Review: Rick Henderson

Daniel Waite
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0
Review: Rick Henderson

Side-scrolling shoot-‘em ups don’t get the respect they deserve these days. Back in the 80s, they were all the rage because of their addictive gameplay and simple mechanics. There have been some market-leading titles across the years and I have loved every one of them. Consequently, whenever I get the chance, I will always review a new game in this genre. Therefore, when I was offered Rick Henderson, I stopped playing my triple-A titles and got straight to work.

Developed by Fat Pug Studio and Eastasiasoft Limited and published by the latter, this is a perpetual side-scrolling shoot-‘em up. What’s more, it captures the fantastic aesthetics of these once-great arcade adventures. However, its simple approach and limited gameplay options may be too basic for some gamers to comprehend. I, on the other hand, loved its straightforward ways and addictive action.

Rick Henderson is nostalgia personified.

Though Rick Henderson has no plot to speak of, its gameplay is still captivating. This endless side-scrolling shooter demands that you destroy wave after wave of alien spaceships. This then concludes with a monstrous battle with a gargantuan boss. If you happen to survive that stage, you move swiftly on, and the action begins again.

Now, you may worry that this would become tiresome. Luckily, though, it does not! Thanks to its array of enemies, upgrades, and weapons, each playthrough is unique. This is helped further still by the procedurally generated mechanics. Consequently, every attempt is different and will push you to your limit. On top of this, there are 3 vessels to pick from, each with strengths and weaknesses.

Do you choose the all-rounder, the fast but weak vessel, or the slow and heavily armoured beast? Whatever you decide, you must adjust your approach accordingly. There is no right or wrong because you can never truly plan for what’s ahead. Subsequently, you are kept on your toes and this was fantastic.

Avoiding every enemy in Rick Henderson is a tough task.
Best keep out of their way.

Plenty of weapons, upgrades, and special powers.

Alongside the ridiculous amount of enemies, you will find power-ups that alter your weapons. With three categories to pick from, you are spoilt for choice. There are energy, bullets, and missile options available. Each of these choices affects your foes in different ways. Bullet ammunition is your go-to choice, but missiles are better against armoured ships and each of the bosses. The energy weapons, on the other hand, are excellent against unarmoured units.

These minor differences create a wonderful tactical experience. Accordingly, you must remember what each one does to improve your chances of survival. Alongside this, you can collect new weapons with varying effects and rank cards to improve your ship. If you do the latter, your score will rapidly increase to enhance your bragging rights.

On top of these game-changing choices, there are special powers to use. Each of your vessels has a unique gift. The all-rounder creates a ghost image, the fast ship can teleport, and the slow one has a barrage of missiles. I found the speedy ship to be bloody useless, as it was weak and unpredictable. The sluggish brute, on the other hand, was destructive and great fun to use.

The final element of note is the “graze” bar. This additional ability rewards players who narrowly avoided being shot. If you manage to fill this bar up, you will be assisted by NPC ships. This limited time boost can be the difference between victory and success, but it is tough to achieve.

Rick Henderson is full of gargantuan bosses.
The bigger they are, the harder they fall.

Rick Henderson is wonderfully old-school.

Thanks to its garish colour palette and pixelated imagery, Rick Henderson is wonderfully old-school. Its 16-Bit graphics and basic animations will take you back to early console experiences. What’s more, the simple but brilliantly varied backdrop ensures it doesn’t become repetitive. Alongside this, there is an amazing array of sprites to look at, and some excellent detail on the projectiles and explosions. In short, it is a beautifully dated piece that will fill you with nostalgia.

This retro style is continued in the synthwave soundtrack. This delightfully loud and electronic music is exactly what you want to hear from a dated retro title. Moreover, it is fantastically representative of the genre and will trigger many happy memories. Furthermore, the irritating and shrill sound effects will also impress.

Even the small bosses pack a punch.
Don’t be fooled by their size.

Simple controls that will, unfortunately, frustrate you.

Because of a long-winded and thoroughly detailed tutorial, you will know the fundamentals with ease. However, unlike many of its peers, Rick Henderson doesn’t allow you to shoot from your rear. Now, this may seem a minor oversight, but it’s bloody frustrating. Whenever enemy ships approach from the left, you can do nothing but avoid their attention. This is annoying, stupid, and quite frankly absurd. I believe the developers have made a mistake as this will irk many hardcore fans.

Control issues to one side, there is plenty of replay value and longevity. With 3 game modes to pick from, you are spoilt for choice. There is an easy mode, a hard mode, and a boss run. The latter demands that you destroy a plethora of bosses as quickly as possible. The first two are endless and will keep going as long as you survive. Consequently, this combined with the procedurally generated stages helps to keep things fresh.

Rick Henderson will delight older gamers.

With all the fantastic and realistic games available, it is nice to return to basics. Subsequently, titles like Rick Henderson will always appeal to older gamers. Its nostalgia-fuelled ways and simple approach make it easy to digest and wonderfully casual. If you lived through the Mega Drive and SNES era, you’ll love everything about this game. It is for this reason that I recommend you buy it here! Can you improve your ship and destroy every alien you encounter? Select your weapon, use your abilities, and survive this endless madness.

“A word from the developer.”

My frustration regarding the lack of rear weaponry will soon be a thing of the past. The developers assure me that a Rick Henderson Special Edition is in the works. This updated and more in-depth experience aims to expand the arsenal of guns while adding to the roster of enemies. On top of this, there will be extra perks, bosses, waves, and much, much more. Consequently, if you love this base game, you’ll adore the enhanced Special Edition.

I can’t wait to see how much this will add to an already enjoyable title. With more guns and foes, this is sure to be a hectic addition that will make for a crazier arcade title. Sadly, though, there isn’t a release date, so watch this space and follow Fat Pug Studio here! 

Review: Tinykin

Natosha M
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Review: Tinykin

Imagine being the size of an ant in your own home. Everything around you is still the same size and it would probably take you hours or days to get from one part of the house or room to the next. That is exactly how it feels to be Milo in the game Tinykin.

Milo is a young and clever boy who loves to explore. So the game starts out with Milo’s aircraft crash-landed in a house on Earth, a long-lost world that hasn’t been explored for some time. The design and style of the house appear to be stuck in the year 1991, with no other human being around. Everything appears to be normal, except that Milo is the size of an ant and everything in this house is so much bigger than he is. Thankfully Milo will meet up with plenty of these new friends known as the Tinykins, each possessing their own special abilities that will help Milo and you as the player to get from one part of the world to the next while discovering and finding objects to repair the aircraft and lead Milo home safely.

How Was The Game

My first impression of the game was drawn to the character, Milo as his movements were normal, but one thing stood out as awkward. He doesn’t ever seem to face any other way but forward. No matter how much you rotate the cameras, all you see is his face and never his back. I started to get a little bit of a headache rotating the camera trying to see if he’ll ever face a different way, but I could never get him to look away.

Additionally, Milo does have his own unique power to float, in the form of a bubble. He can easily travel from one location to the next after a leap and holding down the same button again. Instead of a double jump, it’s a floating bubble you’re given to travel. I felt it to be a little frustrating when you are on some high location and accidentally missing the right time to hold the button down so that you’ll reach the other side of the edge. I had to go back a few times and restart the entire leap and bubble traveling to hopefully make it to the other side.

There is also no end or restart to the game if you end up falling from a high distance to the ground or getting hurt in any other way. It turns out that you’ll just blow up like a pink bubble and starts off where you left off before the incident. Therefore, there is plenty of chances to try and try again to make it down or even across other dangerous obstacles to get to the designated area you want to arrive too. I always find that a game that allows you to continue after failing so many times is one I prefer most of the time to play, giving you the player a better chance to succeed.

Now let me tell you about these cute Tinykins. When I first saw them, I must admit they are so adorable. They’re like these tiny cartoon-style round characters, each with their own abilities that are useful in this game. The first time meeting a new variety of Tinykin, there is an adorable short video of Milo and the new Tinykin uniting for the first time. It’s a bit hilarious when he meets the ones that explode and also cute with the others as well. I really enjoyed the little videos that played in the game and how it connects and corresponds perfectly with each new task coming up and requiring the new Tinykins to help you.

