Daymare 1998 started off as a Resident Evil 2 fan remake before becoming its own thing. So it is heavily inspired by older Resident Evil games and survival horror, but plays like something a bit more modern, and is crammed full of 80s and 90s references. It is very ambitious but also unfortunately very rough and doesn’t come close to what it is trying to copy. I kind of like it though, maybe even love it a bit.

Jank, awkward and occasionally frustrating, Daymare 1998 is in severe need of more time and polish. The environments and objects look good but they are let down by everything else. The zombies stumble towards you, limbs passing through things they shouldn’t, with weird rubber necks causing funny and unpredictable reactions to head shots. That’s if these zombies figure out which direction to move in, as they regularly spin on the spot and struggle to navigate doorways. And that’s if they’re not quietly hiding right behind a corner ready to try and jump scare you for the 20th god damn time when it didn’t work the first time. The best scare in the game came when I killed a zombie in a doorway and then as I walked through the doorway the zombie somehow got caught on the door and dragged upwards to become face to face with the character. The tougher zombies, who I think are known as Correct Form, just look goofy in movement and appearance. The Melted Man is generic and the bosses aren’t much better. There’s not much enemy variety here and none of them are intimidating or scary. The whole game isn’t scary or atmospheric either. The humans in this game aren’t a whole lot better. They just look low budget. Things get worse when you hear the dialogue and voice acting too. Anything emotional or dramatic falls flat not that these characters and their choices could be taken seriously anyway. Sadly the game never achieves a charming style of bad. A lot of it is just subpar and bland.

The gameplay has problems too. Exploration is often very straight forward. It rarely has that satisfying survival horror experience of slowly working your way deeper into a location by finding keys, solving puzzles and backtracking. Daymare 1998 is more linear but with roadblocks, there is nothing here that comes anywhere near close to the mansion from RE1 or the police station from RE2. The hospital is probably the area that comes closest to this except it still feels rather simple. Things are made worse by how long and tedious the game can feel at times; some of those chapters just drag on. It has a limited inventory, inventory management and its own brand of save rooms and items boxes but they don’t feel well implemented. Save checkpoints plus a small number of save rooms? Just pick one and do it right. There’s limited item space but not limited enough that I cared. It has a very basic hacking game that requires an item that will break if failed. It is pointless when you have checkpoints to abuse not that you’ll fail the hacking often anyway. There are pointless items and crafting and trading that don’t really add anything or get used well.

Shooting enemies doesn’t always go well because of the enemy issues I already described and other weird little things like a shot will go off but then there is a strange delay before the enemy gets hit. The enemies grab attack is a very long lunge that is a god damn homing missile that pretty much always requires sprinting to avoid. Don’t even get me started on the three stage tedious final boss that can be completely broken and silly in stage one and three if you take advantage of the pathetic enemy AI. The game never feels natural to control and this is coming from someone that loves tank controls and thinks they are excellent. There’s more to go through (bugs, technical issues, animations, gameplay issues) but I’ll stop here. You get the point – Daymare 1998 is not a completely awful, broken mess of a game, it’s just not very good in many ways.

However, I never once considered dropping it. Not only that I actually played through it twice. It’s rough, low budget, not great and was Invader Studios first game. On the other hand it is a likable game that is so ambitious, overflowing with passion and has good ideas. Imagine making your first survival horror game and not just focusing on a single location and character. Imagine going, nah we’ll have a few playable characters, multiple locations and shoot for something as good as our favourite game series. This is where all the problems come from. A tiny team shot for the moon on their first try and I can’t help but love and appreciate that even though Daymare 1998 ended up like this.

I really liked a bunch of the puzzles. I loved a lot of the ideas in the story and loved the effort put into the lore and documents. I liked the reveals at the end and the way things came together. I liked the environments and the zombies (when nothing is going wrong with them). I enjoyed the references throughout and that it is set in the 90s. One of the characters has a condition that causes hallucinations, which means getting attacked by false enemies. I loved that it’s viable and encouraged to try to dodge enemies and run past to save ammo. There is even a little melee attack that lets you clumsily bonk zombies, pushing them back and stunning them so you’ve got time to shoot or get away. I like that one type of the collectables and the secret rooms are found by sound. I like that they offer multiple difficulties and two modes. There is a classic mode and a modern mode that is a bit simpler and doesn’t use the games ammo management. Ammo and reloading is interesting as it requires you to combine bullets with the magazine, then when reloading there’s a slow reload and a fast one. The fast reload will drop the magazine on the ground and you need to pick it back up. It’s a cool idea that can add tension and could add to inventory choices and it feels like it belongs in survival horror.

These good ideas, and the ambition, the passion and that it is a type of game I like was enough to carry this experience for me. Daymare 1998 isn’t a very good game but it’s worth playing and there was more than enough here that I am going to purchase Invaders Studios follow up, the prequel Daymare 1994. Don’t let my score or the many other less than impressive scores this game has received scare you off. While I wouldn’t recommend this to everyone I would say that if you like survival horror then you should give this a try.

5.0/10

Unicorn Overlord is one of only a handful of new releases I’m really interested in this year and is one of the very few that I am actually interested in buying straight away at full price. The reason for this isn’t just that Unicorn Overlord looks very appealing to me but also because the developer Vanillaware have not missed yet. I am happy to report that after playing Unicorn Overlord Vanilliaware’s reputation is not only intact but now elevated a little higher than it was before. Unicorn Overlord is a game that has breadth and depth. It is a tactical RPG that delivers both quantity and quality but it is not flawless.

The story is simplistic and might not quite be what some people wanted after 13 Sentinels but it is grand and enjoyable and of course picks up right around the end. It is carried by the many smaller stories I liked getting lost in along the way and by an enormous cast of characters I wanted to get to know and build rapport with. I like this world and there is plenty of history and lore to discover. I think the main character and the main objective of liberating Fevrith from evil being plain and generic allows for everything else to take centre stage, which is what Unicorn Overlord is actually about. It is about the people and places of this world and the journey. Vanilliaware also made things pretty tricky for themselves by giving players some freedom in the order of completing things. The main issues I have are that it’s slow to start and is also a bit overwhelming.

The gameplay is similar in that it is slow to start and overwhelming but that’s the price that needs to be paid for a game like this. Thankfully Unicorn Overlord provides comprehensive archive and game tips sections in the options to help keep you up. On top of this it does have tutorials, a slow, accessible way of introducing things and you can test units in mock battles. It has so many options, unit combinations, classes, equipment and items. I loved diving into this and never tired of messing around with my units and changing up my characters. I was always looking forward to gaining new team members and seeing how they could be used. The game allows quite a lot of freedom and diversity in your approach. You are rewarded for your thought and experimentation by finding ways to do better in the addictive battles. I do wish with so many characters available, plus you can hire more, that I could have more units created at once. The game could have then restricted this by only allowing use of a certain number of them per battle. The Battles may feel repetitive after 10s of hours put in but they are still always enjoyable; rewarding planning, using the optimal units, watchtowers, items and the terrain.

It has satisfying progression and an addictive loop. You have a battle. Then you can restore and use the local places to expand unit sizes, hire or promote characters, buy equipment and items or have a meal at the tavern. Then explore the local area for supplies, items, treasures and side quests. Then get your units and characters ready for the next battle. Then repeat. It is really enjoyable and I constantly wanted to keep going. Although this does start to feel worn out towards the end and would have benefited from a slightly tighter run time, to be fair though I was doing everything along the way. I think if the Cornia, Elheim and Drakenhold areas were a bit smaller they would have nailed it. There are some other side things to do, which can help break things up, like the coliseum, which has an online component. There is a mining mini game and rapport conversations too. The bigger problem though is difficulty. It is a bit too easy. You’ll find yourself bumping the game up to tactical difficulty before leaving the first area. Then later on if you’ve been doing most of the stuff along the way you will probably find yourself overpowered often and might look at putting it up to the hardest difficulty. Even then this might not be enough for serious tactical fans craving more challenge. It does get harder right at the end and after finishing the game an even higher difficulty does unlock. A few more large scale battles and a few less small ones would have been awesome too.

When it comes to presentation it’s a Vanillaware game so of course it does not disappoint. Unicorn Overlord is beautiful with a wonderful variety of character designs, backgrounds and objects. I love this detailed, layered art that pulls you into each scene. There’s obviously been so much love poured into how this game looks, even the menus look good to me. Despite everything going on and lots of info being displayed I always found the screen clear to view and everything easy to read. It sounds great too with a polished and fitting soundtrack and quality effects and voice acting. The only thing to nitpick here is that not everything is fully voiced. On top of all this it works perfectly on PS5 and feels very complete.

Unicorn Overlord is the type of game that makes me wish I didn’t have any responsibilities for a while so I could just sink an unhealthy amount of hours into it every day until I was done. Its flaws mostly come from how long and ambitious it is. They don’t detract too much from the experience though and I loved it anyway. It was an engrossing delight not to just play through but to get the Platinum Trophy as well. It is my game of the year so far and even if I play every single new release I have even a slight interest in this year I doubt this would change. Vanillaware have put out another fantastic game and I have another game to highly recommend.

