Reviews
LEGO 2K Drive Review
May 25, 2023
LEGO 2K Drive, developed by Visual Concepts, takes players on an exhilarating journey through LEGO’s colorful and imaginative world. With its fun arcade physics and an array of exciting features, this kart racer is an excellent option for fans of the genre. The game has enjoyable gameplay, multiplayer options, immersive visuals, extensive vehicle selection, open-world exploration, and entertaining storytelling; all wrapped up in one full-fledged package.
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun Review
May 23, 2023
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is a self-proclaimed “boomer shooter”, and largely succeeds and what it sets out to do. It fills in the blanks for a Warhammer 40K game to exist in this genre. Aside from its unique position in this genre, it is a somewhat forgettable game. What’s surprising, is that Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is fast-paced, contrasting that of the lumbering space marines we’ve come to know over the years. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun manages to be a fun run ‘n’ gun through its universe using a fun set of weapons, and not much else.
Miasma Chronicles Review
May 22, 2023
Miasma Chronicles is the third game from Swedish developer The Bearded Ladies, and is some of their best work yet with a winning formula. A miasma is “an oppressive or unpleasant atmosphere which surrounds or emanates from something”, thankfully the game itself is the completely opposite to that of the foreboding miasma that permeates the game’s story. Building upon the strengths of Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden, what’s here is an evolution and a revolution. Miasma Chronicles has its own flavor of the XCOM-style tactical combat that’s equally visually stunning and brimming with personality for an exciting experience.
God of Rock Review
May 19, 2023
In gaming, few genres seem at odds with one another and feel like they’re strangely similar, one of those pairs being fighting and rhythm games. They stand at opposite ends of the spectrum, requiring distinct approaches for success. Rhythm games demand mechanical precision, while fighting games necessitate a profound comprehension of button inputs and your opponent’s arsenal of moves. But because both key into specific timing, one could easily see how these two genres could find harmony with one another, but alas, in the case of God of Rock, their integration with often results in a visual mess.
Redfall Review
May 05, 2023
Redfall takes the open-world structure of Far Cry and marries it with the looting & shooting of Borderlands, and like those games can be played either solo or in co-op. This comes from Arkane Austin, the studio behind 2017’s Prey, and before that the Dishonored series – this is not either of those games, and it’s sadly not even close. Redfall has a solid premise, and while there’s glimmers of hope, it ultimately fails to deliver in all key areas. Redfall is a tragically disappointing game and an utterly low point for a prolific studio like Arkane.
Showgunners Review
May 02, 2023
Homicidal All-Stars was an apt and vastly superior name to what is now titled Showgunners , a very linear turn-based combat game that manages to keep some surprises within it. This comes from the folks behind the original Hard West and Phantom Doctrine, both of which featured great tactical, turn-based combat. Of all the games that I’ve played across the genre, I hadn’t played one with a game show or reality setting behind it. Turns out, the thing I’ve been missing was an audience cheering on my actions while a commentator gave play-by-plays of both sides. Showgunners has a wonderful presentation that does well to keep the energy high in this cyberpunk dystopian future of competitive television, and is bluntly good and shockingly gory.
Varney Lake Review
Apr 27, 2023
Varney Lake is the second in series from “Pixel Pulps”, a franchise of games that began with last year’s Mothmen 1966 . This is a game about reflection, supernatural, and living with the choices that we make. While this is a game, it’s mainly a story driven narrative that unfolds before you in text, accompanied by its 8-bit visuals and chiptune soundtrack. Along the way you’ll have puzzles to solve or mini-games to play, but the story carries forward almost at all times. Interactive fiction, choose your own adventure, or visual novel; however you classify it, LCB Game Studios’ second game is a stroke of genius in storytelling with a striking accoutrement of visual and audio to make it unique.
Age of Wonders 4 Review
Apr 27, 2023
Age of Wonders 4 ditches roman numerals for digits, but it doesn’t bring the series to modern times, it continues the long-running fantasy saga with a long-awaited and proper sequel. Triumph Studios returns nearly ten years since the last entry, and fixes a lot of the issues beyond combat and strategy that was lacking in Age of Wonders III. The wait for this follow-up has been more than worth it, and it’s a game that will have you staying for “one more turn” into the wee hours of the night. Age of Wonders 4 is a sprawling fantasy 4X RPG and tactical combat masterpiece that pushes the series forward in big ways.