Furthermore, Milo is the only character you need to really worry about in the game. Unlike a game where the friends that you find and collect may get lost, not follow you if you go too fast or move a corner and they aren’t right behind you, or unluckily be destroyed by enemies or obstacles, well it isn’t the same for this game. Instead, you are able to move as fast as you’d like, sliding on a bar of soap or possibly just floating and climbing to a different location. No matter where you go, the little Tinykins will find their way to you instantly. At least that removes some unnecessary difficulty to the game and is another feature I really love.

One last thing, if they ever came out with or made a cute Funko or collectible stuffed Tinykin toys, I’d really love to own some! They are silly, cute, and adorable. I honestly can see it on shelves now, even Milo himself.

During the actual gameplay, it actually becomes obvious that you must collect a certain amount of Tinykins to perform different tasks. Many of the tasks required in the game need a total of one type of Tinykin to blow up, lift, move or do anything else in this game. Since they are strong and together work as a team to help you move forward in the game, It is really required for Milo to be moved throughout each location and explore every place to collect as much of the Tinykins as possible.

I feel as if the game was perfectly created to be played as if you must collect and check out everything in the level without missing a single thing. Cause without getting a certain amount of Tinykin or completing a certain area that has been created in the game, you’ll never be able to move forward. So each level of the game seems to be created just right so that you must check every location out and even grab some hidden items from one portion to the next.

The main goal will be explained clearly after the first item is grabbed in the beginning. You’ll be repairing your aircraft, not a normal-looking aircraft, but one created with objects of all types to help Milo travel back home. So as we explore each room in this large house filled with 90s memorabilia, you’ll notice certain objects that the Tinykins will help bring with you as you complete that level. Each and every location will have a new item needed to help repair the ship to take you safely home. Plus, the many new friends you’ll meet, like some colorful and cartoon-styled bugs.

I think, for the most part, the game plays quite well, but there were a few issues I’ve encountered that might be great if they could be changed or fixed. The loading was never an issue, the graphics were perfectly fine and so was the background music. Even if you don’t read the text, it’s clear enough you’ll still know what to do as each location is very explanatory about what needs to be done and what you can do with certain controller buttons.

The only issues that really felt frustrating started off with the bubble floating ability. Once you leap, you must hit the button again and hold. if you don’t do it fast enough, you’ll float too low and not make it to the opposite side easily. The second issue is that there are a few parts in the game that felt a bit hard to tell if the object is something you should be aiming at or checking out.

Another is that most of the items needed to be used with the Tinykins are glowing in some way. There are, however, a few reflective objects that look like something might be required to access or use, but that isn’t always the case. I would have them a bit dull or matte verse too shiny to not give off that effect. The last thing that stood out to me is that there is no real way to select between the different Tinykins. They tend to just have to go through shooting each until you get the ones you need and it realizes it’s what is needed to move or do something to the object you’ll be tossing them at.

Otherwise, everything else is great about this game. It’s a true platformer that provides plenty of action and fun without being too difficult or lacking a clear or easily seen screen from all angles. The levels are spacious with plenty to explore and collect and the characters are not devious or scary, but cute and friendly as well. It’s a bit of a puzzle planning an adventure platformer in one!

Final Verdict

The game Tinykin brings players a joyful and fun adventure, where one must solve and discover ways to find your way through each spacious location. There are so many things to see and solve for friends that are just as small as Milo the character you’ll be playing as. It’s a bright and joyful game, without monsters attacking, but with plenty of puzzle-solving planning to get you from one location to the next. It’s a very fun game that will keep you entertained for hours and provides plenty to do in each new location you visit.

Review: Hell Pie

Daniel Waite
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Review: Hell Pie

The idea of hell fills many people with dread! Eternal torture and misery as a punishment for all the bad things you’ve done in life, oh the joys. However, for the demons that reside in this fiery hovel, it must be bliss. Yet, what would happen if there was one demon who had an irrelevant role? Well, this is exactly what happens in the amusing yet immature Hell Pie.

Developed by Sluggerfly GmbH and published by Headup GmbH, this is a 3D platform adventure title. What’s more, it is loaded with filthy language, obscene one-liners, and colourful characters. As such, it is aimed at a mature audience. Although, younger gamers may enjoy it on a shallow level. It is a solo experience that captures some of the best mechanics and well-trodden tropes from the genre. Consequently, platforming fans will adore the familiar gameplay and interesting levels.

Hell Pie is full of crazy moments.
What are you doing Nate?

Hell Pie tells an amusing story.

One of the greatest elements of Hell Pie is its ridiculous story. Never before have I felt sorry for a demon. However, there is always a first, and our protagonist deserves some sympathy for the way he is treated. 

You control Nate, the “Demon of Bad Taste”. His role is belittled as bad taste and crude jokes are expected in the sinning capital of all existence. As such, his responsibilities are non-existent and the Devil decides to give him an important task. Nate must scour the overworld to find disgusting ingredients for Satan’s birthday cake.

This adventure spans many levels and is thwarted by danger. Yet, with the help of a sidekick and an array of special skills, he will overcome many obstacles and complete his task en route. You’ll encounter mini-games, massive chasms, collectables, and much, much more. You must use your skills and reactions to avoid every trap and complete every stage.

Hell Pie is colourful and great to look at.
Take a moment to admire your surroundings.

Hubs, collectables, and special abilities.

Platforming games tend to be vast and full of collectables. Accordingly, the number of things to do can become overwhelming. Fortunately, though, this issue is overcome by the introduction of central hubs. Subsequently, each level is accessed using the lifts located in the bowels of hell. You’ll use these to explore a range of vivid and interesting stages while hunting for those precious ingredients. Alongside this is a helpful list of collectables that keep track of your progress. This is awesome for completionists as the action never gets out of hand. 

What I particularly enjoyed was the drip-fed mechanics that expanded Nate’s repertoire of skills. Alongside his ungodly powers, he is armed with a cherub sidekick called Nugget. This chunky and hideous fallen cherub expands our hero’s ability to jump, attack, and explore. 

However, to make the most of the situation, you must gather an array of collectables. Each stage has unique items that will grant new horns with enhanced abilities. Alongside this, there are tins of meat that are used to improve Nate’s and Nuggets’ skill tree. By enhancing their powers, you’ll be able to soar around each level without a care in the world. This was beyond ridiculous, but I couldn’t help but love it. After all, what’s not to love about a truly stupid mechanic and a flying demon?

Hell Pie is laced with gruesome imagery.

The aforementioned horn upgrade is a prime example of the gruesome nature of Hell Pie. By ripping the horns off of a hapless sheep, you’ll gain new strengths. This cinematic was as gross and horrific as you can imagine. In fact, its gory nature will make you wince and giggle in equal measure. This shocking approach is seen across many levels as violence and gory undertones set the scene. Worry not, though, as it isn’t GTA levels of violence. No, instead, it is the hellish high jinx that helps to set the tone.

Talking of tone, the audio is blunt but energetic. With crude cinematic and often cutting dialogue, it may touch a nerve. However, I loved its guttural style and immature ways. This is further captured by the strange noise that emits from the hero and his sidekick. All in all, it’s a loud and amusing experience that matches the bright and gruesome theme. 

Nugget is a helpful fallen cherub.
Why jump when you can fly?

Excellent controls. 

With a high degree of precision and some tight spaces to traverse, Hell Pie needed accurate controls. Luckily, this is exactly what you get thanks to the responsive inputs and excellent layout. Furthermore, new mechanics are brilliantly explained. The incorporation of fun yet challenging mini-games explains how new skills work without being overbearing.

With so many collectables on offer, ingredients to gather, and skills to learn, there is plenty of longevity and replay value. Of course, the enjoyment factor is dependent on your love of shiny things and, if you are determined to find them all. Yet, I don’t know a platforming fan who dislikes this element. Subsequently, Hell Pie will tick many boxes for hardcore fans. 

Hell Pie is rude, immature, but oh so glorious. 

