Author - Ripper71

Dementium II HD Review (PC/Steam)

2013/12/26

News, Reviews, Windows PC News, Windows PC Review

Trying to get into the holiday spirit, you have probably left the ghosts Of Halloween behind you and are thinking of gifts rather than stiffs. Well, we here at Gamingshogun.com think that every day is a good day for a good scare. So, when the opportunity to sit down with a dark and gory game came along, an evil Grinch-ish grin crosses our collective face. In this case, it is a remake of an old horror favorite called Dementium II – this time, in HD. Hence, the new name: Dementium II HD!

Description:
You are William Redmoor, recent recipient of a radical brain operation and current inmate at the clandestine Bright Dawn Treatment Center for the criminally insane. Your memories are fuzzy, but it appears that your wife and daughter were murdered, and the evidence points toward you as the killer.

The Doctor’s methods don’t appear to have worked – Demons you thought vanquished have appeared once again. Images of a past you don’t want to see keep appearing before you. Worse, it seems that the Doctor has some diabolical scheme against you… or does he? Survive the onslaught of horrific beasts, stay one step ahead of the Doctor, and for God’s sake William, get out if you can!

With all the surrounding insanity, you can’t tell if it’s you or the world that has truly lost it.

…Just how demented are you?

Features:

Experience 5 chapters of unforgettable horror from a first-person perspective.
High-intensity sound effects, bloody visuals and grotesque enemies create dramatically unnerving environments.
Using your mouse/keyboard or X360 controller, fight your way through the nightmarish psychiatric hospital, encountering 16+ enemy types along the way.
Test your wits and nerves by solving challenging and twisted puzzles.
Three difficulty settings separate the victims from the victors.

Hands On:
I’ve never experienced it myself (yet) but I don’t think it is good when they wake you and tell you that you have been out for several weeks after getting brain surgery. Normally you would think that with experimental brain surgery they would let you wake up and check your functions, but with hospital overcrowding being what it is, they have two armed guards lift you up to take you back to your cell. First thing you notice is the guards wear riot gear, the second thing you notice is the place is unsanitary and echoing with chaotic screams – not a clean hospital. Welcome to Dementium II HD, turn out the lights, crank the sound or put on headphones and enjoy the ride.

Gameplay is pretty straight forward, control-wise, as a first-person shooter-esque title. By that, it feels like a survival horror game but they at least give you some weapons to defend yourself. As you progress through the levels, the gameplay and puzzles get harder but, luckily, the weapons get better. Of course, you always have your trusty prison-style shank if things get up close and personal. Being on Steam, there are also achievements for using certain weapons in certain ways so you may actually want to check them out before starting the game – if you care about them, as some get really specific.

The bad guys are overly-creepy right from the first time you fight one. A staple of the game are corpses with teeth in their chests (very reminiscent of John Carpenter’s The Thing) that just want to chomp down on you as they stumble toward you on stubby legs made out of metal. Each monster has its own sound, a kind of warning of what you will be up against and I particularly like this monster’s signature because it sounds like a miner working with a pickaxe (WoW crafting fans will recognize the sound quick). There are plenty of different monsters, each with their own presence and attack types, and learning what works best with each enemy is an essential part of the game. You may find that multiple weapons work well on an enemy but when you figure out the perfect match, your ammo and health will be better for it (Hint: Steam achievements do not necessarily match these).

Ammo and health have to be carefully monitored because, in standard survival horror fashion, part of the game is making the most of what you have. Save points are especially helpful, they can be used over again and recover your health but they overwrite the location’s previous save so make sure you haven’t made any bonehead mistakes since your last visit. Make sure to scour maps because you never know where an antidote or weapons cache may be hidden. Getting to certain areas requires the right tools but don’t worry about it the storyline keeps you heading around the map and if you can’t get in a room now there will probably be a reason to pass it once you are better equipped.

There are three levels of difficulty. Personally, I tend to stick with normal or hard because I am decent at puzzle solving (almost savant-like, I stop thinking and just solve it with Zen) and I am good at conserving ammo. That doesn’t mean there weren’t a few times when my ammo was depleted on the weapon I had been using on an enemy only to have me switch to a different weapon and it work far better. If you are a horror survival player and FPS go with normal or hard, if you are more interested in a creepy interactive story easy might be your path. It is a very creepy and engaging storyline with the possibility of a faulty narrator, which is a fancy way of saying you don’t know what is real or just his messed-up brain.

This is truly horror survival too, there are countless graphic depictions of gore and torture so if younger or more sensitive members of the family are in town for the holidays, I suggest playing a different game until they go to bed. Besides it is far better alone in the dark with such creepiness.

Last Call:
Dementium II HD is a terrific trip into the creepy world of insanity and all the horrors that come with it. It’s nice to see a combining of survival horror with first person shooting so you can decide to run or stand your ground against the nastiness you encounter. The puzzles are decent, the atmosphere is creepy and gory you never know what surprise waits for you around the corner, though if you listen carefully you might get a hint. It’s nice to be revisiting the Dementium world, especially at a time of year when most people think of Santa instead of creeps like Krampus.