8.8/10

The Bayonetta and Vanquish 10th Anniversary Bundle is a fantastic package that comes with two of the best action games available and is a must have for Platinum fans. I have thoroughly enjoyed revisiting both games through this remastered double pack and have put up reviews for both.

For Bayonetta I wrote that it is one of the greatest games of all time with a few niggles and gave it a 9.5/10. I gave Vanquish an 8.4/10 and said that despite some issues it is still a fun, must play action game. Each of these games is a must buy on their own, so a nice package that has both is one of the best things a PS4 or PS5 owner can buy. And this is a nice package. It comes in a beautiful steel case with artwork from both games, that has a cardboard slip cover on top with all of the game info you need and its own nice art too. Both games are on a single disc but they are separate games. They are installed individually and come with their own trophies, which is great. Unfortunately no manual, which is the norm now, it just has a little insert with health, safety and customer service info. Given that this is a 10th anniversary release maybe a little booklet with some developer interviews and art would have been cool. The other thing that needs a lot of praise is how good of a deal this is. This bundle was the same price as the recent physical Metroid Prime remaster. It was less than what the upcoming Paper Mario and Luigi’s Mansion remasters are going to be. Its price point is the same as or less than most other remasters and it contains two games with a steel case. The industry needs to learn from this.

It is two must play action games, in a nice package and at a good price. The Bayonetta and Vanquish 10th Anniversary Bundle is something that should be sitting on just about every PS4 or PS5 owner’s shelf (it’s available for Xbox too). I’m pleased to say that (at the time of posting this) it is still easy to find and has not gone up in price, in fact I found copies that are less than launch price, so go grab a copy if you’re interested, especially if you’ve never these games.

I think this now takes me past 5000 words for this bundle/games, so a big thank you to anyone that read everything.

Vanquish is an over the top, silly, action packed, Sci-Fi, third person shooter, directed by Shinji Mikami, that seems like a response to the stop and pop, waist high cover based, third person shooters of it’s time. So it should be an absolute winner and the type of game I’m going to love and it mostly is. However, Vanquish is a bit underwhelming in some ways and has a few flaws too that keep it from being everything it could be.

Vanquish is somewhat comparable to those lovable 80s and early 90s American action films and it is also a very videogame-y videogame. But for something with this kind of vibe it can be unexpectedly bland. Where’s the personality, the charm, the charisma, the style, the camp? Okay maybe I’ve started off a little too harsh here. It does have its charm and is a bit cool. It is likable and excessive. I like the characters and the way they talk. I like that the main character, Sam, smokes as much as he can and it’s used in gameplay too. The game isn’t really short on crazy moments; it opens with San Francisco getting micro waved from space. There’s one instant when Sam say’s ‘this is like a videogame’ and the tutorial includes a bit about how you can’t jump in just because you’ve read the manual. It’s got something and is fun, but after Resident Evil 4, God Hand and Platinum’s other game Bayonetta this just doesn’t compare and it feels a little bit more flat than it should be.

This can be seen in the games visuals that are a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand I think Sam’s Augmented Reaction Suit looks great and so does the BLADE system, which is a transforming weapon that can change into three different currently ‘held’ weapons. Sam looks awesome in motion too. Boosting around, flying out cover and how he melee attacks was really well done. Slow motion is excellent looking as well and I need to give a special mention to the grenade throws. The fantastic animation is helped by good sound effects too. I think the robot enemies look pretty good and some of the characters like the villain, Victor, the Lieutenant Colonel Robert Burns, who you often fight alongside, and your assisting character, Elena, get good enough character designs. Along the way you’ll see some nice views and a real highlight of the game is that it is set in what is essentially a cylinder floating in space, so when you look off in the distance the environments curve up and go above you. There are some really cool action sequences in cut scenes and the action during gameplay is the right kind of visually hectic. Vanquish has nailed the most important visual aspects for a game like this and the performance too.

On the other hand this world and the levels can be kind of uninspired. The places you move through are forgettable and blur into each other in your mind at least up until act 3, or maybe act 4 in particular, but this is only a 5 act long game. There’s a lot of bland looking space marine dudes running about and just a lot of ‘okay’ looking stuff. Plenty of the cut scenes have over the top action which is great but the way it is framed often isn’t. The camera likes to move a lot, often having that shaky hand held technique and there are times with lots of quick cuts and zooms. I know what they were going for but I don’t like it, I prefer to see action clearly, in all its glory. I guess they were maybe inspired by Hollywood at the time, in that post Jason Bourne, Transformers era. I wasn’t a fan and think later scenes in the game that focus on Sam in action work better. There is some level of deliberately being bad going in this game as it is aiming for a dumb American action movie, mixed with a Japanese developer’s style, kind of aesthetic and mood. Perhaps there’s a reason why this is focused on what truly counts in a game like this though.

Vanquish is about some Russian bad guys taking over a giant American space cylinder colony, that has a giant microwave gun on it. The Russians use it to wipe out San Francisco and then threaten New York next. America doesn’t surrender, they send in space marines and Sam from DARPA also gets sent in, with his fancy battle suit, and a special mission to rescue a Doctor. It’s simple, a bit of fun and gives you reasons to do a whole lot of shooting. Unfortunately though it’s not very good or interesting or fleshed out, even if there are some bits of info dropped in loading screens, and you’ll probably figure out the reveals/twists before they come. The characters are definitely action game/movie characters but they are fun to watch. I particularly liked the dialogue and dynamic between Sam and Burns. There are some well known voice actors here like Gideon Emery, Steve Blum and Kari Wahlgren and they deliver lines just as you’d want them to for a game like this. The music is fine too but not much stood out to me. The game ends really abruptly and feels like there should have been another hour or two or more likely a sequel that we never got. It’s quite a short game and feels short, with the last two acts in a five act game going by much quicker than the previous three acts. Overall I just don’t have much interest in re-watching the cut scenes or going through the non gameplay moments of this game again. Maybe there is a reason, beyond just time and budget constraints, for this purity, simplicity, focus and short run time. Maybe everything is done (or not done) to service the gameplay; the fun, fast paced, action packed, very re-playable, reason that you’re actually here, gameplay.

Vanquish is a third person cover shooter that doesn’t want you in cover playing it like a cover shooter. It’s about speed and movement and what happens when you’re not in cover. If you play this game like a normal cover shooter you will probably come away from the game feeling dissatisfied and I’m not even sure if this would be that viable on harder difficulties, so get out of cover and get into it (not that I’m saying you should always be out of cover). You have a boost knee slide to rocket around the battlefield, to flank or get behind enemies. You have a dodge roll and you can use it as much as you need. There’s a good variety of weapons at your disposal and it’s enjoyable to mess around with all of them. The weapons upgrade in an interesting way too, that you need to learn to work with. They upgrade by picking up more of the same fully stocked weapon you have, and some random upgrade drops, but if you die the upgrades drop back down a bit. Added to this is the ability to heal injured Marines fighting along with you for more weapon drops. Sam can go into Augmented Reaction mode (slow mo) to kill multiple enemies quickly with accurate shots, to get in quick heavy amounts of damage, to shoot rockets out the air and to move around the bullets slowly ripping by. The slow mo also activates when you take a bunch of damage too so you have a chance to save your arse. You can do really cool melee attacks, that vary based on the weapon you have equipped, and do good damage but leave you vulnerable. Which leads to how energy is done in this game; the boost, slow mo, melee and health all share a pool. So you have to balance things while still being aggressive. Something else that needs a quick mention is how well Platinum usually does difficulty. Vanquish is both accessible and not short on challenge. You can choose the easier modes or normal depending on what you’re comfortable with and have fun. Then there is Hard, God Hard and challenges for the challenge seekers and those looking for depth will find it.

Vanquish works really well and the elements of its gameplay come together to create something special. Reading my brief description you can probably already guess this is about risk/reward. The joy of Vanquish comes from playing on the edge. The line between being an unstoppable force on the battlefield and dying or being forced to cower in cover is small. The other thing that is so enjoyable is learning to play and diving into these simple mechanics to discover the depth here. When you play Vanquish you should mess around with it, have fun and get creative. See what you can pull off and then try to link that stuff together so you can get into a very cool looking and feeling flow. It doesn’t matter if you die a lot for while and don’t let this stop, frustrate or worry you. Vanquish isn’t about just getting through it and seeing the story. It’s a videogame with a capital V. So get into it and ‘play.’ Leap over cover and trigger slow mo in the air and rain down bullets on the robots trying to hide. Boost dodge your way through the chaos. Throw a grenade into a pack off enemies but use slow mo to shoot your own grenade in the air when it’s right above them. Boost slide melee attack into an enemy and then trigger slow mo in the air off this and use the sniper rifle to hit an enemy in the distance that thought they were safe. Jump into cover when you need a reprieve and take a ciggy break then watch as Sam flicks the cigarette away which distracts the enemies, creating the perfect window to jump back into the glorious action. Experiment and see what can be done, then look up what others have found and add it to your arsenal. And I almost forgot to mention there are some entertaining set pieces and a tasteful use of quick time events. Simple, fun, brilliant, that’s Vanquish during combat.

