REVIEW: Deliver Us The Moon on Xbox One

I was kindly sent a review copy of Deliver us the Moon for Xbox by the great people at Wired Productions.

The game is a "Sci-Fi thriller set in an apocalyptic near future, where Earth's natural resources are depleted. A lone astronaut is sent to the moon on a critical mission to save humanity from extinction."

So the description sounds pretty awesome and unique, but lets not rush ahead, first of all the game is beautiful, truly stunning to look at and you know that the game makers must be very proud of that.

The game is a story driven game, so a good story is important, and again the game makers should feel proud because the story is a good one, and you do very quickly feel immersed in that story. Whether the story is told through narration, audio logs that you collect, things you may read as well as cut scenes, it can be a bit slow moving, although you never feel bored of the story.

As a thriller the main fear of the game is driven through the feeling of loneliness, there aren't monsters jumping out at you, or anything like that, so the game uses storytelling as well as incredible visuals to really push home the idea you are alone, and if you fail to do something in time, then that is it.

You start off on Earth, a storm is approaching and you have to get to the rocket so you can get yourself on the way to the moon, of course nothing is a walk in the park, and you have to over come obstacles, whether that is solving a code, reaching a hard to get to area, doing something within a set period of time.

And don't think you will get to the moon too quick either, there's a lot to do before then, whether that is taking off in the rocket, docking with a space station, solving various story line issues there and so on, But when you do get to the moon, for what is such a baron place, it truly is stunning. Look at this shot below!

As a story driven game, sadly this does mean that game play has to take a backseat, so if you are after an arcade shooter, this really isn't the game for you, and there are some repetitive parts of the game which you do notice, but if you appreciate a good story, incredible visuals, then you will enjoy this.

There are some issues with the camera, it feels a bit clunky at times, and I am guessing they were going for more of a cinematic style, but sometimes it can be a bit slow, and frustrating, and sometimes you swap between an external shot and a first person shot, and you can't choose one or the other, which is frustrating, for example when you first dock with the space station and you are suddenly floating about, it is really hard to see where you are supposed to go, and although the feeling of not knowing which way is up or down is a good thing when you are playing a game in space, when you cant see clearly where you are going that becomes frustrating instead of challenging.

This is a hard game to score, it has its good points and its bad points.
If you are thinking of buying it, I really suggest you check out some of the game play videos you will find on Youtube to decide if it is the kind of game you would enjoy.

The Good
Graphically brilliant, excellent story driven game play, a true feeling of loneliness and desperation.

The Bad
Short game, probably complete it in about 5 hours if not sooner, frustrating camera angles.

Summary
I enjoyed the game, I enjoy story driven games, so this game was good for me. But it wont be to everyone's liking. Do your research before you decide to play.

I score this game a strong 7/10

Review by Jon Donnis

Buy on Xbox
Buy on PS4
Buy on Nintendo Switch

PRE-REGISTRATION FOR KARTRIDER RUSH+ STARTS TODAY

LOS ANGELES – April 17, 2020 – Gear up racers! Pre-registration for KartRider Rush+, the newest free-to-play mobile adventure coming soon to iOS and Android is now open. Players can sign-up and begin collecting exclusive pre-registration rewards; after 3 million pre-registrations, all players will receive every reward including rare items such as a Skelemech Kart, and Slugger Dao!

Based on the massively popular KartRider universe with over 300 million players worldwide, KartRider Rush+ delivers non-stop fun with several game modes including:

Speed Race Mode: This mode challenges racers to compete against each other and use their drifting skills to earn EXP that can unlock more challenging tracks
Arcade Mode: Whether playing solo or in teams, this mode provides additional gameplay modes such as Item Race, Infini-Boost or Lucci Runner
Ranked Mode: From Bronze to Living Legend, players can rank up tiers and earn rewards such as K-Coins to purchase a variety of items in the Shop
Story Mode: Players can join Dao and his friends to save the tracks from Lodumani’s evil deeds
Time Trial: Racers will beat the clock to become the fastest racer

With more than 50 race tracks and 20 karts, the game features extensive customization options so players can individualize their gameplay experience and kart to suit their unique racing style.

Racers can maximize social interaction in KartRider Rush+  by playing competitive matches in real-time with friends around the world. The game also includes a Home feature where players can customize their space with different accessories and complete daily quests, as well as interact with friends and play mini-games. 

In addition, KartRider Rush+ introduces a Mentorship system allowing new racers to find top racers to help improve their skills as they complete quests together and receive mentorship perks and rewards. The game also features a Club system, which lets racers band together to complete challenges, daily activities, and earn rewards as they race their way to the top.

To pre-register for KartRider Rush+, please visit https://kartrush.nexon.com. 

