Recent reviews by Preator

Trepang2 is a first-person shooter that has taken much of its gameplay and story design inspiration from the FEAR franchise, fusing fast-paced action sequences with story-driven horror and atmospheric world-building. But was it able to step out of the shadow of its predecessor, or was it doomed never to escape it in the first place?




https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3284687574


You play as Subject 106, a soldier broken out of prison by an unknown group. With no recollection of your past and a primal desire for revenge, you must harness your superhuman abilities to destroy those who wronged you and unravel the secrets of your past.

Trepang2 sports a dense and intriguing plot for what appears to be predominantly an action shooter. With well-written dialogue and a genuinely gripping atmosphere, this game surprised me and has done something unique for the genre.

Seeking out the intel scattered across each map is integral to understanding the plot.


The primary premise of Trepang2 is the gunplay. You will spend most of your playtime immersed in lightning-fast, action-packed combat. Movement is fluid, and gun animations, as well as sound effects, pack a lot of punch to provide an atmospheric experience that aims to immerse you in each situation.

There is also a decent repertoire of weapons to choose from, ranging from a pistol and shotgun to larger weapons such as miniguns and grenade launchers, all of which are designed for specific tasks, so you have to be selective for your requirements as you can only carry two on you at any one time.

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3284691951

Each gun is also fully customisable, giving you some decent freedom in making the guns your own. Changing the barrel, or adding a laser sight drastically alters the performance of a firearm, and the only real way you can understand these changes is to test them out and experiment with combinations. Thankfully, Trepang2 gives you a considerable range of options to do so, either through main and side missions you can undertake from the mission select board or by conducting training modules that put you under stressful situations as a challenge to overcome.

The key to beating Trepang2 is understanding its gimmicks, focus and cloak. Focus is a gauge that slows down time temporarily, allowing you to react faster than the enemies around you, and cloak is exactly what it sounds like, invisibility technology that hides you from enemies for a short time.

These are fundamental in the skill ceiling, and controlling them competently will make higher difficulties significantly easier.

This isn't the best-designed game I've played recently. It's sufficiently aesthetically pleasing, not breaking the threshold of level or world design, and even the general textural overlay is outdated and bland in some places. It’s far from an ugly experience, but not cutting edge.

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3284688890

Thankfully the audio picks up the slack here, providing a heart-pounding soundtrack and some genuinely killer atmosphere that can hype you up for brutal action sequences or slow you down in some of the more horrific sections. The animation audio also requires some high praise here as it is sensational how visceral combat can sound with these heavy weapons ripping enemies to pieces.


I ran Trepang2 as high as it goes at 2560 x 1440 resolution and had no issues with performance or bugs. Load screens were almost instantaneous and never took any additional time to buffer missions afterwards. Generally, phenomenal optimisation.
RAM: 32GB 3200GHz G-Skill (DDR4)
CPU: i9 10900KA 3.70GHz
GPU: MSI Ventus RTX 3080

Review chart here.
I've heard a lot of people refer to this game as a FEAR clone, and to be entirely honest, it's hard to argue that it's anything more than that. It does exactly what FEAR does, with a less interesting storyline and very similar gameplay without even looking that much better either. All of this is condensed down into an 4 to 6-hour campaign for $60.
Trepang2 does what it intends to do exceptionally well, it just doesn't do enough of it or push the thresholds of what we already have to warrant its high price point. Wait for a sale unless you're a die-hard FPS fan and don't mind breaking the bank for little content.

ERR//…BREAK THE CYCLE Hell, Purgatory and Paradise BR3%K…T&$…CY%LE

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is a first-person/third-person shooter adventure experience that takes the well-known Far Cry formula and reskins it with Avatar. Ubisoft doesn't usually hit home with strong, dynamic gameplay and highly enthralling storylines. But as I am a sucker for Avatar content, I thought it was worth the gamble. But does this game feel the warm embrace of Eywa, or is it just Unobtainium?


You play as a captive Na'Vi in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. Captured by the RDA and trained for their purposes from a young age and freed fifteen years later from your bonds to settle the grudge against the ones who took you from your home and family. You must travel across Pandora, unite the fractured clans and bring peace once again to your home.

The story is pretty good, especially considering the studio it came from. The world feels somewhat immersive, the characters grow on you, and the general plot has enough substance to bite into and keeps you hooked for most of the campaign.

Combat in this game is identical to the Far Cry franchise in nearly every way. Your character isn't invincible and has limited resources compared to the enemy you are facing, so this leaves you with essentially one tactic against the odds: guerilla warfare.

Your general task in Avatar against the enemy will be to infiltrate bases quickly and quietly, taking out enemies as you can while focusing mainly on completing base-specific tasks to shut them down as fast as possible for maximum rewards.

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3283041195

You have very few weapons to utilise to this end. There are three variants of bows, each for different ranges and conditions, an assault rifle, a shotgun, a spear-thrower and a throwing device for casting explosives of varying capability at moderate distances. On top of these weapon choices, you can modify weapons with special items to change the benefits they provide such as higher weak spot damage or health returned on kills.

These all give you some options for combat scenarios and allow you to plan your next moves.