Outside of combat there’s not a whole lot going on and I have to mention some negatives after all that gushing. It doesn’t have good downtime sections or anything else to break up the combat and maybe help with pacing. There are some gold statues to find and shoot. It has these little, unskippable forced walking and listening sections. Don’t worry though; they aren’t bad compared to other games and they are brief. Speaking of wasting time, you are often waiting for stuff like doors and what felt like a whole lot of elevators. When not in fights it really mostly just boils down to moving though linear spaces or waiting. Also a lot of stuff in the combat sections has been a bit tired for a long time now in both first and third person shooters; like being on a turret or getting through an area with a silenced sniper rifle but at least it’s trying to throw in some variation. I wish the rating system was a little clearer and better too. But again I must say this game is aiming for a pure simplicity.

This was my first time going back to Vanquish since I first played it around the time it launched on PS3. I have thoroughly enjoyed coming back to it and realised I should have done so sooner. Vanquish isn’t perfect and it might be a little underwhelming or undercooked. But its simplicity, focus and shortness are its strength too. It is so fun, highly re-playable and rewarding. Maybe Vanquish doesn’t need skill trees, unlockables, a more open or interesting world, or a good story because it is too busy just being kick arse. Vanquish is a must play action game and one that should be learned from, I highly recommend it.

8.4/10

After wrapping up Bayonetta and before starting the next game I just had to come back to Wanted: Dead. I love it and wanted to try it out again now that it has been updated.

At first I needed to re-adjust to this game, as I kept hitting the wrong buttons for dodge and reload and was playing kind of awkwardly, but after a bit of time it was clicking again. Quickly sprinting and rolling around as Hannah Stone while ripping, shooting and parrying your way through enemies is so much fun. The charm and characters of this game are still great too. So what’s new or different?

First of all are the fixes and improvements. I played through the game on PS5, on normal difficulty. Then I got the itch to keep playing this again and did Hard and Japanese Hard, which takes me up to 8 play throughs now. I had fewer issues and no crashes but there were still performance problems, particularly during Kowloon Street. So it’s a smoother experience but still needs a little more work and of course this game still has its bit of jank.

There is a big change to difficulty. The first ninja now has three Stimpacks right in front of him and all the tougher enemies drop them too. I don’t know how I feel about this. The game already has an easy mode, which is now easier to access. It feels like the game lost its edge a bit and like the creators have compromised their vision. It seems a bit late too, all the reviews are out and the game has been on shelves for over a year. Is this really going to pull in more people? I almost managed a no death run first go despite not playing it since last year and not trying for it. During the last chapter there were just a lot health drops that I was leaving behind. The game just feels quite a bit easier. At first I thought no problem normal difficulty has been made more accessible, which is fine, but new players will be missing something. However these changes were made to hard and Japanese hard as well. Holy crap why did they lower the difficulty of the entire game? Now if I want to play the game as the developers originally intended and how I enjoyed it I need to not install the update, which means playing a buggier version that likes to crash. It’s still an incredibly fun game and I know many will prefer it now but it has really lost something. I liked that it demanded you learn how to play, it was rewarding and the journey to getting better was one of Wanted: Dead’s highlights. I liked that you had to be on your game or get punished. I liked the tension and palm sweats the difficulty and checkpoint system created. I liked that it made you learn to get through strings of encounters rather than just one encounter at a time with heaps of health or checkpoints in between. I want more people to play Wanted: Dead so maybe this is going to be good in the long run but I don’t like that it’s been toned down either, it does negatively impact the experience and there was no reason to change the higher difficulties. Surely there was a better way to get new people on board.

They added player stats so you can track your progress for some trophies. The severance pays trophy has been fixed as well and I unlocked it. I’m never getting that Platinum trophy though because of how damn hard it is to do really well at the mini games, seriously why is the ramen game harder than beating the game on Japanese Hard mode? They also added the ability to toggle in and out of cover with a button press. I’m not a fan of it and changed it back straight away. I want to move around quickly in this game and snapping in and out of cover just feels better.

I’d love to see more improvements and content added to this game like an even harder difficulty that changes up enemy placement, a boss run mode, chapter select and a ranking system. As much as I’m really happy this game got an update, it feels like two steps forward and one step back, when the game needed to be taken four steps forward.

The reviews and how they have almost certainly impacted this game’s sales and how it will be remembered by many (if remembered at all) really sucks. Some of the bad reviews I have read gave me God Hand 3/10 flashbacks, hopefully this game get’s some of the recognition I think it deserves one day. Overall Wanted: Dead is an amazing, addictive game. It’s hard to describe just how good this game feels. I’ve played it 8 times now and have it down to about 2 hours and no deaths, if I’m careful, and I’m still keen on playing it more. It’s just such a special game and I think if I were to review it again now I’d put it in the 8 out of 10 range, which for me makes it a must own and play game.

Added more after another update in April:

I had to go back to Wanted: Dead again after another big update released and this now brings me to ten playthroughs. It’s been further improved but also comes with the cost of difficulty being nerfed even more.

There’s actually quite a long list of changes. First up is an expanded skill tree with some new skills and some changes to previous skills. The biggest changes here are a quick little grenade toss, sliding attack makes enemies drop shields and adrenaline rush, which gives you slow mo after bullet time and you are more powerful during it. On top of this there’s been rebalancing to damage and stun and adrenaline seems to build quicker. The additions are nice but the changes are taking things too far. They simply make you more powerful and make the game easier.

There are additional fixes for bugs and improvements have been made to visuals and performance which is always very welcome but some performance issues still remain. You can now transfer your save from PS4 to PS5 as well.

The Space Runaway minigame has been made easier and one of the trophies for the Ramen minigame has been made easier too.

Wanted: Dead is fantastic and it is wonderful to see the game getting this much attention and improvement I just wish it didn’t come with the cost of lowering the game’s difficulty. It is especially frustrating when a lot these changes could have only been made to Neko and maybe Normal mode while Hard and Japanese Hard could have been left as they were. It is still an incredibly fun game but it has lost some of its edge and the experience has been negatively impacted. Tension is reduced and it no longer has the same good balance between challenging and rewarding. It is highly likely that new players won’t be pushed to learn to play. This means newer players may not discover what this game has to offer and that the rewarding journey of getting better will often be missed. This is really important as one of Wanted: Dead’s strengths is how good it is at making you feel good. It is disappointing that Soleil hasn’t been able make it more accessible without impacting how challenging and rewarding it was.

If you were put off by or dropped Wanted: Dead because of bugs, issues and/or difficulty then now is the time to jump in or jump back in. It is in a better state now (at least on PS5) and is quite a bit easier to play through. You will be missing something due to the easier difficulty of the whole game but I know a lot of people won’t care about this.

Wanted: Dead has become my favourite PS5 game, that isn’t some kind of re-release. I very, very rarely have wanted to come back and replay a game so much or so often since the early PS3 days, which is now around 15 years ago. If gaming is not doing well right now then games like Wanted: Dead is the medicine, even with the all the issues that were present in the game at launch.

I’m kind of surprised there isn’t a bit more discussion around the story, world and characters too but I guess not many people played it. I feel bad about how much I initially glossed over and didn’t think about it. It’s actually really good. This world is really cool, I love the characters and I’m really hoping for a sequel.




STOP READING HERE IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS




It’s a cyber punk, alternate version of our world, set in Hong Kong but with a very international cast of characters. Meat is rare and there seems to be clear separation of the different classes of people. It is about a corporation convincing the public that they have made synths (= working class) but really they haven’t. The corporation literally owns people, has their own security force and seems to have a lot of control over politics and the police. Then there is the whole ending with the reveals and the anime cut scenes. I didn’t expect the game to hit this much and have a story this good after that opening diner cut scene. I was just expecting stylish, irreverent fun. There’s so many interesting deliberate choices as well, like the voice actors, only one karaoke song and it’s 99 Luftballons, Stone’s police car is a Maserati from the early 90s and there is one random Nems song. There’s just too much to list. I have so many questions as well, like how did this game even get made? Why is the technology the way it is in this world? Why are there live action cooking segments? Will Hannah/Emma find peace and/or resolution?

Bayonetta, what a game! It was really refreshing to go back to it after playing Bayonetta 3 last year and being disappointed with it. It’s always really nice to play a videogame that is not just proud of being a videogame and proud of what it is trying to do but also revels in it. I first played Bayonetta back on the PS3 not that long after its release and then went back to it again on the Wii U when the sequel released. So now this PS4 version is my third dive into this game and it’s been a while. Bayonetta in my memory was a brilliant game that I really enjoyed but after just playing it again I found a bunch of little issues that my mind had conveniently forgotten, so that’s where I am going to kick off this review.

‘We wanted to bring a new flavor into the market, and I knew a female lead would accomplish exactly that. It was clear to us that mixing a sexy and amorous female character with an action game setting would produce a masterful spice blend…’ (Kamiya)

First up are the quick time events, these are a bit annoying on both the first play through and subsequent play throughs. They do keep you engaged and involved and are cool moments but the timing window for them is small, they sometimes result in a death if failed and it means anytime they are involved you can’t skip the scene. As a huge Resident Evil 4 fan I don’t hate these but they could have been better implemented. The camera isn’t always your friend but thankfully it’s not very bad and was mostly during exploration that it needed wrestling. Every once in a while the screen might be a little too busy or the enemies might block your view. Then there is the button mashing required for the ‘punish’ and ‘torture attacks.’ It is certainly more visceral and keeps up constant engagement but what about my poor thumb. Similar to this is how a couple of attacks can have Bayonetta stuck or stunned and you need to smack the stick side to side. You also need to do a bunch of hits to open chests. I know they are Umbra resting places so it makes sense but surely one button press could have done. Some of the Alfheim portals are hidden in an annoying way. I was looking up and around for them and checking for breakable walls but didn’t realise some of them appear after a certain level of progress and then require backtracking. I’m not sure how much crafting lollipops adds to the game, they could have been found and are buyable. There are some rare, minor finicky or frustrating bits as well.

