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REVIEW: Hitman III Cloud Version

Bryan Applegate

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Feb 6, 2021

Hitman III is a game for next-gen platforms, current-gen platforms, and streaming services like Google Stadia and Switch’s Ubitus cloud service. This is the final chapter in the World of Assassination Hitman Trilogy as well as the current storyline of Agent 47, discounting spinoffs and future entries. With this in mind, this marks the final chapter in the current canonical storyline for Agent 47, as each game prior features different story arcs which, while not interconnected for the most part, do take place in the same continuity, and serve to develop 47’s background, humane side, and relationships with other recurring characters.

Hence, as I state below in the story section, it’s important, but not required, to play the other main “World of Assassination” Hitman games first before jumping into this one. For those uninitiated in Hitman’s universe, The (original) series started with 2000’s Hitman: Codename 47, and it has featured eight main games in total, the most recent being Hitman 3, released in January 2021. The last one released for a Nintendo System, to my knowledge, is Hitman II: Silent Assassin for the Nintendo Gamecube, on 17 June 2003

Main games in the Hitman series are set in semi-open world environments and presented from the third-person perspective, and have players eliminate specific targets assigned to them while trying to remain as stealthy as possible by various means; these include taking disguises, hiding from suspicious enemies, and using supressed weaponry. The series’ main protagonist and playable character is Agent 47, the eponymous hitman, who works for the fictional International Contract Agency (ICA). Originating as a clone created to maintain peak human physicality and intelligence, be easy to control, and display a cold and monotone personality, 47 is regarded as the best assassin in the world.

Now that I got all of the basics cleared up for you, how good- or great or bad – is the finale to the World of Assassination Hitman trilogy?

STORY

The story is divided into 6 missions and an epilogue for the final installment in the Hitman Trilogy, discounting spinoffs. It is personally recommended that you play Hitman and Hitman II on other consoles to understand the story going into Hitman III.

Mission 1: On Top of the World

Following the events of Hitman 2, Agent 47 and Lucas Grey are continuing to hunt down the elusive Partners of Providence. They head to Dubai to infiltrate the inauguration of the Burj Al-Ghazali as the world’s tallest building to eliminate the Partners, Alexa Carlisle, Carl Ingram and Marcus Stuyvesant. They finds out that Alexa has left the building. They HALO jump into the building and 47 eliminates the other two Partners. Arthur Edwards, the Constant, locates and contacts Diana. Diana realizes that the deaths of the partners and Lucas’s contracts were all orchestrated by the Constant himself.

Mission 2: Death in the Family

They learn that Alexa Carlisle has gone back to her home, a mansion in England. She has faked her death, and is trying to secure her family legacy before it is too late. Diana informs them that the Carlisles still have control over many parts of the world, and that Alexa’s late father brought the three influential families of Providence together. This means that the mansion is in fact the birthplace of Providence. They head to the mansion to eliminate her and recover a case file she keeps on the Constant.

They find out that one of Alexa’s brothers, Zachary Carlisle has been murdered on the premises of the mansion. Alexa has hired a private investigator to find out who did it. 47 eliminates Carlisle, and escapes with the case file. Meanwhile, CICADA private security hired by the Constant have located Grey. Grey hurriedly tells 47 that Diana can no longer be trusted, and that he needs to find Olivia. He tells the guards to “tell the Constant to start running.”, and disarms a guard before shooting himself with the guard’s gun.

The Constant visits Diana in person, and gives her a case file proving that 47 was the one who planted the car bomb which killed her parents. 47 disguised as a CICADA security guard contacts Olivia telling her that Grey is gone and to escape to Berlin.

Mission 3: Apex Predator

Diana is resting at a cottage in the woods when she receives a phone call from the Constant. He tells her that she could be the next Constant. She says that she will need some time to think about it. The Constant tells her she won’t. 47 goes to a club in Berlin to meet Olivia, but Olivia tells him that they have been compromised, and there are ICA agents in the club. 47 eliminates five ICA agents before their handler recalls them. 47 meets Olivia in an abandoned diner. Olivia tells 47 that the data they have on the Constant is useless. 47 tells Olivia that he knows where the ICA stores all its data, and that he wants to leak it to the public.

Mission 4: End of an Era

47 heads to the main ICA data facility, in Chongqing, China, run by a man called “Hush”. Hush is a former cyberterrorist for the Ministry of State Security in Khandanyang, who is doing experiments on mind control. Access to the data core is restricted to the facility’s overseers, Hush and Imogen Royce, a behavioral analysis pioneer. Olivia tells him about a weakness in the protocol: if both overseers die unexpectedly in a short period of time, the security protocol is changed to a weaker failsafe, which she can hack. 47 eliminates both overseers. He wipes all traces of his and Diana’s existence and relationship before uploading the data to a non-profit leak website. Diana tells the Constant that 47 only has one weakness: herself.

Mission 5: The Farewell

Diana sets up a false meeting with a Providence Herald as a trap for 47. When 47 comes to eliminate her, she uses an Ether neurotoxin to knock 47 out. She tells 47 that she knows what he did to her parents. Diana says that Providence used 47, but she did too, so she is freeing him. 47 remembers past contracts he has done, while the room slowly fills with blood.

47 wakes up in a bed. The Constant tells him that Diana was foolish to think he would kill 47, and that he wants to keep 47 as a tool for himself. He has prepared another amnestic serum, and plans to inject 47 with it. He passes out again. He sees Grey, who tells 47 that Constant’s toxins are playing into his fears, and that he should resist them for as long as he can. 47 tells Grey that Diana wants him dead. Grey says that this is not the case, and that Diana has found a way to turn Edwards’ power against himself. He hears Diana speak: “Once you dispose of Edwards, I will dismantle Providence from the top down. It will finally be over. All you have to do is embrace the past.” 47 relives killing Diana’s parents, having to trigger the explosives once more.

Mission 6: ???

47 wakes up again in the Constant’s lab, set up in the old asylum in Romania. He boards a moving Providence train and eliminates Edwards. He enters the forests of the Carpathian Mountains. Diana watches the news in her cottage. The news anchor states that many CEOs (previous members of Providence) have resigned from their positions in a bizarre pattern. She takes the case-file of her parents’ death and throws it into the fireplace. She rips off the Providence badge, an origami crane and throws it into the fire too.

Epilogue

One year later, 47 is walking through a forest on the phone with Diana. He states that he is rejoining the ICA willingly, because it is his life. Diana tells him, “No one is untouchable.” He briefly forms a slight smile before replying, “It’s good to be back.”, as it is his life and their check on elites’ power will always be required.

In a secret ending, if 47 injects himself with the serum while confronting Edwards, he passes out. He awakens in a padded room, greeted by Edwards’ voice telling him, “Wake up. Wake up, my friend. It’s the dawn of a new day, and you have things to do”—akin to the opening of Hitman: Codename 47.

In an interview conducted with IO Interactive on 31st December 2020, they confirmed that despite ‘Hitman 3’ being the final game in the ‘World of Assassination’ trilogy, it will not be the last game in the franchise. Christian Elverdam, director of the game, has said that “closing the door on this chapter of Agent 47’s story feels fitting.” This indicates that he will be back for more in future games, but in what fashion remains to be seen. It’s kinda depressing to know that he rejoins the ICA, mainly due to it being his life, as he puts it.

In the penultimate mission before Mission 6, I was surprised when Diane nearly killed 47, but I knew that it was for his own good and partly out of revenge for killing her parents, so I understood why it was being done. Also, playing through a life-or-death dream-esque sequence was surreal, and a bit unsettling, as we get to see past targets he went after. It felt surreal, nightmarish, traumatizing, and, of course, depressing. The game had done it. It made me care about a character who was designed to not be emotionally attached to by fans. I’m very impressed.

