Post Human W.A.R. - PC Review

Before getting into anything gameplay specific, the concept behind this turned based strategy is a good one. While maybe not being the most original as most science fiction has us blowing up the planet or ourselves in one fashion or another, Post Human W.A.R is all about the creatures and the robots that we left behind after we died out. The ensuing turf war? It's good.

So basically the Human race is toast. We are long gone having left our machines and an interesting parasitic creature behind. Wanting to keep things as they were, the Robots fight to keep what used to be Humanity’s stuff in order while indiscriminately removing everything in their way. In an interesting spin on things, the parasitic creatures split into two factions. The first that is kinder of heart and just wants to be left the hell alone decided to co-exist with the remaining primates. The other however will take control of just about anything in order to wipe everything off of the face of the planet. Apparently just because we left didn’t mean that our tendencies did. The poor planet.

After running through a brief tutorial that also acts as an introduction to the available factions, what you do from there is up to you. Do you move into the single player campaigns for each faction or do you take your newfound knowledge online against other players? Choice is completely up to you though I was glad to see that there were no restrictions from one or the other because you hadn’t progressed far enough.

From the outset, Post Human W.A.R can seem like it’s just another strategy versus into the long running sets that have been around for a while. The formula would also indicate this as gameplay plays out in a your turn, their turn, your turn until there is only one side left standing. Where things start to get interesting is that each faction has to promote a unit as their leader and if they die? Then that’s game even if the rest of your forces are more than capable of continuing.

This one factor alone can change how you decide to play out your moves. Did they move their leader unit up pretending that the unit in the back is the leader because it’s safe? Or did they leave their leader unit all the way back there because of that reason, that it should be safe. You never really know until you’ve defeated it unless of course you taunt your enemy in the best way possible. Essentially saying “Come at me bro” you can unveil your lead unit for a boost to their performance. The downside is that your opponent may simply decide to try to bypass your forces to take them out all the faster.

Also an added boost is that each faction has a lot of units to choose from to cover any number of situations that you could find yourself within. Did the set you chose last match not quite work out? Try another variation. Each unit has a cost against your total amount so as long as you stay within that margin you’re good to go. Not everything will work against everything as each faction has their own particular strengths on top of having a crazy amount of choice for your forces. This honestly keeps things interesting!

Finally, while it may not be the grandest of things, I was extremely impressed with how smooth the experience flows. Unlike a lot of titles where you move one unit, then the next, then the next, you can just move them all at about the same time and then worry about their actions later. While one unit is moving another can be selected to do the same which saves on a lot of time and even the CPU can do the same. It’s a small thing in the grand scheme of things but it’s a bit feature when you think of how much time it can save.

Post Human W.A.R is a great strategy title that has a lot going for it. Putting strategies into place can take some time as you need to worry about how to keep your leader unit alive while also maximizing their use in order to achieve victory. With the amount of choice that each of the three factions provides, single player campaigns and multiplayer, there’s a good deal of content just waiting to be explored.

Game Information

Platform:
PC
Developer(s):

Studio Chahut

Publisher(s):

Playdius
Plug In Digital

Genre(s):
Turn Based Strategy
Mode(s):
Single Player
Multiplayer
Other Platform(s):
N/A

Source:
Provided by Publisher

Article by Pierre-Yves

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Brawl - Switch Review

Bomberman has seen its up and downs over the years, but the overall formula is still a popular one with a lot of players. Brawl seeks to capitalize on a lot of the same gameplay elements while adding a horror aesthetic. All in all, it is a competently made game, but not one that does enough to make it a more compelling play than the games that clearly inspired it.

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Seven: The Days Long Gone - PC Review

Some jobs are just too crazy to attempt but what kind of thief would you be though if you didn't jump on the chance for even more notoriety? Teriel is one of these thieves and while the job itself was pulled off without a hitch, something didn't quite go according to plan. Now stuck with a spirit being inside of his mechanical retina he's got a whole new set of problems to deal with.

Seven: The Days Long Gone is an action adventure stealth based parkouring RPG. While it sounds like there are a lot of styles thrown into the mixer, it comes together smoothly. Whether you are crawling around in order to avoid the gaze of the guards, an unsuspecting pickpocket victim or simply running full tilt and jumping from one roof to the next because you can’t be bothered with the streets below, the controls are responsive leaving anything that could go wrong up to human error.

Now while you can either sneak around or run full tilt like something is chasing you, in which certain cases this will be the point, the name of the game is to not be seen and sometimes that means acting like a normal person. Seven with all of the features that allow you to either be a super stealthy thief or a parkour extraordinaire. I know it sounds boring but while it can be it’s a necessity as you’ll need to blend into the crowds to properly scope out various areas as well as talk with the locals and pick up sidequests.

When you’re done acting like a normal person things get more intense and the true test of your skills come into play. There’s no real “one-way” to do things often enough leaving you various options on how you wish to proceed. Do you talk with random people and bribe your way in? Do you sneak over to the door and pick the lock? Or do you scale the building and find a window to slide into saving you the chance of breaking one of your picks? All are up to you and each is just as viable the next. Having no one option was great because it meant you could be inventive and go about the adventure in your own way if something wasn’t working out according to plan.

