Recent reviews by Giant Cheese Wedge

INDUSTRIA is a game that clearly wants to be something special. It throws you into a tense alternate dimension during the fall of the Berlin Wall, and asks you to play as Nora, a woman on a desperate mission to find her missing partner & coworker, Walter. The game leans heavily on the same kind of atmospheric, story-driven gameplay that games like Half-Life 2, Portal 2, and Bioshock have perfected. In many ways, INDUSTRIA wants to be one of the greats. The problem is that it often tries too hard to be one, to the point where it ends up missing the mark.

The Good:
The visuals are mostly solid, the environments are well designed and for the most part, beautiful, there are some irregularities in how well the world is set up geometrically, but it's coherent enough for the most part, I personally think more polish on the start and at the end of the game would have improved my impression of the game greatly.
The sound design helps sell the eerie, shifting nature of the alternate worlds you traverse. The voice acting, especially for Nora and the lone character you meet, is great. Conversations mostly feel natural and aren't forced, there are cases where the timing between conversation snippets is a bit odd, but nothing i haven't seen other games do much worse.

The Bad:
Where INDUSTRIA falls short is in its world building. The game starts with a strong hook and a setting that could be rich with history and meaning, but it ends up feeling like it's holding back. The "Librarians" -- a giant, mysterious figure hinted at in the distance, is one of the most glaring examples of this. You get a brief cutscene at the end where someone mentions the word "Librarians", but that’s it. No explanation, no payoff. The library between missions is a black-and-white, backrooms-style maze with cryptic, gibberish-filled notes. The game feels like it's trying to be mysterious for the sake of it, I'd go so far and call it "sequel-baiting".

The ending, in particular, feels like a missed opportunity. You spend the last few minutes of the game walking through a field for about five minutes, with nothing to do but look around. The final cutscene is oddly disconnected from the rest of the game, and it’s clear they’re setting up a sequel. It’s frustrating because the game ends on a note that feels unfinished.

Also, the game advertised itself as taking place in East Germany, but most of the time you’re not in East Germany at all. You’re in “Hakavik,” a place that definitely isn't in Germany.
Additionally, none of the voice actors sound German at all, which takes away from the experience, there are a few German lines, and German broadcasts threw in, but they are either public material (TV/Radio Broadcasts) or obviously non-German actors saying a single German word. Other games have done this better, with more believable actors.

The Summary:
INDUSTRIA is a game with a clear identity, it wants to tell a story, and delivers in a way that’s often engaging, with a few memorable moments. But it also doesn’t always follow through on the ideas it introduces. The world feels underdeveloped in key places, and the ending, while atmospheric, ends up feeling more like a teaser than a satisfying conclusion.

INDUSTRIA feels more like a demo for a fully-fledged game that hasn’t been made yet. I bought it for one (1) Euro on a key site, and I wouldn’t personally recommend spending much more than that. In my opinion, it’s not worth the 20€ the developers are asking for. I’m sorry if that sounds harsh, especially coming at the end of the review, but for that kind of price, there are a few free Half-Life mods out there that offer more content and polish which I’d rather spend that money on.

If you haven’t played the Half-Life series yet, you might be better off investing your money there. But if you're familiar with this genre and looking for a reminder of how strong story-driven singleplayer games used to feel, go ahead and give INDUSTRIA a shot — just don’t pay full price for it.

Tokyo Xtreme Racer is another installment in the Tokyo Xtreme Racer Series, for better and for worse.

The gameplay feels remarkably similar to the old TXR games, which is both a good and bad thing. On one hand, if you're a fan of the series, you'll feel right at home. The progression system, car customization, and even some of the rival AI personalities are all eerily familiar.

On the other hand, this familiarity also highlights some of the game's more... let's say, "frustrating" design choices. For instance, the unlock system is a major pain. You need to beat specific people first just to get the option to use your unlock points, which then requires you to spend in-game currency on upgrades or cars. It feels like three unnecessary blockades between you and getting the upgrade or car you want.