GAMEPLAY

The game is now entirely Single-Player. If you were a fan of Ghost Mode or Co-op mode in Sniper Assassin from previous entries, then prepare to be majorly disappointed.

In addition to the story-based Sniper Assassin mode, there is also Elusive Targets (with a few yet-unrevealed changes), the Escalations that add extra requirements and complications to your murders, and the Contracts Mode which uses hits created by players.

Let’s put Sniper Assassin mode in our focus, as that’s where players will be spending all their time. Sniper Assassin is single-player only, and requires a strategic use of various costumes and stealthy, non-lethal weapons and knockout methods.

Owners of Hitman or Hitman 2 are able to import maps, levels and their progress into Hitman 3.

Like any Hitman game, the goal is to kill members of an elite group, Providence in this case, without getting detected by other people all the while. The main objective is to use non-lethal means to subdue enemies in such ways that they don’t alert security or members of Providence.

FINAL VERDICT

Hitman III is a good game. It continues on with the story of Agent 47, in this trilogy at least, and wraps things up rather well. Those who came for multiplayer are gonna be disappointed. Those who came for a good, and gripping, single-player experience are in for the best action-stealth game this year so far.

Review: Butterfly

Daniel Waite

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Feb 6, 2021

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When you can only crawl, having to fly off the back of bees is cruel.

Indie games are on this perpetual conveyor belt of churn. New games appear almost daily, without concern about the concept or quality. It is hard as a consumer of these goods to make an informed decision. Many come wrapped up in pretty packaging, and promise the world, but rarely do they deliver. If I’m willing to gamble on an unknown entity, I look for several factors; low price, unusual concept, and garish colours. The winner from this hearty mix is Butterfly from publisher and developer Xitilon.

Butterfly is a puzzle adventure title that shows that no matter your disadvantages in life, you must make the best of the situation you find yourself in. You control a caterpillar who cannot; jump, swim or fly. He must use his brain to highlight the weaknesses in his opponents, all while searching each level for several flowers left lying around.

A few levels, and little challenge.

40 levels of non-jumping action await you in this platform puzzle game. You must observe your starting position, and work out a path that allows you to use all the surfaces, and your enemies to gather the fauna. If you fail to analyse the situation correctly, and you do not collect all the plants, then you must restart the level and plan again.

It sounds like it should challenge, but it doesn’t. With a quick glance at the screen, you will see an obvious solution to the problem that lies before you. Pipes will be utilised, as well as the backs of bees to reach higher points in each map. You will fly through the levels with little difficulty, and only your own inadequacies will prevent you from succeeding.

So many pipes, and just one caterpillar.

You will need accuracy and quick reactions.

Though the action is simple, and you will know what you need to do, this doesn’t mean it’s a walk in the park. If you cannot move at the right time, or you fall into the bees as they pass you, you will be killed and you start that stage again. You must time your approach well, and failure to plan correctly will prevent you from proceeding.

I like a good, straightforward game as much as the next person, but Butterfly lives by the rules of simplicity. Game mechanics progress at a slow rate, and each level has a sense of Deja vu about it. It was a shame that Xitilon didn’t push the concept further, as in its current state it gets old quickly.

The concept lets it down. How about its presentation?

Graphically, it’s as old-school and basic as they come. A fixed screen, 2D world clearly shows all the action, and there is little in the way of surprises. The pixelated animals will not wow you, nor will the animation that has them moving around the screen. The colour palette is bright and garish, and had a Super Mario World feel to it. Like the main mechanics, the visual presentation kept it simple, allowing you to focus on the basic gameplay.

The audio didn’t push itself any further than the rest of this title. A chiptune soundtrack accompanies the action. Its light-hearted songs matched the unusual theme and created a jovial atmosphere. The sound effects were basic and were reminiscent of many games I played on the SNES. It will not win awards for its presentation, but it worked with this title.

A definite look of *Super Mario Bros* here!

Mastered in under a minute.

The controls were so simple that I didn’t have to think about what I was doing after level 1. There was little to no challenge in approach, or delivery. Once you knew how to succeed, you steamrolled your way through, waiting for the next level to load up. This lack of difficulty took away from the complexity, effected the longevity, and gave the gameplay a hollow feel.

With 40 stages to attempt, it would be easy to believe there is replay value to be had, unfortunately there isn’t. With a lack of originality, and each level appearing similar to the last, it becomes dull at an incredible pace. If you then consider that the achievement list is fulfilled in around 10 minutes, there isn’t a lot to make you return. At around £3 it won’t break the bank, but there are better indie titles at this price point.

Was it worth the little effort spent on it?

Having wasted around 1 hour of my life on this colour title, I can say I had some fun, but it was a forgettable experience. The premise isn’t bad by any stretch, yet it doesn’t challenge its player base. I did like the colourful presentation, and this reeked of retro influence. Many other elements were outdated and done better by other titles. Do I recommend you play this? Not really, no! If you want an easy 1000 Gamerscore, it can be purchased here! Control your caterpillar and use the environment to eat all the plants on offer.

Review: Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood.

Daniel Waite

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Feb 5, 2021

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Review: Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood.

I’ve been fortunate enough recently reviewing some high-quality titles. But the one that grabbed my attention was Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood. Developed by Cyanide and published by Nacon, this nature-inspired bloodbath is brutal and enthralling.

Set in a third-person perspective, you control Cahal, a powerful and renowned Garou. He has dedicated his life to aiding Gaia, and will stop at no lengths, and there is nothing he won’t sacrifice to ensure she is protected. It’s an epic Hack ‘n’ Slash/stealth adventure game that holds mysticism as its secret ingredient. Cahal lives in a dangerous world, yet this matters not as he is part man, part beast.

An epic story of loss and redemption!

The plot revolves around Gaia and her protectors. The mystical world she exists in is being destroyed by a Wyrm, it devours everything before it and uses sentinel beings to continue its path of destruction. The oil company Endron is the catalyst for this Wyrm to spread its evil presence across the globe. The only thing standing in its way is the Crinos who serve Gaia. These giant werewolves will lay down their lives to save her.

Cahal’s story is one of loss, sorrow, and exile. His rage got the better of him before, but this time he goes too far. To protect those he loves, he expels himself, leaving behind his family, his friends, his pack! 5 years pass and fate delivers him back home, the Wyrm has grown strong, and the Wyld has weakened. Gaia can only be saved if Cahal aids his old pack and seeks redemption from the ghosts of his past.

Try to find a way in, be quiet or smash down the door, your choice.

Gently, gently, catchy Werewolf.

This is a game that allows for all-out warfare, or silence and stealth. You may choose between 3 forms; human, lupus (wolf) and Crinos (a giant killer Werewolf). Each allows for a different tactical benefit. As a human, you may; interact with technology, sabotage electronics, hack systems, shoot crossbows and take down foes. The lupus slinks stealthily around each area. Crawling through ducts, hunting down its prey undetected. It has an enhanced version of the humans Penumbra Vision (more on that later). Finally, the tank that is the Crinos. Hack ‘n’ Slash destruction and rage awaits. Special powers and takedowns, executions, leaping gaps and pummelling the enemy. He is not graceful or quiet, he’s hellish and destructive.

No one approach can be taken permanently, and each must be used to progress through the story. You will master each and you can attempt to manipulate the scenarios. This will increase or decrease the likelihood of confrontation, but 9 times out of 10 it ends in an almighty brawl. The aforementioned Penumbra Vision is a skill reserved for each Garou. It allows the empowered to observe spirits attached to Gaia and objects of interest during missions. With it, you will see through walls, observing coloured hues that represent; people, electrical goods, spirits or plants. It’s a handy tool, and it becomes your best friend when planning your approach.

Plants, spirits, and skill trees.

