Recent reviews by Technaugure

Out of all the online TCG, I'd recommend Magic Arena as a solid investment to spend 10/20 bucks every now and again. I've collected MTG cards for 20 years and been actively playing for more than 10. It's not for everyone, but it's a solid support for drafting with the avantage to (sadly) being cheaper than in-person drafts. It's possible to play completely for free, but it requires to be extremely proficient and patient in order to really "enjoy" the game. As for all the "Free to play" games, it is more likely to become a chore than a hobby.

I'm generally against paying in F2P games, especially for cards, but Magic Arena has 2 main advantages in my opinion : its cardpool and its status as the grandfather of Trading Card Games. With 30 years worth of cards and mechanics, MTG is deeper and less "random" than any other online card game currently available (except for the fringe 3rd party clients for Netrunner or Flesh and Blood, perhaps). It's also way more difficult to master because of the dreaded "stack" mechanic.

It's also "too big to fail" : other interesting card games such as Mythgard were interesting but disappeared in 2/3 years, MTG, on the other hand, has been alive for decades and has been declared "dead" for just as long ... Arena is probably one of the rare instances in which I'd recommend paying (reasonably) as I know it will be stable for a while.

So, to sum it up : Yes, I recommend Magic Arena, but not as a free user. Its economic model is clearly predatory, but the game is solid enough. Enjoy responsibly and don't fall for the cardboard crack ! :)

John Wick Hex is not a bad game by any means. It's more clunky and repetitive than it is "bad", but that's why I can't really recommend it.

Setting the John Wick IP aside, which led me to this game, the main gameplay mechanic is pretty interesting. It's more "cinematic" that it is a turn-based game, as you (and your enemies) program your actions on a timeline not that dissimilar to video editing softwares. In a sense, you direct the action in order to make it as smooth as possible, which is pretty intriguing and exhilarating ... for the first couple of hours.

The main problem of the game is that it feels like a prototype : It lacks variety in the gameplay, and its simplistic art style fails to hold up on the long run, especially with the lack of diversity and rigidity of the animation ; The "replay" animations at the end of each level are interesting at first, but end up underlining this lack of diversity and variety, as they all look the same, and undercooked.

So, if you're looking for an interesting take on "turn-based" action, John Wick Hex might interest you, otherwise, chances are it won't be your cup of tea if you came looking for "The John Wick Experience".

I tried Outriders earlier in 2024, not expecting anything out of it ... and lo and behold, it might be the looter-shooter I enjoyed the most in recent years, after being disappointed by Borderlands 3 and its Tiny Tina fantasy spin-off.

First, it's gorgeous. Really. I'm not usually one for graphical fidelity, but every single environment had me hooked. It's not just a question of being photorealistic, it's the execution of the artistic direction : every zone from the Avatar (the James Cameron one) opening, to the early WW1-inspired hellscape up to the snowy mountain, the overgrown colonial settlement in the shadow of a derelict spaceship, the Endor-esque forest, the various caves and untamed environments ... It's just intriguing and oozing with character, and you definitely feel like an explorer charting new territories ...

Except you got guns, and superpowers. And that's a major selling point too. The gunplay is great and, speaking from the point of view of the "Engineer popping lots of turrets and missiles" class, it's a lot of fun. You feel impactful in the situation while the game is still relatively challenging, especially in some difficulty spikes against a couple of bosses.

The thing that made me comeback for 50 hours, however, was the story and the setting. Starting from a dumb "You're explorers on a new uncharted planet", you end up in a weird messianic odyssey to find the origin of a storm giving superpowers to settlers at random (and killing 99% of the rest, and frying most modern technologies. Not a cool storm despite the superpowers.) ... All the while exploring a planet that may or may not have its own civilisations and weird mysteries. It's kind of a mix of Warhammer 40k, Stalker and Avatar (still the James Cameron one) and is incredibly entertaining, especially for what's supposed to be "just" a Looter-Shooter.
My main problem with it is that it ends (Worldslayer, the expansion) on a cliffhanger that will probably never be answered, considering the poor financial performance of the game.

Anyways, it's a highly enjoyable hidden gem of a looter-shooter that deserve more attention ... Especially if it allows me to finally experience its multiplayer !

I'm desperately bad at rythm games. This is a rythm game. Everything is based on rythm. This makes the combat incredibly hard for me, even though I'm a PlatinumGames veteran.

And yet, it's also an incredible beat 'em all with gorgeous art style and stellar soundtrack. Just the opening with "Lonely Boy" hooked me up, and it's got half of a level with Prodigy's "Invaders Must Die" converted to a dynamic combat soundtrack. It's genius.

The setting is pretty interesting, the satire is on point (Kudos to the "Budget Boss Fight") and all characters are adorable/adorkable.

I'd say "Buy it full price with your eyes closed" ... But Tango sadly doesn't exist anymore to get your support so ... I still recommend it, but take in consideration your money will go to those who disbanbed the studio ... :|

You're here to slay heretics and drink Promethium. And you're all out of Promethium.

No, seriously, the game lacks Flamers. Which might mark it up for oecumenical inspection for the Sororitas main that I am. The Holy Trinity of Bolter, Melta and Flamer exists for a reason !..

Anyways, Boltgun is Brutal Doom's more Brutal cousin. It's loud, over-the-top and absurdly violent, and it's gorgeous, and glorious. The gunplay is incredibly satisfying, the weapon variety (bar heretical omissions) is top-notch, the level variety is pretty nice (especially considering this is a 40k game !).