‘Bayo is a fashionable girl, and the fact that her clothes are made from her hair suggests that her outfit is a reflection of her own personal fashion sense.’ (Kamiya)

Some of the cut scenes are not fully animated and are instead like slide shows. It would have been great to see every single moment of this game fully done and the inconsistency of what is and isn’t fully animated makes it stick out further. I’m not sure if this was a creative choice or due to time and budget constraints, either way I think it could have been better. Then when it comes to the story it can be told somewhat awkwardly at times, with some cut scenes being a bit info dump-y. It can be predictable too and occasionally things are said that don’t need to be. I guess you’re going to get Fly Me to the Moon stuck in your head as well. I don’t think there is anything else to nitpick and that's what these issues are just nitpicks. Right, that’s all out of the way, now I can start gushing about this game.

‘…did you know she also uses her powers to change the blood spray during battle into rose petals whenever she takes damage? Bayo has strict personal policies regarding beauty, and never lets her standards fall short!’ (Kamiya)

The first thing I’m going to praise is the presentation and style as you’re going to notice this straight away from the cover alone. Bayonetta is an absolutely sumptuous feast for your eyes and ears. The level of detail in this game is so impressive. Like the butterflies coming off Bayonetta, or how her butterfly wings when jumping have that stained glass look, or how the skull roses bloom out of where she steps while in beast mode, or how the patterns on her guns line up. You could spend all day listing these details and still miss things; it’s staggering how much thought went into this game. It is obvious that a lot of love and passion was poured into this. The only things that held back this team was the hardware, time and money, and maybe the higher-ups too, because it clearly wasn’t a lack of talent or enthusiasm. The animation is superb, the environments are wonderful, the spectacle and bosses are impressive, the cut scenes are well directed (even when like slideshows), the sound effects are spot on and that soundtrack; wow, easily one of my all time favourites and so much fun. Bayonetta is simply one the most stylish and best looking games of all time, with music to match. And all of this serves to enhance and intensify Bayonetta’s phenomenal gameplay.

‘We weren’t initially planning for Bayo to take it all off when summoning Gomorrah, but we thought it would be more fun that way...’ (Shimazaki)

The combat found in Bayonetta is not only some of the best in its genre but some of the best you can experience in all of gaming. One of the things I think makes it special is that it can be accessible without really compromising itself (I know easy and very easy are different). Those new to the genre or a general game consumer can enjoy the ride on easy or very easy. For those comfortable with action games normal difficulty provides a great experience. For people looking for a challenge there is hard and infinite climax. For the hack and slash fans the combat is easy to get into but has a high skill ceiling. There is depth and options available to explore so that you can enjoy many replays, while chasing those platinum’s and you can try to look as stylish as possible while doing it. The game plays great straight from the start with a bit of tutorial phase at first. Then you just have access to its wonders. You get a really good variety of combos, wicked weaves, the dodge plus witch time, torture attacks, punish attacks, enemy dropped weapons, guns, bullet climax, double jump, a taunt, your infernal demons and of course the dodge offset that Bayonetta is well known for. But despite Bayonetta starting off better than most games ever get, they didn’t stop there, you get more tools along the way. You get more weapons, techniques, accessories and two beast modes. And to put it simply; it’s unbelievably fantastic. It is fast and engaging, never looks dull and getting better at it makes you feel so good. But it doesn’t matter if you button mash, get mediocre, get good or try to master it. Anyway you choose is going to be fun as hell, entertaining and rewarding. Obviously though, I would recommend trying to sink your teeth into it at least a little. Playing a verse really well, while not getting hit and being rewarded with those pure platinum’s feels so good; it’s a drug that I wish I was skilled enough to earn more often. That’s right all this praise is being heaped on by someone that isn’t even that good at this. Hard mode was a challenge for me and now infinite climax is kicking my arse. Maybe this just reveals that I suck a bit but I think the fact that I keep playing this and find there’s still so much room for improvement shows how impressive this game is.

‘A “barrier wall” like this one is quite common in games of this genre. But Bayo can blow a million of these away with a simple blown kiss. Bayo does not stop to fight the angels because she is trapped, but rather because she wants to lay a smackdown on the uppity angels before tearing down their precious barrier!’ (Kamiya)

When not in combat you’ll be exploring, collecting things along the way, doing some minor environmental puzzles, a tiny bit of platforming, finding Alfheim portals, playing Angel Attack, visiting The Gates of Hell and a couple chapters really change things up. I really like that Bayonetta is a linear game but it also has these sections and things to find in between combat. The rewards that permanently boost your health and magic make going a bit out of your way worth it, you will find extra fights as well and if you care about the story then you’ll want those notes too. The game just has a really good rhythm of battles and bosses broken up by exploration, collectables and visits to the Gates of Hell to upgrade or stock up on items or get new techniques and weapons. Then each chapter is capped off with the laid back, shooting gallery mini game Angel Attack. Bayonetta doesn’t ever let you get bored that’s for sure, even during the end credits. I think the progression, game length and difficulty curve is pretty spot on too.

‘The players who paid attention while playing probably noticed this, but judging from the look of the weapons that Rodin supplies to Bayo, it would appear that Rodin was also the one who crafted the weapons that the angels use. If I ever get the chance, I would love to tell the story of Rodin’s past.’ (Kamiya)

There are a couple of important things I want to point out as well. The first thing is this games obvious arcade influence, which I really like and it is an important part of why this game is so good. Bayonetta is a game that provides a challenge, has a good scoring system, asks that you play it over and over and it’s a game that you can get into that flow state with, like an arcade or rhythm or any decent hack n slash game. Then there are the two chapters that are straight up homage’s to arcade games and these sections are not flaws in the game. They are fun surprises, that I won’t spoil here, that help break up the game and they somehow just work and don’t feel out of place in Bayonetta. The other important thing is about the Alfheim Portals. The challenges found here at first might seem frustrating because of how they limit you. They have to be completed in a certain way and you have a strict time limit and number of hits you can take. At first I was asking why but it doesn’t take long to realise that these challenges are designed to make you better at the game. The limitations within them force you to learn things about the combat, which makes them well worth doing for that alone but you also get rewarded for doing them too.

‘While considering the scenario, I thought that a young and inexperienced male would make for a good pair with a strong, mature woman like Bayo. Being that I am a pure, virginal boy, Luka is like an in-game representation of my own innocent hopes and dreams.’ (Kamiya)

The story and world of Bayonetta is a bit similar to the gameplay in that it allows you to jump in as much as you would like to. Are you going to skip scenes or are you going to pay close attention? Are you going to find every note and read them all? Are you going to read every single weapon, enemy and accessory description or not? The story, lore and attention to detail are there if you want it or you could easily just sit back and enjoy the spectacle. It follows the witch Bayonetta after she awakens from a long slumber with amnesia. So both Bayonetta and the player are in the dark about a lot details for a decent chunk of the game. As things progress you slowly get more info and flashbacks about Umbra Witches, Lumen Sages, angels of Paradiso, what happened between them hundreds of years ago and who Bayonetta is. While I consider it the weakest part of the game, I still think it’s pretty solid and enjoyable, particularly for this genre. Perhaps the way we judge the quality of stories in videogames needs to be thought about differently than other media because of the unique nature of this medium. The story in Bayonetta and many other games is designed to serve the gameplay. They needed a path through and reasons for Bayonetta to fight many angels and battle Jeanne multiple times. When you think about it this way and consider what they were trying to achieve it's pretty good. If you’re really critical of this part of the game I think you need to ask, does it really matter that much when Bayonetta is so relentlessly entertaining, delightfully over the top and continuously inventive in its depiction of action. Let’s not forget about how great these characters are too.

‘In my opinion, an action games story is less important than the situations in which the player has to fight, and the characters they get tangled up with.’ (Kamiya)

The characters in Bayonetta are just so likeable and watchable. Jeanne, Rodin, Luka, Enzo, Cereza and even Balder are so well done. They easily achieved what they were going for with each one. Their designs, personalities, dialogue and mannerisms are on point and somehow every voice actor was the perfect choice and nailed their role. They pair with and play off Bayonetta so well, whether it’s Enzo’s bumbling, comic relief or how Jeanne contrasts with her or how Cereza and Luka pull out another side of her. Rodin says “whata ya’ buyin?” and indicates he played Resident Evil 4, so obviously he is a top shelf character. But Bayonetta, she just outshines them all. Bayonetta is one of the greatest videogame characters of all time and one of the most purely entertaining and charming characters across all media. So much went into her creation and it shows in every aspect and detail. From the way she stands, which varies based on the weapon. To how she activates things and pulls levers. To how the camera frames and tracks her. How her confidence and immense power is blended with her femininity and a cheeky, clever playfulness. How she is so cool, composed and violent but at the same time she still cares deeply for those around her. How she walks, moves and dances thanks to the efforts of the professional dancer Maiko Uchida and everyone involved with motion capture and animation. To her fun dialogue and the irreplaceable performance of Hellena Taylor. To her exquisitely detailed design by Mari Shimazaki, whose ideas, talent and time put in paid off so much. Naturally I have to give credit to Hideki Kamiya for his vision and commitment to getting the best as well, and of course to all those who I haven’t named and who don’t get the same attention – thank you so much for your contributions in bringing this character and game to life, it is truly something special.

