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From the Editor Hello and welcome to the July edition of Gametraders Live!

We have a great edition ahead for you with excellent reviews of games such as Saints Row: The Third Remastered, Daymare 1998, What the Golf, Shantae and the Seven Sirens, Goosebumps Dead of Night, Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition and Mortal Combat 11.

Alongside this we have a great article ‘Online Gaming is our Westworld’, an interview with John Kavanagh and another entry into the Gamer Diaries Series by our talented writer Paul Monopoli.

We hope you enjoy the magazine and as always if you are interested in writing for us please email live@gametraders.com.au

Emily Langford Emily Langford, EDITOR

What’s inside

ONLINE GAMING IS OUR WESTWORLD

pg. 22

Daymare: 1998

Interview with John Kavanagh + Gamer diaries pg. 6 & pg. 14

pg. 52

THE LIVE TEAM EDITOR & DESIGNER: Emily Langford

WRITERS: Paul Monopoli, Interviews / Retro Editor Brandon J Wysocki, Paul Broussard, Nicholas Taylor, Lee Mehr & Evan Norris VGChartz

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition

Saints row: the third remastered

Pg. 46

Pg. 68

Mortal Combat 11

Pg. 62

Paul Monopoli

INTERVIEW:

John Kavanagh As any gamer of the 80s and 90s will tell

This is where the independent publisher

you, the greatest accompaniment to any

steps in to fill that void. These are the

video game collection was a good video

men and women of gaming who have a

game magazine. Sadly, in the age of

passion for keeping, not just the games,

the internet, the newsagent shelves are

but the experience of gaming in years

seeing fewer of these titles published. The

gone by alive. John Kavanagh is one of

once mighty ‘video game’ section of the

these people. A passionate Amstrad CPC

magazine stand is slim pickings.

enthusiast, John has done his best to

help keep the 8-bit community of gamers

obsessed, I had to master it. The only

informed on paper rather than with digital

experience I had with PCs before that was

text. I managed to catch John while he

the Amstrad 2286’s at my school, which I

was preparing his latest endeavour, the

sadly, never got enough time with.

upcoming ‘Retro Format’ magazine.

Are there any stand out games that you Creating a retro magazine would certainly

go back to after all these

draw on your childhood

years?

gaming experiences. What systems did you grow up playing?

There’re so many! I tend to go back to a lot of CPC and Mega Drive games;

I started with an Atari 2600 Jr but my

mostly stuff I’ve played back then. I tend

real interest grew when I received an

to force myself to try games that I didn’t

Amstrad CPC 464 on one Christmas

play back then, only for many of them to

morning back in the late 80s. From

become my favourites too. Some of my

that moment on, a large portion of my

favourites are Chase HQ, Elite, Prince of

time was dedicated to the machine, not

Persia, Robocop and Batman the Movie,

just for the gaming aspect either but

all for the CPC and off the top of my

programming and generally the whole

head, for the Mega Drive, games like the

computing experience. A few years later I

Street of Rage, Desert Strike, Road Rash

received a Sega Mega Drive as a surprise

and sometimes, just for quick arcade-type

present from my parents. The visuals

fun, Afterburner and Out Run. For the

were unbelievable compared to what I

PC, I tend to go back to Doom and Duke

was used to, but I kept going back to the

Nukem once in a while. I’m feeling the

Amstrad. My next computer would be an

need lately to go back and play Terminal

Olivetti PC, which for the first few weeks I

Velocity, but I got a feeling it won’t be as

was constantly on from morning to night,

good as I remember.

every day, learning all that I can. I was

Are there any games you used to love

Where did you get the idea to start

which have not aged well?

creating retro game magazines?

I reviewed Strike Commander for Retro

Game magazines were the only source

Format Zero and my rose-tinted glasses

of gaming news for many, including

for that game was truly smashed. It hasn’t

myself back in the 80s and early 90s, so

aged well at all, to the point of being

grabbing the latest issue of Computer

nearly unplayable. I struggled to get past

& Video Games or Mean Machines was

the first mission and that’s from a game

very exciting. I want to bring back the

which I almost completed back in the

excitement of turning the pages and

1990s. Thankfully, that’s the exception

discovering new games for your favourite

rather than the case. Good gameplay

console or computer.

doesn’t age.

You have created multiple magazines

I started a Kickstarter in 2016. I focused

over the years. How did you get

on all 8-Bit computers, wrote articles,

started?

got people to notice the magazine and I ended up with a successful Kickstarter.

I started in the early 2000s with CPC

From there, a few enthusiastic writers got

Oxygen as an online magazine for

involved, and hey, we had a magazine!

Amstrad CPC users. I did manage to print two issues in low production runs but

What were some of the challenges you

that was it. The following years I toyed

faced with your first magazine?

with the idea of a proper print magazine as I realised that Kickstarter would be

I consider Eight Bit to be my first real

the ideal platform to make this happen.

magazine and it was a rough start. Simply

Finally, with some free time on my hands,

put, the magazine was too heavy, which

is ironic for a small A5 magazine. When

Eight Bit magazine is still going and

posting from Ireland, anything under 100

issue 9 should be finished soon. I’m

grams is considered a letter, anything

as committed as ever to that little

over is a large letter, even if the size was

magazine and have big plans for it. I

still A5. Large letters weren’t just twice

recently commissioned a programming

the price to post, they were over three

series to be written for it covering game

times the price, adding up to 4 Euro extra

development on the ZX Spectrum Next.

to post every issue. Despite my preprinting calculations, the final product

Retro Format is more gaming based and

was slightly over 100 grams when popped

covers a wider range of systems, which is

into an envelope and labelled. Doing the

basically every home computer and game

magazine wasn’t about making money,

console from the 20th century! It will

but at the same time, I didn’t want to

be less techie based, and more gaming

lose thousands either. Trying to find ways

based than Eight Bit.

to lose weight resulting in measuring different brands of envelopes and getting

Can you give some detail as to what

a little creative. Luckily, everything else

readers should expect from the

went smoothly. There was a significant

magazine?

number of people wanting to write articles and I could do all the page layouts myself.

Our biggest focus is reviewing newer

Finding a printing business wasn’t a

games for old systems. Many of the

problem either, especially when ordering

games being made for older systems

500 plus copies.

often go unnoticed. We hope we can change that by having those games

The current magazine is ‘Retro Format’,

featured and reviewed in the magazine.

though you used to edit 8-Bit

We will also be covering retro-inspired

Magazine. Why the change?

games and future classics, which are current games that we think will stand

the test of time. We’re different than Retro

Are you looking for more writers? How can

Gamer as we’re more focused on new

people get in touch with

releases, whether homebrew or commercially

you?

made. Instead of a small section on the

Certainly, we got a few writers already but I

back of the magazine covering those new

think it’s important to have a broad range of

releases, Retro Format will be mostly made

writers from different backgrounds, so the

up of those reviews.

more, the better. Anyone wanting to write for us can visit retro-format.com for more

The magazine is full size, full colour and

information. Every writer will, of course, be

printed in high quality. We want the

paid on a freelance basis.

magazine to look every bit as good, if not better than monthly magazines you’d find

The 8-Bit Magazine had 2 annuals released

on the shelf of a newsagent, but at the same

for it. Should we expect

time, it must keep the style of early 90s game

more of the same with Retro Format?

magazines.

There will be a retro annual, in fact, 6 and 12 How often will issues be released?

issues subscribers will get the hardback copy of Retro Annual 2020 for free. Retro Annual

The goal is bi-monthly but that isn’t set in

2020 will be the continuation of the 8-Bit

stone. This is a hobby project and sometimes

Annuals but with more systems covered. I

life gets in the way. However, I can tell you

would like to point out that the PDF versions

that we’re currently on track, and not only

of 8-Bit Annual 2018 and 2019 are now free

that but Issue 1 and 2 are almost finished.

to download at retro-format.com

Issue 2 will come about a week after issue 1.

