Reviews
Yakuza Remastered Collection Review
Mar 12, 2021
At long last, the middle chapters of the Yakuza series have made their way to the PC via the Yakuza Remastered Collection, rounding out the availability of this extremely popular franchise on the PC. Coming from the PS3 and PS4 era, these games don’t get the full Kiwami remake treatment, but they are recent enough games that they don’t necessarily need it. Instead, what’s on order here are modernized versions of Yakuza 3, 4, and 5 that play at a crisp 1080p (or above) and 60 frames per second, giving you the ability to experience the legacy of the Yakuza series from the comfort of your gaming PC. While the game play of the older entries can be a little rough around the edges at times, it’s a fine way to revisit Kiryu’s adventures in Kamurocho and beyond.
Taxi Chaos Review
Mar 01, 2021
It’s kind of weird that in 2021 we get a game like Taxi Chaos, where rideshare companies exist and this could’ve been something new and exciting for the genre, such as picking up multiple passengers for different drop-offs. Instead, we get a game that’s trying to be the next Crazy Taxi – yet it fails to do so in any meaningful way. It’s a vibrant, yet soulless and disappointing at recreating the magic that game once had over twenty years ago. Taxi Chaos is hardly ever chaotic, in fact it’s rather orderly. All I want is to go play Crazy Taxi, and that says all you really need to know.
Little Nightmares II Review
Feb 17, 2021
In retrospect, I was too hard on Little Nightmares when I reviewed it four years ago. It wasn’t until my second playthrough, I was finally able to appreciate what that game was doing, and its DLC episodes enhanced the experience. With Little Nightmares II, Tarsier Studios offers more insight to its haunting world by upping the tension and displaying more disturbing behavior at nearly every turn. This is sequel in every respect, and improves upon everything that made the first game so great.
The Medium Review
Feb 11, 2021
Horror video games have taken many shapes over the years, ranging from more action-focused titles like Resident Evil to psychological thrillers like Amnesia, with the common thread between them being predation upon the player’s sense of vulnerability. Jump scares and cheap thrills are the favorite tools in the pursuit of spooking players, but few manage to instill a sense of creeping dread so well as The Medium does. It creates tension that begins as a faint hum, and as you learn more about the places and people you’re investigating, it slowly builds into a steady buzz that keeps the knots tied in your stomach even during the game’s downbeats. Combined with a highly cinematic presentation, some truly excellent environment art, and unique game mechanics that integrate well with the storytelling, The Medium is a horror game that can be deeply unsettling but is compelling enough that it’s worth pushing through the discomfort.
HITMAN 3 Review
Feb 08, 2021
I have a special spot in my heart for the Hitman series. Hell, Hitman was my Game of the Year in 2016, and with good reason. It was amusing, creative, packed with content, and most important of all, fun. Hitman 3 brings the World of Assassination to a close with a swan song; it takes what made the series great and gives us more.
Nioh 2 – The Complete Edition Review
Feb 04, 2021
Nioh 2 makes the jump from PlayStation 4 to PC in less than a year, which is faster than the time it took for the first game to make the same leap. On PC, Nioh 2 – The Complete Edition has several enhancements and improvements over its console counterparts that are superior in every way. Nioh 2 is just like the first in game in being tough as nails – something that Team NINJA is known in offering Dark Souls-like challenge and Diablo-style loot drops. Nioh 2 is refinement wrapped in excellence, as nearly every system and mechanic is improved over its predecessor, making Nioh 2 – The Complete Edition the first must-buy of 2021.
Redout: Space Assault Review
Jan 29, 2021
Change happens. It’s inevitable in most cases. This is especially true in game development, and Redout: Space Assault from 34BigThings is such an example. What started as a massive space combat game for PC, was shelved in favor of a narrower game that would launch on Apple Arcade. It’s been two years since Redout: Space Assault came to iOS, now PC and consoles have their turn to experience it. And the release has not been worth the wait, at least on PC, as it’s disappointing and a bug-ridden mess.
LG UltraGear 27GN950-B Gaming Monitor Review
Jan 28, 2021
With the latest generation of graphics cards available from both Nvidia and AMD, 4K gaming on the PC at high frame rates is finally a reality for more people, and for those lucky enough to secure a beefy new graphics card, finding the right monitor to go with it can be a challenge. Display technology continues to improve year over year, and the market for 4K displays is increasing in demand along with it. Finding the right display that can support high resolutions, fast refresh rates, accurate color reproduction, and including HDR support (which is becoming more and more relevant a consideration) is no easy task, but LG has stepped up to the plate to take a swing at an offering set to satiate enthusiasts looking for the best display available. Enter the LG 27GN950-B UltraGear™ 4K Gaming Monitor, an incredibly impressive display boasting loads of features and no compromises, making a solid case for the best gaming monitor available on the market.