‘As expected, the blind higher-ups demanded that we get rid of the glasses. Now, I’m a pacifist by nature, and will avoid confrontation when I can… but compromise and majority votes have kept too many great ideas from the world. I stood my ground, and succeeded in earning glasses for Bayo. My intention is not to create something that won’t be hated; it’s to create something that will be passionately loved.’ (Kamiya)

Playing Bayonetta is like playing one of the greatest games ever made but someone annoying is in the room with you making noise and walking in front of the screen occasionally. Because that’s what Bayonetta is. It is one of the best games ever but it has some niggles and sometimes gets in its own way a little. This was my third visit to Bayonetta and my third time buying it and I would happily do it again. After my first play through this time around I wanted to immediately start again. Then after the second I wanted a third go and then a fourth. How many games can you truly say that about? The first Bayonetta is still the best Bayonetta, go play it, I highly recommend it.

9.5/10

I don’t know why I downloaded this, it doesn’t look like something I would enjoy. I have a backlog full of probably much higher quality games but I spent some time on this. It’s free on PS plus that’s why and I thought, ‘what’s the harm in giving it a go, it might be fun?’

I shouldn’t be supporting games like this, even if I don’t spend money on it and it’s just a free download and some time put in. I wouldn’t even have PS Plus essential if I didn’t need it for online play. Now I have a bunch of games I feel somewhat obligated to try every month so I feel like I’m getting my money’s worth. Thanks Microsoft for making paying for online multiplayer the norm. You got into consoles because you were afraid Sony would take over everyone’s living room. You somehow convinced everyone to pay for online, while dead 360s were being stacked sky high at your doorstep. You abandoned your core audience and took a hard turn into Kinect. Then you had an interesting Xbox One reveal, that required a lot of back tracking and fixing your image. I haven’t played everything but it seems like you mishandled or messed up every successful series you had. You failed at providing healthy competition that would have been beneficial to us consumers. Now you are pushing the all digital/subscription future. Uncle Phil isn’t your buddy looking out for gamers interests he is the CEO of Microsoft Gaming. How is Xbox Game Pass really that different to what they were trying to do back at the Xbox One reveal? They just realised that you need a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down. It’s funny and sad watching people laugh at or criticise the Xbox One reveal and then talk about how good of a deal Game Pass is. People don’t make the best decisions when they think they’ve got a good deal or are getting something for free, myself included. I already wasn’t planning on getting an Xbox Series console and their current direction, plus recent news, has strongly solidified that.

At least it wasn’t all bad. I still have my older Xbox consoles and I have good memories of games like Halo, Project Gotham Racing, Amped, Jet Set Radio Future, Ninja Gaiden, Forza, even Gears of War which I’m not the biggest fan of, and several others. Farewell Xbox…

Oh yeah Foamstars, let’s get back to that, I guess.

Foamstars is like a microwavable frozen meal. It lacks quality and quantity and it’s pretty questionable whether you should actually get it and try it. But sometimes you just don’t have the energy. You want to pull the packaging off something and press a button and just eat something because it gets the job done.

Foamstars is a lazy game you can throw on and not put any effort or much thought into. It’s an online multiplayer game you can play lying down. You don’t need to worry about communication or any of the negatives that come with that. You don’t need to worry about being competitive or not doing well. Don’t worry about skill, strategy, violence or language. Just put your feet up and shoot some bubbles. Sometimes a brainless activity like this can be beneficial. Sometimes you just need a break and there is some fun to be had here.

The monetization though. Wow. When I looked at the cost of things I laughed but then thought about how this game seems targeted at a younger audience and realised this is diabolical. It is like villain level stuff. Imagine making a game that, when you’re not hunting whales, you’re trying to separate children from their allowance, in a greedy, unfair way. Or you’re just relying on parents to not supervise their kids spending. That’s enough about this, don’t worry I won’t go on another tangent.

Apart from those issues Foamstars is so inoffensive that it’s almost offensive. It’s so bland and forgettable. It’s so bright and colourful and over the top but makes you feel nothing at all, except maybe slightly annoyed. But then you find out the characters actually secrete foam from their bodies. Think about that the whole time you’re playing, you’re welcome. I know I’m not the demographic they were going for but there isn’t much to like about the presentation, characters, dialogue and what little story there is. There is unskippable stuff too. But it’s got some quirks and the music isn’t bad.

The gameplay is okay, it’s four versus four, with a few different modes and there’s also a four player co-op mission mode or single player ones too. You have a main gun, two skills and a special and each character has their own set unique to them. None of it is really that good or satisfying to use. You need to foam up the map in your teams colour so you can surf around quicker while also taking on the other team at the same time. You have to keep hitting opponents until they are in a ball of foam, then they can be taken out or revived by a teammate. Obviously it’s not completely devoid of skill and a bit of strategy but there isn’t enough here. I wish you could move a bit more, like a dodge and a double jump would be cool. The missions are pretty bare bones, where you just face waves of enemies and there is a serious lack of variety in the versus modes too. It’s often too visually chaotic and takes too long to get back into matches as well. It is a bit of stress free fun but it isn’t good enough and has no lasting appeal. I had to change the region in the options to consistently get in matches too, so you might want to get in quick if you’re keen on trying this.

Is Foamstars a good use of your available free time/gaming time? No, no it’s not, but also kind of yes because sometimes you just want to chill, although there are most likely better ‘chill’ games available. It’s not a good game but when I’m in the right mood, I don’t mind getting foamed up.

3.9/10

Silent Hill: The Short Message is not just, not what I want from Silent Hill it’s also a bad game. And it’s not just a bad game, it’s also embarrassing. I really hope this is not what we can expect from modern Silent Hill. I also need to ask, do people need to leave this one installed?

I’m going to get the good out of the way first because that won’t take long. It’s free and only around two hours long. The visuals, sound and monster design is pretty great.

That’s it let’s move on to the problems. The writing isn’t good and the performances don’t help. It handles the subject matter poorly. There’s no subtlety or nuance. The main character talks too much and a lot of stuff is delivered through text messages, which is really irritating. This in game phone needed a silent mode or maybe the messages could have just appeared on screen while you continued to play. There are warning/help screens that pop up throughout the game. While I appreciate the sensitivity, it hurts the experience. Perhaps a warning at the start and then this screen at the end would have been enough.

Silent Hill: The Short Message is a horror game with not a lot of atmosphere, no tension and no scares. The gameplay is just slowly walking, looking around the environments and reading documents and your messages. It’s very linear, so exploration is limited and straight forward. There is only one time where you get something that you could maybe call a puzzle. This is all occasionally broken up by awful chase sequences or cutscenes. That’s it, no stealth or hiding or combat. I don’t have a problem with ‘walking sims’ and enjoy them if they excel at what they’re trying to do but this just doesn’t.

Okay it isn’t completely a lost cause. Every now and then you might notice something and go ‘that’s kind of cool.’ There is also one brief section that made me think ‘this section isn’t a bad horror experience.’ But then this game is only two hours long and that still felt like too much, I actually found myself hoping it would end soon a couple of times. There were times when I groaned and one moment that actually made me laugh out loud. It’s also hard not to be cynical and not constantly think you’re just playing through an advertisement they were hoping the streamers would play.

Look, I know it is free, but what the hell is this? I guess it’s just a test, so hopefully they get what they need and we don’t see something like this again. At least they proved they still know how to do visuals, sound and monster design. I don’t know, maybe I’m out of touch and too cynical. Despite this being free and two hours it is hard to recommend. But I would still say give it a go, at least to quench your curiosity.

2.9/10

Silent Hill: The Short Message combined with the recent trailer we got for the Silent Hill 2 Remake has only increased my fears for that remake and the future of this series. Oh well, at least we have really good quality remasters of the classic games everyone knows and loves… wait, oh no. Not to worry, anyone interested in those games can go grab a used copy. Let me just go check the prices of a PS2 Silent Hill game on Ebay… for fuck's sake. At least this series is at the point where they can no longer do any further harm.

Evil West is just simply a fun game that comes from the developers of the recent Shadow Warrior trilogy. It has been on my radar since it launched but thanks to PS Plus Essential it jumped up my list and after playing it I’d like to grab a physical copy. It’s a western/horror beat ‘em up with guns and it feels like something from the 360/PS3 era, in a good way.

Evil West is set during the 1800s in an alternate universe where the American frontier needs to be protected from a supernatural threat. That’s where the Rentier Institute comes in. This organisation and their agents fight against vampires and their familiars. You play as one of these agents, Jesse Rentier. The humans are doing quite well thanks to the advancing technology and one vampire sees this as a threat to the continued existence of his kind, so he declares war. From here shit obviously hits the fan and let’s just says you’ve got a lot of monsters to kill. The world and lore of Evil West is surprisingly really cool. There is easily potential here for a prequel or sequel. The story and characters are enjoyable in a B horror movie way and it mostly moves along at a good pace, with some detours. The dialogue is fun with performances well suited to the characters and the type of game this is. There are also collectables along the way that flesh things out a bit more.

