As soon as a new indie game comes out, there are those voices that shout about how they are keeping the AAA titles from being made. That the latest Call Of Duty, or Assassin's Creed is somehow hampered by these small budget, one man developed games.

Axiom Verge is one of those games that comes around once in a blue moon and reminds me why I love video games. It's easy to admire for the sole reason that the development team behind it is made up of one person.

Due to a mixture of age and gaming ignorance, I missed early entries in both the Metroid and Castlevania series, only catching up with each when they entered the 3D-era. Despite this, I have come to appreciate the so-called Metroidvania genre in more recent times, spurred on by releases such as...

Positives Interesting, varied environments; Simple yet solid gameplay

Negatives Feelings of Déjà vu

Video game companies are constantly morphing and changing their franchises. They add new game play element, go from 2D to 3D, and more. Sometimes we gamers want to play something familiar. Sometimes we yearn for more games from a certain era.

Verging on greatness You are logged out. Login | Sign up Setting Trace aside, Sudra and its inhabitants are fascinating. Every part of the planet incorporates biomechanical technology in some way, and the environments pulse eerily with power.

In 1987, Metroid fundamentally changed how side-scrolling games could be played. It was a literal game-changer and gave birth to a whole new genre. Though fans have frequently cried out for more Metroid and the style it perfected, there was a period when it nearly disappeared altogether, and it...

It's hard to believe that it's been almost 30 years since Samus Aran first made an appearance in the enduringly popular Metroid series. The heavy emphasis on non-linear exploration, coupled with a compelling sci-fi setting has ensured that it's one of those franchises that Nintendo fans and critics...

It spends too much time recreating the genius of Metroid rather than adding to it, but this is still one of the best examples of the genre in recent years.

Extremely well designed game world, and very good graphics considering the lack of manpower; The Address Disruptor and other gadgets are great, as are the boss battles

Only a few new ideas and a touch too similar to the real Metroid; Overbearing story adds little to the experience; Some minor control issues

If you're going to clone a classic, much-loved game series, you'd better make sure what you're doing stands up to history. Fortunately,...

If you're worried about Axiom Verge's Teen rating, don't be. Just look at these graphics. Although the game impressed me, I gotta say: do you think this blood will be realistic No, and it's not. As for violence, I really think this is light violence. The ESRB is just getting a lot stricter.