REVIEW: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Next Gen Update - Xbox Series X

Review by Jon Donnis

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was originally released in 2015, and is widely recognised as one of the greatest games ever made, so it is pointless me just reviewing the game as it is, instead I will specifically concentrate on whether or not it is worth replaying since it now has a next gen update. For the record if you have never played it before, then yes, 100% you need to play this game. But what if like me, you had it when it was first released, and now have either a Xbox Series X or a PS5, should you restart the game from the start? Is there enough there to warrant it? Read on to find out.

My impressions come from the Xbox Series X version.

So, what are the main updates, well obviously the visuals have improved, the game already looked great, but now the game has added some bells and whistles to fully take advantage of the power of Xbox Series X and PS5. We have the addition of ray tracing, which can be chosen from the graphics menu, this mode offers better graphics (mainly the light effects), but the FPS drops to 30. The other new mode is a performance mode, that gives you a greater frame rate (60FPS), but less graphical improvements.

There is a new camera choice to, which is basically just a bit closer to Geralt. more of a modern over the shoulder type view, I am not sure if anyone will actually use this though, as when you have a closer viewpoint, you can't see as much around Geralt, meaning that you might miss enemies etc. But I am all for choice, so it is a welcome addition regardless.

Other than the visual updates, there are also some direct gameplay updates, which are based mainly on complaints from people who played the original release.

There is now a bit more freedom when viewing the world map, taking a page out of the Assassin's Creed games, you can now filter which icons you see, whereas before you just had everything always there, making things seem very busy visually.

Other gameplay improvements include the Quick Sign Casting option, meaning you no longer have to open the radial menu and choose the sign from there, which in turn used to slow down battles, and generally was a bit of a faff. Now it is much quicker to do and allows much more variety in casting. Basically, you hold the left trigger and press a button instead.

A few other improvements include being able to survive falls from higher heights, herbs can now be instantly looted with a quick press of a button, various HUD Configuration options, you can walk slower as well as sprint with a quick tap of the left joystick, and just general fixes here and there.

There are also alternative outfits for some of the characters, specifically Geralt, Dandelion, and the Niflgaardian soldiers, as well as a new quest, "In The Eternal Fire's Shadow" available in Velen

The Good

CD PROJEKT RED have listened to gamers, fixed a few issues, and given what is in essence a free update to anyone who already owns the game. Of the two new graphical options, performance mode is probably the one you will end up choosing and sticking with long term. The better frame rate practically doubles what the original release would get, which in turn makes everything smoother, as well as the graphical updates.

Water reflections look better, as does vegetation and the environment in general.

The ability to pick and choose what you want, the customisation, the choice. As a gamer, choice is everything, so the more choices you give the player the better.

The Bad

Ray tracing mode seems a bit pointless, since it keeps the frame rate at 30. On a high-end PC, you will choose this mode for the maximum possible benefits. On a Xbox Series X or PS5 then you will choose performance mode.

Overall

If it has been a while since you played The Witcher 3, and you have one of the newer consoles, then this is a no brainer, you should restart it and enjoy the game all over again. If you have never played The Witcher 3 before, then what are you waiting for? This is one of the all-time great games.

The Next Gen updates are enough to give you reason to play once again.

I score The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Next Gen Update a near perfect 9/10

Out Now!

https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt-game-of-the-year-edition/c261457lcnmj

REVIEW: Petite Adventure on PC (Steam)

Developed by Petite Games and published by Ratalaika Games comes another great little game, and I use the word "little" deliberately for once.

 

Petite Adventure is a simple 3D driving game, each level represents a different challenge and an objective you need to complete. The faster the time to complete, the better the reward. Rewards are gold, silver and bronze trophies.

There are 32 levels, set across 3 different difficulties. Challenges include doing drifts within certain areas, popping balloons with a giant spiked ball attached to the back of your car, collecting coins on difficult tracks, basic courses you need to complete, you can even play a type of golf, where you have to hit a relatively large golf ball towards the flag. Of course, on the face of it these all sound easy, but when you realise that you have very tight courses, and one mistake means the end of the game for you, the challenge of it all really makes its mark.

You will play with various vehicles depending on the track, maybe a small car, maybe a truck maybe a school bus. Each one is different to handle and a challenge to master.