The presentation is spot on for this type of game. The cutscenes are in widescreen, with film grain and a slightly worn out look to suit the old western and horror movie style. I think they should have gone further though and carried this through more into during the gameplay too. The locations and the variety of the locations are just fantastic. There’s so many different ‘western’ locations here from rail yards, to towns, swamps, sawmills, mountains, mining areas and oil fields, with many places pushed beyond the norm into something hellish. Each location has its own distinct personality while still fitting perfectly into this world. I love all the details too, like the spiders and webs and the bats and the huge full moon filling the sky. The characters and monsters look very good too. They’ve done such a good job with this games look and with how well they blended the horror, sci-fi and western elements together. Unfortunately though the more you venture into this game the more cracks appear. Technical problems and a lack of polish here and there bring things down a bit. The worst thing I encountered was a boss that completely disappeared from the stage we were fighting in, giving me no choice but to restart the fight.

One thing that looked off to me at first was the glowing chains that signify that this is something to interact with. But not long after I realised they fit in just fine as Evil West is such a game-y game. It’s broken into chapters, each one being a narrow linear path that regularly opens to larger circles, so you always know when a fight is coming. It even has a couple of mine cart rides. There are things to find just around the corner or by looking up or around. Usually it is chests or boxes that burst into a shower of shiny coins that are used for upgrades. The upgrades and perks are very straight forward but progression is constant and satisfying with the game constantly throwing new things at you. By the end you’ll be an electrically charged powerhouse, with a ridiculous arsenal, which you use to tear apart the enemies in gory, messy style. It’s absolutely a game-y game and it is kind of glorious but also formulaic and would be too monotonous if it wasn’t so good at putting a smile on your face.

One of the reasons for that smile on your face is going to be the combat. It’s an over the shoulder, third person shooter blended with a beat ‘em up. You get a couple of main guns for precise shooting, grenades and a revolver you unload from the hip, a shotgun as well for quick, close, heavy damage and a couple more fun surprises. The melee part is punch combos, launching uppercuts and slams. You get a cool electric gauntlet that lets you stun and pull yourself to enemies or pull the stunned enemies to you. For defence you have a block, a kick that interrupts and a quick evade that if pressed twice you will fully roll away. There are a couple of special things you can do too that I won’t give away. It works, and works really well for the most part. You’ll be zipping around, punching faces and blasting away as you try to manage the bloodthirsty creatures all around you. But this sea of blood, carnage and fun does trip up and fall short in some ways.

Evil West shares the same problem as God of War (2018), which is a close over the shoulder camera limiting your view, with enemies, attacks and ranged enemies all around, at least Evil West is more fun than God of War though. Evil West handles this issue with on screen indicators and sounds but you will still find yourself getting smacked by attacks coming from off screen every now and then and it might even lead to a death here and there. This issue compounds with another problem which is just how busy the screen can get, resulting in obscured action. As you can probably guess there’s a bit of frustration to be had with the combination of these problems. The difficulty actually kind of helps fix this but is also another fault. The game is just too easy on normal, things don’t get going until towards the end and you can easily not die for most of the game. Playing the game on Evil difficulty, new game plus felt like the sweet spot, once you get past a simple start. During this second play through I had all the tools and previous experience but it kept the tension up. I was on my toes and punished for mistakes. Frustration did kick in a bit towards the end of my Evil difficulty play through and it highlighted the combats flaws. Some other things you may encounter is getting a bit stuck between the enemies and environment, the electric pull not working smoothly, things not feeling as snappy and responsive as you would like and there is not an enormous amount of depth to it all. However I had far more fun than troubles with the combat.

Evil West is a good time that feels like an older game with some modern benefits. I enjoyed going through the game twice and would’ve gone for the Platinum Trophy if there was a quick, simple way to replay the bosses. If you’re not a fan of things that are a bit silly, over the top and violent then clearly give this a miss. But if you are a fan of this or can at least tolerate it then Evil West is easily worth a play through maybe even two.

7.7/10

The Finals is a free to play game and it comes with a lot of what you would expect from that. It is a work in progress that doesn’t have enough content. It has a battle pass and overpriced, mostly cringey cosmetic items that often clash with the rest of the games look. It’s slow to progress and expects too much of your time. Despite all that I like this and think it has the potential to do really well.

Normally I’m not a big fan of these games and often don’t even try them. So I almost passed on The Finals but I’m glad I didn’t. The Finals nails the core basic stuff. Moving and shooting just feels good. The movement is quick and fluid with slides and conveniently placed jump pads, ladders and zip lines. It’s so important to the gameplay especially because of how vertical this game is, which I really enjoy. But it’s not completely perfect and you will have the occasional bit of awkwardness. Gunplay works really well with quality animations and sounds. They found a really good spot with shooting. It’s fast and arcade-y but you still need to have decent aim and deal with recoil. There’s also a decent variety of guns and gadgets and some melee weapons too. Changing your loadout and class really impacts how you play. The time to kill feels spot on and allows time for quick thinking and strategy instead of just reflexes and/or who spotted who first. The developers clearly know fun and first person shooters.

Then there’s the destruction. Not only is it just cool but it is an essential part of the gameplay. Being able to just blow holes in floors, roofs, walls or just bring down the whole structure, in an objective based game, just changes everything with how it opens up options for attacking and defending. I will never get tired of blowing a hole in the ceiling and having the objective drop down in front of me, suddenly rendering most of the defences set up by the other team almost useless. Added to all of this is the ability to make goo walls and set things like mines, sentry guns and barriers. There are also different things in the environment you can throw, like goo canisters, explosives and flower pots that are handily located. It’s important to play as a team too. Working together when attacking or defending is vital and so is reviving and healing if possible. All the different elements of The Finals just feel well thought out and work really well together. It makes for such dynamic, emergent gameplay.

I don’t like the presentation as much as the gameplay unfortunately. The maps, weapons and gadgets are mostly fine and of course the destruction is excellent but I’m not a fan of everything else. I don’t like the TV show, virtual combat style they have gone with. The announcers are horribly annoying. But if you turn them off the game feels weirdly quiet, so I settled on just turning them down a bit. The music doesn’t help here either. There is a lot of cringey, over the top cosmetic stuff that has become common now. But for the most part the game looks kind of bland.

The Finals works really well despite the chaos and destruction taking place but I’ve still encountered some issues. It’s crashed on me and gotten stuck on the joining game screen multiple times. Sometimes destruction will look awkward and I’ve spotted floating debris every now and then. There have been times when I haven’t been able to revive a team mate without moving them first. The spawns can be awful, like spawning right near opponents and getting shot straight away and spawning on the other side of the map to where the action and objective is. There needs to be more maps and modes ASAP. More weapons and gadgets will need to come too. Being able to unlock new weapons, gadgets and cosmetic options is way too slow. Everything just needs more time and work and they will need to do some balancing as well. At least monetization is okay I guess, for now. The cosmetics are way overpriced but at least they are only bought with real money while the weapons and gadgets are earned through playing. It also doesn’t take up an enormous amount of space like some other games.

The Finals has a great recipe for a game and a solid foundation. If only it wasn’t a free to play, work in progress. But I guess this is where we are now. The market is over saturated and already has well established games so the only way you can get people to try your game is if you give it to them for free. It is a shame because by the time this game reaches its peak potential I will already be gone. The game hasn’t been around long and I’m already losing interest. That’s if it even manages to survive and doesn’t get ruined along the way as well. Maybe I’ll give this one a break and then come back. The Finals would have been so much better as a full priced, highly polished, content rich, finished game though. I’m stuck between ‘I can’t complain too much as I am getting some pretty fun, good quality online first person shooter gameplay for nothing except my time and data’ and ‘this free to play, always online, digital only, microtransaction riddled, second job level of investment, games as a service bullshit is ruining videogames.’ I’m definitely leaning more towards the second one but I can’t deny the quality here or the fun I’ve been having. If you like multiplayer first person shooters then this is an easy recommendation, give it a try but expect what comes with a game like this.

6.8/10 (for now)

Onimusha: Warlords is a game I have been interested in playing for a very long time. I may have been interested in playing this game longer than some people reading this have been alive. So I finally got around to playing it and god damn it I should have played this sooner. Onimusha: Warlords is a short dose of greatness straight out of the golden era of gaming. 2001 just keeps on giving.

Onimusha: Warlords borrows a lot from the survival horror games of the time. It has tank controls, pre rendered backgrounds, fixed camera angles, puzzles, a bit of back tracking and using items to unlock your way through the game. But instead of being a survival horror it uses these elements to make an action game. So you could kind of say it falls somewhere between Resident Evil and Devil May Cry. However it doesn’t have as well designed locations and puzzles as the best survival horror and the action isn’t on the same level as a Devil May Cry or Ninja Gaiden.

