REVIEW: Dead Man´s Diary on PC (Steam)

Review by Jon Donnis

Dead Man´s Diary is a simple survival game,

You find yourself in a post apocalyptic world, a crazy man built some nukes, and when his life ended he designed a chain reaction that would cause the worlds Nukes to go off as well.

Some humans were put in bunkers to survive, but with resources running out, you are chosen to leave the bunker to find new resources. You are blindfolded and flown to an unknown location, no way to find your way back to the bunker, you are on your own, with only what you find to help you survive.

Ignoring the glaring holes in the ridiculous storyline, you start the game in the middle of a forest, at night. With just a crappy torch to light the way. With just the voice in your head, and the bare basics, you gotta figure the rest out on your own.

Look how lovely this looks! I never got this far.

As you start walking the game gives you little help, but does give you objectives, and help guide you in what you need and where to go etc.

Follow arrows conveniently painted in the area, and make your way to an industrial site, from there gather tools, screwdriver, lockpick, as well as food items and so on, oh and not forgetting the geiger counter, well this is a post-apocalyptic world, so you need a way to find out if the food or drink you are about to consume is radioactive.

All the while your metrics are going down, so you need to find water to drink, food to eat, iodine tablets to stave off radiation sickness and so on.

Underground car park I guess. No idea as I never got that far.

The first real task you will need to do to progress further into the game and into Day 2, is to build a fire and a campsite. And this is where the game screws up.

You see the problem here is that I could not find enough materials to complete the campsite, so although I had built a fire, I found myself 2 hours into the game and stuck. We are talking 2 hours of searching every corner, or every alley way, every bin, under vehicles. You name it I looked, but I just couldn't find everything I needed. Throw in the fact that the battery on your torch soon runs out, I am now in the dark, so can barely see. Funnily enough you get some light from your geiger counter, so I ended up using that as a very weak torch of sorts. Regardless, the game at this point is a chore.

So, at this point, with major motion sickness hitting me in real life, from going round in circles, and straining to see what was going on, on the screen, I gave up.

The next day I had a revelation. Clearly, I had gotten to the Industrial site way too quick, and I should have searched the forest first, despite the game not telling me to do that in any way, I thought I would try, so I started a brand-new game, and I did just that.

Now, considering that there are a few jump scares in the game, by this point I knew that other than the character thinking he heard a noise in the distance, or a metal pipe rolling, there is not actually anything that will kill me outside of my own health running too low.

So, for an hour I searched every inch of the forest, and yes, I found items I needed, I found batteries for my torch, I found paper, fabric, metal rods and so on.

By the time I reached the industrial site, I suddenly felt extra prepared and ahead of the game. And then I spent another hour, built my fire, searched all the places I had previously, but with a familiarity that helped.

And I cant, find enough items to build the camp site. Yep, I had wasted another 2 hours for nothing.

I turned the game off in disgust and that is the last I will ever play it.

I will not look for any of the walkthroughs which I am sure will appear soon, I am not going to contact the developers. I give up.

I gave this game my time, and a lot of time at that, and it let me down. It also made me feel quite sick. Like being sat in the back of a car when you are a kid, and you end up having to vomit at the side of the road. The motion sickness this game creates is terrible.

The controls are tough to get used to, for some reason you have to tap A on a controller twice to jump. Not once, but Twice. The menu system is overly complicated, and you have to disable the torch every time you want to use the geiger counter, which you need to use if you want to pick up canned food or water. Beyond frustrating that apparently your character can't use two hands at once.

The Good

The game on a visual aspect, from what you can see on Day One, looks great, the sound effects are decent, and the first time you play, it does a good job building up tension.

The Bad

Terrible design, terrible level layout, literally made me ill playing the game.

Overall

I am angry with myself for giving this game so much of my time, because I was so desperate to just get to Day Two and see the game in the light.

And if the only way for me to proceed is to watch someone else play, and then copy their movements, then what is the point.

Perhaps the most frustrating game I have ever played in my life. What an utter waste of my time and effort.

I score Dead Man´s Diary a 0/10.

REVIEW: Lunistice on Nintendo Switch

Review by Jon Donnis

Lunistice is a new linear 3D platformer, in the style of classic 32-bit games.

You play as Hana the Tanuki (a Japanese raccoon dog), as she takes an adventure through her own dreams.

Each "world" is a different dreamscape, with a few levels to each, the final destination being that of The Moon, to uncover the secret of "The Lunistice".

To complete a level, reach the end point as soon as possible, the faster the time, the higher the score. (Maximum being a S Rank). But you can also collect various items along the way if you wish to get a 100% rating. The main things you will collect are little paper origami animals. You will see at the top of your screen how many are in the level to collect. Although each level is linear, there are side routes to take if you want to collect everything. Some of these routes will require precision jumps and movement, or else you may fall to your death, luckily each level has checkpoints and you will respawn there if necessary.

Enemies appear often, and to kill them you can perform a spin move. You can also use this move to jump a little bit farther after the obligatory double jump move.

