled, Black Flag Infinite. As the game grew in scope, and technology advanced, the envisioned MMO that was Black Flag Infinite slowly became the Skull & ...

An arcade for the digital age… As a child of the 1980’s it’s safe to say that I have a soft spot for “retro gaming”. From my misspent childhood diving into my brothers collection of Mega-CD titles, to spending Saturday afternoons under the neon lights of my local arcade, this was MY golden era, and one that brings back a lot of fond memories and nostalgia.  Jumping a few years and I’m now approaching 40, and the games of my childhood have become a thing of the past. For those of us clambering to these fond memories, the retro video game market is a minefield of hard to find games, and scalpers capitalising on our need to relive these gaming masterpieces. While the likes of technology store CeX has somewhat curbed this issue in the UK, the retailer is also seen a one of the markets biggest inflators of driving those prices up. Where the condition of a cartridge, or CD now reigns supreme, the simple premise of a “ good game” has been lost to making a few bucks off of someone’s nostal...

Rob (and Grace) review Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic on Xbox Series X… Back when Grace was a wee toddler we’d always have fun looking through those hidden object books. From the brain teasers of Where’s Wally (Waldo for you Americans), to the likes of Meerkat’s, Wookiee’s, and Penguins, we’ve hunted for them all. Some times we’d be successful, and other times we’d give up. But we’d always have a fun time looking at the crazy goings on that adorn each page. Now that she’s 14 it’s very rare that Grace wants to do anything with her old man that doesn’t involve Overwatch 2. So it did come as a surprise when she wanted to sit down with me and hunt some inanimate objects across various historical locations Where Hidden Through Time 2 is a recent title for the Xbox, it has been available on PC and Mac for a few months. It’s a casual game that’s perfect for any age group, and any ability. It’s gorgeous hand drawn art draws you into the page, and the sheer amount of maps and hidden ...

Rob reviews Bus Simulator 21 Next Stop: Official School Bus Extension… When it comes to simulations of every-day life, gamers have quite the choice. From being a house flipper, pilot, or even a Snowcat driver, there’s plenty of games that attempt to give you a slice of that average Joe experience. For developers Stillalive Studios, their attention has been focused on the role of the humble bus driver. In Bus Simulator 21 you’ll take to the streets in an attempt to build a profitable business, while tackling all the trials and tribulations of public transport. While the base game already has a wealth of content, the developers have expanded it with a range of downloadable content.  The latest content expands the experience further and introduces schools to your chosen city. As the one-stop company for bus journeys it’s up to you to shuttle the cities children to and from school. While this DLC doesn’t shake things up too much, it’s a superb distraction from the base games activities...

Rob reviews Warhammer 40,000: Darktide on Xbox Series X… After being delayed for just over a year, Swedish developer Fatshark has finally released Darktide on to consoles. With a completely revamped skill tree, and plenty of under the hood changes, the console release is essentially the definitive version of the Astra Militarum shooter. So with a bulk of Nurgle Cultists standing in the way, I said a silent prayer to the Emperor and jumped into the fray.  As a Warhammer 40K fan, Darktide ticked quite a few boxes. While I gravitate to the Adeptus Astartes, playing at the Militarum did make a nice change of pace. As for plot Darktide spins it’s narrative into a self contained story away from the current story that’s currently building in the table-tops tenth edition. Taking the role of a convict, your character is conscripted into the service of the mysterious Inquisitor Grendel and falls under the command of his subordinates. From his flagship - The Mourningstar - you’ll descend int...

Rob reviews Blasphemous 2 on Xbox Series X… Blasphemous 2 is the reality of all those childish nightmares about monsters under the bed. It’s a surreal dream-like experience that’s filled with enough horrors that’ll make Clive Barker, and Guillermo del Torro blush. Whether it’s the Penitent One, or one of the games many terrors, The Game Kitchen have turned the often cute art of pixel imagery into a hellish collection. While the same can also be attributed to the original Blasphemous, here The Game Kitchen have taken their art to the next level. Inspired by the folklore, architecture, and iconography of the Spanish and Andalusian cultures, the developer have created a high gothic landscape that’s steeped in its own illustrious history, as well as it’s hideous present.  On every aspect that took the shine off of the original, The Game Kitchen have made considerable improvements. While Blasphemous 2 retains the great mix of Metroidvania and Soulslike that made the first game a hit - i...

Rob reviews Gord on PlayStation 5… When it comes to base-building sims, you don’t often find the genre appearing on consoles. Head on over to Steam and you’ll be thrown into a figurative world of base-building delights. However, on consoles aside from the likes of Halo Wars , it’s hard for me to even think of a recent example.  Gord, which has been developed by Covenant.dev, and published by Team17 is a grim base-building experience that’s found it’s way onto consoles (as well as PC). Taking inspiration from Western Europe’s Dark Ages, Gord tasks you with taming the wild lands for your King, and surviving to tell the tale.  As Steward to the King, it’s all down to you on how this crusade will go. Get your decisions wrong, and your people will soon meet their maker. Thankfully you're not alone in this task and you’ll have the ear of three advisors to give you some well needed guidance. First off is local tribe leader Bogdhan who teams up with you to then offer his own people a...