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video game reviews

Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader is as fantastic as I expected

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I received Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader for free to review for my site. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review. If you enjoy my reviews or the rest of my content, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee.

Rogue Trader is the cRPG you should be playing right now. As the newly appointed Rogue Trader for the Imperium, you must brave the uncharted reaches of space, face its terrifying dangers, and make that money in the process. Face off against heretics, fight off bloodthirsty Xenos, and make the choices that will determine your future. Do you have what it takes to survive the grim-dark horrors of the 40k universe?

Owlcat Games has done it again by creating another game you want in your collection. If you enjoy Tabletop Roleplaying games but need that fix off the table, you can’t go wrong with any of the Owlcat Game titles. I love their Pathfinder games, but Rogue Trader has easily become one of my favorites. I love the flavor of the 40K universe, and I prefer the combat system in Rogue Trader. 

Rogue Trader is an amazing-looking game. Warhammer fans will appreciate the amount of effort put into creating such an authentic experience. New fans will be left wanting more. The story is a nice dive into a fantastic universe, and I struggled to pull myself away. Everything from the dialogue, the music, and the gore all worked together to create an atmosphere you’d expect from a game set in the 40k universe. 

The gameplay is where Rogue Trader earns its love and reputation. I love playing TTRPGs, and this game provides the perfect substitute outside my weekly sessions. I love that there are failable skill checks and social interactions. I even love that my attacks can fail. The randomness of the dice rolls makes everything more exciting. Most of all, I enjoyed that I could roleplay my character how I wanted. Want to take charge and treat everyone like the lowly scum they are? Want to be an overzealous devoted follower of the Emperor? The choice is in your hands and the choices you make matter. With the amount of customization and choices available, this game has a good amount of replay value.

The combat is my favorite part of this game. I don’t normally like strategy games, but Rogue Trader does it right. I played on normal difficulty and found it perfect for my skill level, but you can get as hard-core as you want. The mechanics are easy to learn, and combat is engaging enough without becoming complicated. But mostly, I enjoyed watching enemies explode.

My only complaint about the game is that some objectives are hard to see. To avoid this, press the tab to highlight all clickable items on the map. This was never a deal breaker, but it is a cruel reminder that I am getting old. 

I loved everything about Warhammer 40000: Rogue Trader. If you are looking for a new game, check out Rogue Trader. You don’t need to be a Warhammer fan to enjoy this game. The story is pretty straightforward, and the game translates any words you might not know in an easy and convenient format. The only downside is that you’ll want to know more about the universe, but there are a lot of great videos on YouTube to help fill the gaps. Keep in mind that there is a bit of reading and random chance involved if that matters to you. Otherwise, Rogue Trader is a fantastic 40k RPG. You can pick up your copy for $49.99 on Xbox, PlayStation and PC via Steam, GoG, and Epic Games.

video game reviews

Fort Solis: A unique cinematic experience you should try at least once

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I was sent Fort Solis as a review code. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I will not let it sway my opinions about the game. This will be my honest review.

Jack Leary is an engineer on Mars on the final days of his tour when he receives a distress signal from a nearby mining camp. What starts as a simple check-in quickly turns into the longest night of his life. There is something strange happening within the walls of Fort Solis. Can Jack survive long enough to find out what?

Fort Solis felt more like a visual novel or interactive fiction than a video game. Players have some freedom with their investigation of the base, but the experience is somewhat rail-roaded. There are some variations in the narrative based on the choices players make through the quick time events, but you’re essentially walking from checkpoint to checkpoint and collecting clues in between. 

I had no issues with this style of narrative because it felt like I was watching a solid sci-fi series with no filler. The atmosphere is properly creepy, the music is fantastic, and the voice acting is phenomenal. The game may not be scary, but it does enough to keep the story engaging. Fort Solis does a fantastic job at creating a creepy isolated experience as you stumble through the darkness, piecing the mystery together. The mystery is fine, but I think I failed a bit too many quick time events to get the full story.

A lot of the narrative exists through dialogue and logs you find throughout the base. A lot of the game is tied to exploration, so keep that in mind when considering buying this title. The logs and clues were well implemented, making Fort Solis one of the few games where I went out of my way to collect as much of the story as I could because of how invested I became. I didn’t uncover everything sadly, but I was left with enough mystery for at least another playthrough. 

