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About Matthew Smail

Matt has been around Videogames since the ZX Spectrum way back in the 1980's. He enjoys a very broad range of games including everything from epic RPG's through to cute platformers and the odd really dumb FPS romp. Matt is in his early thirties and has been writing for XBLA Fans for over three years now.
Latest Posts | By Matthew Smail
Sheltered review: Going underground
8 years ago

Sheltered review: Going underground

When I wrote my preview of Sheltered, I thought of it as something of a rough diamond. Here was a brutally unforgiving game with a clunky control system that translated poorly onto a gamepad …
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Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition — worth a second look?
8 years ago

Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition — worth a second look?

When I reviewed the initial release of Ori and the Blind Forest one year ago, I described it as “beautiful and sorrowful” and a “masterpiece,” which I felt would surely …
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Dungeon of the Endless review: Mob rules
8 years ago

Dungeon of the Endless review: Mob rules

It’s only been a week since I was assigned to review Dungeon of the Endless (DotE), but I must admit to being completely addicted to it already. In fact, I’ve been enjoying Amplitude Studios’ …
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Teslagrad review: Shock treatment
8 years ago

Teslagrad review: Shock treatment

Cutting right to the chase, Teslagrad is a beautiful, intriguing, challenging and often incredibly frustrating game blending Metroidvania-style progression with fairly complex 2D puzzle-platforming. It’s a mix that should and …
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Gunscape review: Doomed
8 years ago

Gunscape review: Doomed

Gunscape presents us with the simple concept of a combination between the building features of Minecraft‘s creative mode and the typical gameplay of an old school first-person shooter such as Quake
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Agatha Christie – The ABC Murders review: Fifty shades of the little grey cells
8 years ago

Agatha Christie – The ABC Murders review: Fifty shades of the little grey cells

In the interest of full disclosure, I have to admit that I’ve been a fan of Agatha Christie’s iconic Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, since I was a boy of only …
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In Space We Brawl review: Captive audience
8 years ago

In Space We Brawl review: Captive audience

With a clear aim of recreating Bomberman-like gameplay In Space We Brawl is primarily a local multiplayer experience built upon the concept of an arena-based, twin-stick shooter, and although it …
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Opinion: Microtransactions and me: Hey big spender
8 years ago

Opinion: Microtransactions and me: Hey big spender

A couple of weeks ago, CBC News broke this story about a teenager from Pembroke, Ontario who racked up a bill somewhere in the region of $8,000 whilst playing FIFA< ...
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Gone Home review: Alone in the dark
8 years ago

Gone Home review: Alone in the dark

When it was released in 2013, Gone Home was praised not only for its deep narrative appeal and style, but also because it cast aside traditional video game trappings, favouring …
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Rebel Galaxy review: Flight of fancy
8 years ago

Rebel Galaxy review: Flight of fancy

A famous strapline once informed us that “in space, no one can you hear you scream.” Brief as it is, this is a handy way of summarising the fact that because …
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