[easyreview title=”Dementium II HD Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″ ]
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Swann Bubble Bomber Review

2013/12/18

Ripper71

Gadget Review, Geek News, News, Reviews

Ask anyone on the team – when it comes to gadgets, I act like a kid. When it comes to toys, I become a kid. I laugh, become prankish, and in general shed about 32 years off my maturity when I get a toy. So when Swann sent us their Bubble Bomber RC Helicopter it was as if Christmas had arrived on our doorstep. The question was would it be so difficult to use that the novelty would wear off before the battery life like one of my previous flying RC ships?

Description:
Meet Swann’s Bubble Bomber RC Helicopter. It’s proof that you’re never too old to have fun. The Bubble Bomber has all the cutting edge features of a modern remote controlled helicopter including powerful 2.4GHz wireless transmission, video game-styled controller with dual joysticks, trim control and more. It’s designed with Swann’s Easy-Fly Gyro technology to make it surprisingly easy to fly. Best of all, the Bubble Bomber can dump bubbles on targets you select at the push of a button using the remote control. It’s like being at the helm of a mission where your key objective is get up to mischief. Bombs away!

Hands On:
Ok the moment you fire this bad boy up you can’t help but smile. The body has a sweet looking grey and blue paint job but the lights are all police: flashing red and blue with a search light on the front. They can be turned off which helps conserve battery life, especially in bright daylight where it is less exciting but they look so cool when they are going.

Anyone who had never flown an RC craft have a quick lesson to learn in aerodynamics which they will either learn and embrace or give up flying ships forever. My first experience was with a drone, lower end model without a gyro or self stabilizing unit. It is fun as it takes off, then either dashes into an object or loses it’s air cushion stability and flips. It has sat for many months on display with an “I will master that another day” approach to it. Admittedly it does look nice on the stand.

If most of that last sentence was just some sort of techno babble to you that’s ok because most of those issues aren’t involved with a Swann RC. Swann realized that most of the fun in flying an RC aircraft is in the flying, not the mastering. They put in a gyro balance unit into all of their mini copters and make the trim as easy as pressing a left or right button if you feel the need. In other words you don’t need to know too much about aerodynamics to fly one, ignore the L/R buttons, don’t worry that a gyro isn’t just a Greek dish. Try to be gentle on the control adjustment and use one lever to lift off and the other to go directions, not much different from a game control (the remote actually looks like an XBox 360 remote). If you do care about why the plane crashes into the ceiling when it gets close or why it gets unstable too close to the ground the instruction book does explain it quite well.

Other buttons let you control the lights (on/off, flashing pattern), turbo for a little boost (advanced, you won’t need turbo anytime soon), and one of the most interesting buttons… bubbles. This particular model has a built in bubble blowing system which is just something you don’t see every day. This particular model is built with a reservoir in the front to hold bubble fluid and an auto bubble blower system in the body leading to the back where they come out. They are cute little bubbles about the size of a nickel and can be used in play as dropping bombs or to torment/delight family members by raining bubbles down upon them. If this is performed by a child (or a childish adult) supervision should be required so that an RC helicopter with spinning blades doesn’t rain down as well. It goes through bubble fluid pretty quick and the fluid is pretty hard to load (think I spilled more than I loaded) but it is a fun trip while it lasts.

The blades may sting a bit on contact they will probably survive that impact and many others. Swann built the blades to fold upon impact with a surface adding to their durability and the frame of the helicopter is metal adding greatly to it’s toughness. When I opened the package and saw the spare blades I was a bit concerned but after many cringe worthy crashes I forgot where I left the spares and stopped being so worried. This little helicopter can do some fun stunts and flying, spectacular crashes just became part of the play. I didn’t try for them exactly but I was laughing instead of cringing soon.

Flight time between charges is estimated at 7 minutes. That sounds like a bummer and I remember with RC cars it definitely was, running them up and down the street with little control required the time flies and battery dies. There is something about RC aircraft though where you get so excited about getting them airborne and avoiding obstacles that the time doesn’t fly as fast. Maybe it has to do with getting pumped when you manage a minute of air time dodging household items then crashing because you get too low or too high or someone bats at it. RC car time is continuous use whereas the copter isn’t using much juice isn’t flying because of a crash. I played with it for over a half hour at a time without running out it’s juice, though when I was bubble bombing one of our cats with all the lights on I was probably getting close. Flight time with minimal lights and no bubbles going seem to last a long time so don’t sweat the 7 minute mark.

The aircraft is designed for indoor because of one major reason: air. Swann RC copters are tough enough to crash into harder surfaces than a sofa (man I hit the sofa a lot) but it doesn’t take much of a disturbance to take down ANY RC copter. Without getting too technical helicopters have difficulty in winds higher than 50 miles an hour, these copters are 1/80 the size of a standard helicopter making it 80 times more sensitive to wind. At that rate remote helicopters have trouble at .628 miles per hour which is a speed air conditioners and household fans can reach, yet alone old Mother Nature. If you can find a good open space without wind go for it, this baby has over 100 ft. transmission range and a great vertical climb, give it room to run and it will fly like crazy.

