Separate Ways was always just a tacked-on bonus for the PS2 version of Resident Evil 4, a mode that gave that port something to call its own. It made its way to almost every rerelease after, but never stood out and, unlike the base game, was merely a one-off distraction. A disposable and forgettable extra campaign like this wouldn’t make a worthy expansion. This remake of Separate Ways is not at all a haphazard collection of recycled scenarios, but is instead a complete reimagining that addresses its past failures and now stands right alongside the base campaign. 

Separate Ways is able to escape the notion of being an unnecessary extra by having its own story with cutscenes and new areas. Ada’s journey overlaps with Leon’s in some ways — which is natural for a parallel plotline — but being able to run through slightly different stages gives Separate Ways its own identity. These new places also build out the world and show how Ada could keep an eye on Leon without him seeing. 

Capcom, more importantly, uses these original places to set up original encounters. Like the base game, there are very few straightforward battles; there’s almost always some sort of hook. One section may have players blasting bugs hiding under the water, while another has them shooting infected armor sets in a cramped room as errant crossbow shots pour in. 

Some are scary, a few are packed with action, and others find a happy medium, all of which demonstrate Resident Evil 4’s incredible variety. A few of them are even remixed sections from the 2005 game that didn’t make their way into the remake, once again showing Capcom’s ability to cleverly subvert expectations. Many of these callbacks fit more naturally here, too, and give Ada some of the climactic fights she lacked in the original Separate Ways.

Ada moves and shoots just as fluidly as Leon, but has one advantage over him: her grapple gun. This tool gives players the means to zoom over to a faraway enemy and fan kick them and their nearby buddies or zip to designated grappling points. The added utility makes Ada a little more agile, but doesn’t ratchet up the intensity too much or make Separate Ways too easy. Not every encounter is littered with grappling points, either, so it’s a novel mechanic that doesn’t get overused or skew the game’s delicate balance. 

Separate Ways is also able to have a more clean difficulty curve because it’s now possible to upgrade Ada’s arsenal. It’s seemingly a small touch, but it gives players reasons to explore and seek treasure and lets them grow in power alongside their foes. Resident Evil 4’s upgrade economy has always been one of its strengths, so its absence in the first Separate Ways contributed to its shallow nature. Combined with its own set of unlockables, Separate Ways is now a more complete experience that thoroughly understands that simply putting Ada in the same levels as Leon is not enough. Emulating Resident Evil 4’s success is much more complex, and the upgrade loop and suite of unlockables are vital pieces of that puzzle.

A more complete narrative presentation is yet another way this remade expansion excels over its source material. Whereas boring voiceover narration and jarring cuts attempted to stitch together a separate story out of existing content in the original, Separate Ways now has its own set of cutscenes that organically lead from one place to another. It’s a more cohesive tale that uses these additional scenes to further explore Ada’s relationship with Wesker and Luis. And even though Ada’s monotone voice acting still drags it down, her added personal stakes to the story give it more nuance and also efficiently set up its most tense boss fight that has multiple thrilling phases.

Resident Evil 4: Separate Ways DLC Review: Final Verdict

Separate Ways is no longer a superfluous extra because of all of these astute changes. With its focus on replayability, upgrades, and unique encounters, this expansion more deeply understands what makes Resident Evil 4 Resident Evil 4 and has all the unpredictability of the remake. But unlike the remake, Capcom couldn’t just maintain the essence of what was already there because the original Separate Ways was so underwhelming. Instead, it deftly rebuilt Ada’s side story and turned it into an integral part of the Resident Evil 4 remake.

Disclaimer: This Resident Evil 4: Separate Ways DLC review is based on a PS5 copy provided by the publisher. Played on version 1.100.000.

The post Resident Evil 4: Separate Ways DLC Review (PS5): Ada’s Excellent Adventure appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

NASCAR games are sometimes dismissed by those who don’t play them for being games comprised of mostly left turns. While that’s correct, there’s a lot of depth to simulation stock car racing to explore, and lengthy races allow strategies to be implemented. NASCAR Arcade Rush is a far different spin, as it’s an arcade-style game that features plenty of right turns and doesn’t resemble the actual sport at all.

The coolest part of Arcade Rush is that the stages are reimagined versions of 12 actual race tracks, such as Daytona and Michigan International Speedway. These tracks often take inspiration from the cities they’re based on and aren’t afraid of getting ridiculous, like Homestead-Miami Speedway featuring a giant ring of fire you jump through. The tracks are the one element that really elevates what is otherwise a solid, yet largely unspectacular, racing game.

The problem with the actual racing is that there just isn’t much to it. Sure, you have a turbo meter that you can use to gain speed, and there are boost strips on the track that’ll reward you for driving on them. However, there’s no drifting or another gameplay system on offer that would’ve given the game the extra layer of depth it could’ve used. For a game that wants to be an over-the-top version of NASCAR, it could’ve dreamed a bit bigger with the actual gameplay.

The only unique gameplay system on display, and one I really like since it takes inspiration from actual stock car racing, is that it incorporates pitting. Since races are only three or four laps long, it is purely optional to pit, and it’s not to gas up your vehicle or address damage. Instead, slowing down temporarily through the pit lane will see your nitro gauge completely refilled. It’s a gamble — as you can also find boost strips that give you a tiny bit of nitro — but one that adds some additional strategy that the game definitely needed.

