REVIEW: Disney Speedstorm PC - Beta Test

Review by Jon Donnis

I was invited to try the new Disney Speedstorm Closed Beta Test on PC. I kind of wish I wasn't now.

Speedstorm is made by Gameloft, and runs pretty similar in style to other Gameloft games like Asphalt 8 and so on. The basic model of the game is free, but there are lots of micro transactions. But as with the other Gameloft games, you can still play it without paying, but you might be limited to how many times before your energy runs out etc.

At first look you may think this is a Mario Kart style game, but for PC, well get that out of your head. Even though you might drive "Karts", this is very much a Mobile style game.

You play the game on circuits inspired by Disney and Pixar worlds, and you can play with a collection of characters from those franchises. The biggest name of which is Mickey Mouse. And yes, you have to put up with his god-awful voice too.

Some of the levels include the docks from Pirates of the Caribbean's Pirates Island and the wilds of The Jungle Book's Jungle Ruins map.

The game will run in "Seasons" with new content and challenges dropping with each new season release.

As with similar arcade racers, you accelerate with the right trigger on a gamepad, and break/drift with the left trigger. You have a boost button for when your meter fills up, giving you a short boost of speed, you have a jump/trick button, which allows you to jump your vehicle, or if flying off a ramp can let you do a barrel roll. You can also collect offensive and defensive weapons, drop a mine, fire a weapon, short teleport forwards and a shield are the ones that come to mind so far.

The levels each have set challenges to complete, come first, use a full boost 3 times, do a trick, the usual stuff. The levels start easy and as they get harder, you will need to upgrade your vehicle to stay competitive, you do this through collecting "Shards" during normal races.

Now let's get down to business. The Closed Beta Testing has been something of a disaster, the vast majority of people are unable to even start the game, I also struggled, but then tried a few compatibility tricks, (run in Windows 8 Mode, with Admin privileges on, restart PC) and that seemed to help to get the game to run. Very long load times, a buggy interface that crashes often, so don't try exploring the menus too much. The races themselves are ok, when it is running, it all looks great, but often things freeze for a half a second before starting again. 

It truly seems insane to me that they would push out this game for Closed Beta Testing when it should still be in internal alpha testing. Surely the developers aren't learning anything they wouldn't know if they just played the game themselves for 5 minutes.

Disney also has been having a terrible time recently PR wise. With multiple employees being arrested and charged with sex crimes against children, their opposition to an anti-grooming bill, which comes as no surprise considering who they employ, and the fact they are about to lose a lot of powers in Florida with the park there. So the fact that their name, logo and characters are associated to this game is damaging to not only Gameloft, but this poor start is damaging to Disney too.

The only saving grace is that the game when it is ready will be free, it will be available on all formats, and it will run smooth by the time it gets a console release, since they are much stricter on releases than Steam.

The Good

It is a free arcade racer, with recognisable characters from your favourite Disney films.

The Bad

At its base it is an Asphalt 8 clone, that is no where near as good as said game, oh and it has Mickey Mouse in it, who I hate.

Overall

Terrible start. Should never have left internal Alpha testing, and has pissed off a lot of people excited to play a PC based Kart racing game.

I score Disney Speedstorm an unplayable 2/10. (The 2 is purely if you can get the game running, the tracks do look nice)

REVIEW: Vesper: Zero Light Edition on Nintendo Switch

Review by GamingCouchPotato.co.uk Staff

Vesper: Zero Light Edition is a side scrolling 2D platformer, first thought really was that it reminded me of Abe's Oddysee.

You play as an android called Seven, (Not quite Borg, but they could have used a different name perhaps). Seven is lost on a weird planet and you start with no powers, weapons, or really any way to defeat enemies, so at first you will need to use stealth to get past your enemies, luckily you will eventually get hold of the "Drive Gun", a weapon that can absorb light, create darkness and control minds, so at least now you have a chance. You use the gun in a few different ways, you can absorb light which then creates a dark spot which you can hide in, to avoid enemies. Then you can use that absorbed light and transfer it into machines which will allow you to open doors/portals, or activate traps etc. 

The levels themselves act as a puzzle to solve, which when you get the drive gun, the game turns from stealth to action, and then that is the main way to solve said puzzles.

Along the way you will collect documents (logs) that will reveal the truth behind the "Vesper Protocol". (nothing to do with the moped scooters as far as I can tell.)

