Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption - Switch Review

Since the rising popularity of From Software’s “Soul” series, we have seen plenty of other interesting and great titles rise up such as Deck13’s The Surge and Ska Studio’s Salt and Sanctuary. Like Demon’s Souls or Dark Souls however, they have followed the Metroidvania formula set into place making for some long and, at times, arduous adventures that will test both your skills and your patience. Taking things in a wholly different direction, Dark Star and their beast Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption will truly test your skills as there is no adventuring. There is no leveling up. There are only bosses waiting for you to face off against them and the catch? You have to give something up every single time making you weaker and not stronger.

While just having the idea of a “Boss Run” would be interesting in its own right, the fact that you must first give something up changes a few things. We’ve all been there where we’ve started off at the peak of our abilities such as War in Darksiders: Wrath of War but we then soon lose everything in order to gain it all back slowly over time. This is very far from the case. You don’t lose everything in order to gain it all back, you slowly give up what makes you so powerful. Attack strength, defense, attack items, health potions, actual health and regenerative abilities. It doesn’t sound like much at first but as you go further each boss will become tougher than it would have been if you started with them first.

Before even sitting down to my first boss fight, I had been under the impression that when you went up against a boss it would be once you defeated them that you would then lose your powers. No before. Losing them first obviously makes things harder but at the same time it also makes things a bit more interesting because already at that point in time you have to start adapting to the loss. In another way, you never do get to see yourself at full power other than the tiny little introduction where you take out a few minions on your way over to the hub in which you’ll then be able to choose who you would face up against first. From there? It’s all about the bosses and they are strong, fast, and the most terrifying ones? They are your size.


Now as for the boss fights? They are well designed, fun to go through, infuriating as hell and often make you re-think your life choices as you’ve died for the xth time in a row. This will also change depending on how you decide to go through the list of bosses as I was making fun of my brother for not taking out someone who I had done early enough on in my own run. I honestly shouldn’t have said anything as when I was ceremoniously handed the controller… I had just as many issues. Not only do you give things up, but it feels like the bosses themselves also get harder, stronger and faster as you move through their ranks.

For the bosses themselves, learning “patterns” will take a while as every boss won’t simply go through the same patterns, but they’ll also switch it up at every third of health or sometimes even prior to that if their mood fancies it. This more than makes up for the lack of adventure on your way forward and honestly? While you get to go up against every single one fully stocked, or with whatever is left of said stock, sometimes it won’t help until you essentially “get good”. Each of these bosses can be found in different environments from the inside path of a volcano to an icy and snowy reach that holes will appear and kill you instantly if you fall into them. While the environments themselves generally don’t add too too much to gameplay, they add in enough visual diversity that when added with a boss and their mechanics makes every fight truly unique from one another.

As great as the gameplay is though, it isn’t without some issues. One of these is that there can be a bit of lag when there’s a lot of things happening on screen at the same time and that, from what I can see, may be more of a Switch issues than it would be a general issue as it doesn’t have the same processing power as the rest. That said, at least it’s portable and works great on the go off of the dock.


The real issues come more through hitboxes. Being able to use either a sword and shield or a two-handed sword, it often felt like the one-handed sword should have hit an enemy instead of passing through it. Most bosses are huge and in my play through I felt like I could overall do more damage with a one-handed weapon than the two-handed because of the attack speeds before having to dodge. Dodging I often left like it wasn’t even worth the effort compared to attempting to parry a blow more because of how slow it was and with “timing” being everything, you really often had to pre-dodge or an attack would hit you anyways.

Finally in the attack boxes there were some enemies that felt simply unfair because if you got even too close to their weapons that were launched onto the field and remained there, you could take massive amounts of damage. This was both because the weapons themselves hurt and because the boss could hit you again while flinched. While an argument could be made to simply go around these, often they remained stuck right where you actually need to be standing in order to hit the boss and to claim victory.

Overall though, Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption was a pleasure and a breath of fresh air for the style. While I absolutely love the Souls Series, Bloodborne and The Surge, not having to deal with the environments and instead having all of the effort put into epic boss fights made for a lot of fun and frustration that comes with having to learn and adapt that quickly to rapidly changing situations.

Game Information

Platform:
Nintendo Switch
Developer(s):
Dark Star
Publisher(s):
Another Indie
Genre(s):
Hack & Slash
Mode(s):
Single Player
Other Platform(s):
Sony PlayStation 4
Microsoft Xbox One
PC

Source:
Provided by Publisher

Article by Pierre-Yves

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Wasteland 2 - Switch Review

Wasteland 2 has come a long way since its original release back in 2014 on the PC and 2015 onto both the Xbox and PlayStation platforms. This interesting take on a squad based RPG through a wasteland starts off with a funeral in which you are tasked with finding communication repeaters of a fellow fallen ranger, the law enforcement of the wastelands. Setting out with your newly created squad, you'd better be a quick learner as this wasteland is out for both your water and your blood.

After many, many hours, I'm at an impasse with Wasteland 2. On one hand it's a brilliantly designed and presented title. On the other? I just can't seem to get into it and a lot of the little issues that have come out to me mechanically have stopped me from enjoying what could have been a contender to hold the same podium as others in its genre that I absolutely love.

Starting off, you'll be able to either take the default party that the developers deemed worthy for the upcoming adventure or start from absolute scratch and design them yourself. The default party? It felt rather solid and I honestly only tweaked a few cosmetic elements to make it more of my own since I liked the versatility that it was promising with all aspects covered from your snipers to your Close Quarter Combat specialists.