The stealth options are great though what really impressed me were the options to parkour your way through the environments. Throwing stealth to the wind, Teriel can easily run around and jump from one platform to the next or pull himself up if he caught the ledge. The mechanics are smooth and helps separate Seven from the other top down isometric styles which keep players firmly planted on the ground. Knowing what was above or below was always important especially when running away from someone who spotted you stealing from them!

I love a good stealth-a-thon but what I need alongside that is the option to simply “go to town.” Plans are all well and good but we all know that sometimes you simply need to get your hands dirty and Teriel is very well equipped for the job. Daggers, swords, staves alongside various armour pieces that will sometimes make you question if it’s worth looking like a dork for your defense stat are more than available for the right price.

Fighting off would be defenders of personal belonging or guards because they didn’t appreciate you running on the rooftops leads to a lot of fun. Combat, like everything else, is all in real time with dodging mechanics to help avoid incoming blows. There’s a solid system behind this though it should be expected to see the game over screen a few times as enemies are tough. Seven is designed that you can either walk and talk your way through or find a way to sneak around. That said, the fact that a well designed combat system is in place to support you was great to see as it leaves the final choice of what kind of thief you are to you.

With how well designed everything is there is one shortcoming that could get it in the way and that is load times. Dying is easy especially in the early stages with city guards being so freaking powerful to your almost nothing on hand. Ran and miss-timmed your jump? Numerous ways to die are out there and sadly the load times especially on repeated deaths while trying something out could wear on the patience a bit because of how long they took.

Overall Seven: The Days Long Gone is a great experience. With many different approaches for you to decide on what kind of thief you want Teriel to be, there’s plenty to do and plenty of ways to do it.

Game Information

Platform:
PC
Developer(s):

IMGN.PRO
Fool's Theory

Publisher(s):
IMGN.PRO
Genre(s):
Action
Adventure
RPG
Mode(s):
Single Player
Other Platform(s):
N/A

Source:
Provided by Publisher

Article by Pierre-Yves

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Jaggy's Corner! - Saturday January 27

Good day peeps!

Today I thought I'd give you guys insight into LAN events through personal experience. Every year there are tons of events across the eSports scene and there are some things to know. Having been to a couple different events, I decided to give our lovely readers some thoughts.

First, be smart and plan ahead. This is important because I know how costly it can be otherwise. My first trip to an event was actually covered by a friend, out of the goodness of their heart. They covered almost everything. I had to get my butt to Toronto and cover my own food but the ticket cost and hotel were covered. I think I had a whopping $200 to spend for the weekend, and I wouldn't trade that experience for the world.

Toronto opened the doors into real eSports, a place where players could meet their online friends. This event gave me the chance to relax and cheer for pro players that I had been watching for a long time. I also had the chance to meet some of them.

I'll never forget that first day. I saw Kwame "Temp0" Mensah with his long armed hat (this is an actual thing. Editor's note: something like this!) I immediately arose from my seat and ran towards him, giving him a flying hug. He turned and saw me yelling "Temp00000000000000000000000000" and he was like "Oh shit it's Jag!" as he braced for impact. Not only did that moment kick off the whole event for me, because he's a pro player, the legendary Lee "JaeDong" JaeDong walked by and bro hugged Temp0. Within minutes of being there, I was a few feet from a pro player I idolize.

This is what you want out of an event like this. You want to meet the pros. You want to meet other fans. You want to have a fun time not worrying about the boring 'life stuff'. The people you meet online are actually people! Who knew?

Be prepared to cover hotel or bunk with people. Make sure you budget enough for the event. Make sure you book the time off if you are working...

Second, make sure you have a passport in good standing. Don't go waiting til the next event is announced before you start the process. Passports take a while depending on where you live and you don't want to be paying a bunch more to expedite.

Keep in mind, while events tend to be expensive, they are great for networking. If you want to get into esports, events are great for networking or volunteering.

After Toronto, I made it a priority to attend Dreamhack in Montreal. I met a ton of indie developers, and made some connections in other eSports. It was this event where I decided to make esports my career. Wouldn't you know it, a month or two after that event I was given the opportunity to write for my first games website. This is why you want to make it to any kind of high end event.

Third, don't be afraid to talk to people when you go to these events. Take a leap of faith. Nothing exciting will happen if you don't take one step out of your comfort zone. Don't aspire to talk to everyone, aspire to talk to a couple of people. You never know who you're going to meet as a result.

Dreamhack Montreal in the following year I attended under a media pass and it was glorious. While again, I didn't have much cash to spend while there, I met more wonderful people, surprised a shoutcaster with my best friend for his birthday, and braved an autograph from Sasha "Scarlett" Hostyn.

I know that as gamers we tend to be socially recluse, but this is our community. These are the people we spend hours online watching. Why not meet some of your friends in person for a weekend where the rest of the world doesn't matter?