The first few levels are pretty standard 3D platforming, but as you progress and get to play on different worlds, you will encounter water slides, balloons to jump on and pop, water bubbles to help you move larger distances and so on.

The various worlds are all different to each other and have their own challenges. The gameplay is super smooth, and is as good as anything that has ever come out from the big multimillion dollar companies.

With any 3D platformer, the main two issues will always be control of the character, and how precise it is, and the camera angle. I found the precision movements of the main character when it came to jumps etc to be of a very high quality. The camera which is controlled mainly from the right stick, also is easy to move. And although you will come across the odd moment when you miss a ledge, or the camera doesn't quite go where you want it, these are rare moments. So, I can happily say that this game passed the two highest rated issues with such games, with flying colours.

The game itself is relatively short, which is a shame, but if you want to truly get 100% completion on a level, then that will take some time.

The Good

Excellent retro looking graphics that look great on the Switch Lite. Gameplay is of the highest quality. The sound track, the sound effects, everything is very good.

The Bad

Give me more! Not enough worlds and levels!

Overall

Really good 3D platformers that are also affordable are quite rare. Lunistice on Nintendo Switch is a rare success. An excellent game from top to bottom. 

If you like 3D platformers, regardless of your age, this should be on your "Must Buy" list.

I score Lunistice on Nintendo Switch a 9.5/10

Out now on Nintendo Switch

https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Lunistice-2299264.html

and PC (Steam)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1701800/Lunistice/

REVIEW: Succubus With Guns on Nintendo Switch

Review by Jon Donnis

Succubus With Guns is the latest 3^rd person shooter game to be released on Nintendo Switch.

You play as a scantily clad anime style Succubus demoness that has been summoned by occultists, during the ritual they messed up and not only raised the dead, they also turned themselves into Zombies, you now have to travel world to world through portals, each time defeating waves of the undead to proceed in arena based style battles, with the last wave being the boss fight.

Each new world has new weapons to find and use, as well as a nice supply of ammo to keep you going.

The graphics are decent, even on the small screen of a Nintendo Switch Lite, and despite the slightly adult appearance of the game, there is no sex, just the scantily clad lead character.

Unfortunately, controls are a problem, the aiming system isn't great, and whether you take down an enemy or not seems rather hit or miss. There are limited instructions on the controls, so you have to figure that out for yourself, and I have still yet to figure out how to swap weapons, or even if you can, they only seemed to change once I had run out of ammo with one. Your character can also jump and crouch, but the crouch seems completely pointless.

Reloading is slow, so you will find yourself doing a lot of running backwards, and playing a very defensive type of game, instead of what should by a more attack minded game.

On some levels you will get to use a sword, but the sword is poor, and again you will just end up running backwards, trying to get the way too fast zombies to all line-up so you can swipe at them all at once over and over.

The game feels very much like a "Unity Asset flip", whereby someone has purchased the base game from the Unity store, changed a few graphics and then just released it.

The game does have some positives, it does look great, and there is some satisfaction to be had when defeating a boss. But overall, the game just feels unfinished, which is unusual for a Nintendo Switch game.

I score Succubus With Guns on Nintendo Switch a poor 4/10

Out on 18^th of November at

https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Succubus-With-Guns-2296510.html

COMPETITION: Win Halo: Season One on Blu-ray

Halo: Season One on Blu-ray is released on November 14th

And to celebrate we have a great competition for you and 3 copies on Blu-ray to give away.

Synopsis: 

A live-action adaptation of Xbox’s most successful franchise, HALO: SEASON ONE arrives on Digital, DVD, Blu-ray™, 4K Ultra HD™ and limited-edition 4K Ultra HD™ SteelBook®  on November 14, from SHOWTIME®, CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment. The action-packed five-disc collection features all nine episodes and over five hours of behind-the-scenes special features, including 75 minutes of exclusive content that takes viewers beyond the screen, providing a deeper look into the world of HALO. Plus, the 4K Ultra HD™ and limited-edition 4K Ultra HD™ SteelBook® include collectible art cards of Kwan Ha, Dr. Halsey, Soren, Master Chief, Vannak, Riz and Kai. 

HALO: SEASON ONE takes place in the universe that first came to be in 2001 through the launch of Xbox’s first “Halo” videogame. After years of human civil war and growing political unrest, mankind’s very future is threatened when our outermost colonies intrude upon the sacred worlds of an alien threat known as the Covenant. As this fanatical powerful alliance destroys world after human world, only one soldier slows their advance – a cybernetically enhanced “Spartan” supersoldier, the Master Chief (Pablo Schreiber, “American Gods” and “Orange is the New Black”). As the mystery of the Covenant's true ambitions are revealed, the Master Chief must find a way to save humanity from the alien threat while also coming to terms with the secrets of his own enigmatic past.

