Week in Review - June 23th to the 30th

We started off the week with Robert's first view of WARTILE. The quote says it all:

"While WARTILE is in Early Access it is still a robust introduction to what Playwood Project is bringing to PC gamers everywhere and that is a strategically rich board game experience with stunning visuals and engaging gameplay."

- Robert

Following that up the afternoon had Nick's full review on Marvel Heroes Omega


"Given that the only initial investment that needs to be made here is time, I can strongly recommend giving Marvel Heroes Omega a chance. The team has done an excellent job in producing a polished game that learns a lot of lessons from their time with the PC version of this game."

- Nick

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Tuesday morning kicked off with Breanna's review of Farming Simulator 18. She put hours and hours into it and in the end? It scored rather quite high!

"It is disgusting how addictive this game is."
" All in all Farming Simulator 18 on the DS is exactly what you expect: a massive illogical timesink that will make you question your life goals. "

- Breanna

Following up in the afternoon was a different kind of field experience with Richard diving back into the world of Superdimension Neptune VS Sega Hard Girls. Ah I still remember the first time he dived into it. It was almost platinumed before release!

"As a port to PC, I have to say they did a really good job. The game actually felt crisper and more fluid, which is surprising considering my computer specs, and while I'm hard pressed to say if any of the issues I had with the Vita release were resolved, the fact that I didn't notice they were there may be a self-answering observation."

- Richard

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The middle of the week started off with Nick jumping back onto the Horror Game Train, one that I generally refuse to touch, with Perception.

"The end result is a horror game that is has some flaws, but elevates itself from a very crowded field in its genre to something a little more unique, if not terribly memorable in the end."

- Nick

The afternoon took on a lighter tone with the end of the world as Nadia and her two companions, sorry three including the squirrel, go about trying to prevent it in Nadia Was Here.

"This really isn't your typical Retro inspired title. Joep Aben has managed to find the sweet spot between the both the 8 and 16-bit styled graphics to create a unique look that won't easily be mistaken for another. "

- Pierre-Yves

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The week is almost over and Nick drops the headset back into place for the VR version of Dead Effect 2. That reminds me... my brother and I still need to take this for a spin to see how it compares to Killing Floor 2.

"Dead Effect 2 VR is a ridiculous, bombastic experience that probably would not be nearly as much fun on a standard monitor, but makes great use of the virtual reality technology."

- Nick

Not wanting to make the same joke two days in a row, ah hell with it, the afternoon took a lighter tone with life or death on a strange alien planet with Plant Nomads that is currently in Early Access.

"Planet Explorers works well and is fun to play but it still has some improvements to be done especially in the resource gathering department."

- Pierre-Yves

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The week topped off with a double header from NISA! The first of the two is Spike Chunsoft's latest port to the PS4 for the Danganrompa Series with Another Episode: Ultra Dispar Girls with yours truly,

"Quote"

- Pierre-Yves

and the second is God Wars Future Past from Kadokawa Games covered by Nick.

"...God Wars: Future Past manages to hit enough key notes to still make it an enjoyable game. It likely won't bring new fans to the strategy/RPG genre, but those who are familiar with and enjoy it should find plenty of things to enjoy here."

- Nick

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Article by Pierre-Yves

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Week in Review - June 19th to the 23rd

The week started off with the console release of Thea: The Awakening which is one hell of an interesting 4X title. Having played it myself on the PC I'm happy to see that the console port is a good one.

"t can be a dicey proposition blending together a handful of different genres, but to its credit Thea: The Awakening manages to balance them with considerable skill."

- Nick

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With almost perfect marks on tuesday it's hard to imagine that something came in higher within the same week. Robert may have found one of his Game of the Year entries with Everspace on the XB1.

"Everspace on Xbox One has "Game of the Year" written all over it."

- Robert

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The middle of the week had both an amazing yet somber review of Cities Skylines for the Xbox One. The console port didn't quite meet expectations due to a limitation of the hardware.

"I love this game and i really hope that it continues being great but I don't think the console is the place for it. It's simply too slow to keep interest as it is and efforts to increase the speed might mean a decrease in detail or performance. Maybe upcoming consoles will have the horsepower needed to run this puppy but right now the Xbox is really not up to the task. "

- Breanna

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Robert and the Warhammer "video game" entries don't tend to get along very well though Warhammer Total War may have changed that a bit! Which is a great thing!

"This one release has my faith in the franchise almost restored. Now if only the Warhammer 40,000 franchise could get the same treatment"

- Robert

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The week ended up on a super high note with Y's Origin which is the only one in the series, so far at least, that doesn't have our Red Haired amnisiac Adol at the helm.