Remember, things like RLCS happens every year. If you intend on going, even without knowing the details or location, start planning now.

Otherwise, you'll miss fun moments like this gif:

Article by Susan N.

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Legends Of Iona RPG - PC Review

Legends of Iona is a dungeon crawling RPG that brought me back to the nostalgic age of 1997 before we had to worry about maybe losing our save data to the terrifying Y2K bug. Spoilers: We didn’t. With old schooled graphics and clunky controls, this witty adventure will have you testing your history, geography and coding knowledge while also laying an old fashioned smack down on your foes!

I’ll be honest that the controls even with a mouse and keyboard felt clunky and very old schooled in their thought process. Your movement and your camera use the same inputs and it can take a while in order to get the hang of it. While full controller support is there, the camera issue is more evident especially as the movement and viewing controls are on the same thumbstick. Once you get used to it, it becomes less evident though I would have preferred something a bit smoother in that department as even the menus use the right controller stick as a substitute for the mouse in which I often opted to do while in the menus.

Once you’ve settled into the controls, Legends of Iona has some solid ideas behind its gameplay. Having fallen down a well so deep that even Lassie wouldn’t be able to help, our “hero” Zaak has no other choice than to take up a sword and shield and start answering some multiple choice questions. When did you sign up for a test? Technically you didn’t but the devs went ahead and registered for you!

The combat mechanics are pretty standard with the ability to hit or to block your enemies attacks. Through the use of an RPG leveling system your character can become more powerful allowing him to deal more damage or take more depending on your needs before finding better equipment to help out the descent through the dungeon. The system is simple but in a good way as it allows the rest of the components to shine, and as stated by the devs themselves, allows Legends of Iona to be aimed at a more general audience.

Still worried about that previously mentioned test? You should be. In addition to attacking and defending against your foes, you’ll have to answer random multiple choice questions that can give you a bonus in battle. Get the questions right, a cheery ding will let you know that you’ve properly answered the question. Get it wrong? Well that will provide a not so happy sound. The brilliant part of these questions isn’t just that they give you a bonus in battle, but that there’s also a lot to learn in various knowledge categories. While I didn’t do too badly in the coding section I can tell you that I got a bunch of the history questions wrong. Better yet? The answers aren’t always in the same place so you do have to check your answer choices before submitting them. Someone didn’t want people getting complacent!

The floors that you’ll be going through are fairly hefty and interesting in their own rights. The designs get a change up, the layout styles and enemy types provide new challenges and thankfully if you bite the dust, there’s always the last “checkpoint” that was crossed with only your pride left in tatters. In order to keep you occupied, or help you level up faster, each floor will have quests that can be tackled which shows off Legends of Iona’s other shining feature. It’s dialog.

Legends of Iona does not take itself seriously and the dialog supports this with cheeky dialog between Zaak and the other residents of this underground world. I mean seriously, who in their right mind starts to build a city after falling down that far for all the others that will eventually also fall down? On the bright side this was in Zaak’s favor as he has a place to buy new equipment and stock up on food to heal himself up while defeating hordes of monsters that lay between him and his way back to the surface… several floors down? Let’s be honest that if they had built an elevator back up there would have been no adventure. So ridiculous side quests and adventuring it is!

If you’ve been looking for a fun and easy going RPG adventure there’s plenty of that to be found within Legends of Iona. While the controls could use a little bit of work, the rest is a shining example of a title in which the loves that the devs had for it shines right through especially considering that they even went to put in multiple choice questions about the development and the engines that they used! I look forward to what comes next.

Game Information

Platform:
PC
Developer(s):
Studio Desgraff
Publisher(s):
Studio Desgraff
Genre(s):
Action
Adventure
RPG
Mode(s):
Single Player
Other Platform(s):
N/A

Source:
Provided by Publisher

Article by Pierre-Yves

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Dark Angel - Retro Reflection

In the good old day there was a game genre called "beat'em up". I am not referring to Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat; I am talking about games where you confronted gangs of thugs with your bare fists, like Final Fight or Double Dragon. Although action games have ruled for years this particular genre is practically dead now. I don't know why, maybe companies thought it had no more potential or did not try to modernize it. Dark Angel was an attempt to create something new with an old formula and captured my attention.

The game is based on a television series (2000-2002) which was co-directed by James Cameron and starred lovely Jessica Alba. The story takes place in the near future, when a terrorist attack has struck America, changing the life of its civilians forever. The protagonist is a woman "created" by a company named Manticore to be the ultimate soldier, along with other genetically enhanced persons. As a kid she escaped from the camp where she was trained and her life afterwards is a constant struggle to avoid being captured, discover her true identity and find the kids she was raised with.

Dark Angel assumes that the player is familiar with the show since characters appear out of nowhere and you are supposed to care for them although the game does not show who they are or why they mean a lot to each other. The action starts with Max, the heroine, trying to reach her apartment while hostile soldiers patrol the city streets. A friend of hers, Logan, gives her directions through electronic communication. Cut-scenes reveal that he also tries to rouse people against a company named I-Corporation, which practically governs America; that's how him and Max, who detests oppression, connected to each other.

