Transient Extended Edition makes it’s way to Xbox One

Transient

Our friends at Iceberg Interactive shared their remastered Eldritch horror title Transient for the Xbox One.

Iceberg Interactive updated their classic title, Transient, for the current generation of consoles with the Extended Edition. The game begins in the distant future, the world was nearly ended and a scientific effort strives to carry the world through the fallout. You wake up in a facility with a weird skull mask on your head and start on your adventure. With the music and the overall ambiance the game is very much meant to be a horror title but as you explore the world this adventure honestly feels mores like the game was more of a game of exploration.

The game is extremely linear but is full of puzzles to keep things interesting. Best part of these puzzles is that they feel organic, none that I have experienced so far felt forced. Any game that brings in inspiration from HP Lovecraft is worth a try in my book but when you add in a gorgeous world and engaging story and you have a game that is worth playing until the end.

Foreclosed – a cyberpunk game review

Foreclosed

Foreclosed, from Merge Games Ltd, is a cyberpunk game that feels like a living comicbook.

In the Merge Games’ title, Foreclosed, the world is more advanced than what we currently experience but some of the same pitfalls remain. The biggest pitfall being falling in debt further than you can afford. It’s easy to do in the real world but in Foreclosed you are already starting at this point. Through your own cybernetics you attend the court hearing for your debt as soon as you start the game. You learn that your debt has been purchased by a corporation and as you leave your apartment you learn there is more going on than just the settlement of your debt. Corporate thugs are trying to kill you and your debt is causing paths to be blocked from you. You learn that some software has been installed in your cybernetics and they want it.

Graphically it is not the most gorgeous game but the art style is original and works very well for the game. The story is quite intriguing and draws you in immediately. Controls are easy to learn and gameplay is both forgiving and yet unforgiving- turning down the wrong path leads to instant death but you respawn nearby and can try a different path. The game so far is quite engaging and sucks you in. I am really looking forward to investing more time into this game.

Cyberpunk 2077 – the game people love to hate

Cyberpunk 2077

CD Project Red has been on the receiving end of gamer’s frustration with Cyberpunk 2077 but is it actually warranted?

Back in 2012 CD Project Red announced their most ambitious project yet, Cyberpunk 2077. Eight years later it was finally released. Most projects are not made public so early in their process, or at least it seems that way in most cases. To say the least this game is massive with layers upon layers of storytelling and gameplay. That’s not even to mention the plethora of Easter eggs and branching dialogue trees and missions. The complexity to this game is is deeper than any I can recall every playing.

Before we get to my thoughts on the game, let’s discuss some of the complaints. Almost all of them resolve around the number of glitches found in the game, most of them random and inconsistent. Cars vanishing while driving, floors in buildings vanishing, models stretching and twisting in ways they shouldn’t. Thinks like that. What I have never seen though is a “polished” FPS (first person shooter) where there are never any glitches. I did experience some of these glitches and even had a couple force the game to close. Reloading the game and performing the exact same action resulted in the glitches not repeating themselves in nearly every case. At least that was my experience.

Gameplay was fast paced, controls were fluid and graphics (when working as intended) were amazing. The story was better than any other game I can remember playing. With the issues with the glitches I believe that most people had their expectations too high and expected the game designers to be more godlike than man/woman. I have never played a AAA title free of glitches and yet they are given the courtesy of lower expectations because they are a bigger studio that can publish games more frequently. This game is a higher quality product than any other FPS I have had the pleasure or displeasure to play and I will say this it is by far THE BEST GAME I HAVE EVER PLAYED! If I could take the team out for a round of drinks to thank them for the experience I would.

Cloudpunk a delivery simulator in the sky

Cloudpunk

Merge Games takes Blade Runner and mixes it with delivery mechanics in Cloudpunk.

In Cloudpunk you play as Rania, a Cloudpunk driver that will deliver anything to anyone regardless of the risk involved. As long as they are paying she will pick it up and take it where it needs to go. Immediately upon starting the game I was struck with a single observation, if you are driving a flying car why is everyone sticking to designated pathways when you could fly over everything? Determined to understand I pressed on.

Players must navigate a massive city that uses portal/tunnels that allow you to move between sectors all the while picking up various packages and dropping them off. Visually the game is a pixelated Picasso, far away it is stunning but up close it is a pixelated mess. The flight controls for the cars are intuitive and easy to pick up but the controls while walking are clunky and rarely move in a straight line let alone go where you intended the first few tries. The story is slow going but is easily forgettable and fails to grab your attention. For a game that goes for $25 I’d suggest waiting for a massive discount before picking it up.