Reviews
Caravan SandWitch Review
Sep 12, 2024
Having played the short demo for Caravan SandWitch in a Steam NextFest event I was immediately curious to see how the open world exploration mixed with puzzle solving would evolve and expand into a full game. Sadly, it didn’t feel like it has grown much at all. That’s not to say it’s not still a very nice game with visuals reminiscent of a Jean Giraud (Mœbius) painting, though not leaning as heavily into that style as the not hugely dissimilar Sable. Caravan SandWitch just failed to have a hook to keep me interested after a few hours of running across the enclosed world between a village, forest and desert all sandwiched in a neat little road network that you’ll come to realise very quickly is utterly essential to not being frustrated with what you’ll be doing for the majority of your time in the game: driving.
Wild Bastards Review
Sep 12, 2024
Space pirates are so 2019, but in 2024 it’s all about space outlaws. Developer Blue Manchu made adjustments for Wild Bastards to shift towards more bite-sized encounters and developing crew relationships that has everything feeling more intimate. Void Bastards was one of my favorite games from 2019, and it just hit at the right time, offering everything I was looking for that nailed the setting in space and roguelite formula while incorporating an immersive sim flavor. While this is still set in space, this unfortunately isn’t Void Bastards in the wild west, and in fact, Wild Bastards pales in comparison.
Turtle Beach Kone II Air Review
Sep 11, 2024
The Kone series of gaming mice from the late ROCCAT brand have been the flagship series. Now, Turtle Beach has fully absorbed and has replaced the ROCCAT branding, now known as Turtle Beach PC. The result of this incorporation seems to be marked improvement on the quality of its hardware and software, as this is one of the best ROCCAT / Turtle Beach mice in years. Turtle Beach is the new name in PC gaming hardware, and the Kone II Air is the new king of gaming mice.
I Am Your Beast Review
Sep 10, 2024
I Am Your Beast is now my favorite Strange Scaffold game, as both its story and gameplay is concise and quick. This is a game that will be fun for speedrunners, but if that’s not something you’re interested in, you’ll still be invested in seeing things to their natural end. Replayability and improving towards perfection is what will draw you back in once the story is completed. I Am Your Beast is fast and frenetic, where its gameplay enables you to be creative in its micro-sandboxes for one hell of a revenge thriller.
WHAT THE CAR? Review
Sep 06, 2024
Take a joyride (emphasis on joy) through the utterly ridiculous and undeniably delightful world of WHAT THE CAR?. This isn’t your standard racing game, kids. Forget meticulously tuned engines, pristine tracks, and the pursuit of perfect lap times. WHAT THE CAR? throws physics out the window, replaces it with a healthy dose of slapstick, and lets you loose in a gloriously chaotic sandbox of vehicular mayhem.
Tactical Breach Wizards Review
Sep 05, 2024
Suspicious Developments have released games that have yet to disappoint, and Tactical Breach Wizards is no different. The makers of Gunpoint and Heat Signature have spent six years on this, and it shows. With its unique blend of strategy, humor, and character, it’s a game that’s both challenging and incredibly rewarding. Tactical Breach Wizards is a game that defies expectations. At its core, it’s a turn-based tactics game, but it’s wrapped in a whimsical, magical coat that is unmatched by anything else out today; and its “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating on Steam speaks volumes.
Star Trucker Review
Sep 03, 2024
Monster and Monster just gets it. The two-person development team (with some friends) have made something incredibly good with Star Trucker. It embodies everything that’s so attractive about the Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator games, and puts that concept into space, with every understanding of the complexities it brings. Truck simulator veterans will be right at home, but there’s a lot to learn that will bring them down to novices. Star Trucker is a truly stellar truck sim that’s one of the best for the genre.
Sumerian Six Review
Sep 02, 2024
If there’s nothing I love more, it’s punching Nazi’s. Now, I’ve never had the pleasure in real-life, but in video game form its a smorgasbord. Sumerian Six is the next great Nazi-punching adventure, and a fantastic game own its own without that. Coming from Showgunners developers Artificer, Sumerian Six is a combat puzzle to be solved by using real-time tactics, and it’s up to you whether it is done stealthy or not. Sumerian Six fills a gap in the real-time tactics genre, and is impeccably detailed and fun, making it an unforgettable gem.