The crux of the action is fighting and moving undetected and the basic structure of a mission is the following: Logan tells you what you must do, you read your objectives and begin. The purpose is to reach the end of the stage but to go there you must overcome obstacles such as locked doors. Usually, if you beat the security in an area the last enemy carries an object you need, e.g. an explosive device. There are no checkpoints and you save only at the end of a level, however the stages are linear and short. In addition, your health is replenished when you complete a level and if Max is defeated by a boss she restarts before the boss with full health. So, Dark Angel is not unfriendly to the player, although it does not lack challenge.

The game begins as a beat'em up and it is enjoyable to punch, kick or grapple generic foes mercilessly. Striking many guys simultaneously is satisfying, with Max being able to handle anything thanks to her speed and variety of moves. There are several combos but I preferred the long, simple ones (five punches or four kicks in a row). I loved how the last hit knocks foes down, sending them flying to all directions! This also gives you the chance to change your position and avoid being surrounded. Max cannot use weapons except for some sticks she finds in a few stages; nevertheless, she has a valuable ability that compensates for that: while she fights a meter is filled and when it is full she can enter rage mode, thus making her attacks much stronger. Entire groups of mercenaries are humiliated in seconds when Max is enraged, teaching them not to anger a woman with cat DNA inside her body! So, the beat'em up action is solid. Sure, you fight the same guys with the same moves but this is expected in beat'em ups. What matters is to give players the tools necessary to destroy the opposition and do it in an enjoyable way; Dark Angel delivers in this domain.

Enemies are normal humans and appear in small groups. You confront guys with machine guns, who should be eliminated first, bald, muscular dudes who slam you on the ground and elite soldiers who counter attack after they have been knocked down. A few combos are enough to deal with them, there are almost no cheap hits and damage you sustain is reasonable. As a result, battles are intense but fair. Bosses are enhanced humans like Max and they are defeated without much of a problem if you understand their attack pattern.

Soon, stealth is mixed into the action: Max can sneak behind someone and snap his neck, wait behind a wall or other tall object (standing or crouching) and kill an enemy as he appears at the corner or climb on an horizontal beam, wait for a soldier to walk below and break his neck with her legs (this technique, however, is used very rarely). If a soldier is not alone you may create a noise distraction to lure him to your position, by whistling (!), jumping or activating a radio (every type of noise has a different radius). In fact, noise distractions are the safest way to dispose of a guard: as soon as he comes to investigate, leave your place, hide nearby and wait for him to complete his search (you can watch him safely without being seen by rotating the camera or by hugging the wall and leaning from a corner). When he has found nothing and returns to his initial position creep behind him and take him out. It took me longer than necessary to discover this method, nevertheless it is very useful.

Initially, stealth is just a way to kill someone fast but gradually it becomes necessary. In some stages, if Max is spotted reinforcements arrive and she must defeat them within a tight time limit which ranges from difficult to near impossible. Later, she must not be seen at all or she loses immediately; I guess soldiers have acquired the medusa gaze. I retried a mission more than twenty times either because a soldier happened to look at Max's direction when she killed him or a searchlight touched her hair or for other reasons. I also had to deal with the fact that Max cannot climb on anything, so even the tiniest obstacle forces her to move around. Nonetheless, if you understand how guards react and make good use of the radar at the lower right of the screen (it shows how close an enemy is and whether he is searching for you) your chances of survival are increased significantly.

To aid you in your quest health packs and stun darts are scattered around. Some of them are hidden behind corners or even on high platforms, so a little search is required. The fact that resources are carried from one stage to the other adds a tactical element to the action, forcing you to be more careful. Stun darts become crucial in the later stages since they eliminate anyone safely from a distance (guards don't sound the alarm if they see someone be hit by a dart, they will only search in the vicinity instead, which is silly but convenient for the player). I finished the game with more than 30 health packs and only 3 darts, which shows their importance.

In relation to the graphics, I like how the scenery keeps changing, from decadent neighborhoods to Max's apartment building, a long bridge, the deck of a ship, a lab, a train station and finally the I-Corporation headquarters. The color palette contributes to the atmosphere, e.g. brown and yellow prevail in the docks. Max looks pretty, moves swiftly and changes clothes accordingly. I also love how her hands and legs glow when she strikes, making her attacks more impressive. Enemies are repeated but they are properly designed.

The music is forgettable, except for the piece played during the main menu screen. The sound effects when you punch and kick are good and the sound that indicates enemies approaching raises tension. The voices of Max and Logan, offered by the show's stars, add to the experience although they could have been more emotional. When the heroine defeats a group of enemies she often says something "smart" (like, "you should go to the gym more often") that helps to create a personality for her.

