Starship Troopers is one of those franchises that you either love or hate, but I personally love it. Some people cannot get enough of the cheesy one-liners and commentaries on the military-industrial complex, while others just see it as schlocky sci-fi and nothing more. Despite this, it’s a name that has stood the test of time. As a massive fan of the original film, I was incredibly excited when I received a review copy of Starship Troopers: Extermination. Finally, a chance to live out my dream of slaughtering endless bugs with my buddies. Of course, there have been plenty of Starship Troopers games that tried to capture the magic and failed, so will this one be different? Let’s find out. Come on You Apes, You Wanna Live (Game) Forever? Starship Troopers: Extermination will no doubt be compared to Helldivers 2, which in and of itself gave off major Starship Troopers vibes. Let’s clear the air immediately: these two games are different and can indeed co-exist. As someone who hasn’t played much Helldivers 2, I won’t be directly comparing the two, but suffice to say, each one brings unique elements to the humans versus bug war. Starship Troopers: Extermination offers both a single player campaign and an online live service multiplayer that supports up to 16 players at once depending on the mode. Let’s start with that campaign. The first chunk of it launched with the game, and during the mission briefings, you get to hear new dialogue voiced by Johnny Rico himself, Casper Van Dien. That’s, unfortunately, the best part of the campaign. While a “chapter 2” of the campaign is coming via a free update later on, the single player missions you get out of the box feel like less than an afterthought. They play out in repetitive environments, with minimal context, and basically have you perform standalone objectives that you’d find in the multiplayer. You do get an AI squad in single-player, but they don’t say or do much. It all just feels like a glorified tutorial, and with how short the missions are, it doesn’t feel like you’re really completing a story. I played the first few missions, hoping it would open up or change in some interesting way, but it’s just the same standalone objectives and a lot of underground caves in the beginning. Certain missions in the campaign can feel harrowing as groups of enemies swarm, but even these numbers pale in comparison to what you’ll see in the multiplayer. I can’t imagine the Chapter 2 update to the campaign will be any better, but I sincerely hope they have some unique mission types in store, because right now I could not recommend buying this game for the single player portion, it’s not worth the entry price on its own. Single player woes aside (though I am still happy they got Casper Van Dien), most people will know Starship Troopers: Extermination for its multiplayer. This is truly where the game shines, and while it has … Read More
To the Moon Review – You’re Going to Cry, I Guarantee It
I’ve played To the Moon thrice since it was originally released on PC in 2011, and I’ve cried every time. It’s funny enough at different parts, but suffice it to say, this game should come with tissues or something because it will tear at your heartstrings. Now that it’s on PS5, I completed a third playthrough of this new port for the first time in years. To the Moon is one of the most impactful video games I’ve ever played, but does it hold up after so many years and multiple generators of heart-wrenching titles? Let’s find out. An All-Time Classic Makes its Way to PS5 To the Moon is a simple game that can be finished in a few hours. It’s also $10, which I think is more than fair for the emotional trauma it will be providing you. The game uses a pixel art style, but don’t let that fool you. It stars two doctors, Eva Rosalene and Neil Watts, who work for Sigmund Corp. This company has revolutionary technology that allows them to create artificial memories. Still, since these memories can conflict with existing ones, they only work on patients on their deathbeds. Think of it as a final wish fulfillment service, and you’ll be on the right track. The game begins as the two doctors arrive at the home of their latest client, a man named Johnny, who has little time left. You soon discover that Johnny’s final wish is to go to the moon, but it’s unclear why initially. You’ll spend some time getting to known Johnny’s caretaker and her kids before finally donning VR helmets that allow the doctors to dive into Johnny’s memories. This is where the vast majority of the game takes place. For story reasons, you’ll move backward from the present and experience Johnny’s memories in leaps from one time period to the next. As the story is the most significant part of the experience here, I won’t say anything more about the details, but I will explain how it made me feel. To the Moon’s story explores themes of grief, desperation, regret, and the complexities of love. It elegantly balances the occasional joke with moments of deep character development or shocking developments. These moments help you better understand Johnny, his wife River, and the doctors. The game could have easily become an emotional anchor, dragging you down into depression. Still, it manages to toe the line by injecting the occasional joke from Dr. Watts, who serves as the primary comedic role. By the end, you’ll feel like you’ve known Johnny and River for years. Exploring their life together, seeing their highest and lowest moments, it’s enough to really feel attached. Johnny and River’s love story is beautiful. Still, like any real-life love story, it’s also filled with times of hardship and tragedy, and it’s laced with a complexity that showcases how deep and effective the writing is throughout the entire story. After so many years apart from my first playthrough, … Read More
Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse Remastered Review – The Pinnacle of the Freelance Police