The last piece of the puzzle is your gear. Armour has many different traits that can completely change how your character functions. Some armour has health increases, others have damage bonuses, and you have some flexibility in their augments as you can change the mods on them, much like your weapons, to mix and match their capability.

Avatar emphasizes exploring the world, even giving you an option in the settings to turn off map and compass markers, so you have to follow directions given to you by the settlements and quest log. Exploration will grant you many boons, such as increased health and item upgrades you wouldn't be able to attain otherwise, it also gives you a decent opportunity to locate resources for crafting new items that require plant and animal materials to create.

Exploration is easier when you attain your Ikran, the bird creatures the Na'Vi ride. You get this fairly early on and isn't a spoiler as it's on the banner art of the game.

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3283040833

The map is also quite dynamic, where clearing a base doesn't mean it will remain the way it is forever. Over time the base will be reclaimed by nature, and new plants and resources will become available. I found this particularly unique as I hadn't seen many games utilise this as a feature.

As you adventure and explore Pandora, you will eventually utilise the mini-game mechanics to do many different tasks such as hack computers, repair electrical lines, paint memories and a whole era of other tasks. These are often fun and intuitive, providing an interesting side adventure to break up the combat sequences. They rapidly become repetitive and monotonous, especially after your fifth straight hack or drawn-out memory painting.

There are little to no negatives I can say about the visual state of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. It is without a doubt one of the most stunning aesthetic experiences I have ever had in gaming and I am in absolute awe over how seamless the world is considering its robust beauty and minute detail. From the first moment you step into the forest, to the first time you fly above it, you will be blown away by the sheer scope of the world and how much passion went into designing it.

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The audio isn't quite as high quality but still offers a significant level of detail over the forest atmosphere and the general animation sounds of running through brush and splashing through puddles. I will say that the sound of the rain in this game is genuinely mesmerising though and this game has a perfectly ambient soundtrack for just roaming exploring, capturing that wonderment of the unknown.

I ran the game on High settings, one down from the highest, at 2560 x 1440 and still saw some significant frame dips. This game is fairly resource hungry and only high-end machines will run it at ultra at this resolution or more for any prolonged period.
🟧 A lot of bugs. Frequent crashes and performance bugs that cause you to become stuck, unable to change weapons or cause you to fall through the world.
RAM: 32GB 3200GHz G-Skill (DDR4)
CPU: i9 10900KA 3.70GHz
GPU: MSI Ventus RTX 3080

Review chart here.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora isn't a pioneer game for the industry. It's a Ubisoft game in nearly every way you can imagine, the story is alright, the gameplay is fun, the violence is toned down and the world is beautiful and sprawling. It's far from perfect, but it's an ideal dumb fun filler experience, that is worth a shot if you can get it on an enormous sale so you don't have to cry in the shower at night over what an idiot you are for buying what is mostly mid-tier content at full price. Don't go into it expecting much and you won't be disappointed!

The Na'Vi need your help to free Pandora, but if you want to free your heart, head on over to Hell, Purgatory and Paradise where every review is an adventure.

This review is based on playing on the Steam deck.
Unpacking is a zen-like puzzle experience about one girl's journey through life, from childhood to adulthood and all the twists and turns between. Set in each of her rooms, apartments and houses throughout her life, it's your job to unpack her story over the years and watch as she evolves with each new chapter. But does the game succeed at unpacking itself from the rest of its kind, or is it destined to gather dust in some forgotten corner?


The story of Unpacking revolves around a girl named P as she moves from her childhood room to her first apartment and finally to her forever home. But the story is more complex and nuanced than that may seem, as life's filled with moments that help define us as people, and P is no different. As you unpack her life with each new chapter unfolding, you will see items come and go and eventually return. You will see her career develop and her relationships evolve, and in the end, find solace that despite how messy life can get at times, a happy ending awaits us all.

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3247498635


The game doesn't deliver many gameplay mechanics, nor do the mechanics evolve much throughout its relatively short five to ten-hour campaign. But there is some calming clarity in this simplicity, where you don't have to feel challenged to be satisfied with the outcome, and you can enjoy the story unfolding without time constraints or counters documenting your errors.

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3247498717

The game consists of eight levels of varying size, where you essentially have to unpack boxes and place the items in the correct places based on the type of item they are. There is some moderate freedom in the placement process, and you won't be penalised for placing items in slight variations, although at times, you will have to ensure some items are in the correct rooms or specific places before moving on to the next chapter.

Much like the above, because of how the game is designed, there is also not a whole lot to look at. Graphically the game is beautiful and delivers an extremely soothing experience from a visual standpoint, with a clever cartoonish art style that helps carry the unspoken narrative, but just don't expect to be blown away.
With that said, the audio is in a similar boat, not delivering an enormous catalogue of sounds or music to the short experience, it still does an adequate job of backing the storyline without ever distracting from it.

Doesn't require a performance check, the game's low requirements ensure almost anyone can play this title.

Review chart here.
Unpacking didn't blow me away, it is extremely simple in its design and delivery and doesn't deviate from this in any tangible way throughout its short playtime. Coupled with a rather high price point it's hard to recommend it despite enjoying the experience it provided. I will say that it's a story worth playing through once, but only if you can get it on a steep sale.