This is a fun little game, with an equally small download size, which really surprised me considering how good the graphics are. The camera is controlled by the game and will move to the most optimal position as you play through a level. The learning curve is spot on, you will fly through the easy levels, but then find yourself struggling to get that gold as you progress, which creates the all-important replayability factor.

The Good

Fun little game that looks great. Addictive qualities, and perfect learning curve.

The Bad

After a while some of the levels feel a bit repetitive.

Overall

For a simple £5 game, you really can't go wrong with Petite Adventure, it is fun to play and that really is all that matters.

Out now on PC (Steam) at 

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2120910/Petite_Adventure/

Also available on Xbox, Playstation and Nintendo Switch

REVIEW: Jitsu Squad on Nintendo Switch

Review by Jon Donnis

Do you like chaotic 4 player side scrolling beat 'em ups? Do you like cartoon graphics? Do you enjoy games that are just plain fun to play? If you answered yes, to any of those, then perhaps I may have just found the game for you.

From Tanuki Creative Studio comes Jitsu Squad, this is such a fun game, instantly reminds me of classic side scroller beat 'em ups like Streets of rage, but with the crazy, chaotic feel of a Super Smash Bros.

Synopsis

"This is the story of the legendary, hidden Kusanagi Stone and the warriors seeking it. Containing the soul of a powerful demon, The Kusanagi stone can grant godly powers to those who awaken it. Now, the wicked sorcerer Origami, destroyer of worlds and lord of darkness, has summoned ancient warriors to find the stone for him, cursing their souls and turning them into animals in the process. Luckily, a mysterious monk called Ramen manages to save four warrior souls from Origami's call: Hero, Baby, Jazz, and Aros, together are the Jitsu Squad! "

Although advertised as a 4-player game, you can also play solo, and switch between the various characters as you play.

The premise is pretty simple, take on wave after wave of bad guys, collect orbs, level up your characters, take down the wicked sorcerer and save the galaxy! Pretty simple.

The massive combos are always fun and your characters can even become briefly immortal and transform.

As mentioned, this game is chaotic, deliberately so. The sheer number of enemies on screen is just insane, but it is all part of the fun. This truly is a game that you will pick up and just enjoy. I have been playing on the Nintendo Switch Lite, and the game works very well on the small screen. The graphics are clear and colourful, and despite the sheer amount of what is going on on-screen, you will never find yourself lost or confused. The controls are simple and easy to get used to, attacks are also pretty simple, and although you will learn new moves as you progress, you won't really find yourself having to memorise things, as you will just perform the moves through your usual chaotic play. The music and sound effects are all of a decent level.

The Good

The most important thing in any game like this is the answer to a simple question, is this fun to play? And Jitsu Squad ticks all the boxes. This really is just a simple old fashioned fun game, where the developers have created something that although not particularly original, that is just so great to play that you won't care. This game will get your adrenaline flowing. The humour throughout is very good. I enjoyed the music too.

The Bad

I can't really think of anything. 

Overall

This is easily one of the best beat 'em up games on the market right now for the casual gamer. 

This is a good game, simple as that. I score Jitsu Squad on Nintendo Switch a solid 9/10

Out now on Nintendo Switch at

https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Jitsu-Squad-2305133.html

Collector’s Edition pre-order link

https://gamesrocket.com/eu/Jitsu-Squad/

NEWS: Turmoil - The top selling oil drilling simulation game

Gamious has released a free online multiplayer update to their popular oil drilling game Turmoil on Steam. Millions of Turmoil fans will now be able to challenge each other in the quest to become the ultimate oil entrepreneur.

MINI REVIEW:

I just wanted to update this news piece with a little review, the game has been out for a while, but the Multiplayer mode as mentioned above is a new addition. I am a big fan of Turmoil, it is a great little game, very addictive. The multiplayer mode is a wonderful addition to the game. You can play either against real life friends, or strangers. This is turn based, so you can have loads of multiplayer games running all at once. Once you have made your moves in the town, you will play a level, but you cant play the next level, until all those you are playing against have also made their moves in the town.

The multiplayer mode really does bring an extra dimension to the game, which will keep you coming back long after you have completed the main campaign and the DLC.

Tumoil as a whole is one of the best quick play simulation games out there. And the addition of Multiplayer, just makes it even better.

I score Tumoil including the DLC (The heat is on) and the new Multiplayer mode, an awesome 9/10.