There are multiple endings, and the endings are influenced by the choices players make throughout the game. It is easy to start passively enjoying the narrative and fail a quick time event. I recommend you stay alert if you want to avoid a bad ending. That said, the game is short enough where you can easily see other endings. If you do the bare minimum to get through the checkpoints, it should take players no more than 4 hours to clear the game. I took my time to get lost in the world because I was enjoying my time through the base. There is also a ending credit scene you should look out for.

I enjoyed Fort Solis. The game has a well-designed narrative, amazing voice actors, and a great sound track. This is a great game if you enjoy thrilling sci-fi and don’t mind interactive fiction. That said, I think $25 is a little too much for what you get. I recommend you pick it up when it goes on sale unless you can’t really can’t wait. This is a game you should at least play once for the unique experience it provides. 

You can pick up Fort Solis for the PS5 ($29.99), Mac (39.99), PC via Steam and Epic Games (24.99). Steam and Epic Games currently have it on sale for $22.49 until August 29.

video game reviews

Nimbus Infinity: An unimpressive anime mech sim you are better off not getting

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I was sent Nimbus Infinity as a review code, and while I am very grateful for the opportunity, I will not let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review of the game.

Nimbus Infinity is an anime-inspired mech combat simulator available now for PC. 

Peace in Japan is threatened when a hostile foreign force invades with an army of mechs, drones, and ships. The world now turns to a high school boy to save the world and achieve world peace. Luckily the hours he’s put into video games have made him an ace pilot for a power unreleased prototype mech. Take to the skies and repel hordes of barely distinguishable enemies and experience that can only be described as disorienting. Do you have what it takes to save the world?

I had fun with this game for the first few minutes until the novelty wore off. The combat could have been interesting if it didn’t get so repetitive and the missions weren’t boring. The game’s lack of polish makes combat feel cumbersome. It was almost impossible to know where I was going, what I was doing, and what I was fighting because everything is poorly rendered. The mech you control will sometimes stutter out of existence, while the enemies around you are nearly indistinguishable. The tutorial and random voice lines will suggest that different enemy types exist, but I can’t confirm if that’s true. This is annoying because each enemy type requires a different strategy, but I could never tell the enemies apart. Was I fighting drones? Spaceships? Other mechs? Who knows? You can customize your mech better fit your playstyle, but I never bothered because it didn’t matter. 

The lack of polish wouldn’t have been a problem if the game was fun. The story is a bad generic anime sewn together by boring missions that feel like they take an eternity to complete. The story hits all the bad anime tropes, and it becomes so predictable that I was able to skip entire scenes and still understand what was going on. I have quit better anime for less. The voice acting is inconstant. There is some decent voice acting sprinkled randomly throughout the campaign, but most of it isn’t good.

The characters are generic and forgettable. The main character is the generic male protagonist that you can find in any poorly written anime. He is naturally gifted, cocky, and everyone will love him because he is so cool. While he isn’t the worst male protagonist, I am struggling to remember him. The rest of the cast exists to fall in love with him and are less distinguishable. 

Nimbus Infinity isn’t worth the $14.99 it’s asking for on Steam. The story is boring and the combat isn’t polished enough to be fun. Maybe it will get better as they roll out updates, but I can’t recommend the game in the stage it is in now. The Steam Summer Sale is going on until July 13. I recommend you buy something else instead. 

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Fort Solis: A spooky sci-fi mystery coming to PS5, PC, and Mac this August.

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I just watched the Fort Solis trailer, and it looks like the spooky sci-fi mystery I need in my life. A mining team on Mars has gone missing, and it is up to Jack Leary to find out what happened. Explore an abandoned mining base as sand storms rage and strange things happen around you. What happened here? To the team? Will you be next? You’ll have to play the game to find out. 

Based on the trailer, the game looks creepy. The abandoned mining rig is giving me Dead Space vibes, and I didn’t have the courage to finish any of them. Admittedly, I have never finished a horror game, but maybe I’ve never played a good one. I don’t do good with horror, but I am willing to try with Fort Solis.

For the record, I don’t have an issue with horror movies or books, just horror games. Maybe it’s irrational, but something about having control of the horror freaks me out more than passively watching it happen to someone else. That said, I am working on getting a review code for this because the trailer has me interested. I will probably play with all my lights on, but I will power through. I am always down for a good mystery, and the game looks pretty good too. Let’s hope I hear back from them soon. 

Fort Solis is a horror mystery sci-fi game coming to PS5, PC, and Mac on August 22nd.

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video game reviews

Starship Troopers: Extermination Early Access Review

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I was sent Starship Troopers: Extermination as a review code. I am very grateful for the opportunity, but this will be an honest review.

