Recent reviews by gareth

For anyone who grew up watching Spy films; images of the Super-Villain holed up in a high-tech and secluded base come to mind. The lair is usually the place where their diabolical plan is hatched and carried out; forcing the hero to brave all odds as they infiltrate the base and confront the villain.

In Evil Genius 2: World Domination; players get to play as the bad guy and construct a base in which they will formulate and launch their various schemes.

Picking a bad guy is only the start; as players must make sure to build and equip necessary rooms which is done by carving out space and making sure the needed gear is available. An interrogation room is great but does no good unless players have a cell.

Players will have to launch schemes at various world locales so they can have the needed resources to grow the base as well as increase their influence. As this grows; the base becomes more and more tempting to be infiltrated by do-gooders looking to save the world and stop your hard-earned plans.

As such; traps, security, and specialized units of the workforce are needed which allows players to be alerted and decide if they wish to do with infiltrators.

Placing the Boss in a room will help motivate the workforce to work faster, but nothing works as well as dispatching a worker in front of people to get that extra layer of motivation.

My biggest difficulty was making the needed rooms as not always knowing how large to make a room or the optimal place to place or move an item to appease the A.I. was at times tricky. There was also the challenge of making sure sufficient money flowed into the organization to ensure funds necessary for a smooth operation.

I enjoyed being able to zoom in on various rooms and get a detailed look at what was going on as well. My biggest gripe with the game was that much of it early on was linear and repetitive in that all I did was build, scheme, and repeat. There did not seem to be a method to the madness as several hours into the game my main focus was built, build, and build again. Fortunately, this is where the skill tree really helps as being able to select and research new areas really helped expand my immersion into the game.

What really helps the game along is that there are four Evil Geniuses available to players and being able to play four unique campaigns really helps underscore the diversity and fun of the game.

While it is not a run and gun action game; Evil Geniuses 2: World Domination allows players to take on a persona different than most games offer and set a difficulty level that is most appealing to them.

The animations are great fun to watch as is speeding up the world so that tasks are accomplished faster while your staff works at a frantic pace.

While the game is not going to be for everyone; if you have patience the reward is some really great fun and some of the most unique and enjoyable gameplay in years.

4 stars out of 5
sknr.net

Over the years there have been countless shows, stories, and movies chronicling the adventures of Robin Hood and his Merry Men.

In the new game Hood: Outlaws & Legends players get to take control of different interpretations of four of the classic characters as they attempt to locate and extract loot in an enemy-strewn environment.

After playing a tutorial that introduces the characters and their abilities; players will have access to a camp where they can upgrade their weapons, skills, clothing, and change characters.

Players can then select if they wish to do a training mission or work the main mission that pits two teams of four against one another.

Players can select amongst four characters; all of which have unique strengths and weaknesses to them.

There is Robin Hood who is a Ranger class and uses his bow to dispatch enemies at a distance. Unfortunately, the supply of arrows is limited and when they run out; players must locate more and have limited combat options beyond bashing enemies with a Bow.

Marianne is a Hunter class and uses wrist-mounted bolts and a blade in combination with speed to make hit and run attacks and stealth kills.

Tooke is a Mystic who uses a Flail to attack enemies but can be open to attacks while his stamina rebuilds and he retracts his weapon.

John is a Brawler class and uses his hammer to smash enemies and uses his bulk to hold open gates and crank the extraction winch.

The missions involve sneaking into areas to locate the Sherriff and stealing a key from him. Once the key has been obtained; players must locate the vault and extract the chest to an extraction point and winch it until successful extraction.

This is not as easy as it sounds as various soldiers, archers, and Knights will attempt to stop players and the indestructible Sheriff is instant death when encountered up close. While players have a special ability that slowly recharges over time; their full power will only stun the Sherriff and makes him a character best to avoid.

The maps are less varied than I expected but they are interesting enough to hold players’ interest and the respawn points for killed players largely depend on taking and holding key strategic points.

In the main game mode; a second team will compete with your team to get the loot and have zero issues attacking you and taking your hard-earned loot and forcing players to contend with an enemy team and the A.I. enemies.

It is times like this that using the bombs and special abilities can be a savior but must be used sparingly.

I was shocked at first that the game did not have a campaign and was a co-op experience only but thanks to the cross-play function; I was able to find plenty of people to play with and having a good team is the key to success and enjoying the game as I can tell you toxic players or Lone Wolves can really ruin the experience.