Last Call:
The bubbles are a bit hard to load, maybe a little open and closable hole to allow air to escape would make the bubble solution go in easier without having to fight so much. Otherwise the Swann Bubble Bomber is a beautiful, fantastic and easy to use RC flying machine. Strangely I think I have more holiday spirit now because I always wanted one of these growing up but they were too expensive, too difficult to fly and required too much room. The Bubble Bomber solves all those issues and adds the magic of falling bubbles.

[easyreview title=”Swann Bubble Bomber Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”5″ ]

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SwannEye HD Pan & Tilt Wi-Fi Security Camera Review (Gadgets/Tech)

2013/12/18

Ripper71

Gadget Review, News, Reviews, Tech News, Tech Review

We here at Gamingshogun.com are very security conscious, especially since we often review cutting edge technologies or top of the line airsoft gear. It is easy to say that in our headquarters and at our houses we will often have gaming stuff worth more than our cars! I also have an added issue of a really bad back that has me laid up a lot and when the doorbell rings for deliveries I can’t always immediately get up and get to them. As a result, I have been particularly vocal in volunteering to cover any security cameras that might come our way. Then, just like Christmas, Swann offered us the opportunity to review their new SwannEye HD Pan & Tilt Wi-Fi Security Camera and I found I could rest more comfortably both in my bed and in my travels.

Features:

Internet security camera packed with features for home & small business surveillance 24/7
Saves video & HD pictures to an SD card & send email notification when motion is detected
Remotely Pan up to 350 degrees horizontally and Tilt up to 100 degrees vertically over the Internet or on your Smartphone or tablet
Easy 3 step set-up using a QR code & your Smartphone or tablet with no networking required
Hear every sound & conversation thanks to built-in microphone & speaker
Use the free app to view on your Smartphone or tablet including iPhone, iPad & Android devices
Compatible with Android, iOS, PC and Mac
Share videos & images through your social network at any time with ease

Hands On:
I have already had some impressive experience with Swann while reviewing their Bubble Bomber mini helicopter and so I know they make quality products. Their main business however is home security systems, they have something to suit just about every need, so I was expecting to be even more impressed and I was. It started with installation which if you have the right kind of router makes it practically plug and play. In my case I didn’t have the right kind of router so it was a different process but still only took about ten minutes. I was following the steps and suddenly there was the camera feed before I expected it. If you have ever hooked up a gaming console to the internet it is much like that only easier.

Once I had it set up it was time to test the features. If you are accessing it through a computer you get a nice sized boxed image with a virtual remote next to it which looks similar to a tv one but allows you to pan, tilt, record, take stills, listen, speak through, adjust quality, just about anything you would want to do with a camera remotely. Everything about the system is designed to be user friendly and if you have any questions their short manual has the answers.

If you are accessing the camera through your phone (in my case my iPhone) you can do just about anything you would have done with the computer interface only easier with a phone screen size in mind. On the computer you click a button to pan or tilt, on a phone you simply swipe your finger, the farther across the screen you swipe the more it pans or tilts. This isn’t near as precise as the computer controls but so much easier and truly designed with the little screen in mind so that even my huge fingers can work it.

All this can be logged onto via the internet so if you have a device that can view video with an internet connection odds are Swann has software that will work with it. The applications are staggering, any use you could have for a security camera is available in this model for home or work. Want to know who is at your door and interact via an intercom system? You can do it with this camera and your computer or phone. Want to scan your yard to see if there is a dog doing it’s business there? You can check and record the perpetrator as evidence. That part alone has tons of applications in the business place and at home. You don’t even have to be watching it, you can set it up to record motion and it will save it down to a SD disc you can check later. Want to know what is knocking over your trashcans late at night? The camera has 8 built-in LED IR lights that illuminate up to 30 feet and the camera automatically switches from regular video to infrared when the lighting gets too low (the LED lights are visible on the camera so good concealment from smarter bad guys might be a consideration). Anywhere you can plug in to an outlet you can have camera coverage that you can check at home and on the go. The picture frame rate quality is dependent on the signal strength when in Wi-Fi mode but when plugged directly into the network is solid HD quality. You can record the video or stills on any device you are watching it on or use the before mentioned SD card in it’s base.

Last Call:
I could use a whole network of these cameras in my life, especially with their versatility. I plan to have the camera pointed out the front window during the day to see who knocks and probably pointed at a particular rug one of our cats pees on at night to find out who the culprit is. When I travel I will have it pointed at my most valuable items and check from time to time to see if one of our cats are in the room so we can talk to it if we are feeling kitty homesick. When the coyotes get active outside our back fence I might set it up on infrared to see just how big the pack is and how close they get to our house. I may even use it for something as mundane as web chatting or when going to visit friends have the camera pointed at art we have out that they gave us to show them we put it up and everything. I can think of so many uses the only trouble I will have is using just one. SwannEye HD Pan & Tilt Wi-Fi Security Camera is the right fit for any home or business surveillance needs.