This is due to the support we received from

Your print magazines have been crowd

members of the retro community who are

funded. How have you found that

actively supplying well-written articles.

process?

Getting started is easy enough and you don’t

laying the pages out, to make sure there’s

have to do it all at once with Kickstarter. You

enough content for all the popular retro

can work on a draft as long as you want, and

formats, and something for the non-popular

launch when everything is perfect. Sometimes

ones as well.

Kickstarter requests more identification or wants changes to be made before launch but

Do you think independent magazines are the

those are minor inconveniences. The difficult

way of the future?

bit is trying to keep momentum after the Kickstarter launches.

I think there will always be a future for them, at least as long as people who grow up

Can you explain the process involved in

reading magazines are still around, but it will

getting a fan made magazine

always be a niche market.

published?

Are there any spoilers, specifically about For Eight Bit, I tend to base the issue around

issue 1, that you wish to

a feature article which is usually a particular

share?

computer and it just evolves from there. I don’t have an exact idea on how a finished

Well, Bitmap Soft has recently us a review

magazine will look as it depends on a few

copy of Milly & Molly for the Commodore 64

factors and what type of articles people like

so we’re looking forward to reviewing that for

to submit. I try to have something for all the

issue 1. There will be a few more surprises but

major 8-bit formats, to keep all my readers

no more spoilers.

happy.

I want to thanks John for taking the time Retro Format is slightly different, I usually start

to discuss his new and existing magazine

with a design on the cover of a hot game I

projects. If you want that 80s/90s experience

want to review. Then it’s review after review,

of having a new, shiny magazine in your hands

whether written by me or supporters of the

then head over to retro-format.com for more

magazine. Then it’s a balancing act when

information. - By Paul Monopoli

YOUR SAY RETRO

The Gamer Welcome back to the first issue of The Gamer Diaries since October 2017! It has been a while, but there are still stories to tell, so let’s get into it.

The last episode of The Gamer Diaries ended as I was discovering Dragon Ball Z. From this point Dragon Ball became an obsession.

I researched the show within an inch of its existence, and started to collect the DVDs. After a few months I noticed that Australian releases were continuing after the Cell arc had ended, which is where the US release stopped for a while. I purchased the first few DVDs of the Majin Buu arc, only to notice that the Japanese dub was missing. As a fan of both the English dub and Japanese original, I promptly sold these discs and waited for the US DVDs to be released. I then backtracked and started to import all of the missing DVDs in my collection from Freeza onwards.

At the same time, the dub of the original Dragon Ball debuted on Cartoon Network. I was immediately drawn to the story of the young mountain boy, Goku, exploring the world and eventually saving it. Yes, I knew what happened next (we all did), but it was still fun. It would take a while to get to the final battle with Piccolo Jr, so for the time being I had to make do with continual

THE CONTINUING STORY

reruns of the early episodes on Foxtel while Funimation were busy dubbing the show.

I had gone as far as I could with Pokemon Blue at this point, so it was time to move on to the second generation. Pokemon Crystal had just been released, but before I purchased that I wanted to buy one of the new Gameboy Advance systems that had hit the market earlier in the year. I had read that some Gameboy Colour titles contained additional content when played on an Advance, and I have never been one to miss out on extra gaming content.

The problem was, I was less than impressed with the colour choices that were available at the time. In Japan the Gameboy Advance was released in a variety of colours, though Australia only received a few of these. However, towards the end of 2001 Nintendo were releasing limited edition systems.

If I wanted to play my games in style, it was only natural to focus on purchasing one of these.

At the time, LikSang was one of the most well known import stores on the internet. I checked out the site and found that two Pokemon Centre, limited edition GBAs were available. These were the blue Suicune edition and the green Celebi edition. Evie was an avid Pokemaniac, so I was familiar with both of the Pocket Monsters,

r diaries:

2001 - 2002

Y OF RETRO EDITOR, PAUL MONOPOLI’S GAMING JOURNEY...

however I was more drawn to Celebi. I liked his simple design, and green is my favourite colour, and there it was, ready for me to buy.

I made my purchase, and it arrived within a few weeks. The timing was perfect, as the second Poketour of Australia was about to take place. Evie had found the information and asked whether I was keen to go. Of course I was!

The last Poketour had taken place before I met Evie, though she explained that they give away legendary Pokemon at this event.

The upcoming event promised to give players the legendary Celebi, just in time to celebrate buying my Celebi GBA! The GBA arrived a few days prior to the event taking place, so I decided to purchase Pokemon Crystal on the day and then head to the event to get my Celebi.

My memory tells me that the Poketour took place at Westfield Marion, though information online about the 2001 event is scarce.

There is a fair of info about the 1999 Mew tour though. True to our plan, we drove to Marion, I picked up my copy of Pokemon Crystal, handed it to the Nintendo rep and was told it would not work.

Understandably, there was no new game for the system to load Celebi on to. Evie and I made our way to some benches nearby, and

I played the game to the point where I was able to have Celebi downloaded onto my game. The Nintendo rep gave me Celebi, though I was curious about Mew. I had missed my chance to have this rare Pokemon, so I enquired about his availability. Sadly, the rep advised me that he was not available at this event.

Evie mentioned that she still had her ex boyfriend’s Pokemon Silver cartridge, and that it contained his Mew from the first Poketour.

I believe he transferred it over from a first generation title. Evie offered me his Mew, though I was bit cautious about accepting this.

I did not think it was really hers to offer. Evie tended to work within a different set of morals to myself, which was something I was never too comfortable about. There was also the issue of it not being my Pokemon, and that it was already at level 100. I had not been there for the raising process, and there was no way I ever would be. Still, Evie did manage to convince me to transfer the Pokemon over to my game, even if it was only temporarily so it could be added to the Pokedex. I cannot remember whether I kept it or not, though I still own the game. As I write this I have just moved house, so it is in a box somewhere. Even if I find it, it is likely the battery has long since died, meaning my save game is lost. When I think about it, the same would probably be true of her ex boyfriend’s cartridge, so there is no way to check whether I kept it or not.

The Pokemon adventures also continued in our DVD collection, with frequent imports to catch up with the latest adventures of Ash

2001 also saw the Sega Dreamcast discontinued. In late 2001 Electronics Boutique at Tea Tree Plaza had new consoles for the low price of $199, which seemed like a bargain. I snapped up a console, but I needed a game. I couldn’t go past Marvel vs Capcom 2, which sat on on the shelf just above my head. I reached up, grabbed the game, took everything to the counter and in less than a minute I was the proud owner of Sega’s last great console.

Evie was not a fan of fighting games, but I had actually purchased the game to play with Clinton. We regularly played fighting games whenever we got together, though that was mostly King of Fighters 98. We also had the odd game of Street Fighter vs X-Men, though I was not the biggest fan of the massive jumps. It felt a little over the top to me, and I was drawn to more grounded fighters, such as the Street Fighter Alpha series. I always promised myself that if I was to buy an arcade machine I would have Street Fighter Alpha 3 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Alas, for now that was but a pipe dream.

Having a disposable income, and living with Evie and her father, I found myself in a position to correct one of the wrongs from my childhood. In an earlier Gamer Diaries I wrote about my dismay over the loss of my Amstrad CPC computer. I started to do a bit of research on the Amstrad community and found that it was still very active. A short search on eBay found an Amstrad CPC464 computer being sold in Tasmania.

My old computer was a 6128, but I assumed I would end up owning both eventually. Plus, this one came complete with the Amstrad monitor and a few games. I placed my order, paid the stupidly high shipping cost, then sat back and waited.