My main complaints would be the lack of grand orchestral themes for boss themes (but that's being nitpicky ... Old Doom games didn't have it either) and the fact that enemy variety, considering the 40k universe, in kinda lacking : I'd have liked some Blood Letters and Daemonettes for my Chaos ... Or just some Orks sprinkled along with the local fauna, as they've been on Graia for a while (but that's being nitpicky as well).

So. By Imperial Edict, this game is considered excellent and recommended as part of all Astra Militarum drills and Schola Progenium courses. (Pending review for heretical lack of flamer.)

Asterigos is a very interesting and competent indie ""Souls-Like"" (as in "Combat is lethal, you respawn at bonfire equivalents and so do the enemies") with a very compelling setting and excellent replayability, thanks to its varied weapons and movesets : I completed the game with the Swords & Shield and the Spear (which allows Sekiro-esque parries), but you can mix & match just about any of the 6 weapons and end-up with something as outlandish as a spellcaster/bomberman hybrid with the Staff & Bracelets (but completely foregoing the blocking mechanics)

Despite taking place in a single city, the locations are relatively varied with a decent level-design, even though they lack originality and can feel derivative at times : you have interesting and gorgeous locales such as an Acropolis or overgrown Greek ruins, alongside places you'd swear you've already played through, such as basically Demon's Souls' Asylum with Diablo's artstyle.

The story is pretty classic, with serviceable characters ... but the setting, along with the artstyle, are pretty captivating : I loved the mix of Roman/Hellenic influences for the City and its inhabitants and Norse (for the main character) viewed through the lens of Taiwanese developers. It's full of neat and quirky ideas and reimagination of myths and concepts that I never thought I'd see, and left me longing for more of these kind of original settings for Action RPGs.

I've rambled enough. Asterigos is a decent game well worth its price, especially for the first game of the studio ! I'm pretty interested in what Acme will be proposing next ! :)

So, after all this time and after all the controversies, is Bioshock Infinite worth it ?

Yes, at least for the gameplay. It mixes the old Bioshock feeling with a more "modern" (circa the original Call of Duty-craze) approach to handling guns. It's quick and responsive, with weapons and vigors mostly all having impacts and effects you'll want to use at some point. It's pretty solid on that front.

The graphics hold up relatively well, thanks to a "semi-realistic" style and a solid turn-of-the-century artistic direction. They aged for sure, but they did gracefully.

That leaves the scenario and the lore in general and ... It's a mixed bag. It may hurt sensibilities, or just your common sense at times ... I'd say it's serviceable and does an okay job at linking the locales and arenas together, but its twists are more 2000s M. Night Shyamalan than 2000s Kojima. It'll keep you hooked if you don't look too closely, but if you're the kind of lore-nerd I am, it'll either infuriate you or make you shrug.

Still, it's a good game worth playing if you haven't already. It was worth its price at release, and that hasn't change today !

Terran Command is a pretty fun Solo-Focused RTS. It's simple in its mechanics and plays kind of like an improbable mix between Dawn of War 2 (You control just a few squads/Vehicles, each with abilities and veterancy) and napoleonic warfare (strong, strong emphasis on line battle, as your units cannot fire through each other, safe from a few exemples)

The Starship Trooper aesthetic is spot-on, with each mission having a FedNet propaganda presentation often contradicting what you discover once loading, and every unit basically acting like Helldivers with no sense of self-preservation and unwavering morale.

It may become a bit repetitive after a bit, as you are limited to 1 faction (Mobile Infantry) and 1 biome (Desert, with some Urban environment in a couple of missions), at least in the main game. It's kind of the same for the missions, usually revolving around cleaning up Hives and Nest in-between waves of bugs. However, the addition of an Editor is pretty interesting, as I tested a mission where you played as the Arachnids in kind of a reverse Tower Defense fashion.

So, yeah, I recommend, pretty solid game :D

At its core, Cepheus Protocol is basically a stealth spin-off of Prototype in which you play as the CERC : the unholy bureaucratic amalgamation of FEMA, the CDC and the DoD.

Your mission is to go in the infection zone and eliminate the Patient Zero and all traces of the Pangu Virus infection. Which means burning down everything, and then spraying lead in the bodies before nuking the place. If you've seen a zombie movie, you know how it goes.

It's in early access at the time of this review, and as such, it can be rough around the edges... Bug damn, isn't this game one of the best Doomsday simulator around. The RP possibilities are endless thanks to the customization : you can play from the basic zombie invasion to a full blown biological nightmare with giant worms, building-sized aberrations smashings your tanks and swarms of flying critters eating your pilots alive. All the while making a desperate attempts to evacuate as many civilians as possible (both to gain ressources and to deny troops to the opposition).

The team is clearly passionnate about the project, constantly working on new stuff to implement (like the whole civilian evacuation mechanic, as well as survivalist factions with varying sympathies towards the government...)

My main issue would perhaps be that it's currently a bit too easy to "block" the swarm by identifying its spawn and cordoning the sector through airstrikes on key infrastructures such as bridges ... But nothing forces you to play competently or to abandon entire sectors :P

Anyways, buy it. Seriously. It's super fun and completely worth its price. It clearly has the potential to end up as a solid improving gem like Project Zomboid !

Project Wingman basically does to Ace Combat what Metal Gear Rising did to Metal Gear Solid.

It turns everything UP TO 11. More weapons, more flying superweapons, more epic showdowns, more orchestral musics (<3 Jose Pavli), more radio banter, more insane setpieces (Cold War might be the greatest air combat mission in any game, period.), more epic bosses, a roguelike mode, complete VR support for everything, no pesky escort missions ...

More orange thunderstorms.

And it's not officially an Ace Combat game, meaning it's the perfect entry point to the strange world of plane games you play to follow an absurdly over-the-top geopolitical intrigue !