[easyreview title=”SwannEye HD Pan & Tilt Wi-Fi Security Camera Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”5″ ]

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Divoom Bluetune Bean Bluetooth Speaker Review

2013/12/18

Ripper71

Gadget Review, News, Reviews, Tech News, Tech Review

Bluetooth speakers are popping up all over the place these days, so we here at GamingShogun.com are always looking for a speaker that does a little more or has a competitive edge due to shape, quality, or size. When the Divoom Bluetune Bean crossed my desk we had found a little speaker with a lot going for it.

Description:
I think if Jack had heard what the Beans were capable of right away he wouldn’t of hesitated in trading in that old cow for it. That same magic went into designing and making the extraordinary Bluetune-Bean. The Bean is meant to go everywhere you go without the need for you to have ample pocket or bag space. Use the sturdy clip and stick it on your belt loop purse, stroller, anything you can think of. Enjoy your music in utter convenience with Bluetooth wireless streaming. We’ve also included a Mic so you can answer your phone calls with the Bean.

It gets said a lot but in this case affordable has truly never sounded so good. Priced so that anyone can easily enjoy this fantastic little device.

All speakers have built in iON lithium rechargable batteries so you never need to buy batteries. Listen for hours and recharge in no time! Connect to your favorite music devices such as: Stereos, Mp3 Players, Ipods, iPad, Phones, Game Systems, TV’s, Computers, Laptops, Electric Guitars, and more!

Features:
– Pocket sized speaker
– Built in Microphone
– Big wireless sound
– Clip on design18/divoom-bluetune-bean-bluetooth-speaker-review/3588_5-600×450/
– Built-in rechargeable battery
– Sporty look

Hands On:
I’ll admit to a little size prejudice when the Bean arrived, because most of my gaming mice are bigger than it. Actually it is almost identical in size to the wireless mouse that I take on trips with me, a tiny thing that would fit in a pocket or in the smallest compartments of a suitcase, tote bag, or backpack. It came with a tiny charging cord, a small metal hoop attached to the top of it, and a ring clip to attach to a bag or something.

One I got it out of the packaging I was able to palm it and its surface had a nice, unpolished rubber finish which continued around the sides that reminded me of a racket ball except it is shaped like a bean (or a mouse). There are two rubber buttons on one side and a rubber cover protecting it’s charging port giving it a pretty solid protection from dropping and elements feel to it. It is plain an unassuming, which I found to be a nice key feature to it.

For such an unassuming speaker, the surprise is really in the diversity of uses for it. If you hold down the on button it will turn on and beep, at that point you take any device that takes bluetooth connection and it will be ready to pair with it. It took less than 10 seconds to pair it with my phone, less than 15 before I had music playing from the speaker. After that I found just how useful it was all around the house.

We were going out to dinner when my wife got home from doing some shopping. I was listening to music from the speaker while getting ready with my phone charging in the bedroom. My wife called and I pushed the other button on the side of the speaker, the phone one, and it picked up and we started talking hands free through it while I continued getting ready. Call ended and my music started back up. I carried the speaker through the house while I got ready. When we left I put my phone in my pocket and hung the speaker in the car. If anyone called all I had to do was push the button and be hands-free safe talking while driving.

That was all the uses with just my phone and its music. The Bluetune Bean is perfect if you just want to leave it in your car for a hands-free device for phone calls or directions at a very affordable price. It is perfect if you want to leave your phone on the charger and walk around the house listening to music, podcasts, or internet radio. The limits really are only what devices you connect with.

The sound quality is really good and can be fairly loud without distortion. There isn’t a whole lot of bass packed into it, if you are trying to rattle your windows with the thumps this might not be for you, otherwise it is.

Last Call:
Divoom’s Bluetune Bean Bluetooth Speaker is a little marvel with big sound pack into a bean smaller than a computer mouse. It has the extras you would want from a bluetooth speaker and more, with its built-in microphone and telephone interaction this is the perfect hands-free device to hang in your car for taking a call or listening to mapping directions while keeping your eyes and hands on the road. Its six hour battery life and low price aren’t bad either.

[easyreview title=”Divoom Bluetune Bean Bluetooth Speaker Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”5″ ]

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World of Warplanes Release Review (PC)

2013/12/01

Ripper71

News, Reviews, Windows PC News, Windows PC Review

When World of Tanks came on the scene a few years ago, they came out swinging like they had been playing with the big boys for years. I remember going to E3 and seeing their tank out front with a crew in authentic uniforms, their huge booth, on-going constant tournament play, booth babes dressed as pinups, and tons of swag from metal “tough as nails” USB drives to little plastic tanks with historically accurate details to take home to the kids or have one or two of on your desk like I do. Honestly, the booth was loaded with substance where the big boys were loaded with flash – you walked away from Wargaming’s booth feeling like you had had fun.