A few weeks later I received a card to say the computer was sitting at the Salisbury post office. I was hoping to be home to receive it, but my job saw me working during business hours that week. On Saturday I ventured down to the post office to pick up my new/old computer, and walked it back to the car in a shopping trolley. The keyboard and monitor were shipped in 2 separate boxes, which makes sense. For those who have not seen it, the Amstrad setup is quite bulky. The monitor is solid and heavy, while the keyboard contains the computer internals. The keyboard on the 464 comes with an attached tape deck, while the 664 and 6128 computer come with a disc drive.

Of the bundled games, the one I ended up playing the most was Strider II. This is not the 1999 arcade/Playstation sequel, but rather an unofficial sequel created by the home computer

2001 - 2002

and the gang. As we concluded the Kanto series, we discovered that the second series, Orange Islands, was not available for purchase.

Instead, the third series, the Johto Journeys, was all I was able to get my hands on, and that was if I was lucky. Many of the releases had already sold out, which I found odd, as I had no issues buying the entire first series. Early 2000s anime releases were an odd thing indeed.

license holder, US Gold, released 9 years earlier. For the Amstrad CPC, the graphics were a large improvement over the original title, though the gameplay was a little samey. It features the sword slicing action of the original game, though for some bizarre reason you are given a gun to use. I don’t think it’s a bad game, though the firearm does feel very out of place.

Feeling nostalgic, I also imported a collection of 15 Amstrad Action magazines from the UK. This took a few months to arrive, and I had actually completely forgotten about the order when it got here.

A few issues I owned as a child were in the bundle, and I was immediately drawn to these first.

While it felt like I was 12 years old again, my life was about to become a lot more adult.

While I was spending most of my time at Evie’s house, I was effectively split across 2 living arrangements. I was now in my 20s, I had a lot of stuff that was taking up room, and I needed a place of my own. This ended up being one of those situations where everything just fell into place. My workplace ended up having a team lunch next to a real estate agent. After the lunch I just happened to pass my eye over the properties on the board, when I was drawn to one. I went in to speak to the agent, who took

me out to the property. I picked up Evie shortly after, who I assumed would be moving in with me. The house I wanted had sold during the short time it took me to go and get her, but the house next door was still available. It was just a wooden framework at that point, but I liked the design, so I signed the contract.

My parents were not keen on Evie signing any paperwork regarding ownership on the house, as I was the only one with an income at that stage, plus we had not even been together for a year. Today I am glad I listened, and that is the house Mel and I just moved out of.

But let’s rewind!

In January 2002 I found myself in a new, empty house that was full of possibilities. I had no idea where life was going to take me next, but I knew I suddenly had a whole lot of room for video game equipment. It was time to start ticking some items off my bucket list, and making some of my dreams a reality.

2001 - 2002 WRITTEN BY PAUL MONOPOLI

gameS

ONLINE GAMING IS OUR WESTWORLD

S

R

REVIEWS

Brandon J. Wysocki

ONLINE

GAMING IS OUR WESTWORLD A few years ago, I

resorts, the internet, and

etiquette in online

it facilitates, is certainly

wrote an article about gaming. I stated that

the points I was making in the article weren’t a

comprehensive list of my concerns, and so this is an addendum of sorts

to that article, prompted

by my realization of how

analogous the experience

of online gaming can be to a vacation in Westworld.

Much like Westworld, or other Delos Destination

the multiplayer gaming

a technological wonder,

even if we’re not always mindful of that. In the

second episode of the first season, a main character,

William, is told by a friend who is accompanying

him on his first trip to

Westworld that “this place is the answer to that

question that you’ve been asking yourself.” “What

question?” William asks.

“Who you really are.”

I’m not saying that stealing cars in Grand

Like Westworld, videogames provide

Theft Auto is indicative of your desire

vast, engrossing environments in

believe that games can drive a healthy,

we might otherwise be unable or

to commit grand theft auto. Nor do I

well-adjusted person to become violent or a criminal (perhaps I’ll dive more

into that another time). When you’re playing the game as it is meant to be

played, regardless of what that activity is, I’d argue you’re being driven by the narrative or game design above all.

which we can experience things that unwilling to do. Humans tend to learn and grow by pushing boundaries –

indulging urges and curiosities as we begin to understand, often from the

consequences of such actions, what is acceptable and what is not.

Within reason, videogames can be a

behave online. In Westworld, people

someone throw a baby penguin over a

to indulge their darker desires. That’s

great place to do that. I’d much rather cliff in Super Mario 64 than in real life.

Dehumanizing individuals, or debasing

any lifeform (or even the Earth itself) is

at the root of much of the mistreatment and abuse that we inflict on other lives.

I believe that’s the most interesting

parallel between Westworld and how we

are seemingly encouraged and expected ostensibly justified by the idea that the

“hosts” aren’t really affected by any of it,

even if the experience is made believable

and, disturbingly, likely more gratifying by the hosts’ realistic reactions.

Alternatively, I know people who hunt

killing an enemy). But my recent foray

don’t feel pain or grieve death as we do. I

just how significant of an issue this can

and fish under the pretence that animals

believe that many animals are more human than not in that regard. Either way, I’d

rather err on the conservative side and

assume that they do (full disclosure – I still eat meat, but I don’t deceive myself into

in Call of Duty: Warzone reminded me

be. While I’m confident it is a minority of gamers exhibiting such behavior, as

is often the case the negative impact is disproportionate and far-reaching.

thinking their lives aren’t precious or that

It’s analogous to just a handful of loud

me worse đ&#x;¤”). Ultimately, humans have

group. It’s hard not to notice them, often

they don’t feel pain‌ maybe that makes a proclivity to justify their thoughts and

actions despite, or really most often as a product of, any cognitive dissonance.

So with online gaming, whether it’s the detachment from the human(s)

on the other end of the game, or the

consequences of our actions toward them,

people in an otherwise mild and quiet even more than the rest of the group

collectively. Moreover, it frequently results

in others raising their own volume to try to

combat it, making the overall situation that much worse via a contagious devolution of sorts. This was borne out in a recent match.

or the subjective, untenable justification

With only two other teams remaining, my

often gamers seem inclined to indulge

and playing well, so I liked our chances

of the mistreatment we dispense, too

themselves at the expense of others. For some time, I began to question whether that was true – but then it occurred to me that I hadn’t been playing in open

chat sessions in competitive games very much recently (and even still would get a decent amount of “hate mail� after

entire squad was alive, well-equipped, of victory. Suddenly, with stunning

effectiveness, as I engaged a single

combatant to the left, my three teammates were mowed down from the right – so

quickly that additional bullets began hitting the individual I was engaging with (he was the last man in his squad).

No sooner than he died, the bullets turned

the flagrant cheating amongst ourselves, we

I had a small hill obscuring my position.

no provocation, they immediately went to

their attention to me, despite the fact that With ludicrous precision, bullets hit what was marginally exposed. We placed

second. The kill cam showed the “MVP” of the winning team snapping from target to

began to hear other voices chiming in. With how awful we are and how we need to quit

playing we’re so bad (counterproductive but common troll “wisdom”).

target, even when they weren’t very visible.

I asked if they were the cheating player/

match with 60 kills and 38 headshots. He

the third-place team), but their response

According to online stats, he finished the

was “red-flagged” in all four categories that indicate cheating.

But the negative impact didn’t stop with

his direct actions. After the match, in the post-game results screen, teams are able

to chat openly. As my team was discussing

team (I subsequently learned they were

seemed to indicate they thought we were.

Next thing you know, as part of their

continued verbal attack, my team is being

called a variety of racial epithets, including

the “N word” – in a game actively displaying a message that Black Lives Matter.

