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 Grand Theft Auto series has always been one that bucks cultural sensitivity and general tact in favor of bombastic characters and wanton violence. To some, it could be seen as a purposeful exaggeration, but to others it could be viewed as downright insensitive. There’s a reason this series has always courted controversy, after all. Now, a new report from Bloomberg suggests that Rockstar is taking some steps to make GTA VI more culturally sensitive, including the addition of the series first playable female protagonist. How will these changes affect the overall tone gamers have come to expect from the series? Let’s dive in and find out! Bringing Self Awareness to Grand Theft Auto VI Rockstar as a developer has been slowly taking steps to repair their image as both a business and a game maker. They recently removed transphobic jokes from GTA V, and the company has also taken steps to narrow the gender pay gap internally. According to the Bloomberg report, the studio has already shelved at least one game mode for GTA VI in light of recent events. The mode, which would have been a variation of the game “cops and robbers,” was deemed inappropriate after the death of George Floyd in summer of 2020, so the company decided to take it out of their plans. New information from anonymous sources claims that GTA VI will include a female protagonist as a playable character. The woman, who is Latina, will be one of two main characters that are supposedly inspired by the classic “Bonnie and Clyde” story, while taking care not to “punch down” by making jokes about marginalized groups. This type of approach is somewhat shocking, given Rockstar’s penchant for insulting just about everyone and everything in the name of satire. Issues in the studio also came to light over the years, despite GTA V being one of the most successful games of all time. While it’s easy to applaud some of these changes and additions, it does make me wonder if a softer GTA VI that’s less offensive will have the same resonance with its long-time fans who have grown accustomed to a look and feel that, while questionable, defines the brand. GTA VI Aiming For 2024, With Post-Launch Updates in Tow/h2> Due to internal changes, the pandemic, and other factors, development has been slower than expected on GTA VI. Even so, the Bloomberg report shares new details on the setting as well, which is expected to be a fictional version of Miami, Florida. The game was originally planned to include large portions of both North and South America, but these ambitions have been scaled back. According to sources, Rockstar plans to add additional areas and cities after the launch of the main game. For what it’s worth, this particular gamer is happy to see Rockstar taking a step back and becoming more self aware about the world as it stands today. Parody and satire are not only fine, but are essential to truly sending … Read More

Like so many others, I was one of those gamers who sunk a ton of hours into Stardew Valley, the breakout farming sim that revitalized the genre. Having spent about 100 hours in that charming world, I found myself on the hunt for more games that hit the sweet spot between farming routines, making friends, and exploring dungeons. You can imagine my excitement then when I saw Monster Harvest. A game that combines farming, dungeon crawling, and creatures not unlike Pokemon that you can bring with you for turn-based battles. It’s a winning combination on paper, but does it translate into the ultimate monster mash? Let’s find out. A Familiar Set of Ideas With a Slow Start While Monster Harvest combines several great ideas in its premise, it also borrows heavily from the games that inspired it. Upon first starting the game, you can choose from a few character variations, but there’s not much customization to be found. You arrive on your Uncle’s farm after receiving a letter from him (sound familiar?), but in Monster Harvest your Uncle is alive and well. He’s been experimenting with slime, which is an integral part of the town, and no longer has time to run his farm. After a simple introduction, you’re sent off to begin the process of breaking rocks, chopping logs, cutting down trees, and the usual first steps in any farming sim. It’s all very similar, but it is possible to get a glimpse of future opportunities as you explore your farmland. Specified locations for various structures give you a glimpse of what’s to come. Of course, you have al limited pool of stamina, so those early days in the game are going to be short and very similar to one another. When you go to sleep, you’ll have the option to sleep until nightfall and regain a portion of your stamina, or you can sleep until morning. The reason for this choice comes down to the game’s other half. As part of the storyline, you soon find out that the local slime that’s used for all manner of things also has the ability to mutuate your crops into “Planimals.” Slime comes in three colors, Red, Green, and Blue. Red slime will turn your crops into Planimals when they’re full grown, based on the plant. Green slime will speed up the growth process so you don’t have to wait, and blue slime will turn your crops into livestock or a mount depending on whether it’s the upgraded variation. There are a respectable number of Planimals to mutuate and harvest, though again, things start fairly slow. Eventually you’ll be able to take six of them along with you into the dungeon, but you can only enter it once per day and at night, hence the option to sleep through the daylight hours. Interestingly, Planimals die permanently when they fall in combat, but they do drop a sort of essence that allows you to upgrade your soil, and progress carries over to … Read More

As someone who is almost entirely defined by the terms “gamer” and “writer,” games are a huge part of my life, my personality, and my outlook on life. We all have those games that truly changed us in ways both major and subtle. For me, that game was Psychonauts back in 2005. Now, in 2021, Microsoft graciously provided me with a review code to play and review Psychonauts 2 on PS5. It’s a surreal feeling, to have finally played a sequel I was convinced would never exist. Not only that, but to have it live up to my almost impossible expectations, is nothing short of a miracle. Grab your Psi-pops and your dream fluffs, let’s get started. After All These Years, it Feels Like Raz Never Left The year was 2005. I had just left the mall after visiting the local EB Games. With little to no funds to speak of, I just bought the latest copy of OXM magazine to get a demo disc that I could use to fill up my gaming time until I could afford a new game. That demo disc contained the first level of a game called Psychonauts, and I honestly cannot remember how many times I played that demo and loved every minute of it. I spent countless time and hours working on chores and the like to save up for a copy of the full game. As someone who played any and all games I could get my hands on, it was truly a unique experience. Name one other game that features a psychic summer camp, levels deep within the minds of its characters, and psychic bears? You can’t, but the true charm of Psychonauts was how it balanced unmatched creativity with heartfelt characters and deep dives into mental health long before the subject became commonplace in video games. It was and still is one of my favorite games of all time, so you can imagine my sheer shock and excitement when Psychonauts 2 was announced in 2015. I was like a fan at the super bowl, throwing tables stampeding around my living room like a giant nerd. I regret nothing. Since then, I was privileged to review the PSVR title set directly after the events of the first game called Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin. It was the first time we had seen anything past the ending of the first game, but it only made me more excited for the full sequel. In the time since, Double Fine was purchased by Microsoft, which led to concern about whether the game would still come to PlayStation consoles. It will indeed, and Microsoft provided me with a PlayStation review copy to test on PS5, which features a higher resolution and 60 FPS gameplay. The Xbox version has a few exclusive features that we’ll discuss later on, but the PS5 version is excellent, so no need to worry there. Now, my fellow gamers, it’s finally here. For those who are fans, and those … Read More