Game reviews – Page 39 – Savior Gaming

Turrican Flashback Review (PS4)

Turrican Flashback, what can I besides thank you to my friends over at ININ games for tossing me another beautiful retro remake. I always love getting the chance to play these and they are quickly becoming one of my favorite companies to work with.

As always, if you aren’t a fan of retro games this isn’t going to be the collection that changes your mind. If you enjoyed the original releases though or even just like retro games and games like the old school Contra, this one is for you.

Graphically this is a massive update from the original but nothing is lost from those things we love. The explosions and such still look like they are from the SNES era but they are simply far more clean and crisp.

The sound that many remember the original for even decades later sounds better than ever and will still have you feeling nostalgic while being grateful for the improvements.

There are also a host of new things added such as the ability to rewind when you inevitably die making a badly timed jump or because like an idiot you stand in top of an enemy. I assume someone has done that. Not me, I totally didn’t do it. I am sure someone did tho. There are also different shaders and wallpapers to use but besides a quick look through I didn’t much bother with them since as you guys know they aren’t my thing.

The game play is fun yet challenging,but it’s that old school challenging. Only so many lives to go around. The rewind button was helpful to get better, but if you want trophies you have to play without that option. This bothered me however because it felt like I was being punished for an option you gave to me to use. It didn’t ruin the fun or anything it just seemed a bit odd.

The game functioned perfectly, I didnt notice any kind of graphical or sound issues and it never froze on me which is important. I enjoyed my time with it and it was a fun history lesson that many people will love. One thing it isn’t tho is a game you will want to sink hundreds of hours into. It is best played here and there when you want to kill some time. A solid 7/10. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Star Wars Episode 1 Racer

Star Wars Episode 1:The Phantom Menace may have started the decline of Star Wars in the eyes of many but some good did come: one of which being one of my favorite racing games. Racing through a host of different maps across different worlds, you have to beat the competition while trying to survive the intense speeds.

For a N64 game, this game does one hell of a job immersing you in the dangerous thrill of pod racing. Averaging speeds of around 400 mph and having to worry about the integrity of your racer. Repairing your racer requires you slowing down while boosting drastically increases your chances of death. There are a good array of maps, each with there series of dangers you either find annoying or in some cases, epic for passing through. The controls flow nicely and are easy to pick up. The graphics, well not outstanding, hold up fair enough for such a console gap. The only honest issue I have is how easily you die and the quirks to boost. Pro tip: don’t boost useless you really have to. While the I like the danger of boosting, it caused most of my deaths. In the end, I enjoy this game more than most other racing games and I highly recommend it for racing fans as well as Star Wars fans. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Kathy Rain Directors cut Coming to Steam

Set in the 90s, Kathy Rain tells the story of a strong-willed journalism major who must come to terms with her troubled past as she investigates the mysterious death of her recently departed grandfather. Armed with her motorcycle, a pack of cigs, and a notepad, Kathy delves into a local mystery surrounding her hometown that will take her on a harrowing journey of emotional and personal turmoil.

As she follows the trail of clues left by her grandfather, questions emerge: What was Joseph Rain really looking for that night all those years ago? What turned him into a mere shell of a man, confined to a wheelchair? What secret did a suicidal young artist take with her to the grave, and why are so many people in Conwell Springs going mad? The truth is dark, sinister, and yours to uncover…

New to Kathy Rain: Director’s Cut:

Expanded narrative, additional plotlines, and an extended ending giving new dimension to beloved characters.
Remixed soundtrack with fresh tunes for the new chapters.
Several unlockable motorcycle paint jobs to personalize your beloved Katmobile.
Enlarged game environments to fill up the entire screen without black bars on the sides.
Controller support.
DEATH SEQUENCES (no spoilers)!
Plus much more!

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Here’s a weird fact very few people know about me: I have a heart for musicals. Not all of them and no you won’t see me standing in line for Momma Mia on Broadway, but I love the weird ones. And let’s face it, how many movies are as strange as the Rocky Horror Picture Show?

Brad and Janet are two wholesome young people are newly engaged. After Brad pops the question at the wedding of a mutual friend, they decide to ride off to tell the good news to there mentor and friend, Dr. Everett Scott. As fate would have it though, their car breaks down during a bad storm and the couple wanders to a nearby mansion for assistance. What they find is madness, depravity, sexual awakening, desire, aliens, and the perfect lover. Welcome to the home of Dr. Frank N Furter.

This movie is something everyone should experience at least once, musical fan or not. This movie is fun, absolute batshit but I love it. Tim Curry is a legend if not for anything else, it’s his portrayal of Frank N. Furter. The cast is memorable and the music and dances are infectious. The movie is unexpectedly hilarious and heart felt at times. The only real issue I have is the pacing is off and there are a few parts where the movie feels longer than it should and there is some dragging parts. In the end, while this movie sure as hell ain’t for everybody, I highly recommend and may the gaming gods do the time warp.