I think the mostly anonymous, impersonal

online relish having a place where they

media) consists of creates an environment

feel comfortable and confident to cheat,

interaction that online gaming (and social where we often see people indulging in, or perhaps inadvertently revealing, their

darker sides. Life is complex, and I don’t think having a darker side inherently

can be themselves – a place where they

threaten, insult, and use hateful, disgusting language because of the limited, or even complete lack of consequences.

means you’re a bad person; it means you

As you watch Westworld, you see the

do. Behind the safety of their screens,

(a classic sci-fi theme). Their inhumane

have some bad tendencies, which we all

and largely protected from any significant

adverse outcomes, people are emboldened

to say and do things they (thankfully) would be unlikely to do in person. But I’m not really sure how much better that is.

I personally believe games, and online games, are an excellent tool to use to

improve how you respond to stimuli and

treat other people. I recently acknowledged that I need to take my intensity down with my friends in Warzone and I am

working to do so (thank you Jeff, being

the stand-up friend that you are). We all

slip up and say or do things that we wish we hadn’t; that’s part of being human.

When properly utilized, mistakes and

inadequacies are excellent catalysts for

improvement. However, I fear that some,

maybe even an alarming amount of people

humanity of the synthetic human “hosts” treatment, and the guests who treat them so, are abhorrent. In that same sense,

the side of people you see online can be repugnant.

In season two’s second episode, William, now convinced that what his friend told

him was true, says “this is the only place

in the world where you get to see people for who they really are.” Maybe the

antics and insults from gamers online are “innocent fun” or a “healthy release” and

I’m overthinking it. But often, I can’t help but think that, just as it is in Westworld, it

is a very real, very ugly side of an individual being displayed in an environment that

would otherwise be an apex of wonder and entertainment.

By Brandon J. Wysocki

PAUL BROUSSARD

REVIEW NS:

WHAT THE GOLF What do you get when you combine

The entire game is a balancing act

Super Meat Boy and golf? Rhythm games

What the Golf? walks almost without

space exploration and golf? How about

and golf? Bowling and golf? First person shooters and golf? The answer to all of these and a ton of other questions you

never thought you’d ask yourself is What the Golf? A game that’s truly one of the

most bizarre mixtures of genres I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing.

between cleverness and goofiness that stumbling. For every neat mechanic

or piece of great level design there’s a joke or reference attached that would continuously surprise me with how

harmoniously it all worked together.

Things that just do not sound like they should be mashed up not just worked,

but excelled. Things like Superhot with golf

of each area. These miss the mark, being

Hero golf consistently delight.

exception of the final boss which scratched

balls, to first person golf, and even Guitar

Some ideas are played with longer than others, which is great because it means

they never outlive their novelty and when

neither interesting, fun, nor crazy, with the

the same itch as the rest of the game; I just wish each area boss was more in line with that particular battle.

it’s time to move onto the next thing the

Progression in What the Golf? allows

is one weak point - the bosses at the end

commitments to enjoy it. The first stage

game duly does so. Unfortunately there

for those of all skill levels and/or time

of each new hole gives the player as

These second and third challenges are

complete it. And that’s all you need to

all of them you’ll gather up collectible

many strokes as they need in order to

do if you want to progress onward to the next area and eventually reach the end

of the game. However, if you like to push yourself a bit further each hole has two

further challenges that you can attempt to complete. The second challenge

typically gives you a par (set number of

shots) to aim for in order to complete it, while the third challenge is a lot more atypical and plays around with your expectations.

there for completionists, and by beating items that are stored in a trophy room type area. There’s no further reward

beyond that though - the collectibles are only there for their own sake. But

many of the second and third challenges are amongst the most inventive and fun parts of the game, so the extra content is very welcome despite the fact that it

doesn’t lead to a more significant reward for completion.

The minimalist art style helps the

like loading a moving van and then

so that you’re always aware of the goal for

downright weird like jumping your horse

occasionally busy courses remain focused, the stage, as unique as that goal may be.

These objectives can be as straightforward as to hock a loogie, or more complicated

throwing your entire house after it, or

over a series of train cars. Mechanically

the game follows suit - point the joystick

in the direction you wish to travel, push a

button to build up a power meter, release

at first glance there is a strongly Portal-

where the game most feels like an early

package together. It both keeps in line

at desired power to take your shot. This is evolution of traditional golfing gameplay, stripped of all its wind resistance and top

spins and kept to its purest functional form.

Despite how shallow the game may seem

inspired narrative binding the whole

with the ridiculousness of the levels you’re playing as well as adds some welcome

depth to the odd world you’re exploring as you progress.

Outside of the standard campaign there

direction that takes the player. There

they’re rather trivial in comparison,

selling point is its comedy, but What

are a handful of other modes, although consisting of a couple of challenge

modes with leaderboards, a demo mode (should you wish to show the game off

to a friend without letting them play your campaign), and finally a party mode. The

party mode is a two player game that has both players racing to the flag against

each other in randomly selected levels. At the end of the gauntlet of levels players are then pitted against each other in a

one-on-one deathmatch arena, in which each level they won on their way to the

arena counts as an additional life point.

These death matches are randomized as well, with some being much better than

others. This mode is fine for a few laughs, but doesn’t have the appeal or even replayability of the main campaign.

Stripped down to its core components

What the Golf? is a simple set of physicsbased mini-games strung together.

What makes it so special, though, is how well knit together that string is, and its

ability to iterate on ideas no matter what

are very few video games where the key the Golf? had me laughing out loud and calling people over to share in great

moments and jokes numerous times

throughout. What the Golf? Is the dad joke of video games - and I mean that

with a great deal of love. Even amidst all

of the puns, cheeky humor, and just plain silliness there’s an immense amount of

respect and passion shining through for the medium that it satirizes so well.

By Paul Brossard

NICHOLAS TAYLOR

REVIEW NS:

SHANTAE AND THE SEVEN SIRENS The gaming world’s favorite half-genie

(or vacation, for some) to brand new

Sirens and fans of the series will instantly

Invited to participate in a festival alongside

Shantae returns in Shantae and the Seven feel right at home with the beloved cast of characters, flashy character designs, and hilariously well-written dialogue. It feels

very much like a fitting sequel to a series

that began life back in 2002 on the Game Boy Color.

lands in a place called Paradise Island. several other Half-Genies, chaos soon

ensues and Shantae must seek new magic, transformations, and equipment to brave the mysterious underground of Paradise Island and save everyone from various shady events.

This latest installment in WayForward’s fan

Shantae and the Seven Sirens follows up

Shantae’s home base of Scuttle Town, as

of 2016’s Shantae: Half-Genie Hero, a game

favourite series marks a departure from

she and her friends depart on an adventure

on the extremely high-quality spritework which was kickstarted to great success

and resulted in the production of many

power-ups from the game’s stores. There’s

put to use in this sequel, alongside brand

as the game is structured in a classic

high-quality assets, some of which are

new work as well, of course. It truly is a

beautiful game with many fluid animations for not only Shantae and her various

transformations, but also the assorted

friends and foes spread across the game, of which there are quite a few.

The game’s hand-drawn style goes hand-

in-hand with stellar sound production, with tunes that will instantly lodge themselves inside your head and have you humming along even after you’ve stopped playing.

There’s also limited voice acting for all of the game’s conversations. It’s not a fully

voiced game though - some lines have full voice acting while others only offer small snippets or words - betraying the fact

that the game isn’t exactly from a AAAbudgeted franchise.

Nevertheless, the gameplay is filled with smooth, solid platforming and a large

variety of enemies to do battle with, as

well as creative boss fights, though several of them fall on the side of being a bit too easy, especially if you’ve been collecting

a vast amount of exploration to be done, Metroidvania-styled fashion, with a large

overworld from which you will occasionally enter smaller areas known as labyrinths.

A big flaw which frustrated me is that

despite the large world map and it even being divided into different sections

(much like the originator of the so-called

“Metroidvania” style, Super Metroid), there are several collectibles or small challenge

areas that you can’t always complete when you first find them. This in itself is not a

problem at all, and is in fact a key part of the Metroidvania formula - the problem in Shantae and the Seven Sirens is that

there’s no way for you to mark the map

to remember to come back to these areas later on.

