Game reviews – Page 18 – Savior Gaming

Project Gorgon, initial thoughts

Over the years, many of you probably noticed that MMOs aren’t really my thing. Sure, I had a nice run in 14 with my pladin, checked out the free-to-play Neverwinter, and even played Elder Scrolls Online with my daughter. But they are the type of game I pick up occasionally then move on.

This brings me to Project Gorgon, a game that I can honestly say makes very little sense sometimes, and I mean that in the best way possible. I walked up to a bookshelf, and there were real books, written by players. Half the books were just advice from players for new players, and the other half consisted of short stories players made up about their in-game characters.

My first death leveled up my dying skill. Yes, death in this game is a skill. It offers perks for all sorts of things. Unless you decide to play in hardcore or permadeath mode, dying has no real consequences. It does offer you an excellent chance to role-play, however. Every time you die, you get hit with a random, let’s call it a debuff. The game tells you outright what it is and that it is only for roleplay purposes, and it ranges from your character being paranoid that people are reading your mind, to they forgetting how to speak.

I can’t speak much on the story, some hag wipes your memory for reasons I don’t know after 25 hours of play time and dumps you on an island. You then play that island as a tutorial ( there are a few ways to get off it) before reaching the main world. This is where you can start doing favors for people, trying to learn skills like carpentry or foraging, or ingredients to cook new foods. You can even decide to learn some sort of magic.

Now, don’t take this as a review for Project Gorgon, 25 hours into an MMO, is still learning how to play it. I have barely cracked the surface of what there is to do in this game. I am really just discussing how it really lets you feel like the world is open for you to just live in and do things. It is absolutely worth checking out, especially since it has no monthly fee and only costs $20. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Fruitbus PS5 Review

Fruitbus on PS5 is an interesting title from Silver Lining Interactive LTD that they were kind enough to send me. I always enjoy checking out new titles, and this experience is no different.

The general idea here is that your grandmother ran a food bus her entire life, one that you would often help her run when you spent time with her. Now that she has retired, she has left it to you. Due to some unfortunate circumstances, however, it ended up in the junk yard, and you need to fix it up and start from scratch.

The gameplay loop is rather easy. After a quick tutorial, you will park your fruibus somewhere, explore the area, gather supplies, open up shop for the day to sell some fresh-made goodies with the fresh-picked fruit, then repeat the process.

There is a story here as well. Your grandmother made one request when giving you this bus. Gather all her friends and throw her a retirement party. She did mention one small issue, she kind of pissed some of them all off and they don’t want to come. Others are just really busy. Except your mom, she just hates how she was raised because grandma spent all her time at work. This isn’t anything you can’t handle, though, right?

The real question with Fruibus is, how much do you enjoy cooking games in general? The game has adorable characters, easy controls, and a fun loop. Upgrading your bus is simple and rewarding, and collecting fruit isn’t as tedious as you would expect. It is a solid 8/10 experience, but only if you enjoy this type of experience. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Bellfortis Steam Review

Bellfortis is a strategy game similar to Crusader Kings, this time developed by Rake in Grass, which they were kind enough to send my way. I always like to express my appreciation at the beginning as a disclosure of sorts.

The game itself takes place on a map of Europe, as you would expect. The map itself looks nice, and it is quite easy to navigate with a mouse. All the information you need is easy to find. Little pictures show you mountains or fields, if you are better off focusing on farming or production in a particular province, for example. A quick glance will let you know how happy your people are, and if you lower or raise taxes, you will see the people’s reactions fast and in real time.

Diplomacy is also done quickly and at the click of a button, with each option quickly laid out for you, and when this fails and war is inevitable, as it often is, battles break down, with you being able to control your troops in real time. Set your archers behind your foot soldiers. Watch as your horsemen slam into your enemy, or if you don’t feel like it, let the computer just do the battle quickly. Wars can be fast and furious or slow and methodical if you want.

The downside, if you can call it that, is that many of the features we have grown accustomed to over the years are missing from Bellfortis. While it is possible to get married, don’t expect deep friendships amongst warlords or to have children. If you happen to remember the old NES game Defender of the Crown, it is quite similar to that in many ways. The ruler you get at the start is just your ruler. When you get married, that will be your wife. The game trades in many advanced this for a streamlined and simplistic approach, even research is broken down into a few tech trees that you research.

Random events are straightforward as well

I say all this as a positive. The game costs a very reasonable $20 and is worth the money. You can learn it fast, unlike most games in the genre, and it doesn’t require a huge time sink to play, but that doesn’t make it easy either; it can be as hard as any other game. The game is a solid 8/10. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Alan Wake 2

13 years since we last joined writer Alan Wake and his battle against the otherworldly Dark Presence. 13 years since he went missing in Cauldron Lake, a new threat has emerged in Bright Falls. Violent rituals being perpetrated by a cult seemingly inspired by Wake’s works have attracted FBI attention. Agent Saga Anderson and her partner Alex Casey are on the case- quickly realizing nothing is how it seems and Bright Falls has more than a murder cult and a cast of strange characters to contend with. Reality is being rewritten and the Dark Presence is returning, this time under the guise of the malevolent Mr. Scratch. As Saga’s history comes crashing down, the mystery of all mysteries is what happened to Alan Wake?