Once out into the field you can choose which of your party of four will be the one to start off conversations. What I really appreciated is that even if you throw your most charismatic character forward, the others can chime in for snarky comments if you decide to go their route instead of being diplomatic. Each of these options distinctly lets you know who's going to be the one saying the words that could lead a peaceful encounter into a violent one or the other way around.

When things turn violent is about where I'm also uncertain about Wasteland 2 as there are various elements that make up the combat that I just couldn't seem to get behind. Combat is both Turned and Action Point (AP) based. Whenever it becomes one of your characters or enemy's turns, they can either move or attack within the limit of points that they currently have access to. This style has been around for a long time with my earliest being the original Fallout back when it was still owned by Interplay and worked on by Black Isles. It's not here that I have issues as the basics of battle are as solid as they could be.

Where my issues lie is when it becomes your character's turn. You can either move around the map in which varying distances cost varying AP. You can pull the trigger on your weapons if your enemy is in range in which a pistol requires less AP than a Sniper Rifle for example. Or you can do a combination of both or save up for the next turn. It's up to what makes the most strategic sense.

The above sounds solid doesn't it? Where my issues come into play is that you have to move your cursor around in order to find out exactly how far you can move and how much it'll cost. There are no outlines detailing in an increment of two for example which would give quick visual queues that would save on time. Another issue is that the range of weapons felt off. The closer you were to an enemy the chance you had to hit them. With a weapon such as a shotgun? Having to step back as far as your sniper to maybe get a 46% chance at hitting something? I lost a lot of ammo and most fights went to my CQC specialist because he was the only one that could hit something. It made little to no sense to me as even pistols needed to be closer ranged than a shotgun in order to hit something even remotely close to 50%.

On this note though, the battlefields and the environments that you will be facing off in are brilliant. Out in the wastelands there's sand with nothing to use for cover, broken down houses to use for cover from both frontal and aerial attacks. Add in some crates that can be destroyed into the mix and there are plenty of options for both you and those wise enough to use them. Monsters like bugs will just spit and fly at you so using cover is only as useful as it can be when acid is being launched vertically in an arc towards your party.

Once you've hopefully survived an encounter and patched up your squad, you'll be gaining experience in order to level up to learn new abilities or improve on the ones that you already have. It's a solid system that works on points gained once you've leveled up. Do you want someone else to be able to heal up your party? Someone to pick locks because you oops starting off without one? What about improving upon their firearms accuracy? It's there and you'll want to pass through all of the options because if you simply buy new abilities without really thinking about it? Your character may not end up useless, but just somewhat “ok” as they can't support the rest of the squad.

There is one thing that I have to mention and that is that Wasteland 2 is way too hard to play in a handheld mode as the text is damned tiny. No scaling has been done which means that if you really want to sit down to and enjoy, you'll need your Switch in its cradle and a controller in hand with a large enough screen which made me grateful for the projector and the 103” it projects onto. While there is some voice acting, there isn't enough to get by without having to read and even then that wouldn't even include the menus and the character customizations that are left to go through.

Porting titles to consoles is either a super hit, or a miss. To me, with the way that the controls felt while trying to navigate my menus, I constantly felt like I could have gone for a keyboard and a mouse because the controllers just were not doing it for me. Divinity Original Sin, Pillars of Eternity, even Diablo 3 and a few others have spent time crafting the transition and kept in mind that a controller only has so many buttons to pull off what one on a PC would have. Menus felt clunky and navigating through, especially my inventory, often had be doing things that I never even meant to do. Add in that the combat would often freeze on me having to restart an entire encounter sometimes five or ten minutes down the line? Wasteland 2 is something that I would need to re-visit on my PC.

Overall, at least on the Switch, I could not get into Wasteland 2. Clunky controls combined with performance issues kept holding me back from even getting pasts the oddness that ranged combat could often have. I hope to revisit this soon upon a PC, but in the meantime, I'm feeling disappointed because it has been a title that I've been looking forward to for a long while and after reading Nick and especially Robert's reviews, I had expected to be blown away.

Game Information

Platform:
Nintendo Switch
Developer(s):
inXile Entertainment
Publisher(s):
inXile Entertainment
Genre(s):
RPG
Mode(s):
Single Player
Other Platform(s):
Sony PlayStation 4
Microsoft Xbox One
PC

Source:
Provided by Publisher

Article by Pierre-Yves

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Megaquarium - PC Review

It's funny that when Two Point Hospital came out, I made a comment to some friends “I'm all over a management game that isn't set in a hospital.” Sure enough, developer Twice Circled released Megaquarium on September 13th which was not that long after I made such a statement...

Megaquarium is exactly as it sounds. Players create epic aquariums full of fish, accessories, and gift shops. It has two different game modes to play and I have been enjoying this title. Though, it's not without some minor challenges.

The Developer

One man development team Twice Circled created Big Pharma, an indie title back in August of 2015. Tim Wicksteed had worked on a couple of indie titles before coming up with Big Pharma. As a result, he saw positive results from the game, prompting him to self publish his most recent title Megaquarium.

The Fishy Concept

The objective is to make large and pretty aquariums that run smoothly. As I said before, this is a management game so players are tasked with keeping customers comfortable and hiring maintenance staff.

If a player adds too much to the aquarium, the public will become bored, which hinders your reputation. In order to unlock more fish and accessories, players have to reach a benchmark reputation. With that in mind, the key to this game is remembering that less is more.

Not only do players get to increase their reputation by buying popcorn machines, more comfortable seating, different wall types, washrooms, and balloons, they have to also keep everything in working order.