If you are a little childish but enjoy a challenge, Hell Pie will be right up your street. Its crude plot and silly gameplay will tickle that immature part of your brain. What’s more, its array of skills and collectables keeps the action fresh throughout. It’s for these reasons that I recommend you to buy it here! Can you become useful and do the Devil’s bidding? Collect the ingredients, learn new skills, and reign supreme in the overworld. 

News: Powchell Charger

Daniel Waite
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News: Powchell Charger

Kickstarter is a bit of a mixed bag as there are some incredible ideas that never take off. As such, you never know what will happen whenever you invest. Luckily, the projects that I have backed have always come through and I’ve never been disappointed. Therefore, when I saw information on the Powchell Charger, I was intrigued.

No matter your hobby, the Powchell Charger will keep your devices charged.
Enjoy your hobbies and keep your tech charged.

What is great about the Powchell Charger?

I love the great outdoors, technology, and camping. However, these things don’t always work in harmony. The main issue is that modern life drains your batteries like never before. So, what is the solution? Yes, there are ample power banks and other options available, but they don’t tick every box. Normally, they lack power and storage or are just inconvenient. This is where the Powchell Charger is a game changer. Thanks to its incredibly intuitive design, you get a truly robust option that’ll charge plenty of devices no matter the situation.

Thanks to its intelligent cable management system, strong external case, and massive battery life, this will keep you going no matter how harsh the conditions are. Furthermore, there are both internal and external charging points. Moreover, it’s rated as waterproof IP67, and it floats. As such, it is going to be an amazing device for sports enthusiasts, campers, and festival-goers.

The Powchell charger is TSA-approved.
Take it on your flight as it is TSA-approved.

It is loaded with tech and interesting ideas.

Alongside all of this, the massive 20000mAh (74Wh) Panasonic battery is capable of fast charging. Both the internal and external ports will rapidly charge your devices to ensure you are up and running in no time. However, what I’m most excited about is its secure design. With ample internal storage, you can safely and securely keep your devices “juiced up”. This was particularly reassuring, as I hate to leave my valuables on display.

Finally, for those who travel a lot, this is TSA-approved for flights. What’s more, the over-engineered design makes it practically unbreakable. Consequently, it’ll be allowed with you on your flight and will survive the usual knocks and scrapes without issue.

The Powchell Charger will be starting its Kickstarter campaign very soon. If you are interested in the device and would like more information on it, then click the link here!

The Powchell Charger will charge any device via its fast charge USB ports.
Keep flying with the Powchell Charger.
  • No more flat batteries for your gear.
  • Internal and external charging ports.
  • Recharge at high speeds on the move.
  • Keep your gear protected from harsh elements.
  • Transport your gear with ease.
  • Stay organised and ahead of the game.
  • Waterproof IP67 and it floats.
  • Approved for air travel (TSA-approved).

Disclaimer for the Powchell Charger.

(This Kickstarter campaign is not affiliated with Movies Games and Tech. Any investment comes with the usual risks and all terms and conditions should be read before investing.)  

(More information on YONDAWAY can be found here!)

Review: ANIQUILATION

Devrim Kurt
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Review: ANIQUILATION

INTRODUCTION

Did you ever want to fly a spaceship that shoots lasers but can also do melee attacks somehow? Well, you kind of get to do that in ANIQUILATION. Developed by R-Next and published by Gamera Games, ANIQUILATION is a game with a lot of cool ideas but none of the execution. It is a twin stick shooter, that can be played as singleplayer or multiplayer. Let us start without further ado.

GAMEPLAY

As I mentioned at the start, there are cool ideas ANIQUILATION has regarding gameplay. But one of the problems the game has is, there are too many ideas, and none of them are polished enough feel good. None of these mechanics are brand new. You will have seen them before in that game or other. If the dev team could’ve fleshed out their core gameplay this game would have been better.

You have a spaceship, and you will shoot enemy ships, big mecha enemies, and buildings throughout your missions. Also, there’s a small minigame of sorts between missions. The missions are quite basic and unimaginative. The enemies are pretty much the same. What I did like was the fact that some enemies only take damage from weapons or melee attacks. Although I only played singleplayer, I felt that something was off with the balance. I suppose you except to be overwhelmed in a twin stick shooter, but that overwhelming is only fun, if there is breathing room afterwards. From start to finish of a mission ANIQUILATION doesn’t give you any breathing rooms. And at the end you’re just glad the mission is over.

Most of my frustration with this game comes from how it “feels” to play it. The controls are clunky, the terraformed planets are buggy. Moving doesn’t feel good, shooting doesn’t feel good. Honestly there wasn’t a single mechanic in the shooting gameplay, where I felt that mechanic was executed well. I did not enjoy my time with ANIQUILATION generally because of this reason.

TECHNICAL SIDE AND STORY

My general thoughts on the story are quite brief. This game doesn’t want to be a storyteller. And that’s okay. Not all games need to be great storytellers. It’s a cliché story, with cliché characters, where nothing interesting happens. But once again, the story isn’t the selling point of this game, so all of this is forgivable.

Now onto the technical side. Things are even worse here I feel. The graphics are bad. Not like “they have their own unique style, but it just didn’t appeal to me” bad, more like “these graphics are so bad this game should not have come out in 2022” bad. I’m honestly one of those people who don’t really care about graphics if the mechanics are solid. But they aren’t. So yes, this game fails on gameplay, story, and graphics.

There is one positive thing in between all these failed attempts. And it is the music. I really enjoyed the soundtrack of this game. Big kudos to whoever made it. It fits the game perfectly. Communicates the atmosphere of the game well too.

CONCLUSION

This game really was not my cup of tea. I felt that it failed on almost everything it set out to accomplish. While some parts are objectively bad, the game does have some good ideas. I hope next time, this team can try to execute their ideas better and give us a more satisfying to play twin stick shooter.

AI: The Somnium Files – nirvanA Initiative – Review

Krissy
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AI: The Somnium Files – nirvanA Initiative – Review

In AI: The Somnium Files – nirvanA Initiative, you must solve the mystery of the Half Body serial killings by diving into people’s dreams to uncover the truth.

Any spoiler can ruin the fun of this game since it relies heavily on uncovering many secrets. So I’ll try to keep this review as short as possible without revealing any elements about the plot.

Gameplay:

AI: The Somnium Files – nirvanA Initiative is the second game in the series, but it isn’t necessary to have played the first game to enjoy this one. Most of the game plays like a traditional point-and-click visual novel, but when exploring the dreams, players take control of the character and must explore the world. But you must act fast since you only have six minutes to solve challenging puzzles in each unique and bizarre dream world.

There are three difficulty levels which you can toggle at any point of the game. While I played the whole game in Normal mode, the puzzles were sometimes extremely difficult. So if you’re not into puzzles, then I recommend switching to an easier mode since it won’t impact the story.

Story:

You start off playing as Ryuki, and his crude yet sexy AI-ball companion, Tama. With Tama’s help, you start to uncover the truth about the Half Body serial killings by diving into witnesses’ and suspects’ dreams by “psyncing” into their minds.

Later, you play as Mizuki and her AI-ball companion, Aiba. Playing between these two characters, you start to unravel a huge story with diverging plots and eventually learn that the truth is not that so simple.

AI: The Somnium Files – nirvanA Initiative’s story never felt dull, and you can easily get lost in the story without realizing it. With that said, while this game is a murder mystery, I didn’t feel like I was the detective but rather just a spectator watching the story unfold.

While I loved the story, I felt like there wasn’t a nice balance between the wackiness and seriousness of the game. The teenage-level sexual jokes and cringey humor were excessive, and I found that it started to take away from the story.

All in all, the writing was really good, not to mention the English translation was nothing short of a chef’s kiss. Both the Japanese and English voice acting were spectacular, and I love that there was an option to choose between the two languages. Although the graphics in this game were pretty, since the characters were 3D, sometimes their facial expressions and movements felt stiff especially compared to the expressive VO.

Pros:

  • Amazing JP and Eng VO
  • Creative & challenging puzzles
  • Thought-provoking and interesting story

Cons:

  • Too repetitive
  • Excessive inappropriate jokes
  • Unsatisfying ending

I was extremely invested in the first half of the game, but in the latter half, I started feeling the strain of the repetitive gameplay and felt the story waning. With the amount of time and energy I invested, the ending felt rushed and left me feeling unsatisfied. But don’t get me wrong, the ending wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t spectacular and left me with so many unanswered questions.