Dark Angel offered me a unique experience; I liked the beat'em up action right from the start but the stealth element changed the game's identity and it took me some time to adapt. Sure, it is satisfying to learn the layout of a stage, decide how to eliminate every guard efficiently and execute your plan perfectly, however the "instant death" aspect is annoying. Perhaps it was a way to make the game last longer or have more variety but I would have preferred more missions instead. Despite that, I completed Max's quest and felt well doing it. Afterwards I discovered there are some nice extras in the DVD, such as interviews with the stars and director of the series, samples from the novel "Before the dawn", which I found exciting, and photos of Jessica Alba. In total, as an original combination of different gameplay styles, Dark Angel mostly succeeded.

Game Information

Platform:
Sony PlayStation 2
Developer(s):
Radical Entertainment
Publisher(s):
Sierra Entertainment
Genre(s):
Beat 'Em Up
Mode(s):
Single Player
Other Platform(s):
Microsoft Xbox

Source:
Purchased

Article by Dimitris

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Legrand Legacy: Tale of the Fatebounds - PC Review

Quality “old schooled” RPGs are becoming fewer and farther between as the more open world and “immersive” styles take over. Semisoft’s kickstarted Legrand Legacy: Tale of the Fatebound is a nod to that previous level of quality which should make fans of the late PS2 / early PS3 era feel right at home alongside those of Mistwalker’s Lost Odyssey.

Legrand Legacy is the tale of Finn who, while yes cliche, starts off with no memories before a certain point. Having been used as a gladiator slave and full of scars, something awakens and he is beaten half to death by those that bet of the sure win of his latest fight. Being saved with his freedom paid for, Finn sets off with his new “master” into a world that he doesn’t know as a bodyguard and no longer enslaved to anyone.

What I appreciated from this while being cliche beginning of lost memories is that Finn doesn’t whine about it. It is what it is as he had bigger issues on hand such as trying to stay alive to supper another day. Freed and setting off across an apparent dangerous quest it doesn’t take long for things to become interesting as you start finding out more about this world’s lore.

From a design perspective, Legrand Legacy plays out like an old schooled JRPG with that classic third person isometric view. The landscapes have details which make the environments feel like people have gone through them instead of another empty field with no reason to walk through it. This can be seen in the skeletal remains that can be found which contain collectibles such as healing potions. The other thing that makes these places feel inhabited are the monster shadows hovering around letting you know that you really aren’t alone out there.

Combat is the make or break of any lengthily RPG. If you can simply clock and spam “ok” what’s the point? This is where fans of Lost Odyssey will find plenty to love as the combat system is a take on its as in order to properly land or defend against a blow you have to hit the sweet spot on the attack or defense trigger. This really means that you can’t simply clock out mentally as if you do you’re as a good as dead. Monsters really don’t hold their punches back even early game.

Not simply copying what has already been done, Semisoft took things even further with the attack and defense trigger. The sweet spot is not always in the same place and nor is it always the same button to be pressed. You really have to pay attention to it and if you’re defending? Then it moves in the opposite direction. Haven’t defended in a while? It’s likely to catch you off guard as I often forgot it moved that way short of a boss battle where it’s almost necessary to have someone constantly defending as the better you do, the more damage that is reflected.

Adding to the above is that while there is a front and back row to position characters, their positions matter. This isn’t new but it adds onto the rest of the systems and adds an extra layer to the strategy as a long ranged attacker should always be set behind a front liner as it provides extra defense both because they are less of a target and because they take less damage as they are harder to hit.

In terms of playing everything out, once the choices are made all attacks are done simultaneously with everyone involved moving across the field of battle. Getting perfect on the attack triggers could interrupt an opponent, they could interrupt a spell, it’s really anyone’s game as everything plays out. It’s also nice to see those animations as they are done quickly and add to the immersiveness as you can see why something did or did not work as well as you had hoped.

Even without the nostalgia behind it, Legrand Legacy: Tale of the Fatebound is a solid RPG experience that is focused on the telling of a tale instead of a giant open world begging to be explored. With well written dialog, interesting characters and world lore there’s plenty to love especially if you’ve been looking for that older schooled approach.

Game Information

Platform:
PC
Developer(s):
SEMISOFT
Publisher(s):
Another Indie
Mayflower Entertainment [KR]
Genre(s):
RPG
Mode(s):
Single Player
Other Platform(s):
Next Year:
Sony PlayStation 4
Microsoft Xbox One

Source:
Provided by Publisher

Article by Pierre-Yves

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Mutant Football League - XB1 Review

Mutant Football League is crass, silly and stupid fun - but the emphasis there is on fun. More often than not, I enjoyed my time with the game, even though it is light years behind the Madden series on a technical level. So if you are strictly here for the football gameplay, you will probably be disappointed. However, if are more interested in announcers who swear and players who explode, Mutant Football League should be just what you're looking for.

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Fallen Legion+ - PC Review

With Richard now having reviewed the original two entries of Fallen Legion: Sins of an Empire on the PS4 and Fallen Legion: Flames of Rebellion on both the Vita and the PS4, it was my turn on the PC version that combined the two into a single title. With the options to either ignite the flames of rebellion or tackle the sins set ahead of you, I found myself often undecided as to how I felt about the adventures and the package as a whole.