While the map does show you quite clearly if you’ve explored a whole room or not,

there’s no way to know if you’ve left secrets behind (even if you clearly saw them with your own eyes, but didn’t have the tools to grab them at the time). This led to

me feeling like I had to re-explore large

portions of the world map all over again

In the end, Shantae and the Seven Sirens

appease the completionist within me and

does it really endeavor to do so; it’s a

whenever I got a new power-up, just to

ensure I had collected everything I’d need.

This could have been easily avoided by

simply letting players put a pin on the map to remind them that there’s something

they want to check back on in a certain

area. I can absolutely forgive the absence

of luxury functions like this in older games, but for a title coming out in 2020 it feels like quite the oversight.

doesn’t revolutionize anything, nor

highly entertaining Metroidvania-styled

platformer with fantastically witty writing and amusing dialogue that fans of the

series will thoroughly enjoy. Clocking in at somewhere between 8 and 12 hours, this

is a great title to purchase if you’re looking for some gorgeous 2D platforming action.

By Nicholas Taylor

LEE MEHR

REVIEW XONE:

GOOSEBUMPS DEAD OF NIGHT As an adult who’s become more and more

ubiquity made it the 90s’ “baby’s first

to think of how scared I was by some of R.

lot of controversy along the way. Past that,

fascinated with horror media, it’s amazing L. Stine’s Goosebumps stories. Although I only remember fragments now, there’s

something about Stine’s propensity to retool terrifying concepts into digestible spooky

romps for a young audience; Goosebumps’

nightmare-inducing story” and courted a

individual books & collections have a history of being modestly-priced. Cosmic Forces’

Goosebumps Dead of Night undoes both of those qualities to disparate degrees.

Unbeknownst as to why or how (best not

smattered about for good measure and

Your only means of identity is a nickname:

comes back to just how settled into a

to ask), you wake up in R. L. Stine’s study.

Twist. The ventriloquist doll Slappy has

escaped his book’s pages! Beckoned by

the ethereal call of Jack Black (who played Stine in the recent Goosebumps movie),

you’re requested to remedy this problem by finding all the missing pages and stopping him from unleashing his ghastly friends

everything seems serviceable. The issue formula it becomes: make progress, Slappy temporarily halts you with a quick speech,

and then continue pushing forward again.

The story just feels like the bare minimum

effort was put in between all the set-piece moments it wants to flex.

upon the world.

Granted, it feels weird for me to act critical

As far as spooky stories go, this sounds...

towards a younger audience—as you’d

fine, for a licensed game. One of Stine’s

most prominent mascots is wreaking havoc and you need to use your wits to stop

him. Some fourth-wall-breaking references

in this respect too. This is obviously geared expect; but even by that standard, I don’t see this gripping young kids like some of Stine’s edgier material. Aside from some body horror in the conservatory level, it

feels like fan service was considered enough

unrewarding the game feels. Even with

beats. Outside a couple of solid jump scares

stiff and sluggish. The basics of searching

in lieu of utilizing tension-building story

and good voice acting, I’m lost to really find compliments for a storyline without any of the author’s bite.

Gameplay does itself little favor as well. I’m not a fan of deriding Unity horror games

sensitivity cranked up, movement feels

through cupboards and items feels like

Unity’s tools were copy and pasted. Virtually all tactile interactions I had with the game

never clicked with me outside of grabbing and breaking haunted lawn gnomes.

as a type of genre-phylum, but Dead of

Puzzle design is another drawback for this

mechanics hit routine expectations of

those generous standards. The collect-a-

Night really hurts that case. The baseline being detected, running away, and hiding in some convenient spot. You may be

dodging either an undead patrol, a murder clown, or werewolf, but their execution is

quite pedestrian—and occasionally broken.

One of the stated rules about the murder

clown comes from him spawning if you’ve remained in the dark too long; and yet,

investigating a well-lit room doesn’t prevent him from appearing next to you. The

discount Slender: The Eight Pages collecting

template feels padded by temporarily hiding in a broom closet.

For a simple puzzle/adventure design

it’s surprising to see how sensationally

targeted demographic, failing to reach even thon for missing pages relies on generous hints and overwrought sound queues

versus quality level design; later on, the conservatory has less grating tasks but

are nonetheless unexceptional. Towards the end, Tesla Tower’s cool electro-punk

aesthetic and its laser grid conundrums are the most successfully constructed. There’s a modest amount of abstract thinking

required and the difficulty from the first

to third room is suitably ramped up. Plus, your reward for succeeding changes the

dynamic of the game. It’s just a shame that those puzzles are short-lived compared

to the more generic ideas that come after, including the final battle.

Overall, Dead of Night’s design does so little

eerily reminiscent of storefront purchases,

has a different emphasis with respect to

feel cohesive. A few rare moments occur

with the time allotted to it. Each location

exploration and puzzles, but they’ve been done better in a plethora of other titles— licensed or otherwise.

Considering visual & sound design, the

initial—and admittedly generic—thought that comes to mind is the Unity engine

pipeline. The scattered properties littered

throughout Stine’s House seem like straight asset-flips, the more exotic characters seem

and levels are often too contained to

of enjoying what they’re going for. The

Conservatory succeeds in feeling like both

a blossoming forest and extension of Stine’s

House; even the door leading to it is overrun with roots and vines. The jump to Tesla’s Tower feels all the more disconnected

because of this, though. These three levels and their occupants is all there is to the game.

Dead of Night’s soundtrack seems to be

Goosebumps Dead of Night could’ve been

the Goosebumps theatrical film. It runs

iconography and occasional silliness but

aping the expected template found in

the gambit of ‘spooky’ piano keys and

other instruments you might hear in the background of a fairground’s haunted

house. This safe expectation is no less

unexpected for the standard sound design.

The only genuine aural surprises come back to the odd technical anomalies where all sound would cut out.

It can’t be overstated enough just how obscenely Dead of Night prices itself.

Selling this game at $39.99 with so little content is downright egregious. For

someone who took time exploring these

places and experiencing all the dedicated

death animations, I finished it in 2 1/2 hours

(if that). Even with a half-off deal, this might not even come within your dollar-per-hour value demands. I’d be remiss if I didn’t

mention how easygoing I can be on this

aspect of evaluating games, in favor of the overall experience, but this is a bridge too far. Cosmic Forces is essentially offering

something the length of a feature-length

movie at three/four times the theater cost.

a compendium of the series’ best horror instead opted to be a cash grab. I hate rendering such a harsh verdict against

Cosmic Forces’ work; and yet, everything I’m seeing points to said conclusion. Its overinflated price tied with woefully

unexceptional gameplay rings all the same alarm bells of a typical licensed game.

Because of this, the few solid qualities ring as hollow reasons to justify its existence,

rather than building towards a worthwhile time. For the kid who may pay full price?

This may end up as one of R. L. Stine’s

greatest nightmares yet—for all the wrong reasons.

By Lee Mehr

Paul Broussard

REVIEW NS:

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition Remaster month wraps up with arguably

changes and some additional content. Is it

the bunch, namely Xenoblade Chronicles:

definitive edition of the Wii’s swan song?

the most substantially updated game out of Definitive Edition. Sitting at a pricey-for-

remastering $60, Xenoblade attempts to

justify the higher price point with a host of

worth paying full new game price for the You don’t need the Monado to see the

future for this answer; you can just read below.

If you’re not familiar with Xenoblade

which can damage Mechon, and thus Shulk

guy from Smash with the rainbow wheel

attackers and get revenge, while enlisting

beyond being the game where that one sword comes from, it’s a JRPG originally released for the Wii. You play as quite a

few characters, but the main focus is on

sets out on a quest to track down the

an ever increasing number of colorful characters to support his cause.