Marvel Spider-man: Miles Morales

Marvel's Spider-Man Miles Morales (PS4): Amazon.co.uk: PC & Video Games

Six months after the events of Marvel’s Spider-man (PS4) , Peter Parker has taken young Miles Morales as his protégé in web-slinging after demonstrating his new powers. When Peter and MJ go on a job overseas, Miles is left alone as Spiderman, developing new abilities unlike Peter’s, bio-electricity and camouflage. The young hero is quickly drawn into a conflict between the diabolical Roxxon Corporation led by corrupt hipster Simon Krieger and the extremist high tech group The Underground led by the Tinkerer. Can this young hero handle the forces looming against him as well as his new powers as well as trying to be a good friend and son?

I was excited for this game mainly just to learn about Miles Morales. I don’t really know much about him. This game is well written and Miles is a cool character to follow. Gameplay, while similar to the first game, is addictive as hell with Mile’s new powers and gadgets. Honestly, I appreciated the old/new ratio when it came to the gameplay and it stands solid on its own. While the villain roster is way smaller than the first game, the last 2 boss battles are intense both personally and game wise. While the game isn’t overly long and surely I don’t recommend buying it at full price, it’s a lot more satisfying experience than Resident Evil 3 (2020) was. The only huge drawback I had was the glitches- people would randomly appear on the street and rooftops, guys would get stuck in car doors, the textures would get muddy and once my web zip went nuts. While nothing game breaking, these issues do subtract from the experience. In the end, it was a damn good follow up with some small bugs but well worth playing. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2 Remastered

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 - Official Reveal Trailer - YouTube

With achievements, controversary, microtransactions and toxic player bases, sometimes it’s easy to forget that video games are supposed to be fun. The classic Tony Hawk Pro Skater was one of the greatest chill games of all time. Picking from a list of legendary, classic skaters you can either free skate a series of classic parks, tour each park while trying to complete a series of tasks, or beat your friends high score, all while listening to some awesome old school tunes.

In terms of what came before, this joins Crash Bandicoot remastered in the host of amazing remasters. The game runs silky smooth and looks fantastic, complete with a great playlist of 90’s and early 2000’s music you can control without pausing the game. New additions including being able to share XP amongst skaters between games and creating your own crazy ass parks are fun additions that add hours to the game. I found myself having hours and hours of fun without frustration, reliving my youth. The only real complainant I have is that it’s a game I have to be I the mood for. In the end, this is a damn good remaster that’s a blast for the fans, well worth checking out. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Empire of Sin Review (PS4)

As always with these things, a huge shout out to Paradox Interactive for hooking us up with a review copy of Empire of Sin. I have been a long time fan of the company and their games, so getting to review one was nothing short of amazing.

The game itself has a simple premise,you pick a member of the mafia and create an empire. I felt obligated to pick Al Capone first.

Each mob boss has their own special talents or buffs, some will make brothels cheaper to maintain or alcohol easier to make, things like that.

As you build your empire you will obviously need to recruit more and new allies to help run and protect your empire. Each new person will want a cut of the money tho, and will even have people they prefer to work with or simply don’t like and have their own loyalty levels to worry about. One particular guy liked me more when we were in a battle and I viciously executed a man for example.

Building your empire will take patience, a willingness to commit random violence and the ability to know when to play nice with the other bosses and when you should probably just kill them and take over their stuff.

The game itself is quite good looking, though as you could imagine isn’t the best looking game on the console. The sound however is exactly what the doctor ordered. The cars and streets sounds sound like they came straight from a movie and while I’ve never believed people talked that way, every character sounds like they stepped right out of Hollywood stereotypes from the classics.

Aa much as I can say I love the game, there were some things I didn’t like. For example at times the camera angles drove me nuts or I’d run into lengths of downtime that just seemed to drag forever. The worst was on occasion I wasn’t quite sure what an option was going to do when I picked it during dialogues.

What really stopped this game from truly being great for me however was the combat. The basics of what it should be are there, weapons to upgrade, a cover system that matters and works. But the maps are pretty redundant and with the camera angles what they are at times I couldn’t truly enjoy what never left being very basic or feeling like it was just an added on mini game in a way. Added to this the other bosses always seem to want to be your friends until randomly they didn’t, usually when it made no sense.

Over all though, the game is a 7/10 for me. I enjoyed it, and I can see where some people would fall in love with this game. I will definitely be revisiting this one from time to time. Best wishes and may the gaming gods being you glory.

Space Invaders Forever (PS4 Review)

As always at first I want to give a huge shout out the my friends over at Taito for hooking me up with a copy of Space Invaders Forever. This is actually one of the first games I played as a kid, sitting on my dad’s lap and his old Intelivision. Yes in one way or another me and Taito go back a couple years.

Over it’s life Space Invaders as a series as made a few dollars, in fact around 500 million of them and has according to legend even caused a small spike in crime and a coin shortage in the very late 70’s and early 80’s in Japan.

As you can see, this as bit to live up to in terms of quality. So some of you may be asking how do you mess up or even improve a simple concept as aliens moving back and forth across a screen towards the Earth as you collect various power ups and shoot them?

