Entertainium's Reviews
If The Devil in Me is any indication of the quality of the other entries in The Dark Pictures Anthology, it seems I have my work cut out for me. Those are bound to be enough to keep busy until the new season begins sometime next year. There’s already been a teaser to the new entry in the franchise, Directive 8020, which is set to take a sci-fi approach to scaring the ever-living bejesus out of us. Count me in for that, sirs, yup.
I wanted so much to bask in the intended horror that The Calisto Protocol promised in the months leading up to release, but that wasn’t the case when the time came to play it. While it’s surely not an awful game by any means, with flawed but in the end very crunchy feeling combat, it’s simply not in the same league as its inspiration when it comes to providing a scary or even tense experience. It’s still a very graphically impressive and positively disgusting game for sure, and for some that might be enough as it is.
The Oregon Trail is absolutely one of the paramount classics of the edutainment games genre, and this newest version pays homage to that history while also introducing plenty of new content, and being more inclusive in its treatment of Native Americans. With plenty of unlockables, different modes, collectables and quests to undertake on every journey, the variety of things you can encounter means no two expeditions are likely to be the same. Plus, it might teach you a thing or two about 19th Century pioneer life along the way.
Much like Spider-Man (2018)’s excellent launch on PC back in August, Miles Morales is another fantastic PC version of a previous PlayStation exclusive. Next year we’re anticipating The Last of Us Part 1 (the remake version) will make its way to PC and likely God of War Ragnarök at some point, but I also hope we see some older PlayStation titles such as the earlier Uncharted games. I just hope the gap of time between the release of Spider-Man 2 planned on console and its PC version is not as long as the four years between the original game and its PC release.
In sum, God of War Ragnarok is the perfect case of a game that’s impeccably designed in all aspects of its presentation and writing, that still fails to have the necessary focus and drive to keep me engaged. It’s unnecessarily long and drags too much to hold my attention like the original game did. And it’s a shame, because there’s surely plenty to be enjoyed all throughout it, and I’m positively ecstatic to get more of the excellent setting that started four years ago. But having to wade through so much to get to that is driving me absolutely nuts!
Rogue Legacy 2 is a thoroughly recommended pick-up for just about anyone, and now that it’s on the Switch, that’s even more the case since it becomes a portable “just one more run affair” alongside other modern classics like Hades and Loop Hero. You should waste no time in adding this game to your game library, it’s well worth it!
Gungrave G.O.R.E. is the kind of game that is going to appeal to two different groups of people: Fans of the original two games, or people nostalgic for this particular style of bullet hell third-person shooter. Returnal in 2021 is an example of this kind of game done in a modernized format with some Roguelike elements, while Gungrave G.O.R.E. deliberately eschews any modernization in an effort of being an authentic, era-appropriate experience. If you’re in the mood for some over-the-top action and can stomach some repetitive shooting, Gungrave G.O.R.E. will satisfy that itch.
Evil West is a great antidote to today’s sprawling, open world “forever games”. Its refreshingly tight focus recalls classics from earlier generations. Vampire hunting in the Old West is simply a perfect framework for the gory but cleverly crafted combat which Flying Wild Hog does so well. Those with an Old West action game on their “most wanted” list need look no further.
With the addition of cross-play, Them’s Fightin’ Herds‘ console debut makes an already great game even better.. As more and more games steadily adopt that standard, for fighting games especially, it becomes easier and easier to grow and keep a community alive since there’s no worrying over which platform is the most populated, as has so often been the case for many fighting games over the years. Them’s Fightin’ Herds has already been getting by just fine, but now, so many more avenues to play, it’ll hopefully be able to thrive even more.
The Entropy Centre doesn’t dwell too much on the story, though. While the slow reveal of what’s going on is delivered well and the growing friendship between Aria and Astra works and is fun to watch, it’s much more focused on being a great puzzle game first and foremost, which it is unequivocally a success at. The Entropy Centre‘s light use of time manipulation serves as the basis for some clever and satisfying puzzles, easily putting it among some of the best of the genre.
Even die-hard fans of the comic books should look elsewhere if they’re in the market for an Asterix game as Asterix & Obelix XXXL: The Ram From Hibernia just isn’t worth it. If you were to pick one of those up, I would probably point you to an earlier entry in the series, Asterix & Obelix XXL2: Mission Las Vegum, which was recently re-released on Switch and is all-around a much more well put together and fun game.
Goat Simulator 3 is undoubtedly a meme game, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t also some meat behind the memeing. Goat Simulator 3 is deliberately mindless, easy-going fun, with no plot to speak of and activities designed to give you an easy laugh. Its brand of humour is a somewhat acquired taste but I will admit to chuckling at the absurdity of many of the situations you can get into with a goat who knows no fear. Goat Simulator 3 is a bigger, more action-packed version of the same madcap wackiness which many enjoyed in the first game, and I suspect for most players, that will be the bee’s (goat’s) knees.
I’m curious to see what more there is to McPixel 3. There’s a lot of it I’ve still got to try out and witness the chaotic results of. The slice that I saw so far has been positively silly, borderline crazy… pretty much what Devolver’s so great at fishing up.
Side-by-side with the first one, NeoGeo Pocket Color Selection Vol. 2 has a more varied list of games and is as easy to recommend to anyone keen on experiencing one of the lesser known portables around. The games look good on the Switch screen and you sure can’t beat having them all packed up in one package to take on the go!
For how it turned out, The Chant isn’t necessarily a bad game. It just misses the mark where it counts, failing to provide any real scares or tension whatsoever. It delivers a serviceable action adventure horror romp that should take you a couple of sittings to get through. One with not enough reasons to come back to it once you’re done hearing what it has to say.
Resident Evil Village Gold Edition introduces a new chapter to the story in the form of Shadows of Rose, a twisting trip through a few of the main game’s most iconic locations in a new adventure starring a new character with special powers and a whole lot of questions.
Despite its sense of familiarity and a few missteps, this is a sure hit for a series that needs one.
In a time where games are frequently seeing full-scale remakes, often trying to replace the original works in the process, to see a classic come back out with only the smallest of changes made is welcome. And with the original game still readily available on Steam, Shatter Remastered Deluxe isn’t seeking to replace the original: it’s just an opportunity to bring the game back into the spotlight. If re-releases remain the best means to achieve that currently, then at least Shatter Remastered Deluxe takes the right approach.
Fans of Borderlands looking for something else to play are bound to eat New Tales from the Borderlands up simply because it’s got more of what’s trademark to the series: the same all over the place humor, colorful characters, and very polished presentation. But for those looking for a revelatory experience that could sit among Telltale Games’ best efforts might find themselves disappointed by the game’s detached lack of interactivity and hit and miss comedy.
Today’s glut of “boomer shooters” is largely inspired by just a handful of classics from the original golden age of roughly 1993 to 1997. Any new game runs the risk of seeming too similar to one of these icons, of lacking its own identity. At first glance, Cultic seems sure to fall into this trap, given its evident similarities to Blood. In fact, Jason Smith’s fantastic first project uses Monolith’s 1997 game as a jumping-off point – and ultimately delivers one of the best retro shooters in years.