Reviews
Chivalry 2 Review
Jun 18, 2021
Very few games let you charge into a battle with a chicken in one hand, and an axe in another while announcing at a loud volume that “I’ve soiled myself!” as I slice the arm off of my opponent. This certainly tells you the game’s tone. Chivalry 2 is the long-awaited sequel to the 2012 multiplayer hit Chivalry: Medieval Warfare, and this first-person melee medieval slasher has arrived in spectacular fashion. Equal parts comedy and gore, Chivalry 2 has dazzled me with its complex controls, deep systems, and ability to entertain in all forms; this is a crucial purchase wherever you play.
FEZ (Switch) Review
Jun 17, 2021
There is a very specific, unparalleled mix of wonder and power you feel while running, hopping, climbing, and rotating your way through the vibrant and artful levels of FEZ‘s world. To both inhabit territory that is familiar and be on a constant journey of discovery as you play, a journey which parallels that of Gomez (the main character) both literally and metaphorically, is nothing short of magical, and it creates a deeper sense of connection with the experience of playing the game. FEZ was an instant classic upon its release nine years ago, and no game has ever played in the same space since. How could it? All of the special bits that make FEZ work so well are a labor of intense love and engineering effort that would still be a major challenge to reproduce in any form today. Nine years on, FEZ is still an incredible gaming experience that was ahead of its time at release, still feels fresh today, and is right at home on the Nintendo Switch.
Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 Review
Jun 16, 2021
Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts took the series in a more focused direction back in 2019, and improvements were seen across the board from mission-based contracts to bigger maps with longer draw distances to an array of gadgets that were fun to use. Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 adds a lot of new, such as a new protagonist, vision modes, and long-range sniping that has been requested for some time. It’s unfortunate then, that despite a greater focus on the extreme distances, there’s diminishing returns on the core gameplay. This results in a game that feels like a retread of familiar ground despite the new locale. Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 is gorier and more satisfying in terms of successfully lining up that perfect shot, but remains a slight letdown as it hasn’t fixed or improved issues that have persisted over the years.
Wave Break Review
Jun 11, 2021
Wave Break has retrowave vibe that permeates and defines the experience. Made up of 80% Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and 20% Miami Vice, this unlikely combo works. From completing missions that task you with blowing up a yacht, to performing an unbroken string of tricks to collect the letters C-O-M-B-O, it’s bodacious absurdity. All that’s left is to now bask in the 80s paradise of Summer, sunsets, and sunglasses that is Wave Break.
Open Country Review
Jun 10, 2021
FUN Labs, who’s mostly known for their work with the Cabela’s franchise, have branched out with a new kind of outdoors game with Open Country. Approached as an arcade-style game, it retains all the systems and realism one would expect out of the survival genre. Now, this is a modestly priced indie game that has high ambitions, but fails to live up to all of them. It feels like a checklist of things a game like this should have, but implemented in mundane and uninteresting ways, and it just comes across feeling janky. Even with its price point in mind, Open Country is just too rough around the edges.
NINJA GAIDEN: Master Collection Review
Jun 09, 2021
Team Ninja made the Ninja Gaiden series a massive success due to its intense challenge and complimentary action. The series would always be revisited and thusly revised with tweaks and enhancements that would end up being their final version. Since then, the Ninja Gaiden mainline series has lied dormant since 2013. Now there’s the NINJA GAIDEN: Master Collection, containing the entire trilogy of those final releases, and puts them on PC and new consoles for the very first time. And suffice it to say, NINJA GAIDEN SIGMA, NINJA GAIDEN SIGMA 2, and NINJA GAIDEN 3: Razor’s Edge are among the best games in the genre, and continue to impress even today.
ROCCAT Kone Pro Review
May 31, 2021
ROCCAT reimagines one of their flagship mice with the Kone Pro. It’s a mouse that focuses on being lightweight in every aspect – which it excels at. Whether you’re a claw, palm, or fingertips gripper, there’s something for you. Extensive research has been poured into the Kone Pro, and it shows. This mouse is so smooth, Rob Thomas and Santana have a song about it. From it being ergonomic and just a joy to use, the ROCCAT Kone Pro is a must-have gaming mouse.
ROCCAT Pyro Review
May 31, 2021
ROCCAT, now under the Turtle Beach umbrella have had an impressive hardware line-up in the past, but it feels like 2021 is the year of ROCCAT. This is a PC-only brand, and it shows. Every little detail has been meticulously researched and embedded into the core of this keyboard. The ROCCAT Pyro won’t set the world ablaze in terms of features, but it won’t leave you burned by the lack of them. This is one fantastic keyboard that’s sure to light a fire in the competition.