Players must hire staff to take care of the place. Each worker has different stats, which becomes important later in the game. These workers feed the fish and maintain the filtration systems, heaters, and clean the aquarium. Because the workers are integral to a players' reputation, having a smaller aquarium is more beneficial. The reason for this is because a smaller aquarium reduces the risk of dead fish due to poor upkeep. Dead fish also means less reputation for your aquarium, so don't let them die!

The Graphics and UI

Megaquarium graphics style doesn't have to be over the top because its not needed for this type of game, but also because there are many moving parts to consider. Though, despite its simple concept and style, it has some hidden features that would be more useful on the main UI.

Currently, top left functions are used for expanding, decreasing, or manipulating the space and objects – like moving a tank or demolishing an object.

Down the side of the left are functions relating to reputation boosters and tank maintenance. This includes buying fish, filtration systems, and bathroom stalls.

On the top right are buttons that assist the player in fish maintenance and reputation boosts. (Like how many fish can fit in a tank, percentage of customers viewing a tank, and how much heat/water is needed)

One of my gripes about Megaquarium is once a fish tank is placed, it CANNOT be expanded. In order to have a larger tank, a new tank has to be placed, the fish moved, then delete the old tank. For smaller fish, this isn't such a big deal but if a fish takes a few days to grow to it's full size, it might be more beneficial to move them independently instead of demolishing and buying new ones.

Pro tip: If you want to get rid of something in a tank, click on the tank, press the demolish button or 'x', and click on it.

Sandbox Mode

There is a sandbox mode in Megaquarium that allows players to free play without objectives. In this mode I discovered features of the game I didn't know about in the story mode.

Unlike in story mode where different things are slowly introduced, in sandbox mode players are able to immediately access fish at a specific research level. If a player chooses level three, for example, they only have access to objects and fish up to level three. It also means that players have to build up their reputation to access higher level items and fish.

Sandbox mode also lets players use the levelling ability of the workers. This is not a function available to early levels of the story mode. Something to note about levelling is that hidden in individual worker screens is the option to set their working zones – a feature that becomes extremely useful in larger aquariums. Unfortunately, because the zones can only be seen in individual worker screens, a player has to be looking at a worker's screen to set or alter their zone. And at the moment, there doesn't appear to be a zone display – a feature that should be added to the UI, in my opinion.

Furthermore, sandbox mode has smaller objectives for players to complete like housing fish for short periods of time. After completion of these missions, players are rewarded. Because of this, Twice Circled has made Megaquarium dynamic enough to keep players invested in their businesses.

Final Thoughts

Megaquarium is a casual management game that challenges a player as they progress. In fact, it is a game that is suitable for all ages and is great to play after a stressful work day. It's relaxing, not taxing on computer systems, and amusing to play.

Since the game would periodically crash for no reason, and since certain functions of the game are not readily obvious, I will give this game an eight out of ten.

I've dumped a good amount of time playing Megaquarium so, if casual management games are your jam, I highly recommend picking up this game!

Game Information

Platform:
PC
Developer(s):
Twice Circled
Publisher(s):
Twice Circled
Genre(s):
Simulation
Mode(s):
Single Player
Other Platform(s):
N/A

Source:
Provided by Publisher

Article by Susan N.

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Memorable Music in Gaming #40

After the last Memorable Music showed a heavy JRPG focus, we thought we would swing the pendulum in the exact opposite direction. Instead of games focused on slower, tactical gameplay with easy, fantasy tunes we bring you the driving music of DOOM.

DOOM II: Hell on Earth (MS-DOS) - Running From Evil

With an intimidating opening bass line that gives way to a catchy, unrelenting tune that feels as though you're splashing over water (or is that blood?), this first mission track sounds like a WWE's wrestler's intro. While it's not as iconic as the first DOOM's opening track, Running From Evil serves as an undeniably awesome debut into the double barreled shotgun carnage of DOOM II.

DOOM II: Hell on Earth (MS-DOS): Shawn's Got the Shotgun

Named after one of the designers of the game, Shawn Green, this track is my personal favorite from DOOM II. Everything about it is vintage Bobby Prince (the primary composer of the original two DOOM games): the kickass percussions, the bombastic intro, the drones. This track reeks of unflinching confidence that it will kill you irrespective of what you do.

DOOM (MS-DOS): The Demons From Adrian's Pen

Unlike the other entries on this list, this one has a restrained, almost stealth-like quality to it that, paradoxically, makes it that much more creepy. This one is named after the chief hellspawn creator and prodigy kid at id Softwware, Adrian Carmack. If anything, this track perfectly captures the quiet nature of Carmack.

DOOM II: Hell on Earth (MS-DOS): Into Sandy's City

This one is named after industry veteran and all-around legend, Sandy Peterson. Not much can be said except that it is one thumping, foot-tapping masterpiece.

DOOM (PC) - Mastermind

DOOM 2016 had a soundtrack to die for, all thanks to the tremendous effort of Mick Gordon (my second favorite composer after Akira Yamaoka). Essentially the better parts of heavy metal in video game form, the entire OST is one of recent history's ultra-finest. Mastermind is nowhere near the standout track, but I wanted to get this one over with so I could finish off this list.

A chilly, hair-raising opening that leads way to the nastiest, dirtiest, muddiest, heaviest, crippling bass sound since the heydays of The Prodigy. This particular track should get more attention!


Article by Hamza

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Cold Winter - Retro Reflections

Cold Winter could have been another generic first person shooter where you kill terrorists in city streets and military bases using pistols, assault rifles and grenades. However, its designers paid attention to detail, making this one of the best PS2 shooters.

