Atari has returned to their classic Haunted House game with a major facelift and other than the story it doesn’t resemble the original title.
When Atari isn’t Recharging their classic titles they are doing them again from the ground up and that’s what they’ve done with Haunted House. You play as Lyn, a female teen who’s uncle has vanished inside this haunted place and you’ve been tasked by one of the many ghosts to find him but also put together a magic vase that will entrap the other restless spirits. The game features procedurally generated stages so no two runs will be the same. As you complete objectives you move from room to room collecting powerups and solving puzzles to unlock the next door. Guided by a friendly ghost, you must use the tools he provides to disable and eliminate the other ghosts. From what I’ve played, this is the ONLY friendly ghost in the game. Each time Lyn is knocked out, the game starts over with an entirely new map, so try not to let that happen.
Gameplay looked like you were playing through the old Scooby Doo cartoons but with actual ghosts instead of people wearing costumes. The scare factor is minimal so this is one that can be enjoyed with the family as I wouldn’t consider the jumpscares to be jumpscares. Sure a ghost may jump out of a painting or two and try to grab you but the surprise is minimal. Controls are simple to learn but the tutorial feels like it takes longer than necessary because of this. The graphics for this remastered Atari classic look better than any recent remaster or recharged title I’ve seen with vibrant colors and immense details. The stealth mechanics are great without feeling overpowered as are the flashlight combat ability. Overall we found the game far exceeded our expectations and look forward to playing it again.
From the mind of Yu Suzuki, creator of iconic titles like Virtua Fighter 4, Out Run, Hang On and Afterburner (to name a few), he is back with his latest creation- Air Twister!
Yu Suzuki is known as the creator of so many gaming classics it’s unreal. These include Virtua Fighter 4, Out Run, Afterburner and even Shenmue. Teaming up with ININ, the genius behind Space Harrier has returned for Air Twister. I have not played a game like Space Harrier or Afterburner since the 80’s and they were awesome. Still are. You can’t convince me otherwise. Air twister plays EXACTLY like Space Harrier, only real difference if you play a female fighter that rides a giant swan to battle. Odd choice, sure, but epic all the same. I’m referring to mechanics and gameplay of course but that doesn’t mean you won’t have anything new to enjoy.
Compared to Space Harrier, the graphics have been massively improved, while keeping to the classic gameplay that will have us 80’s gamers cheering. The one thing I don’t remember from Yu’s older titles was the ability to target-lock on your enemies and this time we have it. It works surprisingly well albeit a little slower that you would like compared to how fast some of the enemies move. Controls are fluid and so simple that without playing a tutorial you’ll have the commands down almost instantly. There’s not much to talk about in terms of story as the game is almost entirely traveling from area to area and killing enemies and that’s enough. I was literally telling some friends about wanting to play Space Harrier again but with modern graphics and this is the EXACT experience I was looking for. If you’ve played any of Yu Suzuki’s classics and enjoyed them or looking for a bit of the familiar the this game is a must for you. May your aim be true and your foes fall at your feet.
IT IS RARE FOR ME TO SEE A MOVIE WHEN IT’S STILL IN THEATERS BUT THANKS TO WARNER BROS I WAS ABLE TO CATCH UP ON THOSE I MISSED!
Recently the fine folks at Warner Bros (their home page is here) had sent me copies of some of their movies I missed so that I could share my thoughts on them with you. For the first part of this series we talked about Scoob, Birds of Prey, The Way Back, Goonies 4K, Beetlejuice 4K, Full Metal Jacket, Sherlock Holmes 4K and Sherlock Holmes A Game of Shadows 4K. Part 2 ‘twas massive and discussed V for Vendetta 4K, 300 4K, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy 4K, The Hobbit Trilogy 4K, Blade 4K, Bill and Ted Face the Music, Tenet and The Wolf of Snow Hollow. Part 3 talked about Wonder Woman 1984, The Little Things and Judas and the Black Messiah. Part 4 discussed Tom and Jerry the Movie and Godzilla Vs Kong. Part 5 was all about Wrath of Man, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory and Space Jam. Part 6 had discussed Mortal Kombat and Those Who Wish Me Dead. Part 7 discussed In the Heights, The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It, Zack Snyder’s Justice League and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone 20 Years of Movie Magic edition. Part 8 discussed A Clockwork Orange, Space Jam: A New Legacy and Shawshank Redemption. Part 9 talked about The Suicide Squad and Reminiscence. Part 10 discussed The Outsiders, Cry Macho, Malignant, the Many Saints of Newark and the Mad Max film collection.
