E3 2018 unveiled a raft of exciting titles but none more so than Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden. 

The strange sight of a talking duck walking alongside a grumpy pig had me hooked from the outset and the fact that this was an RPG was the icing on the cake.

MYZ is a grim, wisecracking, hilarious, silly, ridiculous game that I’m in love with. This is less Saints Row silliness and more XCOM 2 tactical strategy, this combination of losing yourself in the ambience of the post-apocalyptic environment and having to keep your wits about you as you plot out your next fight is one that I couldn’t get enough of.

The game starts with you taking control of Stalkers Dux (the Duck) and Bormin (grumpy pig) as you wander through the surprisingly lush wasteland on your way back to the final Human settlement, The Ark. This also serves as your home base where you can buy everything that a mutated Duck and Pig could ask for, weapons, armour, medkits, grenades, upgrades and attachments are all here for you to purchase. Pro tip: buy the discount when you first get to the Ark, its the best first option. You are then sent on a mission to find the legendary stalker Hammon, who recently left the Ark to search for the fabled city of Eden, but he’s the only one who can keep the Arc running so he’s pretty important in the scheme of things. So off you go on your merry way.

You head North to see where Ol’ Hammon went and you encounter an interesting, albeit not entirely fleshed out, storyline that takes you on a good journey as you begin to understand more about what’s going on around you. Trekking through the forest, encampments, towns, bunkers are fun with the different terrain and obstacles providing a really interesting conundrum when plotting your attack.

Ghouls and robots are running rampant around the world, each wanting to kill you for being a Stalker. Why can’t we have a little sit-down and talk through our problems over a nice pot of tea? Fine, have it your way, time to shoot faces.

The combat is tactically fun.

You need to scout the area to know how many enemies are loitering, where they are, the type of firepower they have and where the best position to attack from is. Your group can split up to make positioning easier, taking advantage of the terrain. One mutation that Dux has is the ability to grow moth wings and use these to gain a height advantage in combat. You can also use this ability to reach high perches and have the constant high ground in a battle. Each turn you get a set number of moves you can perform, move, fire weapon, reload, use an ability, throw a grenade, heal. Using each of these at the right time take a little work before you become familiar with the most efficient way to see off your foes.

Take your time to understand the fight before you engage as there can be enemy reinforcements just around the corner who can turn the tide for their comrades. Also, make sure you move to positions that provide you with a 100% hit chance. I don’t remember how many times I’ve missed 75% shots where if I had moved a few tiles in either direction, I would have killed the ghoul. Medkits are important too. Stock up if you can.

The weapons and armour in MYZ are good.

You have your traditional post-apocalyptic mash-up of 19th-century gunpowder weapons and modern accessories. Loud guns should be supplemented with a silenced weapon to pick off enemy stragglers without alerting their friends eating smores just around the corner.

On your travels, you will find scrap that can be traded for items back at the Ark, weapon or armour crates with hopefully something fun in them or a clue to the story. These items can be hard to find sometimes so make sure to use the flashlight to highlight these hidden objects. Sneaking is also a thing in MYZ which is not just useful when positioning before battles but is even better when using it as a tactic to not engage with enemies and just steal their loot. Some of the tougher early areas can be looted for good gear by using sneak.

The arc of the game is great and I really enjoyed the how tough the encounters were. If I was out of position or not concentrating, I was made to pay and failed a few fights by being too cocky and aggressive rather than sticking to my plan. My enjoyment of this game went through the roof when I realised that I couldn’t just steamroll everything and had to consider my strategy throughout (and I was only on Normal difficulty).

Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. Some won’t like the way it plays but I’d be willing to be there are a lot more people who will fall in love with the game just as I have. Give it a chance.

The post Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden PC Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

If you play video games for fun, pure, silly fun, go and buy this game. Now this is my first Just Cause game of the series and if you’re a seasoned pro you may feel differently to me, but if this is your first foray into the Just Cause universe then this is one to check out.

Senor Rico Rodriguez is on deck trying to shut down a South American Dictator who has taken control of the picturesque island archipelago Solis and seemingly has created a weapon of mass destruction that can generate devastating weather events, all in the guise of “helping” the country combat devastating weather events. Oh you evil genius, but seriously when will the law makers realise that creepy guys wearing expensive suits and slicked back hair are actually genius trying to overthrow you. Reminds me of the people who run upstairs in serial killer movies rather than running outside in to the open. But I digress.

