Will Freeman

Nintendo Life

Will Freeman·Nov 10, 2024

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Angel at Dusk is wonderful, weird, and built on a foundation of deep understanding of the genre, and an intelligence and self-awareness that elevates its potential to delight. Not all will take to its theme, but it presents a deeply authentic hardcore bullet hell experience, a dazzling wit, and a suite of game systems that are a joy to explore. And the fact it welcomes a wide range of players to an authentic shmup? It's one of the year's most enticing genre contributions.

Eurogamer

Will Freeman·Aug 8, 2024

Critic80/100

Agreement—

KeelWork’s strikingly opulent shooter dares to do new things with its genre in an effort to unite players of every level.

PC Gamer

Will Freeman·Oct 26, 2023

Critic81/100

Agreement—

A beautifully crafted genre mash-up.

Nintendo Life

Will Freeman·Mar 23, 2023

Critic80/100

Agreement—

It might not be perfect, but if you have any affection for mecha and anime culture, classic action gaming, or shooters and run 'n' guns, Assault Suits Valken Declassified is very much worth strapping yourself into. The odd quirk aside, it's a very well-thought-through creation, defined by tight controls and movement, tidy level design, and a bounty of ideas. And then there's all those lovely archive materials. Tread carefully, though. This mecha is a beast.

Eurogamer

Will Freeman·Dec 1, 2022

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Our review of Gunvein, an engaging and generous shooting game.

Eurogamer

Will Freeman·Sep 30, 2022

Critic75/100

Agreement—

Imperfect, unkind, and rough round the edges, Session captures more of real skateboarding than almost any game that has come before.

PC Gamer

Will Freeman·Sep 20, 2022

Critic92/100

Agreement—

Worth the three-decade wait.

Eurogamer

Will Freeman·Feb 22, 2022

Critic75/100

Agreement—

You could forgive the team at Platinum if they built their debut in the 2D shooter genre from the conventions of bullet…

Nintendo Life

Will Freeman·Jan 17, 2022

Critic80/100

Agreement—

While staying true to the series that it extends, Cotton Rock 'n' Roll / Fantasy brings so many different experiences in a single shmup that it may as well be a compilation release - and unlike the arcade versions, it is all presented in English language. The more time you give it, the more the replay value snowballs. The faults to be found are few and far between, while sharp level design and a joyful, even mischievous personality define Success' latest. Simply put, Cotton Fantasy has a lot of fun to give.

Nintendo Life

Will Freeman·May 10, 2021

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Yes, Raiden IV is not a typical shmup by contemporary standards, and won't be for everyone. Equally, all of these modes have been available in some form elsewhere. But as a single package, Raiden IV x Mikado Remix offers the Switch one of its best shooting game releases yet – and that is saying something on a console that has emerged as an unexpected star vehicle for the genre.

Nintendo Life

Will Freeman·May 1, 2021

Critic60/100

Agreement—

R-Type Final 2 makes an authentic if flawed contribution to an iconic shooting game series. Many of the problems seem technical, so hopefully an update could do plenty - especially if it lets you lock that camera pitch. All we can hope for, then, is that we are still in the beginning of R-Type's final phase, and that what Final 2 gets right is allowed to rise to the top.

Nintendo Life

Will Freeman·Feb 24, 2021

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Overall, Capcom Arcade Stadium is a very good package filled with brilliant games, each updated with modern functionality. It doesn't rival the quality of original hardware or the likes of M2's sublime individual ports of arcade masterworks as seen with the release of Esp.Ra.De Psi, but at £30 for 32 games, it is well worth the price, warts and all.

Nintendo Life

Will Freeman·Dec 3, 2018

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Rival Megagun may fall short of the standards set by genre masterworks like Cave's Ketsui, Seibu Kaihatsu's Raiden Fighters Jet or Raizing's Battle Garegga. But those are some of the finest pieces of game design of all time, and failing to meet their lofty standards doesn't stop Spacewave's creation being a tremendously fun and rather distinct shmup that really does offer something fresh, and serves as a great demonstration of the Switch's multiplayer prowess in the process.

Eurogamer

Will Freeman·May 11, 2016

Critic75/100

Agreement—

Editor's note: To mark the EU release of Raiden 5 on Xbox One, we're republishing our original import review of the gam…

Eurogamer

Will Freeman·Mar 2, 2015

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Roll7's stripped-back charmer returns - and clever tweaks ensure that it's capturing the glory of skateboarding better than ever.