Alan Wake remastered was a solid action experience with a great story and some really irritating parts. Wake 2 is a modern horror masterpiece. The story is absolutely fascinating with plenty of twists and character development. Visually, the game is incredible, blending animation and live action flawlessly. The gameplay is improved but overall the game is more difficult; full disclosure, I sucked at this game because I’m the worst pathfinder in existence and I rushed through many of the goodies that would have helped a lot for the endgame. I was impressed how genuinely errie and tense the game gets, especially in the second half. Poets of the Fall return with new bangers as the Old Gods of Asgard, including a great live performance with the cast. What gripes I have are pretty small- I wasn’t a fan of the upgrade system for weapons, the reality shifts as Wake himself get confusing, and the game requires a learning curve for Saga’s mind place and Alan’s writing room but they don’t really subtract from the game for me. I will warn you, the real ending appears after the second playthrough on the Final Draft, but both endings are damn good. In the end, I highly recommend this if you love old sci-fi, classic David Lynch and Stephen King, or want a different kind of horror game. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

How 2 Escape: Lost Submarine PS5 Review

How 2 Escape: Lost Submarine on PS5 is a sort of escape room puzzle meant for 2 people. It was sent my way by the guys and gals over at Just For Games, and I always appreciate that.

Playing this with my girlfriend actually gave me a fun perspective. See, only one person needs a copy of this to play, one person plays from an app on their phone, and the other one from their PS5 ( it is available on Xbox and Steam), and you are both given different info. One can explore the ship and mess with different controls. For example, in the first room, you can look through a periscope to see lighthouses or some controls. The other person can see some menus on how to operate those controls.

The two of you must work together and pass information back and forth to unlock the room and get to the next room. Each room has different controls, items to find, and puzzles to solve. If you are like me, this is fascinating and a lot of fun. If you are like my girlfriend, this is torture, and you demand to know why I am doing this to her and what she did to deserve this.

After a couple of rooms, I was forced to pick a different partner and restart the game. I figured my ex-wife would be a great choice. This turned out to be an even worse choice. It was sort of like doing an escape room with someone who has no desire to escape because eventually someone will open the door for you, or because they know the rest of the class will do all the work.

I then moved on to my third choice. My 19-year-old daughter. This time went much better, I let her take the console and I used the app on my phone. It felt nice and was easy to use. We managed to get through the game fairly well together.

The story is fun and the game functions well, and the app works well even on my phone, which is in dire need of replacement. With a price point of about $13 regardless of where you buy it, calling this a 7/10 game that escape room fans will love is a fair statement. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Tiny Aquarium: Social Fishkeeping Steam Review

Tiny Aquarium: Social Fishkeeping is a small title from Lunheim Studios with a straightforward concept. One, they were nice enough to send me to check out, and I always appreciate that.

The idea is to let you build your own virtual fish tank. You can buy eggs of different qualities, and they hatch into random fish. And don’t worry, while you can separate them into fresh or salt water, you don’t have to. The fish won’t even eat each other. This is a stress-free environment for you and the fish.

Other people can come and visit your tank and leave little reactions if they enjoy it, and you can do the same for them. It is a nice touch that there are sometimes rewards for doing. You can’t spam the reactions ( you are limited to about 5 a day), but you can view all the tanks you want.

Another nice touch, if not a bit unethical, is the ability to get a group together to go fishing. This seems to increase your odds of catching more rare fish to toss in your tank. (Don’t do this in real life)

/ So what are my thoughts? The game costs $5 and has the option to just sit on the bottom of your screen while you do work, or you can focus on it when you have some time to kill. The graphics are cute, and it functions very well. I wish I didn’t have to spend so much in-game money just upgrading my tank to keep more fish, or that it was easier to get the decorations I want, but the game is great for what it is meant to be, an easy 9/10 must buy for this genre. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Maximum Football PS5 Review

Maximum Football on PS5 is a free-to-play football game from Maximum Entertainment, but as always with my full disclosures, they did toss me this a bit early and with a few freebies tossed in so I can dive in and really check out the customization. So if you are one of the people who played the Scranton Dragon Fire, you are welcome. I am horrible at this game, but my team looks damn good I think.

Honestly, the gameplay is solid, I would say don’t come in here expecting Madden, but I don’t know if that is a compliment or not. Running feels nice, and while I may be the world’s worst QB ( Dak Prescott during the playoffs excluded, Go Eagles!) the game does play well.

There are a lot of small things I love about this game. While they take a great pro football approach, there are some arcade aspects to it. For example, I haven’t played a game where someone hasn’t gotten hurt, and the game always tells me exactly what it was and how long they are out. Big hits also look vicious without looking cartoonish.