Starship Trooper: Extermination is a fast-paced 16-player co-op FPS that you should consider getting if you are a fan of games like Vermintide or the movie this game is based on. As part of the Deep Space Vanguard, you must reclaim the planet from the Archnic threat. Build a base and defend it against the seemingly endless wave of bloodthirsty bugs. Will you live long enough to earn your citizenship, or are you destined to be Archid food?

I love Starship Troopers, and I was excited to receive this title. The game is actually pretty solid, with a healthy enough population to make the game fun. I never waited more than a minute to get into a match and enjoyed every match I played. The game has three classes you can level: a healer, a tank, and DPS. As you level, each class gains access to additional weapons and abilities. This gives players something to work towards and allows them to customize their gameplay. Each match is supposed to have randomized objectives, but the missions started to feel repetitive after a while. While I still had fun, I can see this game losing its luster without the inclusion of more game modes and missions. What makes this game unique from others in the genre is the base-building mechanic. To end each match, players must work together to build a base they will protect from a large swarm of arachnids. Make sure you help build the base if you want to win. Base building is easy, but it is also easy to get overrun if people don’t know what to do. 

This game is still in early access and has some very notable bugs. I lost frames every time we faced a big swarm, and there were times when the swarm wasn’t properly balanced. This game never got so broken it was unplayable, but it does need further polish.

The best part of Starship Troopers: Extermination is its community. Wait times are almost nonexistent, and the players are having fun with the game. I recommend you get a mic if you play this game. Communication makes missions run more smoothly, and you will certainly find cool people to play with. I played a match where everyone started roleplaying. It was such a fun and silly time, but it was a moment that could have only existed in this game. Your experience will vary, but I was always lucky to be in games with cool and friendly players. 

If you like Starship Troopers, this is a fantastic adoption. If are a fan of the genre, this is a unique title that you should consider adding to your library. It is a bit hard to recommend the game because of the lack of polish, but if you don’t mind a few cosmetic bugs, the community makes the experience worth it.  

Starship Troopers: Extermination is available now on Steam for $24.99. Make sure you follow the socials to stay up to date on all future updates: Twitter, Facebook, and Discord. 

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Destiny 2’s Guardian Games are Here!

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If you’ve been away from Destiny 2 for a while, it might be a good time to make your return, especially if you enjoyed its PVP. If you’ve never played Destiny 2, the base game is free-to-play, and the event is free to everyone. The Guardian Games pits its different classes against each other in a fun and limited event that runs for three weeks. The event will end on May 23rd, which should be plenty of time to grind out its unique cosmetics made available through the exclusive event card. The event card is available to all players, but there is a paid track for those who want to earn a bit more bling.

Players who participate in the games will have the opportunity to exchange their medallions for two exclusive weapons.

This year’s weapon is the Taraxippos, the game’s first legendary strand scout rifle.

Who wouldn’t want this colorful rifle?

Players can also earn last year’s The Title, a void machine gun with the unique perk, Repulsor Brace.

If you didn’t get a chance to win it last year, it’s a great time to start working towards it now.

You can also earn some other cool cosmetics like:

Armor

Ships and Sparrows

Ghost Shells

Emotes and Finishers

And Stuff from the Event Card

There is a lot to earn, so make sure you hop in today! The breakdown for earning medallions are as follows:

Activities that award you low-tier (Bronze or Silver) Medallions include Gambit and Quickplay Crucible matches, anything from the Vanguard playlists, as well as most Neptune activities and Defiant Battlegrounds. For high-tier (Gold and Platinum) Medallions, play Nightfalls, raids, dungeons, Competitive Crucible, Trials of Osiris, or Legend Defiant Battlegrounds.

You do not need the latest DLCs to participate in the event. While you might be at a disadvantage gear-wise, I never found it an issue as a free-to-play player. If it’s been a while or you’ve never played before, now is a great time to log in and start blinging out your guardian. Who knows? You might like the experience enough to stay.

To get started, talk to Eva Levante for access to the Guardian Games quest and your class item. I hope to see you there!

This year for the games, Bunjie has partnered with Direct Relief and the International Rescue Committee to host the Guardian Games Cup. All money raised will go to some great causes, so make sure you go to the official site to find out how to participate.

video game reviews

Game Review: Everspace 2

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I was sent Everspace 2 as a review code. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I will not let it sway my opinions.