At first, I thought the game was fairly simplistic and limited but the more I played; the more I found myself enjoying it as it really grew on me. While it is not going to be for everyone; those who invest the time to learn the various characters will likely enjoy it and being able to play a match in roughly 15 minutes makes it a great game to pop in and out from.

It would be nice to see more maps, characters, and some fine-tuning down the line; but for now; the game offers a pleasant enough distraction.

3.5 stars out of 5
sknr.net

With the Earth deemed unsalvageable and with mounting natural disasters, humanity plans to send colony ships to the distant planet of Enoch in an effort to save humanity. After 86 years in space, an elite unit known as Outriders land to pave the way and soon finds themselves under attack by rival security forces and a deadly and bizarre storm that has decimated the Outriders.

Seriously injured the player character is put in stasis and is awakened 31 years later to find what is left of humanity engaged in a violent Civil War with the player being their best chance for survival.

Thus begins Outriders; an ambitious game from People Can Fly and Square Enix which looks to combine action, combat, loot, and Science Fiction into a bold gaming experience.

Players can customize the look of their characters and must select a class such as Trickster, Pyromancer, Devastator, and Technomancer. The classes have specific abilities which as players gain experience, unlocks and allows them to select and use devastating powers as it seems the exposure to the storm has given the player character God-like abilities and has earned them the title of “Altered”. I selected the Devastator class and enjoyed being able to suspend and reflect incoming fire, add a protective barrier, produce spikes to impale enemies, crush enemies with a gravity-based attack, dash and smash, and my favorite; a propelled leap that reduced all in my landing area to a pulp. Each power has a cool-down timer after use but as the game is very customizable; players can unlock and assign new perks which can increase damage, duration, and more for their powers, weapons, and such.

The game had an extensive demo available pre-launch and this allowed me to get to know the screens to equip, modify, swap, or deconstruct gear as there is a huge variety of armor and weapons for players to use and modify.

While the menu system at times was confusing at first in terms of what the main mission was and what were numerous side missions and such; I was able to get things up to speed and with strategic capture points; players can always jump back to various locales.

Since the early missions involved being around the main base filled with trade and other options; I had figured it would play into the game going forward. However, as I went deeper into the game I found it easier to simply deconstruct or not gather loot that I did not want and simply equip better gear and weapons as they came my way.

The progress I had made in the demo also carried over onto the main game so long as you use the same platform for release that you did in the demo. This was great to experience as I did not have to replay the lengthy intro and setup nor the early missions.

With a crew of NPC characters along for the mission, the player will journey into dangerous zones each with their own unique biosphere and dangerous creatures and enemies who come at you in waves and can be overwhelming even with the ability to set the game difficulty.

Outriders is setup to be played with a party of characters and much has been made of the rough launch for the game which included server issues, cross-play problems, missing HUD Displays, and such hampered gamers. I was able to connect with a player I found in the forums for the game and he helped me through some battles that I could not figure out how anyone could be expected to complete on their own at the skill level they originated at.

Players can randomly join a party but did not have a clue where they would be in the story progress or how many were in a party, but it was very easy to resume a campaign where I left off should the party I joined be further ahead of or back of where I wished to be.

I did jump into a game that is done randomly and was able to get some higher-level gear and weapons which helped when I returned to my campaign, but in time I again found myself in need of help. One player had issues with getting in my game and then being booted as an example. The HUD display would vanish often which required a return to the lobby, sometimes multiple trips; to get it back. While it seems like no big deal and I worked my way through at times without it; not being able to see a mini-map, health, and if your powers were recharged does make it difficult.

The game offers lavish locales from snow-covered mountains to a jungle, desert, temples, and more. The enemies can be very challenging as I found the ones with guns to be easier at times than the wildlife which came in waves and could take all I had to bring down.

The graphics of the game are solid and the combat mechanics reminded me of a mix of Gears of War and The Division series as from a third-person perspective; players could take cover and shoot from a shelter, or wade on into the oncoming enemies and use the vast arsenal of pistols, machine guns, shotguns, and sniper rifles to win the day.

The numerous cut scenes dive the story forward and upon completion of the story; there is a mode where players can work to retrieve items. It was humbling to have weapons that reduced powerful enemies to mush do little more than annoy the enemies I encountered as it was clear that this mode was best suited for advanced gamers in a party.