Ultimately, with only 12 tracks, the game doesn’t have a ton of staying power. You do level up and unlock a bunch of customization options (you can get a Tron-style vehicle, which is cool), but there aren’t compelling reasons to keep coming back. Unlocking real-life NASCAR legends as racers or throwback vehicles could’ve been a good incentive, but instead, there are only generic drivers to go up against. Time trials and online play, in addition to the main tournaments, add some replayability but aren’t overly compelling.

NASCAR Arcade Rush Review: Final Verdict

NASCAR Arcade Rush lives up to its name and delivers a fun, non-simulation racing game that features reimaginings of some of the most iconic racing tracks in the USA. However, it isn’t outlandish and exciting enough to completely win over an average arcade racing game fan, nor is it a love letter enough to NASCAR to make it a must-own game for stock car racing enthusiasts. Instead, it’s in the middle ground, where if you dig both, then you’ll have a good time, but you’ll still find yourself moving on to other games sooner rather than later.

Disclaimer: This NASCAR Arcade Rush review is based on a PS5 copy provided by the publisher. Played on version 1.001.000.

The post NASCAR Arcade Rush Review (PS5): More Right Than Left appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Liu Kang has spent eons crafting timelines, taking lessons from one era and applying them to the next. All of his meticulous planning has resulted in a new era, one that bends previously sacred rules in order to lead to a better tomorrow. NetherRealm Studios’ journey mirrors Liu Kang’s, and while it didn’t take eons, the studio spent an unusually long time rebooting the Mortal Kombat universe for Mortal Kombat 1. These efforts to reshape the series have led to a more freeform gameplay style where creativity and player expression rule like an empress in Outworld. But such innovation has been paired with a surprising amount of stagnation elsewhere. 

Stagnation began to define Mortal Kombat 11 in its later years, as its focus on neutral and slower play meant there were fewer ways to get creative. While it still held thrills, battles and combos could fall into a routine. Mortal Kombat 1’s fighting mechanics seem designed to address those shortcomings and are better for it. 

Kameos are the clearest example of this newfound approach with the utility they bring to each match. These assists dip into some of the more obscure parts of Mortal Kombat lore — as evidenced by Darrius and Sareena — and have a handful of assists that add a whole new layer to combat. Some may extend combos, others help nullify projectiles, a few get players out of trouble, and a couple provide set play that can lead to some devious setups. 

All of these variables open up possibilities and encourage players to experiment. Cyrax’s spin seems like a generic advancing attack, but it can be an excellent pressure tool. Jax’s unblockable ground pound initially looks like it’s just for catching the opponent off guard, but it’s got huge potential for nasty corner setups, especially for characters with air projectiles. This is particularly true with combos since small pop-ups that are otherwise useless can become extensive juggles with the right Kameo. Kameos add so many unique elements to fights that make Mortal Kombat 1 more dynamic.

The main roster has also been considerably expanded in order to match the newfound freedom given to it through its Kameos. Fighters across the board have been given more tools and meterless launchers; a fine byproduct of Mortal Kombat 1 not having to spread moves out over different variations. Characters have access to a wealth of new options and tricky tactics that make it more dynamic to watch and significantly raise the skill ceiling. Getting ruthlessly bounced around online (which has excellent netcode) is an inevitability and can seem unfair, yet it’s better than a game that prioritizes approachability over depth. 

Mortal Kombat 1 hasn’t forsaken approachability; it just has an array of tools that have been redesigned or introduced to add more complexity for those who seek it. Flawless Blocks now just negate chip damage instead of leading to unearned combos. The new Up Block can now shut down predictable jump-in attacks and overheads. Fatal Blows have been reworked to include a cinematic prelude, which discourages thoughtless spamming since they’re easy to see coming. Meter management is also no longer automatic and is yet another system that can be exploited for an advantage. When these elements are combined with a more versatile cast and unique Kameo system, Mortal Kombat 1 ends up being a fighting game with an exciting future that seems destined to outlast its predecessors.

Many aspects outside of its core fighting mechanics aren’t quite as fresh. Invasion is the biggest solo-focused addition and is meant to take the place of the rotating towers that have been in the past three NetherRealm games (although those are still here, too). It plays out like a board game set in different Mortal Kombat locales where each node is a new fight. They’re often one round and have some sort of gimmick or modifier. 

Invasion’s seasonal approach implies that it’ll be a constant source of new content, but it’s a stale mode at its core. Running through simple one-round fights with constant explosions distracts from the mechanics and doesn’t do anything interesting. NetherRealm has been doing this for four games and the novelty has worn off.

Invasion would have been better if the team innovated on what came before and created something that forced players to experiment with its systems. It could have acted as a subtle tutorial and gotten players to try out new characters and tactics. Instead, it’s a shallow campaign that just fills time. It even makes players worse at the game since it gets them to prioritize bad RPG mechanics and out-of-place Pokémon-like elemental weaknesses over techniques applicable to more competitive play. 

The tutorials are generally thorough and can teach players the ropes, as they exhaustively walk through everything from fighting game fundamentals to more advanced systems. Concise explanations and guided demos are helpful, but making players actually complete these tasks a few times is the hands-on approach a great tutorial needs. It’s so helpful that it makes the lack of character-specific guides even more glaring. Injustice 2 and Mortal Kombat 11 had small tutorials for the whole roster that cleanly conveyed their strengths and weaknesses. With deeper fighters and an all-new Kameo system, Mortal Kombat 1 needed something like this to lower the barrier of entry and provide more clarity.