KartRider Rush+ will be available globally in multiple languages including English, Korean, Thai, and Traditional Chinese.  

Later Daters - Launch Trailer - Nintendo Switch

Play as an octogenarian and find somebody to love, or just get your kicks in while the getting is good. If the chairs are rocking', don’t come a-knockin'.

You’re the newest resident at Ye OLDE retirement community, where you’ll meet a cast of sexy seniors who are all dying (not literally) to meet you. It’s a lot like summer camp, but with orthopedic shoes, bridge clubs, and more jell-o. It’s an adjustment as you settle in, but who knows: maybe these will turn out to be the best years of your life!

Adventure, passion, and transformation are not experiences reserved for the young. Later Daters makes challenging ageism sexy and teaches poignant lessons about our capacity for love.

Gameplay Features:
Play as a sexy senior! Customize your look, name, romance history, and gender.
Have some intimate adventures that deal with mortality, vulnerability, and getting some action.
Enjoy LGBTQ inclusive romance and poly relationship options.
Pick your favorite companion creature : A cat, a dog... Or a robot?
Date and flirt with eight fetching residents of Ye OLDE...

Active Neurons - New Puzzle Game release April 29th

Active Neurons - Puzzle game will be released on Nintendo Switch™, Xbox One, PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®Vita on April 29th! Price is just $4.99 everywhere!

Active Neurons is a game that trains the player in spatial logical thinking.

By controlling the power of thought, you must charge the neurons. The more the neurons are charged, the healthier the brain becomes. The healthier the brain becomes, the more of a fully-fledged life the person will live.

It may seem simple, but it won't be as simple as it seems. To choose the direction of movement, the power of thought should be at rest, so it is important for you to correctly use the obstacles presented on every level.

Think, make a decision, and look for the right path to the neurons in order to charge them.

Our brain works much like a computer without the chips. Neurons are the primary components of the nervous system. They send and receive information in the form of electrical signals from the sensory organs, facilitating communication with the brain.

Do not forget to charge your brain! This is exactly what you need to do in the game, while simultaneously charging the neurons in real life!

Features:
- 120 logical tasks
- More than 15 types of unique mechanics
- Meditative music that creates an additional atmosphere in the game
- Support for color blindness mode

REVIEW: STATIONflow by Tak Fujii Launches TODAY on Steam

Review by Jon Donnis
I was kindly sent a copy of STATIONflow by DMM GAMES LLC for review, the basic premise of the game is you build up a train station pretty much from scratch, and as your level increases you unlock more in game features.

It is a simple premise and one that is the staple of pretty much all sim games of the past, all the way back to Sim City. And although graphics change and things become more detailed, the main premise always remains the same, you build something up, the game throws obstacle in your way and you try to overcome them.

STATIONflow visually takes on an almost unique approach, it's minimalistic graphics give a real sense of something unique, and as you build more and more complex 3D layouts for your station, you really need to keep on top of things if you want to keep your passengers happy. All of this along with the usual budget restrictions, management reviewing you every day, progress reports etc, make this a fun game, if a bit frustrating at times.

You can play the preset maps, or create your own, and although the preset maps are interesting, the create your own ones are the best, each play through you will realise better and more interesting ways to lay things out, you will probably start (as I did) making everything as easy as possible, but then on the next play through you will find yourself becoming more and more creative, and now that the game is live on STEAM, you can now share and download maps from people all over the world on Steam Workshop.

So what's good and what's not so good about the game.
Well the good first, it works as a sim game, it had the addictive nature that makes you want to start over, and then over again, as you come up with more creative ideas. The graphics are simple but detailed, and you will find yourself fully immersed in the game.

As for the bad, sometimes things can get to "busy" on screen, and I don't mean the passengers, you will find that your view is obstructed by the very thing you are building, the arrow signs are guilty of this, sometimes lining up corridors with other buildings, staircases etc can be a pain, and if you are off by one pixel they wont connect, although the game brags that you are not constrained by grids, in fact a grid system here would probably help. The control system for moving around also seems a bit poorly made, although you do soon get used to it. There should be a way to easily update directional queues like the arrows or tops and bottoms of stairs, instead of having to do each one manually.

These are little gripes I had when I first started the game, but I soon got used to them and worked around them, I do think the game makers could improve these things and perhaps they will if enough people are complaining about the same issues. But please do not let these things put you off.

This is a fun game, I've spent hours and hours playing it, much more than I needed to play just for the review, I enjoy this game, and perhaps the little issues I have will be fixed and then I will enjoy it even more.

I do recommend this game. And I score it 7/10

Review by Jon Donnis

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1122120/STATIONflow/