Intravenous 2 Review
Aug 30, 2024
The first Intravenous is an overlooked masterpiece, I only wish I had found it sooner. Once I did, it wasn’t long before I bought and had to pick-up my jaw off the floor with how intricate and detailed it was in and around its stealth. Playing the first game just blew my mind, it was everything I wanted a stealth game to be, and more. Developer Explosive Squat Games admittedly draws inspiration from “Splinter Cell, Dishonored, Deus Ex, Insurgency, and ArmA“. That’s a wide swath of games from stealth to immersive sims to military sims, and you know what? It absolutely works, every part of it. The sequel is the first game, cranked up to eleven, and offers everything a sequel should be. Intravenous 2 is deep and rewarding, and in order to satiate yourself you’ll wish you could inject it straight into your veins it’s so good.
Iron Meat Review
Aug 27, 2024
Iron Meat takes the Contra formula, puts it on steroids, cranks the music to eleven, and has you violently exploding excessive amounts of extraterrestrial organic material you can drown in. In fact, I’m reminded a lot of Carrion, only on the other side of the conflict to see what the military dudes were going through. The game never takes itself too seriously, even in a post-apocalyptic setting, and Ivan Valeryevich Suvorov (Razz) and the folks at Retroware offer an fantastic run-n-gunner. By the end credits of Iron Meat, you’ll have seen so much meat, blood, and gore, you might just go vegetarian.
Star Wars Outlaws Review
Aug 26, 2024
Ubisoft’s next sprawling open-world adventure is also the first of its kind for a Star Wars game. Star Wars Outlaws is a wretched hive of scum and villainy encapsulated in video game form, and it’s so great at it. Outlaws is the fix for those who have been burnt-out by traditional Ubisoft open-world games and Jedi-centric Star Wars films and television shows over the years. Massive Entertainment, the developers behind my personal favorite RTS World in Conflict, as well as The Division and The Division 2, offer a wholly new experience by giving a look at the galaxy through the eyes of an up-and-coming scoundrel. Star Wars Outlaws is an excellent entry in what I hope can become a series, as I want to go on more adventures with Kay and Nix, who steal the show. And so Star Wars Outlaws is the elation and nostalgia of “Chewie, We’re Home.”
Sins of a Solar Empire II Review
Aug 23, 2024
How long has it been since a friend asked, “Which faction should I play as?” on our first game of Sins of a Solar Empire? 13 years? 14? My god, has it been that long? It feels odd to type that, especially after playing through another match of Sins of a Solar Empire II. In some ways, the sequel to the blend of 4X and Real Time Strategy almost feels like it barely changed, in others, it feels like a completely new game. If you, by any chance, read “4X and real time strategy” and thought about “Stellaris”, don’t. “Sins of a Solar Empire” not only predates Paradox blend of 4X and Grand Strategy, but it has much more emphasis on the “real time strategy” aspect. It is the almost perfect definition of “easy to pick up and learn, extremely hard to master”.
JSAUX 6-in-1 Multifunctional Docking Station Review
Aug 20, 2024
The JSAUX 6-in-1 Multifunctional Docking Station aims to bridge the gap between handheld gaming and a traditional desktop setup. Offering a suite of connectivity options, it promises to enhance the overall handheld gaming experience, and essentially turn it into a mostly desktop experience. While it delivers on many fronts, a few minor shortcomings that don’t stop it from coming recommended.
ASUS ROG Ally X Review
Aug 19, 2024
I’ve had the ROG Ally X from ASUS for a month, and it’s my first time with a device like this, and it really impressed me, and even exceeded my expectations. The ASUS ROG Ally X is a formidable entry into the handheld gaming market. As a device that seeks to bridge the gap between console gaming and PC portability, it certainly delivers on power and performance. However, it’s not without its challenges, particularly in terms of software optimization and battery life. Let’s dive into the details.
Arco Review
Aug 14, 2024
I’d be lying if I told you Arco was an easy breezy game. Don’t let the beautifully bright and vibrant colour palette fool you, this is not a short story. At five hours in and I’m still slinging arrows and getting shot to bits repeatedly through Act Two. Very few of the fights you’ll land yourself in are a walk in the park, requiring multiple attempts and differing strategies, learned from your previous failures. This is no souls-like, which seems to be the new rubric for when a game is hard, but instead a quasi-turn-based-bullet-hell of an adventure in strategy. It’s a wild combination that on paper sounds incompatible, but works amazingly well in practice. Taking your time to dodge incoming projectiles, while also trying to get your attacks in and your magai recharged makes each combat situation a carefully crafted puzzle.
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