Terminal Velocity Boosted Edition

Terminal Velocity

Known for both new titles and revitalizing old ones, Ziggurat have brought another game back from the vaults- Terminal Velocity: Boosted Edition.

Terminal Velocity is a flight simulator where combat and tunnel maneuvering are the main focus. Using the Infernal Engine, Ziggurat have not only restored the classic but expanded on the mechanics as well. In what feels like the spiritual lovechild between Starfox 64 and Descent, players fly a high speed craft through tunnels and over the surface in search of targets.

It has been more than a few years since I played a flight simulator of any sort and this one stood apart from those I had played. There isn’t must story to speak of and the visuals were mediocre by today’s standards. That is to say that they didn’t receive much improvement if any to the graphics for this game. Controls were fluid and intuitive.

I would have liked to see improved graphics instead of a title that looked like it was already on the low end during Windows 95 and some sort of story involving voice actors so you didn’t need to look away from the action. With the perfection that were the controls, fast paced gameplay and engaging gameplay though I had a good amount of fun and would absolutely play this again, even with it’s many failings.

Prison Tycoon: Under New Management

Prison Tycoon

Ziggurat have ported the classic Prison Tycoon sequel Under New Management to current generation consoles and have included free dlc with it!

Ziggurat brought back the classic Prison Tycoon Under New Management to current generation consoles along with the free dlc Roll Call. This dlc allows players to edit the appearance of prisoners and guards alike. Players are literally building the prison from the ground up. This includes running electrical lines, building bathrooms and some rooms that you typically wouldn’t see in a proper prison. I’ve never heard of a prison that had a dance floor, especially one equipped with neon lights and a DJ. Well, maybe in a cartoon but even then I’m not so sure.

Tycoon games rarely convert over to console very well due to most involving a user interface that is simply too complex for the system. Prison Tycoon is one of the rare exceptions. The navigation between the menus (without using a tutorial) felt surprisingly intuitive. Graphics leave something to be desired on “next gen” consoles but they aren’t bad either. The most difficult thing to figure out is how to optimize your income and I can tell you the trick, or at least what worked for me. Focus on the cells themselves, the nicer they are the more income you’ll bring in per prisoner. Once you realize that it becomes quite simple. That brings us to the second largest hurdle- building the perfect prison itself. Finding a balance between each of the buildings and their amenities is where the real challenge lies.

Overall I found the game to surprisingly entertaining as I tried to build the craziest prisons I could while still turning a profit. My biggest complaint though is the engagement level. Playing in smaller doses helps because maintaining the prison itself becomes quite repetitive as you continue to fine tune the prison.