PS4

Railway Empire Complete Collection
GamingGame ReviewsPC / MacPS4Switch ConsoleXbox One

Railway Empire Complete Collection [reviewed on PC]

Gerard Campbell 1958 Views ,  ,  ,  , 

Railway Empire Complete Collection doesn’t know I’ve never been one of those people that has found trains fascinating. Sure, I’ve been on trains but for me they’ve always just been a means of getting from point A to point B. There’s no denying that the steam locomotive was a pivotal instrument in the industrial age of the late 19th Century.

Railway Empire, which first came out in 2017,  builds on that pivotal time period and publisher Kalypso have just released the Complete Collection. The definitive edition, I guess, that comes with two years worth of updates, as well as eight pieces of released DLC. Which let you set up train networks in Mexico, the Great Lakes, The Andes, Great Britain & Ireland, France, Germany, Northern Europe & Down Under.

I can see Railway Empire Complete Collection appealing obviously to people who love trains. As well as those gamers who love the city management/tycoon games where you get to micromanage every little aspect of what is going on. If this is you, you’ll find hours of enjoyment in this empire builder.

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Game PassGame ReviewsGamingPC / MacPS4Xbox One

Wasteland 3 Review (Xbox One X)

Barrie Clarke 1396 Views ,  ,  ,  , 

I have made no secret that 1988’s Wasteland from Interplay is my favourite game ever.

It was ground breaking for the good old Commodore 64 and saw many, many hours of play from me. It even accounts for my greatest gaming achievement. So to see a official sequel in Wasteland 2 was just fantastic. A third, Wasteland 3, well, it is definitely a highlight of an otherwise pretty shitty 2020. With names like Deth, Vargas, and Brygo bringing a big smile to my face.

I was ready to return to the Wasteland.

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Tell Me Why
GamingByte Size ReviewPC / MacPS4Xbox One

Tell Me Why – XBOX review

Dylan Burns 1230 Views ,  , 

Guest contributor, Dylan Burns makes a welcome entrance:

One might see Tell Me Why (Chapter One) as DONTNOD’s distillation of everything they have learnt.

Sure, there’s DONTNOD’s distinctive sense of place and domestic design, as well as their ability to create the illusion of small town America, but when distilled down to what you actually do in this first chapter, the handful of location changes and flashbacks cannot hide the fact that this is quite a bare-bones offering. 

I was impressed by the first Life is Strange and a big fan of the deliberate mundanity of Life is Strange 2, but in Tell Me Why I found myself struggling to get through the languid pacing, boring dialogue and questionable characterisation. Rather than being intrigued, I just wanted the story to hurry up and happen, for the characters to do something other than wander about each location looking at things and remembering the past.

Due to the episodic nature of Tell Me Why, we’ve added Dylan’s review of the following chapters here.

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GamingByte Size ReviewPC / MacPS4Video ContentXbox One

Relicta, PS4 Review

Guy 1792 Views ,  ,  , 

Relicta does not make a good first impression.

The opening puzzles which serve as the tutorial feel very, “seen that sort of thing before”. The tutorial then leads into a fairly drawn out story delivery sequence told by disposable radio chatter. I will admit, I rolled my eyes and did not have high hopes for my next few hours of gaming.

But poor introductions aside, when the gameplay proper kicked off and some headscratcher puzzles where unleashed upon my brain. I completely changed my views on Relicta. It’s actually a super solid wee puzzler.

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Horizon Zero Dawn - needs no introduction
GamingGame ReviewsPC / MacPS4Sony

Horizon Zero Dawn PC review: A troubled PC port

Gerard Campbell 1811 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

There was a time where the chances of a PlayStation game coming to PC was an impossibility but Horizon Zero Dawn is the third recent Sony title, with Detroit Become Human and Death Stranding coming before it.

It makes sense (and Sony has a history of making laptops): PC’s offer higher  resolutions, faster frame rates and mouse and keyboard controls.

I can’t speak for DBH as I didn’t play it on PC but the PC version of Death Stranding was a smooth, trouble free experience for me. Sadly, the same cannot be said for my time with the PC port of Guerrilla’s Horizon Zero Dawn: It’s a gorgeous looking game, but the PC version is hampered by technical issues that mar the experience.

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Cinema Gaming - let's go large!
GamingFeature ArticleMovie ReviewsPS4Switch ConsoleXbox One

Cinema Gaming, going large on the Silver Screen

Richard Armitt 1745 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

As a young man I had two dreams, one was to own a nice little campsite and the other was to own a boutique cinema. The second was born of a love of movies and the plan for some cinema gaming on the big screen after hours. Neither of these dreams took off, until now.