The story may not seem exciting at first: you are a spy assigned to prevent a terrorist from selling a weapon of mass destruction in the Middle East. There were also some cut-scenes, which made me wonder how they were connected to the hero. Nevertheless, the story‘s development is not superficial. The relationship between the hero and his female colleague, who saves him from a Chinese prison at the beginning, as well as the cut-scenes create something bigger. Not only do the cut-scenes form the context of your own quest but they also give it a deeper meaning. It is no surprise that Cold Winter was written by Warren Ellis, a well-known comic book writer. Although most of the plot is simple, the dialogues and major events are thought provoking.

The gameplay is standard shooting action, nevertheless, it is very refined. The level design, weapons available and enemies offer an experience that never becomes dull. Your foes will often charge at your position, so it is better to wait behind a corner. I liked hearing their footsteps to know they are coming. Killing enemy snipers in a gorge or blowing barrels to catch foes in the explosion were satisfying moments. Dead soldiers provide you with new weapons, ammo or armor and your health can be replenished as many times as you like if you find a safe spot to rest. As a result, Cold Winter can be completed even by rookie gamers. In fact, I had to raise the difficulty above normal to have a challenge and I certainly do not consider myself a skilled gamer.

Most locations, such as apartments, alleys or desert areas, are in the Middle East. The graphics have enough variety and show the programmers knew their job. The animation is of top quality while the effect of blood stains on the wall when you shoot someone is great. The sound is very good too, including excellent voice acting, which makes you think you hear real characters, and cool music tracks, such as the one playing at the menu screen.

The control is perfect, as Cold Winter utilizes the standard formula of the genre.  Besides reloading, changing weapons, etc. you can move objects and use them as cover. Sprinting is another function, which gives you the ability to escape from danger quickly. The level design is not complex but it is not completely linear either, so, navigating the various stages is interesting. The game allows you to mix components into new items, such as bombs and lock-picks, however after a while I found this redundant. Notes left by enemies in various places add a touch of realism to the game’s world (they may even contain a clue).

The action consists mainly of shooting but you also handle objects, e.g. a hidden safe containing vital information, or find items, for example keys in a closet. Checkpoints make sure you are not punished by replaying an entire mission should you die but the truth is I only died when I did something stupid. Veteran players will probably need to choose the maximum difficulty to enjoy Cold Winter. There are no boss fights and the few important villains are killed quickly although, naturally, they are more dangerous.

Cold Winter was not a game I had heard about before and it proved to be a pleasant surprise. Besides the detailed graphics and violent action, which are impressive right from the start, gradually I appreciated the story line too, especially the touching ending. I recommend it to all fans of first person shooters.

Game Information

Platform:
Sony PlayStation 2
Developer(s):
Swordfish Studios
Publisher(s):
Vivendi Universal Games
Genre(s):
First Person Shooter
Mode(s):
Single Player
Multiplayer
Other Platform(s):
N/A

Source:
Purchased

Article by Dimitris

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Armello - Switch Review

'RING! RING!'

"Hey man, what's up? What... A digital board game with online multiplayer that ISN'T Monopoly and has a medieval theme to it??? Bro, I'm so there."

'CLICK!'

Let all dive into a classic feel of Catan meets D&D's Lords of Water Deep in the release of Armello for the Switch. This role-playing strategy board game was originally released by the League of Geeks, an Australian company, back in 2015 for the PC. Thanks to a successful Kickstarter it has since been ported to every handheld and console since then.

The game takes on a pretty simple plot direction, the king of the land is cursed/sick and it's up to 4 different clans to try and either save him or dispose of him. There are 4 ways total that can claim your victory. You can choose to collect some sacred stones and offer them to the king in order to heal him or you can overthrow him by powering up and facing him in a duel. There is also the option of going insane by absorbing as much "ROT" as possible and infecting the world with the same curse or... just wait until the sickness kills his royal highness.

You play as anthropomorphic animals that set out on a journey. The 4 clans: Wolf, Rat, Rabbit and Bear each has both a male and female representative. Depending on who you start with their stats are different as well. You're also able to attach a couple of bonuses to give you a slight advantage during your play through.

As the game opens up into the field map, that you'll be traversing on, you start at your clan base. At the top left corner of the screen you'll see a picture of your character, along with some Abilities points to show you your movement capabilities. Beneath that you will see some symbols. Those symbols show the amount of Fight power (dice your able to use in a fight or peril), Health, Card capacity (which will be displayed between your Ability points and stats) and Magic power your character possesses. The bottom center will keep track of all players action, including the AI's. To the bottom right corner are more symbols that display your Currency (money), Magic power (in stock if you were to collect over your normal set amount), Prestige points (Loyalty points you gain from the kingdom populous) and Rot points (showcasing you how much darkness your character is suffering from). And to finish off you'll be given an icon that will keep track of day and night for you, which will also be the button to use to end your turn.

Depending on the type of tile you land on it will have different effects on your character. For example, a swamp can cause you damage, while a sacred pillar site will grant you health. If you choose to walk through the mountain it will eat up 2 of your AP points, but will grant you extra defense to use during an ambush or fight. Dungeon tiles allow you to explore them and can reward you with treasure or could set off a trap that could do your character harm. Forest area will only grant you stealth at night and open plains have no effect or attachment to your hero. By planning carefully you can use the maps train to your advantage.

At the start of each turn your character will always be carrying the numbered amount of cards your allowed to. You have 3 decks to choose from: Fight deck, Spell deck or Event deck. You can choose to take all Fight cards or take one from each deck and vice versa. Each card that you possess will have a type of "payment" in order to activate or equip them. Either through Currency, Magic, Prestige or Rot points. You can also equip special sidekick cards that you can collect by exploring dungeons, stealing from other heroes or finishing quests. Some cards can be placed over certain tiles. In doing so you will create a Peril and anyone caught in it will have to roll and match the dye display beneath the card.

