Train Sim World 7 PlayStation 5 Review

It’s that time of year again, everyone. Train Sim World 7 is out, and DoveTail Games has once again set me up with a review copy. If you missed my coverage of that, you can find it here. I said last year that if you haven’t got a chance to play a Train Sim World game, that 6 was a great place to start, and this year makes the game even more approachable than ever. They have added a control scheme for those who want to use it, so you can now control the major stuff of the train easily from the controller. This is fantastic if you just want to relax and check out the beautiful scenery, and it is beautiful.

For those that enjoy the more hardcore simulation style of the games, don’t worry, they haven’t changed it on you. By all means, turn the UI off, stare at the dash, move every control knob and stick on the train, and fully immerse yourself in the experience of hauling a massive machine through Bavaria or Yorkshire. Or be like me and stick to the in-between and leave the UI on so you have the extra help and maybe crash the train a few times in Florida. Seriously, letting me drive a train is the worst thing to happen to Florida since Florida man discovered bath salts.

The game isn’t perfect; however, it is fun. When you get to certain areas, you will notice they did manage to push the PS5 (at least the base model) to its limits at points. There are some noticeable slowdowns here and there when things get super busy, mostly on the German routes. Kind of seems like the Axis once again lost to the Allies here, considering the British and American routes rarely suffer these issues. I jest, come on guys, the war’s over; stop making these jokes.

Tastefully borrowed from Push Square

The game is a lot of fun, and fans of trains will have a lot to work with, and I am not 100% sure what carries over from the previous year’s game, but I know some things do, which is pretty cool. For me, the game is an 8/10 experience, and fans of the series will enjoy it. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Primetime

Why don’tcha take a seat? Perhaps one of the most infamous phrases of the 2000’s came from one of the most controversial shows ever put on TV: To Catch A Predator with Chris Hansen. Week after week thousands tuned in to watch the stoic journalist confront child molesters and pedophiles on national tv, culminating in some heavy ethical debates as well as an insane confrontation that ended with the suicide of a public official. Not only does this story follow the rise and fall of Hansen but the journey of Daniel Plum, a struggling actor hired to act as one of the child decoys tasked with luring out the worst of the worst. What’s the cost of fame and how far is too far?

Ok, let’s get this out of the way: I’m not going into the accuracy of this movie. The real Chris Hansen is pretty pissed at how this movie portrays him-a conflicted, imperfect family man with big dreams whose willing to do some ugly shit to achieve them. Much like Oppenheimer, I’d argue it’s a realistic portrayal of a human being. Pattinson is great as Hansen, and I gotta give him credit for nailing Hansen’s memorable cadence and inflections. Skyler Gisondo was also incredible as Decoy Dan Plum, disappearing into the role as well as Pattinson did his; I totally forgot he was Jimmy Olsen in Superman (2025). The movie on the whole is entertaining as hell on the whole. Visually it’s a knock out with a score that compliments the psychedelic vibes and the eerily faithful 2000’s TV look to everything. The movie is pretty quick, staying focused on strictly the span of To Catch A Predator. The only real complaint I have is that the ending feels abrupt. I feel like Dan Plum got a reasonable end, the producer got a reasonable end, but not Hansen.

In the end, I really enjoyed Primetime. It’s funnier and trippier than I expected with some great performances I’d highly recommend. May the gaming god’s bring you glory.

Slayground trailer

Halloween is upon us and sometimes, we need something simply fun. A24 presents us with Slayground, which looks likes a cool horror romp at a haunted house. Admittedly, I have a soft spot in my heart anytime I hear Bodies by Drowning Pool. The killer looks pretty cool too. Given the fact A24 has a part in it, I’m sure the movie will have some elevated hook we aren’t seeing. Worst case, it looks like a nice slasher to populate the season. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Voltaire: The Vegan Vampire PlayStation 5 Review

Voltaire: The Vegan Vampire is an odd game. It is a sort of action roguelike almost mixed with a tower defense, and it was sent my way by Jandusoft. These guys always send me interesting stuff and this was no exception, and I always appreciate it.

Voltaire: The Vegan Vampire as about the youngest son of Dracula, Voltaire and his decision to commit the ultimate sin, going vegan. The game doesn’t say that I am by the way. He is a vampire and he is taking up gardening, its weird that his two uncles Frank and Stein even allow it, let alone act as the games quest giver and tutorial.

