Category video game

Adeptus Mechanicus troops face off against Necrons in this latest issometric Warhammer 40,000 tactics game from Bulwark Studios!

Feeling old? I know I am! Join the Adeptus Mechanicus today to replace your aging parts with tested machines! In Warhammer 40K: Mechanicus players take control of a small band of adepts in search of new technologies to exploit in the name of the Omnissiah. Borrowing from the classic Tactics format of game play, Bulwark Studios brings us a smooth foray into the world of Warhammer 40K and specifically that of the Adeptus Mechanicus and Necron tomb worlds.

Game play feels like those classic and oh so good tactics games, taking advantage of the simple mechanics to build an engaging game full of 40k lore, characters and models. The fact that the weapons effects and overall graphics are stunning is not to be looked over either!

The timing of this release though seems interesting as only a few months after the initial release the Indomitus boxset with the new Warhammer 40k edition was released. The two main factions were Necrons and Imperium of Man- Space Marines. The Space Marines are not quite the Adeptus Mechanicus but they fight for the same team and fight together often. The fact that this was first release some time prior on pc/steam leads me to believe this is more of a coincidence than anything else.

In West of Dead players work to remove the many outlaws from Purgatory, Wyoming by any means necessary.

West of Dead is the brainchild of Raw Fury, a studio known for “indie titles” with some cool concepts and a flair for the unique. You play as the deceased William Mason. Typically I play games with the volume low but when you have someone with real acting talent like Ron Pearlman then you need to turn that shit right up!

Mason’s character design was clearly inspired by Marvel’s Ghost Rider but with a wild west twist. Controls are easy to pick up, even without following the tutorial, and fit the world dynamically. The visuals were one of the best things about this game. It feels surreal, like the world is twisted by you rejecting the afterlife in search of punishing the outlaws. Tension is built up quickly as you step into each room to discover treasures, weapons or more often enemies who can use their own paranormal soldiers to fight you. You can easily pick it up and play it for hours or just a few short levels.

With smooth visuals, controls and game play that are appealing to players of all types it will bring you back wanting more.

Epic Games brings us Superliminal, a first person game where you can impose your perspective on the world around you.

Have you ever woken up in a facility that is testing you physically and mentally? In Superliminal this is exactly what is happening. Unlike the real world where an item doesn’t change size only your perspective of it does, this game is about making the size of objects work for the puzzle of the room. Right off the bat the puzzle solutions are not completely apparent but with a little patience solutions become quite clear.

I have never played a game like this where by picking up an object and moving away from it you make it physically larger just by releasing it. Conceptually it’s a bit difficult to wrap your head around but after you learn the controls it is apparent how ingenious it really is. Look at the image above for example. The doorway on the right is full sized and respectively those items are huge, but they didn’t start that way. Each item was sitting on a small tray and a box and by manipulating your views of them changed their sizes.

If you are looking for a puzzle game that is not only brilliant but thought provoking as well this game is a must. Many rooms will have you scratching your head and when you finally figure them out you will be disappointed it took so long to figure out. Do you have the patience to make it to the end?

Sure other games have brought various hellscapes to the science fiction genre but Hellpoint does it a bit differently.

Tell me if you’ve heard this one before. A corporation bent (might even say hell-bent) on evil shenanigans ruin the world by bringing a new form of hell to Earth. This time literally bringing hell to the Irid Novo space colony. Hellpoint aims to do just that. Before we jump in fully here are a few notable hellscape/scifi titles to consider playing as well- Dead Space 1-3 and Doom franchise. To begin with as far as similar titles go this is some amazing company to keep, but how did Cradle Games‘ Hellpoint fare?

To say this is on par with the previously mentioned franchises would be a gross overstatement but also an oversimplification. Doom revolutionized the First Person Shooter genre where Dead Space did the same for the Third Person Shooter. The world looks and feels very similar to that of Dead Space complete with stunning visuals and creepy ambiance. Instead of just managing your weapon and suit loadouts Hellpoint has you manage so much more. For starters I only ever encountered melee weapons where Dead Space focuses more on ranged weapons.

Players take control of their demon-like creature carving your way through Irid Novo. Along the way you pick up weapons, items and armor, all in the hopes of making your character strong enough to take on the gods themselves. Here are the main highlights and downsides to the game:

• The visuals are stunning and horrifying.

• Controls are solid and easy to master.

• Abilities come off dynamic and work well with the environment.

• The story is practically nonexistent after the into cinematic finishes for the first couple hours of the game.

In summary the game feels and looks like the unholy offspring of Dark Souls and Dead Space. The lack of story elements at the start of the game are a bit troubling and hard to engage with. If you’re looking for a straight up hack and slash title this game is for you but if story is your thing from start to finish this will be a hard pass.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to deliver packages in a world of ragdoll physics? In Totally Reliable Delivery Service from Epic Games and TinyBuild you can!

Totally Reliable Delivery Service was a title I was given to review courtesy of Epic Games and TinyBuild, but their generosity has in no way influenced my thoughts on this game. We were able to test it out on both the Nintendo Switch and Xbox One. My son preferred the controls on the Switch and I thought they felt more natural on the Xbox.

The concept of the game is that you play a delivery person who must deliver an assortment of packages. The base idea is rather dull and I’m sure there are more than enough people that would not want to play a video game based on their day job. Epic Game and TinyBuild took a very different approach. Instead of the tedious driving door to door and dropping off of packages you drive, fly and carry packages across dozens of scenarios including up a steep hill to a ski lodge while avoiding falling trees or using a forklift to deliver an explosive through a second story residential building. There are ramps to jump your vehicles over, hidden castles and plenty of challenges to keep you having to replay missions to grind them all out.

My son found the game to be dull and gave up playing after his first time playing it. I spent probably about five total hours on the title, messing around more than trying to score well on challenges and agreed. It is a bit dull in terms of story and excitement but the game is cute, family friendly and easy to pick up and play for a few minutes at a time. Longer doses of this game leaves me prone to yawning after I explored all of the areas I felt there was no need to keep at it and removed the game from my system. One day I may revisit it but chances are slim on this title.

Ever since I was a kid I loved the Where’s Waldo books and Hidden Through Time is here to try to scratch that particular itch.

Who hasn’t “read” a Where’s Waldo book? They were huge in the 80’s and 90’s and even my own kids have seen them. If they haven’t then they have seen books like them. Hidden Through Time is essentially a moving, interactive version of one of those books. Crazy Monkey Studios are the brains behind this game and their passion for the genre shows. Players load maps in “single play mode” or essentially an offline mode where they begin to hunt for hidden images in the map. Some are quite obvious, while others can be maddeningly difficult to find. When this gets old or if you are simply looking for something new you can always load an online map.

The online maps are maps created by other players, these range from overly simplistic to insanely difficult. I even found one dedicated to the Indiana Jones movies and it did an amazing job at it! The creator of this map took time to recreate a dozen or so scenes from the film series including the iconic bag of sand switching with the idol from Raiders and the leap of faith from Last Crusade. There are easily hundreds of maps to choose from and for you achievement hunters if you type “Easy” into your search terms you can find over 40 (at least at the time of writing) maps that are a couple obvious clicks and then you are finished.

We found the game to be fun in small doses but more than ten maps and it feels quite repetitive, to the point of boring. Personally I would recommend waiting until this game was for sale for $10 or less to get a better value out of it.