But this is just one of a few areas where Mortal Kombat 1 is strangely lacking when compared to its forebears. The unlock system is needlessly obtuse because it doesn’t list out what kind of gear is in the game or explain how to get any of it. Some of it is tied to each combatant’s individual level, but their battle pass-like tracks are shrouded in mystery for some reason. Towers also don’t list their spoils, killing the motivation to slog through them. Grinding for cosmetics makes for a solid loop, but not being able to see the rewards in the distance dampens the will to keep pushing. It’s not even clear how to unlock some of the Kameos, which shouldn’t even be locked in the first place.

The entertaining pre-battle banter has also been scaled back and mostly kept to local and unranked matches, robbing the game of some of its personality. Having fewer ways to hear silly exchanges and sick burns lessens the overall narrative presence since these back-and-forth taunts sometimes contained valuable bits of lore. It’s a waste to have them in there in some form but not put them in a majority of the modes.

Mortal Kombat 1 has more pressing narrative problems with its uneven story mode. NetherRealm has long since demonstrated its expertise making fighting game campaigns, and Mortal Kombat 1 lives up to those standards in many ways. Superb facial animations capture subtleties most games still can’t convey. Action scenes are expertly choreographed with incredible hit reactions and shot with wide angles that don’t obscure the kicks and punches. It’s easy to want to play fight scenes in a fighting game, but Mortal Kombat 1 makes watching them satisfying, too. The seamlessness from cutscenes to battles and vice versa is also still impressive and ensures that the pacing never slows down. 

Most or all of that is true for NetherRealm’s gameography and, while familiar, the luster hasn’t faded much. The actual story is where Mortal Kombat 1 stumbles. Seeing a new take on established characters is exciting because most of these changes make for better drama. Witnessing Mileena’s humanity grounds her as a character. Making Sub-Zero and Scorpion brothers makes their conflict even more personal. Turning Baraka into a tragic figure screwed by fate is more nuanced than making him a bloodthirsty jobber. Even the fighters from the 3D era have been thoughtfully redesigned and utilize the team’s improved method of designing characters.

The story starts out promising as it reintroduces these fighters in their new roles. Fighting game stories typically suffer from trying to focus on too many faces at once — and this is no different — but the novelty that the reboot brings overcomes that genre-driven drawback. This fades in the latter half as the narrative balloons and starts revolving around a timeline-ending threat. Brisk pacing makes it easy to watch, but this means that it often falls back on magic to explain many important beats in order to save time. It’s a cheap crutch that hinders the last act and unexpectedly leads up to one of the campaign’s wildest moments. It doesn’t do the legwork to earn it, but it is still a goofy set piece that unexpectedly pays homage to one of Mortal Kombat’s most famous scenes. 

Mortal Kombat 1 Review: Final Verdict

Mortal Kombat 1 has some of the most liberating combat mechanics NetherRealm has ever made, but some of the peripheral features fall a little short of what the studio has achieved prior. Being able to access more tricks and dig into the Kameo system gives fights more depth than they’ve ever had. That ingenuity clashes with the vague unlock system, repetitive Invasion mode, and inconsistent campaign that strangely don’t match the heights of previous NetherRealm games. Mortal Kombat 1 is a victory in many ways, just not a flawless one. 

Disclaimer: This Mortal Kombat 1 review is based on a PS5 copy provided by the publisher. Played on version 1.000.001.

The post Mortal Kombat 1 Review (PS5): Fleshed Out and Familiar appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

PlayStation players have been treated to a surprise cooperative release in the form of We Were Here Expeditions: The FriendShip. A two-hour, bite-sized iteration in the series, it gives players a taste of the series’ inventive co-op gameplay that can be seen more in-depth in past titles like We Were Here Together and 2022’s We Were Here Forever.

Just like Forever, cross-play is available, and you can team up together via in-game IDs. The process is pretty painless, although it adds a step when you just want to play with someone on the same console. After a quick tutorial sequence that introduces you to your in-game walkie-talkies and the basic controls, you’re left to work together with a partner to solve puzzles and take a trip from the cutely named boat that the game’s title references — the FriendShip.

There’s not much of a story here, but there are three trials for players to take on. The first one is pretty simple and similar to what other asymmetric co-op games have done in the space, like Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, by having one player describe what symbols they can see while the other player looks for matching ones. To make things a bit more challenging, these wind up being timed, and performance is broken into graded tickets you can get of bronze, silver, and gold variety. It’s a fun time, although the differences in some of the symbols are too small, and it’s too easy to fail in what seems like a cheap manner as a result.

The second trial is the only real puzzle, as it has players moving colored pedestals and floor pieces. It’s quite convoluted and way too difficult to describe via text, but basically, you have to think a step ahead as the other player’s choices impact what the other can do their next turn and vice versa. If both players don’t have patience and the willingness to engage with the puzzles, this can become quite frustrating and a negative experience. And even if you both grasp the puzzle, it’s not a particularly fun one as it is quite time-consuming as you try to get a high score over 10 turns.