Over the last several weeks, I have been experiencing the excellent Sam & Max Remasters from Skunkape Games. As a massive Telltale fan, it has been incredible to play these early works. As some of the most well-known point-and-click adventures of all time, these faithful remasters have kept everything intact. The first two seasons were fairly similar, but it’s clear from the beginning that Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse Remastered is a major leap forward for the series. Let’s find out how much it improves upon the formula established in the first two seasons and if you should see this adventure through to the end. Now This is an Upgrade! Playing through the first two seasons of the Sam & Max Remasters, I couldn’t help but feel like the gameplay and story didn’t evolve enough for my liking. The first season was odd and weird and wonderful. The second season improved upon the pacing, writing, and puzzles, but it didn’t really innovate in terms of scope or gameplay. It’s clear within the first hour, however, that Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse Remastered is the leap I was looking for. This third season is a proper formula evolution and a fitting finale for the dynamic duo. It retains the look and feel of the prior seasons, but it raises the narrative stakes, bridges the gaps between episodes, and expands the gameplay in new and exciting ways. This third season of Sam & Max was when Telltale Games came into their own and developed their unique approach to the narrative adventure genre. The first two seasons could walk, so the Devil’s Playhouse could run. It all starts with the first episode, which immediately throws you into the climax of a showdown between Sam, Max, and a new villain named Skunkape (now I understand where the developer’s name comes from). A new narrator also sets the stage for us, and he checks in throughout the season to provide some context and connectivity between the various episodes. This alone goes a long way toward making the season’s narrative feel cohesive and complete, which I felt the prior seasons lacked. I was actually convinced I had missed something between seasons two and three because of how quickly The Devil’s Playhouse Remastered throws you into the action, but it quickly became clear that the storytelling style has become more dynamic in this third season. For example, as part of the opening scene and tutorial, you find that Max has psychic powers given to him by special toys like a phone, a deck of cards, or a glob of putty. This immediately adds a new layer to the gameplay. In the prior seasons, puzzles were driven by dialogue and inventory items, but now, these powers add a new wrinkle to the mix. Another immediate difference that I noticed was the how dialogue is done through a wheel as opposed to the static text boxes of the first two seasons. You still have your inventory of … Read More
Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space Remastered Review – Surprisingly Grounded
I’ve recently been playing through the Sam & Max series for the first time in the form of Skunkape’s remastered versions of the games on PS4. For those who haven’t, check out my review of the first season’s remaster. Today, we will dive into the second season, Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space Remastered. How does the series fare in its second outing? Let’s find out! Some Noticeable Improvements Over Season One The second season has five episodes instead of six, like season one. Other than that, the gameplay is largely similar. These are point-and-click adventures that star freelance police, one of whom is a dog and the other is a rabbit (though he often refers to himself as a lagomorph). Much like season one, Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space Remastered has the two characters taking on a unique case in each of the five episodes, with several elements carrying through the entire season. One of my issues with the first season was that the overarching story took a backseat until the end, with the final villain reveal being relatively out of left field. This is still the case in season two, with many payoffs not happening until the last two episodes. That being said, there’s more continuity between each episode regarding character development and running jokes that carry through the season. Given the season’s title, I expected the episodes to be set in other worlds or dimensions. While the promised elements of “Beyond Time and Space” do come through in certain ways, the season remains surprisingly grounded in reality until the last two episodes. Given how strange and whacky the first season was, I expected the second season to up the ante. Instead, it feels like a minor upgrade instead of the leap I expected. That being said, the changes for the better here are noticeable and appreciated. For starters, the puzzles in the second season are much easier to follow in terms of their logic and overall flow. The first season tended to fall into the trap of all classic point-and-click adventures where the answer to certain conundrums felt detached from the game’s reality. Ultimately, Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space Remastered feels like it’s playing things too safe. It’s a noticeable upgrade from the first season in several ways, particularly in the story and gameplay departments, but it feels more like a season 1.5 than a full evolution. Excellent Presentation and Remastered Visuals Regarding presentation, developer Skunkape again brings out the best in this second season. From the upbeat music to the polished and vibrant visuals, fans of the first season will again be happy to see the faithful remasters continue with this second set of five episodes. The transfer to the controller also lands perfectly fine here as well. Using the right stick to select interactive items while having the option to highlight everything with L1, combined with a simple inventory system, makes this play great on PlayStation. I’m looking forward to … Read More
Sam & Max Save the World Remastered Review – Never Fear, the Freelance Police are Here!
