REVIEW: - Peaky Blinders: Mastermind on Xbox One

Review by Jon Donnis
I was kindly sent a review copy of Peaky Blinders: Mastermind on Xbox one by Curve Digital and Renaissance PR.

As someone from Birmingham, I have been looking forward to the Peaky Blinders game for a while. Based on the popular TV show of the same name.

You could best describe Peaky Blinders Mastermind as a "puzzle-adventure game", and it is set in a timeline of just before the start of the first season.

You play as members of the Shelby family, and each level you have to solve various puzzles, sounds pretty easy right, here is where it gets more complicated, you need to control different people at the same time, to do different tasks, you do this by rewinding time, so you might control one character for a minute or two, perform various tasks, but then you swap to another character, rewind time, so that while your actions with the first character play out, you might be doing something else with another character, which eventually helps you succeed in the level, I know it sounds a bit complicated, but once you get the hang of it, it all makes sense.

Sometimes you may need one character to distract a guard while you walk past, or to open a passage, get you a key, and as you progress through the levels, things get harder, as you need to complete various tasks with different characters all within the same timeline. You get a score based upon the speed of completing the level. Now the first time you attempt a level you may take a while to figure things out, but the great thing here is, once completed, you can try the level again, and now you know what to do, you can try to get as fast a time as possible. Repeating the level a few times, might seem tedious, but it is actually an interesting and challenging part of the game.

The graphics are great, and there is an original soundtrack for the game which I enjoyed a lot too.

The Good
Great graphics and soundtrack, a challenging game, with plenty of replay potential.

The Bad
At first I found the controls a bit tricky, and when you have only a short amount of time to rewind to achieve something, it can be a bit frustrating at first, of course with practice comes perfection.

Summary
A thoroughly enjoyable game, you do not need to be a fan of the TV show to enjoy this, it is a fun, challenging puzzle adventure game, and I give it a strong 8/10

Review by Jon Donnis




Peaky Blinders: Mastermind will launch on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Steam for PC on 20th August 2020 for $24.99/€24.99/£19.99. You can pre-order the game on Xbox One and Steam for PC

Unrailed! Goes Full Steam Ahead Bringing its Crazy Co-op Action to Consoles and PC on September 23rd

Daedalic Entertainment and Indoor Astronaut have announced their successful Steam Early Access title Unrailed! will fully release on September 23rd, not just on PC, but also on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

Unrailed! is a true test of your friendships: Work together in local or online multiplayer with up to four players to guide your train through dangerous terrain filled with obstacles and meddling local wildlife in order to reach the safety of the next station. Communication and cooperation are key to ensure you always have enough resources to build new tracks, stop your train from overheating, and can fend off animals pestering you. Without quick decision making and strategic planning your train will derail quickly, which makes the game all the more challenging -- especially in team versus mode where it’s all about building the longest track possible.

When Unrailed! launches on September 23rd, a whole new Biome and additional wagons will be available. The new Mars biome is the most challenging so far, featuring a hazardous environment with a mysterious entity that blocks your path and shoots at your train, and you’ll have no water at all. You have to make good use of your energy shields and your ability to fly through space in order to avoid a space transportation catastrophe.

Additionally, the full release PC and console versions will feature all the updates that have been implemented during Steam Early Access, like:
New Wagons: The mine wagon, break wagon, collector wagon and slot machine wagon can help you collect resources or save you from sticky situations
Single Player Mode: A single-player mode with bots to replace your friends – You can order them around and they are going to cooperate without complaining!
Sandbox Mode: A sandbox mode in which you can upgrade your train right from the start with all the features you have already unlocked
New Character Models

Evergate - Launch Trailer - Nintendo Switch

Ignite your Soulflame
Wield your Soulflame, unleash extraordinary powers, and dive into the touching story of two kindred spirits. Guide the child-like soul Ki on a journey through the beautiful and haunting Afterlife in this unique 2D puzzle platformer.

SOULFLAME MECHANIC
Slow down time, take aim, and unleash the mysterious power hidden within every crystal you encounter with the unique Soulflame mechanic. Hit multiple crystals at once and experiment with how their energies combine.

REVEAL THE MEMORIES OF A LIFE LEFT BEHIND
Move across time and space to uncover Ki's mysterious connection to another soul.

COLLECT ESSENCE, UNLOCK ARTIFACTS
Rise to the challenge and collect essence by completing challenges on every level. Use them to unlock ancient artifacts and boost Ki’s abilities.

DREAM-LIKE ART STYLE
Gorgeous environmental backdrops paired with beautifully hand-drawn illustrations bring Ki and Evergate’s environments to life.

ENCHANTING SOUNDTRACK
Enjoy an elegantly orchestrated original soundtrack, recorded by a live orchestra, and tailor-made for each environment.

Warface - Hydra Raid Trailer | PS4

Warface is a contemporary first person shooter with millions of fans around the world. Five unique classes with special skills, teamwork, exciting PVE missions and raids, various PVP modes, hundreds of realistic weapons, modules, equipment and camo items. Play for free!

The monstrous “Hydra” awaits your next move. The future of this war is in your hands. Rise to your greatest challenge yet and seize control of the impregnable base in the new unique raid!

This city needs a new hero! Put on camouflage and set out on covert operations. Complete all 50 levels and become the best fighter of the invisible front!

NEW WEAPON

Classy, reliable and terrific weapons are waiting for you to increase your effectiveness in battle. Howa Type 89 Custom, M4 Custom и ACR CQB Custom — engineers will definitely like it!

NEW SERVER TICKRATE 

The speed of information exchange between the game client and the server (TickRate) in PvP matches will be significantly increased - up to 60 transmissions per second. This is an important change that will improve the accuracy of character positioning in battle. 

Good luck in combat! 

Eastern Exorcist PC - Review by Jon Donnis

Review by Jon Donnis
I was graciously send a copy of Eastern Exorcist Early Access by Wildfire Game on PC/Steam for independent review. I played the "review build/early access" so please keep that in mind when reading the review, as some things will be tweeked and improved upon release.

In Eastern Exorcist you play as an exorcist warrior who kills demons using the good old fashioned method of slicing them with a sword. Always my favourite way of killing demons and monsters. As you progress through this action-adventure game, you master new moves and new combat techniques until eventually you become a master.

The game is very beautiful, incredible 2D hand drawn ink painting style Chinese animation that is as beautiful to watch as it is to play.

But this is more than just a hack and slash adventure game, there is a story, you meet people, speak to them, hear their stories, which in turn directs you to your next mission, you will fight your way through regular demons and then face off in boss battles against giant ape monsters, dragons, sea monsters, multi headed skull monster, all sorts.

Graphically as I already mentioned the game looks incredible, and the sound effects and music are also about as good as they can be. My only gripe in the game is that I think the controls could have perhaps been a bit more intuitive, I was playing using a Xbox Controller plugged into my computer, so perhaps if you are more used to keyboard controls you might prefer it.

Good
Visuals and sounds are excellent, and the game play is fun, fast and the storyline does draw you in.

Bad
I wasn't keep on the controls, and I think that sometimes your next task should be explained better so not to get lost.

Overall
An enjoyable game, and I score it a solid 7/10

Out on PC today
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1120810/Eastern_Exorcist/