The third and final challenge is the high note for the game, as it measures trust by having the two players work together to get through an obstacle course. After one of the characters is gassed, they can’t trust their vision and must be guided through a series of obstacles and invisible walkways. This is easily the most fun as it is enjoyable even when you come up short and really takes advantage of the unique cooperative gameplay. There is some added difficulty for the more advanced maneuvers, though, as the sometimes imprecise controls and delay between the players could cause some failures, but this was one we were able to complete fully after giving it enough attempts.

We Were Here Expeditions: The FriendShip Review: Final Verdict

We Were Here Expeditions: The FriendShip is a fun diversion for up to two hours, but there really isn’t enough meat here for it to be more than that. More of a relationship test than a full-fledged game, its third trial is absolutely the highlight of the experience. While it’s worth going through once, don’t expect it to reach the highs of the previous entries or offer too much new to the winning formula.

Disclaimer: This We Were Here Expeditions: The FriendShip review is based on a PS5 copy provided by the publisher. Played on version 1.001.000.

The post We Were Here Expeditions: The FriendShip Review (PS5) appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Pinocchio can be a neutered Disney fable, a stunning animated adventure with a fascist Italian backdrop, or, surprisingly, a Bloodborne-like action game that makes the titular puppet more akin to someone who bears the Hunter’s Mark. The beauty of public domain works is that they are afforded a level of flexibility that franchises owned by a singular entity do not have. Lies of P lies comfortably in that third category, and while derivative in some aspects, its beautiful environments and challenging boss fights make it more than a mere puppet of FromSoftware’s finest.

The comparisons are undeniable, though. The Gothic European environments, HUD colors, bewildering lack of a pause option, stamina management, status effect icons, inventory menus, home base with an upgrade station that’s inconveniently out of the way, and high difficulty are not even just friendly homages to Bloodborne; they’re unmistakably ripped almost straight from it. Even the admonishing message that pops up after improperly closing the game is eerily similar. In a genre full of developers desperately cloying to snatch one iota of From’s relevance and success, Lies of P is arguably one of the boldest one of them all.

But it’s also one of the most well-built games in that long list, which earns it more than enough leeway. Lies of P’s combat is a pivotal component of its overall ability to shake pejorative comparisons. Swordplay rides the line between methodical and fast action, as players need to time their swings and can’t cancel out of most attacks, but they can still move quickly. It’s a tricky balance that Lies of P nails since bouts require an equal mix of strategy and reflexes, a thoroughly engaging blend that doesn’t lose its luster. 

Lies of P also hands players a ton of tools that make combat even more entertaining. It’s already got a healthy array of unique weapons, but most of them can also be broken down and reconfigured. Being able to slap an agile dagger on a big handle or put a giant Buster Sword-like blade on a rapier’s grip yields a liberating amount of flexibility that somewhat gets around the game’s stingy weight requirement. Carrying two weapons is a great way to fat roll around and die prematurely, so being able to quickly switch parts around and have the swinging arc of one weapon and the stats of another helps get around that limitation. 

Legion Arms add one more variable and give players a way to throw mines, blast cannonballs, spray fire or electricity, grapple enemies in, or have a supercharged parry. The grinder on the protagonist’s elbow can, in addition to restoring weapon durability on the fly, also imbue armaments with elemental effects. Having more versatility like this is empowering, especially when properly applying these tools can literally turn the tide.

Enemy variety is also impressive not only in their visual designs but also in how Lies of P expertly changes up the pacing with its numerous classes. One level may be full of mechanical puppets, and the next will be overrun with goopy teal zombies. It’s a visual and gameplay changeup that’s also contextualized — and cleverly iterated on — within the narrative. 

Despite this complexity, fights against grunts can be a little simplistic. Mashing with a fast weapon stunlocks almost every low-level grunt and nullifies the need to play intelligently in some cases. They don’t parry or push back, only repeatedly crumble with every quick slash. Tough mini-bosses, slower weapons, and mobs of disposable thugs all ensure that it doesn’t completely lose its edge, but it’s an easily exploitable oversight that robs Lies of P of some of its well-earned tension.

Boss fights more than make up for this misstep and are brutally difficult duels that push the game’s systems to their absolute limits. Every fight demands a level of expertise that can only be gained after a few dozen deaths. Parry timing is tight; copious amounts of chip damage means blocking doesn’t cut it. Eating one combo is often devastating. Losing focus for two seconds can end an otherwise perfect run. A hard boss may die only to immediately rear back with a second form that has a fresh health bar and an enhanced thirst for revenge. 

It can be demoralizing to get turned from a real boy to a real dead boy over and over. But, except for the times when the camera unfairly tips the balance, it’s all fair and made within the boundaries of the game’s mechanics. Getting better is the only way to progress and the tightness of the controls ensures that that is possible. Climbing that mountain is a thrill that makes the genre what it is. Inventive visual designs and excellent animations for these bosses wouldn’t mean much if they weren’t satisfying to kill.

Stages match the elegance of the bosses in both form and function. Each area plays a role in the world that fills out its backstory so it doesn’t feel like a string of unrelated zones. The Vegnini factory is a twisted industrial area that shows where the puppets were made, while the dump demonstrates the overwhelming scope of waste they produce. The Grand Exhibition provides a look at the advanced puppets that didn’t seem to make it to mass production; an abandoned display with some of the deadliest enemies.

All of these areas are intricately detailed and often twist and turn around only a few save points, too, showing how efficiently Neowiz and Round 8 Studios designed its levels. Opening up shortcuts is inherent to the genre, but Lies of P makes that process more natural by having them make sense within the world.