We probably have to thank Covid and 2020 for the opportunity, as traditional business finds other ways to make its assets work.

I recently spied a Facebook ad by my local Event Cinema offering gaming sessions. How could I not take it up?

For prices and details read on.

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Crypto has come to Destroy All Humans
GamingByte Size ReviewPS4Xbox One

Destroy All Humans (PlayStation 4)

Gerard Campbell 1155 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

THQ’s Destroy All Humans reminds me a lot of Tim Burton’s rather good movie Mars Attacks!

In both the movie and the game, aliens are out to destroy the human race, both adhere to the little green man (kind of) appearance. With many of the human victims are bumbling simpletons ready to give into the alien invasion.

Overall, Destroy All Humans is a likeable remake of a mid-2000s game, albeit it one with humour that hasn’t entire stood the test of time.

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Warhammer 40,000 Mechanicus
GamingGame ReviewsPC / MacPS4Switch ConsoleXbox One

Warhammer 40,000 Mechanicus, PS4 Review

Richard Armitt 2033 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Warhammer 40,000 Mechanicus will be familiar to die-hard Games Workshop fans, the average gamer, perhaps not so much. Drawing on the very deep and very wide canon of Warhammer 40k, this game adds to a varied pedigree of stablemates.

Considering the complexity the Warhammer family its a shame that the digital versions of these tabletop adventures often fall flat.

It’s fair to say, that first couple of hours of doubt were soon demolished as I understood the systems on offer and gripped the gameplay.

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Death Stranding PC - not in Wales
PC / MacGame ReviewsGamingPS4

Death Stranding PC review

Gerard Campbell 5196 Views ,  , 

Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding is a game that polarised gamers when it came out and you had two camps. Those that saw it almost as the second coming as one of the best games they’d ever played.  Versus those that found it good looking game hindered by repetitive gameplay.

I never played Death Stranding on PlayStation 4, but did play Metal Gear Solid V on the console and wasn’t a fan. It just didn’t gel with me. I just didn’t get it.

It was with some trepidation that I agreed to look at Death Stranding on PC when asked by the esteemed editor of this fine publication. I was curious to see how it played on a PC with more powerful hardware than a PS4. Also how Guerilla’s Decima game engine – which was used in Horizon Zero Dawn – scaled to a PC. Where there are a wide range of hardware variables at play, unlike consoles which are standardised in their design and hardware.

I’m a few hours into Death Stranding – more than I’ve ever been for a Hideo Kojima game. I’m slowly making my way through Death Stranding’s off-the-chart world, and you know what? I actually think I’m starting to like it.

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The Last of Us Part 2
GamingFeature ArticlePS3PS4

Musings – The Last of Us: Part 2

Guy 1806 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Guest writer Nina, takes a deep dive into some thoughts about The Last of Us: Part 2 and its online turmoil.

“As I will be trying to analyse one of this game’s central themes, I’ll have to dive into the nitty-gritty details of the story. So, dear reader, consider yourself warned. Spoilers Ahead.”

To say that The Last of Us: Part 2 is a divisive game would be an understatement

All you need to do is scroll through the comment section of any The Last of Us: Part 2 related content to realise just how angry some people are over the games’ narrative direction. And while some of the criticisms of this title’s writing and plot have a modicum of merit, after playing the game myself I believe that the reality is something far different.

Part 2’s utilisation of perspective encourages players to question everything they thought they knew about the characters they’ve grown to love. Naughty Dog do this in what is a unique approach for a video game. By putting the player in the position of someone who was hurt or wronged by them.

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Ghosts of Tsushima
GamingGame ReviewsPS4Video Contentyoutube review

Ghost of Tsushima, PS4 Video Review

Guy 2527 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Ghost of Tsushima is an open world, action, Samurai RPG-lite with a 70/30ish mix of ‘toe to toe’ sword fighting and stealth gameplay. All set in 13th Century Japan.

There are a few issues which I cover in the Video Review, but what makes it a game worth experiencing  is its beautiful art style, its music and audio design and the story beats in the later parts of the game.

If you like Japanese culture as I do, the recreation of 13th Century Japan is what made Ghost of Tsushima go from a fun game. To what is personally quite a special video game experience.

Guy was supplied a pre-release copy under strict embargo for the purpose of this review. Thanks to PlaystationNZ and Suckerpunch for the opportunity.

Watch, Like and Subscribe to the youtube review from @nzbrowncoat after the link.

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