Love this game!

Mini review by Jon Donnis. 

Read on for more details on the game.

Multiplayer mode features a completely new and a more compact map, where instead of just playing NPCs, players will now be pitted against each other. Players will be able to join a random game against three other players, or start a custom game with friends. The same areas and technology progression as in the main game will be used. It’s also possible to start a game against just one other player, where the remaining open slots will be filled with NPCs.

“Ever since the launch of Turmoil, players have been requesting a multiplayer mode. After releasing the DLC campaign ‘The Heat is On’, and porting the game to other platforms and mobile, we finally got around to making this. We’re thrilled to offer this free update to our players, if only because we can’t wait to take on the competition ourselves!”, said Jos Bouman, Creative Director of Gamious.

Bouman continues: “The Turmoil franchise has been around for years, and it's still going strong. The release of the multiplayer update will certainly not be the last. Work has already started on new content, and we’ll have exciting news to share about that next year!”

Out now on Steam - https://store.steampowered.com/app/361280/Turmoil/

About Gamious

Gamious is a game developer based in Haarlem, The Netherlands. Gamious focuses on the creation of original and accessible games with pure gameplay – games they love to play themselves. Gamious is the developer of - among others - Turmoil, Lake, and Lines.

REVIEW: MEGALAN 11 on Nintendo Switch

Review by Jon Donnis

MEGALAN 11 is an exploration-puzzle game.

For the video review of Megalan 11 check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fS1MyBOQ_-0

After responding to a SOS signal, you and your scientific expedition crew find yourself crash landed on a weird planet, as you explore this strange red planet, you find an old abandoned base, now you have shelter, you have to try to fix up the base so you can save yourselves, but you only have 11 days to do it.

There are 5 people in your crew, but you can only rely on yourself, explore the base, fix the equipment by collecting metal, and save yourselves.

Thats the general story and aim of the game. In reality the game revolves mainly around you exploring the base, and eventually defending it too.

You can walk up to boxes, containers etc, and after hitting them a few times, you will collect them as scrap metal. Soon you will find a backpack to help you store the metal, as well as a large container to store larger amounts in. Once you have enough metal you can use it to fix broken doors to gain access to new areas, you can fix the water pumping machine, fix the electrical generator, and so on. You will also be able to pick items up, move them to different locations, depending on the task you need to fulfil.

Find the large lift in the centre, and you will quickly realise that there are multiple levels to the base, each with its own puzzles to solve and things that need fixing. The game itself has a very minimalist feel, both in graphics and also instructions, you will need to figure out pretty much everything I have just said for yourself, there is no hand holding in this game, other than a basic on screen "to do" list. You will get frustrated at first at the slow pace of it all, but eventually you will upgrade your stamina, allowing you to move faster.

Don't forget to "cheer up" your crew mates as well, since that also acts as a way to save your progress.

As the days pass the perils will grow, and the base will be attacked, items stolen and so on, so you will probably need a few playthroughs to really get to grips with everything and be better prepared.

The Good

I liked the minimalist graphics, and after that initial feeling of "what the hell am I supposed to do", you will quickly settle down and start enjoying the game.

The Bad

Terrible name for a game, considering that a game called Mega Man exists, and has decades of brand placement everywhere, so just search for Megalan and you will end up with links to Mega Man. 

The game is very simple, and as such the challenge is limited, and at the start the frustration of not really knowing what you are supposed to do will put players off.

This is a port from PC, and as such the controls don't work great on a Switch Lite. For example you need to press and hold multiple buttons to complete tasks, and as such you can't do this with one thumb, unless you have a fat thumb, so kids with small hands will have to press multiple buttons with more than one finger, so holding the Switch while also doing this is a pain, and not at all natural. I am not sure what the controls were on PC, but this does not work very well on the Switch.

Overall

Get past the initial frustration, settle down into the gameplay, and this is a pretty decent game, very relaxing, wont tax your mind too much, and good to just play while listening to some chilled music.

An interesting little game, not ground breaking by any means, but there is enough here to keep you interested, if you can get used to the weird controls and button presses that are needed.

I score MEGALAN 11 on Nintendo Switch a safe 7/10

Released on 30^th November 2022 on Nintendo Switch

https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/MEGALAN-11-2302568.html

Video review below, includes looping trailer.