It’s easier to understand the context of these areas because Lies of P doesn’t overly rely on the oblique storytelling of the genre. The wise cricket Gemini often just directly states what’s happening and the history of each important place without falling back on obtuse riddles and item descriptions. It’s a straightforward tale that’s easy to grasp, even if it is an inconsequential part of makes Lies of P a great soulslike. The inconsistency of the accents is a bit jarring, though, as some sound like modern Americans, others have British accents, and only one person sounds Italian. 

Lies of P Review: Final Verdict

Lies of P is wearing Bloodborne’s cloak, but it has its own heart, one encased in metal and powered by ingenuity. It sometimes transfixes on tropes of the genre to its detriment, yet still overcomes by the sheer quality of its boss fights, combat mechanics, and world design. Lies of P’s steel heart may not be born of blood and flesh, but it still pumps heartily enough to be a worthy substitute for the real deal.

Disclaimer: This Lies of P review is based on a PS5 copy provided by the publisher. Played on version 1.001.000.

The post Lies of P Review (PS5): Lying, Dying, and Satisfying appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Playing with your food has always been a faux pas, but one that doesn’t translate to the digital space. Nour: Play With Your Food takes advantage of that exception and gives players the freedom to drop dozens of eggs into a void of nothingness, light ramen on fire, and stack burgers high enough to reach Earth’s outer atmosphere without fear of punishment. Nour uses the surreal to play with the very real draw of using food items as toys but doesn’t compile these fantasies into anything fulfilling.

Nour’s inability to provide any sort of gratifying experience stems from its lack of goals and floaty controls. Its 19 levels present some sort of food item or dining setting, and the D-pad and face buttons are tied to dropping random bits of food or silverware from the heavens. An array of tools and magic abilities lets players cause culinary chaos through fire, a shrink ray, or the power of dance.

But these tools do little to distract from how vapid Nour is. Dropping down 12 pancakes and then setting them ablaze is amusing for about 45 seconds, and there’s not much to do beyond that. The meals change with every stage, yet they’re all similarly fleeting. There are some hidden secrets that attempt to give it some depth, but most are too vague to figure out and do little to point the player in the right direction.

Cycling through its handful of scenarios gets old quickly because of its dearth of extrinsic and intrinsic rewards. Listlessly stacking pizza toppings with no tangible objective isn’t satisfying since there’s nothing meaningful to overcome or figure out. And even though it is meant to be a freeform, relaxing experience, its imprecise controls are needlessly stressful. Moving a tool or sloppy ball of food in a 3D space is tricky because there isn’t a clear way to differentiate between “up” and “forward” with a flick of the analog stick. The camera can also be a pain to deal with since it orbits around a central point and can obscure some parts of the area.

Nour’s food also just isn’t as reactive as it should be, which is another way it robs players of the satisfaction that should come from playing with digital food. Most of the plates, glass items, and condiment receptacles don’t break when struck. A lot of the food items are the same way, as most clearly demonstrated how eggs only look like lumpy potatoes after a few bashes with a meat tenderizer. Nour’s muted interactions are so far from the crunchy sound effects, detailed dismemberment, and dramatic explosions that should be front and center with a game like this. The bouncy soundtrack is full of chill vibes that interact with what’s going on, but it can’t provide all the necessary feedback by itself.

Nour: Play With Your Food Review: The final verdict

Despite being all about food, Nour is more akin to a stick of bubblegum. It seems nice from the outside but is a transient experience that is neither filling or long-lasting. The frustrating controls and utter absence of depth mean its flavor fades quickly and ironically leaves players with very little to chew on.

Disclaimer: This Nour: Play With Your Food review is based on a PS5 copy provided by the publisher. Played on version 1.000.000.

The post Nour: Play With Your Food Review (PS5): Food Poisoning appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Dumping more money into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time in the arcades gave players another chance to take down Shredder. Dumping more money into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge gives players a new expansion called Dimension Shellshock. It’s a dramatically more appealing deal, and while it’s an excellent reminder of Shredder’s Revenge’s stunning art and soundtrack, it’s also a little shallow.

Dimension Shellshock is underwhelming because it’s not that deep of a roguelite. Being dropped into a bunch of combat challenges isn’t much different from the combat-heavy campaign, but the bigger issue is that it lacks the hooks that a decent roguelite needs. 

Characters can be leveled up for better stats and each has a few palette swaps that unlock after certain conditions are met. Higher stats make the runs progressively easier, but the tame skins aren’t that great of an incentive, especially because most can take multiple hours to unlock for each character. And since the skins are underwhelming, the loop mostly becomes about playing more to get better at playing more. There aren’t even achievements or trophies to chase.

Even though this mode points out its control-related inconsistencies — it still needs an aerial evade and recovery move, as well as a dodge that shifts players vertically — there is an intrinsic reward to playing Shredder’s Revenge and hacking away at the Foot Clan’s finest. But the stunted nature of its underwhelming extrinsic rewards is what makes it lose value as a roguelite and wave-based survival mode. Levels cycle in in different orders and the annoyingly vague perks change from wave to wave, but the runs themselves don’t evolve much. Brawlers are prone to feeling repetitive and better roguelite mechanics would keep that repetition from sinking in. 