Whenever I see a houseplant, my first thought isn’t, Werewolf. However, Cahal must search out certain plants and absorb their spirit force. You’ll also gain it during battles and when successful on a mission. Spirit force is Earthblood’s version of XP. Gain enough, and you will be awarded points to spend on skills to improve your abilities. Side quests can also be completed rewarding you with special prizes and increases to traits. The extra quests added longevity and depth to the character. It ensured that you searched the environment and prevented you from rushing through the main story. I particularly enjoyed how it reiterated the pack’s desire to protect the Wyld, and their love and loyalty to Gaia.

Death and blood follow this Garou everywhere!

Without these extra goals, the gameplay could be accused of being linear and repetitive. Most of the missions follow a similar pattern, and if there were no break away from it, you may find the action tedious. The variety in gameplay approach and the tweaks in the focus of each task should be enough to keep you happy throughout. I thoroughly enjoyed infiltrating areas as a lupus, biding my time before I went Werewolf Hulk on their ass.

Mostly stunning, but off in places.

The power of the Series X is amazing, and because of it, we’re seeing some amazing looking games already. Earthblood is no exception. Mostly it is stunning to look at. Character models are great and detailed, the cinematic could be confused for real life, the environments are vibrant and alive, and all the action is smooth with no stuttering. Yet, there were some minor issues. Lip syncing was off, and the mouths appeared like they were making a ventriloquist doll speak. The other issue surrounded the Penumbra Vision. Its use of a red glaze made everything look dated and cheap. I understand what Cyanide tried to achieve, but it missed the mark.

An ear-splitting cacophony awaits you once the battles begin. Bullets thud, and heads pop as fists start flying. Furniture scrapes and crashes as it explodes. The sound effects create a superb and exciting experience. The voice-over work is excellent, well delivered and adds life to each character. The music is well chosen and compliments the rest of the audio. The presentation across both elements is of a high level and works brilliantly with the theme.

Hacking computers is a common affair for Cahal

Complex controls.

Because of the 3 approach methods, there are a lot of tiny cogs driving the main engine. All these little bits have their button layout to learn and master. Though it’s complex, it isn’t complicated thanks to a well laid out UI that helps to simplify matters. After a small amount of practice, you’ll be sneaking around and ripping through Endron employees with ease.

The multitude of primary and secondary quests combined with a skill tree and moderate achievement list gives this both a good longevity and replay value. Like with most Hack ‘n’ Slash titles, there is a risk of it getting tedious. I believe Cyanide has alleviated that with the stealth approach. There is certainly enough to make you want to play this repeatedly.

Can you redeem yourself?

The road to redemption is a long and winding path. I will not spoil it for you and trying it out for yourself is the only way you’ll discover Cahal’s fate. If you play this, you’ll be experiencing a well-designed game that; looks, sounds, and feels great. You’ll be at home almost immediately with the controls, and you get to decide how each mission unfolds. So, do I recommend it? Of course, so buy it here! The life of a Garou is tough. But the Wyrm must be stopped, and the Wyld and Gaia protected at all costs.

Review: How to Take Off Your Mask Remastered

Daniel Waite

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Feb 5, 2021

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Review: How to Take Off Your Mask Remastered

I, like most people enjoy reading a good book. I’m happy to pick up and try anything, but I have my favourite author and genre. The same can be said for visual novels (VNs). I prefer the modern take on horror or crime, and though I can see the draw, I rarely gravitate towards the Otome style. The cutesy nature, cheesy plot and clichéd characters remind me too much of the rom-coms that my wife makes me sit through.

When I was offered How to Take Off Your Mask Remastered, I knew I was in for a classic Japanese inspired Otome experience. Developed by Roseverte and published by Ratalaika Games, this colourful novel uses much of the original 2015 versions’ assets. You will enjoy; polished graphics, a sharper and more accurate, authentic score, and the same cinematic scenes. Having seen this back in 2016 on Steam, I can say not much has changed, but it looks great on a modern console.

What’s it about?

The story is set in the country of Eroolia and takes place in its capital, Leezera. This colourful and vibrant place adheres to the traditions of its people, and places respect and honour above all else. The plot plays with the themes of friendship, love, and discovering the real you. You control Lilia; she is a young baker who lives with her grandma above their family business. She has grown up with her best friend and “lil’ brother” Ronan. He is a delivery boy and runs errands for the shop. Both believe they know each other’s deepest secrets, but they don’t. Each is hiding a truth from the other, and both are lying about how they feel.

Each of the characters lives a normal life until Lilia hears a strange voice. A black cat speaks to her, and only she can hear it. This is the start of her transformation and here begins her story. She discovers she is a half-blood. Part human, part cat, she is a Luccretia. She is feared by the people of Leezera, they believe she will bring bad luck, yet Ronan, who now appears as a city guard steps in to save her, not knowing that this cat girl Leea, is Lilia the person whom he truly loves.

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

VNs aren’t just about sitting back and absorbing the plot that unravels before you. No, you influence how the story plays out by selecting dialogue choices. You will enjoy 6 chapters that twist and turn with every choice you make. What stands this game out from others in the genre, is the hidden episodes. Your choices will decide which path the tale takes. Will you answer correctly and uncover the human extras, or will you be lucky enough to observe the hidden Luccretia sections? It’s a nice twist that adds depth to the plot and replay value.

Though the overwhelming theme is sickly sweet, it is written in such a way that you can enjoy it even if this isn’t your favourite genre to try out. The battle between the two friends as they fight their urges is reminiscent of any youngster who doesn’t want to overstep the mark. Fearing that people will not understand the true you and hiding behind a mask to make people happy is something that we all do. Though it’s told in an extreme way, the plot applies to most people’s youth, and that for me is what makes it an accessible, albeit absurd, tale to enjoy.

A worthy remake.

I’ve played many a remake title, 2020 was a particularly good year for it. What I discovered is that not all of them were done to a good standard. This, however, looks and feels fantastic on a modern system. Perhaps there is little going on, and that still images shouldn’t be hard to improve upon, and that’s fair enough. But with all that time to study the landscape and the character models, it has to be perfect. The striking Manga and anime style, vivid tones and loud colours make this a shock to the senses. The landscapes are varied and help to convey the story perfectly. The developers created a stunning and traditional world that sold the classic picture book view of an old-school Japanese city.

Fans of the 2015 game will love the audio in this rendition. Japanese music and speech dominate proceedings throughout. This adds to the authentic nature, and suits the theme well. The text dialogue was easy to follow, though the spoken words were distracting. Some may find the use of repeated phrases irritating, unfortunately there is little that can be done about it. I particularly enjoyed the change of music for each character. Not only did this add to the drama of the story, but it helped to identify the tone at any point.

Controls, what controls?

VNs are the least intrusive game for control setup. Press the A button to skip forwards, or X to recap. This makes the genre a relaxing experience. You are free to skip through all the text if you wish, though this isn’t advised if it’s your first playthrough as you’ll miss pivotal moments.

Unlocking every episode is key to understanding the entire plot and its characters. By replaying the game you will tie up all the loose ends, and How to Take Off Your Mask leaves no stones unturned. You’ll discover who the strange man is that hangs around the bakery, Lilia’s family history, and if love blossoms. There is plenty of replay value, even though it has a small achievement list.

Am I converted to Otome?

I enjoyed my time with this VN, in particular the fun characters and touching undertones in the love story. Yet, I’m still not converted to be a lover of Otome. Do I recommend it? Yes, if you are open to which genre you read, then this will be a game you’ll enjoy. If I’ve inspired you, a copy can be purchased here! Who will take off their mask first? Bravery, friendship and love will thrive in this colourful romantic tale.

Review: Jurassic World Evolution

Kara Phillips

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Feb 4, 2021

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As someone who grew up completely fascinated by dinosaurs, the Jurassic Park franchise has always been something I’ve held very dearly. Since owning my own triceratops was out of the question despite my desperate pleas, Jurassic World evolution has come along and soothed my needs.