Everspace 2 is a space-themed looter shooter available now for the Xbox and PC. You play as a clone pilot looking for his place in the universe. Explore the universe as you take on odd jobs, evade capture, and fight for survival. If you are looking for a sci-fi game with a large open world and lots of content, get Everspace 2. 

The biggest draw for Everspace 2 is its streamlined flight mechanics. While there is enough skill and challenge involved to keep flight and combat engaging, there isn’t the high skill ceiling you would get from a flight simulator like Elite Dangerous. Everspace 2 gives you the feeling of being an ace pilot without much of the commitment. The combat in this game is incredibly satisfying. While there may be a grind, it won’t feel like it. 

I love the RPG flavor this game has. You have an expansive skill tree, loot drops, a leveling system, and an open world full of quests. If you like RPGs, you will enjoy the refreshing take this game brings to the genre.

As you progress through the game, you will unlock new ships and weapons. I was pleased by how unique each ship and weapon loadout made combat. I never felt like this game grew stale because there was always something new to try. I enjoyed the bulky ships the best, but I recommend you try every flavor till you find something that fits your playstyle best. There is some RNG when it comes to the loot, but I felt it was very fair. 

This game has so much to do that I found myself constantly sidetracked. The story is interesting, and the cut scenes are very well done. I am a huge fan of how the cut scenes are drawn, and I love that they play like comic book pages. This game has some fantastic voice acting, so sitting through the story became a real treat. I haven’t played the first game, but I didn’t feel it was necessary. The story is pretty self-contained, and I never felt lost by what was going on..

If you are looking for a unique RPG, you need to give Everspace 2 a try. This game looks great, performs well, and is a lot of fun. I’d say it is worth buying at full price. You can pick up Everspace 2 for $49.99 on Xbox and Steam. You can play it free if you have game pass. Everspace 2 will be coming to the PlayStation 5 this summer.

Series Reviews

Final Space Ends Announcement

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Today I got some fantastic news about one of my favorite animated series. I can’t express how overjoyed I am to know that Final Space is finally getting a proper ending. The series follows a quirky and delightful astronaut as he and his friends try to save the universe. If you haven’t seen the series, you need to. It is an epic story full of humor, friendship, and heroism. Make sure you check out my full review of the series.

Unfortunately, the series got canceled before it could end because TBS wanted to write it off for tax reasons. The creator, Olan Rogers, was rightfully devastated because he didn’t own the rights to finish a series he created. For two years, Rogers has continued his fight to finish his story. Five days ago, Rogers announced that Final Space will end in a self-published graphic novel. This makes me incredibly happy because Rogers deserves this. The announcement is up on his official YouTube channel. I recommend you watch it so that you can appreciate the passion and love this man has for his story. 

You can pre-order the graphic novel on the Final Space Ends official website. Over 16,000 copies of the graphic novel have sold since the announcement, and the number continues to climb. Keep checking the site if it sells out. I got my copy before it sold out, but more have been available since. The book is $125 plus shipping and is expected to release sometime in 2024. Make sure you follow Olen Rogers on YouTube to stay on top of future announcements. 

I know this seems like a lot, but the book is going to be huge and epic. I have faith that this final chapter is going to be the epic conclusion we have all been waiting for. 

I wanted to share this announcement because I believe it deserves attention, but also because of the timing. I have been feeling a bit of burnout lately and have debated quitting WordPress. This morning I was on the verge of deleting my blog until I saw this announcement. I was happy that my favorite show was getting its ending, but Roger’s perseverance and passion inspired me to keep going. In his video, he tells his viewers not to give up on their passions, even when things seem hopeless.

“You have to dare to dare to fail”

You don’t understand how badly I needed to hear those words when I did. I know that the algorithm played a huge part in showing me the announcement, but I am superstitious enough to believe in fate. I’ve been consistently on YouTube since it was published, but it was only recommended when I needed it most. As silly as it sounds, too many events in my life have lined up so perfectly that I have to believe that fate exists. I am taking his words to heart and will continue pursuing my passions. 

With that, I’ll sign off. I have a backlog of games I’ve sent to review, the Digimon Seekers project I need to finish, and some movie reviews to sprinkle in between. Until then, go watch Final Space, go pre-order the graphic novel, and if you are still reading, thank you for your support. Love you all!