Your job as Rico is to stop Oscar Espinosa (the Dictator) and destroy the weather machine before it gets out of hand. There’s also the little detail of your Father being involved in the project and now he’s dead so the revenge meter is set to extreme in this game. You have your trusty grappling hook to help you, well, grapple and its a lot more fun than what I initially thought it was going to be. The speed at which you can travel large distances is stunning and that movement is even more highlighted when you use it in combat to change angles and heights on the poor souls trying to shoot this wannabe Spiderman.

The opening mission introduces you to the main protagonist, combat, movement, your sidekick and the overall plot of the game. Its refreshing to work through a game that provides a quick tutorial on the key systems in the game without have 62 pages of text or clicking ‘continue’ until your finger goes numb. I was prepped and ready to go after only a few seconds and slinging my body around precarious mountaintops and 50 story buildings.

The main part of the game requires you to help form a resistance army and by completing missions, you’ll ‘recruit’ new soldiers and can take over a new territory on the map giving you unlocked equipment. I really like these types of mechanics as I have to be invested in completing as much as possible on the map in order to unlock new gadgets to play with, plus there is something satisfying about seeing my green empire growing. I would like to see contested territories similar to GTA: San Andreas. That was the pinnacle of territory investment for me. Unlocking new areas is great, fighting to keep them is 1000x better.

Combat in the game feels pretty good. I had to tweak the sensitivity when ADS since the responsiveness is a little lacking in this area so give it a try if you’re struggling like I was in the beginning. The guns are unique to each other and it wasn’t long until I found my favourites (21-J Smart Rifle & LRD-3 Sniper) and ran with them for every mission. I did have a problem with ammo and there were a few too many times that I ran out and either had to swap to inferior guns or use my grappling hook as a death whip. It was fun to use the no gun option to begin with but really limited how I wanted to experience the game. The crazy wind cannon and lightning gun need a quick shout out too just for pure silliness. There’s something about firing a tornado or lighting storm at enemies that just feels good.

The enemies were easy to take down even to a point where I was hoping that I’d encounter some tougher mini bosses that would test my gameplay and make me think of how I could tackle the situation. There was one encounter I remember where I was standing out in the open and literally surrounded on all sides by snipers, heavy gunners and trash mobs and could easily run laps and pick everyone off. This shouldn’t happen. I should be punished for stupidity but the mixture of weak enemies and me having the healing ability of Wolverine makes for a pretty easy experience.

Quickly back to the grappling hook, you get to unlock new add-ons as you progress through the game and some of them are hilarious. You have three loadouts for your grappling hook that you can switch to on the fly and each of these have different actions depending on how you launch the hook. I ended up pairing the high balloon with the thrusters and couldn’t stop grappling enemies and sending them off into the sky looking like a spinning firework. Tethering enemy cars to hillsides when they’re trying to chase you down is also a highlight so definitely try that out too.

The countryside looks pretty good but I was a little disappointed that the Xbox One X wasn’t 4k 60fps as the game would have been a lot more visually appealing than what it currently is. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with the way that the game looks but if you want to compete with some of the other high profile triple A titles that have released this year, you need to at least be on par with those.

When you start comparing Just Cause 4 to other titles, the wheels start to get a little shaky. Other titles have a deeper story, better visuals, smoother combat, more weapons, better dialogue, and greater character customisation. That’s not what this game is about though, if you want fast paced action with ridiculous weapons, the ability to blow up almost everything you see, over throw a Dictator, drive a muscle car at 200mph down the highway, all the while pretending to be Spiderman at the drop of a hat, then Just Cause 4 is for you.

Its fun, pure, silly fun.

The post Just Cause 4 (Xbox One) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

I’m not sure what to think of this game.

I get this nostalgic tingle when remembering the original Dynasty Warriors and the numerous hours sitting on the couch with my brother as we hacked and slashed our way through thousands and thousands of poor souls, trying to take down Lu Bu. We would wear out the buttons on our controller as we competed against each other to get the most kills and the better grade. That was 20 years ago and my taste in gaming has changed quite a lot since then.

But there is still something in the back of mind that gets me excited to play Warriors Orochi 4, I just cant explain what that is.