Conclusion:

AI: The Somnium Files – nirvanA Initiative was a wild ride and honestly, one of the most thought-provoking games I’ve played for a long time. While I wanted to love this series, it fell short of my expectations. I don’t think it’s something that everyone would enjoy, but even so, I still recommend it. AI: The Somnium Files – nirvanA Initiative is not something you can easily put down, and it makes you want to uncover the truth until the very end. But be warned, “Truth is only an Illusion.”

Entertainment: 7/10

Replay value: 8/10

Graphics: 9/10

Sound: 7/10

Kid Friendly: No

Platform:Nintendo Switch
Publisher:Spike Chunsoft US
Released:June 24, 2022
MSRP:$59.99, £53,99
ESRB:Mature, PEGI 16
Official Website:https://www.spike-chunsoft.co.jp/ai-nirvana/en/

Review: Mad Streets

Daniel Waite
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0
Review: Mad Streets

Physics-based games have taken the world by storm. What’s more, they are normally hilarious as hell. Take Goat Simulator or Human: Fall Flat as a prime example. Their simple approach and stupid core concept make them undeniably addictive and are guaranteed to make you laugh. Consequently, when Mad Streets was released, I knew what to expect. This is one title that guarantees a competitive edge as well as some annoyingly stupid action.

Developed and published by Craftshop Arts Inc., this is an arena-based fighting game. Alongside this, there is a basic story and many clichéd moments. Now, this isn’t a complaint. No, in fact, I loved the comical writing and tongue-in-cheek humour. However, I’m aware that it won’t tickle everyone’s fancy. Subsequently, some gamers will only enjoy this at a base level. Yet, if you are a 70s or 80s child, you’ll chuckle repeatedly at its idiotic yet clever one-liners.

Mad Streets is funny and violent.
Take this!!!

Mad Streets is casually brilliant. 

Don’t expect Mad Streets to be some in-depth and all-consuming affair, because it isn’t. Instead, it’s casually brilliant and can be picked up and put down with ease. What’s more, it can be played solo or with up to 3 friends locally or online. On top of this, there is Cross-Play functionality, which enhances its appeal further still. 

Mad Streets is made up of several modes that will test an array of skills and different approaches. The main one is the “Mad Rush” option. This mode incorporates a basic story that comprises an array of stages. Here, you must tackle set tasks to score the maximum points available. You’ll be expected to beat up an opponent, be the last man standing, or deliver goods to a set location. Each activity scores you points, and the person with the most wins the round. If you are in 1st place as the final bell tolls, you’ll be crowned the champion.

As you can tell, it isn’t that complicated. However, it is really enjoyable and super hectic. Thanks to the physics-based approach, things get messy very, very quickly. You’ll line up a powerful knockout blow, but instead, you’ll miss and fall on your face. This was particularly amusing whenever you challenged your friends. In theory, finesse and a gentle touch were needed. In reality, all hell breaks loose, and no one cares how they look. As such, prepare for messy encounters and plenty of laughter.

Last man standing will test your defence and offensive abilities.
Who will be the last man standing?

Plenty of meat on the bone. 

Though there is little depth to the core concept, there is still plenty of meat on the bone. You can try a royal rumble, the last man standing, free play, 1 punch knockout, and much more. Each of these modes can be played with up to 4 players and an array of stages and characters can be selected. Now, this may seem limited in its approach, but it really isn’t. Accordingly, every option has a different impact on how each fight plays out. With an array of whacky locations to explore, and burly fighters to pick from, you never quite know what to expect.

On top of this, each game mode is unsurprisingly competitive. Consequently, beating the snot out of your opponents really gets the juices flowing. Therefore, I was disappointed that the online servers were deserted. Other than playing with some close friends, I never interacted with other players. This was particularly disconcerting, as this is a Cross-Play title. I’d have thought the lobbies would be brimming with would-be fighters. However, it was a ghost town at all times. This lack of action sadly leaves a bitter taste in your mouth, as you are desperately left wanting much more.

Mad Streets is a colourful arcade experience.

As expected, this fast-paced brawler is colourful with a dated arcade aesthetic. Its larger-than-life characters fill the screen with bulging muscles and revealing costumes. This phenomenal throwback to 90s gaming reminded me of Street Fighter and Dead or Alive. Furthermore, I adored the vivid settings and how they influenced much of the action. Though the tight spaces were claustrophobic and difficult to navigate, they ensured that each battle was hectic, with little room to escape.

Alongside the bright imagery was some incredibly boisterous audio. The loud and rambunctious sound effects add energy to this aggressive title. As such, Mad Streets is a cacophony of sound that doesn’t quit. You’ll adore the familiar commentary of “Let’s Get Ready To Rumbleeeeee” as each battle commences. Alongside this, the comical OTT slaps and punches will make you wince. In short, it is delightfully crude and bloody amusing as well.

An array of arenas await you in Mad Streets.
It is time for a cage fight.

Standard physics-based annoyances. 

If you are familiar with physics-based games, then you’ll know how annoying they can be. The controls are painfully loose while being oddly accurate. This combination worked perfectly in the arena as you could time your big shots to devastating effect. However, if you get it wrong, you leave yourself open to being pummelled relentlessly. Now, this may sound awful, but it was one of the brilliant elements of this amusing title. Though the controls take a bit of getting used to, the excellent layout is easy to understand. Thankfully, this means that you can jump right on in and start fighting.

If you are expecting a deep and fulfilling experience, then you’ll be disappointed. However, if you want a casual and amusing arena brawler, then look no further. With plenty of stages and characters to unlock and many “Mad Rush” stories to complete, this will keep you busy. Accordingly, there is some longevity to be enjoyed. Yet, it lacks replay value because its servers are dead. If more players get involved, this will be a moreish and silly game that will entertain for hours.

Mad Streets is stupid but brilliant. 

Its concept is undeniably stupid. But I loved it, nonetheless. There is something brilliant about a simple arcade fighting game, and Mad Streets has this excellent idea at its core. Subsequently, it is a great casual game that is brilliant with friends. Sadly, though, its lack of an online community is hampering its potential and will hold it back. However, this didn’t put me off and I recommend you to buy it here! Can you defeat everyone you encounter? Throw some punches, avoid some blows, and be crowned the champion. 

Review: Fashion Police Squad

Lee Fairweather
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Review: Fashion Police Squad

Bizarre concepts in gaming can be very hit and miss. You have incredible highs like Goat Simulator and Katamari Damacy, along with the lowest of lows with releases like Seaman. Fashion Police Squad is a title that hopes to fit into the former category. While it certainly achieves that, whether or not it will make any lasting impact remains to be seen.

Directly inspired by the likes of Duke Nukem 3D, Fashion Police Squad is an FPS Arena Shooter with an emphasis on parody. It was developed by newcomers Mopeful Games, and published by No More Robots. Having reviewed a No More Robots title recently, I was a little apprehensive going into this. Fortunately for me, my worries quickly subsided once I began playing.

Welcome to the world of fashion!

Taking on the role of Sargent Desmond, you and your partner Haley are tasked with managing crimes against fashion. During the course of a routine patrol, a disturbance surrounding particularly drab outfits and colour schemes is called into HQ.

Whilst searching for clues, our trendy protagonist accidently encounters someone called Deep Coat. A relatively sketchy character with even more shady dealings. He tips off Des and Haley that Hugo Bauss would be a good place to start their investigation. Reluctantly, they accept his advice. Unbeknownst to them at the time, this inadvertently kicks off a wild-goose chase with the world of fashion now hanging in the balance.

Parodies are hip again.

With names like Hugo Bauss, you can probably tell that Fashion Police Squad doesn’t take itself too seriously. Narratively, it’s one gigantic parody, ripping on tropes found in boomer shooters and internet memes alike. The surrounding world is also full to the brim with pop culture references. Iconic brands like Nike become Mike, Gucci becomes Cuggi, and Subway becomes Club Slay.

If you aren’t into this sort of comedy, then you’ll probably perceive it somewhat negatively. However, they do make a fair attempt at targeting different niches. As such, you might find one or two things to make you chuckle.

