Home » Articles and Reviews by 'Oscar Dayus'
4 things wrong with the Nintendo Switch
So Nintendo finally revealed the NX - and it's called the Switch. But let's gloss over the somewhat obvious naughty jokes for now, and concentrate on the console itself. It's rubbish. I mean, we knew that already. The Wii U failed, the Wii was hated, and further back than that it doesn't bear thinking about. And as for the Nintendo Switch? Well, it's basically a Wii U but, because it has to be mobile, it has worse graphics, right? It has a number of problems. Five of them, in fact. Here they are! It'll cost a bomb With the very nature of being a 'console in your pocket', you've got to squeeze a lot of power into a very small space. That, of course, sends the cost skyrocketing. We've a…
The 5 best card battlers on mobile
Card battlers, card battlers, card battlers, as far as the eye can see. It seems the CCG craze is truly in full swing, with pretty much every major franchise releasing either a new side series or a card game companion app to a larger mainline game. Why is that? Well, probably because they look nice, mainly. Plus there's a very tactile feel to a card battler that a tablet facilitates beautifully - fanning a set of cards in front of you wonderfully replicates the real life action, and can make you feel like a badass professional poker player. Even if this poker player is faced with a load of cards with zombies and killer plants on, sure. But given every game dev and their mum is bringing ou…
5 cool things we learned from the Pokemon Sun and Moon demo
Pokemon Sun and Moon are mere weeks away from release! And to get us all excited, a special demo version was released on the Nintendo eShop today. But what have we learned, now we've played it? Well, these five lessons, that's what. 1. 3D is gone completely When the 3DS was released, Nintendo made a huge deal about how 3D was going to change gaming forever. While the technology inside the device is impressive - especially in the New variants - that bold claim has never really come to fruition. It certainly hasn't changed the way we play games, with pretty much every other developer having given up on the tech in favour of VR. And Pokemon was one of the highest profile franchises to start…
4 better cowboy games than Red Dead Redemption
You're probably already aware, but Rockstar - developer of hit games like Manhunt 2 and Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis (plus some rubbish indie game called Grand Theft Auto) - has been teasing a successor to its hugely successful 2010 cowboy sim Red Dead Redemption. I don't know why it was successful, mind you. It was 25 hours of shooting chickens and riding horses to the middle of nowhere. Not exactly my idea of fun. But anyway. For some reason people are excited for what looks to be a sequel. But there are better cowboy games out there, I swear to you. Take a look at these four cowboy / western games that are infinitely better than Red Dead Redemption 2 will ever be. 2-Bit Cowboy…
4 reasons why Red Dead Redemption 2 would be better on mobile than console
Remember Red Dead Redemption? The horribly overrated open world game released in 2010 that was basically Grand Theft Auto but not as good? Well it looks like we'll soon be forced to endure a sequel. Developer Rockstar is teasing what looks like a second (alright, technically third) entry in the Red Dead franchise. So far we have the R* logo on a red background, and more recently a picture of seven men walking towards us at sunset. Not exactly conclusive evidence, but it's hard to imagine this indicating anything else. Let's take the plunge and take the torment as read - let's imagine there really is a Red Dead game coming next year. Wouldn't it be better on mobile? You don't agree?…
3 reasons why you shouldn't buy PSVR!
Finally. FINALLY! After what feels like a lifetime of waiting, a VR headset is at last available to the public. What's that? Samsung Gear VR and HTC Vive have been out for months now? And nobody's noticed? Oh. And Nintendo kinda did VR with the Virtual Boy back in 1995? And that failed too? Oh. Well then. Maybe PSVR will do better? In all seriousness, PSVR is the most likely of all of them to succeed: it has the backing not only of Sony, but also a huge existing platform and the market leader of the current generation in the PS4 and PlayStation brand as a whole. You don't need another expensive box to use PSVR, you don't need to build a £1000 PC, you don't need any huge technical…
3 ways VR will take over your life
Virtual Reality dominates any and all discussion in the games industry right now. Every game seems to have a VR port or expansion on the way. And for good reason - most who've tried it think VR could be the next big step for gaming, akin to the switch from 2D to 3D in the 1990s. VR has its fair share of naysayers, of course, as does anything. There are still people who believe FIFA is better than PES, for example. Some people never learn. But while VR is impressive from a gaming perspective, and adds a new layer of immersion, it's the technology's non gaming possibilities that excite me. Could we be using an Oculus Rift to speak to our relatives on the other side of the world in 10 years'…
The 3 best Android phones available in 2016 - Does the Pixel make the cut?