Warriors Orochi 4 is the ‘Marvel Universe’ of games, a mash-up of Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors bringing together 170 playable characters (yep 170) to select from as you play through the story.

This is a little overwhelming to begin with and only gets worse as the game progresses and you unlock more and more warriors. You start with a small team of 3 and can mix and match other members making the possible combinations too many to count. You can string attack combinations together between characters and even use a devastating ‘Ultra’ attack that can decimate an entire enemy battalion which is pretty cool.

The story is linear where you and your group will need to mow your way through thousands of trash mobs on your way to defeating higher bosses who can be both provide a nice mixture of attacks that you need to be wary of and consider how to counter them, but also prove to be extremely frustrating when they seemingly block everything you throw at them which can really hurt the gameplay experience. It feels like you can happily deliver unique and powerful combo after combo only to be stuck in this repetitive block fest against the boss.

The fighting in this game is very simple with the majority of my time spent spamming the quick attack button and throwing in some power attacks before switching my character and doing an almost endless combo, easily delivering 3000 – 5000 hits. A new addition to the attack is the Magic system, this is akin to a supercharged misou attack and can clear a battlefield pretty quickly. Each character has their own attack and even bosses have a Magic attack of their own, which is a nice touch.

I’m still not sure what I think about Warriors Orochi 4. The visuals are great, the characters, battlefields, attack animations are all beautifully made. The number of playable team members, whilst overwhelming, is also pretty great, you have the option to test new attacks and trial combining attacks that suit your particular style. The storyline is okay but is lost in the chaos happening on the battlefield.

My favourite memories of this series is playing co-op with my brother, I’m not sure I’m a fan of constant button mashing anymore, and this game is fundamentally built on that premise.

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This might be a bold statement but I think this is the best Lego game so far. Actually, that is a bold statement but with two young children, more nieces and nephews than I can count, and numerous titles and hours sunk into those games, I think I can safely back that up.

Lego The Incredibles 2 is your traditional Lego game where you control a range of superheroes and progress through a storyline, complete various open world missions, all the while collecting golden bricks. The game unsurprisingly follows the storyline from the movie of the same name so yes you’ll get to live out your fantasy of being super strong, stretchy, invisible or fast (not to mention all of the other powers you’ll unlock along the way).

The storyline is great with hilarious dialogue and really interesting mechanics in the missions that really emphasise the use of each hero’s unique powers, this will be familiar to anyone that has played any of the Lego games before but this seemed to be more ‘hey here’s a funny way to use your powers’ and less about ‘do x thing to open x area to pummel x baddies’. Again, this isn’t dissimilar to other games but it feels different.

One of the best new mechanics was the family build.

When you have enough golden bricks, you can choose to charge a specific area by filling energy bars by rapidly tapping the B button (XB) and switching between each of the Incredibles to gain and maintain a charge. This can take a bit of coordination as the charge slowly drops when you stop pressing B so speed is key to this. Once you’ve charged all bars, you’ll build a new area that you can explore. Pretty neat. Oh yea the new supers are pretty amazing too. I don’t want to spoil too much so jump in and see what I mean.

You get the option to mix and match different characters to run through different missions which is pretty fun as the new toons can open new areas or unlock loot. I recommend using everyone and pairing some weird combinations just because you can, it might surprise you how much fun it can be.

I really enjoyed this game and have spent many, many hours playing with my 5 year old who really enjoyed this too. The difficulty seemed to be adjusted a little which saved some frustration on my child’s part as they were able to run the game with me supporting rather than being my side kick in the other Lego games.

I know this game wont be to everyone’s taste but if my child wants to keep playing a game time and time again then that’s a huge tick in my book. Throw in a fantastic storyline, massive open world, funny and interesting dialogue, exciting mechanics, and a difficulty that appeals to my young child, what’s not to like.

The post LEGO The Incredibles 2 (Xbox One) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

In the hustle and bustle of today’s gaming environment where most games are built using a speed / spray and pray type mentality, it’s refreshing to find a game that rewards precise planning and execution all whilst stealthily hiding in the shadows.

Aragami: Shadow Edition is and a stealth action game developed by Lince Works where you are a  spirit called upon to exact revenge on a clan who overthrew and murdered its way to power. You must harness the power of shadows to move quietly and quickly through each level either killing everyone in your path or staying undetected and completing the objective.