Siege Survival: Gloria Victis Review
May 27, 2021
There’s something unshakably endearing about Siege Survival: Gloria Victis, but there’s just so little of it to enjoy. This is a spin-off of Black Eye Games’ own medieval MMORPG, Gloria Victis. One where you must survive sieges using real-time strategy. This is a dark and grim game set in a low-fantasy medieval age where you’ll be constantly scraping by with each in-game day until the end of the surprisingly short campaign. Siege Survival: Gloria Victis has some neat ideas and systems in place, but such an awfully ephemeral experience it is.
Judgment Review
May 26, 2021
Trudging through the streets of Kamurocho, the mass of blinding lights reflected in their perpetually puddle-ridden surfaces (despite there never being any rain on-screen), you weave your way through the crowds overhearing snippets of conversation from locals and tourists alike, your steely gaze centered on the target you’re tailing. You’ve just been swindled out of 100,000 Yen at a shady bar in the Champion District by a smug owner with penchant for host clubs (a fact you’ve deduced from overhearing a heated argument between her and her husband and observing her behavior before leaving), and you’re determined to get your money back from her by catching her in the act of cheating. Inevitably, you snap a photo of the infidelity in action and surprise her with the evidence, fight off her paid-for boyfriend who has been freshly bribed to take you down, and reclaim the cash you got tricked out of. All in a day’s work for Takayuki Yagami, disgraced former lawyer turned private investigator with ties to the criminal underworld and the justice system alike, and much bigger problems at hand than being suckered by a barker.
BIOMUTANT Review
May 24, 2021
Every time I’m greeted with “Welcome to Biomutant” from the game’s narrator at the start screen, I feel personally invited to play the game. And that’s the whole game in a nutshell, it’s an alluring and easy-going RPG that evokes games like The Witcher 3, Fallout 4, and even Devil May Cry; all in a vibrant and exciting world that’s familiar, yet different. Experiment 101’s first game arrives just over four years since it’s announcement, and it does not disappoint with its post-apocalyptic world, martial arts, gun fu, and grandeur. BIOMUTANT is an exotic adventure that’s a treat for the senses.
Days Gone (PC) Review
May 17, 2021
Days Gone is just small window into viewing how real people would respond to a zombie apocalypse that stemmed from a pandemic. It bears resemblance to the apocalypse found in The Last of Us, though it distinguishes itself enough to be a standout. It does however, cast a light of this game’s world like the one we find ourselves in today. Days Gone released onto PlayStation 4 back in 2019, and a performance patch would come for the PlayStation 5 in 2020 to allow the game to played in 4K at 60 frames per second. This version is similar, and nothing short of excellent. Bend Studio’s cult classic shines on PC to give more people the opportunity to enjoy the PlayStation exclusive.
SnowRunner Review
May 17, 2021
In working to uncover the map with my scout vehicle when I spotted a oil tanker half-submerged in water. My lightweight transport wasn’t heavy enough or powerful enough to pull me and it out of the muck. So I switched to my off-road powerhouse of a truck, complete with a crane. Once I had arrived, I pulled the tanker out with ease, only to misjudge the angle of the small hill back to the road and tipped myself over. It took a fleet of trucks to hilariously bring my heavy off-roader back onto its wheels to complete the job. It’s things like this that make SnowRunner full of emergent, disastrous moments. SnowRunner is not a new release, but it is new to Steam. And it comes with all free content updates that have come along since last year. This is a game about mathematics, angles, traction, torque, and power. SnowRunner is the best of the series to-date, and is a fantastic globetrotting adventure of enduring extreme weather in a hostile open world to perform the most difficult jobs — so long as you’ve got the patience.
Before We Leave Review
May 12, 2021
Coming in at a surprisingly small 1.3GB, there’s a whole solar system’s worth of city-building crammed within Before We Leave. This is a non-violent city builder, which means it has all pillars of a 4X game, except for the eXterminate mainstay. Balancing Monkey Games have made a game that’s both accessible for newcomers, but still offers enough depth for the hardcore. Before We Leave is as gorgeous as it is grand, and it only gets more enjoyable the more time you spend with it.
Oddworld: Soulstorm Review
May 05, 2021
Abe is back and chanting, sneaking, and chugging in clearer detail than ever before, in what is assuredly the highest fidelity Oddworld adventure ever presented. Oddworld: Soulstorm reinvents and reimagines Oddworld: Abe’s Exodus for a new era, taking what was originally a somewhat hastily produced sequel and giving it the proper treatment of fleshing out its ideas, mechanics, and story to create a richer experience. While the promise of Soulstorm is grand in theory, in practice it hews a little too closely to its roots, with the gameplay often failing to match the generous updates that have been received in practically every other department. The result is a disjointed experience which looks entirely new and fresh, but still feels mired in its own legacy.
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