Lollipop Magazine

Sayonara Wild Hearts – Review

November 27, 2019

A world of neon and synth pop turns out to be the background for your journey of reflection and self-discovery.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 – Review

November 5, 2019

If it’s Wario running the 100m dash, or a crocodile wearing headphones throwing the javelin, I’m on board.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice – Review

April 2, 2019

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is an incredible achievement and one of the best action games ever made.

Spyro Reignited Trilogy – Review

November 27, 2018

Spyro Reignited Trilogy does a beautiful job of bringing these games to modern consoles.

Soulcalibur VI – Review

November 9, 2018

Soulcalibur VI makes another strong case as to why the series should always be in the conversation when it comes to fighting games.

Vampyr – Review

June 18, 2018

Despite deficiencies in both narrative and gameplay, Vampyr is still compelling because of its all-consuming Gothic atmosphere.

Dragon’s Crown Pro – Review

May 9, 2018

It understands the genre and delivers satisfying, bombastic combat in short bursts, but also finds ways to deliver a full-length adventure that meets modern expectations.

Shadow of the Colossus – Review

March 9, 2018

Shadow of the Colossus is an all-time classic, and this excellent remaster provides a vital opportunity to play it again or discover it for the first time.

Celeste – Review

February 23, 2018

The star of Celeste is definitely the palm-sweating finger acrobatics required by the devious level designs.

Cuphead – Review

October 3, 2017

The detail and charm in Cuphead means it was made with a lot of love, but that would just be window dressing if it wasn’t a solid action game.

Yakuza Kiwami – Review

August 29, 2017

Yakuza Kiwami (“Extreme”) lets gamers experience the wacky fun of the original Yakuza in a remake with modern graphics and gameplay polish.

Superhot – Review

August 1, 2017

Rather than run headfirst into a firefight, you’ll think multiple steps ahead and carefully consider where your enemies will intersect with your bullet.

Nex Machina – Review

June 29, 2017

Nex Machina infuses the classic Robotron twin stick formula with breakneck speed, adds in the wild voxel-based visual style of Resogun and sharpens it to a razor edge.

The Surge – Review

May 26, 2017

Developer Deck13 — creators of 2014’s Lords of the Fallen — bring the Souls sensibility to a grim, mechanized future.

Snake Pass – Review

April 5, 2017

Charming, accomplished and fun, a quietly ambitious puzzle platformer that nods to a bygone era but exhibits gamemaking acumen that is distinctly modern day.

Nier: Automata – Review

March 30, 2017

The fascinating semi-open world structure has been fleshed out and augmented with the combat know-how of developer Platinum Games: It looks and plays great.

Watch Dogs 2 – Review

November 20, 2016

The sprawling, sun-soaked and varied terrain of Grand Theft Auto V’s Los Angeles and Watch Dogs 2’s San Francisco Bay Area truly feel like gigantic playgrounds.

Gears of War 4 – Review

November 4, 2016

If Gears of War 4 proves anything, it’s that there’s no substitute for the real thing.

RIVE – Review

October 5, 2016

RIVE is a frantic, fast-paced shoot-em-up/platformer that draws from a ton of great source material from the history of white-knuckle action games.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Mutants in Manhattan – Review

June 3, 2016

Mutants in Manhattan, like Transformers: Devastation, looks and plays better than one would expect, but neither stretches beyond “good enough.”

Hitman – Review

May 6, 2016

The 2016 incarnation of the Hitman franchise is one of the first big names to try out the episodic model for its new game, and it’s a great fit.

Enter the Gungeon – Review

April 8, 2016

Enter the Gungeon jumps into the fray with its own offbeat genre soup, and it’s particularly tasty: A bullet hell roguelike.

Street Fighter – V – Review

March 25, 2016

On its release day, Street Fighter V was missing a ton of features, from a promised Story Mode to any meaningful training challenges to even Arcade mode.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege – Review

December 11, 2015

A nice bit of counter programming during this holiday season, turning down the spectacle and exploring tense, high-stakes combat.

Just Cause 3 – Review

December 11, 2015

Just Cause 3 is an incredible action movie amusement park filled with the tools to create any over-the-top Bond/Bourne/John McClane fantasy in your head.