Then you got into the game and it was just as addictive and fun. Depth over flash, with a gritty detail and it had a true free to play element behind it instead of just a “free to play, pay to win” mentality. Its community developed quite the opposite actually, with paid-for “pocket tanks” as they got known as being frowned upon and the player who put in their time and developed their own tanks being the listened to and respected ones in the community.

When Premium accounts came along they didn’t kill the game like in some cases, just got into a few more players’ pockets which, let’s face it, if a game can’t make enough money to support itself it fails so I support them getting their costs paid. It may seem strange to spend the first two paragraphs of a review on World of Warplanes telling the reader about World Of Tanks and the company behind it but it is because this is one of those times that a game comes on the market with a community already established and a company that has already established a solid business model which it shares between the games.

Description:
WoWP currently features five nations (USA, USSR, Germany, Great Britain, and Japan) and over 100 different warplanes, with many more to come in future updates. You can choose to fly iconic aircraft such as the Supermarine Spitfire, Messerschmitt Bf. 109, and the P-51 Mustang across a wide variety of landscapes.

The release of World of Warplanes also marks the formal introduction of the Unified Premium Account. This means that if you purchase Premium account time in World of Warplanes, it will also be valid in World of Tanks, and vice-versa. In addition to sharing Premium account time, your Gold will also be shared between both games. You’ll be able to make all of your World of Warplanes and World of Tanks in one convenient place, the Premium Shop!

So what are you waiting for? Download World of Warplanes today and Get Airborne!

Features:

Set in the period from World War II to Vietnam War (1961-1973), World of Warplanes will feature around 60 airplanes from Germany, USSR, and USA, with British and Japanese planes to be added with the further content updates. New branches and new planes will be added gradually over the process of development.
In World of Warplanes, except a pilot, no machine gunner or bombardier is required in a warplane. Abandoning the traditional perspective in flight games, World of Warplanes allows players to freely switch between the first and third perspective and look around from the warplane tail.
Aside from keyboard and mouse, players can also use joysticks and rocking levers in the game. What’s more, a signpost system and auto-driving system are integrated so as to help players get familiar with the game more quickly.
Similar to World of Tanks, World of Warplanes offers every player a garage and each plane is equipped with a paramedic. By means of earning Exp and Gold in combat, players can research and purchase advanced ammunitions, engines and new planes, and upgrade paramedics.
The guild level system in World of Tanks is likely to be applied to World of Warplanes.
In World of Warplanes, every map covers 15 square kilometers on average and game rooms are adopted like in World of Tanks. Currently, the game supports 15 vs. 15 combats at most, so no large-scale battles will be available in the game. Apart from in aerial combats, players are required to cooperate with one another to occupy, destroy or defend strongholds, escort others, etc. In addition to planes controlled by players, some ground and aerial AI units will show up in the game.

Hands On:
If you play World of Tanks, it will take a bit of time getting used to controlling these beautiful flying machines – though, graphically, the planes and maps look and feel a lot like the tank battles. The planes are extremely detailed to look at and the maps and terrain are beautiful while at the same time not taxing on your graphics card. You feel at home quickly, though once combat kicks in you will have a bit of a learning curve. A big change is that, since you are flying, you always are in motion (unless you are crashing). In WoT you get used to ambush and sniper positions as well as long range attacking through artillery. If you find the right spot with view but cover you may spend the whole match in it. With dogfighting in WoWP you have nowhere to hide and you are constantly in motion so you need to get used to being in the open and using maneuvering constantly to stay alive and not fall smoking into a hillside. In WoT you can win by destroying all the enemies or by capturing their base, in WoWP you destroy all your enemies or you destroy all the land targets most of which are shooting back at you. WoT you only have to worry about the other tanks shooting, in WoWP it takes it up a notch with artillery fire blasting away, sometimes they wind up being the ones that take you down.

All those things considered, if you like World of Tanks, you will love World of Warplanes just as much. If you haven’t played or particularly like WoT but you like a good dog-fighting game, this one is terrific. You can upgrade your planes but at the same time still play your old ones as long as you have them in your garage, besides getting better quality planes, you can upgrade guns, fuselages, and engines to choose what kind of plane and configuration best fit your tastes. If you find you like a maneuvering fight you can pick a biplane with solid guns and swing around quick on an enemy on your six and try to take it out first.

If you like fast and striking quick you can fly high with a quick engine and come down and hit them hard and get out of there and if you like bombing and striking ground targets you can get a plane with plenty of bombs and strong guns and try to win supremacy that way. Whichever you most like playing, dog-fighting or attacking, there is a way to do it in World of Warplanes. As more planes with more options are released you can tune your planes even more to your taste.

You work on your crew as well so that when they get to 100% in their position you can add a skill to them which then improves that part of your combat whether it be seeing enemies further out or being able to patch up crew faster they too give you options so you can make the most of your game. They even made it so that if you upgrade to a premium account on your WoT or WoWP for a while it applies to both games!