Even though the King stays locked away in his castle he will reach out to the hero with the most prestige points, at the start of a new day, in order to help him make a decree. This decision can either be a blessing or a disadvantage so think carefully before choosing.

When entering into any fight all your dices have six different faces of symbols on them. A sword face counts as an attack, while a shield will grant you defense. The Sun and Moon can be used as extra attack point only if they fall under the correct time of day. The Rot symbol will only add to your attack strength if you have accumulated enough darkness and finally if the dye falls on the Tree symbol it will also add to your attack point, PLUS give you an extra dice roll. Cards in your hands can also be used to help you during a fight. Each card has a dye symbol that you can use by sacrificing it before you roll, adding it immediately into your fight pool giving you a better chance at winning or defending.

As you play through the game you can keep track of everyone status by moving the cursor over any Enemies or Heroes. At the beginning of your journey your given a quest to strengthen your characters abilities and popularity. With each quest you complete a new one will appear. By finishing a quest they will always reward you with a Prestige point and the choice of raising the stat of your choosing. You're also given a challenge upon arriving and could win a chance at some extra Help (Bard, Squire, Warlock, etc.), high end Equipment or Spells and/or a Spirit stone. Though be cautious that if you lose the challenge you will be punished. You are given a brief percentage of your chances of winning each challenge. If you find yourself defeated in battle you will be brought back to your clan base and may resume adventuring on your next turn.

Depending on the time of day different AI's will move accordingly. During the day the Royal Guards will wander the kingdom, either claiming bounties or destroying monster. At night creatures known as Banes will appear and choose to chase down heroes or terrorize settlement. If you choose to fight a guard you will place a bounty over your name and lose Loyalty points. If you chase after the Banes you will gain loyalty points, but be warned if you are killed by one of them you will be infected by the Rot.

As intricate as this game sounds I found myself glued to its strategic gameplay. The character sprites are adorable and the action and adventuring keeps the story lively. This game can also be played online with others and I highly recommend choosing this option once you're comfortable playing this game as the AI's fighter tend to be predictable after many rounds. This game is no more then 45 minutes per session and has achievement that you can unlock by playing multiple playthroughs. If you complete the achievement you are given a new bonus ability that you can use before the start of your next gameplay. Armello is nothing short of charming and I will gladly give this game a rating of 9.5 out of 10.

Now if you'll excuse me I have a friend that is in dire need of a purging.

YOU. SHALL. NOT. PASS

Game Information

Platform:
Nintendo Switch
Developer(s):
League of Geeks
Publisher(s):
League of Geeks
Genre(s):
Turned Based Strategy
Mode(s):
Single Player
Multiplayer
Other Platform(s):
Sony PlayStation 4
Microsoft Xbox One
Mobile iOS / Android
PC / Linux / Mac

Source:
Provided by Publisher

Article by Natasha

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CrossCode - PC Review

CrossCode may be my biggest surprise of the year. Following along with Lea, an amnesiac currently living inside of a fully immersive MMO, you'll follow along her adventures through a amazingly 16-bit inspired wonder filled world that feels as alive as Ara Fell did.

Having fully released on September 20th after a good seven years of development, in which half of it was spent in early access, I've had a good deal of time with it both before and after its release. The gameplay is absolutely solid and even now I'm hard pressed to say anything negative about it. Because there isn't anything negative to say.

Radical Fish Games have not only designed a retro looking world that would look amazing on a Super Nintendo, but they've created an experience that is solid by today's standards. Load times are almost non-existent, combat is extremely smooth, there are different sets of menu options for how little you need to do or how much customization needs to be done. They've even gone as far as to allow the switching of a controller's visuals from that of an Xbox's to that of a PlayStation's for it to feel more natural depending on your controller.

After what is essentially a super brief tutorial, the game starts in earnest in which you are slowly showed the ropes to the world that you'll be interacting with. CrossCode, like .Hack or Sword Art Online, simulate an MMO while still being at their core a single player and offline experience. Also, like the two mentioned, you are given a class instead of being allowed to choose your own path as you are playing a specific character and not a being of your own design. And you know what? I couldn't have been happier about this choice because of how it was done.

Being an RPG, you run around, follow story lines, complete quests, complete side quests and level up. As you level up, your base stats not only increase, but you are given points to use on a grid in order to customize Lea as you see fit. Do you want to be stronger? Tougher? More accurate as there's a blend of elements in the mix. Not only do you get to run around with a variety of melee attacks, you also have access to a system for ranged ones that aren't just tacked on, but are there as an actual combative option. You don't even need to hit anything in melee if you don't want to as the ranged system is just as powerful and often required to make your life easier.

Instead of simply using a twin-stick style to move and aim, aiming properly takes a few seconds to "calibrate". Once calibrated a powerful shot can be unleashed and this shot not only has knockback properties, but when an enemy is glowing red, it has the chance to "break" them allowing you to cause more damage. Once the elemental systems come into play more versatility is added as weaknesses can truly start to be exploited and your enemies set aflame for much more damage than you standard non-elemental weapons would do.

This is honestly just the tip of the iceberg. These systems play a role in the overall but the true performance goes into how the world is put together. Each "region" is seperated up into areas that are somewhat linear but often have pathways both in and out in which if you see something that you cannot get to? It's because you need to keep going and then find your way back. The world isn't flat either. Lea will be working with various elevations on her adventure hopping up and down hills and cliffs in order to get where she's going.

