Author: Brian Lee

During Summer Game Fest 2022, Infinity Ward released the gameplay reveal for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, coming to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC on October 28, 2022. The gameplay reveal showed off the Dark Water lever where players will make their way across a ship during a storm. There are obstacles and enemies around every corner, but it definitely looks like a nice Call of Duty experience for those that are looking forward to the campaign. The team previously revealed a few key details about gameplay where players will fight through missions as…

Krafton released new gameplay from the Striking Distance Studios-developed survival horror adventure, The Callisto Protocol, coming to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC on December 2, 2022. The gameplay highlights many of the dark corridors and scary monsters that players will encounter. Led by Glen Schofield, the co-creator of Dead Space, the game features many gameplay systems that Dead Space fans might remember. This includes shooting the limbs off of enemies and picking up dropped items. Further, we get to see a new death animation. The Callisto Protocol is set in 2320 where players take on…

I am an MMORPG nerd at heart, and it is hard for me not to get excited whenever I hear news of a new title hitting the scene. Despite plenty of lackluster titles out there, it is cool to see that MMORPGs are still getting made and that the genre hasn’t fully died out in the creativity department. I recently had the chance to play the Alpha Build of the upcoming MMORPG Swords of Legends Online. Despite my initial hesitation due to the poor track record of MMORPGs from that region, I found myself pleasantly surprised with what this adventure had…

Nowadays, more and more board games are becoming available for people to play online, and in a quarantined world, this is more than welcome news. However, from my experience, many board games that get converted to official video games tend to come out half baked and fail to lean into the digital medium to improve the overall game experience. There are many board games out there that could benefit greatly from the automation of rules and play setup. The addition of animations could drastically increase the immersion of some titles. One such board game that I always thought could benefit…

As a few of you may know, I am a huge RPG fan, and due to the rise in popularity and accessibility of Dungeons and Dragons, I have taken the logical next step of becoming a tabletop RPG nerd. However, this new enthusiasm for collecting and rolling click-clack shiny math rocks has been significantly hindered by the dreaded scheduling conflicts that plague many a D&D group.  I frequently found myself wishing there was a way to get the same D&D fix on my own. Fortunately, as if someone cast Detect Thoughts, I was invited to check out the early access…

It is no big secret that I have a deep fondness for Gunfire Games’ third-person action shooter Remnant: From the Ashes. It has a refreshing mix of Soulslike and looter shooter elements that make for a nice change of pace with the genre. I found this to be true for both the base game and its DLC, Swamps of Corsus. When I heard that Subject 2923 will be the game’s final DLC, I was both ecstatic and saddened that I wouldn’t have more to play in the future. However, despite my emotions, Gunfire Games went ahead and finished strong by…

The quality of a roguelike ultimately boils down to how much it fuels your desire to do one more run. There is a tricky balance between presenting satisfying power progression while also making the game feel enjoyably challenging. If the game is too difficult without providing sufficient goals or rewards there will come a point where subsequent runs become a chore, and the game ends up feeling empty. I’ll be honest, I was eager to review Hopoo Games’ sci-fi roguelike Risk of Rain 2, which first released in Early Access in early 2019 and has now officially launched in the tail-end…

When it comes to the Souls-like genre, it seems developers have simply taken the difficulty aspect of the gameplay and ran with it. The unforgiving mechanics and lack of hand-holding was something special for those who wanted to challenge their gaming prowess. The budget definitely plays a role in some of the more notable titles, but there are some standout titles from indie developers. However, it seems that developer Cradle Games’ chug of the proverbial Estus Flask doesn’t entirely pay off in their newest title, Hellpoint, as it uses the punishing systems as a crutch for an uncreative structure.  Hellpoint…

I’ve never considered myself a fan of the horror genre. This is mainly because I scare easily, and the idea of having to play the role of helpless prey waiting to be killed isn’t something that I find particularly appealing. It’s with that in mind that Phobia Game Studio’s latest release, Carrion, caught my eye. The “reverse-horror game” tagline is something that I can get behind. Finally, the shoe is on the other tentacle as I’m the driving force of this nightmare.  At its core, Carrion is a Metroidvania style game in which you play as a grotesque tentacled…

It’s no secret that I am a big RPG fan, and one of my all-time favorites is Dragon Age Origins. The tactical gameplay, along with the great story and characters, made me fall in love with the genre. That’s why when I heard that Gato Studio’s upcoming RPG The Waylanders was inspired by it, I had to get my hands on the Early Access build. What I found was a game that showed promise, but still has a ways to go. https://youtu.be/DnNCleRoqYY The Waylanders makes it clear that it’s inspired by Dragon Age Origins early on with the introduction of its…