A new patch arrived yesterday which seemed to resolve the issues I had with matchmaking, server connections, and the missing heads-up display. I was able to match up with another player where I was in the game and the two of us powered through the main missions as well as some side missions to complete the game. We did not have any in-game chat/communication but we were able to work well as a team. I would suggest using Discord or a similar service if you are looking to play with friends on PC or chat with console users.

While the launch was rough due to the numerous issues; they were addressed and the final result once patched is a deeply enjoyable action game that provides plenty of fun and challenges. Some may say waves of wildlife and enemies may become repetitive but the vast array of them as well as the varied locales, weapons, and powers had me hooked from start to finish.

I was a big fan of People Can Fly’s Bulletstorm game and have longed for a sequel ever since that game arrived. Here is hoping that Outriders will become a new franchise and we will see more content in the not too distant future.

4 stars out of 5

Reef Entertainment and Teyon are to be congratulated for bringing one of the best Terminator games ever to fans.

The game casts players as a member of the Resistance in the post-apocalypse L.A. area who must content with a nightmare world of cybernetic killers.

Playing from a First Person Perspective; players must explore, salvage, construct, and survive a series of missions ranging from recon, salvage, exploration and others.

Players will find themselves in the company of civilians looking to simply survive and thanks to a branching dialogue option; players will also have some control over whom they interact with and the direction of the story as well as how those characters will view and interact with you in the future.

Naturally players expect some action in a Terminator game and the game delivers plenty of it. Starting with pistols and rifles; players can take down Drones and Silverfish; but the larger Terminator units require something more advanced. When you finally get a Phased Plasma Rifle in the 40 Watt Range; it is a true delight to mow down the T-800 and other units but you will quickly learn that they can and do take a great deal of punishment before they go down and that your ammunition supply is not infinite.

As such; players often have to resort to stealth options and I can think of missions through a hospital and decimated town where the enemies were abundant and required some real tactics to evade.

The story also offers plenty of side missions for players looking for an optional challenge as well. I especially liked the references to people and events that were hinted at or mentioned in the film series as it really added an extra thrill to the gameplay.

The graphics are solid but not groundbreaking but capture the world and characters well which helps add to the immersion in the game.

I would have liked to have seen a multiplayer option as it would be great fun to do a Co-Op mission with other players where some would have to distract and engage enemies while others used a Stealth option.

Regardless; Terminator: Resistance is a solid and enjoyable game which provides gamers with a solid and enjoyable Terminator experience.

4 stars out of 5.

(game was played on PS4 more for purpose of the review)
The Persistence is a very interesting mixture of Virtual Reality and Survival Horror. The game was originally released for the PS4 but has now arrived on PC and can be played in both a V.R. and Non-V.R. environment which makes it an ideal game for those looking for V.R. style gameplay without the hardware.

The game is set about The Persistence which has experienced some very unfortunate incidents in deep space. You play a cloned version of someone who was killed prior to the events of the game and with the help of the ship’s A.I. you are able to be respawned and are guided throughout the ship to collect objects and complete tasks.

There are several dangers facing players from ship systems and deadly beings who have been spawned from the former crew. Faced with a shield to block attacks and counter-attack players must be able to defend themselves as they look for the optimum angle to deliver impactful hits on their enemies. As they explore they will gather weapons, health, resources and items which they can use at various terminals to update their abilities and to better enhance their chances for survival.

Since the game was designed for a V.R. setting; players will have to get used to a control system that is different than one who has not played many V.R. games would be accustomed to.

If you can endure the early challenges with combat, navigation, and such; the game offers some good tension and an enjoyable experience.

The graphics will seem a bit dated in parts but remember this is a product of the V.R. as you will not get games to have state of the art graphics in this environment.

What the game does offer is some tense gameplay and plenty of action in setting that should keep fans of the genre happy if they are willing to temper their expectations.

3.5 stars out of 5

Hardspace: Shipbreaker is an interesting and challenging game that tasks players to work off a debt in the service of a company. Your job is to deconstruct ships in zero g and avoid the many dangers you face.

After a brief tutorial players will set off to earn some much needed money. Using a cutting tool and grapple which can be upgraded over time; players must slice away aspects of a ship and then grapple them to a salvage barge, a furnace, or recycling bay.

The ships have various cut points which must be sliced in order to move larger sections and in time players can obtain a tether which will pull an object so players can move onto other tasks while a piece of salvage is pulled to a desired location.

This is key as you have a timer to complete your shift and then there is also the need to replenish your oxygen and fuel supply in shift. When players complete a shift they are charged a large series of fees from the company which results in a hefty bite into your profits and makes it harder to decrease your debt.