The series stars Schreiber as the Master Chief or Spartan-117; Natascha McElhone (“Californication”) as Dr. Halsey, the brilliant, conflicted and inscrutable creator of the Spartan super soldiers; and Jen Taylor (“Halo” game series, RWBY) as Cortana, the most advanced AI in human history and potentially the key to the survival of the human race. Additional stars include Bokeem Woodbine (“Fargo”), Shabana Azmi (Fire), Natasha Culzac (“The Witcher”), Olive Gray (“Half Moon Investigations”), Yerin Ha (“Reef Break”), Bentley Kalu (Avengers: Age of Ultron), Kate Kennedy (“Catastrophe”), Charlie Murphy (“Peaky Blinders”) and Danny Sapani (“Penny Dreadful”).

The Showtime-Produced Epic Series Arrives on Digital, DVD, Blu-ray™, 4K Ultra HD™ and Limited-Edition 4K Ultra HD™ SteelBook® on November 14. 

Order from Amazon at https://amzn.to/3UwLAXJ

For your chance to win just answer the question below.

THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED AND THE WINNERS HAVE BEEN INFORMED

Quick Terms and conditions
1. Closing date 21-11-22
2. No alternative prize is available
3. When the competition ends as indicated on this page, any and all entries received after this point will not count and emails blacklisted due to not checking this page first.
4. Winners will be chosen randomly and will be informed via email.

5. Entries that come directly from other websites will not be accepted.

REVIEW: Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed on Xbox

Review by Jon Donnis

The very nice people at Evolve PR sent me a key for the new Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed game on Xbox, I have been a bit busy so has taken me a while to get round to playing it, but now I have I wish I hadn't waited so long.

I grew up on Ghostbusters, the originals from the 1980s that is, not the abomination from 2016 that will not be mentioned here! And from the moment you load up the game and you hear that awesome riff, and then Ray Parker Jr comes in with the classic song, you get shivers down your spine that only a true fan can get. Nostalgia aside though, there is a game to be played here, luckily, we have the original actors reprising their roles with Ernie Hudson as Winston Zeddemore and Dan Aykroyd as Raymond "Ray" Stantz, to help you along the way.

Set after the events of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, this game has a full-on plot to follow, which I won't spoil here, instead I will concentrate on the game play itself.

Mainly advertised as an online multiplayer game, you can also play solo, with CPU controlled partners and ghosts.

Raymond "Ray" Stantz and Winston Zeddemore have decided to restart the Ghostbusters, they have purchased and reopened the old HQ in New York, the iconic former firehouse. They know that they need new blood and a new generation of ghost busters, so along with Catt, a co-ordinator and assistant, and Eddy, a technological genius assigned to lab work and research, you find yourself joining as a rookie recruit.

You start off with the obligatory tutorial, that will walk you through the basics, using the P.K.E. Meter to detect paranormal activity, and of course the Proton Pack, some easy practice on fake ghosts and how to use the trap, as well as putting the captured ghosts in the containment unit, and anyone familiar with the franchise will instantly feel at home.

You can fully customise your character, and as you unlock new clothing items you can create a unique look. This is all very important as you want to look good when you start going on jobs.

The jobs are the main focus of the gain, you will select a job in the HQ, and depending on if you are playing alone or with friends online, you will soon appear at the location ready to capture the ghosts.

Early missions will have you needing to complete various tasks, all within a time limit, including calming down people at the location, collecting various ghostly objects, as well as using the P.K.E. Meter to find and close rifts which the ghosts use, to eventually finding and trapping the ghosts.

Your online buddies or AI controlled ghostbusters will also be there to help you along the way. 

The controls are easy to learn, and not at all fiddly, which has been a complaint of mine in previous Ghostbusters games.

Once you have completed some jobs and levelled up, you will be able to upgrade not only your own character's appearance etc, but also your tools of the trade, increasing the power of your proton pack and so on.

As the story progresses, you will also be able to play as a singular ghost trying to avoid being captured, this is fun, when you play as a ghost, you have all the classic ghost like abilities, including flying through walls, haunting and possessing things and people, sliming someone and so on. All a lot of fun.

I do think that the game is slightly if not completely balanced in favour of the ghost, in multiplayer mode, which can be frustrating if you are playing as the Ghostbuster. This balance is something that I think needs to be addressed. Because when playing as a Ghost the game is way too easy and all you need to do is run down the clock. When playing as a ghostbuster, it just seems way too hard to win. This balance is much better when playing solo and just with AI teammates and AI ghosts, but since this is pushed as an online multiplayer game, it seems a little unfair for the ghost-controlled character to have such an advantage.

The Good

Beautiful graphics and everything Ghostbusters related is in there. A fun game that will keep you entertained for a while.

The Bad

Desperately needs more content, which I assume they will release later as DLCs, the game needs to address the balance between human and ghosts.

Overall

This is a fun game, and the solo story is good enough to give plenty of entertainment, the multiplayer is what should keep you playing long after you finished the solo story mode, the question is will more content be released for free or will you have to pay for it? Time will tell.

For now I found Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed to be thoroughly enjoyable, and despite the issues mentioned, this is a must have game for any fan of the franchise.

I score Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed on Xbox a solid 8/10

Out Now on Xbox

https://www.xbox.com/en-us/games/store/ghostbusters-spirits-unleashed/9phjc0h6hpkd