Dead Space: Ignition – Puzzle Engineer [Review]

In space, nobody can hear you puzzle! Just recently, I bought this little spin-off called Dead Space: Ignition on the Microsoft game store for the Xbox 360. Yes, original hardware this time around. It was pretty cheap, around four euros for me, so not too much of an investment regardless of how it now turns out. The main reason for my purchase is that I am a Dead Space lore junkie, loving most of the franchise thanks to its cool dystopian sci-fi setting, and of course: horrifying monsters ready to slice off your skin with precision.

Considering what it’s part of, you might expect limb-cutting and body-horror coming out the ears, but nope. This is surprisingly enough a puzzler, best described as a game with typical mini-games at the forefront with an animated comic attached.

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Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker – Dreaming of Heaven

I have been getting into my old Xbox 360 as of late, so I thought: why not start with Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker that I have never finished before. Peace Walker was originally a PlayStation Portable (PSP) exclusive, but later remastered for the Xbox 360 in the excellent and well-worth package Metal Gear Solid HD Collection. Now, since it is a PSP game, there are some issues, especially if you treat it as a mainland Metal Gear game on a home console. It’s extremely segmented so you can easily play it on the move, with the missions being very short. The only thing that has any stay is the bosses, which can drag on compared to the usual sneaking and choking out guards. Regardless, it’s an enjoyable stealth game that greatly expands the lore about Big Boss.

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Spider-Man: Miles Morales – The Harlem Show

Peter... I so wish this game was about you instead

Spider-Man: Miles Morales is a third-person superhero action game by Insomniac Games. It’s a spin-off/sequel to Spider-Man from 2018. I’m not much of a superhero fan – you could actually say I kinda hate the genre for the most part, but that is thanks to the movies. However, I do enjoy a few of the more grounded heroes when they are not connected to some greater absurd universe. Batman, Spider-man, and The Punisher are some of the few I can read, watch and play without feeling too much disgust. I decided to play this after enjoying the 2018 release, and what can I say? Well, like much modern-made stuff, the writing is absolutely abysmal, and it’s probably the most on-the-nose game I have ever played when it comes to its divisive politics, virtue signaling, and general “wokeness”.

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The Last of Us 2 – Retcon Central

Like many others, I consider The Last of Us a true gaming classic. It was a fine blend of survival horror, and excellent story-telling with captivating characters you learned to care for. So, the wait for the sequel was not without hype, but unfortunately, the story leaks would crush any longing to once again take the helm of Joel & Ellie. Two years after release, I would get the chance of playing the game through a rental service at my local library. I’m not sure what overcame me since I knew the sequel would butcher the characters I once liked, but I guess I wanted to see the disaster for myself. PS. The references to P. D. James and Philip K. Dick were not lost on me!

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