Aladdin – Arabian Nights [Review]

Sometimes you just want to play something truly nostalgic, and what better way to scratch that itch, than firing up the old Super Nintendo emulator for some platforming in Aladdin. I know I’m waltzing into dangerous territory here, since I’ve heard that Nintendo fans can be very passionate. For those, I just want to say: show mercy. I’m no expert in retro-gaming intricacies, but from playing Aladdin, I learned that it’s a damn fine title. And it felt like a perfect platformer for someone not used to these old-school games—not too hard, yet, still challenging without being frustrating.

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Menace – Demo Impressions

Start the Cannon Fodder theme song, please

Finally, the Menace demo has arrived for us to download and play like the tactics starved maniacs that we are! So, how is it? I would say it’s okay, showing potential for the future. However, the high boardgame feel of it really surprised me. It’s a game that is a lot more abstracted in combat simulation, LOS (line of sight), and damage than I was expecting—especially compared to their last title; Battle Brothers.

For example, “overwatch” has been dumped in favor of faster gameplay, forcing you to move forward instead of turtling behind defenses to ambush the enemy. Fair, I guess, but it also means that the defensive safe playstyle that I like is out the window. And it feels a tad ridiculous that my special forces unit when having action-points left after a move, say up to a building, can’t defend themselves.

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Bloodgrounds – Demo Impressions

What is better than to test your mettle in the warm arena sand, beneath the scorching Mediterranean sun! Well, to do it in a fantasy setting of both Roman and Greek mythology. So, it’s not only men and women equipped with gladiuses you have to fear. It’s Minotaurs and magic-users as well, among many other creatures of legend. A bloody good time will be had—in both senses. Welcome to Bloodgrounds!

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The Mismanagement of PlayStation [Video]

I watched this video by YouTuber ZackLillipad while sipping on my morning coffee, and it hit me that I need to share this. ZackLillipad goes over the most likely reason Sony has had such a bad track record of first-party titles so far for the PlayStation 5. It mostly comes down to the disastrous decision of concentrating on the horrible genre of games: “live-service games,” like Concord. A title that got such bad public feedback, that Sony cancelled it after only two weeks—talk about money and time well-spent!

ZackLillipad goes much more in depth, and talks about all studios under the Sony umbrella—what they have been doing, instead of creating great games for us to play. And it’s kinda nightmarish, going by management standards. Video after the jump!

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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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