If unpacking your life feels like it might get you down, head on over to Hell, Purgatory and Paradise to lighten your burdens and experience tranquillity at last..

Ghost of Tsushima is an open-world adventure game set in 13th-century feudal Japan and seeks to deliver a gripping tale of one man's struggle to face the demons who have invaded his home and the demons that struggle within. But does it have what it takes to repel the invasion, or is it destined to be crushed against the tide?


It is late into the 13th century in feudal Japan. The Mongol empire has already laid waste to countless nations in their campaign to conquer the East. In their invasion, they eventually land on the shores of Tsushima, and the brave samurai rise to fend off the massing hordes. Jin Sakai, the main character, is amongst their number and watches as the samurai defences fail and the invading forces claim a foothold in his homeland.

It is here as the last of his clan, where Jin must rise against the invaders, cast aside his honour and do what he must to protect his home and the people.

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3250555309

But will his quest for vengeance and urge to do what must be done allow his demons to consume him?

Ghost of Tsushima is a well-written and paced plot that delivers substantial emotional investment in Jin’s story, and the fate of the entire island. This is done by tailored questlines, side stories and considerable quantities of collectibles that provide insight into the state of the world and what has led to the current situation. There are some moments where you feel the story might have dragged on a little, but these are quickly dissipated as each act hits its climax and can be easily avoided by not spending too long trying to 100% each zone before moving on with the story.

This game revolves heavily around combat, which can take many forms throughout the campaign.

A majority of the game will take place in open combat, where you are fighting against large groups or waves of enemies in swordplay. Sword fighting is pretty simplistic as you only have very few abilities at the beginning of the game. Over time it does grow in complexity if you wish to master the many facets of it, such as stance dancing to attack enemies of different proficiencies or deflecting the enemy advances to deliver crushing counterattacks to thin their numbers.

There are more ways to fight, whether you choose a stealthier approach and use long grass to mask your entry into a base and take them all out before they know you’re there, or you use a bow to pick enemies off from range there are tools and skills to benefit the way you want to play and build your character to optimise them.

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3250556642

Levelling Jin is done in a standard way where killing enemies and completing activities like side quests will net you experience points which can then be invested into a moderately sized series of skill trees.

While the general story is linear, how you approach missions isn’t linear, allowing you some flexibility in dealing with different situations and giving you real control over how things turn out in each encounter.

Exploration plays a monumental role in Ghost of Tsushima as it's the only way to experience everything the game has to offer, is to explore the sprawling world around you, following clues to points of interest, and completing the activities there.

Activities in the open world, such as bamboo strikes and meditating in hot springs can grant you substantial boons to your combat and survivability, so it’s worth exploring to find them all.

The map does play a part in this and can help you in navigating the world allowing you to set waypoints to make your traversal easier, it is not a flawless system and it takes some getting used to before you can use it to its full capability.

The game also has quite a substantial multiplayer mode that allows for coop play to complete missions that earn experience points and gear for your characters so you can level them up and equip them for the battles ahead. I had quite a lot of fun with this game mode and wished it was a full game on its own as it's quite an enamouring experience filled with content and interesting stories. Maybe one day!

Ghost of Tsushima provides a breathtaking visual experience that only broadens as you explore its robust and flowing world. With a well-designed photo mode to capture the moments as you run, jump and climb across its expansive wilderness.

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3250558169

The audio is of exceptional quality as well but lacks a little variety at times. This isn't a massive qualm as the game is large and you don't spend much time listening to the nature around you or the soundtrack.

With the game on Ultra settings at 2560 x 1440, it ran impeccably smooth, especially considering it's a PlayStation port. Sat at a firm 60 FPS the entire time and never really deviated from that.
RAM: 32GB 3200GHz G-Skill (DDR4)
CPU: i9 10900KA 3.70GHz
GPU: MSI Ventus RTX 3080

Review chart here.
Ghost of Tsushima is a well-thought-out and passionately designed experience that doesn't deviate from its goals of immersion and substance. Providing a compelling storyline with interesting characters and an enormous open world to explore you will have your hands full for a lot of hours as you bring peace to the wartorn lands of Tsushima.

The Ghost seeks to repel the Mongol army from the shores of his home, and his favourite place to go while relaxing at the Onsen is Hell, Purgatory and Paradise where he can go to unravel the secrets of this world.

SAND LAND is an open-world adventure game adaptation of the 2000 comic series of the same name and undoubtedly one of Akira Toriyama's final works. But does the game do the artist and the series justice, or is this just another anime game left in the dust?


You take on the role of Beelzebub, the Fiend Prince, on a journey across the drought-ridden, scorching Sand Land to find the legendary spring and bring peace to the savage land.

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3275746176

But journeys are rarely so simple as the King has plans for the legendary water source and is making a fortune on keeping it as a commodity and will do everything in his power to keep it under control.

You must fight against the army, bandits and even nature itself on the quest to pry the water supply from the government's grasp, but does the story end there? You will have to dive right in to find out.