The concept is simple, make a park, get some money, hatch dinosaurs. But with Jurassic World evolution, there’s not a quiet moment. From the moment you start the game there is a stream of tasks to complete with several paths to take. You learn quickly that expedition teams need to be sent out to find new fossils, and you need new fossils to increase customer satisfaction. But to increase the number of customers to satisfy, you need to fulfill their amusement park needs. For such a simple concept you will not find yourself short of tasks to complete and suddenly half your day has passed. There is always something to do, and no time to turn a blind eye. With such ferocious beasts at your fingertips, you also have to consider the protection of your guests.

Left to your own devices

Although you are given a wide variety of things to complete, the help menus are minimal. On more than one occasion a task will be lost and you’ll suddenly have no power to one of your key assets. With constant narration from team leaders you’re also required to have the sound on constantly since the notifications are so small and disappear so fast. Some tasks are so poorly explained and leave you unable to complete until later in the game but this isn’t specified at any point. I mostly felt guilty when I couldn’t complete something because I felt like an awful dinosaur mother.

Lonely dinos

Each species has its own personality too. Whilst some immediately want to start fights, others can become lonely and seek a friend. It’s unpredictable and no two dinosaurs are the same. Which is what you’d expect from a realistic dinosaur theme park simulator. You learn to not only please your guests but also your own creations since they are, if anything, more important. Don’t make the mistake I did of releasing a carnivore into a herbivore enclosure though. My ACU team couldn’t move quick enough to prevent the massacre of my Triceratops and I’m pretty sure I’m still a bit traumatized.

Never a quiet moment

Once you have a grasp on the basic necessities of the game, you begin cooking on gas. Before you know it you’re dashing about in your 4×4 to cure infected Brachiosaurus and refilling the feeders for your Ceratosaurus’ enclosure. Then your funds come pouring in by the bucketful and your park is looking absolutely beautiful. Surely by this point you begin to feel as though there is no more you could possibly ring out of this game?

Well guess what? You would be wrong.

There’s enough content within the story to keep you going at a good pace for hours on end. Each task completed impacts your reputation amongst three categories, security, entertainment and science. Completing these tasks will also open up new islands for your park to expand to. The story helps give this game a little structure even though the majority is in your hands from the moment you start. The tasks presented by the three categories expose you to any possible outcome your park might face. From keeping you guests safe from a storm to the escaped dinosaurs, you are responsible for dealing with all of it. As you slowly make your way through different contracts you will notice your own strengths and weaknesses as a park manager and learn that one small mistake could put all your guests in jeopardy.

A truly beautiful game

Of course this can cause panic, but as a whole the game is remarkably zen. I have spent hours on this game without realizing. Following a realistic weather cycle, it feels so genuine when it suddenly starts pouring down and guests run for shelter. Graphics and animations are smooth even when you have a large number of dinos running around. The sound design is also incredibly beautiful. Fearful strings accompany large, carnivorous dinosaurs, and gentle piano accompanies the calmer parts of game play. Each species has its own roars, and the guests scream in terror if one of your scaly showstoppers escapes.

Pylon park

I struggled with the power element of my park though. Due to minimal guidance my understanding of power supply lacked. I had to resort to Google in order to understand why my gift shop wasn’t operating. There is no tutorial when it comes to power supply and it is definitely something I got very frustrated at. To ensure it’s fully powered, a network of pylons will disregard any aesthetic you have in place. I very quickly fell out of love with this element (as you can imagine).

Final thoughts

Despite all that, Jurassic World Evolution is a magnificently created dinosaur park simulator. To any fellow dino fanatic I cannot recommend this game enough. If, like me, you would do anything to live in a world full of these breathtaking beauties then play this game. You will not regret it.

Review: Eldrador Creatures

Christopher McNally

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Feb 4, 2021

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It’s always fun to see toys or cartoons and their worlds get turned into games. Some popular titles include Micro Machines from many moons ago whilst in more recent years there have been Ben10 releases or titles concerning Paw Patrol. This time round Eldrador Creatures is the latest entry coming from toy origins. It’s not a name I recognise but the toy makers Schleich I do recognise after playing one of their tie-ins Bayala The Game last year, that was a reasonably interesting and fun experience so lets see what happens with Eldrador Creatures.

For those not in the know Eldrador Creatures backstory is that their are four worlds within Eldrador. The lava world has discovered a super weapon. This allows the leaders of the lava world to use the newly found evil power to rule the other jungle, stone and ice worlds. Only by removing the super weapon from the lava inhabitants can the other manage to save their own worlds. The weapon is stuck in lava rock within the lava world is being protected by the red hot fire lion. So in Eldrador Creatures, lava is bad and everyone else is good.

Eldrador Creatures is a turn based strategy game in a similar vein as battling in the original Final Fantasy VII or Command & Conquer. You pick which world you want your characters from for example the Ice World, so you’ll start off with an ice related monster. The monsters are based on the toys made by Schleich so if you or your children have played with those then you’re likely to recognise a few of the combatants. You travel across the worlds by completing turn based battles. Your characters will take it in turns to move, fight and shield themselves, the enemy do the same. There are also smaller unlockable creatures who can be used once to aide your fight. At the end of each battle these smaller creatures are unwrapped from their packages ready to be used in the next battle. There is simple character progression as well because your soldiers in Eldrador Creatures can level up.

As you progress more actions come into play such as having to step buttons to open up other areas or knocking down obstacles in the way. Whilst there are 30 or so battles on your journey the difficulty level doesn’t increase too much because Eldrador Creatures is aimed at a younger market but that doesn’t detract from the challenge too much. Experienced players won’t get a great deal from Eldrador Creatures but for younger players Eldrador Creatures is a good starting point for them in this genre.

Graphically Eldrador Creatures has a reasonable range of varied creatures each with their own characteristics that stand out from the different environments. The different worlds are quite bright and bold but not particularly detailed, there are only so many rocks you can knock down before it gets a little on the repetitive side. Musically it pops along with battle ready tunes whilst the narrator sets the scene quite well. Once you’ve completed Eldrador Creatures you can go back and try to do it with the other worlds, they all play the same but there is some replay value there.

Eldrador Creatures is an entry level turn based strategy game that is perfect for fans or younger gamers who want to try out the genre. For more experienced players or players looking for some more depth or a deeper challenge they will struggle to find it in Eldrador Creatures. Eldrador Creatures just like Bayala The Game is a fun and engaging title aimed at the younger gamer.

Review: Kill la Kill IF

Jack Boreham

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Feb 4, 2021

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Kill la Kill IF is what some would call a classic slasher action game. Despite some flaws, it stands out from the rest because of its unique anime art style, vibrant graphics and excellent Japanese voice-over work that makes you feel like you are in an anime series.

Just like an Anime

From first starting Kill la Kill IF I was first struck by how pretty the game looked and that’s saying something considering I played it on PS4. From the facial animation of the characters to the vibrant array of colours on screen. The game looks fantastic, successfully capturing a cartoon-like anime feel. The art direction is outstanding and brought back memories as a kid binge-watching anime series. Kill la Kill IF’s exceptional art direction can be found in in-game battle sequences, that require the player to fight particular enemies and in the game’s cutscenes. Everything in the game looks excellent and immerses you.

Furthermore, the soundtrack within the game is all appealing, further building on this immersion. The game plays out like a classic anime series in terms of story, although its gameplay is simple. Beat the enemy to progress the story.

Fun but frustrating gameplay

The gameplay mechanics behind the story are fun with engaging combat, involving building up combos to defeat enemies using various attacks. Despite gameplay being fun, it’s not without its flaws. The controls are tough to master and a bit fiddly. It took me a while to learn individual combinations of attacks due to their complexity, and it was considerably frustrating. Likewise, the story despite being graphically outstanding. Is hard to follow. Although Kill la Kill IF has an impressive Japanese voice-over, there is no English one. Thus you have to rely on subtitles, which in effect made the story hard to follow—quickly making me lose track of what was happening. It would have been nice to have voice-over work in English as well.