I mentioned Abe's Oddysee at the start for a reason, that reason being the controls. Abe was a very deliberate game, very precise. Now this game tries to be like that, but the controls are just not very responsive. This is massively important when you are in a sequence of trying to escape an enemy or activate a platform etc.

 

The Drive Gun, which is controlled by the right stick, also lacks a feeling of intuitiveness. And when you know what you want to do, and the sequence should be pretty simple, you are forced to stop, get the aim right, and it just takes something away from the gameplay.

Although there are gameplay issues, one thing there is no issue with is the graphics, everything looks incredible, the backgrounds, the characters, everything is of a very high standard. The soundtrack although understated, comes in at the perfect moment, and really helps create the atmosphere that is needed in a game like this.

The main problem with the game is its length, you will complete it pretty quicky, and although a second playthrough is worth it, the frustration of some of the gameplay elements may put you off. Not to mention that some of the levels are tedious, in part due to the pacing issues I mentioned earlier.

The Good

The graphics, the atmosphere, everything looks and sounds incredible.

The Bad

Poor controls and bad pacing spoils what could have been a much better game, could future updates/patches fix these issues?

Overall

Short game that will attract 2D Platform/Puzzle fans, poor controls hurt the game, but there is still a decent game here, but you might want to play in short bursts, or you will finish it way too quick.

I score Vesper: Zero Light Edition a fair 6/10

Out Now on Nintendo Switch

https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/vesper-zero-light-edition-switch/

https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Vesper-Zero-Light-Edition-2204437.html

REVIEW: Souldiers on PS5

Review by Jon Donnis

Souldiers is a 2D side scrolling adventure platform game.

The game starts off with a nice cartoon intro, and once you start the game proper you choose a class for your hero.

"Unleash the fury of your sword with the Scout, summon the wrath of elements with the Caster, or rain down arrows on your foes with the Archer."

The game will instantly remind you of some of the classic SNES games, both in looks and sounds.

The story is as follows

"While out fighting for the glory of their kingdom, you and your fellow soldiers are whisked away to Terragaya, a mystical land on the fringes of the afterlife. Your task is to locate the Guardian and move on to the next world. The hitch? You and your compatriots never actually died."

The complete your goals you will need to "slash, parry and dodge" through enemy after enemy, explore, and talk to other characters, and as you go you will be able to upgrade your skills and improve your equipment. You can dodge with rolls, and block your enemy, as well as jump out of the way too. All pretty standard combat stuff.

The fighting itself is decent, and the learning curve is just on the right side of tough.

Of the three classes you can choose from the Scout is the most intuitive, the Caster and the Archer class just seem a bit harder to get used to.

The graphics as you may have guessed is retro 2D pixel art. Everything looks as it should, and everything moves nice and smooth.

Boss fights are challenging, and you may find yourself taking multiple attempts to learn the patterns so you can finally overcome them.

The in-game map is excellent and will really help you keep track of everything from the save points, to points of interest, locked doors, chests and so on, this is important as you will need to backtrack often. There are RPG elements in the game, but they are not as important as you might expect, grinding is kept to a minimum, your character will improve as they pass levels too.

The Good

Beautiful animated pixel art, easy to pick up and play, and a fair learning curve.

The Bad

I hate backtracking in a game, some would say it is part of the genre, but I just want to get on with it and keep heading forward. The sounds etc are all very retro, and I turned the sound off to be brutally honest as the beeps and noise of scrolling text, which was very FF7 like, just started to annoy me.

Overall

A simple, fun 2D pixel platform adventure game.

Won't break any records, but also is a fine addition to your collection.

I score Souldiers on PS5 a fair 7/10

Out Now on PS5

https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP1309-PPSA07348_00-SOULDIERS0000000

NEWS: - Ashland Dossier - Out Now on PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4 and Xbox

Ashland Dossier is an espionage thriller packed with elements of turn-based stealth tactics and role-play adventure. Use your cunning, agility, and wit to finish off the Nazi plague for good this time. Ahead of you lies a deadly confrontation as the enemy threatens to drive the world into the depth of dreadful and pointless war once again.

After WWII, numerous Nazis managed to slip through the cracks and escape overseas. Like rats, they scattered around the world to hide in shadows believing that the long arm of justice will never reach them. However, this is one fatal delusion.

