Recent DLC releases have been giving established games new ways to revisit their familiar formulas, whether by introducing an entirely new faction, exploring a post-apocalyptic setting or expanding an already demanding tactical campaign. From the Veti’s unusual approach to warfare in Tempest Rising and the cooperative puzzles of Escape Simulator 2 to the latest Terminator conflict in Dark Fate – Defiance, these expansions take rather different approaches to adding new content. Here is what we thought of these three recent DLC releases. Continue reading “DLC roundup: Tempest Rising, Escape Simulator 2 & Terminator: Dark Fate – Defiance”
Category: Reviews
Seafarer: The Ship Sim review (PS5)
There is something inherently appealing about the idea of taking command of a ship and heading out onto the open sea, particularly when the alternative is usually watching someone else do it in a documentary. Seafarer: The Ship Sim attempts to turn that fantasy into a full simulation, combining cargo transportation, rescue operations, firefighting, patrol work and general ship management with a career system and an optional four-player multiplayer mode. Published by astragon Entertainment, the game is an ambitious attempt to make modern maritime work into something that can be both a simulation and a relaxing way to spend an evening. The PlayStation 5 version certainly has enough going for it to make sailing worthwhile, although the journey is not always as smooth as the impressive ocean surrounding it. Continue reading “Seafarer: The Ship Sim review (PS5)”
Keep Driving review (PS5)
Keep Driving is the kind of game that sounds deceptively simple when described on paper. Buy a first car, pick a destination, and make your way across the country to a music festival. In practice, however, YCJY Games turns that road trip into an unusual mixture of RPG, resource management, procedural exploration and slice-of-life storytelling, where a flat tire can be just as troublesome as any traditional videogame enemy. Originally released on PC, Keep Driving has now made its way to PlayStation 5, bringing its deliberately low-key road trip to a new audience. The result is a game that is much less about reaching the festival than it is about everything that happens between leaving home and getting there. Continue reading “Keep Driving review (PS5)”
Marvel’s Wolverine review (PS5)
Insomniac Games has already spent several years proving that it knows how to translate Marvel superheroes into compelling interactive adventures, but Marvel’s Wolverine gives the studio a very different challenge. Logan may have superhuman strength, a healing factor and a skeleton made from adamantium, yet simply making the character powerful is not enough to create an interesting game around him. Instead of turning Wolverine into another version of Spider-Man, Insomniac has built a more focused and violent action adventure that puts Logan, his troubled past and his relationships with other mutants at the centre of the experience. The result is an entertaining and technically impressive PlayStation 5 adventure that gets many of the fundamentals right, even if its relatively linear structure and repetition prevent it from becoming quite as ambitious as its pedigree might suggest. Continue reading “Marvel’s Wolverine review (PS5)”
Razer Prio review
The Razer Prio is an unusual mobile gaming controller because its biggest selling point is something that most competitors tend to overlook: actually being small enough to carry everywhere. Rather than offering another telescopic controller that effectively turns a smartphone into a larger handheld, Razer has designed the Prio to fold in on itself, creating a remarkably compact package that can disappear into a pocket or small bag. At just 101 grams, it is considerably lighter than many conventional mobile controllers, while still retaining the sticks, D-pad, face buttons, bumpers, triggers and system controls expected from a full gamepad. That makes the Prio an interesting proposition for anyone who wants proper controls for mobile gaming, cloud streaming or remote play without having to plan around carrying a controller. The catch, however, is that almost every decision made to achieve that portability has consequences elsewhere. Continue reading “Razer Prio review”