First of all I want to address the controls. There is the option to use the stick but don’t do that. Use the direction buttons that controls like this were made for, it’s just better. I know there are probably plenty of people that will see fixed camera angles and tank controls and say things like ‘outdated’ or ‘slow and clunky’ or ‘needs modernising.’ To these people, please take a small amount of time and effort to learn to play it. Games should not have to bend to your comfort zone, low effort and taste. It shows a lack of understanding for how things like specific input methods, restrictions or limitations can create amazing gameplay experiences. Videogames were more interesting when we didn’t have standardised controls and it allowed for more unique experiences. The controls in Onimusha: Warlords are excellent. After a brief time getting comfortable with it you will find yourself running smoothly through the environments and weaving your way past enemies without getting touched. Then when you use R1 to lock onto enemies the controls change. Now the directions do quick forward/back/side steps. Perfect for dodging attacks, creating space or closing the distance. It works really well and you’ll be dancing with these demons in no time.

The combat is a bit on the simple side but it's satisfying and I didn’t tire of it across multiple play throughs. Combined with the controls I just explained you use a sword for basic combos and there is a block, thrust, kick, ground stab and upward slash. You can also perform counters if you attack or block at just the right time. The other attacks you have are magic which is great for tough enemies or dealing with groups but it does run out. Finally you have your ranged weapons, the first one being a bow, which is great for the floating enemies or just attacking from a safer distance. At first I found weapon swapping to be annoying as you can’t do it while attacking or moving but then I remembered this is an old game and you just pause to use the menu to instantly swap equipment or use items. Occasionally you’ll switch to another character which while similar to control is geared more towards evading enemies as they can flip over their heads and they don’t have an incentive to kill enemies.

There are also some other interesting things going on that I liked. First there is the risk/reward constantly in combat. The enemies drop souls when they die which is your currency for upgrades, or health and magic depending on the colour. They float around for a while before disappearing and you need to absorb them. This means stopping and being defenceless during battle or just letting them go but obviously you really need them. Then there is health. Herbs fill some health but medicine works way better. But upgrading an herb to medicine costs souls you need for upgrades. Some upgrades are actually required to unlock some doors as well. Once you are good enough you can actually play through the game without using any health items and without upgrading many things. Despite progression appearing simple and straight forward they found a way to make it interesting and give you more challenges on further play throughs once you’re more skilled. Speaking of further play throughs, I love the way this game progresses. You fumble your way through the first time and then get better and better and faster too with each play through. Then there is also an unlockable mini game, Oni Spirits, and another difficulty unlocked after that.

Onimusha: Warlords is set in 1500s Japan but with horror and demons, so of course it looks cool. It’s also one of the strongest looking early PS2 games and as far as I can tell they’ve done a good job with this remaster. It has great looking backgrounds, characters and enemies and the atmosphere is superb. I have to give a shout out to the CGI cutscenes as well, these would have blown me away back then and are clearly a bit ahead of their time. You play as a samurai, Samanosuke, and a ninja, Kaede, working together to defeat some demons and rescue a princess from becoming a sacrifice because her blood will make Nobunaga, who has an agreement with the demons, much more powerful. It is a solid enough story, with good characters, that is really well paced. It’s fleshed out further by reading the documents found throughout the game. The voice actors do a great job and the soundtrack is good too. I played in Japanese as that just felt right but the English has its own charm as well. By far the biggest problem here is that most cutscenes are not skippable. This is a huge sin in a highly replayable game and could even harm a single first play through if you die too often. I don’t have a problem with the cutscenes but I didn’t need to see them this often and it was frustrating.

Onimusha’s biggest problem though is the length. There is just not enough here. Your first playthrough will likely be less than six hours possibly even less than five. Then further playthroughs will probably be three or under. It feels like a short, small game much more so than the Resident Evil’s of this time. Onimusha: Warlords really needed more everything; more locations, more weapons, more puzzles, more enemies, more documents, more items, more upgrades and more unlockables. I think a couple of hours longer would have been the sweet spot but at least it’s really replayable and it is fun to blast through in one sitting. It is a bit of a shame because Onimusha: Warlords isn’t that far off of standing alongside the GOATs. If only there was more to it, skippable cutscenes and more impressively designed locations and puzzles.

I’m so glad we got this remaster and I hope to see the next Onimusha game get the same. How has this series not been fully revived, remastered and remade? Onimusha: Warlords may not quite be one of the all time greats but it’s still fantastic and not far off. Let me make things really simple. I am off to order an original copy of Onimusha: Warlords and the sequel, Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny, which I am really looking forward to. If this game looks appealing to you I would recommend you do the same.

8.7/10

I’m not going to write out a long review for this one but I have to stop and say, holy crap this is a good beat ‘em up. Seriously Fight’N Rage is fantastic.

Fight’N Rage nails the old school look it is going for while still having a bit of its own style. It’s smooth, polished and has a bunch of visual options like scanlines, CRT TV mode and different colour styles. It has great art, animations, and good enemy and environment variety. The soundtrack is really fun and goes well with the visuals and gameplay. The gameplay just hits the sweet spot. It is challenging but never feels unfair or cheap. It is easy to pick up and start playing but difficult to master. I think this game made me a better beat ‘em up player and it has sparked a greater interest in this genre. It’s just fun and so replayable and there is so much content here. There’s plenty to unlock, different modes and multiple endings.

I think the main drawback for me is that it’s slightly too long. I wish a run through was a shorter blast but honestly that’s probably mostly a skill issue on my end. Yeah, that’s possibly the biggest problem with the game, I kind of suck at it. But I’m getting there and it’s been rewarding to improve. Some other minor issues are that the bosses could have been a bit better, there’s some unnecessary repetition and occasionally there’s too much going on which obscures the action a bit. You could find fault with the story too I guess but that’s not why you play this.

Fight’N Rage was made by one guy, with another person doing music and I think a handful of testers and it’s really impressive. I haven’t ventured too far into beat ‘em ups but this has to be one of the best. If you like fun and a challenge go buy this, easy recommendation.

8.8/10

When you look around and see the reviews and scores at 5 or worse for Scars Above you have to ask, do smaller games and smaller developers have any chance? Scars Above is a lower budget game and it does have things we’ve seen a bunch of times before but it’s fun, well made, does enough to differentiate itself and is at a lower price point.

One of the first things that stand out to me about Scars Above is the atmosphere and world. I would honestly describe it as Metroid Prime-ish. The environments look great, feel alien and are populated with some good looking creatures. Unfortunately not everything about the way Scars Above looks is that great. Animations could be better and characters don’t look particularly good. It gets worse when watching them talk. They lack expression and it looks like what they are saying doesn’t match up with their face. It’s not the end of the world though and mostly it’s a very good looking game, maybe it just falls short in some areas because of the smaller budget and team.

Scars Above is about a group of scientists getting mysteriously transported to a hostile alien world. It’s a pretty enjoyable story that had no problem holding my interest throughout and I think sci-fi fans will enjoy it. It has a great main character, Kate, who is brought to life very well by Erin Yvette. Kate is a capable, likable scientist who has no problem stepping up into the hero role. She is constantly curious and analytical but still has plenty of compassion which ties into what the story is about. I think it was just refreshing to play as a scientist and the approach it brings to many areas of the game is too. Unfortunately outside Kate and Naya the rest of the cast is very forgettable.

The gameplay is very likable too. It’s a third person shooter but actually feels more like a mostly ranged action game. There’s no cover so you’ll find yourself sprinting around shooting enemies, using gadgets, dodging and maybe sneaking in some melee hits. There is a stamina bar to consider while doing this and your resources are on the more limited side. The really cool thing about combat is using elements and the right combinations of them to fight efficiently. Your guns are fire, electric, ice and toxic and these can be combined together on their own and with things like water, rain and ice in the environment. Enemies have weak spots as well which are vulnerable to a particular element. There is a small variety of gadgets like a shield and gravity trap too. It’s really fun and keeps you on your toes as you frantically move about dodge rolling incoming attacks, prioritising targets, using the right combination of gadgets and elements and healing when needed. It’s just a shame they didn’t push things even further. I’d love to see a follow up to this game that builds upon what’s here. The biggest flaw for me was the difficulty. The game starts off with this promise of a good challenge but once you get comfortable and Kate gets more gear and skills it falls off a bit and death becomes a lot rarer. It’s not too bad and there is enjoyment it getting powerful but it’s enough to consider putting the difficulty up.

Outside combat you’ll be exploring, investigating and solving some puzzles. The world is linear but often loops back on itself, creating a short cut and it has some small side paths to check out. The checkpoint/recover points also respawn enemies in the area, so it is slightly souls-ish but there’s no recovering anything from where you died. The experience in Scars Above is called knowledge and is earned by scanning things and picking up little knowledge cubes. This builds up to earn ability points which are used to unlock new skills. There are weapon upgrades to look out for as well. Investigating is similar to what you have probably seen in other games and has you clicking and scanning stuff to figure what happened or get answers. I am not usually the biggest fan of this but I didn’t mind it here. The puzzles are a bit basic but at least they don’t feel hand-holdy. As you can see Kate being a scientist is carried across most aspects of the game and it is done well. As a whole the game does a great job of being consistent through its story, main character and gameplay.