Part 11 talked about Dune, Matrix: Resurrections, The Batman, Dog and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. Part 12 discussed Elvis, DC League of Super Pets, The Lost Boys and Poltergeist. Part 13 shared some classics with 8-Bit Christmas, Casablanca, A Christmas Story, Three Thousand Years of Longing, The Polar Express, Elf and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Part 14 had Don’t Worry Darling and Part 15 was discussing Black Adam. Part 16 had Bones and All, House Party plus the 4k release of Training Day. Part 17 returned for the 4k release of Rocky the Knockout Collection and Magic Mike’s Last Dance. Part 18 had the Superman 5 Film Collection, Creed III and Shazam! Fury of the Gods. Part 19 discussed A Good Person, National Lampoon’s Vacation 4k Edition and Evil Dead Rise. Part 20 exclusively talked about The Flash and Part 21 focused on Meg 2: The Trench and Barbie. We are back for the FINAL edition of this series where future reviews from Warner Brothers will have an all new format. Without further ado here is Part 22 with Blue Beetle and The Nun II!
Blue Beetle
Following Jamie Reyes from graduating college and returning to help his family. This puts him working menial jobs, the most recent of which is with his sister for Kord. There he runs into the daughter of Ted Kord and tries to help her when her aunt and her thug start getting aggressive. The aunt promptly fires him but later the daughter entrusts him with the scarab. The scarab bonds with him and turns him into the Blue Beetle. This puts him back in the crosshairs of the aunt and his family in danger. The effects were fantastic but the film felt like a DC branded knockoff of Iron Man, mixed with Spiderman with an animated Deadpool mask. The writing and the humor were great and the film was an enjoyable reminder of what the DC cinematic universe could have been.
The Nun II
Bringing back the cast of the original Nun film, Irene is investigating reports that the Nun has returned. Even though in the first film she seemed to be destroyed, we knew she survived to haunt in the Conjuring films. The first film had a great sense of eeriness that took itself a little too seriously and made it a bit more comical than intended. We get a bit of that again with the sequel but the eeriness level has be increased tenfold. Overall the Nun film had still been one of the more enjoyable Conjuring-verse films and the sequel continues to improve on that.
Which of these Warner Bros films have you had the chance to see? Which was your favorite? Let us know on our Twitter!
Dreamworks and GameMill have teamed up once again to deliver a racing game that uses only their vast intellectual properties with Dreamworks All-Star Kart Racing!
Racers, are you ready? GameMill and Dreamworks sent us a copy of their new All-Star Kart Racing game that exclusively uses many of the Dreamworks characters we know and love. Some of those characters include the Trolls, Hiccup, Po and Donkey, just to name a few. It even has BOTH Boss Babies. All kart racing games can’t help but the classic and wildly popular Mario Kart franchise. There’s no point avoiding it but we’ll keep it to a minimum.
Like many racing titles you start with a list of characters and vehicles, more are available to unlock though by playing challenges or races. Most of the achievements are lifetime gameplay based where some are based on completing specific challenges. For the most part those challenges are mostly default matches where you must win the race AND usually perform a specific goal. For example one of the challenges you play as Puss in Boots and must perform 15 trick jumps and win. As long as you followed the tutorial and hit the magic paths this shouldn’t be too difficult- unless you land the jumps out of bounds. I did that a bunch and took me several tries to complete it.
Visually the game is solid but shines when the effects and magic paths are flying everywhere. Most games force the AI to stick to the prescribed track but this one sends them down the secret and magic paths, giving them an edge that increases the challenge without unfairly boosting their stats. That means improving your own skills will be important. Controls are a little sticky at times and lack the sensitivity needed to weave around some of the cars but the controlled drift mechanics help by adding boosts once you learn to use them regularly. Overall this was a solid contender because of the IP and details in the stages but lack the polish and battle modes of Mario Kart. If you are looking for a racing-centric kart game or don’t really enjoy the battle then this will be perfect for you but if you want something to rival MK then this one is the closest we’ve had but still falls short.
Gun Interactive, the team behind the Friday the 13th game, have returned with another horror classic- The Texas Chainsaw Massacre!
