John Rairdin
This author account hasn't been claimed yet. To claim this account, please contact the outlet owner to request access.
Writing For
Nintendo World ReportLatest Reviews
Tales of the Shire is a really solid idea. It should work. There are great ideas here and some solid writing. This feels like the early access version of what could eventually be a very good game. But right now, it isn’t. Instead it is a shallow glimpse at what...
As a follow up to Super Mario Odyssey, Donkey Kong Bananza is a fascinating experiment. It attempts to solve that game’s progression issues by making the primary collectible unrelated to actual progression. It arguably creates new issues in the process but is, if nothing else, an acknowledgement that there is...
I thought I knew what I was getting into with Misc when it was pitched to me as a Chibi-Robo-like. In reality that deeply undersells what the game has to offer. The focus on shifting that design to something that more closely resembles a Mario 64-style 3D platformer is a...
This is a very straightforward HD release of System Shock 2. This remaster does little to modernize actual gameplay, and playing with a controller is simply not ideal. On a technical level it does exactly what it sets out to do and does it very well. The game itself remains...
Against the Storm is enthralling and balances its difficulty with its rewards very well. That being said, if you’re not the type of person to find joy in managing an ever expanding deluge of resource types, you’ll likely be overwhelmed. The learning curve, even with a reasonably well handled tutorial,...
Cyberpunk has always been a very heavy game to run. To this day I still don’t think it hits a particularly acceptable level of performance on the systems it was originally released for. It is one of those games that is handy as a technical benchmark, specifically because of how...
Fast Fusion
Fast Fusion is the deepest and most mechanically interesting game in Shin’en’s Fast series, and one I’ll be going back to on a regular basis. The level design is the best it's ever been and when combined with the fusion system, makes for some great replayability. While I have some...
I’d love to talk more about Trident's Tale, but at least on Switch the game just isn’t done. It is possible there is a decent game on other platforms, but I would steer well clear of the Switch release.
Argonaut’s Croc remaster is executed with near perfection. Despite upgrading every aspect of the game, its respect for the original keeps it perfectly in line with what the game was. The updates to the controls mean that even if you’re playing with the original graphics and a CRT filter, it...
Moons of Darsalon has some rough edges, but its charm and level design is usually enough to shine through. This is a game that builds upon a lot of old ideas, but manages to make them feel incredibly fresh. While it can trip over itself now and then, the end...
Achilles: Legends Untold is a functional isometric souls-like that plays well enough and has plenty of territory to explore but falls short in its Switch port. It isn’t completely unenjoyable by any means and mechanically it is quite solid. But ultimately through the combination of a rough Switch port, poor...
Worlds of Aria
Worlds of Aria is a highly accessible, well written, tabletop inspired adventure. It can make for a fun adventure with your regular party (near or far), or an intro to people who are completely unfamiliar with this style of game. Veterans may find some mechanics a bit too simple to...
