Tennis Elbow 2013 is one of few games available on PC that actually covers tennis. From the screenshots it looks like a decent indie tennis title with aged graphics and a funny name. But is that all it is? Or are its looks deceiving? This is what I think of Tennis Elbow 2013.

This game surprised me in the best of ways. After taking a keen interest in the sport earlier this year and following the WTA, I wanted a good tennis game that I could play here on Steam. I didn't know of this title until I saw someone mention how great it was on reddit and I decided to take the plunge and purchase it. And boy was it worth it.

After struggling to get to grips with janky controls and being dismayed at the UI ripped straight from developmental hell in the 90's I was ready to write the game off as a bad purchase. But I persevered with it. I was losing matches and being humiliated but I was...enjoying it. I got used to the controls and began to appreciate the weight and depth to its mechanics. This isn't just an indie tennis game. It's a serious simulation.

The controls are not easy to learn and the help screens confuse you with strange key mapping but once you learn about the different shots you can use and bind them to more natural keys, you'll soon be bossing it on the courts. You'll have to learn to time your shots or you'll be hitting balls into the centre of the court leading to inevitably being picked off. During rallies, you'll have to carefully position for certain shots or you'll mis-hit them. I wouldn't exactly say it's easy to learn but it's definitely difficult to master. Luckily there are a number of difficulties, six of them, each with a subset of ten levels. You can switch difficulties on the fly, even during the match, so the game is as easy or hard as you want it.

The game really comes into its own in its main mode; the World Tour. You can pick an existing player or create one yourself and rise from a rookie to a Grand Slam champion. There is great customization for you to create the player you want and you can assign some starting skill points into different attributes for your player. This ranges from the power in your forehand and backhand strokes, whether you have a good serve or not, speed and stamina and specialization shots such as the drop shot and lob. Once your character is done it's time to play tennis.

Having only played Top Spin 4, I'm not an authority on tennis games but this World Tour is excellent. There are dozens of different tournaments to play in with each week on a variety of different surfaces. It's all a bit overwhelming but in a good way. As a rookie, you'll have to enter the lowest tier tournaments and work your way up, playing against a roster of 1000 players. You'll even have to play qualifier matches just to compete, just like in the real sport. You earn XP every tournament and the better you do, the faster you'll improve. It's excellent when you finally make a name for yourself, not to mention satisfying.

This is the best representation I've seen of tennis in a game, but apart from the mechanics on the court, it's incredibly bare-bones. In Top Spin 4 you had little random events that would require a little input, such as opening a local night club or attending events. This game would improve a lot with a similar approach but the great gameplay more than makes up for that. The graphics are very dated, even for an older game, and the aforementioned UI is truly terrible. Which brings us to the last thing I'd like to talk about. Mods.

This game is highly moddable and the number of high quality mods available for it enhance the experience. With mods that simulate both ATP and WTA tours with character likenesses, real names(different but recognizable names in the base game,) custom courts, scoreboards, stat sheets and new UI mods, the world is your oyster.

All in all, this game is the best tennis game available right now. While its hard to play at first, once you get into the game you'll be hooked. But if you aren't a tennis fan, this game probably won't be for you as it's all about what happens on court and nothing else. As a tennis fan, this is one of the best purchases I've made, I've had many epic matches and I'll be sure to enjoy many more. A wholehearted recommendation from me!

Mad Bullets is an indie On-Rails shooter with a western setting and provides a fun arcade experience that harks back to 90s arcade shooters. Is it worth your time and money? This is what I think of Mad Bullets.

Yes, absolutely yes. I really enjoyed playing this game and had a lot of fun whilst doing so which is the main goal of the title. For the low price tag, coupled with frequent sales, you really can't go wrong with this one. It does grow stale after a few hours, however, and it doesn't take more than 5 hours to see everything it has to offer. It does provide a fun experience of shooting a bunch of bad guys whilst racking up a huge score which is oddly addicting.

There is no story to run through in this game, instead you'll run through three different settings and additional areas that provide four unique challenges in each. The goal is simple: shoot bad guys, collect money, pick up boosters that provide different buffs and last as long as you can. It's great playing through each time, trying to beat your previous best score or collect enough money to buy upgrades in the shop. These range from extra bullets, extra lives or extensions to the time of power ups during the levels. For the time it lasts it's a compelling gameplay loop and is perfect to play for twenty minutes or an hour or two.

I thought the different settings were great, each with their own character and enemies within them. Goon Village is your typical western village filled with saloons, general stores, jails and banks, whereas El Dangero is replete with haciendas and villas. Wicked Rocks is again different, running through Native American camps and rock canyons. The challenge areas are very tongue-in-cheek, like the rest of the game, pitting you against leaping piranhas, swooping vultures, and sneaky ninjas. It's wonderfully bonkers.

However, as I mentioned the game does begin to grow stale. The same three areas begin to drag as there isn't enough variety within them and you'll be shooting the same enemies over and over again. The thing that'll keep you playing is the upgrades in the shop but if you aren't interested in achievements, you'll probably quit the game quicker than I did. There just isn't enough to the game to keep your interest long which is a shame. I wouldn't have minded the main game being a side mode, in addition to a story mode and some other challenge modes with more variety in areas and enemies. For the price though, it's understandable that this isn't the case.

In conclusion, Mad Bullets is a great time and is perfect for playing in short bursts. I don't regret the time I put into this game but without any real content to keep the interest for long, achievements are all that remain and I'm not sure I want to keep playing for that. By all means buy this one, it's certainly entertaining enough for a few hours but don't expect much more than that.