Well I don’t know how you screw this up and neither does Taito. What they decided to do was give us three games with some sexy graphics, add new game varients such as one that lets you and up to 3 friends try to beat levels as fast as possible or that combine Space Invaders with Arkanoid and give you a new way to play.

It never hurts to mention Taito makes retro games for the lack of a better term, and just makes them modern. If you somehow hate the very concept of space invaders this won’t change your mind, but if you have never played it or loved the older versions this one is the best I have played. The sound and graphics are top notch and bring the series to a new level, but they haven’t done anything to reinvent the wheel that will make long time fans shake their heads and ask why like so many have, but they have given us options that change the game in fresh new ways.

This one was a blast to play and the platinum is challenging but very much reasonable to get, one I may shoot for. As far as retro games go this one is a 9/10 for me. Best wishes and may the gaming gods being you glory.

Per Aspera Review (PC)

As always with these things, I’d like to give a huge shout out and thank you to our friends over at Raw Fury for letting us check out a copy of this early. I would also like to introduce you to a long time friend of me and @torstenvblog not just at Savior Gaming, but in the real world. He has been with us from day one, he has streamed with us and now he will occasionally be guest writing with us. So without further comment from me, here he goes.

Hello everyone I’m Jonathan and this is my review of Per Áspera.

Now I went into this thinking it was just your average city builder but boy was I wrong if you have ever played Frost Punk and I have then you will feel right at home with this game since the difficulty level even on easy is a challenge.

Now before I start I will say the only criticism I found with the game was not having an actual tutorial system and instead sending you on a blind playthrough of the campaign.

Now it offers campaign mode for the story and sand box which is so you can go crazy building stuff.

Now onto campaign mode which is where I have spent most of my time engrossed in a story that honestly keeps you wanting more as well as keeps you on your toes, you play as AMI a system AI tasked with terraforming mars so that you can bring humans onto the planet, now this is where the game immediately peaked my interest I’m not controlling some builder or humans no I’m a program designed with feelings to try and handle this mission to the best of my knowledge and I for one feel the dev team knocked it out of the park.

If you have ever played Frost Punk you know the game limits resources and nodes are random well the devs took that and did the same here you place your mines on nodes that immediately show you how much they have available to produce for you which means every move you make starts to become critical to the survival of your mission so far the area I started in has a great amount of nodes but I am also playing on easy so I can enjoy the story, you also are granted a tech tree as you progress so you can better your technology which trust me you will need it as power is the biggest issue you will find one issue I saw during this was the game doesn’t hold your hand so mistakes will be made as you progress and everytime you need to make new buildings no hints as to what goes first so it’s all dependent on you and how fast you can react and build since resources are limited until you have a medium sized landing zone or rather area of control.

I don’t wanna get into the story itself I admit I didn’t finish the campaign I don’t like spoiling stuff for people who might wanna buy there games but yes this game is definitely worth a shot if your a fan of city builder games as I call them this one really takes it to new levels and a story that honestly keeps you on edge of what’s gonna happen next so far I give this game a solid 8 out of 10 and that’s only because I wish they had done a tutorial even if small so players don’t go in blind but the game is enjoyable and definitely one to play thank you all for stopping by enjoy and game on.

Below I’ve included some pics I took.

Planet Coaster Console Edition (PS4)

As always, a huge shoutout to the people over at Frontier for hooking me up with a review copy of this one. I have waited many years to play this one but I never really had the chance. That all changed though when they announced the console version.

For those that don’t know the idea here is to build a fully functional and profitable amusement park. You will do this by creating paths, building rides, hiring and firing staff and even setting prices for tickets, food and drinks and even a quick way to skip through lines faster.

Graphically the game is beautiful. From lighting, down to the explosions. Yes I did say explosions. More on that later however. The lighting changes as the day goes on with shadows from trees and umbrellas moving appropriately. It is very well done and it isn’t often I say this, it felt good to turn them off. I mean that as a compliment by the way since I once spent about 10 minutes messing tables so the shade would look right on paths.

I won’t talk about the story because bluntly there really isn’t one and nobody should expect one. That being said if you enjoy the idea of micro managing the building options you are going to be in heaven. Don’t panic, there are easily hundreds of pre-made options to choose from. There is no lack of coasters , shops and rides. But the things you can design are nothing short of amazing. Beautiful coasters, entire malls and shopping districts, piece by pain steaking piece.

All of that means very little if the game doesn’t function well though and many times PC games don’t come over to console very well. Truth be told while the controls aren’t perfect and I can see where a mouse would make building a bit more precise I didn’t have any issues. Frontier honestly really managed to nail the controls here, which in recent years thankfully is something many have managed to do successfully.

As for my final score here, I have to say I was ready for this to be a complete wreck. Which there is actually a trophy for doing by the way. Build a coaster, and create a coaster that involves around 300 guest I believe it was. Yes, your coasters aren’t automatically successful. You need to worry about gravity, will they make them sick? Do they even enjoy it? Do you even care to finish it and instead want to launch them up into the air? Not that anyone would do that. Anyway, this game is aa 9/10 for me. Any fan of this type of game really needs to give this one a go, and buy the DLC, it adds some cool rides and such. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.