Granted, by the end of my playthrough, I was feeling a little exhausted with the premise. So when I completed the game around 5-6 hours in, I ultimately felt satisfied. Some people may want a bit more bang for their buck, and that’s understandable. There are additional challenges to complete, and it will take you a bit longer if you’re going for a 100% completionist run. But as for me, I felt that this length was just right.

Fit your enemies up with a fresh new look.

When it comes to the gameplay loop of Fashion Police Squad, it plays like any other boomer shooter on the market. However, unlike other retro shooters, its weapons and enemies are interlinked with one another in a rather innovative way.

As I mentioned earlier, our snazzy hero Desmond is tasked with combating criminal fashion choices. The crimes themselves come in all sorts of forms. From donning socks with sandals, wearing a poorly fitted suit, or having awful colour sense, there is seemingly no limit to these offences.

Tackling each one of these violations requires specific methods to overcome them. This is where our wide assortment of weapons come into play. For example, the 2DYE4 Carbine Elite shotgun allows you to add some colour to a dull or grey outfit. Whereas the tailormade SMG has the ability to smarten up any oversized uniforms. With each weapon having its own purpose, you’ll be forced into using your entire arsenal. Luckily though, each tool feels awesome to use, so there really isn’t much to dwell on.

13 runways to catwalk and swing on.

Most of the levels in the game are linear, with a large majority involving backtracking. A typical level consists of entering a room, taking out the enemies within, moving onto the next room of foes, and repeating the process. Similar to other 90s based shooters, certain areas are locked behind coloured doors. In the case of Fashion Police Squad, it uses coloured ceremonial tape as barriers, and scissors as keys.

Besides walking, you also have The Belt of Justice, which allows you to swing around akin to Spider-Man. This comes in handy when trying to navigate vertically, or when you’re looking to quickly dodge out the way of an incoming attack. It also doubles down as a tool you can use to temporarily stun enemies, or brake open boxes to gain items à la Castlevania.

Outside of regular levels, you also have the boss encounters. There is a grand total of 3 of these in the game, with each of them having their own unique mechanics to learn. The second boss is my personal favourite, featuring a ton of video game references in both its gameplay and its thematic.

It’s clear that the developers cared about Fashion Police Squad’s integrity. Its various concepts flowed seamlessly between one another due to its interconnected game design. And in fact, it’s so well designed, that even if you’re not interested by the premise, the responsive, fast paced, and entertaining nature of the gameplay is more than enough to make anyone a fan.

Art style worthy of striking a pose.

Taking after its namesake, Fashion Police Squad absolutely nails its visual presentation. The near immaculate art design composites bright colours in its environmental assets, and contrast them against low-saturated, pastel backdrops. The character sprites are also exceptionally well-drawn, and drip, no pun intended, with an abundance of charm and personality.

Fashion Police Squad also meshes retro pixel aesthetics with a low poly technique. While this isn’t exactly a revolutionary idea, its implementation lends itself to feeling new. It’s difficult to pinpoint a direct graphical comparison to highlight this, but think 3D Terraria meets a modern 1993 Doom.

It honestly would have been easy for Mopeful Games to stumble here and damage the projects identity. However, to their credit, they successfully managed to pull off a fresh and distinctive look. Truthfully, I think you’d be hard pressed finding another title that matches this art style. Even more so when considering how imbued it is into the core ideology of the game.

An OST that is so in vogue.

On the audio front, you’ll find a soundtrack that also leans into the parody. If this was present throughout the entire track listing, it’d be a detriment to the games experience. Thankfully, it isn’t quite as forceful as the story in its approach, instead allowing the music to speak for itself. This is a decision that proves worthwhile in the end, as the entire OST is full of bangers.

All of the tracks are rooted in the chiptune genre, using synthetic tones in places of acoustic instruments. This immensely helps to capture the old school FPS ambience. And, on top of this, it sounds exceedingly reminiscent to something you’d hear on the SEGA Saturn. Additionally, the melodies are both catchy and rhythmic, constantly pushing you to want to continue exploring.

As far as the sound effects go, they are just as polished as the OST. The different weapons, abilities and enemies effectively emulate the DOS era SFXs, except with a contemporary twist on it. The narration that comes with defeating an enemy does get a bit fatiguing. But at least it’s an easy identifiable way to know you’ve taken them out.

Conclusion

All in all, Fashion Police Squad is a fairly humorous parody of internet and video game culture, wrapped up in an entertaining boomer shooter package. It confidently showcases smart game design knowledge with its sharp controls and engaging gameplay, but falters slightly in its lacklustre level layouts. Visually, the game is absolutely gorgeous, and the OST is chock full of upbeat and dance worthy tracks. In spite of its short runtime, the story is an amusing affair, though your enjoyment of it may vary depending on your comedic tastes. If you’re a fan of either 90s retro FPS titles, or games that don’t take themselves too seriously, then this would be one worth picking up on sale.

Preview: Ultimate Fishing Simulator 2

Daniel Waite
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Preview: Ultimate Fishing Simulator 2

Fishing has long been enjoyed by men and women the world over. What’s more, it can be relied upon for a reliable income. However, what happens if you don’t have the time, knowledge, or skill to participate in real life? Should you simply forget your dreams, or should you look for a solution? I’d opt for the latter and what better place to start than by switching on your PC? Ultimate Fishing Simulator 2 is an Early Access title that plans to blow your mind.

Developed by Mastercode and published by Ultimate Games SA, this is an ultra-realistic sports simulation title. What’s more, it captures some incredible locations, has a vast amount of equipment to use, and has evolved past its predecessors’ stable foundations. Furthermore, it can be enjoyed solo, or played online against the world’s best players. As such, you’ll enjoy tournament mode, free fishing, and working towards an array of quests.

Ultimate Fishing Simulator 2 is incredible for an Early Access title. 

I rarely enjoy Early Access games as they are flawed in many ways. Subsequently, the gameplay is ruined because of glitches and bugs. Now, I’m not saying Ultimate Fishing Simulator 2 has no problems, but the action is relatively trouble-free. Accordingly, I enjoyed the action as I caught fish after fish.

So, the performance is pretty good, but what I was interested in was the core gameplay and the locations I’d be visiting. Well, the developers didn’t disappoint as two gameplay modes have been incorporated. First, there is a basic regular option that enables assistance and a thorough tutorial. Second, you can make things much tougher by switching to the realistic mode. Here, you’ll see that many of the aids are removed, and the action is noticeably harder. This was an excellent choice as it offers a challenging learning curve whilst being rewarding as well.

However, what impressed me more was the stunningly beautiful locations you visit. Based on 6 real areas, would-be fishermen will be amazed. You can see the USA, Poland, Germany, Slovakia, Russia, and Thailand. Moreover, you’ll see familiar aspects from Jackson Park, Zalasie Summer Resort, Kiel Canal, Mountain River, Kurile Lake, and Blue Bay. Each of these locations is filled with unique fish specimens and deadly predators. It was truly fascinating to pit your wits against some cunning and aggressive sea creatures. Furthermore, every environment is spectacularly different, and this adds depth to the action.

Ultimate Fishing Simulator 2 looks incredible.
You can fish in some incredible locations.

Plenty of fish and equipment. 

The stunning environments were great, but what you want is a tough adversary to hunt. Fortunately, Ultimate Fishing Simulator 2 has this covered as well! Thanks to the dynamic water mechanics and new fish AI systems, you must be smarter and more patient than ever before. Accordingly, you’ll have to master each of the fishing techniques to be successful. You’ll enjoy spinning, float, and ground methods combined with a large list of licensed fishing equipment.

Sakura and Robinson have included their market-leading products to increase the levels of realism. Alongside this, there are 200 different items to buy to improve your chances. You’ll select new reels, rods, bait, and so forth. The combination of equipment and different locations ensures that this isn’t another mindless fishing experience.

On top of all of this, there are 60 species of lifelike fish to capture. Each of these creatures has a personality and traits that must be understood. If you do not master your approach, you’ll fail to catch the biggest and best fish around. This was phenomenal, as it ensured the action was rewarding at all times.