Something that Scars Above also does well is pacing and progression. It is on the shorter side and has you pushing through at a good pace, except for a section right before the end when it does slow for a bit while you complete three tasks. I kept feeling like I was constantly getting something whether it was an ability point or more story or a weapon upgrade or a new enemy. The other fantastic thing is it doesn’t waste your time. Scars Above is not open world, it’s not full of padding, and it doesn’t run too long, there are no lackluster side quests, no pointless collectables and no microtransactions. God damn, this is a beautiful thing which more games should learn from.

Scars Above is like a PS3 era game and I mean that as both a wonderful compliment and a bit of a criticism. It does look lower budget or a bit dated and even feels like it a bit too. But it doesn’t mess around and isn’t full of bloat. It’s just fun, plays well, works well, has great atmosphere and tells a decent story. It is interesting because it can come off as unoriginal but it feels so refreshing at the same time. The developer Mad Head Games is another one to keep an eye on. Scars Above is at a lower price point and would be fairly reduced by now too, so I would recommend not hesitating to pick it up if it has you interested at all.

7.7/10

I’m glad Valkyria Chronicles is back, I didn’t think Valkyria Chronicles 4 was actually going to happen, it’s still great despite having some flaws and not evolving much from the first game.

The first thing I want to write about is the look of this game. I loved this style back on the PS3 and I still love it now. It’s like a hand painted, water colour story book come to life, which is mixed with an anime/manga style. It’s charming, timeless, colourful and full of personality. This style is carried through into every part of the game; from the UI to the little sound effect words that pop up during gameplay. It perfectly suits the games fantasy World War 2 setting. The environments and characters look excellent too but it’s a shame a lot of characters and enemies don’t get a unique look or at least some variation. The weapons and tanks got plenty of attention and look great as well. The game could use more varied animations and in general the gameplay needs work to look smoother. A lot of the game is presented in a stilted way with only some moments getting fully animated scenes. I also had this weird issue at times during gameplay where things would pause for a second during a turn change or after I selected an action which just added to the overall stilted feeling of the game. So I would sum up the look of the game as cosy and beautiful but stiff and at times a bit awkward.

When it comes to gameplay Valkyria Chronicles 4 is a good strategy RPG. You run your characters and tanks around small maps and then stop to take actions against the enemies or heal. But you need to be careful as the enemies will fire upon you if you are in range. Of course your side will do the same during the enemy turn too. So positioning your characters is vital to ensure both good offence and defence. There is cover to crouch behind and grass to hide in. You can take advantage of the environment and your own tanks. You have a small variety of classes at your disposal with their own purpose and strengths and weaknesses. Figuring out what to do and in what order to do it is satisfying. You have limited movement, actions per turn, health, some ammo types and range. Some units can command and bring another unit with them. Characters get benefits if they fight alongside other characters they like and you can also give out orders for buffs or other benefits. On the whole there is a decent amount to be considering each turn and when picking your team. It’s really enjoyable when it all comes together and rewarding when your plans work out. Even when you are careless and things go wrong trying to plan your way out of your own mistakes is fun too. The game does a thorough job of teaching you how to play and there is plenty of post game content as well.

As much as I do enjoy the combat it does have some issues and it just doesn’t feel like much of a step up from the first game. I wish the maps were bigger with more epic battles and more units. A lot of the battles have like a gimmick or specific way they should be played which got a bit annoying. I would have liked more open battles with a lot of freedom in how to tackle it. Don’t get me wrong though there is usually still a good amount of freedom within these ‘gimmick’ battles. The other thing is jank/awkwardness. Your characters will often get stuck running at cover for a moment before jumping it. Characters also can’t move through small spaces even if they look plenty big enough. So for example if you put your tank near a wall but leave a gap, you need to make sure it’s a really big gap for characters to fit through. It looks awful and is very frustrating when you try to move a character through a space that appears big enough but you just get stuck. There are awkward times when aiming too. Sometimes bits of the environment will be in the way even when you don’t think it will be when positioning your character and what makes it worse is that occasionally enemy fire will pass through and hit when you thought it was safe.

Outside of the main battles you’ll find yourself watching the story and side stories, visiting the headquarters and doing skirmishes. The way the story is played is in little chunks. So you have to keep clicking on the next bit to watch which means seeing more loading screens and wasting time. But I guess that also means you are never stuck in long bits of story. The headquarters is where you organise and upgrade your squad and equipment. You upgrade classes and get new orders with experience and buy upgrades to uniforms, tanks, weapons, etc. with currency. It is a bit simple and has you hearing the same dialogue over and over. It would have been cool if it was like a hub you could walk around in and hang out with the squad. In the headquarters you will also find a wealth of information to keep you up with the story, terms, weapons, world and characters and how to play as well. Not much really needs to be said about skirmishes; they are side battles to test your skills and get more experience and money.

So how is the story? Well it’s not too bad. I enjoyed the journey and there were many good moments but is has its problems. There are times when it feels like there is needless padding. It’s a bit too contrived and Squad E has some ridiculous luck too often. I lost count of how many times they were saved by the weather. It is a bit predictable too and has an underwhelming ending, even when you put in the extra effort for the true ending. Despite the visuals it’s still about war and has no problem going into darker themes but doesn’t do a whole lot with it. I didn’t have an issue with the goofiness or tone changes and actually think that’s part of the games charm. The characters do a lot of the lifting here and they are a diverse, fun bunch to spend time with. Each character, even the side characters, gets just enough development to push them past merely being the stereotypes they start off as. This ties back into the gameplay as well. The characters potentials and preferences change after using them and going through their stories which makes them better. It would have been great to see this pushed even further. The voice actors do a great job and the soundtrack is good but many tracks are repeated a bit too much. The major bad guys are a bit of a letdown though. When comes to story and characters I prefer the first game but this isn’t a bad time.

Valkyria Chronicles 4 is a solid, enjoyable game, that is easily worth playing and it is fantastic to see this series continue. However this isn’t much of a step forward from the original PS3 game and I still prefer that original too. It feels like there’s so much untapped potential here. Valkyria Chronicles could be a top shelf series if given a bigger push, bigger budget, more polish and a bolder story. I’m hopeful it continues and I am keen to see a Valkyria Chronicles 5. I would recommend Valkyria Chronicles 4 to everyone that played any of the previous games and enjoyed them but you’ve probably already played this. So to everyone new to Valkyria Chronicles I would recommend getting the remaster of the original first but you could jump into this one if you like without a problem.

8.1/10

So I went out to my local videogame retailer and they didn’t have it. Then I walked around to the next one and they didn’t have it too. I checked online and I couldn’t order it either. I found out its digital only. Fucking gross, I threw up a bit in my mouth and went home empty handed. At least I got some exercise and had a nice coffee while I was out. It is a shame because this game looks like it might be pretty cool and is getting a positive response. But for now my copy of the first Alan Wake remains lonely.




Haha, seriously though this game should not be digital only and I lost all interest in this game back when they announced this. The push to digital is being done for the benefit of corporations not us consumers. They are trying to screw you. This is about profits and control. Letting corporations control the media/entertainment/culture/art we enjoy and when, where, how you play/access it and how much it costs doesn’t seem wise. Digital is already bad enough but is anyone at all concerned that digital is just a stepping stone to streaming/subscription only where you don’t even get a digital copy?

Remedy stating that this will help keep the price down, the market has shifted to digital and it is more convenient is a load of crap and sounds disgusting coming from them. The price on the Australian Playstation store for a PS5 version is $90.95 and the deluxe edition is $120.95. I bought big games like RE4 and Elden Ring day one physically for $89. I could then get a big chunk of that money back if I sell it after playing. So because the market has changed the remaining consumers get screwed or forgotten. Is turning your back on the passionate consumers that care enough to buy a physical copy of your game a good long term strategy, especially when they are willing to pay more to get that physical copy? The positives of having a physical copy far outweigh any convenience of digital and a physical copy comes with its own set of conveniences. I’ve never had a problem with games needing more than one disc if that would be required in this case. They also said going all digital would give them more time for polish but the game still launched with a bunch of reported issues. It was also delayed slightly. Doesn’t this game have some kind of high requirements for PC too?

So the same old crap only now without the benefits and option of a physical copy. It comes across as treating your customers with disdain and shows a lack of confidence in your product.

I’m still looking forward to playing Alan Wake 2 one day if they release a physical copy or when it is put on PS Plus essential or when it is available digitally for like $15 or less.

This is all I have in the face of the digital tsunami - this shitty little ‘review’ and not buying it. So I guess I have basically nothing but complaining quietly while something I have loved for decades dies slowly in front of me with a sliver of hope that people will realise the significance of what’s being lost.

(This was a knee jerk reaction to remembering this game came out. It was meant as a crap joke followed with a serious message but I may have botched it. I thought writing a silly joke review would be a good way to open before getting into my thoughts on the digital only release. The idea I had was for a joke review of the experience of trying to buy a physical copy (that doesn’t exist). The other idea I had was to write a joke review of the experience of watching a streamer or Youtuber play through. I quickly realised there is no way to do this without it coming off as a cringe-y review bomb. I may lack writing talent and didn’t put much time or thought into it so that didn’t help as well. I removed anything relating to a score and rating and cut down the joke review but still left a bit at the top. Maybe this still belongs somewhere more discussion centered rather than a place for reviews. Anyway, hopefully I haven't undermined the point that the digital only release is shit too much).