It’s ironic that it doesn’t dangle better carrots in front of players since the rabbit samurai Miyamoto Usagi is one of the new playable characters alongside the Foot Clan’s own ninja Karai. Karai is quick with her elementally charged attacks and plays mostly like the other characters, albeit with wildly different effects that give her her own identity. Usagi, on the other hand, is much more unique. His ability to double jump and continue his combos in the air gives him more utility and demonstrates that everyone in the cast should have had their own one-of-a-kind traits. Both can also be played in the main campaign, which is a fitting bonus.

The levels in Dimension Shellshock aren’t pulled from the campaign at all, but have the same stellar art design that made the base experience such a visual treat. The apocalyptic, Japan-centric, and futuristic stages are brimming with color and detail and have their own brand-new enemies, yet are outclassed by the 8-bit and comic stages. These inventive worlds stick out from the others and efficiently use their simple color palettes to create backgrounds with more striking contrasts. Shredder’s Revenge leverages its history well and doesn’t use nostalgia as a crutch, and these backgrounds are a fitting distillation of that since they are inspired by the past, but glorious in their own right.

TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge: Dimension Shellshock DLC Review: The final verdict

Dimension Shellshock has most of the same strengths as the base game, but a few more shortcomings, as well. The new mode’s roguelite elements lack variety, and its loops aren’t deep or rewarding enough to warrant multiple runs. The gorgeous pixel art and expressive animation don’t get old, but its survival mode is almost as two-dimensional as its sprites.

Disclaimer: This TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge: Dimension Shellshock DLC review is based on a PS5 copy provided by the publisher. Played on version 1.008.000.

The post TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge: Dimension Shellshock DLC Review (PS5): Two-Dimensional appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

As shown by countless pieces of media, Mars is a red hellhole where humanity’s hubris and inability to get along are only magnified by unbreathable air, brutal weather, and crushing isolation. Humans can barely make it work on Earth, the blue hellhole. Fort Solis is a narrative-focused adventure that once again makes those shortcomings clear through its intimate story and condensed cast. And while it crumbles at the end, its performances and impressive presentation make it one of the genre’s better thrillers.

Fort Solis sits adjacent to the Telltale Games style of adventure games, but with one key difference: There are no dialogue choices or big splintering paths. It is initially disappointing and perhaps an avenue Fallen Leaf should pursue in the future, but this highly directed experience succeeds because of its exploration and character building.

Players are quickly dropped into the titular Fort Solis and, after picking up a few keycards, given the freedom to wander its desolate halls. Its atrium is as inviting as it is deserted and uses that mystery to encourage players to look into what happened. Preying on the player’s natural curiosity is what makes pilfering through audio logs, video logs, and emails actually worth engaging in since they’re going to offer answers in a way the dead can’t. 

Emails and audio logs are brief, easy to digest, and either flesh out the world or succinctly glue the other bigger scenes together. The video logs, while usually a little longer, are animated well and humanize the cast by giving facetime to them. An errant odd movement or two doesn’t detract from how well these monologues evoke the distress and emotion of the subject. They say what doesn’t need to be said through small twitches or eye movements and are a big reason why its cast resonates as much as it does. Having only audio logs or emails likely wouldn’t have been as effective. Keeping it all in order can be tricky, but the main menu lists out every collectible chronologically to make the dots easier to connect.

Walking around and tracking down these notes is rarely a worthwhile part of these kinds of games. Some — Fort Solis included — have very deliberate movement speeds or, in Supermassive Games’ case, awkward controls. Fort Solis avoids that pitfall through its harrowing audio design and spectacular visuals that makes these sections additive to the whole experience. 

It’s not an outright horror game, but Fallen Leaf Studio and Black Drakkar Games play with the inherent creepiness of an abandoned space outpost to great effect through the soundtrack. It adds a consistent layer of unease that reflects the horrors that happened there without bombastic screeching or audio stingers. A Xenomorph isn’t going to pop out of a nearby vent, but the ambient tunes make it feel like that could happen at any time. That constant tension makes it a more effective thriller. 

Fort Solis is also detailed enough to be worth trekking around. Impressive lighting and stunning textures make Fort Solis more immersive, but its visual splendor isn’t the only reason why Fort Solis is a compelling space. Seeing how these characters lived and worked by walking through and investigating each wing makes it all more tangible. Being shown Fort Solis mostly through cutscenes would not have the same effect.

That makes it all the more puzzling when Fort Solis rips control away from the player and forces them down a hall during a chaotic set piece. There aren’t many of those moments, but they are frustrating and antithetical for a game so heavily invested in immersion. It’s also strange how little of an impact the quick-time events have, yet another way Fort Solis fumbles when it takes in the reins.

Despite the tiny and misleading map, strolling through its many rooms gives it a sense of place that better contextualizes the anecdotes described in the emails and logs. It may rob some beats of their urgency, yet the freedom to meander is rewarding because players get more agency in how they piece together the story. While it’s not packed to the brim with hidden Easter eggs and is still modestly sized, Fort Solis succeeds because it was designed to be explored.

All of these elements support the story that’s anchored by its three main characters: Jack Leary, played by Red Dead Redemption 2 star Roger Clark; Jessica Appleton, who is portrayed by relative newcomer Julia Brown; and Wyatt Taylor, the latest role from The Last of Us’ Troy Baker. Leary and Appleton’s rapport is charming, and their interactions aren’t solely predicated on eye-rolling quip like so many other games. It’s important that they’re likable since they are so pivotal to the narrative. 

