REVIEW: Clock Simulator - Nintendo Switch

Review by Jon Donnis
Of all things you can simulate on a games console, a clock seems to be the last thing you would want to simulate. After all aren't all clocks "Time Simulators"?

In Clock Simulator you have a collection of mini games, each game revolves around the idea of you pressing a button once every second. The closer you get to pressing the button every second the better you do and the higher score you get.

The game has a really cool ambient soundtrack. But other than that I just found the games repetitive and rather boring. Which is kinda the point of the game I guess.

I decided to get some other opinions, so first I gave the game to a 9 year old girl to play. She played it for around 20 minutes and said it was boring.

I then gave the game to a 68 year old woman. She was even less impressed. And then I played it for myself. I found myself going through the mini games one by one, some I had one go on and then went straight onto the next game, a few I had a couple of goes at as I was a bit confused as to what I was supposed to do and I want to make sure I beat any score that the 9 year old had got. After all I am still competitive and I must be the best at everything. And a few games I had no idea the point and stopped after a few seconds. And sadly I think that may end up being the experience of most people.

I even found myself looking at a real clock in the room and following the second hand as it moved to help me get the timing right, I am sure that would be classed as cheating, either way a game where I am not even looking at the screen and I can do better seems strange.

I am sure this game will appeal to some people, perhaps those with OCD, or even children/adults who enjoy counting, and there are many people who fit that bill.

But for me a 40 year old male, and for a 9 year old girl and a 68 year old woman, the game just didn't do it for us.

The positives are it has a great little soundtrack which is relaxing. The graphics are fine for what it is.
The negatives are that the game seems a little lackluster.

The idea for the game is fine, but the execution is a little poor. I think the makers should have tried to make the game have more peril. For example have a mini game where you need to click every 10 seconds, but as that is happening you have sound effects to confuse you or put your off.  A crazy man on screen shouting random numbers at you. I think distraction based mini games would be much more entertaining, and make the game much harder, and inevitably raise the challenge aspect.

As it is though, after getting the opinion of 3 different generations and sexes, and combining those opinions, I can only give the game a 4/10

It has potential and perhaps the creator will release updates and new mini games.
Have a watch of the trailer below, and if you disagree with my review leave a comment.

REVIEW: Mad Catz Rat 4+ Gaming Mouse

The RAT 4+ is 7200 DPI gaming mouse, and I was lucky enough to get my hands on one.
And I was not disappointed. First of all it is a very good looking piece of equipment.

With 9 fully programmable buttons, this mouse is clearly designed for experienced gamers.

This is a wired mouse, connected via USB. Personally I have no problem with using a wired mouse, the worst thing in life (slight over exaggeration) is when the battery goes dead midgame, and the frantic scramble for new batteries ensues.

With the RAT 4+ you can create different profiles for different games, so you can create various complex commands and so on, even different sensitivity to button pressing or movements on screen. It really is very impressive the amount of customization you can do with this mouse.

The very high quality optical sensor means that lag is never a problem, well never one I noticed.

The mouse fit my hand very well, and felt very easy to use. And again I have to say how utterly cool it looks.

My only gripe is that the mouse is very light, and for some that is a good thing, I just personally prefer a heavier unit.

If you are a hardcore gamer then this is the mouse for you. 9/10

Find out more at the official site.
http://www.madcatz.com/index.php?action=proA-rat4

Review: Just Dance 2019 (Nintendo Switch)

Just Dance 2019 is the latest in the dance game franchise.
I purchased this game for my niece (9 years old), so I have spoken to her in depth as well as played the game myself.

The first problem I noticed is that only about 15 songs are available when you first play, the full 40 are unlockable. However the claim on the box is 400, but I soon found out that they were part of an extra subscription. So that is the first complaint. You pay £30 for a game that advertises hundreds of songs, but they are all behind a paywall. And unfortunately they are view-able within the game even though you cant play them, so kids will see them and demand them, since they are more famous and in general better songs.

My niece had the game at Christmas, so today I asked her if she had been playing it. She said no, as she didn't like any of the songs that are available at the start. I pointed out that she had to unlock more songs by playing through the game, she replied "whats the point if I don't like the songs, that is not fun".

It is hard to argue against that logic.

This game is a cash grab, no doubt about it.
$4.00 (£2.50) for 24 hours, $4.99 (£3.29) for a month, $9.99 (£7.99) for 3 months, or $29.99 (£19.99) for a year.

The game itself plays ok, it is a typical dance game. Nothing groundbreaking here. The graphics are decent, and the music quality is also good.

The problem is purely the songs.
If you buy this for a child and they don't like the 15 or so songs that are playable straight away, then they wont like the game. It really is simple as that. And these songs aren't even new releases. So to call this Just Dance 2019 is also a bit misleading.

The subscription model that now seems to be common place is truly destroying games in my opinion.

Just Dance 19 is a cash grab. Find out the play list before you buy, if your child likes those songs then great. But if they don't, and you don't want to pay the subscription fee, then perhaps find another game that doesn't try to squeeze every last penny out of you, even after you have paid for the game itself.

I have to give the game 1/10. I gave it to a child to play, and they don't want to play it.

Review by Jon Donnis.

Buy the game from Amazon here.

Clock Simulator - Nintendo Switch

In Clock Simulator your task is simple, click once a second, every second to the rhythm of a ticking clock. From developer Kool2Play, Clock Simulator is an immersive, minimalistic rhythm game that requires patience, focus, and a penchant for timekeeping. The game supports basic clock simulation as well as a host of arcade modes and challenging twists on the clock gameplay like ‘Pig got the rhythm’, which is a mash-up of the standard Clock Simulator rhythm challenge with a typing game as guide a pig through a series of obstacles.

The core game is played over a soft, ambient soundtrack while warm backgrounds swell across the colour spectrum. Your role is to be the clock: precise, reliable, perfect. And that’s why Clock Simulator is so interesting and challenging, it tasks you to embody these infallible aspects of everyday clocks. It’s as frustrating as it is meditative, and there’s not many games out there that ask so little of you while demanding so much.

Monster Energy Supercross - The Official Videogame 2 - The Compound Area Gameplay | PS4

All the action, all the fight and all the feeling of the 2018 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship are waiting for you with the MONSTER ENERGY SUPERCROSS - THE OFFICIAL VIDEOGAME 2!

Live like a champion with the renewed Career Mode. Train hard in the Compound area across 4 different layouts and join different activities following your own agenda - from Monday till the race weekend you'll always have challenges to face, sponsors to attract, fans to meet and prizes to gain!

Face the competition as a hero; competing on the official tracks and with more than 80 official riders from 250SX and 450SX, including the superstars Jason Anderson and Marvin Musquin and the most awaited rider by the Supercross fans: Eli Tomac!

Your face. Your style. Your own personality. A brand-new level of customization offers more than 3.000 items to create the bike of your dreams. Make your avatar your twin and celebrate your victory as you please - after all, everyone has their own superstitious gesture!

An enhanced track editor with brand-new features is now even easier to use thanks to the in-game tutorial and the renewed UI graphics. Create your track, jump in it and share it online with the community!


Buy from Amazon here