I digress however, it doesn’t take long with their help before you are growing weird crops, doing alchemy, and feeding Cthulu by day an by night fending off your fathers hordes, protecting your crops and every so often killing one of his generals and then leaving your homestead for a slightly safer place only to repeat the process.

This to me is kind of what made the game not that much fun unfortunately. You build a few things and before you know it the week is over and it is time to move on to the next place. You do have the option to stay an extra week if you want but the game does make it clear this is not a good idea. ( you should still try it however) and much of the time you are still struggling to keep your hunger down.

The game does look and sound nice, and I love the humor. Unlocking the boss rush mode and the extras is also a nice touch, with plenty of extras like different classes with new abilities and different outfits allows for plenty of replay ability for a reasonable price of only $20, but for me I would wait for a sale on this 7/10 title. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Moros Protocol PlayStation 5 Review

Moros Protocol is a first-person shooter roguelike sent my way by the people at Super Rare Games. I always appreciate getting to check out something new from someone new, and this definitely fits the bill. The game has old-school low-poly graphics, but it is done in a way that still looks and plays well. This is important because a lot of times these things are done badly. My one complaint is I wish I could aim down the sights.

You will wake up time and time again on an old ship called the Orpheus, in a sort of nod to Halo, with what seems to be a computer system in your head letting you know what is going on. Each time you die, you will get bounced into a new body of someone who didn’t make it, but still has a usable body. Many things in this game aren’t what they seem, however.

In between runs, you will get the chance to upgrade along the game’s grid; some spots give you more HP, some allow you to hold more ammo, or even just give you more spots to hold upgrades. Really, there are too many to even name, and maxing out your character would take a ton of time, I think.

The real issue I have with the game comes down to how you find secret entrances. They hide some important stuff, and I have only found two ways to access them. Attack these special spots with your melee, which damages you, or with explosive barrels, which usually isn’t an option. Your options then become: not look for them, which hurts your run, or look for them, which hurts your run anyway. This just seems like a very odd design choice to me.

The game is still a solid 7/10, and the story is better than I expected. I think it is worth playing even with the small annoyances and balance issues. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

MXGP 26 PlayStation 5 Review

MXGP 26 was sent my way by Nacon, which is always appreciated. MXGP is a motocross game with a mountain of races to get through on 19 official tracks across the MXGP and MX2 categories of racing. The new addition to this year is that, finally, just like in real life, the track will now get messed up as the race goes on. Take the same turn over and over again with everyone else, and the turn will form holes and ruts from the wheels.

Graphically, the game is probably the most impressive dirt bike racing game I have played, and while I have not played many recently, I have played a couple. The controls are also top-notch. Usually the controls are too stiff or too loose, and while they aren’t perfect, I never felt like I was struggling to control the bike.

My major complaint with the game is simple: there is no tutorial. This may seem silly, but there are some advanced techniques for racing a bike that the game just leaves you to figure out or assumes you already know. The AI difficulty is also rather odd because if you don’t know these skills, you might struggle, but if you do, the game becomes kind of easy most of the time.

The game is still pretty great it; was an 8/10 experience for me. I simply can’t speak as someone who plays every year; for those people, you may find the experience a bit different. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

RuneScape Dragonwilds PlayStation 5 Review

RuneScape Dragonwilds was sent my way by Jagex, a company I have long since been aware of, but this is the first time I have really got to work with them, so it is really appreciated. I have, of course, played RuneScape before. But this is the first time I have really dug into it. DragonWilds takes place on the forgotten continent of Ashenfall, and as one of the people who have just gotten there, it is your job to help build everything. There is just one small issue; the damn dragons keep killing everyone and breaking stuff. Don’t worry, in low-level areas, they won’t really break your stuff. In high-level areas, however, they absolutely can destroy badly placed and badly built bases.

Yes, you can, and should take a break and go fishing.

One of the things I really like is that the leveling system is still designed in a way that encourages you to do anything and everything you want. There is no picking stats to focus on that make you useless in something later; if you want to be great at fishing, just go fishing. Want magic? Use magic. Archery? Use a bow. If you decide later you hate magic and would rather use a sword, just equip one and go to town. You don’t have to live with bad choices.

I don’t know what’s going on here, but it looked cool.