Despite this, the game makes up for the confusion with various game modes such as Versus modes that make players come back. It offers a lot of content that any anime lover will enjoy. If you like anime, you will enjoy this game. But if you are not so in love with this sub-genre of TV, it might lose you quickly, due to lacking features such an English voice over. Nevertheless, the game’s fun and worth a shot if you enjoy fast-paced action gameplay.

Verdict

In short, Kill la Kill IF is a fun game that successfully captures the spirit of anime in a video game. Through its beautiful art style, graphics and soundtrack. Despite complicated controls and game mechanics, and lack of an English voice-over which may lose some players. Kill la Kill IF will appeal to various gamers due to its fun gameplay and replayability.

Review: The Medium

Daniel Waite

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Feb 4, 2021

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The horror, mystery genre has a tendency to drift off into the world of the ridiculous. Nightmarish creatures that lose their way because of a sequence of badly timed jump scares, or poorly written dialogue. Either way, getting your hands on a decent and enjoyable game in this genre can be a difficult task. When developers and publishers’ Bloober Team announced The Medium, I was genuinely excited!

Having previously made Layers of Fear and Blair Witch, you could say they have a pedigree for all things dark and sinister. Their latest venture is arguably their most adventurous project, mixed in with the pressure of being a main release for the Series S/X, I was interested to see how they’d cope. The answer, very well, it appears. The Medium follows a female protagonist on her adventures to discover who she truly is. It’s a horror adventure thriller that plays out in a third-person perspective.

One girl, two realms.

The story revolves around Marianne, a psychic who has always led a troubled life. Fostered at a young age, and bullied for being different, she was lucky to find a loving family who understood her, and accepted her for who she was. However, she didn’t see her power as a gift; it had always been a weight around her neck to hold her down, that is until the day of the phone call.

Ominous shadows and dark rooms fill your heart with dread.

Thomas claims to know the answer to the questions she has always had burning inside of her. To get the answers, she must travel to the abandoned communist-era resort of Niwa. This is where her journey truly begins, and you see the extent of her powers. Marianne exists in both the realms of the living and the dead. Present in both, but never truly belonging in either. The realities are delicately balanced and gloriously intertwined.

A steady pace and lethargic protagonist.

The plot cleverly uncovers the mystery behind Niwa and Marianne’s existence. It goes to great lengths to cover a multitude of hidden messages and explores what it is to be evil. This desire to be thorough leads to moments where the story appears to be treading water. It builds at such a pace that some gamers may lose patience. I suggest you keep with it as it speeds up and builds to a fantastic finale.

The flow and pace aren’t aided by our lead’s inability to rush anywhere. Even when she’s running, it’s only a fast walk. Ledges take forever to traverse, and crates and boxes can be overcome quicker by a toddler. But even with these minor issues, it’s a fantastic game that generates a Silent Hill style atmosphere. The creeping about and ominous nature of the gameplay keeps you on edge throughout. Fear builds, and you are left waiting for someone or something to leap from the shadows.

Death follows you at every stage, but you cannot let it define you.

Fantastic concepts, but familiar and safe.

The moment you first see Marianne’s ability is a jaw dropping experience. The fiery, scorched world that allows her to talk to spirits is both beautiful and horrendous. You soon become familiar, almost comfortable with it though, especially as you note you must navigate it alongside the land of the living in order to progress. A split screen view is used to show both realms simultaneously. Each section has a similar layout, but with minor differences. A locked door in one realm will prevent progress in the other. Clues and solutions are found across both dimensions, and it’s key that you split your attention across both screens in order to succeed.

Though this mechanic is fantastic, and it adds depth and meaning to the existence of both personas, its core premise is nothing new. It’s effectively a fetch and return quest with a puzzle chucked into the mix for good measure. Bloober Team unfortunately failed to build on a great idea, and their actions result in an enjoyable, but safe result. I would have liked to of seen them pushing the ideas further and bridging the gap between the realms with more complex and in-depth puzzles.

A game that is outstandingly beautiful.

If I was wearing a cap, I would doff it toward the artists that designed the outstandingly beautiful world. Every visual element of this game is incredible. The landscape is varied and detailed. Vivid colours and a multitude of tones are used to generate new environments and atmosphere. The character models are so realistic that they appear real at times. And the camera angle defines this as a cinematic masterpiece. The opposing imagery across the realms for the same area will blow your mind. I was amazed that they could create a spectacular world once, but twice is an incredible feat.

By the time you’ve headed into the Niwa resort, you’ve realised that the audio in The Medium is captivating. Its incredible minor tones and soft music create an atmosphere of sorrow and despair. The sound effects echo and boom around each area, creating a sense of emptiness. This compounds Marianne’s feelings of loneliness and reiterates that she is alone because of the death of her foster father. The voice-over work is spectacular, and the acting is well delivered and alongside the visuals, which helps to bring each character to life.

Is evil in us all, or does the environment we live in create it?

It’s all about the experience.

Bloober Team made items easy to find. All interactive objects have a white orb hovering beside them, making them simple to spot. This doesn’t mean that progress is straightforward, but it enables you to concentrate on the experience being created. Marianne’s insight power allows her to view otherworldly items from the realm of the living, and this is key to finding clues and progressing.

Souls from the other side will contact you from items touched by their auras. Ghostly messages will be conveyed from the objects, and these will slowly help you piece together otherwise untold stories. It was a clever way to expand the tale without diluting the main protagonist’s roles.

The collectibles will keep you exploring.

Though the hidden objects aren’t difficult to find, you still have to search for them. 79 collectibles must be found; Echoes, memory shards, postcards and notes. They will have you exploring every area thoroughly and ensure that you experience all the game offers. These objects and the large achievement list will keep you playing for hours. So, you get a fantastic looking game with atmospheric audio, simple controls, and a well done albeit tried and tested concept. You will get sucked into this bizarre split universe as you try to understand why Marianne’s life is the way it is. You will learn to endure the slower pace and overcome the disturbing nature of the other realm.

The Medium is a wonderful game that must be played by anyone who has a Gamepass subscription. I recommend you get it, and it can be purchased here! Focus your power and get to the route of your being. Can you get the answers to all your questions and be content with who you are?

Review: Another Dawn

Daniel Waite

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Feb 3, 2021

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When I look around at what games are being released, there are always a few that catch my eye. The reasons vary; interesting concept, good graphics, known developer or publisher, and more. Another Dawn by developer and publisher KR Games was one of these titles.

Coined as a tropical island survival adventure game, I had visions of the TV series Lost blended with Green Hell. The developers sell the game as a family holiday gone wrong on a mysterious island getaway. You must use your survival skills to; battle scrupulous mercenaries, attack non-human creatures, scavenge for food and drink, all the while you are searching for your beloved.

I expected good things.

Another Dawn isn’t this indie developer’s first rodeo, and I had high ish expectations about what I was about to experience. Unfortunately, after the first 5 minutes I had to scrap those thoughts, and lower my bar considerably. This game is unintentionally hilarious and is terribly optimised. I’m surprised I caught nothing while playing it as its rife with bugs.

Graphically, it is sub par on many elements, and other than the lighting effects it is mostly forgettable and dated. The audio is painfully flat, and noticeably absent in places. Again, there is one exception, and that is the music is apt and suits the theme.

I’m not sure what’s more mysterious, the island of this odd wrench!

Let’s stop for a moment.

Let us stop this negative talk for one moment. I’m going to put some meat on to those broken and tired bones. The game opens with you relaxing on a small fishing boat. You are interrupted by a phone call from your wife. Disturbing screams and a message about being attacked ring in your ears, your holiday is ruined as you realise only you can save her!