You goal to recover six talismans which will lead you through a variety of different stages and encounters on your way to rescuing Yamiko, an orphan who is held captive in the main protagonist’s temple. Each of the talismans provide you with a set of memories that seem to have a strange and familiar feel to them but you’re unsure why just yet.

The gameplay is fantastic in the way it makes you really think about the way you approach each guard. Do you watch their movement and strike at the right time? Do you leave them alone and move past? Are there any other guards around? Will they see you? Or hear you?

Mix in great art styling of traditional Japanese water colour anime with the gameplay and you’ve got a pretty great basis for an amazing game.

There have been very few Ninja games that have come out recently that live up to the tradition of stealth and even fewer games that incorporate both stealth gameplay and the intense action of perfectly timed kills. Thief and Dishonoured are the closest games to come out recently but either of those don’t quite live up to the level of Aragami.

Aragami is easily one of the best (if not the best) stealth Ninja game to have been developed in the past 10-20 years. The unique blend of stunning visuals, fantastic storyline, excellent gameplay and variety of play styles is truly something to behold.

This game is captivating in all the right ways and definitely one you have to play.

The post Aragami: Shadow Edition (PC) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

We all remember those movies, games, BBQ houses, that are hyped up so much that its almost impossible deliver. No Man’s Sky initial release unfortunately fell into this trap by promising an expansive galaxy exploration game unlike any other and falling well short. Two years later, the NEXT update seems to have delivered the game we were all hoping for.

No Man’s Sky is a fictional space exploration game created by the adventurous English developers Hello Games. This is the second major release from the ambitious UK company after the side scrolling Joe Danger came to life in 2010. To make the remarkable jump from ‘Evil Knievel’ to arguably the most expansive galaxy game in history takes a fair amount of courage, and the team must be applauded for even attempting this huge feat.

The original release of No Man’s Sky was shrouded in disappointment as the original billing of a vast and expansive universe, filled with numerous flora and fauna, was nothing more than deserted wastelands with little to do and see. And don’t get me started on the promised multiplayer.

NEXT is the latest update and it has delivered what No Man’s Sky should have been at release. The worlds are procedurally generated which means that there are absolutely no two are alike. From the abundant resources, weird animals, strange terrains, various environments, and beautiful landscapes, you will never encounter the any like the next planet you visit. Supposedly there are more than 18 quintillion (18,000,000,000,000,000,000) possible planets.

Yep. Wow.

You start the game as a lost explorer, stranded on an unknown planet, where you must find your aircraft and repair it using natural resources before you can take flight to the stars beyond. The initial planet is confusing. There are very few hints or tips to assist you outside of the single main story line, I was lost for a few hours wandering around my planet looking for my aircraft as there is no map or indicators to show you where to go. It wasn’t until someone showed me how to craft my visor (which the game doesn’t help you with) that I was able to figure out where to go and what to do.  I understand the total immersion aspect of the game the NMS (No Man’s Sky)is supposed to represent but for a ‘tutorial’ planet, there really should be more assistance for first time players.

My first planet had extreme heat which I needed to be aware of as it slowly sapped my shield, whereas my second planet was a frozen tundra with extreme cold.

Gathering resources will take up most of your time in this game as you need to create everything from health and shields to aircraft fuel and components to upgrade your exo-suit. This is time consuming and sometimes tedious but if you really want to get into the game, it is unavoidable. You can craft some remarkable futuristic gear and there is something quite satisfying when you find, harvest and create something for yourself. You can obviously buy items from one of the many in game traders to shorten this exercise but you’re going to need currency and the main source of currency will initially be farming resources anyway.

I’ve spent a good portion of my space odyssey with a friend of mine and whilst it is great that multi player has been enhanced from the original, it still feels like I’m playing a single player game. There are no shared missions, no shared rewards, no shared base building, just a shared world. This was the biggest disappointment for me. A game this vast in size and scale would infinitely be better if i could share my experiences with my space ranger squad, instead we co-exist in the same space.

To be fair, I have only spent a number of hours in game since the NEXT update released (especially compared to some of my friends) but the game feels great to play. There are numerous things to hunt and harvest, innumerable types flora, fauna, planets, gear, traders to find and obtain. That is what a true space exploration game should be. This game is one that I cant stop thinking about, I’m planning my next resource run as I write this and that is a good thing.