Shulk, resident of a peaceful Homs colony,

Xenoblade’s narrative is by far one of its

and hanging around in a lab all day

most is the structure of the story. While

whose existence of eating sandwiches is interrupted when hostile machines

called Mechon attack. Events conspire to reveal that Shulk is capable of wielding

a legendary sword that is the only thing

strongest points. What perhaps sticks out Shulk’s desire for revenge is the initial

catalyst for the story, it quickly becomes apparent that we’re getting involved

in much more than just a singular fight

between Homs and Mechon, allowing

written and fun to be around.

naturally alongside our view of the world

So the story is excellent, but what about the

beginning, but once it gets going it’s an

revolves heavily around its combat system,

for the scope of the narrative to expand

itself. It can be a bit of a slow boil in the

exceptionally well written experience, with

some mind boggling twists and more than a few gut punches.

And what good story would be complete without some great characters to boot?

Xenoblade, once again, delivers in spades there. All of the game’s major characters get plenty of time to be fleshed out and

developed adequately, with well thought

out personalities and complex motivations

unique to each one. It’s rare, and more than a little encouraging, to see a JRPG like this manage to create such a compelling cast of characters, and do so largely without

falling back on tropes to make them stand out (looking at you, Xenoblade Chronicles

2). Interactions between characters can feel a bit forced at times, such as when certain individuals decide that being surrounded by a group of enemies is the best time to remind each other of the power of

friendship, but besides those occasional

moments the cast of Xenoblade is very well

actual gameplay? Like any RPG, Xenoblade which if you’re unfamiliar with it, is

potentially most reminiscent of an MMO.

After initiating a battle, characters in your

party stand around and automatically attack the enemy you choose. The strategy within combat primarily involves positioning the

character and picking when to use various “arts” to deal extra damage, induce status effects, heal/buff party members, and

more. Dodging and the likes is all handled

by RNG as well; you can’t easily move out of the way of attacks as the hitboxes and

the animations of attacks are in a tenuous

relationship at best. As combat systems go it’s certainly functional; it manages to be

simple enough to grasp at the start while

simultaneously possessing enough depth to remain engaging throughout. I never

found myself particularly gripped by it, but it never becomes frustrating to deal with either.

Outside of combat, though, the game

does struggle a bit. Like most JRPGs, there

isn’t much substance to movement or

been given a bit more depth. As it stands,

are certainly varied and pretty to look at,

throw at you during the myriad of travel

exploration outside of battle. Environments but navigating them can turn repetitive pretty quickly. They really only serve to connect one city area to the next while

providing enemies to grind for levels if you

the only real challenge that the game can

time is having to avoid the occasional ultra high level enemy that will aggro if it sees you.

so desire. This may not be a sticking point

Sidequests are another bit of a stumbling

of territory you traverse throughout

fields you find yourself navigating, you’ll

for some, but given the sheer amount the game, it would’ve been nice if

maneuverability outside of combat had

point. Throughout the various cities and come across a number of individuals

who would really like something done

but are too lazy to go out and accomplish it

end of the original game, the epilogue follows

narrative significance that buoys the main story,

the lost city of Alcamoth. It adds roughly

themselves. These sidequests lack any of the

and almost always boil down to some stranger just asking you to kill a certain amount of

pesky wildlife or collect a set number of items.

After passing through the initial starting area,

I found myself just ignoring these pretty much

wholesale. Depending on how much you enjoy fetch quests, your mileage may vary.

So far, all of this describes the original

Shulk and Melia teaming up to try and find

another ten hours of gameplay to the overall package, so you’re easily looking at a 100+

hour experience between the base game and

this. Perhaps even better is that you can play it

without having to beat the main game, meaning that Xenoblade veterans can jump into the new

content without having to replay a 90 hour RPG first.

Xenoblade just as well as the Definitive Edition.

So is Xenoblade: Definitive Edition worth

the table? Quite a bit, actually. For starters,

remastering, but given the new content and

So what does the Definitive Edition bring to the game looks substantially better across the board. Most textures are redone and

models have been updated with increased

detail. Environments look notably better and

characters express emotion far better than they did in the original. The uplift does make some of the clipping issues that the models have stick out a bit more, but on the whole it’s a

notable upgrade. The soundtrack has been fully remastered as well, and is even more enjoyable

to listen to than the original game’s superb OST. On top of this, there’s additional content in

the form of an extra epilogue unique to the

Definitive Edition. Picking up a year after the

your money? $60 is certainly steep for a

the work that went into updating the visuals and soundtrack, it’s very much worth your

money if you enjoyed the game previously. If

you didn’t play Xenoblade before, however, I’d base any recommendation on how much you enjoy JRPGs, because this isn’t a game that is likely to win you over if you’re not already a

fan of the genre. The story is fantastic, but the gameplay will only appeal to a specific set of

tastes. Anyone who does enjoy JRPGs, however,

is highly encouraged to look here, as Xenoblade is one of the landmark titles in the genre over the past decade, and the Definitive Edition improves on it across the board.

By Paul Broussard

LEE MEHR

REVIEW XONE:

DAYMARE: 1998 If there’s one key point to emphasize

erupts from a Hexacore facility in

adulation for the Resident Evil series and

turning into flesh-eating monsters after an

about Invader Studios it’s this: their

classic survival-horror can’t be denied; in fact, this freshman Italian developer

literally made its start by announcing an

unauthorized fan remake of Resident Evil 2. Despite Capcom announcing their

official one shortly thereafter, Invader had the skeleton of a game already. With an

original story and their own IP, Daymare: 1998, they were prepared to craft a true

Washington State, warning of workers

incidental gas leak. You start the game as Liev, “H.A.D.E.S.” security agent (Hexacore Advanced Division for Extraction and

Search). As the game progresses, the protagonist count makes for a trio:

another H.A.D.E.S agent named Raven, and Samuel, a simple park ranger experiencing

the traumatic aftermath of this apocalypse.

love letter. While I still appreciate the

In honoring the campier roots of the

nigh impossible to ignore the foul stench

to writing and goofy line delivery, I was

displayed enthusiasm for the genre, it’s emanating from this rotting carcass.

The dead walk! As the name implies, the year is 1998. An emergency broadcast

original Resident Evil games, with respect never able to find solid footing on what Daymare wanted to accomplish. It’s

leaning so hard around the “Jill sandwich”

& “master of unlocking” flavors of

The rare example of adequate storytelling

back in on itself. The character dynamics

Since Samuel suffers from “Daymare

localization errors that it essentially circles are so hackneyed and flavorless that the sole connection to make is laughing at how intense or cool these characters believe they are.

This kind of stupidity extends to story structure too. Each chapter has the

equivalent of a foreword: an older man

is off-camera near a chessboard talking

about how the fallout across this lab and the town of Keen Sight is “all part of the plan.” Whatever nefarious plot he may

have hatched from all this doesn’t really

matter since viewers have no context for who he is—until the credits stop rolling.

The story has a weird obsession with

laying out the groundwork for a franchise,

can be found in the clear stakes.

Syndrome,” he periodically has to fight

off hallucinations. Occasionally, battles between real & illusory zombies are melded together. This feels visceral

and houses most of Daymare’s solid

scares. How the simple stakes of a postpandemic outbreak bend too far is the contrivances propelling the narrative.

Samuel’s disregarded pill container,

Agent’s Liev’s obtuse gloating before it gets the better of him, and Raven’s

incredible survivability strain suspension of disbelief, even by B-movie standards. It’s less about character mistakes happening

versus apparent telegraphing sapping any tension.

a la Marvel post-credit sequences, before

There’s also the presentational fumbles

matters like side character motivations are

don’t think the lesson to take from the

making a compelling plot. Critical

relegated to this interactive post-credits scene. This jumbled structure cheapens

any twist to the point of uselessness, like several of David Cage’s best examples.

with Daymare’s storytelling to consider. I original Resident Evil is to hire the first English-speaking people within your

vicinity to do hours of voice acting. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard this

many mispronunciations in such a game.

