Reviews
Far Cry New Dawn Review
Feb 22, 2019
Far Cry New Dawn is a direct sequel to last year’s Far Cry 5 which, at the end of that game left Hope County (and seemingly most of the surrounding area), in dire straights. This is the first sequel for the series, and it offers a continuation that’s worth following. While the game is designed as a direct follow-up, the events are distanced enough from Far Cry 5 so that players who didn’t play that, could pick this up with little friction. Far Cry New Dawn on its own doesn’t really disappoint, but the connective tissue to Far Cry 5 feels like a step back from what would be another amazing entry.
DiRT Rally 2.0 Review
Feb 18, 2019
DiRT Rally was a game that came out of nowhere, back in 2015, but it’s release set a standard for rally games going forward, especially for Codemasters themselves. This is easily Codemasters’ best game to-date, offering a more in-depth career mode, plenty of extra activities, and a historical presence that celebrates the sport at every turn. Colin McRae said, “If in doubt, go flat out”. DiRT Rally 2.0 exemplifies that, and Codemasters have outdone themselves yet again.
The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibbia Review
Feb 13, 2019
The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibbia is a story worth telling. Ray isn’t the most interesting character, but those he exorcises and talks to tend to be the bigger focal point. The Textorcist combines several genres for an eclectic mix of shmup, typing, and even boss rush for a frantically paced game with proper moments of calm. MorbidWare’s game is a solid first outing, and there’s some interesting things at play for it to stand out, but ultimately the controls are at odds with one another, and the frustrations tend to pile up the more you play.
ACE COMBAT 7: SKIES UNKNOWN (PC) Review
Feb 07, 2019
It’s weird to think it’s been twelve years since the last numbered entry for the ACE COMBAT series. ACE COMBAT 7: SKIES UNKNOWN returns in its glorious and unusual fashion – acting as if it had never left. While the cutscenes are bizarre, they tell tales where humanity shines in the dark. With that, the series has never looked or played better. ACE COMBAT 7: SKIES UNKNOWN features an interesting cast of characters, a wide variety of planes to pilot, some really cool missions, and an engrossing story from start to finish.
ASTRONEER Review
Feb 05, 2019
Space and disasters go hand-in-hand, at least in the science fiction genre. The catastrophic failure that crash lands you onto the nearest planet sets forth a need to survive, craft, explore, and in most cases, exploit the planet for its resources. ASTRONEER from System Era Softworks released onto Steam Early Access just over two years ago into Early Access, and since then the updates and improvements have been substantial, with the final product feeling complete. ASTRONEER provides depth and longevity in a vibrant set of worlds to call your own. ASTRONEER eschews the familiar for alien worlds, set against a mystery you uncover only if you look hard enough for it.
Octahedron: Transfixed Edition (Switch) Review
Feb 04, 2019
Imagine spending a quiet evening in your small cabin in the middle of the woods, going out for a nighttime walk, touching a spinning inter-dimensional octahedron which consumes your corporeal being, spirits you away to flatland and imbues you with the untold power to manifest blocks beneath your feet. It’s a tale as old as time, really. This is the premise for the neon fever dream that is Octahedron’s world, in which you will work through levels collecting gems, lighting bulbs, plucking flowers, and ensorcelling transient platforms beneath your feet to climb your way to the exit point at the top. As with any fish out of water tale, there is a sense of needing to find your way back “home,” but also that of escaping something sinister not far behind, and as such progression through the levels feels like casual exploration and compulsory survival in equal measure.
The Hong Kong Massacre Review
Jan 28, 2019
The Hong Kong Massacre comes from two-man development house, VRESKI. Taking on Hong Kong cinema classics in videogame form offers an amalgamation of Max Payne meets Hotline Miami set in Sleeping Dogs with the stylings of a John Woo movie with the gore of “John Wick”. That’s a bit of a mouthful to describe, but should paint the picture. Though, know that The Hong Kong Massacre is more style than substance, which is what holds this one back from a proper execution. The Hong Kong Massacre is a really fun game that has its fair share of frustrations that comes along with it.