Fanatec CSL Elite Steering Wheel McLaren GT3 V2 Review
Dec 18, 2020
Fanatec has just released the CSL Elite Steering Wheel McLaren GT3 V2, and it is a staggeringly gorgeous wheel to behold. This is the second version of the McLaren GT3 wheel, now reintroduced and compatible with the ClubSport Light Elite Wheel Base, as well as all other current wheel bases. This is a wheel designed for the grand touring style of racing, much like the Formula One wheel was designed, offering a replication of the real thing for home use. This wheel is officially licensed by Xbox, is PlayStation-ready, and just works on PC. This is a serious wheel for hardcore simulation racers, and it takes first on the podium.
Hades Review
Dec 09, 2020
Rare is the occasion when a game comes along that doesn’t just raise a standard, but redefines it in a way that everything else which comes after it will be forced to reckon with. Hades is that game in so many ways, a particularly impressive feat in the constantly overcrowded and somewhat stagnant roguelike genre. Where some games are content to experiment with the standard formula in small ways that don’t always land, Hades boils the roguelike down to its essential elements and uses them to construct the quintessential manifestation of the genre, tightly interwoven with a compelling narrative experience that celebrates its core mechanics as much as it complements them. That new sound you’ve been looking for? Well, listen to this.
Watch Dogs: Legion Review
Dec 07, 2020
Watch Dogs: Legion is set in a dystopian future, years after the events of Watch Dogs 2. Legion’s world is loaded to the brim with content like its predecessor and yet, still brings some new and exciting features to the table. I only wished I liked London as a setting more.
Immortals Fenyx Rising Review
Dec 01, 2020
Open world action games aren’t just a video game genre to choose from, they are an absolute fact of the medium. Games of massive scale dominate the tripe-A landscape, and players have come to expect large open spaces to explore as a default, rather than an option. They are everywhere, they are hugely demanding of your time, and I personally am exhausted by them. I actively avoid picking up open-world titles largely because I simply do not have the time or attention span for them anymore, especially those which egregiously pepper your map with side quests, collectibles, and optional activities, to the point where the central storyline might get put on hold for twenty or thirty hours while you tick off check boxes. This style of game appeals to a lot of folks, but I’m typically not one of them, and it’s no secret that Ubisoft has invested a lot of time and money into their open-world engine and technology, and are also notorious for filling their worlds with things to do. Immortals Fenyx Rising is a curious (and welcome) anomaly, because it is the first open world game in ages that I’ve not only enjoyed playing, but want to remain engaged with.
Project Wingman Review
Nov 30, 2020
Project Wingman comes from a passionate Ace Combat fan turned game developer, with an overly successful Kickstarter that matches enthusiasm for a series that once lied dormant. In the time Project Wingman was incepted, there was a seventh entry in that famous dogfighting franchise that released, to high praise. As that expert battle entry sunsets with its final DLC release, now’s the perfect time for Project Wingman to come out. The developer, now known as Sector D2 has set out to make Project Wingman a success in its own right, and does so on every front.
Empire of Sin Review
Nov 30, 2020
It was 100 years ago that prohibition began across the United States, and it wouldn’t be abolished for another 13 years later. Romero Games, comprised of industry veterans, two of which form the studio’s namesake aim to put you in control of a criminal empire built on the movement of “giggle water”, in addition to other illegal activities. Empire of Sin multitasks with three separate games in one: an empire management game, a role-playing game, and a turn-based combat game. It all coalesces beautifully, and while Empire of Sin has its share of bugs, it’s a wonderful game that has endless replayability.
Paradise Killer Review
Nov 25, 2020
There are strong openings, there are memorable openings, and then there is the opening of Paradise Killer. It is a sequence which sets the stage for the journey that lies ahead so perfectly that it doesn’t just make an entrance, it grabs your attention, invites you in warmly, and just as your mind begins to process all of the slightly off-kilter decorations in the house, it Sparta-kicks you over the precipice of an inter-dimensional portal and you begin your slow descent into the otherworldly. Notably, this is not too far removed from the actual sequence of events in Paradise Killer‘s first five minutes, but it the overall effect is simultaneously immersive and bewildering, and by the time your feet hit the ground, you’ve no choice but to accept the mysterious world you’ve stumbled into, and the role you have to play in it.
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