SAND LAND delivers a well-designed and intriguing plot despite having some moderate pacing concerns throughout the campaign. With a fascinating cast of characters to fill the few empty moments with entertainment, so you will never be bored. With that said, the open-world dialogue is incredibly repetitive and becomes tedious to listen to after some time, with no way to turn down the frequency or off entirely.

A substantial part of the game is exploring its sizable open-world environment, which takes place across the entire campaign as new areas continuously open up to you.

Exploration will be your primary way of unlocking and upgrading items for your vehicles because some of the best items in the game are hidden in out-of-the-way places, and resources scattered across the world, such as ore and wood, are used to upgrade them. Unfortunately, however, the map is pretty subpar in this regard, only really helping you navigate the world and not showing you where to obtain certain resources which makes attaining some mid to late game upgrades substantially more difficult than it should be.

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3275745686

Which brings us to the robust customisation options available to you, SAND LAND has an enormous catalogue of parts, upgrades, decals and paints for you to truly make your bot your own, and some of the upgrades can truly alter the function of your bot in surprising ways.

Fighting and killing enemies around Sand Land will also net you significant rewards in the form of resources used to upgrade vehicle parts or sell for money.

Combat is the other significant aspect of the game, and you will spend a large part of it upgrading your vehicles or skills for this very purpose.

Combat can be split into two categories: melee, which is your ground combat outside of vehicles and vehicular combat, which takes place in numerous types of bots you will unlock during the campaign.

Melee combat is essentially fighting on the ground with your fists, and you will gain abilities throughout the story that will vastly change the flow of combat. You will also be able to invest skill points into a tree that bolsters your damage, health and the effects of your combat abilities.

Vehicular combat is a little more complex as you will need to constantly upgrade your vehicles to stay relevant against the enemies of the world. You will use the items and resources you find in the world or on enemies to upgrade individual parts and increase your overall output potential.

The average enemies scale with your level, but bosses are level-capped, so it is simple to out-level the story content. The boss battles usually take place in moderately sized arenas, allowing you some flexibility on what bot you want to use to defeat them. They are not incredibly diverse or complex to combat but can provide varying difficulty depending on your level.

SAND LAND is near-literally bursting at the seams with side quests to complete as you progress through the story. All of the side quests give you some insight into the world and what has led to the events that are taking place and provide you with some significant upgrades if you complete them all.

On top of the plethora of side activities the game has for you to complete you also are given the option to build and design a home for your character. Decorating the house does not provide you with any bonuses whatsoever but is a fun and creative minor activity to do between missions to give you some time to reflect.

This game has not been designed for realism, but it still delivers a stunning visual experience that will continuously catch your attention with beautiful open vistas and seamless environments. The cell-shading art style enhances the visual experience by delivering a fresh perspective to the series.

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3275746852

The audio doesn't quite hit the same standard. While the music in the game is captivating and fits every situation perfectly, harmoniously blending in levels of nostalgia for fans of Toriyama’s works, the general audio is pretty repetitive and monotonous for the most part, recycling most of the sounds for the entire game.

While running SAND LAND on max settings at 2560 x 1440, the game ran buttery smooth the entire time with very few minor graphical or performance issues to report.
RAM: 32GB 3200GHz G-Skill (DDR4)
CPU: i9 10900KA 3.70GHz
GPU: MSI Ventus RTX 3080
Note: I have decided to remove the performance usages as they are only relevant to my build and not the general user base.

Review chart here.
SAND LAND does an impressive job of creating a vibrant open-world experience filled with diverse characters, environments, enemies, and customisations all wrapped in a captivating well-written story, making it one of the most outstanding anime games that I have ever played. With that said, Some foundational design flaws hold it back from being top-tier, and you may only find yourself captivated if you are already a fan of Toriyama's work. If it sounds like something that may interest you, I’d recommend waiting for a sale.

The never-ending dunes of Sand Land can begin to drain you of your very life, but fear not as Hell, Purgatory and Paradise is your oasis in even the harshest of lands.

I don’t normally review DLC content as it’s usually incorporated in the full review, but considering how substantial this one is and how much I adore Elden Ring as a whole, I feel like it’s a necessary evil and one I am genuinely excited to share with you. This won’t be as large as my usual reviews, as much of the game is the same as the base content but there are some things I want to touch on that have received praise and flak in the media recently. So let’s dive back in Elden Lords and discover what lies waiting in the Shadow of the Erdtree.


You follow Miquella, the cursed brother to the infamous Malenia, to the Realm of Shadow, to uncover what has led him to divulge himself of his body and his emotions on the journey to Godhood.

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3275631914

A whole new cast of characters and a new world to explore, essentially means that the world is brimming with stories and lore for you to uncover as you venture across it. The DLC for me didn’t really unravel much of the main plot, but the side stories really enthralled me for the most part and I had a lot of fun just uncovering secrets hidden in hard to reach places and reading the plethora of story detail the developers have put into the weapon and item descriptions.

FromSoftware had a clear motivation in adding a new scaling system to the DLC. Those of us who finished the base game content were incredibly overpowered, either through levelling or by using builds that were essentially game breaking. So the mindset is clear that they wanted to level the playing field so the new content would be a challenge, even for those who made it to the end of the original game.