Telltale Games is one of my favorite studios. Though the studio has gone through a lot in recent years, including closing and re-opening, their back catalog of games has some of the best narratives in all of gaming. Before The Walking Dead, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Games of Thrones, however, Telltale was best known for their work on the Sam & Max series. I’ve always wanted to go back and play them, and now, with Sam & Max Save the World Remastered on PS4 from Skunkape Games, I can finally experience a modern version of this all-time classic. Does it hold up after all these years? Let’s find out! Laying the Foundation for an All-Time Classic Sam & Max Save the World Remastered combines all six episodes of the first season into a single package on PS4. Each episode has been faithfully restored and ported to console controllers for a modern audience. You’ll spend about two hours per episode, each of which tells a standalone story that subtly ties into a larger narrative over the course of the season. In this first episode of the season, we’re introduced to Sam and Max for the first time. We find out they’re “freelance police.” It’s been a while since they’ve had a new case. The story gets moving when they receive a call from the Commissioner asking them to look into strange reports regarding three washed-up child stars called the Soda Poppers. It turns out they’re peddling a new self-help video called “Eye-Bo,” and what’s worse, the videos seem to hypnotize anyone who watches them! It’s a whacky premise, but it immediately throws you into the life of these iconic duos. You’ll start in their office, and from the beginning, you’ll notice that there is much to see and do in any given environment. From investigating various trinkets and items around the office to dialogue options with Max and a rat named Jimmy Two-Teeth, who lives in your walls, the game never lacks options for interactivity and world-building. Like any classic point-and-click adventure, Sam & Max is a series that focuses on a combination of dialogue choices and puzzle-solving to progress. Many interactive items are optional, but certain ones can be added to your inventory and used with others. This first episode throws you into everything, and it’s here where you’ll need to get familiar with the overall logic of the puzzles and the whacky jokes the game will throw at you. You also get to meet some staple characters like Sybil and Bosco, who are both present in all six of the season’s episodes. From a story perspective, the first episode lays the groundwork, but you can tell it’s doing a lot of heavy lifting in introducing everyone and setting the stage for the rest of the season. It’s a strong first impression, but it can come across as a little scatterbrained due to covering all these bases in a two-hour span. The second episode of the season, “Situation: Comedy,” … Read More
Green Hell PS5 Review – Welcome to the Jungle (Rainforest)
The survival genre has enjoyed much time in the spotlight over the years. For a while, it seemed like a new one was coming out for early access on PC every other week. Early hits like Rust and Ark set the stage for others like The Forest, The Long Dark, Valheim, and plenty more. Among all these is Green Hell, a hardcore survival game set in the Amazon Rainforest. The game has been ported from PC to VR and consoles but recently received a free PS5 update. Now that I’ve spent plenty of time chopping wood, eating questionable mushrooms, and diagnosing strange wounds on my arms and legs, it’s time to find out if this should be your next survival game obsession! An Impressively Detailed Survival Experience Green Hell places you in the shoes of what seems to be a pretty capable man setting out on an expedition to the Amazon Rainforest with his wife to make contact with an indigenous tribe. The game features a tutorial you can select in the main menu, but it will also start the tutorial at the beginning of a new single-player save file. This confused me because I did the tutorial first and then had to skip it via the main menu when I started my single-player story file. It’s not a major issue, but it is worth mentioning. The game also features a separate story mode called “Spirits of the Amazonia” that doesn’t have a tutorial, so it’s entirely possible that this is the reasoning behind a standalone option in the menu. In the tutorial, you’re given everything you need to learn the basics, which the game does a good job of introducing. You’ll immediately notice how detailed the survival mechanics are, too, with something as simple as starting a fire requiring you to gather kindling and craft a firestarter using a stick and some wood. Nothing in Green Hell comes easy, and that’s clearly by design. Once you finish the tutorial, you’re alone with nothing to your name but a smartwatch and a backpack to store items you find. The story continues to develop as you explore the map, but it’s never intrusive for those who just want to set up a home base and become self-sufficient as quickly as possible. You’ll get to work building some basic tools like a stone axe and gathering key essentials like sticks (which come in two sizes), wood, and a species of vines that automatically become “rope” in your inventory. As you do this, you’ll soon see another of Green Hell’s many survival layers. Namely, your basic needs. Most survival games have you track a general hunger meter, a thirst meter, and maybe a sleep meter. Green Hell has all these, and just for good measure, you’ll be tracking protein, carbs, fats, and your thirst on your handy smartwatch. To some, this may feel like overkill, but I enjoyed planning my meals around those meters, none of which seemed to drain at an alarming … Read More
The Mortuary Assistant: Definitive Edition Review – The Graveyard Shift