In case you have not read Richard's reviews, Fallen Legion feels a lot like a more real time Grand Kingdom with the elements that make Valkyrie Profile and Exist Archive: The Other Side of the Sky tick. With your chosen protagonist as the magic user, they will ruthlessly use up to three summoned spirits as meat shields in order to do their bidding. Each of these spirits will have different skills, specialties and speeds in which their actions replenish themselves as you charge across the stage clearing out all those that stand before you.

What perhaps bothered me the most about these spirits, regardless of which storyline you played, was that as they “become more powerful” they really don't. As the adventure moves on, spirits regain more of who they once were changing in both appearance and stats and generally for less attack damage. This means as things get tougher, you now have LESS overall attack power for possibly more defense. I personally would have liked to keep the glass cannon approach because battling against some foes like mages / wizards felt like I was fighting losing battles against the hulk. Magic users should never have been that tough lasting longer than the armored forces that protect them.

While I enjoyed the concepts behind Fallen Legion I'll be honest that I enjoyed the gameplay at the beginning and at the end where things felt balanced. In the middle there was always something that just didn't click and more often than not you're spending more time hitting the defense button cutting off your own attacks than actually attacking and dispatching your foes. This starts to become long after some time and as there's no actual experience in order to level up and possibly leverage things in your favour, you often wonder what's the point with multiple battle stages in a row.

When it comes to the story I appreciate what YummyYummuTummy tried to do but it just didn't work for me. Little bits of dialog are spread between the beginning and ending of a stage as well as segments in town. Outside of these tidbits the biggest part of the story actually happens while running through the battle stages in which you have to make big decisions on a ticking clock. Each of these decisions will change certain outcomes such as who your forces align with, if you executed traitors or if you used infected as a form of weapon instead of quanentining them.

While each of these choices have meaning they also have bonuses for your forces such as more damage, higher blocking rates or items to use. What doesn't work with these however is that while you're making choices that can raise or lower your empires moral, you never really get to see the overall impact as it's quickly done and then that's it, move onto the next field in the overall story's path and kill everyone else that still stands in your way. I would have liked more overall narrative instead of split second decisions that don't really look like they did anything short of the immediate bonuses to your characters on the field.

Overall both titles of Sins of an Empire and Flames of Rebellion aren't bad titles. They run very well, they are great to look at and the soundtracks are a pleasure to listen to. I just wished that there had been more class customization or that the story would unfold in a more meaningful manner. With plenty of battling to do, an un-evolving system gets stale especially when you spend more time defending than actually fighting the foes that stand in your way.

Game Information

Platform:
PC
Developer(s):
YummyYummyTummy
Publisher(s):
YummyYummyTummy
Genre(s):
RPG
Mode(s):
Single Player
Other Platform(s):
Both: Sony PlayStation 4
Flames of Rebellion: Sony PlayStation Vita

Source:
Provided by Publisher

Article by Pierre-Yves

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Sunday Bites - Towards the Pantheon

Towards the Pantheon is an Indie RPG currently in development from Connor Linning slated to release sometime later this year. I had originally spotted it through Twitter and from there I found a prequel available on Steam subtitled as Escaping Eternity. Here is your next Sunday Bites!

Story

Escaping Eternity sets itself up as a prequel to the main events of Towards the Pantheon. Something horrible has happened to the world and one man after making it through multiple trials aims to go back in time to somehow give things another try to fix it. How that fits to the events of the main title remains to be seen but he's a main part of the adventure and I look forward to how one bridges into the next.

Gameplay

The gameplay provided was interesting. Given almost no instructions you set out exploring your surroundings. Basically inside of some run down and falling apart building, you soon find more locked doors than you know what to do with as the keys are nowhere in sight. The problem solving to obtain these keys can be found through looking around carefully and inspecting everything even if that means looking through blood soaked rooms and rotting contents of barrels. If this level of problem solving can be found in the main event then I believe that players are in for a treat!

Music

The music and the sound effects just add layers upon layers of creepy. Already visually dark and gloomy because of the setting the audio just sells it that this is not a friendly place. Silent at first you soon come to dread the haunting music that follows.

Other

Let no one, NO ONE, ever say that 2D Sprite like creations cannot do creepy. Dear anything you believe in. I jumped several times and from nothing more than a quick glimpse of something. Very well done. The opening disclaimer warned of both mature aspects that were darker in nature and it didn't disappoint.

Combat

Combat wasn't a feature displayed in the prequel. Instead it focused more on the mystery and problem solving surrounding our warrior as he explores the broken down and locked areas that he finds himself within.

Final Thoughts

Towards the Pantheon: Escaping Eternity shows off a well crafted scenario that didn't need anything like combat in order to sell it. With the established premise now in my hands, I'm looking quite forward to the rest of the experience. Now we just need to wait for it!