I admit I have never seen the Texas Chainsaw Massacre films (original and remake) but have always liked the concept of Leatherface as a horror character. A man carrying a chainsaw, following you menacingly is such a terrifying vision, add the fact that he is wearing another victim’s mask over his own makes it more so. Imagine playing a survival game where you are trapped in his territory along with his family. Now imagine that they know you’re there and they are coming for you.
I have never played Friday the 13th or Dead by Daylight but the mechanics appear almost completely identical, at least in format and style from the few videos I’ve seen. You play as either a member of the family hunting survivors or as one of the survivors. Each time I played I did quick match and played as a survivor. I always enjoy playing the killers or villains so my normal playstyle wouldn’t work here. That playstyle is to charge into the direction of my enemy and start killing. As a survivor you must sneak around and collect gear to help protect yourself, like medical supplies or items to help pick locks. The are chimes made of bone hanging through the stages that need to be cut down to prevent the enemies from hearing you. Playing as one of the survivors is highly stressful.
Visually the detail in the game was quite impressive and the use of lighting and environmental sounds even more so. The controls are easy to master, at least for the survivors. With stunning graphics, edge of your seat tension and fluid controls I found this game to a great addition to any horror fan’s library.
Dreamworks and GameMill have partnered together to release Trolls Remix Rescue, an adventure game through the vibrant world of the Trolls.
Just in time for the upcoming Trolls film, Dreamworks and GameMill have partnered to release Trolls Remix Rescue. You start the game by choosing or creating your own custom Troll and after grabbing your headphones you are ready to show off your DJ skills. Like any Troll custom you must complete a dance battle before you can show your music skills. Those familiar with films will instantly recognize the game’s villain- Chaz the smooth jazz troll. Even in the films and show Poppy was always quick to forgive and forget. Chaz has convinced her that he lost his mojo and wants to play music at the Pop Troll’s music festival to try to find it. He then uses smooth jazz to brainwash all of the trolls but you, because you are the only one wearing headphones.
Both films had some of the best graphics I’ve ever seen in an animated film and as such my expectations were a little high. Sadly the game fell short in a big way there. The water effects were quite similar to those in the films but the glare at times was too intense that my kids had to leave the room as it was giving them a headache using the default settings. The story feels like it is truly from the same world as Poppy and her crew but the graphics just fail to live up to the same quality. Controls are simple to learn for an adult but mastering some of the combos with the unforgiving nature of some of the enemies can be overwhelming for a child. The game quickly became too difficult for my 8-year old daughter. Overall I enjoyed the game but I think the controls made it too difficult for my children to enjoy for their overall experience. Basically the best options if your kids want to play is to play for them and have the younger ones watch.
The Behemoth has released their first title in 7 years and takes them back to their roots with Alien Hominid Invasion.
Each game from The Behemoth has brought an entirely different playstyle to gaming compared to their other titles, each bringing their own unique experience. Alien Hominid was a side-scrolling action game. Castle Crashers was a Streets of Rage style brawler featuring adorable knights. Battle Block Theater was a hybrid of the side-scrolling action game that place major focus on level building. Pit People was the most recent release that took the Behemoth art style and applied it to tactics gameplay. Each game after the original Alien Hominid featured easter eggs from the prior games. All of their titles are known for their sophomoric humor, like the diarrhea deer or guns that shoot blobs that sound like wet farts. Alien Hominid Invasion though is the first time they have returned to one of their game worlds for a second helping. This time is a little different though.
Both Alien Hominid Invasion and the original allowed you to play as a small yellow alien that causes incalculable damage. You face off against members of the FBI and all manner of machines, each drawn in an adorable manner. For the old school players this is essentially Contra on a kilo of speed but instead of playing a human commando, you are an Alien that is fighting the FBI and the mad science of Doctor Robotnik. The original was by far the hardest run and gun title I’ve ever had the pleasure to play.
What makes this game really stand it, besides the vibrant art work and plethora of customization options, is that the game has a variable difficulty. The longer you play, the harder the game gets. As the difficulty ramps up the visuals get absolutely insane. There were several moments I thought it would be too much and the game would start lagging. It never did. The Behemoth has yet to make a game that wasn’t worth the price tag and they aren’t starting now. If you like the run and gun format or their art style you will love this one!
Murder is Game Over is murder mystery title from Ratalaika Games the features a detective and his dog but they aren’t part of Mystery Inc.