The recent renaissance of horror games has led to all manner of new experiences both large and small finding success on livestreams and let’s plays. For a while there, it seemed like every week brought with it a new horror game that was taking Twitch, YouTube, and TikTok by storm. Two years ago, The Mortuary Assistant was most certainly one of those games. Now in 2024, The Mortuary Assistant: Definitive Edition is here on PS5 with added lore, a new embalming-only mode, new haunt events, and a seasonal event in February, along with the promise of new achievements, bodies, and performance improvements. Does this embalming simulator with a dash of the demonic stick the landing, or is it dead on arrival? Let’s find out. A Unique and Gripping Horror Experience The Mortuary Assistant: Definitive Edition is a unique and capable horror game for a number of reasons, but it all starts with the story. As the name implies, you play as the new assistant for a mortician, but it quickly becomes clear during your first shift that you’ll be doing more than just embalming corpses. As it turns out, the mortician you’re working under is also someone who fights demons. Specifically, the kind of demons that are looking to enter our world by possessing one of the bodies you’re embalming, or possibly even you. The premise is simple, but it’s paired with a number of different endings that expand upon the overall lore of the world, as well as the backstory of the main character, Rebecca. The story would have been serviceable if the game had been about a no-name protagonist fighting demons. However, adding a character with a dark past allows the story to take center stage as part of the potential scares and, of course, the possible endings. The game plays out in “shifts,” each session consisting of a single night. You’re tasked with embalming three bodies while also using various tools and observations to figure out which one is playing host to the demon that’s stalking you. Each shift can end in several different ways. There are good and bad endings, but others require you to go beyond your nightly duties to see additional lore about your world and even a resolution for Rebecca’s past struggles. It’s a compelling setup that ties directly into the gameplay. It’s not the most in-depth story, nor particularly deep, but it establishes a great atmosphere and premise for everything you’ll be doing. At the end of the day, a horror game lives or dies based on its atmosphere. At the end of the day, though, the story is not why you’ll check out The Mortuary Assistant. No, the unique gameplay loop and randomized horror elements made this game the success it is today. For those who haven’t played it, The Mortuary Assistant’s gameplay has you navigating several rooms within a single building, including a morgue, embalming room, front office, and janitor closet, and others. You’ll do so in first-person, using a … Read More
Exo One Review – Interstellar Highway Hypnosis
We all have those games that we put on after a long day. The kind that let you shut off your brain, immerse yourself in a cozy atmosphere, or simply provide you with the comfort of nostalgia. For me, those kinds of games usually include quiet, meditative, profound narrative experiences. Exo One fits this category perfectly. It’s a game where you navigate expansive and beautiful alien worlds in a shift that can change shape to roll or fly into the horizon. Now that it’s out on PS5, does this strange and beautiful sci-fi title take us to must-see worlds, or will you fall asleep mid-flight? Let’s find out. A Surreal and Meditative Experience Exo One is a unique title that may not be for everyone, but it can certainly be played by anyone. The game’s controls are simple and effective. Its gameplay is equally simple, with subtle elements that can improve your overall performance, but no real pressure to hit a high score or the like. The story overall is intentionally vague, but those who pay careful attention to the snippets of narrative between planetary exploration will find their efforts rewarded. During the opening of Exo One, you hear about a failed mission on the planet of Jupiter, one that claims the lives of several astronauts. You also hear about blueprints sent by extraterrestrials that provide plans for a new type of ship that defies all human explanation. As you descend into your first world, it’s implied that you are indeed piloting this ship. Some quick tutorials show how you can use the triggers to either increase gravity or flatten out the ship’s spherical shape into a disc that lets you glide like an interstellar frisbee. The gravity function, in particular, is useful when building momentum, as it lets you exponentially increase your speed to launch off the terrain. Once in the air, a quick switch to your disc form lets you soar. You have a “jump” button you can use as well to gain a little extra air, but you’ll primarily need to manage your momentum through careful application of the gravity ability and your disc form. This cycle of building up speed and soaring high into the sky is intoxicating, especially as you reach new worlds in your journey. Each planet is spread out before you, allowing you to choose how you navigate the path forward. In the distance, a bright blue beam shows your destination, but there’s no rush to get there. Instead, the game lets you sit back, relax, and enjoy the sights. Subtle details like the way sunlight breaks through the clouds or beads of water gather on the screen sell a sense of immersion in the world. Soaring high, only to turn downward to build up speed, lets you break the sound barrier in a satisfying display of both sound and a visual cone of fog that explodes outward from your ship. It all comes together to create a meditative gameplay experience perfect for … Read More