Game Information

Platform:
PC
Developer(s):
Connor O.R.T. Linning
Publisher(s):
Connor O.R.T. Linning
Genre(s):
RPG
Mode(s):
Single Player
Other Platform(s):
N/A

Source:
Steam Demo

Article by Pierre-Yves

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Nine Parchments - Switch Review

After watching a quick video or two of Nine Parchments I instantly grabbed the review copy for some single player action on the Switch that I was desperately looking for. Coming in later, the multiplayer action was more fun than I could of hoped for. Spending at least a good 20 hours of playing the game in single player and roughly the same in multiplayer, there was more than enough time to experiment with the unique items and spells trying to figure out which would suit my tastes. Taking my time exploring through the beautiful scenery I am happy to share my thoughts on this co-op twin-stick magic based shooter. So here is my Nine Parchments review on the Nintendo Switch from Frozenbyte.

This game takes place in the world of the Trine series, it tells us a story of a group of failure students of the Astral Academy who, as a final chance to bring up their grades, set out on a quest to retrieve the nine pages of a powerful spell book that was scattered all over the land. With all sorts of useful and intricate magic's "wit" and customizable characters each with their own personalized list of spells we are thrown into a new world on an adventure into dangerous wilds. The game world itself carries many of the beautiful colors and design that made the Trine series so amazing and it works well here in this setting as well, offering a beautiful and interesting experience for all players either alone or with up to three additional people.

The Combat is like all twin-stick shooters. The Single player combat feels smooth and seamless; there is nothing preventing you from dodging out of the incoming Armageddon of doom while throwing your own spells and explosions that take up half the screen. Multiplayer adds a much more frustrating experience as your spells can and will hurt/kill/stun lock your friends if miss fired or simply bounce off of targets into your direction.

This was painfully challenging when first playing with my lightning happy brother, communication got us through the rough times. But there's only so much someone can do when lightning would ricochet across the map and kill me without warning. The screen is shared between all players meaning that if 2 people are in opposite corners it limits the amount of room in the player field to avoid incoming attacks. Eventually we managed to somewhat work as a team and learn to avoid each other's bouncing attacks.

Something amazingly well done is the difference between the single player and multiplayer experience. Single player was a great, I enjoyed a lot, it was me against them and I have to make sure I had all types of magic's to counter the enemies being thrown at me will all types of resistances and immunities. But alone the game became to feel a bit repetitive. However, when my brother and I played together caution and wits went out the window and random doom rained across the battle field making your instincts to dodge work over time adding a new and interesting challenge to the game. Also specializing in few types of magic and grabbing several of the same was not the worst idea as long as both players didn't always grab the same types. There is also the ability to chain multiple beams from several players and enemies into 1 bigger beam to annihilate all the enemies.

Storyline in Nine Parchments is pretty straightforward, each level offering experience points to be spent on a passive skill tree as you level up, with the ability to unlock different skill routes as you further play the game and do its achievements. As you progress through the levels you will be rewarded with scrolls that allow you to learn new spells (up to 8 total) that is added to your active spells list. New characters are through extra accomplishment or trials in game, challenging achievements to unlock extra costumes and colors for each character also give you replay value and multiplayer value, as some quests can only be done with the help of others.

Nine Parchments is great twin-stick, Action RPG with amazing multiplayer. As a single player title, it feels lacking after several levels due to repetitive value but that feeling instantly disappears with a bit of multiplayer spiciness. As a switch title, this one out performed my expectations for the price listed and, definitely worth giving it a shot.

Game Information

Platform:
Nintendo Switch
Developer(s):
Frozenbyte
Publisher(s):
Frozenbyte
Genre(s):
Action
Adventure
Mode(s):
Single Player
Multiplayer
Other Platform(s):
Sony PlayStation 4
Microsoft Xbox One
PC

Source:
Provided by Publisher

Article by Marc L.

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Immortal Redneck Strafes to PS4, Xbox One on Feb. 27, Nintendo Switch Q1 2018

I think that it's fair to say that we like crazy around here. So on that subject, check out the trailer for Immortal Redneck which we will be bringing to you sometime soon!

 

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MADRID - Jan. 16, 2017 - Immortal Redneck, the Egyptian-themed first-person shooter with roguelike elements, will rocket onto Xbox One and PlayStation 4 with PlayStation 4 Pro-enhanced graphics and framerate on Feb. 27, 2018. A Nintendo Switch version is also planned for a Q1 2018 release.

When our titular Redneck wrecks his dune buggy in the sun-bleached sands of Egypt, he wakes to find himself mummified. Now he's got a hankerin' to find out who wrapped him up, and old-school arcade first-person shooting, a healthy arsenal, and the blessings of ancient gods are the only boons on his quest.