"Now, I have a bit of an embarrassing confession to make: Ys Origin is actually the first Ys game I've ever played, much to the chagrin of Pierre-Yves who I managed to slide by to snag this review. I can honestly say that if the rest of the series is even remotely similar to Ys Origin, I can see why he was so bitter." (Editor's Note: Yeah. Nothing else needs to be said on this)

- Richard

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Article by Pierre-Yves

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Week in Review - June 12th to the 16th

Things were a bit quiet this week with E3 but that can also depend on what you were doing. With the Skaven running right at you? Things are never quiet! Monday saw our thoughts on the newest addition to Warhammer: End Time with Vermintide's Stormdorf.

"...I seriously hope to see more of it over the next additions. They added a Boss Fight."

- Pierre-Yves

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Tuesday we had a look at the currently in development Early Access title Kenshi. Squad Based Free Roaming RPG. It's intense but worth looking into. Lots of content and time that can be spent with this one!

"Having played From Software's wonderful happy go lucky Souls series has prepared me for the happiness that can be found outside of these walled cities."

- Pierre-Yves

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Wednesday Nick took back to the Zombies with The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series - A New Frontier Episode 5: From The Gallows. As another one comes to an end, Nick is probably musing on the direction of the next.

"...A New Frontier delivered a quality narrative adventure game that sets up some interesting possibilities for its next inevitable chapter."

- Nick

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As one series ends so does another continue! Thursday saw Nick's Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy - Episode 2: Under Pressure review

"Once again I think Telltale Games benefits from the opportunity to tell an original story using established characters in a universe we are already at least somewhat familiar with."

- Nick

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And then we had a bit of heavy entry to end the week with The Town of Light. Mental Illness? Horror? I think I'll avoid that town...

"So is The Town of Light worth playing? For me it was, despite the somewhat disappointing act of actually playing the game, because the tale is engrossing and the ending is incredibly memorable."

- Nick

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Article by Pierre-Yves

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Week in Review - June 5th - 9th

Welcome back to the weekend and this Week's in Review!

Monday Nick lead off the week with Pox Nora which brought some retro RPG strategy to the PS4.

"What personally makes Pox Nora addicting for me is the collectable card game element. Anyone who has read my reviews over the years likely knows that this genre has long been a favorite of mine, both in physical and video game formats."

- Nick

Later that day Nick broke back out the VR headset for Age of Heroes VR. He just keeps giving me reasons to get one!

" Age of Heroes VR wears some pretty familiar inspirations on its sleeve. It really tries to harness the feeling of major boss fights from MMOs, all while delivering it in an immersive virtual reality experience. Some aspects of this title work better than others, but the potential here is pretty hard to deny."

- Nick

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Starting Tuesday morning off Nick took to the killing fields with Crossout for some multiplayer action. The experience seems to be solid enough and worth looking into!

"Crossout is a pretty solid game, but one that is angled to hit you pretty hard on the microtransactions unless you spend a ton of time with it."

- Nick

Now for something we haven't had in a while, an Anime Review! Robert got to sit down with the latest season of RWBY in which multiple staff members are fans of the series such as Breanna and Richard. Worth watching? Sounds like it! <- Aka I still need to catch up...

"With a voice cast that puts larger productions to shame, an audio engineering department that movie studios should envy, and a knack for nailing openings that few other anime can, RWBY Volume 4 is a welcome addition to any fan's library."

- Robert

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Kicking the mid week off is Dark Rose Valkyrie in which Nick took Compile Hearts and Idea Factory's newest entry for a spin.

"There is a nice mix of new and shiny that works nicely with established JRPG norms to create an experience that I enjoyed the majority of the time - but probably won't be for everyone."

- Nick

The afternoon saw my review of Cladun Returns: This Is Sengoku! I don't need many words for this one. It was awesome!

"Cladun Returns is exactly what the series needed in order to make a successful comeback. Originally for the PSP, this newest entry is releasing for both the newer PlayStation handheld as well as the big box that sits in your living room."

- Pierre-Yves

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Kicking off thursday morning like royalty I shared my time with Regalia: Of Men and Monarchs which blends multiple styles very well for a good comedic tactical experience.

" Regalia: Of Men and Monarchs is an amazing experience and it's definitely more than the sum of its parts. From the RPG elements to the town and relationship building each piece fits right in beside the other making for a very memorable experience."

- Pierre-Yves

Only adding to the day is another great experience with Mages of Mystralia.

"On a whole Mages of Mystralia is very well build and enjoyable for hours at a time."

- Pierre-Yves

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Yesterday started off with a bang with Robert's Review of Victor Vran for the PS4. Having gotten to play it once again was awesome as we both got to dive back into Zagoravia coop styled!

"All in all Victor Vran: Overkill Edition is a spectacular port of a stunning game. Though much of the initial "first experience" is past, revisiting it again after two years is still a thrilling ride."

- Robert

Finishing off the week is my first look at Black the Fall. Nick had already taken a look at it years ago and it was interesting to see how it had evolved since.

"Careful calculated maneuvers even when running are paramount to survival otherwise you won't be guiding him very far."

- Pierre-Yves

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Article by Pierre-Yves

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