James Cunningham
This author account hasn't been claimed yet. To claim this account, please contact the outlet owner to request access.
Writing For
Hardcore Gamer Latest Reviews
Expeditions: A Mudrunner Game has a lot of tidying up to do to become what it should be, but there's a wonderfully-rewarding game in there once you've learned its quirks. I had no idea the map checkpointing system was so useful until I noticed one of the screenshots highlighting it,...
While rough in places, Cookie Cutter manages to brawl its way to the top thanks to a strong combat system and wonderfully-bad attitude. The story and world-building are surprisingly well done, and Cherry is a strong hero despite being on a rage-fueled spree of bloody vengeance. While the ending has...
A Highland Song is a wonderful adventure through mountains that were old before people arrived and will be there long after their ruins have eroded away. Moira's journey is as much about the Scottish Highlands as it is about her life so far, with history and myth being equally important...
Disney Illusion Island is a great all-ages platform-adventure that works hard to appeal to players of any skill level. Even those finding it too easy should be able to enjoy kicking back with the Disney cast, all of which are well animated with their personality shining through in every movement....
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is a solid throwback FPS that makes up for being too generous with the resources by its excellent weapon, monster and level design. The world of Warhammer 40,000 translates fantastically well to this type of game, with decades of lore and design to draw from to create...
Atomic Heart is an "everything and the kitchen sink" type of adventure that feels like it should explode from the weight of its ambitions, yet keeps it together through a combination of good pacing of new elements and a deeply likeable world. The Major actually comes across as a decent...
The Knight Witch is excellent in a lot of ways despite its forbidding difficulty, the kind of game you'll be glad to have beaten even if the journey to completion is sometimes a bit much. Rayne's journey from coulda-been to savior goes through a number of twists and turns, the...
Sonic Frontiers is a hugely ambitious new direction for the series that comes close to hitting on all cylinders. The different islands are all expansive with a ton of places to explore and routes to get there, some less obvious than others. It feels weird to appreciate the story in...
Even with the story not living up to previous entries, Yomawari: Lost in the Dark does a good job continuing the unique horror series. Yuzu is a likeable character and the town she has to explore is nicely designed with a good number of points of interest. The puzzles aren't...
Vampire Survivors initially feels like a nice bite-sized adventure, something to dip into now and then for the joy of orchestrating a little mayhem as the heart of bullet hell rather than its recipient. For the first few rounds, which generally last maybe ten minutes or so, it may not...
Rogue Legacy 2 is an enormous beast of an adventure, packed with fast combat, great platforming and endless replayability. It's the kind of game that can be actively difficult to stop playing, with the spoils from one run opening up new opportunities in the next that can be difficult to...
Even with the annoyance of the narrator being so utterly clueless, there's no question that Maquette is effective at illustrating the pain of a good relationship gone bad. The integration of puzzles and story never gel as it should, with only the setting feeling like it was at all related...