Watch the rod bend as you land a fish in Ultimate Fishing Simulator 2.
Fish on!

Quests and skills. 

No simulation game would be complete without a skill tree. By completing quests or capturing certain fish, you can improve your character. Now, this wasn’t entirely necessary in the early game, but as you progress, you’ll need all the help you can muster as you take down some true underwater monsters. 

Alongside the skill tree, you are expected to complete an array of quests. These come in the form of daily, weekly, and monthly tasks. If you are successful, you’ll be awarded a range of prizes that help you to improve your character or purchase new equipment. Fortunately, if you miss out, it matters not as you simply move on to the next mission.

Ultimate Fishing Simulator 2 looks incredible. 

Whenever you tackle a simulation game, you want it to look great. Fortunately, Ultimate Fishing Simulator 2 has done just that! Its variety of environments, realistic fish, amazingly detailed equipment and new features make it stand out. Furthermore, I adored the new underwater camera that shows every fish near your lure. This new angle redefines the fishing genre and gives you an insight that has long been missing. What’s more, the shadows and lighting for each location were phenomenal. It was incredible to observe a fish hiding in the shadows, or watching the sun’s rays bouncing off their scales. In short, the developers have done an awesome and jaw-dropping job.

This continues with the excellent and relaxing audio. Peace and tranquillity flow through every stage as you enjoy the environmental sounds. Further to this, the underwater sound effects are brilliant. The muffled noises and distant sounds transport you to this eerie and often overlooked alien world.

Ultimate Fishing Simulator 2 allows you to observe your target in their natural habitat.
I loved the underwater camera!

Detailed controls that enhance realism. 

As much as I love a basic control setup, I know sim games are more advanced. In this case, Ultimate Fishing Simulator 2 has a reasonably complex approach that enhances its realistic nature. With real speed, drift, tension, and other minor layers included, you feel in complete control. Accordingly, it could have been overwhelming if it wasn’t for the excellent tutorial. The opening stage explains the fundamentals of the control layout and the basic mechanics. This was great, as it got you up to speed without confusing the matter.

With 6 massive locations to fish, and a large list of equipment to buy, there are plenty of different approaches to try. What’s more, each fishing technique and species of fish requires minor changes to be successful. On top of this, a large and often competitive tournament mode will suck you in for hours. 

Ultimate Fishing Simulator 2 is better than its predecessor. 

Without a doubt, Ultimate Fishing Simulator 2 is better than its predecessor. Though it’s still an Early Access title, I can see its potential and how great it will be. If you love the genre and adore fishing, you can’t go wrong. Consequently, I loved it and I recommend you to buy it here! Grab your gear, choose your fishing hole, and catch a whopper. 

Summary.

Ultimate Fishing Simulator 2 is a fantastic sports simulation title. With an array of branded gear to buy and over 60 species of fish to hunt, there is something for everybody. What’s more, it’s visually impressive and beautiful to look at. I cannot wait to see how much it evolves during its short 6-month Early Access period. After this, gamers from all platforms will be able to enjoy the phenomenal fishing action.

(Preview completed on PC using Steam. At the moment, Ultimate Fishing Simulator 2 is only available on PC. More information on Ultimate Games SA can be found here!)

How To Trade On The Go 

Andrew Edney
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How To Trade On The Go 

A cryptocurrency is a digital or virtual currency that uses cryptography for security and to control the creation of new units. Cryptocurrency is a digitally based currency and can be traded with other cryptocurrencies, fiat currencies, or other assets. It typically uses peer-to-peer transactions where no middleman is required and can be transferred directly from person to person in the form of cash like any physical currency. By its nature, cryptocurrency makes it difficult for governments to regulate it.

What do you need to start trading cryptocurrency?

To trade cryptocurrency, you will need a decent computer, internet connection, and an account with a cryptocurrency exchange. On the exchange, you can check Dogecoin current prices at OKX, among other things.

Can you actually make money by trading cryptocurrency?

Yes. In fact, if you bought Bitcoin in 2013 and held it for the six months after it first came to market, then your investment is now worth over 2100% more than when you first bought it. Not bad for trading on the go! However, it is worth noting that in a volatile market, you can lose money just as quickly if you don’t take care.

How to set up a cryptocurrency trading account

Go online to an exchange like OKX and begin trading. This should be the easiest part of trading cryptocurrency. You will create a new account with the exchange, verify your identity, and set up some basic settings. After this, you should have a basic trading account that is ready to begin trading. 

What are the advantages of a cryptocurrency trading account?

You can trade cryptocurrency on many exchanges so you can diversify your portfolio to minimize the risk of loss. You will also be able to trade cryptocurrency options. You are investing in a market that has the potential to experience rapid and significant growth.

How to trade cryptocurrency on the go

If you want to trade cryptocurrency while you are on the go, then you need a mobile internet connection and a phone with an internet connection. Some applications let you trade directly through your smartphone. The advantages of trading cryptocurrency on the go are that you can trade with just a phone, wherever you are in the world.

What makes a good trader?

The same things that make a good stock trader or any other successful trader apply to cryptocurrency trading as well. A successful crypto trader has to be in it for the long haul and be able to experience periods of low profits without letting it get them too down. Good traders have patience and discipline, staying true to their approach no matter what the market is doing, and they stick to their plan through thick and thin.

Cryptocurrency trading is a growing field that requires a lot of attention. You can be part of the action by setting up your cryptocurrency trading account with OKX. You will have access to excellent tools and resources to help you become a successful trader.

Review: City Eye

Daniel Waite
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Review: City Eye

No matter where you turn, “Big Brother” is always watching. Their all-seeing gaze is epitomised by the heartless and cold lens of CCTV cameras. However, its presence shouldn’t insight fear. No, instead, you should feel safe and reassured. City Eye pushes these stereotypes as you take on the role of a control room operative.

Developed by SIG Publishing and published by Ultimate Games SA, this is a crime-fighting simulation title. What’s more, it has some minor resource management elements and plenty of events to tackle. Yet, its concept is pretty simple and its gameplay is straightforward. Alongside this, sadly, you will experience glitches and performance issues. Luckily, though, they don’t ruin the game, they just take the shine off the final product.

When time is of the essence, you must step up and get help.
A medical emergency is never a good thing.

City Eye is surprisingly dramatic.

I never envisaged a CCTV operative’s job being so dramatic, but it is. In City Eye, crime crawls out of every corner to keep you on your toes. As the person in charge, you must monitor your cameras and mark any suspicious activities. Furthermore, crime, accidents, and acts of terrorism must be reported and dealt with accordingly.

At first, you use no more than 5 cameras. But as the action progresses, your tools of voyeurism steadily increase. This is incredibly important as crime unfurls at every crossroads. Accordingly, without a presence, you cannot help the victims, nor bring the perpetrators to justice. 

Why would they want to burn the rubbish bins?
That won’t end well!

Plenty of crimes, events, and technology. 

Technology is a wonderful thing. As such, if you have the money, you can automate your entire network. However, this automated utopia is a long way down the road and you have plenty of work to do before then. You must install 3 types of cameras; basic, semi-automatic, and automatic. The more advanced the tech, the more it costs. Subsequently, you must balance high-end cameras with greater coverage. This is no mean feat, and there is no right or wrong approach. 

At the start of each shift, you’ll purchase new equipment, check out wanted criminals, and study each event. These normally involve specific crimes, so you must keep an eye out for arsonists, muggers, prostitutes, and more. By flitting between each camera and panning the view, you’ll identify ongoing crime and notify the relevant services.

This is City Eye in a nutshell! Its concept is wonderfully basic, and this lets you focus on each task. Effectively, you must reduce the levels of crime before expanding into a new area. Once this happens, you rinse and repeat the gameplay until every area is unlocked.

City Eye lacks the wow factor. 

To say City Eye looks dated would be an understatement. Its graphics are serviceable, but they lack detail or a unique style. Furthermore, there are limited character models, so visually it is repetitive. What’s more, the lack of contrasting tones makes identifying some crimes much harder. Going forward, the developers need to improve the details and add more variety to spice things up. 