Once the intro ends, and you are free to explore this large mysterious island. You can go wherever you please, and the game encourages you to search every inch. A sound, but tired concept, and one that should have worked perfectly with the theme and genre of this game. Unfortunately, KR Games failed in; concept, design, style and execution. All these poorly implemented layers fuse to create a car crash of a product that needs a serious revamp.

So many loose ends.

So many aspects of this title would work well if they were matched with the setting and story correctly. The location is described as a tropical paradise, yet the huts appear to be from a third world country that has recently seen civil unrest. Mercenaries randomly attack for no reason, and though they can kill everyone, they miss you from point blank range as you club them to death with a wrench.

The list could go on.

You swim like you are waxing the sky, run like action man with arthritis, and brush through branches like they don’t exist. As guards try to flee your presence, they turn their heads as if they are an owl, or that girl from The Exorcist. It’s creepy and hilarious, but not what I imagine KR Games was aiming for.

There is no chance he’ll hit you from that distance, never fear.

You walk around aimlessly with no idea or where to go, or what to do. When you find a new area, it cuts the action and you travel through an odd portal to a new section. Bad optimisation, or mystery doorway to another realm? I’d hope it was the latter, but my money is on option A.

Game breaking bugs.

I’ve never been one for graphics. I don’t care if it’s dated, pixelated, or triple A. I just want it to apply to the genre, and work without issue. Another Dawn contains so many issues that it appears to have been optimised by a child. The scenery doesn’t render correctly, or is missing all together. Character models show no signs of how they were killed, and clipping the scenery makes you jitter about like a jellyfish. It would be fair to say that this came out of the game production oven too early. It needed at least another year of baking before it was ready.

So many areas of this are broken that it ruins the game; Branches have no substance and you can run through them with ease. In the water it appeared that I had 4 arms (a magical island indeed), pathways disappear, and you get stuck, this causes you to die. Finally, the pièce de résistance, I escaped the map, managed to live out the rest of my life beneath the island in a yellow box. No modern game should have this number of faults.

Flat audio and poorly optimised controls.

At last I can sweep away the cloud of negativity for 1 minute. The music is very well designed, and a rare enjoyable moment. A variety of styles complemented the action, with the upbeat tempo doing a great job of adding to the tension. This unfortunately comes crashing back to earth with its tinny and flat sound effects. Footsteps sound hollow, and the guns are reminiscent of my kids hitting saucepans with spoons. The acting is wooden and adds nothing to the gameplay.

Nothing scarier than a mutant in underpants.

If you thought it couldn’t get worse, keep reading. Another Dawn has clearly been optimised for PC. The instructions prioritise the PC controls, which leads to confusion. The labels regularly fail to match the Xbox layout, which caused me to not be able to complete some actions. The sensitivity is so high that you run around like you’ve consumed speed. Its saving grace is you can and will reduce this to almost zero. The analogue accuracy is poor, making the guns impossible to use at a distance. In short, it’s a jarring mess that will enrage you.

Exploring the island should be fun.

The idea of a large mysterious island that is free to explore should draw you in and keep you playing. The reality is that in its current unbalanced state; you are unlikely to want to finish it, let alone return! A small achievement list requires you to search every area, but won’t take long to unlock. At £15 it represents poor value for money.

I’m a “The glass is half full” sort of man. I like to see the positives in everything. Another Dawn pushed me to my limits. With few redeeming qualities, and mainly broken elements that are unacceptable in today’s industry, there is little to be cheery about. The premise is sound, with some interesting lighting effects, and well designed music. But these parts are glued together with some unwelcome and poorly executed vital mechanics. I cannot, and will not, recommend that you buy this. However, a link to the store is here is you wish to tarnish your library. It’s a poorly executed mess that is as broken as it is dated.

Star Trek: Picard Season One Now Available

Movies & TV

Andrew Edney

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Feb 3, 2021

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Star Trek: Picard Season One Now Available

Star Trek: Picard Season One is now available on DVD and Blu-ray.

14 years after Captain Jean-Luc Picard retried from StarFleet, Patrick Stewart is back to reprise his iconic role. After the destruction of the Planet Romulus, we follow Picard as he tracks down a series of mysteries about his past. From co-creators Alex Kurtzman, Michael Chabon, Akiva Goldsman and Kirsten Beyer, Star Trek: Picard sets out on a new adventure against a legion of dangerous foes, with the help from a few returning characters, including Data, Riker, Troi and Seven of Nine, along with a whole new crew!

I’m not going to talk about the story for Picard season one as I really don’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen it, suffice to say that its a single story spanning 10 episodes, and its good, really good! It’s also a lot darker than Star Trek: The Next Generation ever was, so in that respect its a lot more akin to Star Trek: Discovery.

I really enjoyed watching it and it brought back a lot of memories of TNG and Voyager – there are quite a lot of references and nods to previous shows and characters which really brings it all together nicely. Personally I can’t wait for season two!

The collection showcases all 10 episodes and the physical formats come with over two hours of special features, including behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, gag reel and an insightful commentary on the premiere episode.

Boldly going where no Star Trek show has gone before, the CBS All Access original series, STAR TREK: Picard Season One, is available on Blu-ray, DVD, Limited Edition Steelbook and to Download & Keep in the UK now from Paramount Home Entertainment.

If you are a Star Trek fan then this is a must have for your collection.

Review: A New God -Immortals: Fenyx Rising DLC

Sean McCarthy

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Feb 3, 2021

1

Review: A New God -Immortals: Fenyx Rising DLC

Immortals: Fenyx Rising quickly became one of my favourite games of 2020, it ticked so many boxes in a way that was both satisfying and surprising amongst all the heavy hitters of the year. The humour, the world and the characters were all charming and a genuine joy to play for the entire 50 hours I happily put into it that even before the on-screen prompt told me I could start over in New Game Plus I was very much ready to do just that. With the Season Pass I was excited to play more, and the first of three DLC’s would give me the chance to have a post Epilogue ‘Epilogue’ for Fenyx with ‘A New God’ and I was much hoping for more of what I loved about the main game.

It really needs to be pointed out that ‘A New God’ is very much “play me after you have finished the main story” content, so if you have this DLC via the Season Pass and you have yet to complete the main campaign, do that before even looking at this DLC for it will reveal how the game ends and unsurprisingly does find Fenyx at the end of his/her journey. Thankfully this DLC is outside of the main game so much so that it can only be accessed from the main menu which then takes it to its own menu, though you can use a save file to bring your progress across, this is very much stand alone compared to the main game. So this is your spoiler warning….if you have yet to finish the main story, why are you here, go do that then come back and look at the DLC ok?!?

If you have completed the main story then you will know that the game ends with Fenyx embracing her new powers and is settling down as a true hero whilst coming to terms with the reality that he/she is the child of Zeus. Fenyx has saved the Gods and the world of man from Typhoon and has become a true hero in his/her own right. Where the main game allows you to do it all again, A New God will see Zeus offer Fenyx the opportunity to join the Gods in Olympus as one of them but there is a final twist and challenge for Fenyx.

In order for Fenyx to complete their journey and earn a place in the inner Pantheon, and something that is a little confusing for me, they must first once again impress the four Gods they saved from Typhoon in Ares, Hephaistos, Aphrodite and Athena and earn their final blessing which is a little on the nose considering what Fenyx went through to earn their blessings in the main story whilst also saving them from ultimate doom. But impress them the player must one final time we must and this is perhaps where this DLC experience differs so much for me from the main game experience I loved.