Beyond that, basic inflections and tones

utilizing sound storytelling fundamentals.

Although some voice actors have—

that keeps you invested. But when

whenever people are chatting feel stilted. surprisingly—modest rap sheets, others

like Robert Streiner (Sandman) only have this game in their portfolio. Even basics

like inconsistent voice recording suggest a

Even campy ones can capture a mood considering this third-rate dialogue,

uneven structure, dumb plot, and bad

performances, you can’t skip fast enough.

shoddy setup.

Outside of voice acting, lackluster

Having the overused zombie template

game. Out of all the indie/mid-tier titles

puts Daymare on lower ground in today’s age, but anyone can still succeed by

presentation is part and parcel for the

using Unreal Engine 4, Daymare may be

one of the worst current examples. This

may also work as a complement to UE4’s

If speaking more to artistic aspirations,

way more than they can chew, certain

tinged paranoia scenes feel inspired and

consistency: even with a small team biting qualities like lighting can still be appreciated.

Other aspects like character models vary

from generic to horrifying in their own right.

At first glance, I thought Sandman was filling a diversity quota by showing someone with Down syndrome could pilot a helicopter; over time, however, he was simply the

beginning of odd face models stuck with lip-

syncing as awkward as Resident Evil 2’s 500% facial animations.

there’s more success to note. Samuel’s redspecific areas get more polish whenever

Invader are adorning their inspirations. A

smattering of 90s-era graffiti and frescoes also makes Keen Sight seem livelier. The misfires come back to mediocre zombie

variation, with several standard types being carbon copies. Outside of the “normal

undead” army, strong enemies are routine

besides one: an acid-spewing chicken nugget creature. Something about his tortured face up close gets to me.

Sound is another inconsistent quality.

critics alike. Coming back to a middle-

Galdieri’s soundtrack. Whether in

disregard its place outright. Yet when the

The best positive would be Alessandro respect to its era-tributes or varied

instrumentation, I can say certain tracks

were the sole reason I felt any tension in specific combat scenarios. While I can’t

market version ($34.99 digital) shouldn’t

gameplay template is already outclassed, I’m put in a bind about the sparse ideas I genuinely admire.

press this as ranking among the best by

What delineates survival-horror games

tonally mismatched - it’s easy to tell how

The amount of items you can carry in your

year’s end - some of it is formulaic or

much fun Galdieri was having, which in

turn rubbed off on me. When considering this is his first credited OST? Hats off to him. Dragging the enthusiasm down,

sound design never hits an exemplary

standard (indie or no); occasionally, weird audio issues can creep in like quarter-

second delays in bullet impacts or when

simply walking around the environment.

As stated before, Daymare arrives at

comes down to resource management. inventory, the number of rounds left in

your last clip, and current health status all meld to elevate the otherwise-expected horror atmosphere. The best examples

have a synergy you can’t find elsewhere: knowing how dire your straits are whilst still being compelled to press forward.

This restricts any kind of guns-blazing

approach and makes any special ammo worth a bar of gold.

a strange time for this genre. When

Many of Daymare’s best gameplay

today mixed with 90s survival-horror, it’s

baseline. The weapon assortment

thinking about third-person shooting of

easy to think of how this ‘game dish’ is so underserved; then, out of nowhere, we’re

served two high-budget Resident Evil 2 & 3 remakes that’ve satiated most fans and

successes stem from honoring that (different between all three characters)

runs the gambit of one/two pistol variants and either a shotgun or SMG. One of the emphasized nuances is the two disparate

reloading states: methodical and quick.

generous hit detection zombies enjoy is

slow approach takes a few agonizing

know a melee hit should’ve registered.

The risk/reward dynamic is quite simple: seconds, while fast drops the previous

bound to enrage, especially when you

clip near your feet, which can be picked

The disappointment piles on when

clunkiness to refilling ammo or taking

a good sign when you see a classic

up later. There is also the complementary drugs via your arm-mounted “D.I.D.” device that highlight some tense moments.

Similar to The Last of Us, the outside world keeps going while you’re fiddling with your inventory.

These interesting ideas are dampened by poor gameplay execution though.

Controls are clunky in a more... obtuse way than standard tank controls. It’s

one thing to have natural gun sway, it’s

another when aiming feels more like I’m coordinating on an x/y axis grid. “Shift two inches over right, then three up.”

Stiffened positioning combined with the

considering the level design. It’s not Resident Evil love letter often disregard the interlocking levels it’s known for.

Outside of the hospital in Chapter 2, the

majority of forward momentum is a semi-

linear path with the off-chance of a puzzle breaking up the doldrums of combat.

Some conundrums were quite rewarding

too, like one utilizing Morse code. But the problems stem from a by-the-numbers

layout to go from X to Y. Some inspired

ideas like two characters’ divergent paths

through the same location are nifty, but so often my navigational brain was on cruise control.

expressive lumbering from zombies never

There are multifarious qualities I haven’t

also thanks to an unreliable framerate; a

For good, I also like the combining

settled into a rhythm for me. This is

constant 30 couldn’t even be maintained on an Xbox One X. There’s also lacking

visual communication in regards to close quarters engagements. The windup and

touched on yet—positive and negative.

dynamics for special bullets and medicine mixes. This, along with being able to

store and trade items in special Hexacore lockers, fleshes out inventory mechanics.

For bad, there are numerous quality-of-life

a routine so often. Paring down the excess

is being able to one-shot any zombie in a

polish more thoroughly; instead, we’re

issues in regards to enemy AI. The worst non-combative state, which occurs often

due to so much pedestrian level design. AI frustrations also extend to the final boss.

fat could’ve enabled them to focus and left with long stretches of unnecessary repetition and casual boredom.

Every different stage with him is likely

For all the pustulous boils and decrepit

nothing until you wake him back up with a

I subconsciously feel they hoped honors

to have multiple examples of him doing few bullets.

What I have trouble considering is

Daymare’s value proposition. In respect to its multiple difficulties (Easy, Normal,

& Daymare) and my collectible-hunting

playthrough going past twelve hours on

Normal, it’s easy to see a solid return-oninvestment. But the issue I have is why

Invader’s small staff desired to make this

overly expansive. You’re just going through

flesh, Invader Studios put out something a well-beloved series. Wishing can only get you so far though. Daymare: 1998

winds up being a deflating imitation of the source material. Several crucial aspects,

technical and artistic, consistently rein in

my otherwise-appreciative outlook on their worthwhile concepts. When all’s said and

done, it’s closer in line to “Resident Feeble” than Capcom’s best.

By Lee Mehr

EVAN NORRIS

Mortal Ko

REVIEW PS4:

ombat 11: Aftermath

Mortal Kombat 11 is a great

new playable characters, and

fighting game, filled with

three new skin packs — one

tactical gameplay, tons of

of which is available at launch

customization options, and

— it’s a nice add-on for

a spectacular story mode. Its

franchise completionists but

new expansion, Aftermath,

largely superfluous for more

which retails at $40, is merely

casual fans, especially when

decent by comparison.

weighed against the strength

Featuring an epilogue to the

and value of vanilla MK11.

base game’s narrative, three

The story in Aftermath picks up

partner with the sorcerer, who might

minutes after the conclusion to MK11.

as well wear a t-shirt that reads “I will

As the Liu Kang and Raiden plan for

betray you”, and travel backward in

a new reality, three figures emerge

time to a point when it’s still possible

from the Void into Kronika’s keep:

to claim the crown.

the shaman Nightwolf, the wind god Fujin, and the sorcerer Shang Tsung.