Outlast Trials Review – Misery Loves Company
As a major fan of horror in all its forms, I’ve always loved the Outlast series. I was hooked from the moment I played the first game with its claustrophobic halls and the iconic green hue of night vision on my handheld camera. The sequel, particularly a scene involving a cornfield (if you know, you know), will forever be a mainstay in my nightmares. Outlast Trials has always intrigued me. What would happen if Outlast was multiplayer and cooperative? Could a live service surrounding this take on the series have legs? Now that Outlast Trials is out of early access and running its new “Prime Time” event, it’s time to see how this multiplayer variation compares to the horror of the prior two games. Does misery love company, or would it have been better to go alone? Let’s find out. A Fresh Take on the Series If you asked me about the viability of a multiplayer horror game a decade ago, I’d tell you to stick with single-player. Horror is supposed to be isolating and lonely. If you add people, you take away tension. Of course, recent years have proven me wrong on that front. Games like Dead by Daylight and other asymmetric titles have shown that you can add players without taking away scares. It’s all about the balance of power. Sure, you can have four people running around, but if their combined skills and abilities leave them vulnerable to what goes bump in the night, you can still achieve the scares you’re looking for. Outlast has always leaned heavily into this dynamic in its prior titles. You could never defend yourself. Your only option was to run, and your only source of visibility was limited to batteries you had to find in the environment. You never had the upper hand; you had moments to breathe, and even those were few and far between. It was oppressive, atmospheric, terrifying, and a little exhausting in long stretches, but it worked. Outlast Trials keeps much of this DNA intact but takes careful steps to make everything repeatable. The game is set in the Cold War era before the other titles in the series. It has you create a character who willingly volunteers for a series of trials, hoping they can turn their life around. The Murkoff Corporation wants you, and they’ll use everything from brainwashing to mind control to test the limits of your sanity and your humanity. Let’s just say that the corporation’s idea of “rehabilitation” comes from the school of Jigsaw and the SAW movies. Once you’ve finished a very tense opening that involves you erasing all evidence of your existence, the game puts you in a cell of your very own, and it’s here you’ll meet up with other players or venture into the trials on your own. Beyond the opening, the game’s story is limited to evidence you find in the various maps during your trials. There’s a good number of these for lore hunters, which I … Read More
INDIKA Review – Playing Devil’s Advocate
I have played video games since I was old enough to hold a controller. I cut my teeth on the Sega Genesis and my parents’ Apple Macintosh computer. I’ve been a console and PC gamer ever since, and I’ve played thousands of titles over the years. I say all of that because I’ve never played anything quite like INDIKA in all that time. While you can pick apart the elements of INDIKA and categorize its gameplay, once you put everything together, it becomes more than the sum of its parts. It’s wild, weird, funny, and even profound. It’s not for everyone, but is it for you? Let’s find out. A Fever Dream of a Game INDIKA is a third-person adventure set in an alternate version of 19th-century Russia. You play as a nun named Indika, who is a bit of a black swan among the others at her convent. From the beginning of the game, it’s very clear that the other look down on her. As if this wasn’t enough, Indika also hears a voice she’s convinced is the devil himself speaking to her. I told you this was going to get weird. There are a few odd moments from the beginning, but the opening is purposefully simple from a gameplay standpoint. You run simple errands and perform chores for a few other nuns as the devil’s voice waxes poetic and chastises you. You collect points, contributing to a simple skill tree that offers abilities that ultimately earn you more points. From the beginning, the game informs you that these points don’t matter, and they don’t. You won’t get any special endings or secret unlocks from collecting them (or the collectibles you can find), but the presence of the whole system reminds you that you’re still playing a video game at the end of the day. There’s also something surreal about doing something simple like filling up a bucket of water from a well, only to be rewarded but retro-style pixelated coins that wouldn’t be out of place in a Mario title. As the game progresses, INDIKA leans into the surreal and strange nature of its character and the world around her. This alternate version of Russia is bleak and filled with strange side characters. It’s also violent, as she soon crosses paths with a wounded soldier companion who is seeking help. The two become an unlikely duo as the game goes on, venturing through various environments, from a dilapidated village to a canning factory. At certain points in the story, you’ll also see flashbacks that flesh out Indika’s backstory. These are presented in a retro pixelated style and often require precise platforming or simple arcade-style gameplay. They offer a nice variety to the main game, mainly exploration and puzzle-solving. When you combine both pieces, even though the entire experience only lasts about 5-6 hours, you get a lot of variety across INDIKA. I particularly enjoyed the moments when the devil’s voice in Indika’s head becomes overwhelming, leading to strange … Read More