What was better, though, was the realistic audio. I loved the roar of the sirens, the environmental noises, and the crackle of every flame. The dynamic sounds add drama to an otherwise slow and methodical title. If I was to seek improvement, I’d say that unique noises for each location are a must. If this was implemented, realism would be vastly improved.

City Eye asks you to call the relevant services to every crime scene.
Report the crime and wait for the cavalry to arrive.

A better tutorial is needed. 

Though the controls weren’t bad, there was an awful lot of trial and error. This was disappointing, as a better tutorial would have overcome this issue. This aside, the controls are good once you understand them. Consequently, it was surprisingly rewarding to flit from camera to camera while surveying your territory. 

In its current build, City Eye will potentially stagnate early on. Sadly, a lack of tasks and unique events makes the gameplay quite repetitive. If new quests were added, or a deeper business model introduced, it would no doubt enhance the longevity. 

City Eye is good, but it needs more content. 

I enjoyed the mechanics and gameplay much more than I ever thought I would. However, its lack of content is a significant downfall that must be rectified. In its current state, it is both fun and playable, but it could evolve to be so much better. It is for these reasons that I tentatively recommend you to buy it here! Can you operate the cameras and reduce crime? Identify the victims and criminals and demand help from the emergency services. 

Review: Rollerdrome

James Refelian
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Review: Rollerdrome

Within the first few minutes of Rollerdrome I understood why this game is so well received. It has everything: stylish aesthetic, intriguing dystopian backstory, bullet time, and fast-paced challenging roller-skating! This is an action-shooter like nothing I’ve played before.

Gameplay

Welcome to the near-future where you play as Kara Hassan, a new competitor in the games. What is the game? Well, welcome to the Rollerdrome where you essentially mix roller-skating around exciting arenas and performing tricks at high-speed while trying to not get shot by the house players and scoring points by taking them out. It’s a unique concept with some seedlings of a dark, dystopian story underneath. As you skate around the arena you can perform a vast variety of tricks, which also replenishes ammunition, and the game, while only single player, does feature a scoreboard system so you can really push for those high scores.

Movement in the game is fluid, and fast. It feels good to glide about the arena performing jumps, tricks, and flips. The tutorials are very well designed, being interspersed by showing you new things as you progress and can access them. What enhances the excitement in this game, aside from the pace, is that you can’t really fail a trick or crash (beware you can fall off the arena in some stages!) this means gameplay never feels unnecessary, or frustratingly interrupted. Keeping the octane levels high means, you really must focus hard and time your moves, and dodges, and use the game’s version of bullet time effectively to be successful.

Controls feel logical, and the PC version has controller support.

Rollerdrome gives us great Bullet Time

Bullet time is always one of two things. Badly implemented and annoying or fantastic fun that makes you think you’re in the Matrix. Thankfully, in Rollerdrome it’s the latter. Ok, so it’s called ‘Reflex Time’ in the game, but it’s the same idea. When used, it allows Kara to slow down and you as the player think about things, aim at targets, and look great while doing it. This adds an extra dynamic to the strategy you need to be thinking about, timing it perfectly to get the most advantage and not messing up your movement when the speed returns that you end up flying uncontrollably out of the arena.

It should be reiterated that Rollerdrome is fast-paced, but thankfully it isn’t unforgiving. If you fail a trick the worst thing that happens, is you don’t generate ammo. The game does its best to walk you through everything and has stages of tutorial scattered throughout. The way Kara picks herself up and allows you to carry on in a way raises the stakes, it’s a warning that if you continue to fall out the map or get hit it will be game over. This is a difficult game though that requires great hand-eye coordination, timing skill and quick thinking if you really want to survive the stages later in the game. While it can be frustrating to repeat stages, it never is that annoying because the game is just so fun to play and learn how to do new tricks.

Graphics

Rollerdrome is visually wonderful. Comic book-styled cel-shaded art paired with punchy vibrant colours. Everything from the character art to the environments and enemies on the course is superb. You can’t help but feel slightly uneasy, however. While everything is bright and fun the underlying story is one that is intrinsically dark and dystopian in nature. Sadly, you never get enough of the story (it’s just not that kind of game) and I would love it if this world could be fleshed out in some way.

Is Rollerdrome really that good?

Yes. Yes, it is. How could it not be? Fast-paced movement in a variety of course locations with varying enemies to shoot at with an assortment of weapons. On top of that, you have a scoreboard. If you’re competitive, it’s addictive. Finally, you get bullet time and as you know, that makes everything look cool. It’s very well polished and any gripes you may have quite quickly vanish as you work out how to do some awesome matrix-style moves on skates.

Review: Sword and Fairy: Together Forever

Alex Chessun
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Review: Sword and Fairy: Together Forever

It’s always somewhat embarrassing when you receive a review code for a video game franchise that you’ve never heard of – especially as its a nearly 27-year-old RPG franchise, even if the 6th entry of the series was first to come over to the west.

Sword and Fairy: Together Forever (oddly renamed for its PlayStation release from its original title of The Legend of Sword and Fairy 7) makes a clear and concerted effort to make an eye-popping impression out of the gates as it’s a visual storytelling powerhouse, with stunning environments, endless cutscenes and a huge script that feels like reading a long Chinese fantasy novel steeped in mythology. 

It’s likely to take you aback, especially for a series that – chances are – you probably have never heard of. The story takes you across a variety of incredibly diverse landscapes such as mist-covered mountain tops, sunset-glowing beaches, and lava-spewing underworlds (just to name just a few) and they all have tremendously designed and detailed architecture all of which are screenshot-worthy, giving the game a stunning canvas on which to build off. It isn’t all eye candy either with a brilliant soundtrack filled with traditional Chinese music that adds to a very natural and holistic presentation that blends brilliantly with the ancient mythology and fantasy story. 

Also, the running animation is great, which I just needed to get out there.

Putting Deities, Humans, and Demons and their respective realms at odds with each other, it’s up to the 4 protagonists to try to unravel the mystery behind ever-frequent incidents that threaten the safety of the many sects that the world is divided into. Leading the show is Yue Qingshu, a spirit-controlling member of the Mingshu sect who forms a symbiosis with Deity Xiu Wu after investigating Vicious Beasts. First name Vicious, second name Beasts. 

There are plenty of decent plot twists and the character building is decent enough to involve you to the point of rooting for the characters – mostly.

One mark of a good story is to make the surrounding characters more interesting than your protagonists and Sword and Fairy manages to do that here, providing many intriguing characters around the main two characters who are largely blank slates while providing enough lore to keep you interested in the slower sections, but you better enjoy the deluge, as there is an avalanche of fully-voiced cinematic cutscenes that takes precedence over most other gameplay, the game often guiding you to walk from cutscene A to B to convey the narrative.

The only knock on what is an admirably large main story is that this game only has some of the most inaccurate English subtitles I’ve ever come across (though is still apparently an improvement on installment no.6). It is comprehensible, but it is filled with spelling mistakes, incorrect word choices, and grammar issues. A common example is characters that answer ‘yes’ and ‘no’ questions with ‘good’. It can sometimes affect the tone of a conversation, especially if it’s a serious scene and the errors almost make them comical. 

For the PS4 it should be noted that while the presentation is mostly great, this experience was clearly optimized for more advanced hardware with some elements that were either downgraded or have yet to be polished properly, such as water effects and a beach with sand that looks like you are running on a yellow cardboard box. 

The game itself starts off fast, with you dropped into the action of a battle tutorial and cinematic action cutscenes with QTEs, but after that, the game slows to a crawl, as it tries to introduce a huge main story and an immersive world. The former picks up pace eventually, but the latter fails to click as while the game creates an in-depth story within the bubble of the main characters, there is a disconnect between them and the world around them, constantly jumping around the hub world maps without really allowing for any meaningful interaction outside of the cutscene you are there to activate.    

In addition to combining the story with hack and slack action, there are other elements of gameplay such as stealth scenes and multiple types of puzzle-solving platforming.

I should have prefaced this by first saying that I’m borderline obsessed with ‘immersion’ in video games (having been bitten by the bug after playing Shenmue) and it pains me when games are called ‘open-world’ when it’s more appropriate to call them ‘open-field’ games, and by the same token, it’s also frustrating when a game creates something so detailed (like in Sword and Fairy’s case) but makes it more like a museum exhibit.  