Instead of the massive and beautiful setting of the Golden Isle, we now find ourselves in the equally beautiful Olympus but with one drawback, no exploration. Olympus is just the setting with the four gods situated in its four corners where Fenyx will visit them to begin their trials but exploration is no longer a factor here as you simply follow the very clear paths to each of them. There are no places that require climbing or long glides to reach them which is actually rather sad for me, the exploration was one of the things I loved most about the main game and I had hoped for a new area to be able to do the same but this is a DLC that is very focused on just doing the trials themselves as the main activity to do. Even interactions with the Gods in terms of dialogue is very minimal once you have spoken with Zeus to begin.

Even if you used a save to bring your progress into this DLC, none of your armours or weapons are useable, instead you are given default armour with the chance to unlock new armour to aid you in the trials, but if you had a particular favourite armour or cosmetic look sadly you will not have them in this DLC but how your Fenyx looked and sounded will, though at the start you are given the chance to change the appearance of Feynx before jumping into it.

Where ‘A New God’ disappointed me, the most is in the gameplay which completely doubles down on all the puzzle mechanics of the main game and does so in a way that does leave you wondering if nothing Fenyx did to save these Gods countered for anything if this is how they choose to test his/her worth. I liked the puzzle aspects in the main game from those in the Vaults to the those scattered around the world. I found some frustrating but also understood that I would require some skills obtained later in the game that would help me complete some puzzles at a later time.

Where A New God feels a little less forgiving is that it expects and assumes that you mastered every type of puzzle style from the main game and are eager for more. If you did not enjoy the puzzling aspect than you are probably going to struggle here because the puzzles are much tougher this time, requiring close to near perfect execution of skills and traversals to complete the trials before you. Each god as their own challenges and even Ares, the God of War which I had hoped and expected to be more of a combat focused trial instead is just another puzzle with the mechanic of using portals to teleport blocks around the puzzle area. Combat was so much of a factor and fun experience in the main game and yet its absolutely put on the back burner here in the DLC, there is some but its so minimal it really is a shame that one of my favourite things to do with Fenyx is now an afterthought, especially because I am pretty good at the combat and found the puzzle aspect rather frustrating at times.

It is that frustration which can hold you back with this DLC, where some challenges are pretty straight forward to complete, there are some where you will feel like you need to use The Force to guide you as the game simply will not. There are some gliding sections where you can literally be led to a dead end and death just because what feels like the right path to take which just make no sense why you are suddenly now falling to oblivion. Some were so annoying that I literally gave up to go to another God to do their trials only to be hit with similar frustrating puzzles. It felt these were all designed to force the player to use trial and error to make the DLC take longer to complete.

No doubt those who loved this aspect to the main game will enjoy more of the same in this DLC but for me, it really felt like a strange way to conclude Fenyx’s story for players as instead of embracing everything about the main story with combat, exploration, character interactions and then some puzzling that it is the puzzling side that takes centre stage more than anything else which is not really where I saw the final chapter of my Fenyx’s saga coming to an end. I do hope the next two DLC chapters which focus on new characters will embrace more of the main game itself for an all-round experience. I even dived back into my New Game Plus run just to feel the fun again after some of this DLC frustrated me so much.

But a lot of the puzzles have fun mechanics and Olympus is a visual delight to be there with Zeus still doing his “I can be a dick but also look I care too” personality switch in the dialogue, it is a real shame that I found this more frustrating to play than fun to end my time with Fenyx who quite honestly deserved less testing and more gratitude from the very Gods he/she saved!

Review: Swords of Gargantua

Ryan Bradshaw

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Feb 3, 2021

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The backbone of any good VR game is the overall feel of immersion. If the game can successfully create this feeling, in many cases, it’s considered a success. Swords of Gargantua is one of the few cases that creates the immersion, but is then failed by the remaining factors that didn’t receive the same amount of polish.

Where it Comes so Close

Within the first few moments of the game play starting, SoG feels almost overwhelming. Game play tips and guidance is given slowly over the first few levels, and even then it comes as a slow drip. Much of it you are required to learn for yourself. Luckily the combat is explained up front and you are given some time to acquaint yourself with the expectations. I can honestly say I loved the feel of the combat. The weapons felt like they had weight and did the appropriate amount of damage. Tracking of the headset and motion controllers was spot on so parrying and blocking felt incredibly accurate. For me, this was the highlight. Not once did I die and have anyone other than myself to blame. Except for the controls, but I’ll get to that in a minute.

There are a variety of weapons and each feels fantastic. Swords, shields, nunchuks, and many other weapons are at your disposal. Beware, they do degrade over time and just when you need this the most they will shatter leaving you almost defenseless. I say almost for one reason in particular. You can carry several weapons at one time, which was an excellent design choice. One weapon, or shield, can be carried in each hand, one on your non-dominant hip, and there are two throwing knives/daggers on each shoulder. So, for example, if you’re in the middle of a fight and your main weapon or shield shatters, you can replace that empty hand with the main weapon attached to your hip, dual wielding to your heart’s delight. If your next weapon breaks, you can grab one of the knives from your shoulder to carry on. Blocking an enemy strike with your main weapon and using your free hand to remove the knife from your shoulder, the slipping that between your targets ribs is a glorious feeling that is hard to beat.

There is multiplayer mode that is also a good time. You and several friends can team up against the evil hordes that never seem to run out. This function works well, and I would consider it much more enjoyable that the single player portion. Having the ability to flank enemies, revive each other, and plan attacks adds a new dimension to the game play that was much needed.

Where it Falls so Far

Even though the combat feels excellent, there are certain aspects that don’t mesh with the overall tone. Mainly, it’s the aspect that going for head shots don’t make any difference. Striking the enemy on the head will do the same amount as striking their arm. There are combination moves, but they involve hitting randomly generated target areas on the enemies they glow at the appropriate time. Since these areas are entirely random, they can sometimes appear far out of reach, effectively eliminating any chance of completing the combination.

In many other fighting games the way to solve this issue is to maneuver around the enemy in order to get a better vantage. In this case, the controls on the PSVR make that virtually impossible. To move in any direction you have to use the four buttons on the face of each motion controller. Up/down, left/right, and pivoting left and right all require a different button press. This is, by far, the most detrimental issue with SoG. I do understand why it’s like that, the PlayStation motion controllers can’t hold a candle to any other motion/VR controller and lack any type of decent navigational thumb stick. So I don’t see this as much of a choice as a lack of options. In any event, fluid motion is nonexistent and the game suffers greatly for it.

The only other area of suffering I came across was the environments. There is a small diversity of arenas that rotate between each level, but each amounts to roughly the same concept. The color pallet, for the most part, remains drab and repetitive. Any levels that look like they may be in a forested area are completely green with only slightly different shades scattered around. Any that look like an old stone temple are a light beige. The floor of each arena is a different story. Normally this wouldn’t jump out at me, but in this case it was impossible to overlook. The best example can be found in the forested areas. The terrain of these levels looks exactly like and N64 title would. My first thought was the “grassy” areas from Ocarina of Time and Goldeneye. It’s possibly some of the worst environment texturing I’ve seen in a decade.

Where it Lands

Overall the game is an excellent alpha or early access. The core game play for SoG tries so hard to get out and shine, but unfortunately it’s buried beneath several issues that can’t be ignored. If you can overlook these issues, you will have a blast with this game, especially if you have the convenience of using the motion controls of the Oculus. If you’re on the PSVR like me, you may be better off spending the $30.00 on something more refined.

Review: Leisure Suit Larry – Wet Dreams Dry Twice

Brendan Dick

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Feb 2, 2021

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Review: Leisure Suit Larry – Wet Dreams Dry Twice

About an hour into Leisure Suit Larry – Wet Dreams Dry Twice, I realized something. I’ve actually played this series before. It’s been over two decades since I last booted up a Leisure Suit Larry game, and now I’m actually old enough to understand them. Unfortunately, even though I understand it now, I’m still not sure I get it. The game plays, as it always has, as a classic point-and-click adventure game with lovably nonsensical puzzles and quirky interactions. For fans of the series, the game’s plot will be a direct continuation from the previous game, Wet Dreams Don’t Dry, but Wet Dreams Dry Twice can easily be enjoyed as a standalone title.