Taylor, on the other hand, is much more complicated and makes for one of Baker’s best performances. He’s a multilayered man fighting bureaucracy with noble intentions and sometimes questionable means. That breadth of layers is most noticeable in his video logs where his internal struggles are sublimely portrayed and brought to life through the aforementioned nuanced animation. Taylor is an excellent example of the subtle difference between a villain and an antagonist.

Gradually figuring out how this tortured soul unspooled is a fascinating journey and one of Fort Solis’ many secrets. Revelations are doled out well — due in part to its many logs — and provide enough incentive to keep pushing through. Decent foreshadowing and the lack of a forced, hard sci-fi twist also means Fort Solis’ core mystery doesn’t fall to pieces at the end. 

However, the actual finale is a mess. It fails most of its characters by speeding through its undeserved finale. Taylor gets snubbed the hardest since the final segment lacks much of a cathartic showdown of ideas that a character with that level of depth begs for. Instead, it opts to go down the quick-time event route where physical altercations take the place of verbal ones. It’s a bad choice for a game with bad quick-time events and great dialogue to go out like this.

Fort Solis Review: The final verdict

While it marvelously blows up during the final moments of its descent, Fort Solis is a mostly successful voyage. Puzzling together what happened at the station is an engaging exercise that incentivizes players to inspect every computer and voice recorder in order to shine light on its dark mysteries. Its narrative doesn’t seem to branch much or push forward in any new directions, yet it achieves its modest goals rather well. Fort Solis was misused as a facility by its staff, but Fallen Leaf and Black Drakkar have utilized it well to tell one effective sci-fi thriller. 

Disclaimer: This Fort Solis review is based on a PS5 copy provided by the publisher. Reviewed on version 1.000.000.

The post Fort Solis Review (PS5): Thrilling and Mostly Fulfilling appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

The single-player first-person shooter has become somewhat of a lost art. Risky trends have pushed the genre into multiplayer territory where they all fight to the death to be the last one standing. It’s a battle royale of battle royales. Bethesda Softworks has been almost the sole arbiter of the bigger budget solo shooter, a club that Ascendant Studios is joining with its first title, Immortals of Aveum. Trading AK-47s for mystical gauntlets has not forfeited its identity as a first-person shooter, as this clever swap has allowed it to become one of the freshest debuts the genre has seen.

Aveum has some DNA from other shooters — the persistent mission marker is right out of Call of Duty — but it’s able to stand out because of its unique approach to combat. Being a rare spellcaster called a triarch, players have access to three weapon colors at all times. Blue spells are focused on precision, green spells generally have a high fire rate, and red spells are all about concentrated bursts of damage. Each class also has three variants that put their own spin on those core tenets and the gear system adds even further variation, but this streamlined color-coding ensures that it’s easy to discern what each weapon does in the midst of battle.

Being easy to read and having responsive controls is the foundation Aveum uses to support its more refined systems. Players gradually get access to six devastating special spells called Furies that are crucial in dealing big damage and setting up for deadly combos. The generous supply of consumable mana crystals encourages players to use them liberally and being given that freedom to let loose makes combat more exciting.

Control spells are support tools that can lasso enemies in, slow them down, or, if timed well, interrupt their spellcasting. They can be easy to neglect at first since they aren’t directly about dealing damage, but they offer advantages that become crucial in the harder fights. The Dominion spell is the complete opposite since it lets players blast out a devastating beam once the associated meter fills up, which makes for a cathartic way atomize the opposition.

Dashing, hovering, and a shield spell give players the capability to avoid damage as easily as they can dish it out. Hovering gives greater maneuverability and air superiority, but the dash and shield are more interesting because of how they play off one another. 

The five-second cooldown on the dash is off-putting at first since it’s so far outside of the genre’s norms of being able to dodge constantly. The shield also breaks after a few shots, limits players to their base spells, and can only stop incoming fire from the front. Neither can get the job done, but that’s the whole point. Analyzing what defensive tool is best for the situation is just yet another wrinkle that gets players to actively think about their situation and react accordingly.

It’s a lot to juggle, but it all only makes Aveum a more engaging shooter that’s not just about holding down the trigger until everyone explodes. Choice defines its action since there are always multiple ways to reign down on the opposition, and its hordes of unique and resilient enemies mean that players can’t just mindlessly rely on the same handful of offensive or defensive tactics to survive.

Its wide arsenal and smooth controls invite players to indulge in everything it has to offer and fulfill the fantasy of becoming an all-powerful battlemage. Sometimes it’s an explosive show of domination against an army, while other times it’s a tense one-on-one duel. It’s gratifying either way, especially when it’s set to the hip-hop-infused soundtrack that uses fast 808 drums and hit hats to pump up the tempo. Even its vast array of upgrades meaningfully change combat by adding unique perks, further showing how thoroughly each of its systems was designed.

Aveum’s combat is fantastic enough to carry the experience, but its other gameplay pillars play their supporting role well. Puzzles intuitively use the same tools as combat and offer interesting brain teasers that test the player’s spatial awareness and perception. They strike that perfect balance by never being insultingly easy or pointlessly difficult and provide a solid break from the action.