Another issue is that some jobs will take multiple shifts so players must be careful. There is also the fact that numerous objects of value are present but not listed on your work order. I learned that chairs, terminals, and such are needed for advancement and are necessary to salvage before you start cutting and must be factored in to your time management plans.

Then there is the matter of the ship itself which can be entered via an airlock. I found it is vital to set the pressure as entering a ship and cutting away is a good way to be blown a great distance from the ship. There is also the matter of the reactor and other vital pieces which tend to explode when cut or not salvaged fast enough when removed.

Being careless is a fast way to getting cloned and that does not come cheap.

As the game goes on players can upgrade their gear which will be a big help as the ships become harder and harder.

The game is fun to play and looks great. Getting used to working in Zero G can be a challenge but that is the fun of the game. I wished there had been a multiplayer mode as it would be great fun to take on a ship as a team and also be subject to accidents other players can cause as well.

In the end Hardspace: Shipbreaker is fun to play and a very creative idea that offers challenge and fun with a sense of humor.

4 stars out of 5

Back in 2005 a game called Destroy All Humans arrived. The game kicked off a series of games centered around a nostalgic 50s Alien Invasion movie theme.

Playing as Crypto; an alien who sounds like Jack Nicholson; players go around the Earth bringing mayhem wherever they go.

In 2020 the original game has been remastered and I first saw some of the game at E3 2019 and loved my hands-on time with the game.

With enhanced graphics the game takes on a new life as players are immersed in a nostalgic 50s setting which captures the best elements of pulp science fiction and Alien Invasion films.

Crypto has all sorts of abilities at his disposal such as being able to mimic humans thanks to his Holobob as well as enable humans to protect and follow him. He can also read their minds and if needed harvest their brains for much needed D.N.A.




With a title like “Destroy” in the title Crypto has a range of weapons at his ability which can fry, burn, and blast the countless enemies he will encounter. Since the game has a Cold War setting the Military, Government agents, and civilians are often fast to talk about “Commies” and espouse All American Values. The game also has some very adult humor that is delivered in a subtle way ranging from thoughts that Crypto reads to parked cars not so subtly bouncing in the local Lovers Lane.

Missions are a mixture of stealth and action as Crypto often has to find something, destroy something, escort something, complete tasks, and survive waves of enemies which naturally get harder as the game unfold s.

The sounds in the game are fun and the arsenal of weapons that Crypoto and his ship are able to deploy offers lots of variety as does his special abilities which give players options for how they play a mission.

I really enjoyed the game as the mix of humor and action was a winning formula but I did bog down on the final mission. I found my ship was not up to the task and using a Jet Pack to fly around was not going to cut it.

I was able to return to the Mothership to do side missions to harvest D.N.A. or do challenges which in turn allowed me to upgrade the weapons and abilities of my ship which made the final battle easier for me to complete.

Being able to upgrade weapons and abilities is a big part of the game as being able to grasp and throw and object at enemies is great fun as is making a brain “pop” from someone who has annoyed you.

I really enjoyed the upgraded version of the game and hope this leads to either a new game in the series or remasters of the prior games as it would be fantastic to see this series continue.



4 stars out of 5

Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics have combined to create one of the most enjoyable Super Hero games ever and one of the more enjoyable gaming experiences of 2020. In Marvel’s Avengers; players are introduced to Kamala Khan; a huge Avengers fan who is invited to be a Fan Fiction finalist and VIP at the massive A Day convention in San Francisco.

What starts as a celebration for the famed heroes soon turns tragic and the game picks up five years late in a world where the Avengers and Heroes are no more. A corporation known as AIM has acquired Stark Industries and maintains their version of law and order through specialized forces as robotic Synths. It is revealed that a reactor powered by a new source was to blame for the A Day disaster and it has created Inhumans as a result.

Kamala finds herself able to stretch her body and upon learning that things on A Day were not as the world has been set to believe sets off with AIM hot on her heels to unlock the clues and save the Avengers.

Along the way players will play as several of the iconic characters and will encounter group missions where players may be matched online or assigned A.I. companions.

Each characters has their own unique skills and timed special abilities which recharge after use and can be a game-changer as enemies become more numerous and difficult.

Each character also has their own combat moves and abilities ranging from ranged attacks to close quarters combat. While The Hulk can throw objects; he is better suited to get in close and mix things up. Iron Man while capable of delivering punches is better used flying and hovering and blasting everything he encounters.