When it comes to controls you can play either with a mouse or a joystick and still be competitive, there are certain moves tailored to each which is nice, I often find myself switching back and forth between the two enjoying the style of each.

First Round:
World of Warplanes might not be as polished or full of options as its counterpart, World of Tanks, but it just came out and already looks to be off to a great start. I see great things in the games future and we here at GamingShogun.com won’t mind coming back to reviewing it again further down the road when more planes and options are released.

[easyreview title=”World Of Warplanes Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″ ]

Contrast Review (Steam/PC)

2013/11/23

Ripper71

News, Reviews, Windows PC News, Windows PC Review

Contrast: (noun) the relative difference between light and dark areas of a print or negative. (source: Dictionary.com)

We don’t normally start reviews here at GamingShogun.com with a definition, but in this case it really makes a difference to know what this title means. This is so because the game is really a work of art and its first message is in its title. As the game starts up a hauntingly beautiful cabaret song starts playing and if you wait through the credits and look at the introduction screen it plays all the way through and repeats. The song has longing and loss intertwined in it in a way that haunts which is really the tone of the game and action as this stylized wonder plays with fantastic shadows and solemn light.

Description:
Contrast is a charming 2D/3D puzzle platformer where you can shift from a fantastic 3D world to a mysterious shadowy universe in 2D in the blink of an eye. In Contrast, you will explore a dreamlike, vaudevillian world of the 1920s. In this universe, where the boundaries between showmanship, magic, intrigue and deception are blurred, you play as Dawn, the imaginary friend of a young girl named Didi. A child’s imaginary friend is always very special, and Dawn is no exception – she has the power to shift from the 3D dreamscape into a parallel 2D shadow world. As you spend time with Didi, you will cast light on a shadowy story, exploring an adult world as seen through the eyes of this little girl. You will need to manipulate light sources to distort, enlarge or stretch the 2D shadowscape, and combine that with your shadow-shifting powers to help solve the many puzzles surrounding Didi’s troubled family.

Contrast is a game with an enchanting atmosphere and a rich, jazzy soundtrack performed by the cool, seductive Laura Ellis, and a talented group of Montreal-based jazz musicians. Use Dawn’s special abilities to unlock the mysteries of this world and save Didi from the secrets that threaten to overwhelm her and her dysfunctional family.

Features:

Shift between the physical 3D world and the 2D shadow world, at any lit wall surface
Create unique shadow landscapes by manipulating light sources and real world objects, and use this ability to solve mind-bending puzzles
Experience a new story and world, exploring adult themes through a child’s eyes
Immerse yourself in a lush vaudevillian world of cabaret singers, circus performers, and magic

Hands On:
I had read previews of Contrast and had planned to scrape a bit of money together and pick it up when I got a chance, especially after seeing the first trailer. The stylized world had drawn me in with the tiniest of tastes and the idea of the gameplay had such a unique feel. Going in, I had high hopes for the game, which can sometimes prove hazardous for reviewing but it this case it exceeded them quickly. You play Dawn, Didi’s imaginary friend, though Dawn seems more flesh and blood than most of the cast making you wonder quickly what reality is. This isn’t a spoiler, all this is learned in the first couple minutes of play and sets a tone in a world that seems forever dark just waiting for a light to break through and send shadows dancing. The soundtrack is exceptional, perfectly suited to the game setting the mood and immersiveness. The stylized art of the visuals and the play with contrast engage you quickly and the story – well, you really want to help the doe-eyed Didi make things right in her world.

Gameplay is standard third person perspective for the 3D world and a side-scrolling for the 2D/3D mix of shadows. Controls are easy and standard for third person perspective (WASD, mouse) and translate well between 3D and 2D play. Anywhere there is a shadow, the shadows can be entered which makes gameplay and puzzle solving that much more dynamic a free flowing. The gameplay is linear, but with enough wiggle room to complete multiple section missions in the order in which you choose and with enough freedom to hunt for hidden collectibles in each section.

The key to this game is just to dive in, toying with shadows and puzzles as you go. If you do that, you will find this is a game that will stick with you long after you have played it.

Last Call:
Contrast is an amazing game, both in its play dynamics and how its story is told with such stylized beauty. When I first heard the name, I thought maybe it should have been called “Shadow Play” or something like that but once I started playing it I realized Contrast was a perfect name and brought the proper levity to the game it deserves. If you like beautiful looking games with unique and interesting gameplay do yourself a favor and pick up Contrast.

[easyreview title=”Contrast Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”5″ ]

Screenshots

Hello Hero Review (iOS)

2013/11/23

Ripper71

Mobile News, Mobile Review, News, Reviews

I always love a game on the go – one to play while I am waiting for a doctor’s appointment, standing in line, or just winding down in bed. A game I can jump in and out of easily and play on my iPhone or iPad is always handy but, let’s face it, due to the limited controls available the game shouldn’t be too heavily priced. So, when a phone freebie comes along like Hello Hero I am always willing to give it a try and find out if it is truly free or pay to play like so many others.