Art by Daz Tibbles @daztibbles

gaming news, video game reviews

Destiny 2’s Annual Guardian Games Return May 2nd

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The Guardian Games are returning to Destiny 2, and now might be a great time to come back if you’ve been away. The event will pit guardians against each other as they compete to earn bragging rights and some pretty cool cosmetics. You won’t need the latest expansion to participate, so if you’ve been away for a while or are new to the title, it is completely free to play. Who knows, you might like the game enough to stay.  

The Guardian Games begin on May 2nd and will run until the end of the Season of Defiance on May 23rd. To get started, speak with Eva Levante to unlock the Guardian Games quest and get your class item.  

Participants will earn medals across the game or through PvP which they can exchange for exclusive cosmetics. More specifically: 

Activities that award you low-tier (Bronze or Silver) Medallions include Gambit and Quickplay Crucible matches, anything from the Vanguard playlists, as well as most Neptune activities and Defiant Battlegrounds. For high-tier (Gold and Platinum) Medallions, play Nightfalls, raids, dungeons, Competitive Crucible, Trials of Osiris, or Legend Defiant Battlegrounds. 

Use these medallions to unlock these year’s Guardian Games weapons: 

The Traxippos  – The first Legendary Strand Scout Rifle in the game

The Title – The Void Submachine Gun is back with updates, including the fan-favorite perk, Repulsor Brace

Players will also have access to the Guardian Games event card for additional cosmetics. There is a paid tier available for 1000 silver that might be worth it if you want the additional cosmetics.  

This event also marks the return of the Guardian Games Cup. Anyone can join so make sure you grab your fire team and help raise money for some great causes. This year, Bungie is teaming up with International Rescue and Direct Relief. Participants of the cup will be fighting for the chance to win: 

  • Top team in the Technical category: custom art of your fireteam by PherianArt 
  • Top team in the Charitable category: custom art of your fireteam by Gammatrap 
  • Top two teams in the Technical and Charitable categories: Guardian Games Pendant ($200 MSRP) 
  • Top three teams in the Technical and Charitable categories: Apricot Dawn emblem 
  • Top four teams in the Technical and Charitable categories: Bungie Store discount codes 

The technical category is for the number of medallions earned throughout the event. The charitable category is for the amount of money raised. Make sure you go to the official website to register and start earning.  

Participants who donate more than $25 will earn an exclusive Quantum Relay emblem.  

I am terrible at PvP, but it might be a great time to dust off my old guardian to start earning some cosmetics.  

*images taken from the press kit

video game reviews

Game Review: Lightracer Spark

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I was sent Lightracer Spark as a review code. I am very grateful for the opportunity, but I will keep my review honest.

Lightracer Spark is a sci-fi visual novel with light RTS elements. You play as an amender from an advanced alien cavillation on a mission to save the universe from collapsing. To do so, you must travel to developing planets and help with their evolution. You manipulate governments, stabilize economies, or eliminate anything stunting the growth of a civilization. But be wary of your choices. A single mistake could be the difference between the birth of an advanced civilization and the destruction of another. Can you bring enough planets into the modern era before it is too late?

If you like sci-fi novels, Lightracer Spark has an interesting narrative that is worth looking into. Only the first chapter of the story is playable, but there are two more chapters planned as free DLC for future releases. This game has some fantastic flavor. I love the idea of playing this god-like creature with the power to control the flow of a civilization, but the story has a few grammatical issues that are hard to overlook. Not enough to ruin the experience, but they are noticeable. 

At each planet, you are given a set of issues you need to fix. It can be anything from bringing peace to a war-torn country to helping discover new technology. How you approach solutions to these problems are limited by resources gained or gather in the game. You can use your resources for things like raising armies or on buildings that grant bonuses. I felt this part of the game was a bit too slow. There is a way to speed things up, but I was never confident enough to mess with it. If you are good at RTS games, you will enjoy the pacing and gameplay a lot better.

As far as RTS games go, Lightracer Spark is fairly manageable. The tutorial does a fantastic job of slowly introducing players to the game’s mechanics without it feeling like a tutorial. The tutorial felt like an immersive conversation with an AI, and I appreciated the touch. My only complaint is that I felt like I was taught mechanics that never came up again, but that could be due to user error.

So is it worth it? Lightracer Spark is a niche game, but that isn’t a bad thing. If you like sci-fi and don’t mind the light RTS elements, you should at least look into it. The story is solid, and the flavor is well-designed. It isn’t a bad game, but you do need to enjoy this type of gameplay loop. It’s a lot of reading and waiting on timers. For those interested, you can grab your copy on Steam for 12.99. It’s not a bad price for what you get. 

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