My only real issue is that, for a game with a ton of custom options and that is made to customize everything, basically everything is locked. I know they need to make money, and not everything requires real money to unlock, but damn even with a headstart I had to make a lot of choices.

All this being said, if you want to play football and don’t want to spend $60 on Madden, this is a 7/10 experience. There is no reason this should not be in your rotation if you enjoy sports. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Drug Dealer Simulator PS5 review

For those who have been waiting, it is finally over. Drug Dealer Simulator has finally hit PlayStation. Now, many of you have already read my review of Drug Dealer Simulator (Xbox Review), and if you have, you honestly do not need to read this one. The people who sent me the game over at Ultimate Games have done a great job making the experience pretty great across every console.

From the start, a typical day starts like this. Use your laptop to contact Eddie and tell him how much of each drug you want. Then go pick them up from the drop-off point and bring them home. Hopefully, you don’t get nailed by the cops and really screw yourself over. Don’t worry, early in the game, this is pretty easy to do. From here, you set up your deals again with the laptop. Use your table to split your drugs up into smaller quantities and make your deals.

With more experience between versions, I can say right from the start, I found it worth it, just not selling weed and only selling amphetamines. This was where you could spend some of your money to mix baking soda with your drugs. This could take your 100 grams and turn it into 130 grams.

This was just my preference, and you can obviously do whatever you choose. This is honestly one of my favorite aspects of the game. For the most part, if you don’t like dealing with something, you just don’t.

The price point for this game is also fantastic, $25 for a game with hours of time to play, a story to follow if you want, dealers to hire, and more property to rent than you can shake a baggy of dope at, and the ability to customize them into little hide outs and drug houses is amazing. I also find it relaxing to just rummage through garbage to find jewelry and stuff to sell to help launder money to pay for it all.

The game is an 8/10 experience. If you like simulators like this, this is probably the best one out there. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Ship of Fools PS5 Review

Ship of Fools is a rogue-lite from Team 17 Software, and they were kind enough to send me this after they sent me Nice Day For Fishing Steam Review, which I appreciate both. They make some great games, so please go check them out.

The game starts out simple enough: you are stranded on an island thanks to some calamity, given a boat and some cannons, and you must go fight evil creatures in an attempt to collect power-ups, save new crew members, and stop the forces of evil.

I think that’s the story anyway, I wasn’t paying attention, I was killing flies, trying to sink my ship, and smacking stuff with a boat oar. It takes effort to run around loading cannons, collecting wood to fix my ship by firing harpoons, and all that jazz that keeps the game exciting. Make no mistake, playing solo, the game is fast-paced and exciting. Do not be fooled, though, while there is a trophy for playing solo, most people don’t have it for good reason. This game is made for two players, either online or couch.

With fluid controls and cute graphics, and multiple crew members known as Fools to choose from, each with different abilities that make them better at certain things, the replay value is pretty high. Even the process of unlocking them will take more than a few runs.

Which Fool to use isn’t the only choice to make; which cannon to use is also a decision. Do you want two cannons that fire slower but will auto-target enemies when you aren’t using them? Do you want one that can be charged up to unload all of its ammo? Speaking of ammo, different ships have different ammo, and different ammo can be found during a run. Some freeze enemies occasionally, for example.

Ship of Fools is an amazing game if you like multiplayer games, but it does lose something when playing alone. It is still an 8/10 game, but it is absolutely made for 2. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Stalker Legends of the Zone Trilogy Enhanced Edition PS5 Review

This version of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. on PS5 was sent to me by the guys and gals over at GSC Game World, and I always appreciate that and like to get it out of the way first.

This review won’t focus on the story of the games too much, as there are 3 games in the trilogy with wildly different stories, for example, the first game in the series, Shadow of Chornobyl deals with the exclusion zone after the fall while the 2nd game in the series, Clear Sky has you playing as Scar and is a prequal to the first game and takes place before it all.

Instead, I want to focus on how the gameplay and functions compare to previous releases of the game. Well, outdated, honestly, in many regards. The movement feels kind of janky and jumpy compared to modern games and less fluid, something that easily could have been taken care of. Do not get me wrong, it works just fine, but if you are used to modern games, the sudden return can feel jarring. Following the map, most notably in the first game, can also feel awkward.

That being said, this is truly the best way to experience the game. It has never looked better in a release, and the controls have never been more fluid than they are now. The sound has also been greatly improved, as you imagine.

I know many of these seem to go against what I just said; that is because the game is quite old, almost 20 years at this point. The original was released in 2007, and a lot has changed since then. Games have come a long way, and they haven’t all aged the same. Playing the 2007 version of this game is a painful experience at this point, and this release gives everyone a chance to experience this in a way they can enjoy it again. It isn’t great, but it isn’t bad either. 7/10 experience. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.