Speaking of upgrades, they feel like they are consistently worse than what they should be. A completely maxed-out Suzuki Swift Sport only does just over 240hp. That's not even close to what real-life bolt-on kits can do in the actual car (See the CTC Demo Car as an example.). It feels like a missed opportunity to make the game feel more authentic, the game also lacks Turbo tuning this time around, which amplifies this problem even further.

The handling is actually quite responsive and precise, given a prior dive into the controls menu. It's a joy to drive around the more technical sections with precise inputs translating well into your car's movement.

What puts a dent into the handling is the AI Difficulty. Bosses often have an absurd amount of power compared to what you can achieve at that stage in the game. It feels like they're designed to break your will, rather than challenge it. You'll find yourself restarting races just to hope that they mess up and let you pass.

The game itself only has about 10 hours of playtime at this time, which is a bit short in my book. Once you've completed the main story, there's not much reason to keep playing other than to buy new cars or fiddle with customization options.

From a technical standpoint, the game is almost flawless, performance is disappointing initially, which is easily solved by turning down Shadows and Global Illumination, once that's done you will see a solid 60fps on most setups, Linux and Steam Deck Performance is equally impressive, making for a very good game to play on the go, no internet connectivity is required.

Correction: Cloud Saves are currently not enabled, this results in loss of progress on the Steam Deck.

So, should you pick up Tokyo Xtreme Racer? I'd say yes – with some caveats. I believe the game needs some work on its progression system and AI balance, it feels like Genki has focused on replicating TXR3, rather than improving on it, this results in a game that feels like it copies everything the predecessors did, without thinking about how it can be improved upon. If you're new to the series, try giving TXR3 on the PCSX2 Emulator a try! If you like that, then you will most likely like this game, if you never enjoyed TXR in the first place, well, you will probably also not enjoy this game then.

Overall, this game gets a "Careful Thumbs Up" from me, the base is there and it's rock solid, i just hope Genki considers that even a steady base can be improved upon.

Assetto Corsa EVO is not ready for release. As an early access title, I expected some bugs, but what I got was a game that's plagued by problems and a lack of content.

Drifting feels like a minigame, rather than a genuine simulation of the tyres, drifts are initiated easily and can be held with low to no effort, even in uneven or cambered corners. The car sounds are also uneven, with some cars sounding fantastic while others reuse outdated audio from AC1 or ACC. Cars also often re-use the same sound effects with the exact same muffling/reverb.

The game modes are lacking to non-existant, with only quick race and practice available. Rain Conditions feel like a dry track with reduced grip, rather than an actual wet track with dry/wet spots and puddles.

Some cars, like the Mazda MX5 and Porsche 992 Cup, do drive well, but these exceptions can't save the game from its overall lack of.. well, everything.

The AI is equally underwhelming, with opponents that fail to provide any meaningful challenge even at 100% difficulty. They'll consistently dodge around you, often unnecessarily, and prioritize taking the perfect racing line from the start of the lap, rather than adapting to your driving style or attempting to block your overtaking attempts. This results in a series of predictable and unengaging encounters, with the AI cars more focused on following the ideal racing line, even if that means causing a massive pile-up.

It's clear that Kunos have a vision for Assetto Corsa EVO, but it needs more time in development, a lot more time.

I'd advise waiting until the game is more complete before investing your time and money. For now, it's a frustrating experience, with a lack, or best described a non-existence, of content.

Note: This review purposefully does not rate bugs and does not rate any potential the game might have, i review games based on an as-is perspective, i will update it if my opinion changes.

Last Updated: 10/05/2025

recent updates have caused it to be utterly unplayable on linux (both via proton and native, x11 and wayland), constant crashing within 2 minutes of entering a game, nothing i tried fixed it, a shame because it's pretty fun to play otherwise, even when the grind is absolutely horrible.