Description:
In Hello Hero, the epic, fast-paced, social Role Playing Game, assemble the ultimate team of unlikely heroes ranging from the traditional (a knight in shining armor) to the inexplicable (a guitar-wielding cactus that heals with the soothing sounds of his music) to earn rewards, compete with friends and battle with bosses to defeat the diabolical force and save the galaxy!

An evil and powerful entity threatens to destroy the entire galaxy. It is up to you to leave your home planet and travel to fantastic new worlds – building strength and choosing an army of weird and wonderful allies.

Features:

FREE TO PLAY!
Hundreds of Playable Heroes
Stunning 3D Graphics
Battle in Epic Game Modes (including Mission, Boss raids, Dungeon, PvP and Arena modes)
Journey through Stunning, Diverse Environments
Hundreds of Items to Upgrade and Customize your Characters
Challenge Friends

Hands On:
Of course, its first listed feature is “FREE TO PLAY!” which, believe it or not, is often the biggest warning sign. Free to play often translates to “free to play, pay to win”, which has become a popular business model across all gaming platforms – especially if a game fails to survive in the subscription world (Star Trek Online, The Secret World, SWTOR, etc). So, I went in with a bit of weariness. The surprise was that this can really be a free to play game, all it requires is patience. If you are willing to invest the time and earn things slower in the game, you don’t need to spend a single dime out of your pocket. I am notorious for being a patient farmer in games and all I had to do was log in, play my energy levels down, upgrade what I could then log out and come back later. There are plenty out there that would be driven CRAZY by such a process, they want it all and they want it now. They still have to level, but they can buy bonus exp, bonus draws, bonus energy – if they want to pay they can level up quick. This was surprisingly not the norm while I was playing and the system isn’t design to allow these players to “gank” players who don’t pay to win so it is truly a free to play game with pay if impatient as the option.

One of the coolest aspects of this game that is a huge selling feature is the variety of the playable heroes. In some games, you find yourself wishing you could play one of the enemies you fight. In this game, you often get that option! You might beat a seedling and win a seedling hero card. Then you can check out it’s stats and decide if you want to use it. There are hundreds of heroes, many of which come from the pool of what you are fighting, all of which have their own strengths, weaknesses and abilities. Needless to say, there are some heroes that have the same abilities as others but hundreds of abilities would probably be a headache to figure out the best team for anyways. Adventuring or buying bonus packs are the two ways to get new heroes, there are a couple ways to buy bonus packs, the pay to play getting a bit of an edge on the hero’s quality. By different heroes I mean they can be incredibly different from one that looks like a standard human hunter to a singing cactus or a shark with a shield and trident. When you make a Red Velvet Cupcake part of your team you realize just how diverse they really are.

When playing, you make a team of five heroes from your set of cards and you can trade them out whenever you want. You level them like in standard adventure games with some heroes in your group sharing cool-downs and you build the group however you want. Usually, you will want a healer and a tank but then how you set up the rest of your group is up to you, you can even have a tank that does both taunt and armor on itself. Weapons and armor are found along the way with varying stats most of which are very simple at first.

Once you feel you have a pretty strong group, you can choose to PVP, arena, dungeon or boss battle with the group. This earns you honor that can be used to try and get better heroes or equipment. Arena pits you against a random player’s team of around the same level as you. Players level slower than their team so a player might have a maxed out team and only be level 4 themselves with the general idea being the higher the player level the longer they have played and been able to put together a better team. This isn’t always the case but is a pretty solid model and arena can feel like random PVPs where you can get an idea of what other combinations of teams and heroes are out there to add to your wishlist. PVP is truly just players challenging players, often from meeting in the server’s chat room and doesn’t try to equalize battles at all. So, beware as there be sharks a plenty in that chat room. Dungeons get unlocked and are a lot like environmental battles only longer, becoming an endurance test of your built team. Boss events pop up periodically and then you just join in and try and do as much damage to the boss with your team as many times as you can as he smacks you down. In the beginning this can be daunting because of how little damage you do as the boss literally flicks you with a finger and kills you but as you level up yourself and your team, your damage and survival time increase.

Last Call:
I spent quite a bit of time checking this game out to make sure it could truly be “free to play” and I can say without a doubt it can be and often is. If a player decides to pay to play they can get their money’s worth from the game as well saving time and patience. Hello Hero is a great iOS game with addictive qualities no matter how you play it.

[easyreview title=”Hello Hero Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″ ]

Redshirt Review (Steam/PC)

2013/11/22

Ripper71

News, Reviews, Windows PC News, Windows PC Review

Any fan or even casual viewer of the Star Trek universe knows the cardinal rule: it’s never good to be the “Redshirt”. The Redshirt is that Star Fleet employee who we generally never learn the name of when they go on away-missions and we usually see die at the first sign of phaser fire or strange monster or killer cloud of gas. If there is an explosion on the ship, they are the ones flying through the air and out into the vastness of space. If the captain asks for a casualty report, they usually are those numbers. But what happens in between these spectacular deaths? What do the Redshirts do when they aren’t stepping out of the way of danger? Positech’s Redshirt tries to answer that question as well as give a name and a life to the Redshirts everywhere.