Are you a fan of slightly glitchy interfaces? Love holding cheap materials in your hand? Like your devices in the explodey variety? Then you'll love Android phones! Nah, I'm kidding - Android is alright. I've got nothing against them. I've got one myself, in fact, because I can't afford an iPhone. Oh well. But if your heart's set on getting a 'Droid, or you just can't quite scrape enough together to go for an iPhone, then check out our list of the best Android phones out there today. Google Pixel Cost: £599 / £719 Where better to start than what Google hopes is the iPhone's new nemesis? The Pixel comes with iPhone grade prices, but also iPhone grade specs. It's armed wit…
4 ways Apple can HIT BACK at Google after the Pixel reveal
This week, Google finally revealed its much anticipated follow up to the Nexus: the Pixel phone. The consensus seems to be that Google has built a genuine challenger to the iPhone. I mean, of course they have - they look exactly the same! Some people, however, seem to think the Pixel is pointless. That the point of an Android phone is to be cheap, and that anyone who's spending £599 on a piece of metal to go in their pocket is going to spend it on Apple's hunk o' junk. There's definitely an argument to be had there, but we think the Pixel is gorgeous, and finally offers stiff, big money, big profile, big spec, big everything competition to the iPhone. Given all that then, how can A…
Bioware's RPGs ranked from worst to best
Do you like endless fetch quests? Love sub-par combat? Are you a horny teenager looking to love it up with a virtual vixen? Then you'll love Bioware's RPGs! Bioware RPGs have been sending fans to sleep for years, but I'm afraid I've got some sad news for all you mobile players out there - Jade Empire, Bioware's 2005 RPG originally released for the Xbox - is now on iPad. I know, I'm sorry. To celebrate (commiserate), we're going to rank the major Bioware RPG series from the past few years from worst to best. Strap yourselves in! 5. Dragon Age Listen, Dragon Age is rubbish. It's dull, trite, and nonsensical trash. I don't know about you, but I am so so bored of mages and dwarves and ye…
Miaou Moon is about a cat in space, hilarity ensues
What on Earth is Miaou Moon? Well, it's a cat on the Moon! Check out Oscar's (@dayusz) quick look…
Google Pixel vs iPhone 7 - which is best?
After Carphone Warehouse spoiled the surprise a day early, Google finally unveiled its new Pixel phone yesterday! And guess what? It kinda looks like a huge rip off of the iPhone! Google has sold its own phones for a while now of course - just made by other companies and labelled with the Nexus brand rather than anything overtly Googlarian (that's probably a word). And Nexus has always been the benchmark for Android phones. As Android as it gets without being a walking, talking robot. Now though, Google seems to be taking its flagship phone in a new direction - on a collision course with Apple! The Pixel phone looks to imitate the iPhone in every conceivable way. So let's examine which is…
Feral Fury has a gun-wielding panda madman, and as such is amazing
Yeah, you read that right. Turns out Fatal Fury sees you control a panda out of control. You're equipped up to the eyeballs with pistols, assault rifles, and bamboo weaponry. I may have made that last one up. Either way, this is cool!…
Being PewDiePie isn't as fun as it looks
PewDiePie has a new game out. If you're reading this, you probably already knew that. It's called PewDiePie's Tuber Simulator (presumably because they weren't allowed to have YouTube in the title), and it's the latest in a long line of mobile games to be associated with real celebrities. Most of them are bad. This one is no different. If this is what life is really like for ol Pewds, I feel really sorry for the bloke. Everything is pixelated Pixelation makes everything ugly. Often, games with an 8-bit art style look bright and colourful, but as you will see, this game is dark, grey, and murky to the core. Microtransactions are everywhere You have to pay for everything. New camera?…
Google conference 2016 - Pixel Phone and more of what to expect
Tonight, on the evening of 4th October (UK time, that is. It might be morning where you are. How am I supposed to know?), Google is set to reveal its new Pixel phone, which has been the subject of much speculation and excitement. Until now. Now is finally time for them to be unveiled. And like an impatient child on Christmas Eve, we're here to spoil all the surprises. So what can we expect from Google's conference tonight? Pixel Phone First on the agenda will surely be Google's own much-hyped Pixel phone. Unfortunately for Google (or Alphabet, as I suppose we should call them now?) is that the whole thing was leaked recently by confusingly non-automobile related mobile shop Carphone War…