I picked this game up during a sale, not sure what i was expecting, but it wasn't this.
The game immediately shines with it's almost conflicting artstyle. Simplistic models, but with HUD effects that are simply amazing. 2D and 3D Hitmarkers, speedlines while sprinting, and a (very) brief slow-motion effect when you land a headshot all combine to create a visual feast in a game that doesn't look all that appealing on it's own.

The gunplay is equally impressive. It's tactile, satisfying, and accurate, even when you're sprinting around like a collie on cocaine.
Even if your gun runs empty, the tactility does not stop, you can throw your empty weapon quite a ways and easily take down an enemy with this alone, who will subsequently yeet their own weapon in your general direction.

The soundtrack is exceptional as well - multiple genres in multiple mission, all of them go hard, no exceptions, this game is worth checking out for the soundtrack alone, i've found myself replaying missions purely because the soundtrack was SO GOOD.

The maps are well-designed but short, with multiple routes that encourage experimentation, almost all maps are designed in a circle, so you can go in any direction and you will loop back around. Some maps i wish were larger than they were, others felt almost too open, to the point where AIs got stuck _somewhere_ and i had to go looking for them.

A ranking system for each mission keeps you wanting to improve, completing a level multiple times will grant you more goals to chase, although that avenue of replayability runs dry quickly.

However, there are some notable drawbacks. With only around 25 levels (in the main storyline), many of which shorter than 90 seconds, the game feels surprisingly short, and the lack of collectibles or meaningful side objectives means that there's not much to keep you occupied beyond the main story.
To make matters worse, some missions require replaying previous levels to progress - it's a frustrating design choice that breaks up what would otherwise be an excellent experience.

The storyline itself is relatively shallow, your character is relatable and i've caught myself replying in my head before my character uttered something very similar during cutscenes, outside of cutscenes your character only leaves a few remarks when completing side objectives and has no major voice lines.

Other characters... exist? Frankly, i'm still trying to wrap around what exactly is up with the other character you meet, the meeting was hyped up a lot and for the first few levels, i was trying to figure out if he's actually among the enemies, turns out, nope! you meet him outside of the combat arena, and he disappears as quickly as he showed up. .

Lastly, AI enemies can sometimes get lost on the maps, requiring you to track them down and kill them. It's not a major issue, but it does detract from your goals and more importantly, causes your score to drop.

Despite these flaws, I Am Your Beast remains an extremely fun game that's well worth playing.

Let's talk about potential. And no, I'm not using this term to sugarcoat a game that failed to deliver on its promises, relying on future updates to deliver what was promised. I'm talking about real, unrealized Potential - a game that is right on track become something truly exceptional. Nuclear Option, currently in early access, is one such title.

The aircraft handling is responsive and immersive, Planes can stall if pushed too far, but mastering their full capabilities offers great reward.
Unlike some other combat flight games, this one doesn't require a lengthy learning curve for your aircraft itself - you can jump into a plane and start performing well right away.

Engaging enemies in dogfights, strafing convoys, or bombing facilities feels tactile and rewarding. The detailed damage model adds to this: planes can lose stabilizers, flaps, or wings, but still limp home for repairs. Your aircraft can take quite a beating before becoming completely unusable, assuming you even make it to a dogfight—most engagements are over in a flash, with ranged attacks often deciding the outcome early.

The game also shines in its demand for strategic thinking. Understanding your aircraft and your enemy’s systems is key. Simply spamming flares won’t save you—surviving requires precise timing and knowledge of how different systems interact. Mistakes are punished swiftly, often leading to a quick on-screen death.

The progression system is relatively straightforward but massively rewarding. Each time you play, your level and money resets -- this might seem like a drawback at first, but it actually makes each game uniquely challenging, you cannot just grind your way to the top and then stomp every lobby you join, you start with the Cricket, just like everyone else.
Your goal is to destroy enemy targets to gain levels and earn money, with which you can then unlock and buy better jets, with better weapons. It's a nice feedback loop: the more you play and level up, the more options become available to you in terms of aircraft and weaponry, Careless play can quickly leave you without funds for new planes, making survival and returning with your aircraft intact essential.