It should be said that the non-story essential NPCs are animated well in their relevant settlements, but without a way to narratively link the characters to the world and visa versa, the NPCs and main characters seem to live in unrelated worlds and the effort the developer has made to give the game the appearance of immersion is lost. Mind you, how many games do you know of where an NPC just polishes his fish all day?

The side quests attempt to alleviate the issue by giving it a quasi-open-world feeling to fill the world with detail and also feedback into the RPG gameplay loop with loot and XP, but helping the NPCs often makes little sense story-wise, in addition to a basic leveling up system, so the justification for both open-world and RPG elements feel very artificial.

I have no doubt that implementing a more interactable open world would be more expensive, but as it currently stands, the beautiful maps feel more like you are sightseeing rather than the hometowns of these characters. There is nothing wrong with this per se, but it makes everything outside of the main story seem somewhat disjointed and at worst unnecessary.

To properly justify this as an interactive piece of entertainment, though, there obviously needs to be gameplay that the game can hang its hat on, and Sword and Fairy injects a hack-and-slack JRPG-esque battling system in between the run-cutscene-run formula. Each of the four characters has combo strings and eight slots for special moves on two ability wheels, but despite this, the battles are more style than substance and, to me, felt like a means to an end, rather than something I particularly looked forward to.

It’s not a Chinese mythology-infused video game without some kickass-looking dragons.

A bugbear I have with MMOs is the very little animation when enemies are attacked and the only representation of your offensive actually landing are damage figures and flashy effects from your own attacks. While not being an MMO, this is still the case here and there are only a few bosses whose varied attacks and movement allow the fights to offer a challenge, resulting in one-on-one fights with standard enemies feeling desperately empty. 

Personally, I also feel that there is not enough noteworthy strife or tragedy for a 30+ hour story that feels like the length of an entire season of TV, with there being only one of a few attempted tear-jerking moments that I felt really landed properly. This might be because this game is rated for teens (and I’m old), but with no blood and being told that men and women holding hands is forbidden – despite the story constantly threatening the genocide of all races – was a little too childish for my tastes and a contrast that I couldn’t quite get my head around.

Because of this, I was often hoping the game to be a little less conservative by the end and funnily enough, there was one opportunity for the game to do it – a side quest where a peddler rips off the main character, and after finding out, you have an option to forgive or kill them. Unfortunately, after selecting to kill them, you not only see nothing happen – literally no animation, nothing – but the main characters barely flinch, as if your choice didn’t make a difference. I mean, I know the character was insignificant, but some compassion – please.

I probably should have just populated this review with screenshots instead of actual words…..

The inconsistencies of Sword and Fairy don’t end here either, with the game’s implementation clearly lacking a layer of polish – or two – with cutscenes that often end abruptly and cut immediately to in-game conversations, cutscene audio being out of sync by a degree of seconds, and bugs in the final boss requiring me to reload the game, all represent clear and obvious issues in addition to the most essential area of need of an update – the subtitles.

All hope is not lost though, as the developer has released 7 updates since the game’s release 3 weeks ago, which is a good thing – I think.

Unfortunately, Sword and Fairy is not a case of ‘What you see is what you get’, as although the music and presentation is top-notch, the game is unable to maintain its high level of quality across the board, so even though the story does intrigue, it dabbles in a bit too much mediocrity to truly recommend this to everyone, despite its eye-popping strengths.  

Review: ACDsee Photo Studio Ultimate 2022

Daniel Waite
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Review: ACDsee Photo Studio Ultimate 2022

My ability to take a half-decent photo is somewhat lacking. Consequently, I need to cheat my way to a better final product. Therefore, a simple but effective editing program is a must-have. Amateur and professional photographers are spoilt for choice in this competitive marketplace. As such, it can be difficult to choose the right piece of software. Recently, I’ve relied upon Adobe as part of my editing setup. However, when I was offered ACDsee Photo Studio Ultimate 2022, I couldn’t wait to get started.

ACDsee Ultimate has been out for a number of years and has been well-received. Yet, many comments have been made about the minimal changes across the franchise. Therefore, I was intrigued to see if the 2022 edition was wildly different from its predecessor. In short, it is very similar, but there are some neat new features that’ll capture your attention. The most noteworthy additions are the colour channel control or colour selection. Other than this, it’s pretty much business as usual. Not that this is a bad thing, because ACDsee Photo Studio Ultimate 2022 is an exceptional piece of kit.

ACDsee Photo Studio Ultimate 2022 has an amazing array of options to use.

ACDsee Photo Studio Ultimate 2022 is affordable for every budget. 

What makes this program stand out is its exceptional raw processing power. What’s more, it does a great job of cataloguing your photos and is perfect for image editing. Alongside this, the wonderful UI and well-labelled tiles and tools make it great for users of all abilities. However, in this day and age, usability is no longer the defining factor. No, instead, people want a budget-friendly option that ticks many boxes.

Luckily, ACDsee Photo Studio Ultimate 2022 has an array of options for every budget. You can select between a perpetual license, or a yearly/monthly subscription service. The first is offered at around £190 whereas, the yearly option is £75, and the monthly £7.50. There are regular sales and discounts available, so prices may vary from time to time. However, what you must consider is which of these best suits your needs! The first offers updates and technical support for up to 1 year. Alternatively, the latter will give you continuous support and updates as long as the money keeps rolling in.

5 tabs and excellent results. 

I’ve used some complicated programs in my time, but ACDsee Photo Studio Ultimate 2022 is not one of them. With 5 clearly labelled options, you know exactly where you are. You can explore Manage, Media, View, Develop, and Edit. These make up an extremely user-friendly environment that is seamless and intuitive. Every base is covered from image selection, editing, raw processing and more. I spent most of my time in the Develop and Edit areas. At first glance, there is a mind-blowing amount of tools and filters available. Yet, a quick play around ensures that it is never overwhelming, nor is it difficult to master.

If you are familiar with the franchise, you’ll know how impressive the manage and develop tabs are. Thanks to the wonderful image categorisation and excellent raw processing tools, your images will never look the same again. You’ll enjoy the familiar colour wheel and an improved pixel targeting setting. Each brush or gradient has its own rules to achieve some awesome results. Furthermore, the original shot remains the focus as you adjust every layer to your heart’s content. As such, creativity is at the centre of everything this software produces.

If organisation and labelling are your things, then you’ll adore the Manage tab. Here, you can customise colour labels, add geo data, ratings, hierarchical keywords, tags, and more. In fact, the vast choice of options ensures that every photo is easy to handle and simple to store.

ACDsee Photo Studio Ultimate 2022 has oh so many filters.

Though the word filters fill me with dread, on a professional level, they are a key editing tool. I despise how generic filtering ruins the original image and everyone looks “perfect”. Luckily, ACDsee Photo Studio Ultimate 2022 gives you full control over everything you do. Consequently, your final product can have layers upon layers of unique filters and elements that enhance the original photo.

Alongside this, you’ll enjoy a smart erase tool, special effects, watermarks, tilt-shift, grain, and more. As you add these to your image, a further window opens with more advanced choices. Effectively, this adds an artistic flair that can be ignored if you so wish. The aforementioned smart erase tool does a nice job of removing unwanted people or objects from your pictures. Though I didn’t use it that much, it is nice to erase the odd photo bombing fool that spoils the shot.

Face detection. 

To help with categorisation, ACDsee Photo Studio Ultimate 2022 has included a face detection feature. Now, you may worry that this is gimmicky, but it really isn’t. With a few simple steps, your photos will be filed and easy to find. What’s more, a handy window highlights any possible matches that should also be included. Subsequently, People Mode is a big step forward for this awesome editing program.

Now, I could go on forever, but I really shouldn’t. Therefore, let’s wrap this up. ACDsee Photo Studio Ultimate 2022 is a big leap forward from its predecessors. Furthermore, it leads the way in many of its features. I loved how user-friendly it was, and the many categorising options. On top of this, it’s a phenomenal piece of software for users of all abilities. Yes, Adobe may be more suitable in some situations, but this all-in-one program will tick many boxes. It is for these reasons that I recommend you to buy it here! 

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