After escaping an arranged marriage, the titular Larry finds himself shipwrecked on a resort island that is an amalgamation of all tropical destinations—it’s vaguely Hawaii, vaguely Mexico, and vaguely everything all at once. The story springboards from there, and Larry finds himself haplessly roped into all sorts of characters’ problems. Your first mission? Earn the resort a five star review on the famous website Gulp (an obvious pun on Yelp).

The game is so jam-packed with sexual innuendo that it is barely worth mentioning. Nearly every interaction holds a double entendre, and all the backgrounds are jam packed with smutty goodness. Sadly, this is sort of where Wet Dreams Dry Twice starts to lose me. It’s relentless. Sure, the occasional witty joke lands, but for the most part, it starts to feel like a slog. The game is as much a survival game where you battle against terrible puns as it is a point-and-click. For the right audience, this game could be a laugh riot, but on my playthrough I find it missing time and time again. I end up clicking my way through most of the dialogue.

Apart from the onslaught of sexual puns, Wet Dreams Dry Twice is actually fairly enticing. The story is intriguing enough to keep me interested, and I find myself wanting to keep going to figure out how it all will end. But this is no easy task. I distinctly remember how difficult these point-and-click games were as a kid, and twenty years later it’s no different. There’s no two ways around it: Wet Dreams Dry Twice is hard. I wouldn’t be surprised if most players were checking guides fairly regularly. I certainly was.

The puzzles are both inventive and exceedingly strange. Your first puzzle is to fix a guitar with an old electrical wire, but the solutions get increasingly odd. At one point, to trick a stubborn environmentalist into leaving their post, I combine a lewd rubber ducky and a plastic six-pack ring to lure out a rooster. I throw said rooster into a vat of oil, call the environmentalist, and, voilà, problem solved. If your mind can figure out those sorts of puzzles easily, then congratulations, you’re quicker on your feet than I am. Again, for someone dipping their toe into point-and-click like myself, these puzzles are frustratingly difficult. But, for the inveterate player, these might be perfectly crafted.

The charm in Wet Dreams Dry Twice stems from the little details. The game is replete with a myriad of pop culture callouts. In only a couple of hours, I’ve encountered references to Blade Runner, Austin Powers: Gold Member, and even Finding Nemo. There’s also several on-the-nose nods to our current society. Larry finds himself constantly on the outside of societal norms. He’s constantly confused about the proper way to navigate everyday life in the modern era. He, like the Leisure Suit Larry series, is a relic of the 1980s marooned in the 21st century.

You’ll also encounter all the classic stereotypes of our time. You’ve got the ludicrously picky critic who is weaponizing their reputation on a review platform, the rave obsessed backpacker, and the tried-and-true aloof hipster. It’s all fine, but it feels like it’s been done a million times before. It’s not exactly unfunny, but it certainly isn’t fresh.

Wet Dreams Dry Twice is an odd experience. It oscillates between totally enjoyable and completely tedious. I am either enjoying the challenge of a certain puzzle or flocking to the safety of a guide to get me through. Like most games, I can imagine a perfect audience for Wet Dreams Dry Twice, but to me it feels dated—and not in an intentional manner. Sure, loyal fans might be thankful that CrazyBunch has stayed true to their roots, but newcomers will find a game that feels too deeply couched in a bygone era. I haven’t played a point-and-click in over two decades, and yet the genre feels completely unchanged. Is that a good thing? Possibly to long standing fans of the genre. But to most, it’s all going to feel a bit stale.

Famous Movies that Became Arcade Games

Andrew Edney

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Feb 2, 2021

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Today’s most knowledgeable video game and movie aficionados are likely already aware that there are dozens of movies out there based on the plots — or in some cases, the lack thereof — of video games that date as far back as the late 1970s. While some of these movies have turned out to be highly entertaining and a genuine pleasure to watch with all manner of special effects, decent acting, and all-around great casting and costume design, others haven’t exactly lived up to these kinds of high standards.

If you are a true gamer, you’re probably already familiar with most of the titles on this list. Here, we’ve ranked some of the greats from our genuine favorites to our favorite less-than-phenomenal but still entertaining classics from a time when special effects weren’t… so special.

Super Mario Bros.

This screen gem featuring arguably the most well-known video game characters of all time, Mario and Luigi, hit the big screen in 1993. Starring fan favorites like John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper, Bob Hoskins, Fiona Shaw, Samantha Mathis, and Fisher Stevens, this movie was at once strange and entertaining for viewers of all ages.

Though older fans with the benefit of knowing Dennis Hopper from other roles like the antagonist in Blue Velvet might not agree the casting was exactly on-point for a younger audience, the feature enjoyed some acclaim at the time, and for those who still consider themselves diehard fans of the Mario Bros. franchise, it absolutely deserves a watch.

Sonic the Hedgehog

As the newest movie on this list, Sonic the Hedgehog hit screens of all sizes in 2020. This animated adventure offers up plenty of good fun and lighthearted humor while still bringing that edge that all gamers love in their video game-themed films. Featuring the likes of Jim Carrey and plenty of James Mardsen, Sonic the Hedgehog, the movie has everything from an absurd plotline to thrills and spills sure to please moviegoers of all ages.

It’s hilarious, entertaining, and yes, it even looks as good as the video game itself, thanks to incredible recent updates to CGI technology. And to top it all off, at the end of the day, Sonic the Hedgehog — the movie — is really just a fun tale about the lasting bonds of authentic friendship.

Mortal Kombat

Just as with the video game of the same name, the Mortal Kombat movie brings us a mixed bag of would-be heroes and heroines all poised to battle to the death — all in an effort to save the entire planet. What’s not to love already?

Mortal Kombat was not the very first video game-based movie, but given that it came out in 1995, it isn’t that far off! If you are among those who gathered around this arcade game at your local pizza shack or bowling alley, Mortal Kombat, the movie, is a must-see — if you haven’t yet. Likewise, for those too young to remember the days of pizza-grease-laden arcade game buttons and joysticks, this one is a cult classic any gamer can get on board with from the jump. Enjoy your favorite Mortal Kombat characters, including Sub-Zero, Goro, and Scorpion, come alive as they take on the evils of, well, everything, in this 90s standard.

Doom

Originally airing in theatres in 2005, Doom is a video game-turned-movie with many great assets in its corner, not the least of which is some of the best casting any movie of this kind has ever seen. With leading stars Karl Urban and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Doom immediately promises to deliver. Add to this that Doom features The Rock for the first time in his career — outside of the wrestling ring — playing a downright dirty villain, and you’ve got yourself a gamer’s movie delight in the making.

While some still try to suggest that this early 2000s classic just doesn’t deliver, we happen to believe it really does. From offering up first-person shooter mode for the gamers in the audience to bringing lovers of great acting the likes of Rosamund Pike, Doom steals the screen by sticking to its video game plot while still offering tons of fun for those who may not necessarily know the ins and outs of the video game itself.

The Best May Be Yet to Come

While it is certainly true that some of today’s absolute best arcade and video games have not yet been turned into movies, give it time! And, while you wait, consider trying your hand at some of the latest and greatest video and arcade games there are, right at your local Main Event location!

With everything from the classic arcade games you (or your parents!) grew up on to some of the most authentic virtual reality experiences and everything in between, Main Event truly does have something for every kind of gamer.

With an entire arcade hall loaded with interactive games galore, you’re sure to find something you’ll love. From The New Ghostbusters to fan favorites like Candy Crush Saga, and even a giant Connect Four, and multiplayer games like NBA Basketball, Main Event truly offers something for every lover of video and arcade games of every age — or should we say genre!