While exploring this is where you'll see enemies to fight, flora to smack in order to farm for materials and quests to pick up for a bit more experience and money. During these explorations though, Lea can hop from one surface over to another in order to make it further. This is done automatically but takes into account how fast she's moving. Move to fast? You may overshoot and lose HP to the fall whether it be an abyss or just a pond as she is teleported back onto the last solid surface. It can take some time in order to properly gauge how fast you should move but once you do, the world becomes a lot easier to navigate!

These ideas carry through into dungeons that will make any fan of the Legend of Zelda feel right at home with puzzles to solve, keys to find and doors to unlock. Using both of Lea's melee and ranged abilities is a must and often you may have to stop and think about something because it feels like it should be easy, but looks really hard, and turns out that it really was easy, but because of the design, you'll be overthinking it and over complicating it. Battles are thrown into the mix to spice things up a bit before often stellar giant boss battles that are always a lot of fun.

In regards to moving around the world though, CrossCode has a teleportations system that slowly unlocked as you move through and find points to teleport to. Basically your typical quick travel system to points of interest but the thing is that it's fast. By the time that the short animation is over, you're already in the next zone ready to move.


Throughout all of this though, and in the neat little details, is not only how fast that this is done, but that at the same time with monsters in the field, and petals or leaves floating around, other avatars are running around in parties or sitting around making the world feel alive. It makes it feel more than simply a bunch of landscapes to zoom through and in certain cases? Following these others could lead to figuring out how to get to a platform either to unlock a new area or to unlock one of these teleporters to make your future life easier.

Probably what I loved the most about CrossCode wasn't that Lea is an amnesiac and that she's exploring this virtual world brand newly, and for the "first time", but it's that her speech module is busted. So not only is she "damaged" because of some trauma, she also has other obstacles to get over and it's through the people that she meets on this journey that allow her to grow and open up even with a limited vocabulary that is slowly expanded by being hard coded into her digital avatar. Because of this, the dialog is very well written and the 2D avatars are extremely expressive carrying over the character's emotions whether they be sad, happy or reminiscing about the past through side dialog in the corner of the screen as you explore. It ties everything together, and it does it well without ever sacrificing another element to do so.

The last thing that I want to highlight are the nods to, everything. Avatar the Last Airbender and Sonic are two that I'll mention in particular to not super spoil anything but there are hedgehog enemies that made me think Sonic. Then eventually if you explore enough you'll encounter a blue one, that's a boss with a giant HP bar and once defeated? You get a chili cheese dog. Hell yes! So on top of a stellar unique world, there's also plenty of nods and pokes at other things to make the geek inside happy.

I've always been a huge fan of .Hack because it let me play an MMO in my solo single player style, offline, and, on my own time. CrossCode I feel has taken this a good notch higher and between the dialog, the dungeons, the exploration, the customizations, the puzzles and the visuals? It knocks it all out of the park for a hell of an experience that shows that the developers truly used their seven years to create something incredible.

Game Information

Platform:
PC
Developer(s):
Radical Fish Games
Publisher(s):
Deck13
WhisperGames
DANGEN Entertainment
Mayflower Entertainment   
Genre(s):
Action
Adventure
RPG
Mode(s):
Single Player
Other Platform(s):
Sony PlayStation 4

Source:
Provided by Publisher

Article by Pierre-Yves

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Disgaea 1 Complete - PS4 Review

The Disgaea series is arguably Nippon Ichi Software's most popular work, but it has been fifteen years since the series kicked off and a lot of people probably never had a chance to play the original PlayStation 2 title when it released. For those who missed that opportunity, Disgaea 1 Complete comes full circle with the start of the series and offers the same excellent RPG / strategy mix that has made the series so successful in the decade and a half since. It is perhaps not quite as robust as its sequels, but the original title is still a fantastic game.

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Jaggy's Corner - Saturday October 6

This week has been a whirlwind in the games industry because of companies like Big Fish cutting back their employment staff by 15% and Telltale filing for bankruptcy. And while both of those things present some real issues, many other websites have covered both those topics, so I'll let you read those articles for yourself.

Instead, I will talk about another interesting piece of news from earlier in the week. What I'm talking about is Mr. Andrzej Sapkowski suing CD Projekt Red for $16 Million dollars because he feels he's owed money for creating The Witcher universe. Since I'm writing a couple of books myself, I feel as though I can speak to a key factor in this whole situation.

The publishing industry is not the same as the gaming industry even though there are similarities between them. For a novel or a game to exist, they both need several stages to be completed. Each requires writers, editors or QA, artists (cover or animation), and marketters.

In both industries, it is expected that there is a written contract that outlines deadlines and compensation. This is where the line is drawn between the two industries.

Authors have to choose at the beginning of a publishing contract (assuming they are not self publishing) whether they wish to retain movie or international rights. Generally speaking, there is no provision regarding games rights (that I'm aware of. Although, I know that books have been translated to video games before). Essentially, this means that if a game company, like CD Projekt Red, wants the rights to a story concept, they draw up a contract and negotiate terms.

Now, I'm not going to say that either person is in the wrong here because I don't know what the contract stipulated. However, if the rumours are true, then Mr. Sapkowski may have shot himself in the foot. It's risky to take this case to court because other companies might think twice before entering negotiations with Mr. Sapkowski. But that's just one possible outcome and it's based on what is publically known.

If, however, the lawyers have enough of a case to say that CDPR owes Mr. Sapkowski, they might just pay him in a lump sum and be done with it. Sure, the Witcher series has brought the company a lot of praise from fans and game developers alike, but CDPR has a number of upcoming projects that could be just as successful. For example, many people in the gaming industry are excited for Cyberpunk 2077 (I know I am).