Its array of movement abilities don’t turn Aveum into a parkour game, but do mean its levels can be less linear and hide more upgrades and gear. The layouts are wide enough to give players plenty of room to explore, yet also straightforward enough to avoid needless bloat. Both provide balance to the aggressive combat, and are also balanced enough in and of themselves by never overstaying their welcome.

The narrative is also remarkable in how it balances its many threads, despite the outward appearance of a rote tale where good conquers evil. Aveum ropes in themes of classism, how authority should be questioned, and the effectiveness of propaganda to ground its fantasy setting into something more believable. While it only flirts with more radical solutions that would have made the narrative truly ascend, its ability to approach these ideas at all is admirable and only results in a more believable world.

Its cast is similarly complicated, and the game shines a light on all of its characters and examines the good and the bad of its main players regardless of their affiliation. Leaders or groups who are positioned as altruistic can hide terrible secrets that call their legacies into question. Jak, the main character, often makes foolish mistakes and, despite his noble intentions, is often berated for his brashness or incompetence. Even the main antagonist Sandrakk — who looks like a villain from a Zack Snyder movie — makes salient points and is much more nuanced than the delusional tyrant he appears to be. 

Its story, while sometimes using magical jargon as a crutch, ties these many disparate characters and ideas together pretty well. Effective foreshadowing and its ability to consistently introduce new variables keeps it from becoming a predictable, MacGuffin-filled slog interspersed with extravagant magic battles. And even though the modern lingo doesn’t always work and there are some questionable lines here and there, examining each of the core characters makes them strong enough avatars to shepherd the plot to its well-earned conclusion.

The land of Aveum is also a beautiful setting at times with its serene vistas and larger-than-life titans, but there’s a softness to its visuals that is hard to shake. A decent portion of the game outside of cutscenes can look a little fuzzy, which robs Aveum of the sharpness it deserves. It mostly runs at a decent frame rate, but it seems like the visuals were noticeably scaled down in an effort to prioritize the gameplay. It’s likely the right call since much of Aveum’s combat is dependent on its responsiveness. However, that doesn’t fully absolve it since some of this fuzziness makes it difficult to pick out targets in the background during firefights.

Immortals of Aveum Review: The final verdict

Even with inconsistent visuals, Immortals of Aveum is an enrapturing experience. Its combat gives players a stunning amount of choices and emboldens them to become the ultimate murderous magnus. The narrative doesn’t give into the most bland fantasy clichés, either, and instead tells a well-constructed tale with flawed characters that are given the space to grow. It’s a magical first effort from Ascendant that has set the stage to grow into a spellbinding series.

Disclaimer: This Immortals of Aveum review is based on a PS5 copy provided by the publisher. Reviewed on version 1.001.000.

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Three things in life are certain: death, taxes, and yearly Madden games. Madden NFL 24 doesn’t feature as drastic an overhaul of last year’s installment, but uses it as a base to meaningfully add depth to its core modes and add some overall polish. This works in its favor, as the on the field gameplay looks and feels great and allows the team at EA Tiburon to add some awesome new additions like the superstar showdown mode.

The biggest additions come in the franchise and superstar modes, which have been revamped in a number of ways. For example, training camps are back and the game includes over 20 minigames that allow for a fun way to improve your team before the season starts. Additionally, a number of smaller tweaks have been added like unique draft generators and a suite of new commissioner settings like trade difficulty and the ability to set home field advantage. The former ensures that yearly drafts don’t get dull and the latter adds even more customizability.

Superstar mode has also been refreshed and is more fun than before. It starts off on the right foot with the player getting to partake in a number of interactive minigames that can boost your draft stock. The path to becoming a superstar continues in the NFL is more varied than ever thanks to the aforementioned minigames and plenty of objectives to complete — giving you a reason to always be invested even when your team is struggling.

However, the best addition is the superstar showdown mode, which is sort of similar to Threes in EA’s NHL games and serves as an extension of The Yard mode from previous years. This arena football mode features three-on-three and six-on-six matches on a smaller and colorful 50-yard field. Scoring is fast with fewer defenders on field, making it a nice reminder of NFL Street. Hopefully, it will continue to get fleshed out in subsequent entries like Three, as it is a blast either solo or with friends.

A lot of the other changes this year are under the hood and aren’t immediately noticeable until you’ve played a few games. This includes a new performance skeleton system called Sapien, which further improves thousands of existing in-game animations and overhauls the different body types of players. When combined with FieldSense, which has seen plenty of new tackle animations and even some jump and dive passes for star players, this winds up being the most realistic looking football game yet.

It is worth noting that I had a few online issues during the game’s first weekend, although it got better over time. For example, I was tossed out of my online connected franchise mode several times due to the game losing connection. There are offline franchise options, so it’s an avoidable issue, but it’s always a bummer when outside issues impact a game mode that doesn’t really need to be always online like a franchise mode.

Madden NFL 24 Review: The final verdict

You can’t go wrong with Madden NFL 24 as the new superstar showdown mode is a compelling selling point for fans pining for arcade gameplay. Plus, the franchise and superstar modes have been improved in a significant way, and it has more long-term staying power as a result. With the core gameplay as solid as ever, EA’s latest football game is a triumphant offering that is more than a roster update.

Disclaimer: Madden NFL 24 review is based on a PS5 copy provided by the publisher. Reviewed on version 1.001.000.

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