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Juicy Realm is a really interesting prospect when you first boot up the game. You take control of a hunter and seek to work your way through a series of stages before meeting the area boss. Then its rinse and repeat in a different part of the game world. Whilst this a very simplistic view of the overall story progression, trust me, there is enough in Juicy Realm to keep you occupied for a while.

Juicy Realm is a Roguelike dungeon crawler from Chinese developer SpaceCan Games and focuses on you investigating and hunting down mutated plants that have taken the top spot on the food chain. The human race has never been good with sharing, so one of us has to go.

You start the game by selecting your hunter, one of four options provides you with a slight conundrum as you begin, but you’ll soon realise that the differences between the classes isn’t as great as you’d expect so pick away. The starting weapons and abilities for each class are slightly underwhelming and whilst they do provide a point of difference, they aren’t enough of a gamechanger to be significant.

My favourite was the mercenary with her sniper rifle and bobble head turret.

The weapon system is only divided into two categories, ranged weapons (guns) and melee weapons. Each of the ranged weapons function the same and there are no real standouts, this goes for the melee weapons as well. You can carry two weapons at once and its up to you if you run two guns, two melee weapons or mix and match. As you progress you will pick up new weapons through drops or you can purchase a select few from a vendor.

A word of warning, melee weapons can be fun BUT there are very few health potion drops so you need to be careful when hacking and slashing your way through the local flora infestation.

I was disappointed in the lack of variety that the weapons provided with the melee weapons being a particular pain point. There is some satisfaction in hitting a blueberry horde with a stick covered in berries or a baguette but not enough incentive to risk the potential health loss.

There is no disputing how visually stunning this game and the art design will have you checking every intricate detail as you find more and more to appreciate in this game. Each ‘minor’ stage is procedurally generated which removes some of the monotony as you repeat each area, although it still feels too similar to be noticeable.

The boss fights are unique (and a little punishing if you don’t pick up the mechanics quickly, especially on hard) and the game could benefit from utilising some of the same mechanics and bosses in the stages leading up to the final area fight.

The game doesn’t have any save points so death is permanent.

This is my biggest concern for the long term future of the game. You don’t get to learn from your mistakes immediately and have to grind your way back through all previous stages, gathering random weapons, and collecting coins. This is ridiculous.

I would come back to this game time and time again if I could jump back in to the same fight and have all progress remain. I could use (or be forced to use) different hunters to overcome the bosses but alas this is not how it works.

I liked this game and especially the potential for the future and I’m sure if SpaceCan Games implemented a few minor tweaks, Juicy Realm would force itself into my regular rotation of games.

Juicy Realm is available now on steam.

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Wait, so I get to play as an Arabian thief with a scimitar in one hand and a whip in the other, and run around fighting skeletons and collecting gold? Sign me up.

City of Brass is a first person dungeon crawler (kind of) where you play as a thief searching through 12 intense Levels of action as you search for fabled treasure. The game was developed by Uppercut Games, an Australian company with former 2K Australia employees who worked on BioShock, that led to a level of expectation that unfortunately City of Brass doesn’t quite live up to.

The game setting is great. A procedurally generated Arabian city with a myriad of paths and ledges you have to navigate through to reach the exit door. Each stage is timed which encourages you to push through while still killing all enemies, although there is no real incentive to aim for a fast time.

There are vases and pots littered around each stage that you can use to throw at enemies too, which is a great way to add another dimension to the combat system.

Gold items are scattered throughout each stage which you can use to buy power ups from Genie vendors at different points in the Levels. Some of the items you can purchase are great, health or a companion to fight alongside you are my favourites and can change a position of weakness to one of power in an instant.

Now for the not so good side of the game, which unfortunately there are numerous.

The Levels are repetitive and slow. All of the enemies and combat are fundamentally the same from Level 1-12. There is very little variation to their attacks and pathing, they spot you and make a bee line to you, you in turn try to whip as many at range, stunning them, then you hack and slash your way through the mobs with your scimitar.

The power ups don’t provide enough variation to change the way that you attack so you’re back to essentially a whip and slash attack that becomes repetitive and boring after a few Levels.

While there are some unique enemies, these are too sporadic and usually only kept as Level “Boss” fights. Adding more of these types enemies would be a welcome change to the game.

City of Brass is a great time filler between games but I cant see it being a game I will return to time and time again.

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