Part of the joy of the game aside from the engaging story is learning new ways to defeat enemies including some team based body slams and other enjoyable moves.

Players are based on a Helicarrier and there are plenty of things to explore and naturally numerous cosmetics, upgrades, and such which players can obtain via looting or at many of the vendors they encounter.

Missions are assigned via a War Table and players have the option to select campaign specific missions or to mix in some side missions as well. Upon completion of the main game; players will have the opportunity to play more side and extra missions and can use a Quick Match open to play with other players as well.

There were a few glitches along the way on my PC build but while a bit annoying a first they became less frequent as the game went along. Some people may have issues with the look of the characters as Tony Stark for example looked to me more like a young Ben Affleck than Robert Downey Jr. but with so many interpretations of the characters over the years this is a minor issue as I was enveloped by the gameplay quickly.

Missions are enjoyable and the timed jump sequences are not unreasonable and players looking for a challenge will be able to adjust the game difficulty to a setting that best suits their style of play.




I first played the game at an invite only meeting during PAX West 2019 and after getting some gameplay time; the developers outlined to us some of the long-term plans for the game from new characters and cosmetics and so on. The game sets up further adventures well and I found myself enjoying the game and characters from starts to finish. The game does a great job establishing Kamala and building her character while giving players plenty of time as the classic Avengers and has more than a few nice surprises along the way.

4 stars out of 5

(Majority of gameplay was done on another account)

Back in 2001 many developers were cranking our FPS games as fast as they could to meet the demand of an eager gaming public. Games such as DOOM, DOOM 2, Half-Life, and Duke Nukem 3D inspired numerous clones and there had come a point of oversaturation for many gamers due to the poor quality and rushed nature of games being released by many smaller developers.

Gathering of Gamers entered into the fray with Serious Sam; while it did not have all the bells and whistles of a major studio release; it did offer action and plenty of it. The game found a following and subsequent games in the serious followed over the years.

Serious Sam 4 gives fans the chaos they expect from the game with some nice tweaks such as more side missions, vehicles, a wide range of epic weapons, and four player co-op. This also goes along with the unending waves of bad guys who come at you non-stop.

The game also offers a solid storyline which helps make the game more than gunning down waves of generic bad guys. Serious Sam 4 does offer plenty of rank and file aliens but also offers some larger ones for players to contend with. One nice feature is being able to use giant assault Mechs from time to time which helped cut down enemies with some superior firepower.

The game has plenty of humor as well as some great moments such as using a farm Combine to grind up swarms of enemies in the Thresher.

Some may want a bit more polish especially in the graphics and online matchmaking but for what it does; Serious Sam 4 does it well and is a fun mix of modern and nostalgia that should keep fans of the series happy.

3.5 stars out of 5

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With the pending release of Zombie Army 4: fans of the series can rejoice with the release of Zombie Army Trilogy. For those not familiar with the game; it started out as a downloadable expansion to the popular Sniper Elite series by Rebellion.

The company eventually decided to release the first two expansions as well as an unreleased mission combined with updated graphics in one collection.
Set in 1945; Nazi forces have resorted to raising the dead into an unholy army in an effort to turn the tide of the war. Playing as one of eight playable characters in either Solo, Horde, or up to four player Co-Op mode; players must battle unending waves of the undead to gather artifacts, complete mission objectives and survive.
This is not an easy task as the enemy forces are massive and your standard loadout includes a Sniper Rifle, Pistol, Machine Gun, or Shotgun. Players also have the ability to kick an enemy and have a limited number of explosives such as grenades, mines, Dynamite, and Trip Wires.

Since players are dealing with Zombies; headshots are the key to taking them down and if you make a skilled shot; the game deploys a Kill Cam which tracks your shot and the devastating impact in fully gory details.
Ammunition is in short supply so players will have to scavenge from fallen enemies as well as load up in between segments at the safe houses which offer a welcome respite.

Should a player succumb to the enemy onslaught; the other members of the team will have a window of time in which to revive their fallen comrade or have to survive shorthanded until the next segment.
The game offers players the ability to customize their loadouts and they can drop in and out of any chapter of the game so players have the option to play only specific missions or simply be matched with any players who are available to play.

While some may say elements of the game are a bit dated; it is important to remember that this first came to be in 2013 so it is only natural to expect enhancements in gameplay in modern games and based on the time I had with Zombie Army 4 at E3; I can see good things ahead for the series.

4 stars out of 5