Starting or joining a game mid-match doesn't put you at a significant disadvantage either. Basic aircraft are not to be underestimated, the lowly Compass can be a formidable opponent, even in the better planes, so even if you join late in the match, you can still contribute to the action without feeling overwhelmed.

So, what's holding Nuclear Option back from reaching its full potential? Unfortunately, it's the user interface, controls and limited content. The 'virtual joystick' using a mouse often feels clunky, though you can tweak settings to improve responsiveness, opening the map relieves you of all controls of your plane, and targetting specific enemies from first person view can be very fiddly. Flight stick users report smoother experiences, with better hardware support. The menus, while functional, can be frustratingly unintuitive. For example, viewing weapon descriptions requires you to click off and on again, which could be improved with an icon-based interface, with on-hover descriptions.

One feature that would greatly improve the game experience is the addition of dedicated servers. As it stands, larger missions can take upwards of 4 hours to complete, and unfortunately, lobbies are hosted by a single player, if that player leaves, everyone goes back to the main menu. Dedicated servers with persistent battlefields would be a game-changer in this regard, allowing matches to continue uninterrupted even if players disconnect midway through.


Currently, there's only one map (~50x50km), and while it's fun, flying the same routes, dealing with familiar enemy spawns, and facing the same mission goals does get repetitive.

The latest 0.30 update has added another map to the game, bringing the total amount of playable areas to two.

I'm not going to deduct points for this (yet) however, because I genuinely believe that these issues can be improved upon or even solved outright. The developers are actively working on the game and are constantly releasing updates, it's clear they're listening to feedback, and that they want the game to end up as great as it can be.

Nuclear Option has enormous potential. With some UI refinements and more content, this game could be something special. If you enjoy combat flight games, this one’s worth keeping an eye on.

EarthKart feels more like somones first foray into racing games than a mature experience. The simplistic mechanics and lackluster care put into the little amount of self-made assets there are make it feel like a cash-grab attempt rather than a genuine driving game.
To access the game's content, you're forced to either purchase coins or log in daily to earn them. This creates an artificial barrier that effectively limits your gameplay unless you're willing to part with real money.
This business model feels like a thinly veiled attempt to nickel-and-dime players for what is essentially a driving game template slapped onto Google Earth data.
The developers seem more interested in enticing players with fleeting rewards and microtransactions than providing a substantial gameplay experience. The entire "game" feels like a thinly veiled excuse for the developer messing with Google Maps, rather than an actual game designed to be enjoyed by its players.

Avoid EarthKart, unless you're looking to waste your time and money on a subpar experience. There are far better driving games out there that won't nickel-and-dime you for the privilege of playing.

Edit: ignore the developer reply to this review, it's a blatant lie.

Project Wingman, A Modern Classic.

Project Wingman was my first dive into combat flight games, and I do not regret it one bit. Sector D2 has made a combat flight action game that hits all the right notes. It’s a love letter to Ace Combat, but with a modern polish that surpasses its inspirations. If you’re even remotely interested in aerial combat, buy this game.

The gameplay is exceptional. Controls are precise and intuitive, working brilliantly with both mouse and controller resulting in a satisfying blend of accessibility and depth, offering a feeling of impactful flight without sacrificing ease of entry. The selection of aircraft is excellent as well, featuring a mix of recognizable real-world designs like the beloved F-14 alongside some fantastic fictional creations.

The soundtrack, composed by Jose Pavli, is simply exceptional. It’s an orchestral score infused with electronic elements, clearly inspired by the Ace Combat series. However, it elevates the formula to a new level. The music is dynamic, impactful, and genuinely breathtaking. It’s easily one of the best video game soundtracks I’ve ever experienced, so much that I keep coming back, just to listen to the Soundtrack again.

The story is surprisingly engaging. The characters are well-developed and likeable, and the narrative avoids the pitfalls of many modern games – no one overstays their welcome or _truly_ gets on your nerves. Certain story beats are truly memorable and emotionally resonant.