Let me put this in slightly different terms. A person who works on a video game or a television show doesn't often leave the project only to come back years later saying, “I made that character. It's my property, therefore I want a percentage of all the profits from it.” Aside from the fact that it would be a challenge to pursue that path, it seems like a ludacrous idea doesn't it? I'm sure that people have attempted such an argument, but the fact remains that if you were working for a company and paid a salary with benefits (I'm assuming), the company no longer needs to compensate you. Also, when doing work for a company, they tend to retain the rights anyways.

The thing is, we don't know the details of the contract set forth by CDPR to Mr. Sapkowski and taking it to court could go either way. The original author is Polish and their laws may be very different than US law. As in, even though North America has rules for such legal issues, they won't necessarily apply in this case. The reason for that is because both the author and CDPR are Polish! It stands to reason that they would be bound under Polish law.

Either way, determining a legal outcome is not likely to be cut and dry. And while I understand that most people in gaming are taking sides, there are other pieces of information that need uncovering first. So please calm down with assumptions about this issue. No one knows the full story here.

What I'm curious to know is why is Mr. Sapkowski seeking compensation now? The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings sold more than 1.7 million copies between the PC and Xbox 360 in 2012. In 2013, CDPR revealed that they had reached 6 million in sales. At any time during the release of the Witcher 2, the author could have sought compensation but he didn't. We are in late 2018 and Mr. Sapkowski seeks compensation now. Never mind the fact that at least some of those fans have likely purchased his books as a result of the video games, but I digress.

So again, I wonder why now? What are his intentions? Because if this is some weird scheme to make money, then Mr. Sapkowski chose an interesting path. If he entered into the publishing business to make tons of money, then he chose the wrong profession. As you might know, people write because they have a need to tell stories or to provoke thoughts. And unless your name is Stephen King or Steven Erikson, chances are you aren't rolling in the dough.

This whole situation seems interesting to me but I'd love to see what you think about it. Leave a comment below. I'm always interested in good civil discussion.

Until next time.


Article by Susan N.

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Hunt 'n Sneak to hit Steam on 7 November - News

A good local multiplayer game is, to me anyways, one of the best things that you can have. The reason? Nothing is better than a good round of smack talking to the others sitting down on the couch with you. Coming out right after Halloween, this spooky like versus could be just what my couch needed, another good round of versus against friends!

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Hunt 'n Sneak to hit Steam on 7 November

New trailer unveiled for chaotic party game where light is both friend and foe...

4 OCTOBER 2018 - Pixel Engineers - the developers of Hunt 'n Sneak, a manic party game in which light is both friend and foe - have announced today that the game will be launching onto PC via Steam on Wednesday 7th November.

To celebrate the news, the developers have unveiled a brand new teaser trailer as well as a new batch of screenshots.

Hunt 'n Sneak is a manic couch multiplayer game. Players take on the roles of either the fearsome Gobbler as it tries to devour the Pixies and take over their world; or as the mischievous Pixies, who use pings of light to navigate their surroundings and escape the Gobblers. Pursue, evade and outwit your opposition to win.[Continues below]

Hunt 'n Sneak was inspired by a game the founder of Pixel Engineers worked on during a game jam at the Academy of Interactive Entertainment in Melbourne, Victoria. During this time, the game had the working title of Ping and won first place in the game jam's category of 'Couch Multiplayer'.

Since then, Pixel Engineers have transformed Hunt 'n Sneak into a fully-fledged, energetic multiplayer experience, playable by up to four players simultaneously.

James Koehne, founder of Pixel Engineers, said: "I am very excited to have players experience Hunt 'n Sneak when it launches on Steam. It's always joyful to see people playing the game - and knowing that people are enjoying it definitely makes all the time we have spent working on it worthwhile."

Hunt 'n Sneak will be released for PC via Steam on Wednesday 7th November 2018, priced at $19.99 USD.

Article by Pierre-Yves

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Memorable Music in Gaming #39

Well, it has been a few weeks since our last installment. This time we take a very Final Fantasy-centric look at music. Starting with...

Final Fantasy VII (PS1) - Tifa's Theme

Emotional with a tinge of the ominous. The sustained notes are brilliant touch at creating so effective a mood with this one.

Final Fantasy IV (DS) - Theme of Love

This theme will instantly make you believe that, yes, love and magic are real and wonderful experiences.

Final Fantasy X (PS2) - Suteki da ne

Once again I will have to say this: I haven't played a lick of FFX, but boy do I enjoy the music immensely. Suteki da ne (which means "isn't it wonderful?") was the first time I heard a song from Final Fantasy that had vocals, and I instantly fell in love with it. I don't often find myself listening to Japanese music a whole lot (with vocals even less), but there's a certain Studio Ghibli-esque vibe to it that I couldn't pass up on!

Final Fantasy X (PS2) - Otherworld

Now this is more like it! Those wailing, cauling guitars; those gruff, growling vocals; those industrial metal-like lyrics. Heavy metal in Final Fantasy? Surely you jest. The last place I'd expected to find such a thrashing, headbanging composition, Otherworld hits you like a spiked wall at full speed.

Final Fantasy VIII (PC) - Don't Be Afraid

This is the kind of tune I used to hum to myself whenever doing something extraordinarily epic and daring:

i.e., ramming my Hot Wheels cars into each other and imagining Michael Bay-esque explosions and John Woo-esque slow-motions.




Article by Hamza

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X4:Foundations - Release date, prices, new trailer, gameplay - News

With a ton of information to pass through below as well as trailers, I'll stop blabbing and let you get to the good stuff!