Ratalaika Games brings another graphics-nostalgia title with Murder is Game Over. You play as Detective Guy and his dog Cleo. You’ve both been summoned to a castle in rural Vermont to investigate the murder of a famous game designer. This is the first of three games in the franchise and the first to come to consoles. The copy provided to us for our review was for the Xbox One Series X.
As you play the game you can swap between Guy and Cleo on the fly. This is essential to the gameplay because when questioning suspects you need to be in control of Guy and when looking for clues you need Cleo. Hidden throughout the map are not just clues but also doggy bags. To get the best ending you need to find all thirty doggy bags and as long as you do most of your walking as Cleo you won’t have trouble finding them all. There is also a hidden treasure you might find that helps towards finding the true ending as well. The officer on scene tells you at the start to return to her when you are ready to make an arrest but you are blocked from doing so until you find all the clues.
Once you have all the clues you go through a list of the suspects and their motives, like watching Hercules Poirot or Sherlock, as you explain why each suspect couldn’t have done it and then in detail explain who the real culprit was. There are a few missable achievements so I suggest reviewing the descriptions FIRST. The two easiest are petting the cat and finding the bear in the woods.
Visually the game looks and feels like the classic Zelda: A Link to the Past. The controls are simple and work well with the game. The overall experience interesting. The story begins with an excessive amount of dialogue that must be read and is quite dry. I admit that I was tired when I started and fell asleep during the intro twice (at least). Once I got control of the character tough and started interacting with the story it started to pick up and kept me awake until completing the game in a single sitting. The complete story and the whodunit at the end made it worth the experience and overall I enjoyed the game, I just suggest not being sleepy when you start it because you might have some difficulty at the start.
The Kingdom franchise from Fury Games takes on it’s newest, and most unique, genre yet- the 80’s in Kingdom Eighties.
As one would expect, Kingdom Eighties is the latest edition of the Kingdom franchise from Fury Games and is based in the 80’s. That means no cell phones, playing outside and lots of neon. Feels like home, even though I have trouble disconnecting from my devices. Just like in the eighties, as a kid, if you went anywhere without your parents it was on a bicycle and in this game it is no different there. The overall aesthetic feels very much like you are living/playing within the right-side up version of the Stranger Things world. Maybe it’s just the eighties vibe or the fact that everyone uses bikes. Either way I got major Stranger Things vibes. My question is, was that intentional or a happy accident?
Mechanics are quite simple utilizing very limited buttons that repeat the same command for various results. Graphics are simple but draw you in with either eight or sixteen bit character models but a world that is much heavier in pixels, resulting in detailed environments that can distract from the action at times. Especially the reflection on the water.
The game follows your rise to power as you fight to protect the town from the Greed. You don’t have to do it alone either. Using kids to farm and build for you, there are also three members of your party the come to aid you along the way.
Overall I found the game to hit the nostalgia buttons in all the right ways while mixing in the new. Having never played a Kingdom game before I didn’t know was to expect and was pleasantly surprised by how simple and enjoyable the game was.
Overboss Duel is exactly what it sounds like, a battle between two Overbosses to see who is the best in this title from Brotherwise Games.
Based in the Boss Monster world created by Brotherwise Games, Overboss Duel focuses on building your own power while weakening the other boss. Each turn you and your rival place location tiles and monsters, but you need to watch out for wandering heroes that will slow your progress to increasing your power. The overall mechanics also follow their Boss Monster game, making learning even easier if you have played those previously. The game also introduces four new bosses, along with updated versions of the classic King Croak and Belladonna bosses. The boss at the end with the most power wins.
Their Boss Monster game has you play as one of the bosses where you build dungeons with the goals of killing the heroes so Overboss fits perfectly within the world. It is however a step up in visual quality. BM had more of an 8-bit look to it where Overboss and Overboss Duel both have more of a 16-bit feel.
The art style makes you feel like you are in a classic Zelda game or Gauntlet, namely from the NES. I am loving the style, it is exactly what caught my eye with other Brotherwise’s titles. Gameplay is quite simple and from what I’ve been told by players of the original Overboss it is even more streamlined compared to the original game. In most games, if given the chance, I will always choose to play one of the bad guys but in Overboss Duel you get to be the BIG bad guy and I’m here for it. Even my son who never wants to play a villain had fun with this one and it is well worth the play.