MK 11 already teetered on the

The silver-tongued Shang Tsung, a

edge of logic with its mind-bending,

villain in the MK universe, suggests

timeline-twisting narrative. Aftermath

an unlikely alliance in order to claim

rushes head-on into incoherence

Kronika’s crown, destroyed in her fight

with a plot-line that makes less sense

with Liu Kang; only with the crown,

(and seems less canonical) the more

explains their former enemy, can Liu

you think about it. Part Avengers:

Kang create his own vision of the

Endgame, part Back to the Future II,

future. Reluctantly, the game’s heroes

it plays around with time and alters

so many realities that it’s almost

fighters: Sheeva, Fujin, and guest

impossible to apply rules and reason

character Robocop. Fujin, absent as a

to the proceedings. Ultimately, it

playable fighter from Mortal Kombat

lessens the impact of the original story

since 2006, is probably the best of

and character arcs.

the new class. He’s a fast and fluid fighter who manipulates the wind.

If you can turn your brain off and

Some of his more interesting special

enjoy the ride, however, it’s not bad.

moves include Warped Needle, in

Aftermath features the same sky-

which he thrusts a sword forward and

high production values and killer

drills it into enemies, and Tornado, in

choreography as its predecessor, as

which he moves forward or backward

well as dozens of new unlockable

surrounded by a vortex of wind. Fujin’s

cosmetics and a scene-stealing

most unique power is Sky Wakka,

performance by Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa,

which allows him to literally walk on

previously seen as Shang Tsung in the

air.

1995 live-action Mortal Kombat movie.

Sheeva, meanwhile, is more of a It also shines a bright light on several

bruiser designed to tangle up her

DLC characters, including Shang

opponents. With many easy-to-learn

Tsung, Sindel, Nightwolf, and, unique

combos and several multi-hit special

to this expansion, Sheeva and Fujin.

moves, she’s a great fit for beginner

Just like MK11, Aftermath forces you

players. She also boasts a flexible

out of your comfort zone and asks you

special called Dragon Drop that allows

to learn new characters and fighting

her to fly off screen and come crashing

styles.

down on an opponent. It’s flexible because she can delay the stomp or

The story mode of Aftermath with

mess with a rival’s head by landing just

take approximately three hours. After

in front of them, instead of on them.

that, you can still master its three new

Robocop, conversely, isn’t especially

characters and an excuse to revel in

impressive. He’s a bit slow and stiff — by

Tagawa’s charismatic turn as Shang

design, of course — and his moveset

Tsung, it’s fine. Moreover, you’ll gain

seems borrowed from other mechanical

access to three new characters, two of

and gun-toting MK characters,

which are especially good.

particularly Sektor. He’s a fun novelty, especially when paired against previous

The question then becomes price. If

DLC character Terminator, but not

you’re new to MK11, better to invest

nearly as deep or intriguing as Fujin and

$60 in the Aftermath Collection — which

Sheeva.

comes with the base game, Aftermath, and all previously-released DLC fighters

Aftermath is an okay add-on, but

— instead of buying all components à

hardly essential. The base game is so

la carte. For those who already own the

rich in content and strategic action

vanilla version, you’ll have to decide

that the expansion seems superfluous

whether a three-hour story mode, three

— especially when the new storyline

new characters, and three skin packs are

muddles the previous one. Still, as a

worth $40.

vehicle for several previously-overlooked

By Evan Norris

PAUL BROUSSARD

Saint

REVIEW PS4:

ts Row: The Third Remastered

Remastered season continues with 2011

finding their influence wrested away when

sandbox hit Saints Row: The Third getting

a new faction, the Syndicate, comes in

the update treatment. After the somewhat

and buys off everyone that the Saints were

disappointing definitive edition for Saints

paying money to control. The Saints aren’t

Row 4, Volition looks to improve on its

about to let that stand, however, and

remastering efforts with the third game

you, the boss (who in my case was Hulk

in the Saints Row series. As it turns out,

Hogan with a zombie voice), have to take

second time may be the charm, because

charge of your team and conduct a series

this is a noticeable graphic upgrade on

of increasingly bizarre missions in order

what came before, and a release worthy of

to take the fight to the Syndicate on their

wearing the remastered label.

home turf of Steelport and rest influence back.

Saints Row: The Third kicks off with the Saints gang, fresh from having taken full

If it wasn’t apparently obvious by this

control of the city of Stillwater previously,

point, The Third’s story doesn’t take itself

particularly seriously. The game starts with

founded in reality, in contrast with 4’s

a helicopter aided bank robbery and has

alien weaponry and superhuman abilities

the player skydiving while firing machine

courtesy of spending the whole game in a

guns by the end of the introductory act,

computer simulation.

and things only get crazier from there.

Despite this, The Third still manages

And being a parody of GTA, that probably

to somewhat ground itself. Widely

is the best comparison for The Third’s

considered to be the “sweetspot” of

gameplay. The player’s presented with

Saints Row tone, The Third is the Saints

a big, open sandbox that they’re free to

Row game where the series really started

roam around in, with story missions that

to shift from Grand Theft Auto lookalike

put the player in a more linear structure.

to full blown Grand Theft Auto parody,

Moment to moment gameplay mostly

before Saints Row 4 went completely off

switches between third person shooting

the deep end. So most of the story and

and driving, both of which are perfectly

gameplay elements are at least partially

functional. Players can acquire upgrades

throughout the game to make their

the “oomph” necessary to make them

character stronger, faster, tankier, etc.,

satisfying. Perhaps most annoying of all

which provides some room for creativity.

is the return of the far too limiting sprint meter (at least until you get the upgrade

The most notable gameplay distinction

to remove it), whose inclusion in a game

is in the mission structure of The Third,

about ridiculous over the top spectacle

which still holds up quite well today.

made no sense in 2011 and makes even

The winning ingredient is that The Third

less sense now.

remembers that it’s still a crazy, over the top action spectacle above all else.

The technical aspects of The Third:

Saints Row isn’t particularly concerned

Remastered are where this updated

with having its players be stealthy or

version really shines through, however.

demonstrating they can escape angry

Far too many games recently have simply

gunmen, and as a result the story missions

slapped the term “remastered” on their

are far more organic and aren’t as easy

title with little effort to actually update

to suddenly fail as, say, some of GTA V’s

anything, but The Third Remastered

heists, and are actually still fun to play,

genuinely earns the name by looking

unlike a lot of GTA IV’s awful shopping/

exceptionally good for an updated version

dating missions. The missions fit in much

of a 7th gen title. This is far more than a

more naturally with the tone of the game,

simple resolution buff; plenty of textures

and it’s surprisingly easy to get absorbed

have been polished or outright replaced

into again all these years later.

for better ones, lighting has been changed and looks substantially better,

That said, not everything about The Third

character models are all redone and vastly

has aged particularly well. No notable

improved, and there’s an extra level of

gameplay changes have been made from

detail included that’s exceptionally rare to

the original title to now, which means

see in a remaster. Probably as a result of

that movement is still more than a little

this, the loading times are pretty bad at

clunky at times and many guns still lack

some points, unfortunately. I often found

myself waiting upwards of 15-20 seconds

that come with. Those expecting

for the game world to load in or when

gameplay updates to come with their

moving between cutscene and gameplay.

remasters, however, will be out of luck.

It’s not the biggest deal in the world, and

Meanwhile, new players who are intrigued

may not even be an issue at all on PC, but

should have no real qualms about picking

it is a minor annoyance on the PS4.

this up, as it’s easily the definitive version of The Third.

The ultimate question that any Remaster has to answer, though, is whether it’s worth purchasing again. At a $40 price point, this represents much better value than most remasters, especially if you’re interested in the chance to experience The Third in a much better looking Steelport and all of the zany characters

By Paul Broussard

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