Unfortunately, with this mindset, all the hard work that was put in to develop these game breaking builds or to level up enormously feels entirely diminished with the new scaling system, which essentially brings you back down to low stats.

I’m not against the idea entirely as I still had an extraordinary time with Shadow of the Erdtree, but I feel like it was perhaps badly designed for a game with its own immense levelling system already in place.

SotE expands on the idea of boss content in a way that I haven’t seen yet in the previous games by FromSoftware. Bosses are more complex machines now that require more from you as a player, they aren’t simply big enemies that will swing and leave openings for you to counter, they are different here, they are vicious and unrelenting in a way that gives you very little space to breath, let alone get in your own counters. This is an interesting space to be in as now there’s more strategizing fights than there was before, you have to plan your build, your weapons and the armour you wear to really navigate the arena’s better to have a chance at defeating these foes.

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3275631587

The DLC offers a gorgeous open world to explore that is literally brimming with passion and story to a point where every zone you go to is going to be an entirely new experience compared to the last, and even brand new to the genre, blending seamlessly multiple regions masterfully through tiering and spacial awareness.

The audio is also largely amazing. One thing I always hold to the highest standards with FromSoftware games is the soundtrack quality which never seems to fail. Most of the general audio is recycled from the base game, but the new voice actors and zone types help diversify the palette.

With the release of the Shadow of the Erdtree there have been some performance issues that weren’t present in the original game. These will likely be ironed out rather quickly but it’s something to be aware of prior to purchasing the game.
If you’re interested in the original performance of the base game, you can check out my review here.
Elden Ring Review
RAM: 32GB 3200GHz G-Skill (DDR4)
CPU: i9 10900KA 3.70GHz
GPU: MSI Ventus RTX 3080

Review chart here.
Shadow of the Erdtree attempts to do a few things that weren’t really prominent in the original game, especially with the implementation of a new scaling system that isn’t really intuitive and sort of makes it feel like your hard work isn’t rewarded, but it’s not all bad as people have been resounding. It’s actually quite an amazing DLC filled with amazing new content, interesting locations, and genuinely fun to fight bosses. If you were a fan of the base game, you will be a fan of the DLC, but be aware the difficulty scale will drop you back so don’t expect to traipse through the content easily.

You rose to the rank of Elden Lord, but now as the shadows begin to coalesce once more, you must head to Hell, Purgatory and Paradise to unravel the secrets before you.

Death Stranding is a third-person action-adventure game focusing heavily on coming to terms with the possible extinction of humanity and finding the will to press on regardless of how cumbersome life might get. After several attempts of trying to start it, I finally decided it was time to give it a proper shot, so I strapped on my boots and set off on a damn immersive experience. But did it have what it takes to survive the journey, or did timefall leave it in ruins?


Sam Porter Bridges is a REPATRIATE courier in a world going through a supernatural mass extinction known as the DEATH STRANDING that has somehow torn a rift between the worlds of the dead and the living. With the future of the UCA on the line, he must travel across what was once America while avoiding the BTs with his DOOMS ability that allows him to sense their presence and pressing on through TIMEFALL to bring satellite sites known as KNOTS onto the CHIRAL NETWORK using the Q-PID to unite the world once more, all the while avoiding VOIDOUTS that can cause catastrophic harm to your surroundings.

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3231526628

If the above was too much information to take on board and left you somewhat confused, Welcome to Death Stranding.
The general plot is intriguing and well-written, but overburdened by buzzwords and new information that is entirely irrelevant, as well as a consistent reiteration of story points, you are bombarded with information from all angles. I deciphered most of the story from just reading the interviews provided as additional data in the game, as the main storyline did not help me understand what was happening.

The world of Death Stranding is enormous, so travel and exploration will play a massive role in your experience. Finding new paths and searching for items is imperative to your progression as you want to find the best way to get from A to B with as few problems as possible to attain the best delivery ratings, and materials are needed to build tools around the world to help you and other players traverse it easier.

Movement is a crucial part of Death Stranding because you will constantly be on the move with heavy items on your back or driving some vehicle across difficult-to-traverse landscapes. Thankfully, the movement has been designed to provide as much control as possible while providing difficulty and immersion.

You have plenty of tools at your disposal to help you traverse the world, from deployable ladders and bridges to cargo catapults and ziplines and a whole range of vehicles with different carrying capacities and travel ranges.

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All deliveries fall into one of four categories. These are cargo condition, delivery volume, delivery time and miscellaneous. Most of these are self-explanatory, but miscellaneous deliveries are where the item has to be retrieved from a dangerous area and delivered to its final destination.

On your long and arduous journey across the once-great America, you will undoubtedly come across people and entities not interested in helping you connect the knots and make America whole again. The first you'll encounter are the BTs, supernatural entities from the world of the dead that now wander areas with heavy timefall. They are avoidable, but you will come across means of putting them to rest early on, so just be patient. Speaking of timefall, it is a considerable threat to your items, it appears as heavy rain or snow and it slowly ages anything it touches, destroying it over time. Avoiding it will be one of the hardest challenges you will face in the game and a constant threat to your ratings.