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X4: FOUNDATIONS - Release date, prices, trailer and more

Würselen, October 1, 2018 - EGOSOFT is very happy to announce the long awaited 4th part of the X series: X4: FOUNDATIONS will be available on Steam and egosoft.com on November 30th 2018!

X4: FOUNDATIONS brings our most sophisticated universe SIMULATION ever. MANAGE an empire or EXPLORE space in first person. FLY EVERY SHIP! TRADE and FIGHT to BUILD your empire with modular station construction and THINK carefully when embarking on an epic journey.

X4: FOUNDATIONS - Trailer and gameplay explanation videos:

New Trailer Video: 

New Gameplay Demo Video:

X4: FOUNDATIONS - The start into the X4 universe

X4: Foundations will feature an extremely large universe from day one.
Home to several factions of the Argon, Teladi and Paranid races, each with multiple complex economies.

The Paranid, for example, are a race with very deep religious beliefs, fractured into two competing empires and now raging war against each other.

Then there are of course also a lot of other potential adversaries:

• Those where you have a choice, like different Pirate factions, and those where you don't, like the infamous Xenon: A race of advanced artificial general intelligence, once built by mankind themselves to help colonise space.
• There will be Expansions, which will bring more races, their ships, stations and lots of missions into the X4 Universe. Our goal is to bring the first big Expansion within about one year.

X4: FOUNDATIONS preorder and digital Collector's Edition:

X4: FOUNDATIONS will be available for $49.99 (€49.99) on November 30th.
Starting today you can pre-order the digital Collector's Edition and get:

• Exclusive pre-order paint mod (*requires egosoft community account connected with Steam account)
• First Expansion planned release in 2019
• Second Expansion planned release tba.
• The X Universe Digital Artbook 2018: Enjoy the concept art behind the X universe. 
• X Novel: Nopileos by Helge Kautz as English and German eBook.
• Digital Soundtrack: The music, including exclusive versions of the trailer and teaser music in highest possible quality.  

The Collector's Edition of X4: FOUNDATIONS can be preordered now for the discounted pre-order price of $74.99 (€74.99) at:

Egosoft's own online store: https://www.egosoft.com/shop

or from Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/392160/X4_Foundations/


Article by Pierre-Yves

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Rogue Trooper - Retro Reflections

Rogue Trooper is a science fiction third person shooter based on a British comic. When I was young I read Spider-Man fanatically but I also bought a comic that had stories of the Rogue Trooper. They were the stories I liked the most. The hero is a genetically engineered soldier with no past, created in a lab to participate in wars. Unfortunately, his first mission is a disaster and all his comrades are massacred. The only one who survives is the Rogue Trooper, who discovers the mission failed because of treason at the highest level. Now he has to find the traitor and bring him to justice. To accomplish that he must travel alone in hostile territory and confront armed forces without expecting any help from his country.

The guy who handles your inventory allows you to build new guns, upgrade the weapons you already have, create ammo and craft health packs. To do that you need resources you find scattered in the environment. Another comrade lets you hack into electronic equipment, such as doors or consoles. This is necessary to progress in the game. The third one can become an automatic machine gun or a decoy but I found those functions redundant.

Rogue Trooper is fun for many reasons. First of all, I liked the hero: his ordeal, being deserted and facing mortal dangers to avenge the death of his comrades makes him respectable and human. The brief dialogues between his friends (the chips they are integrated into can talk!) add some well placed comic relief to the grim reality of the story while the plot is good enough to keep you interested in the hero’s journey.

The game plays like a first person shooter, which means you run with the left analogue stick and aim with the right stick. You can also duck, climb, jump and seek cover behind objects, walls and rocks. During the beginning of the adventure you find comrades of yours who have been gravely wounded and keep them “alive” by transferring their conscience into a microchip. This way you continue your journey with good company. Moreover, every comrade-chip gives you new abilities.

The gameplay is excellent, as you face enemy soldiers of different types and forge your way through military bases and fortified urban areas. The precise, practical controls and the variety of guns, such as assault rifle, lighting gun and homing missile launcher, help you deal with any situation effectively. The level design keeps things fresh and there are many satisfying moments, such as using the rifle’s scope to take out snipers or shooting down flying troops by handling a turret mounted on a train. The difficulty is reasonable and although sometimes you are shot from different directions the game is never unfair. You save only at the end of a stage, however, checkpoints appear regularly.

Health is replenished to a degree automatically and you have so much resources at your disposal that it is impossible to run out of health packs or ammo. However, this does not mean that you can finish a mission just by running and shooting. You have to take into account the position of your foes and be careful not to be surrounded. Also, don’t forget to upgrade your equipment and remember that the lightning gun can hit multiple soldiers at once!

Concerning the graphics, the buildings you explore combine future technology with crude architecture while the open areas and the sky create the feeling of a planet long dead. The colors used are mainly blue, brown, yellow and red, giving the game its own visual identity. Enemies are designed to look ruthless and the visual effects are adequate. Generally, I loved the game’s atmosphere. As for the sound, it is nothing to write home about but this didn’t bother me.

Rogue Trooper is one of my favorite PS2 games, as it features plenty of brutal action, special artistic style and an interesting background story. There are even drawings and descriptions of characters, enemies and vehicles you unlock by accumulating points and I read them with pleasure, to learn more about the game’s world. For fans of shooters and science fiction Rogue Trooper is a very good choice.

Game Information

Platform:
Sony PlayStation 2
Developer(s):
Rebellion Developments
Publisher(s):
Eidos Interactive
Genre(s):
Third Person Shooter
Mode(s):
Single Player
Multiplayer
Other Platform(s):
Microsoft Xbox
Nintendo Wii

Source:
Purchase

Article by Dimitris

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