The story itself is still a strong selling point, but it isn’t the selling point here. As you would hope, you will love teaming up with friends or random people to just do stuff, including killing dragons or building insane things for no reason. Depending on the version you want you are looking at 30-40 dollars for 100+ hours of gameplay, and that is hard to be mad at. The game is a 9/10 experience that I will be playing for a long time to come. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Sandwalkers PlayStation 5 Review

Sandwalkers was sent my way by the nice folks over at Red Art Games, and I always appreciate it. Sandwalkers is the story of Mka tribe, who every decade send a caravan out to scour the world around them in hopes of finding honestly anything. Other tribes to trade with, hints on how to stop the global catastrophe that has endured for hundreds of years, or even just to plant a new tree that other tribes can use to flurish. The world is not a nice place, and every little bit helps in this world of monsters and pirates.

The thing is, success and failure are meaningless for the tribe, as the tutorial will teach you. What is important, is the attempt and sending you memories back so the next caravan can do more than the last, and so the tribe can use that knowlege to prepare what they can.

The premise is great, and the execution while flawed at times is still fun. Each run truly does make you feel like maybe you can use what you learned, and the relationships you made might help you solve things the next time. Another thing the game does very well is the art style and turn based combat is magnificent. It is truly a worthy RPG in its own right.

The one major downside to this is on the front side of the game to get there very text heavy and the UI needs some work. It takes a lot of getting used to and it will take some time to even get to the point where you are playing and feel like that progress is really happening. This is far from being a huge deal for most people but it does exist all the same. The game is still an 8/10 experience that is more than worth the $20 price tag. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

The Fog

Every town has its share of ghost stories. Antonio Bay is no different. The quiet sea side town is gearing up to celebrate it’s founding when a mysterious fog rolls in from the sea. Mysteriously power goes out, windows shatter and knocks can be heard with seemingly no one there. Coincidence or is the the town’s bloody secrets coming back for revenge as the long lost crew of the Elizabeth Dane have come ashore once again…

So John Carpenter had to do something in the couple years between Halloween and The Thing . I remember me and my dad trying to watch the godawful remake on video and my dad, legend he was, snoring halfway through it. The original legitimately feels like a old fashioned campfire tale in the best way. The opening perfectly sets up the movie’s atmosphere as well as some great cinematography accompanied some great music from Carpenter himself. I really liked Jamie Lee Curtis and Tom Atkins’s chemistry. I loved Antonio Bay as a setting, it felt like a cozy little vacation town I wouldn’t mind taking a trip to-if not for the ghost pirates. While I can’t say I was scared, I did appreciate the less is more approach to the ghosts and they’re are some badass shots of them towards the end. My only real complaint is the movie is a bit too much of a slow burn, feeling longer than it actually is. It drags a little in the second act mostly though the climax was a nice payoff.

In the end, the fog is definitely worth checking out, especially with spooky season around the corner. It’s definitely a cozy, turn the lights off and curl up on the couch kind of horror movie that looks great 45 years later. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

IT: Welcome t Derry (sn1)

Derry, Maine is a quiet town tat slips right out of your memory once you leave. Every 27 years, children disappear and no one has answers. Every 27 years children see terrible things, hear voices around the drains, and many are never heard or seen again. What happened in Derry 27 years before the Losers Club fought Pennywise, well, come on down and see what surprises lurk in the lovely little town.

I love the IT movies and the miniseries (RIP Tim Curry) so I was expecting a iffy, low effort season that vaguely resembled the remakes. However, I’m ecstatic to say in a lot of ways I enjoyed the show more than the movies. Fans of King’s lore will have a lot of chomp at; I lost my shit a few times with certain Dark Tower references and the Shining connections were great. The acting is fantastic and I gotta say all the characters felt like they belonged in a Stephen King story. Again there’s a few surprise reveals I don’t want to spoil but they are well done. This show is very hard-hitting when it comes to brutality and the imagery- full warning, you’ll see some messed up shit happen to children. I even shivered a few times with how far the show was willing to go. The effects and setting are incredibly done. It has one of my favorite opening title sequences ever. Lastly, I was thrilled this wasn’t the Pennywise show- we don’t see the iconic clown til halfway in but the revelations we get and the shocking moments make him feel more threatening than ever.

Of course, nothing’s ever perfect. In this case, there is a plotline involving the army and Derry that never fully full circle for me. The ending is a bit too heavy handed with the “power of friendship” and the finale did feel drawn out. I also had to wonder why the Hanlon’s chose to stay in Derry after all the crazy crap that happens. I do love the little surprise appearance at the end that connects to IT 2017.

In the end, I adored Welcome to Derry and I’m incredibly hyped we’re getting a second season. I highly recommend it but I’m warning you their is a lot of triggers and tons of disturbing imagery. May the gaming gods let you float down here.