The second is a far more persistent and arguably less reasonable threat, which is humans in the guise of MULE's and Terrorists. Both are dangerous, and both will block crucial paths to steal your goods or kill you. Thankfully, you have plenty of means to protect yourself, most of which are non-lethal, as enemies follow the same premise as you do, and if they die in combat, they need to be disposed of before they create a voidout and destroy large portions of the surrounding area.

This game has one of the best online services and communities I have ever had the chance to play with before. As Death Stranding posts the tools you build online allow other players to use them and vice versa, which creates a genuine group of players seeking to experiment with paths and help each other traverse the world easier all for a simple "Like" mechanic where you upvote items left by other players that you have found and used.

Let me paint you a picture of vistas of verdant rolling hills framed by imposing mountains, chaotic bodies of water, and brooding clouds that choke the sky and tell tales of dreary melancholy. This is the world of Death Stranding, and being lost in its impeccably well-designed landscapes delivers a truly immersive experience.

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3231525614

And if the visuals are not enough to entice you, the audio will. As a seemingly flawless coupling to the setting are songs that speak plethoric volumes of emotion and substance to the already densely rich experience. The general audio is also an amazing feat that delivers substantial immersion as you trudge through mud, water and snow to reach your goals.

With the game set to Ultra and 2560 x 1440 resolution, I never saw this game drop below 60 FPS the entire time I played it. There were also no graphical bugs to note.
RAM: 32GB (Under Load Usage: 31%)
CPU: i9 10900KA 3.70GHz (Under Load Usage: 31.9%)
GPU: MSI Ventus RTX 3080 (Under Load Usage: 58%)

Review chart here.
Death Stranding is a weird experience to gauge, as I really did enjoy it this time around but have unfortunately dropped it numerous times in the past due to its confusing and poorly-paced story. With that said, the gameplay is amongst the best I've experienced in a game to date and felt like I was a part of the world and invested in its outcome, which is a rare feat. I would recommend this game at any price, but on the caveat that you have to be in the mood for something of this kind, or you probably will not enjoy it.

The Death Stranding has taken so much from Humanity, but thankfully founts of knowledge such as Hell, Purgatory and Paradise remain to keep our past alive.

Persona 3 Reload is a remade party-based JRPG that tackles some intensely challenging themes, such as bullying and suicide and focuses heavily on death, in both understanding and courage in the face of it. But does it have what it takes to deep-dive into these topics, or does it simply become a victim of its lesson?


You experience the story of P3R as a self-named hero (canonically Makoto Yuki) who gets transferred to a new school without any prior information about why. It is in this new town on the way to the dorm he will be living in for the next year, where he experiences his first Dark Hour, an eerie hour of the day hidden from normal humans and transforms the world into something akin to a horror story.

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It doesn't take long, but he arrives at the dorm safely and meets some fellow residents with whom he will become close friends over the next year.

The next few days pass by typically as life returns to its usual routine, that is until one night when the dorm's attacked by creatures known as Shadows, and it is there that he awakens to a power known as Persona, that responds to his courage in the face of death.

With this new power at his fingertips, you must guide him through the rapidly unfurling story, building his bonds and friendships and progressing his powers as the world of darkness seemingly rises to stop him.

Persona 3 Reload doesn't boast the best-written or most complex storyline, although it does an impressive job of investing you in the characters and the world rather rapidly. The friendships you will foster throughout the story are probably the best aspect of the game experience, as they are all vastly different individuals with unique tales to tell. Even with all that said, this game still has one of the most impactful endings in gaming.

One of the fundamentals of this journey is to master combat. You will spend an enormous amount of time venturing through the halls of Tartarus during the infamous Dark Hour. Here, you will face countless shadows that seek your doom as you fight against the entrenching darkness for the chance of freedom.

Fights take turns, where each person and creature within the arena will have a chance to attack. Each turn consists of using an attack of either melee or magic to damage the enemy until they have exhausted their life force or guarding against damage to protect your own. One of the main focuses in combat should always be to hit an enemy's weakness, as they will always try and hit yours. Hitting an enemy's weakness will knock them down and allow you to conduct a massive damage attack where all the party members join in to do damage.

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You will unlock new ways to attack and defend as the story progresses and new items and skills become available.

Every month or so, you will have to face an immense shadow that will take the form of a boss battle, and you must find gear and level up as much as possible before facing them, as they can provide significant challenges to the unprepared.

As with all Persona games, building bonds and friendships across the journey is imperative to your victory, and Persona 3 Reload is no exception to this rule.

Meeting people and learning their stories all considerably impact your own, so spend as much of your spare time developing these friendships to unveil your true potential and unlock powers you could only dream of at the start.

But as always, it's very rarely that simple, as the ever-present clock ticking down on your playtime will constantly remind you that you don't have long to get everything you want done. The days are pretty short, and during school weeks, you will have limited time to get much done in your free time, so ensure to plan out your schedule as best you can.

The graphics of P3R won't greatly impress you, and that's probably intentional, considering the theme and how the characters invoke their powers. The developers have done an impeccable job of designing the world and atmosphere to relay the emotion of the situation without the characters having to show it.

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The general audio is a bit hit-and-miss, but the voice acting is sensational, and the above is enormously assisted by the mindblowing soundtrack that encapsulates every moment of this game.