However, it's not perfect. The Conquest mode features a wider selection of planes than appear in the main story, which is a minor disappointment. The DLC, "Frontline-59," is undeniably short, but at just €5 for six missions, it's hard to complain about the value.

There are also certain parts of the game where it's easy to soft-lock you if you kill an enemy too early, these bugs have yet to be fixed.

On the topic of updates, they have been very infrequent; the 2.0 update has been in beta for a considerable time, with no news on when it will finally be finished, as Sector D2 is a mostly one-man-show, I can forgive this, but a faster update cycle would be much appreciated.

Project Wingman is a triumph. It's a more refined and satisfying experience than Ace Combat 7, and a must-have for fans of the genre. Buy this game immediately.

Pacific Drive might just be the single best game I've played in over a year, the game world is intriguing, the story and characters, while a bit on the lean side, feel believable, and the car, oh my, a 1983 hunk of steel, large engine, low power, a roof that has a step in it?? yes please!

The Story, while i personally would have _loved_ more of it, moves you forward quite well, there are ups and downs but i never felt like i was just idling waiting for the next "big thing" to happen, and the ending left me with more questions than answers, but i didn't feel unsatisfied, it didn't feel like the writers blindfolded me just to end it for the next DLC to fill the gaps.

The "worlds" are mostly randomly generated but apart from a few issues here and there (lootables spawning inside vegetation and trees, being able to see through the floor in the entrance/exits of some tunnels) there are no major issues, maps mostly feel coherent, although the manually crafted ones are obviously a bit better.

The enemies that populate these worlds are another thing, they're scary, at first, but you quickly get used to their presence, and some may even be glad to see you.
There is a good variety of enemies, some big, some small, some about your height, most of them you don't want to mess with, some of them? well... just get close and find out, turns out, not everyone is against you.

And the car? Well, what can i say, its your car, you're gonna like it, whether you want to or not.
Based on an old Buick, this hunk of electrical problems is your reliable (although moody) friend throughout the game, it will always protect you, but it will not always act in your best interest, staying ontop of maintenance and keeping the car out of sticky situations will be your plan for most of the game, as it is american, expect problems, a fix is usually just a few steps away, just don't think you can fix these problems by just throwing parts at it.

To take a step back from praising the game, the performance is not.. great. my Ryzen 9 5900x and 3060Ti on Linux were struggling a bit, sitting somewhere between 50-70 frames, although this game doesn't need a high framerate, more frames are always appreciated, the short time i tried it on WIndows i had 10-20 fps more on average, not a massive dealbreaker.
Stability was top notch, zero crashes, the only real "bug" i found was that your garage behaved a bit... unexpectedly, when loading into the game the first time, walls would be missing or corrupted, some objects would only load when behind walls, things like that, leaving the garage and coming back resolved all issues.

And if its all just a bit too stressful? Don't worry, there are _loads_ of accessibility options, you can turn off and tune just about every mechanic the game has, less enemies, less fuel consumption, less repairs? it's all available, just a menu away.

Pacific Drive is an exceptional example in "Indie Done Right", the game developer focused on one thing and stuck to it, delivering a beautiful game with a great gameplay loop, in the sea of "multiplayer open world mmo survival crafting early access" games, Pacific Drive does none of these, fully offline singleplayer, no early access.

I'll be excited what the future holds for this game, and what the developer will do next, i genuinely hope they keep going exactly like they have done now, their direction is a good one, don't mess this up, pretty please?

Thank you and goodbye.
i love you forever

This game has an intriguing concept but falls completely flat in the absolutely nonsensical puzzles and placement of buttons, the game seemingly expects you to know every single game mechanics the devs decided to implement, no matter how much you actually know about this mod, i spent a total of 30 minutes figuring out a single puzzle only to realise you have to shoot a specific object with your ARs energy shot, i have no idea how the developers thought this would be obvious and it made me stop playing completely, as i dont have any hopes that such arbitrary objectives will get better further down in the mod.

What a shame.