FutureGrind Review
Jan 22, 2019
FutureGrind is a future sport that’s full of spectacle, excitement, and danger. In the world of FutureGrind, sponsors have become big conglomerates that drive every aspect of this extreme sport. The story for FutureGrind starts off innocuously, teaching you the basics and offering simple tracks to complete your tricks for the highest score possible. As the game description alludes to, it’s clear there’s more than meets the eye here as things becoming increasingly suspicious the more you do. What reveals itself the more you play is for you to discover. What’s left for me to tell you that FutureGrind from Milkbag Games is fantastic from beginning to end, offering a well-balanced challenge that you’ll be frequently returning to again and again.
JCB Pioneer: Mars Review
Jan 21, 2019
The notion of packing up human civilization as we know it and heading off to another planet to make a new home is nothing new; we’ve seen it in countless works of fiction over the course of decades, but we’ve seldom been given the keys to an excavator and a HAB and tasked with bootstrapping a colony nearly from scratch. This is precisely what JCB Pioneer: Mars tasks you with, and it drops you right into the thick of things.
Rain World (Switch) Review
Jan 08, 2019
Rain World is a two-dimensional side-scrolling platformer that puts you in control of a creature called a Slugcat, a kind of strange but cutesy mollusk-mammal hybrid. As said slugcat, you are separated from the rest of your family and are trapped in the depths of a strange, hostile world left to fend for yourself and do your best to survive. This much is revealed to you by the game’s opening cutscene, presented as a set of vibrant, hand-drawn stills. When the game fades up from black after the cutscene ends, the world that greets you is of a decidedly different tone.
Last Year: The Nightmare Review
Dec 21, 2018
Last Year: The Nightmare is the result of a successful Kickstarter that ended four years ago, and that success continues into the released product from Elastic Games. This is a 5 vs 1 asymmetrical multiplayer game where five teenagers must escape different maniacal forms of a serial killer similar to games that have come before it, but Last Year has enough twists and surprises to make it a cut above its competition. Last Year: The Nightmare a classic in the making, and the backbone to its horror doesn’t rely on any established material to be as good as it is.
Forza Horizon 4 Fortune Island Review
Dec 20, 2018
Fortune Island is the first expansion for Forza Horizon 4, and it mixes the feeling of deja vu with something new. And in the end, it feels like a shallow offering. The new island is an unusual spot for the festival, as it’s a treacherous, and treasure-laden island that resides north of where the main game takes place, and is one not to be trifled with. Fortune Island is a DLC that offers a lot to do, but asks you to make a lot of your own fun as well.
Overcooked! 2 – Surf ‘n’ Turf Review
Dec 20, 2018
The Overcooked 2 – Surf ‘n’ Turf DLC brings more of the same zany fun you’d expect to have in an Overcooked game, adding a sprinkle more challenge to the mix. If you’re a fan of the series or just enjoy screaming at your friends, the Surf ‘n’ Turf DLC is right for you.
Gear.Club Unlimited 2 Review
Dec 18, 2018
Last year Eden Games attempted to bring a semi-simulation racing game to the Switch; with mixed results. With its mobile roots being very obvious, it wasn’t a title you wanted to spend $60 bucks on. In an awfully quick turn around time, Eden Games have returned to the world of Gear.Club Unlimited with a sequel. It’s unfortunate that the game is no better than last year.
Insurgency: Sandstorm Review
Dec 12, 2018
Insurgency: Sandstorm is the sequel to 2014’s Insurgency, which ran on the Source engine that powers Counter Strike: Global Offensive. In fact, Insurgency‘s origins go back to when it started as a Half-Life 2 mod before going standalone. Insurgency rose to popularity due the game’s commitment to realism which appealed to the hardcore. Now, four years later we see not a remake, but a whole new game now running on Unreal Engine 4. Insurgency: Sandstorm is everything Insurgency was, and is better than its predecessor in every way. Insurgency: Sandstorm is intense, visceral, and the anti-first-person shooter — instead, a first-person combat simulator.
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