Playing P3R at 2560 x 1440 and graphically as high as it goes gave me no problems. There were no graphical issues or problems to report in the slightest. It is a remarkably well-put-together game overall from a performance stance.
RAM: 32GB (Under Load Usage: 27%)
CPU: i9 10900KA 3.70GHz (Under Load Usage: 31.3%)
GPU: MSI Ventus RTX 3080 (Under Load Usage: 44%)

Review chart here.
Persona 3 Reload isn't the best of the genre, but it's far from the worst. Tackling some of the most difficult-to-cover topics that I've ever personally seen in a video game while building a multifaceted plot and maintaining a fun gameplay loop aren't easy feats to pull off, and yet it somehow manages to do it well. This is a well-put-together experience that will continuously push you and even make you uncomfortable at times, but even with its shortcomings, It's still probably one of the better JRPGs on the market.

You won't need an invoker to awaken to true power, just head to Hell, Purgatory and Paradise where your Persona is waiting to meet you.

If you still seek to harness your destiny, awaken to the dark hour and head to Summit Reviews to unravel the knowledge of your Persona.

This review is based on playing on the Steam deck.
Chained Echoes is a classic era-styled JRPG with a strong focus on story, character and world-building, and with its retro-style aesthetic and beautiful soundtrack, it promises to be an epic journey. But does it soar through the sky as free as a bird, or is trapped in a cage of its own devices?


The game opens with the hold of a fantastical flying vessel on its way to a battlefield in a distant land. Soldiers and crew wander its hallways, busy with preparations and contemplation for the coming battle that weighs heavily in the crowded halls. It's here, amongst the bustling busyness of the crew, that you meet the main protagonist, Glenn.

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Glenn, accompanied by his close friend, Kylian, and the rest of the Iron Bull mercenary company, are on their way to a distant city to assist in freeing them from tyranny.

But as is always the case, fate has different plans for the heroes, as a grand explosion consumes the city that nobody could have prepared for.

Now, with the world feeling the weight of that fateful day, an uncertain peace has fallen across the lands that have faced war for the last several centuries. With the world in such a precarious position, new events begin to unfold that threaten the lives of everyone on Valandis.

Do you have what it takes to stand against the tides of chaos?

Chained Echoes blew me away with how well-written and paced it was. The story provides a substantial, emotionally fueled experience, filled to the brim with twists and moments of solemn contemplation for the events that transpire. The dialogue enormously assists in the grand scheme, providing much-needed bolstering to the already considerable plot and delivering a great deal of understanding of the main cast and their motivations.

This game isn't your standard, run-of-the-mill RPG. While it aesthetically matches most of the classic SNES era games of its type, it differs greatly in a mechanical sense.

Unlike almost every other RPG on the market, there isn't a standard levelling system in place in Chained Echoes. Instead of gaining experience points and using these to level your character progressively across the story, you are awarded skill points for overcoming significant obstacles in your journey, usually in the form of powerful enemies. These skill points can unlock skills in an extensive list of abilities within a tiered list that increase in power the higher the tier.

The second significant difference between this game and others is the overdrive system. Overdrive is a bar in the corner of your screen that increases with every skill you use and hit you take and decreases with inaction and defence. Keeping the overdrive in yellow ensures you receive standard damage with no penalty, green lowers your damage taken and increases damage done, and red at the far end of the spectrum increases damage taken and reduces damage done.

Weapons and armour in Chained Echoes take a different direction than the usual format. You don't always have to move up to the subsequent variant to see an improvement. You can always opt for upgrading the piece through materials found in the world and then enchanting it with crystals that greatly bolster your attributes. Finding good crystals can be a bit of a grind as you are bound to RNG at this point, and simply finding the crystal you're after might prove difficult until much later in the game.

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But this isn't the only method for improvement, as, at a certain early point in the journey, you will unlock a hideout where you and your crew can begin to set up operations to take the battle to the enemy. By inviting random people you meet to help you, you will unlock passive bonuses that vastly help you in many different ways, such as increased crystal discoveries per node and random items at intervals of game time.

The rest of the game is relatively standard to the usual RPG foundations and will feel particularly nostalgic to the classic-era RPG fans.

As mentioned above, despite its retro aesthetic, I genuinely believe Chained Echoes is one of the most vibrantly beautiful experiences I've ever had the opportunity to play. The art and atmosphere are captivating aspects of the world and really deliver a true sense of immersion throughout the entire experience.

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The audio is much the same as the soundtrack and general audio, is an impeccable feat of design, and provides a sensational sense of adaptation and vividness to an already remarkable journey.

During my rather lengthy experience, I didn't notice any drops in quality at all, and the game feels like it was made all along for the Steam Deck, which ran exceptionally well. A full charge would approximately provide 8-10 hours of gameplay demonstrating the title optimisation.

Review chart here.
As I sit here in quiet contemplation over the journey I have just undertaken, I feel resounding pride and sadness over the decisions that were made and the fact that it's almost over now. I wonder if the minor flaws the game holds are enough to lower the score in any dramatic sense, and in the very end I believe they don't do enough harm to warrant that course of action. This is a truly wondrous experience that deserves both distinction and praise for the high-quality content it has provided as well as the experience that continues to resonate with me even now. I would recommend this game without hesitation to anyone who is a true fan of storytelling, world and character design.

