Past Outlet Articles and Review

“Observer System Redux is a fantastic example of what next-generation horror games can accomplish. Near-instant loading times and more detailed visuals without pop-in add to the tense nature of these games. If the AI acted more aggressively and were programmed to sense the player better, this shorter psychological horror experience would be rated much higher”"

“Bright Memory promises so much, but shows off so little in what can be described as a glorified demo. Homages to many great games out there that master their craft fall very short from their idols. Combat is an odd mix of fast and sluggish that has no middle ground between each that is very jarring to experience. The story is a non-factor even though it tries to be a driving force. You can find the fun in Bright Memory, but you must be ready to adapt to all the missteps along the way”

“Call of the Sea is simply put a breathtaking experience. It is a must play for anyone with an Xbox, and even moreso those who have Xbox Game Pass. It is a beautiful story about love, how far one will go to save those they care about, and finding oneself. Besides the occasional texture pop-in and rare janky controls, Call of the Sea runs extremely well and won’t take you out of this short immersive experience. Finally, the puzzles and solutions are top notch. If this is the masterclass level Out of the Blue strives for with their first game out of the gate, I can’t wait to see what they create next”

“Nine Witches: Family Disruption is a fun and quirky point-and-click adventure made for the modern age. Some of the humor may be a little overdone, but it carries many of the same tropes and heart that you’d expect when you think back to their points of reference, 80’s and 90’s games. The solutions to puzzles can be outlandish up to a point of being downright frustrating. Even then, you may either feel like a genius or a complete idiot for not thinking of how to solve the problems presented. It’s a fun first game by Indiesruption that I recommend to those that are in the mood for a numbingly fun experience for a couple of hours”

“While it doesn't add much to the grand story of Kingdom Hearts, Melody of Memory still feels like a fantastic addition that finds a way to make the future of the series feel ripe with possibilities. Nomura and the team have found a way to make a new take on the rhythm game genre feel fun without getting stale unless you want to keep replaying songs to get a higher score. Also, this is just an amazing way to say "thank you" to Kingdom Hearts long time composer, Yoko Shimomura, what with showing off their best work for all to enjoy in a fun and digestible form. While I cannot recommend this game enough to old fans and new, this game may not be the best entry point for people trying to find a way to jump in to the series because of how abridged the recaps can be”

“Cloudpunk is a nice break from the high octane action of other games that are currently out. The issues like meaningless choices with little payoff, clunky controls, and not great voice acting do add up and take a toll on the overall experience. However Cloudpunk does have heart and will make you care for some of the characters. Some of the stories told about the growing relationships between Rania and Camus or Rania and Control did make me feel and hope for a good outcome between them. At the end of the day, I can only recommend this game to you if you are specifically in the mood for a chill story driven game that will help burn a couple hours or if you need to wind down from a busy day with something that won’t get your heart racing”

“Ghostrunner is a masterclass in linear action games. While the difficulty may feel over the top, it is outmatched by its guise as actually being really complex and fast paced action puzzles. Deaths are mostly fair, and finishing an area will make anyone feel like they’re nearly unstoppable. Not only that, All In Games may have found the perfect formula for enemy introduction and level design that basically eliminates any feeling of repetitiveness. Other developers need to take note. Besides missing accessibility options, the only major downside is the campaign should’ve lasted a little bit longer with more balance TLC to make Ghostrunner a truly perfect game. Also, a level creator would just be icing on the cake”

“Watch Dogs: Legion feels like a culmination of Ubisoft’s hard work in creating fun open worlds. Along with its ambition to make any character playable, and focusing on the city of London as a whole, the developers succeeded with making an enjoyable experience that does encapsulate a well realized future we could be living in in the next 10ish years. But several parts of the game, particularly the very ambitious system of recruiting and playing as almost anyone feels like the Achilles heel. While the city promotes fun exploration, and the villains do feel deeply realized, it all feels null and void when the characters you play in the sandbox feel almost like lifeless shells that you don’t want to get attached to”

“Orangeblood is a game that had some potential to be a fun twist on the RPG genre. But lack of combat balancing and leaving everything to chance from pre-battle hits to how powerful a critical hit is makes everything so frustrating and disappointing. I wouldn’t recommend this game to anyone because of the combat alone. But this game is just simply unplayable and nobody should be buying this because of how edgy and “tough” the dialogue tries to sound. Instead of trying to sound like a gang, these sociopaths sound like young kids who want to be tough and throw around racist language and refer to horrific events. That forced edginess truly makes one wonder… did anyone read over the script after the first draft?”

“Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning’s original game should have been considered one of the great RPGs of the 360/PS3 generation but it eventually got overshadowed. But in the Xbox One generation, there are updates that need to be made to make the combat more fun and overall more engaging. While the game was fun, it did become mundane. Plus with lots of things to do, and the mini map slowly growing with more discoverable things to come across, the game ends up feeling more cluttered, than to keep it interesting and engaging. Additionally, with the amount of side quests, they are fun, but they end up being too distracting and samey after some time. In the end of the day, I can see why people truly cherish this game and think back on it with such high regard. This is a game that would benefit greatly from a sequel instead of a remake to incorporate all the advances in modern RPGs and high powered console hardware”

“Foregone is a dark deep dive into a kingdoms actions to win a brutal war and how the sacrifices made can cause even more strife for that country. You will feel for the Arbiter as you learn about the choices she made for the good of her country, and every single regret she’s had since. There are many pieces to this complicated puzzle, like upgrading items, skill trees, weapon choices, randomized stats, etc. but they all make sense in the end. The freedom is there to allow each player to make their Arbiter their own as everyone works to free Calagan of its twisted fate. I honestly had an amazing time with Foregone. I couldn’t and still can’t put it down. Even with the technical issues and overwhelming amount of stuff to balance as I progressed, this is a game that I know I will remember for a long time to come”

“Mafia: Definitive Edition was a very fun 10-hour experience. It was a nice change of pace playing a down to earth game where realism played to the game’s strong suite. There were of course some rough parts, but they didn’t really feel that obvious until Classic mode. The collectibles are also a fun nod and add to the world building; from cigarette cards themed for major mafia people at that time, comics, and magazines all looking like they were ripped right out of the 1930s. The story is a great deep dive into the life of a person who joined the Mafia and it’s effects on that person’s mentality as they have to decide what is best for their mafia family or for them. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to pick up a short-ish game that doesn’t have over-the-top dramatics, only a real down to earth story about one man trying to find his place in the prohibition era world”

“The Suicide of Rachel Foster is a very real story that feels fleshed out, but also isn’t for everyone. The 2.5-3 hour story makes this feel like a complete cinematic experience that you’d find on the big screen. The twists and turns feel earned, and you can get a complete experience in one sitting if you have the heart for it. As the player, you will feel stressed, you will feel anxious, and you will sympathize by the end of the experience. Don’t let the occasional issues pull you out. I truly cherish my time with this game, as it taught me about a part of life that I am lucky enough to never had to experience, and I look forward to playing this again once achievements are patched to work”

“Overall, I enjoyed my time with Metamorphosis. When I first completed the game, I was confused about my time. It took several weeks of reflection for me to really think back on my time reading the source material as well as the puzzling nature of what happened in the game. I don’t think this roughly four hour experience is for everyone. It really takes a love of puzzle exploration games for one to get through this because there are frustrating and confusing parts; each take willpower to push through so you can get the finesse of certain jumps or actions just right. But, if you are a literature nerd like I am, and love to delve into an already odd and fantastical world, then Metamorphosis is the game for you. My only gripe is there should have been another round of spelling and grammar checks for the game's text dialogues, as they are the main form of storytelling throughout the game. The errors in this regard were overall distracting to the presentation of the game, and are hard to overlook. In the end, Metamorphosis is a fun title that respects its namesake well”

“Overall, I had a great time with this remake. There were issues, and repetitive moments, but none of the stuff I highlight above ever took away from my enjoyment. If you need a fun and simple game to play, I recommend picking up Destroy All Humans! If you don’t think too hard about the game, I can promise you that you’ll have at least 15 hours of enjoyment for $30. Destroy All Humans! Presents a fun Alien Invasion story with some twists, and many more fun and funny moments, and I hope that THQ Nordic either remakes the second game or create a brand new story for Crypto and Orthopox that leads to more head popping, mind controlling fun”

“DOOM Eternal is a sequel that does nearly everything right. It feels better, runs amazing, and adds many new mechanics that build so well on all mechanics you knew and loved from DOOM 2016. Honestly at this point, id Software can do no wrong. They know how to make games that get you pumped, feel immersed in, and overall, ready to rip and tear through thousands upon thousands of demons. If you're looking for something that is oddly stress relieving that doesn't involve peaceful animals, look no further than DOOM Eternal. And remember... Just keep killing, just keep killing, just keep killing, killing, killing, killing”