thecou..toolkit

Reviving a classic is never easy. Franchises like Streets of Rage descend from a different era, a time where game mechanics and storytelling principles were far more straightforward and lacking in nuance. You walked forward, obliterating everyone in your path, occasionally stopping to eat a roast chicken off the ground before marching onward. PSA:...

The last few weeks have been great for strategy fans, with big names like Gears Tactics and now XCOM: Chimera Squad offering vastly different takes on the formula.  For those out of the know, XCOM: Chimera Squad is the latest turn-based strategy experience from Firaxis Games. It’s being pitched as a sequel to XCOM 2: War of the Chosen, and at...

When it first launched back in 2018, Fallout 76 was scorned for its clumsy execution of a fairly ambitious concept. Bethesda hoped to translate its sprawling RPG vision into a world occupied by other players who could interact, fight and work alongside one another towards a common goal.  The concept itself sounded incredibly appealing, yet was...

Since emerging on the Sega Saturn back in 1998, Sakura Wars has remained an understated yet iconic member of the JRPG genre and become immediately recognisable thanks to its infectious theme song and an unorthodox blend of visual novel and strategy mechanics.  Having received countless sequels, anime series and other adaptations, Oji Hiroi’s eclectic...

Gears Tactics is the latest entry into Microsoft’s iconic shooter series. But unlike its predecessors, Tactics is not a third-person tactical shooter. Instead, it’s a turn-based strategy game in the same vein as XCOM 2 or Phoenix Point. If this sounds exciting, it should. If ever there was a franchise that screamed to be turned into a tactical, turn-based...

The best games console on the market, but for how long? The PS4 has been a resounding success since its launch back in 2013, becoming one of the best-selling consoles of all time. But with the PS5 and Xbox Series X just around the corner, is it still worth your money?  It certainly feels like an outdated system now, limited to a Full HD resolution...