SteelSeries Aerox 3 Wireless (2022 Edition) Review
Apr 21, 2023
The SteelSeries Aerox 3 Wireless (2022 Edition) is an impressive gaming mouse that promises a 200-hour battery life and sports a lightweight look. It fulfills those promises with uninterrupted gaming sessions and being able to forget that you’re even using a mouse at all, because it’s so light. It has a wonderful construction, despite it looking impossibly sturdy, and it’s breathable design keeps things comfortable even in the most intense situations. The end result is that the SteelSeries Aerox 3 Wireless (2022 Edition) is a magnificent and reliable ultralight wireless gaming mouse on a budget for wireless.
STRANGER OF PARADISE FINAL FANTASY ORIGIN Review
Apr 20, 2023
I don’t really have much of a connection to the Final Fantasy series. Sure, I played the NES and SNES classics, most of them years after they actually came out, and I enjoyed them well enough. I was pretty much out on the series in the 3D era of games, however, gravitating to D&D adventures in Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights and the like. I say all of this to preface my thoughts in a way that will hopefully let you know that I’m not the type of person who will particularly relish in the fan service that occurs throughout Stranger of Paradise. I’m glad it’s there and my guess is the die hard fans have already made the decision as to whether or not they want to play this game, which has been out on Epic Game Store and consoles for a year. With the release of the game on Steam this month, I booted it up to see whether or not Stranger of Paradise holds up as just a good 3D character action game for those who still may be on the fence.
Turtle Beach Stealth Pro Review
Apr 20, 2023
It’s often said that audio is the most important component of the entertainment experience; of course we all love flashy, gorgeous visuals, but whether you’re watching a movie, taking in a stream, listening to a podcast, or playing games, nothing will derail your experience faster than bad audio. In competitive gaming, every little bit of fidelity and clarity you can amass can be the difference between winning and losing a fight; in nearly every game imaginable, the experience is just better with higher quality sound. Humans are hardwired to optimize for sound; audio stimuli reaches our brain in 8-10ms versus 20-40ms for visual stimuli, and our reaction times for audio stimuli are up to 40ms faster than visual stimuli*. Sound matters to us, and Turtle Beach clearly understands its importance. Given its legacy of excellent gaming audio hardware, the company has proven itself time and time over, but it’s outdone itself with the new king of gaming headsets, the Stealth Pro.
Desktop Dungeons: Rewind Review
Apr 18, 2023
If you haven’t played the early 2010s original from QCF Design, a real treat awaits you in Desktop Dungeons: Rewind . It’s the same game, with all-new artwork, some new twists, and still has the rock-solid gameplay that’s made it so beloved over the years. It’s a game I’ve had perpetually installed since it came to Steam, and I’ve been continually going back to all this time. Returning players can link their existing desktopdungeons.net account to utilizing their kingdoms and saves from day one, or start fresh. Desktop Dungeons: Rewind is a roguelike puzzler disguised as a tactical dungeon crawler with a dash of humor, for what is nearly unlimited adventures for decades to come.
EA SPORTS PGA TOUR Review
Apr 14, 2023
The PGA TOUR series from EA SPORTS has been on hiatus for the past eight years, and its resurrection with the simply named PGA TOUR is mostly a return to form. If nothing else, its release is perfectly planned with The Masters Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Course. While the timing is great for capitalizing on sales, there are parts of the game that feel rushed to meet this deadline. Though it falters in a few spots performance-wise, the gameplay is the best since its last outing and a better presentation and feel than its competitor, but not without its challenges. Revitalizing the old EA SPORTS vs 2K SPORTS rivalry makes for a solid, if flawed golf simulation in this reboot of PGA TOUR.
Wartales Review
Apr 12, 2023
Wartales is an RPG set in a medieval low fantasy open-world from developer Shiro Games that is continually impressive. The world is expansive, the characters and quests are interesting, and you’re writing your own story as you go along. This actually reminds me of Battle Brothers , only in 3D, in that there are quests that have an affect on the region with their own storylines as you control a band of mercenaries. I also find it to be comparable to something like Heroes of Might and Magic , because of the way you across the overworld map in real-time and have to manage your resources carefully – the marriage of these two styles of games is beautiful and one to remember. Wartales is excellent at letting you author the story you want to tell, and allowing you to discover things at your own pace for an immersive and satisfying open-world RPG.
Destiny 2: Lightfall Review
Apr 10, 2023
“To infinity and beyond!” is precisely what I think every time I see the name of Destiny 2’s latest add-on, Lightfall. Not only is it close enough in name, but that logo is taking some hard inspiration from Lightyear. In their defense, I’m positive it’s a style synonymous with the 80’s sci-fi future; I just can’t put a name to it. But in Bungie’s latest expansion to their popular looter-shooter, they took that 80’s inspired sci-fi aesthetic and ran with it. Along with the look, they introduced major gameplay tweaks, an exciting new subclass, and fresh Exotic gear. But that campaign, well, it’s lacking on the story front.
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