Syndicate – Corporate Assassin [Review]

Syndicate is the 3D visualization in the form of a first-person-shooter and reboot of the classic game from 1993 with the same name. While I think Starbreeze (the devs) managed to capture cyberpunk aesthetics and the dystopian corporate warfare, the story could have been a lot better. It’s somewhat disappointing, considering the rich setting the game has to pick from. What’s much better is the gameplay. However, this part is not without problems either, even if it’s fun. Before diving into the story and gameplay details, we will have to go over some technical hurdles!

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Lost Key – The Path of Illumination [Trailer]

A friend sent me a trailer of Lost Key – The Path of Illumination—and what can I say? My friend must know me well, because this type of adventure title is right up my alley. It’s a mystery game, set in England, with you having to clear your name after being accused or murder. A big point of interest for the game is that it takes place during the late ’90s—an era that I miss to this day. Yeah, I’m becoming old and overly sentimental. On the visual style, it looks very pleasant, with a clear pixel-art throwback to the days of LucasArts

The only negative thing I picked up on is the critique their former game got for being somewhat preachy and stiff when it comes to dialogue. Not having played it myself, it’s impossible to pass judgment. However, if true, I hope it’s something they took to heart and improved upon. No release date has been set, but I assume next year. Check out the trailer for yourself after the jump!

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The Blood of Dawnwalker [Gameplay video #2]

Another long-form gameplay video is out for the RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker to showcase the different paths you can take to complete quests. Just like in my comment on the first video, the similarity to Witcher 3 is still very palpable. Now, I have warmed up to it more since, and it will probably be an interesting gritty semi-grounded RPG worth playing. Yet it can’t seem to escape that “copied” legacy. If this is a negative, it all depends on how the world feels, of course. If the design is cloned from Witcher 3, it risks being an extremely static world where people don’t mind you ransacking their house for loot. Oh, a priceless heirloom from grandma—worth 2 gold coins? *yoink*.

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Hell is Us – Demons of Boredom [Early (Final) Thoughts]

This is not a full review of Hell is Us, since I haven’t completed the game, but I felt I had to give my opinion on what I have played so far. Now, when I tried the demo, I got impressed, despite the large sword-anime antics, which is something I’m allergic to for the most part. Even so, the story felt mysterious, and the world, while being fairly large with plenty of areas to seek out, still felt tightly designed with an enjoyable dungeon to tackle at your own pace. I thought the full game would follow this premise, but so far, that’s not so.

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Hell is Us – Demo Impressions

This is a wild one. I downloaded the Hell is Us demo on a whim, and I’m really glad I did. At the most basic, you can say it’s some kind of Dark Souls-lite, at least regarding the fighting. What makes Hell is Us more than it looks is the very mysterious setting that I can best describe as something between the books Roadside Picnic, and the Southern Reach Trilogy. I found the atmosphere thick and weird, with a dark, foreboding tone that engulfs the whole experience in this strange land.

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