In the late 1950s, a private investigative organization has been formed. INCU (International Nazi Crime Unit) has only one specific goal in mind: to find such criminals and get them back for a fair trial.

You will assume the role of an officer that is looking for a group of the rottenest scoundrels. In the past, all of them committed extremely heinous crimes which are still left unpunished. Your goal is to find their trail, gather all the possible evidence, and finally bring them to justice.

Easier said than done, though. There is another new force that has just appeared out of nowhere – "Ashland". Unfortunately, these people will stop at nothing in their decisive effort to help runaway Nazis...

Key Features

Tense operations that include pinpointing, following, and extracting a suspect.

Rich lore and backstory of the unfolding events.

Scrupulous analysing of intel, evidence, and witnesses' testimonies.

Two playable timelines: 1960-1964 and 1941-1945.

Unique characters, unexpected plot twists, multiple endings.

A deep and realistic look into the truthful dreads of WWII.

Out Now on the following formats

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1174680/Ashland_Dossier/

https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP1564-CUSA32572_00-CLABS0ASD2022031

https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/store/ashland-dossier/9nbrncg3fx2c

https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/ashland-dossier-switch/

REVIEW: Remote Life on Nintendo Switch

Review by Jon Donnis

Remote Life is a side scrolling, 2D shooter, now as someone who grew up on R-Type, I have played countless shooters over the years, so how does Remote Life match up? Let's find out.

You find yourself taking on bio-mechanical type creatures which do in fact look quite similar to some of the aliens in R-Type, you play in a space setting as Pilot John Leone, your job is to save humanity, apparently single handedly, which doesn't seem very fair, but that is where we are.

You will have to complete 16 missions, and to do that you will need skill, guile and a nice collection of weapons (over 18 apparently).

The first big difference you will notice between this game and others of the genre is the twin stick control method. At first this will feel strange as classically in side scrolling shooters, you pretty much fire straight ahead, or straight behind, depending on the weapon you have. But in Remote Life you have directional control over where you fire. This can help you take out the enemy from all angles.

You have access to three main weapons that you can switch between, as well as an extra support weapon. As you progress through the levels you will collect power ups which will increase the ability of your weapons until you use them up. The main idea being that you save the upgraded weapons for when you will need them, whether that be larger enemies or even the boss fight. You can also pick up drones which will stay close to you and fire at the enemy, but they only last for ten seconds which seems a bit pointless. There is also no scoring system, no high scores etc, the only point of the game is to beat the levels.

There are some nice differences between levels, which help break up the regular style of gameplay, escort missions are one example. So there is more here than just nonstop 2D shooting.

Now time for a reality check, this game is tough, like really tough. And unfortunately, some of the game mechanics don't really help. The twin stick system is really hard to get used to, and never feels quite as accurate as it should, and with your ship being very weak, a couple of mistakes and you are dead. I played the game on a Nintendo Switch Lite, and even with my big hands, trying to control both sticks as well as the firing button and change weapon button, it left my hand aching pretty quick, now I did find a solution, I happen to have a spare wireless Switch controller, which you can connect to a switch lite, and the game did play much better on that, but obviously using a separate controller on a switch lite, makes the whole thing seem a bit silly.

There are also some issues with the visual elements of the game, the graphics are very good, everything is super detailed, the problem is that too much means it is hard to see enemy bullets as well as differentiate between background and foreground obstacles. You can however disable some graphical elements in the menu which does help a bit. 

Also, when using the menu, it becomes clear very quick that this game is a port from the PC version, as you have a cursor of sorts on screen that you move about to select the options. And this just feels weird on a handheld console.

The Good

Super challenging game, with fantastic high-resolution graphics, and when you consider this game comes from a solo developer, it is pretty impressive. There are plenty of weapons, which all are different and it is satisfying destroying a boss while you swap between your 3 main weapons.

The Bad

The game is a little too hard at times, and could do with a bit more work to improve some elements of the game. This is a PC port, and I think it is clearly suited to PC gaming.

Overall

The game has its problems, but it also has some strong points, and if you want a challenge from within the shoot 'em up genre, then this is one to look at.

I score Remote Life on Nintendo Switch a generous 7/10

Out Now on Nintendo Switch for £11.99

https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/REMOTE-LIFE-2213524.html