A journey taken is rarely without purpose, so head on over to Hell, Purgatory and Paradise to find your next epic tale.

A climb to the summit is a sign of strength, so head on over to Summit Reviews where every review is peak.

Helldivers 2 is the sequel to the top-down action shooter, Helldivers, taking a brand new direction with this title in the form of third and first-person shooting and numerous additional mechanics that vastly set it apart from its predecessor. But were these changes enough to survive the Helldive, or did the squad wipe to triviality?


The story of Helldivers 2 is limited. You are one of Earth's finest warriors, a Helldiver, and you are sent to the front lines to face off against the terrors that threaten Super Earth and its ideals of peace and prosperity.

Both the Automatons and the Terminids will fight ruthlessly against you and your squad as you push back against their tyranny in the name of justice and democracy.

The best part of the story is that it doesn't take itself too seriously. While heavily saturated in dark and somewhat adult themes, Helldivers does an exceptional job of taking potshots at itself and its crisis while adding elements of urgency and threat to certain situations. Fuelled by lowbrow comedy and consistent propaganda that this war is all for liberty and justice is the icing on the cake.

With a primary focus on being a third-person co-op shooter with scaling difficulty and extraction elements, Helldivers 2 takes the genre into a somewhat fresh frontier.

The general combat has been thoroughly fleshed out and impressively detailed to provide a comprehensively immersive experience from mission start to end. An arsenal of weapons to choose from allows you to determine how and where you wage war, and it's vastly customisable on a mission-to-mission basis despite the lack of itemised modifications to weapons and armour in its current state.

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The ability to customise your loadout before the mission starts is a critical aspect of the game, as it determines your capabilities against the enemy you're facing, and it can be particularly impactful depending on the difficulty you have selected.

In addition to your ability to choose your armour and weapons, you are also provided the ability to call in orbital assistance from the destroyers in the atmosphere. These are called Stratagems and are game-changers in this war effort. Being able to call in orbital strikes, missile and napalm bombardments and even support weapons like MG placements and turrets improve your survivability by an enormous amount.

The current war effort has the Helldivers facing off against two major factions, the insect-like Terminids and the robotic killing machines, the Automatons. Each side fights in vastly different manners, as the Terminids are more primal and aim to close the distance with you and your squad with sheer numbers and brute strength. The Automatons are more focused on warfare, utilising weapons similar to your own, and are proficient in keeping you at a distance.

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But the enemies aren't the only thing on your path to glorious victory. The planets and mission types also play an enormous role in the outcome, and different biomes offer different challenges to overcome, such as desert planets drain stamina faster than colder planets and forest planets inflict slow debuffs as you enter thick brush. Mission types are less impactful but something to be aware of, as many missions have multiple sub-objectives to complete before extraction, and awareness of where you drop and what your intentions are will sway the outcome of the battle and the mission.

This is one of the most immersive war simulations I've ever had the opportunity to play. While Helldivers isn't a simulator in the strictest sense, the general ambience and immersion on the battlefield provide a great deal of simulated realism to the experience. Enemies bleed out and take visible damage from gunshots, and the world is morphed by your impact on it and blood/dirt splatters on your armour as you venture across the battle to really give you the feeling of being in it.

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The audio is of the same high quality and assists enormously in the immersion aspect of the game. Guns sound devastating, and explosions and the ensuing shockwaves that follow are encompassing in absolutely the best way. But it's not just the combat that brings you into this world, as the general ambience of each planet is diverse and unique in its ways and gives you the sense that you're somewhere totally different, not just a planet-wide reskin.

With Helldivers 2 set to maximum and playing on a 2560 x 1440 monitor, I didn't see the frames drop below my set cap of 120 FPS. I have seen quite a few issues with AMD GPUs, and the general performance with those cards currently seems significantly worse than the Intel counterpart.
🟧 Many of the bugs that riddled this game have been resolved, but it's far from a perfect experience yet. There are still considerable quantities of glitches and issues within the game that need to be resolved to provide a streamline experience.
RAM: 32GB (Under Load Usage: 38.1%)
CPU: i9 10900KA 3.70GHz (Under Load Usage: 33%)
GPU: MSI Ventus RTX 3080 (Under Load Usage: 78%)

Review chart here.
Helldivers 2 has done an exceptional job at providing a fun and intuitive gameplay experience that is evolving around its player base, with loads of items to unlock and levels to gain as you travel across the known galaxy. A rocky launch caused this game to drop significantly in standing, but those issues have now been mostly resolved and the game has taken it's first true step forward toward the game it wants to become. While there are still a lot of issues, such as stats not loading and graphical issues, on top of vast balance concerns, this game is one that definitely should be played, but I'd still wait for some more patches to be put in place before investing.

War will force you to all corners of the galaxy, but when you need refuge from the horrors of it all, head to Hell, Purgatory and Paradise to find the peace you long for.

Or if you feel like you need a new vantage point to bring further destruction to your enemies, head to Summit Reviews , the peak of the battlefield.