Those that have listened to our podcast know that I have a deep appreciation for the game Golf with Your Friends. When I heard that it was officially launching and also making its way to new platforms, I was excited. However, after taking some time with the Nintendo Switch version, I found myself disappointed at the lack of features and overall watered-down feel while gaining an increased appreciation for the original PC version. https://youtu.be/a0sYMUdD2bQ For those that haven’t had the pleasure of playing Golf With Your Friends on PC, it is a chaotic and silly party game that has you…

I have always been intrigued by the concept of open-world survival games but have also been intimidated by the learning curve. The idea of grinding and surviving only to lose all of your progress due to making a mistake makes it difficult to invest myself in the genre. However, when I heard about Enplex Games’ survival game Population Zero and how it is meant for players of all skill levels and playstyles, I was eager to check it out. I got the chance to take an early look before its early access release, and what I found was a conceptually…

Remnant: From the Ashes was probably one of my most enjoyed games in recent years. It provided an engaging gameplay loop, had interesting lore and was overall a very satisfying game to play. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, Gunfire Games invited us to review the new Swamps of Corsus DLC, which ended up improving and expanding on an already great experience.   For those who have not heard of Remnant: From the Ashes, it is a SoulsBorne inspired action-RPG that revolves around exploring dynamically generated maps for loot and discovering hidden secrets. At the same time,…

For those who don’t know me, I am a cheesy sap of a man who loves corny romance stories and gets teary-eyed in every Disney and Pixar film. That is why I was intrigued by Lightning Rod Games’ A Fold Apart, which looks like what you would get if that animated short before every Pixar film were a puzzle game. Through my roughly 4 hour playthrough, I found the entire experience to be a creative piece of artwork with mediocre systems. A Fold Apart is a puzzle game that stars two characters struggling with their long-distance relationship. The story involves…

MMORPG’s always have and will hold a special place in my heart. There is something beautiful about being able to dive into an entirely new world, and I am always on board to see what new things are happening in the MMORPG scene. Recently, I had the opportunity to check out the upcoming Greymoor chapter release for The Elder Scrolls Online to see what new features and adventures await players. I am relatively new to ESO  and have not put in enough hours to know all of its ins and outs. It is a reasonably long-running MMORPG that is just now…

I am a massive fan of indie video games as they are often some of the most creative when it comes to story, art, and game mechanics. Indie developer Flying Oak Games offers the latter with their latest game ScourgeBringer which I had the pleasure of trying out on PC Early Access. This fast-paced free-moving rogue-like platformer is a mix of clean platforming and fluid combat that utilizes mouse controls to create a unique and sometimes frantic gameplay experience.  https://youtu.be/Cx70Gie_6yg ScourgeBringer follows the protagonist Kyhra as she explores a post-apocalyptic world filled with weird robots and bug-like enemies. The game…

RTS games, while enjoyable, were never really my forte, and my experience with them is limited to games such as the Age of Empires and Starcraft series. However, when I found out developer King Art Games was making an RTS game called Iron Harvest set in the 1920+ universe, the same universe as the popular board game Scythe, I hopped at the chance to try a hands-on demo of the game.   For those unfamiliar with the 1920+ universe, it is basically an alternate reality from our own created by Polish artist Jakub Różalski that takes place in the early…

Roguelike titles have always been an excellent supplement for both challenging gameplay and reply value. Over the years, developers continue to innovate systems within the genre to make each title a unique experience.  Skul: The Hero Slayer is an adorable 2D platformer rogue-lite by developer SouthPAW Games and publisher Neowiz that I was able to take an early look at for this preview. https://youtu.be/hKH5ex3NCZ8 Skul: The Hero Slayer follows the protagonist Skul, a little lowly skeleton minion of the Demon King, who is tasked with rescuing his master after the terrible Imperial Army and Hero of Caerleon laid siege to…

Yacht Club Games is back with another addition to their Shovel Knight line of games with a new multiplayer brawler, Shovel Knight Showdown. Initially, I was concerned that this game would be a simple spin-off cashing in on the popularity of an IP. However, what I found throughout reviewing this game was a very competent multiplayer brawler made with a lot of care and attention by its developer. Shovel Knight Showdown is a polished game that stands on its own and has a lot to offer loyal fans of the series, the genre as a whole, and others like me…

In my previous demo impressions of Kurtzpel, I mentioned that the game had a good foundation and overall concept that still needed some additions and polish to make it something extraordinary. Since then, KOG Games has added copious amounts of changes and additional features that have gradually made Kurtzpel into a more robust offering for both PvP and PvE players. https://youtu.be/GsjFJtfPoCU Their newest addition to the game, which I was recently invited to try out in their test server, is the Sacred Guardian update. This update features the character Lime Serenity from their other well-known game Grand Chase. Also introduced…