The Redneck's answers lie in the Great Pyramids of Giza. These ancient wonders are protected by an army of monsters that can send our hillbilly back to the grave and restructure the pyramids' labyrinthine halls. Players can attempt to uncover the secrets of the pyramids through the standard mode, or try to best their own personal record in the Infinite Tower mode, where endless floors await.
The Redneck will have to frantically blast, circle strafe, and bunny-hop around Egyptian warriors and sarcophagi, and he's going to have fun doing it. Except for when he dies...again. And again. But a silly little thing like death is not the end in Immortal Redneck. With the power of resurrection, gold earned in one life can be used to unlock permanent upgrades from a persistent skill tree, such as health and damage bonuses, or new favors from the gods.

With more than 50 weapons to find, ranging from traditional to futuristic and fantastical, no run plays quite like the next. Each attempt is further shaken up by over 100 Scroll Modifiers that enemies drop that can help or harm in various degrees. Players might find a Metamorphosis Scroll with a chance to turn opponents into chickens, or the Sorry, Not Sorry scroll that swaps out all weapons for random new ones.

Each of the nine favors from the gods provides the Redneck with different starting weapons and abilities. Seth, the God of Storms, begins with a Taser Sword, Tesla Coil, and Electric Flamethrower, which allow him to throw electric balls as his active ability. Neith, the Goddess of Hunting, can send a falcon to attack her enemies while also using a Sniper Rifle and Tranquilizer Gun. It doesn't hurt to have a god on your side when mummies need a beating.

"Immortal Redneck has been a wonderful success on Steam and we look forward to bringing the fun to consoles," said Guillermo Andrades, Co-Founder, Crema. "Look out for our fusion of classic FPS and roguelike when it hits PS4 and Xbox next February, with the Nintendo Switch port following closely behind."

Article by Pierre-Yves

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The Walking Dead - The Complete Collection - XB1 Review

The Walking Dead Collection is a complete gathering of the entire Walking Dead games; included in the package are Seasons 1 through 3, The Walking Dead - Michonne, and The Waking Dead: 400 Days. Rather than being just a collection though, The Collection includes updated visuals so it looks far cleaner and more vivid on modern televisions and consoles (PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X). Unfortunately though, the biggest issue with the series has not been addressed, and that is the poor performance of the engine… For those, like me, that did not have a complete collection of the five seasons (three primary, two mini/secondary seasons), this is a fantastic collection but it does not offer enough to justify the purchase if you already own the individual seasons.

In all honesty I myself have been so "zombied out" that I have stayed away from nearly every title I can think of that has been focused on the notorious shambling dead. While zombies themselves have been a large part of pop culture for the past 50 years, entering into the forefront of moviegoer's minds in 1968 with the late George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead," they have, in recent years have been forcefully thrust into the faces of gamers everywhere. From Halo to Call Of Duty, there were few, AAA shooters that were seemingly devoid of the damned things.

Telltale decided to take a different approach in 2012 by creating something of a choose your own adventure-drama, and releasing it as "Telltale's The Walking Dead." Even then, I managed to stay completely away from the franchise with my own exposure to it being only that of a spectator as I watched my brother play the first few episodes of Season 1 back around the time Episode 4 released. Since then I have not played, or shown any real interest in the series, so when this collection came along, the good folks at Telltale graciously provided Chalgyr's Game Room with a key for The Collection on Xbox One, I decided to try to set aside my general weariness surrounding zombies, and give it a try.

In one aspect I am thrilled that I did; Telltale's The Walking Dead is an excellent franchise and the first two seasons can be incredibly gut-wrenching though the third is good too, but the first two really stuck with me. On the other hand, it is still zombies; I am so freaking tired of zombies. Seriously, we need to get back to vampires, mutants, aliens, and corrupt corporations/governments…

The updated visuals are very nice and are an added bonus for the collector or new player, however the longstanding issue of performance still exists; at times my framerates would drop near 10-12 frames, others it stayed fairly constant in the low 20's. The biggest issue I ran into though, was dying due. During the loading screen that appears when you reload due to death, the game would start in the background while the loading screen still appears, and since the game loads to the same scene you were on (e.g. a scene where you are trying to stop a zombie from biting your face), you would have even less time to prevent the zombie from making a meal out of your sensitive parts. I found that reloading the episode and starting it from scratch to be a less frustrating move than constantly reloading the death scene. Beyond that though, the audio is great, visuals vibrant, and story are all incredibly captivating, which makes the performance all the more shameful as it is immersion-breaking.

For new users and old veterans of the franchise alike The Walking Dead Collection: The Telltale Series is an excellent, if steeply priced for owners of the individual seasons, investment. If only the performance had been a key factor in the collection, then this would be a must-by; unfortunately that is not the case and therefore the only real reason that I would see someone pick this up, would be for those rare few like me that have not played the series at all. Performance notwithstanding though, the Collection is an excellent choose-your-own-adventure-drama that everyone should experience at least once.

Game Information

Platform:
Microsoft Xbox One
Developer(s):
Telltale Games
Publisher(s):
Telltale Games
Genre(s):
Visual Novel
Mode(s):
Single Player
Other Platform(s):
Sony PlayStation 4
PC

Source:Provided by Publisher

Article by Robert

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