Description:
Redshirt is the comedy sci-fi sim about social networking aboard a space station, starring the station’s most ambitious low-ranking peon: you! Navigate the professional and interpersonal politics of the ubiquitous “Spacebook” to curry favor among friends and colleagues. As intense intergalactic conflict rages around you, it’s up to you to accrue those all-important “likes” on your status updates! Whether you’re looking for love, opportunities for promotion, or even a chance to play Zero-G golf with the captain, you can schmooze your way through social circles and claw your way up the career ladder. Perhaps you too can finally achieve the dream of an off-station transfer, or even the Redshirt’s opportunity of a lifetime: being sent on an away-mission!

Hands On:
I was pretty excited to get this game to review, generally the only thing more fun than the hero of a universe is the poor sap trying to keep from getting killed by the hero’s actions. Anytime you saw a Redshirt on an away-mission, you figured they were toast, if you saw a whole bunch of Redshirts going somewhere things were going to get messy fast. So going into the game Redshirt I had some pretty high hopes.

I also went in without reading the description first which was my mistake. I had expected silly action mixed with a disrespected existence, basically “Leisure Suit Larry in Space” type thing. I expected the character to be looked down on or ignored until it was time to beam down and become a human/humanoid shield. What I found was a strategy game based on Facebook being the center of society and how liking the right status updates and coordinating the right Events brings you happiness in life. You get your girlfriend (or boyfriend) through proper Events and private messages, you get job promotions through Events that teach you skills and making your boss like you by liking his posts and inviting him to Events. Work is just a summary page of text detailing interactions with your boss and co-workers as well as how much money you made so you can pay for Events, food or Self-Help Object Purveyor (S.H.O.P.) items to help with things like Happiness and Re-assuring Voice. So are the away-missions, which just show a screen telling how the Redshirts died.

It is a good strategy game with a bit of humor thrown in but in a lot of ways it paints a pretty grim picture for the Redshirts when they aren’t getting shot at. You start as a teleporter accident cleanup technician and mastering the job is one of your highest ambitions. Redshirts don’t train in at the phaser range or the holodeck to become better security officers. One day, you are cleaning up Vulcan bits off the teleporter the next you are on the away team watching all your fellow Redshirts die. Your co-workers get all their happiness from their “Spacebook” entries getting likes or not having to eat alone at the burger joint. You manipulate Spacebook to manipulate your co-workers into liking you not for who you are but for what comments you like and what Events you throw that they are invited to. Makes you kind of wonder if those Redshirts volunteer for suicide missions and purposely dive in front of phaser bolts.

Last Call:
Redshirt is a solid strategy game with an interesting premise and does a great job at interjecting humor with a very satiric eye. If you like strategy games, like Star Trek and LOVE spending time on Facebook, then this game is totally for you. The Redshirt angle isn’t quite as fleshed out as I would have liked but still adds some decently funny situations. Redshirt’s gameplay could have taken place in any day and time, in just about any city – particularly larger cities with lots of people who feel isolated. It could have been New York instead of Star Trek and have worked just as well, the deaths just would have been from cabs instead of away-missions (sequel, maybe?). Basically, this game might not be quite what people expected in a game about the Redshirts, but it is still quite a lot of fun!

[easyreview title=”Redshirt Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”3″ ]

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Adventure Park Review (PC/Steam)

2013/11/21

Ripper71

News, Reviews, Windows PC News, Windows PC Review

There are all kinds of social simulation games out there. Some use a ‘Second Life’ system where you build houses and have full online lives and loves. Others allow gamers to design skyscrapers, regulating elevators and setting rent values. Then there are city sims, which have taken on many faces over the years – from trailer parks to theme parks, the latter being one of the most diverse and popular. Who doesn’t like the idea of making a theme park, balancing scenery and setting with distances and facilities? Wish a park had high-G rides? Build them, but remember to have trash cans near the entrance, because there will be protein spills! Adventure Park takes all these things into consideration and more, giving you a nice in-depth sim game while allowing you to still enjoy the rides.

Description:
What would you do with the power to create the theme park of your dreams? Perhaps you would become the brilliant creator of a rollercoaster kingdom, the architect of inspiring landscapes, or even the tyrannical overlord of high-priced concessions. It’s your park, your rules. Adventure Park, available now for PC on Steam, gives you the power to build and control every facet of your own personal theme park and take a seat to experience it all firsthand. Hire the workers, invest in new rides, shape the landscapes, and above all, keep your customers happy. With a touch of creativity and a keen mind for business, you can turn a barren plot of land into a stunning empire.

Features:

Build the theme park of your dreams! Play in Campaign Mode or in Free Play on one of eight different maps.
Roller coasters and more! Offer your visitors lots of exciting attractions (e.g. Freefall Tower, Ferris Wheel). Use different types of tracks and the intuitive, grid-free track building system to construct spectacular rides to delight the park’s visitors.
Adventuring will get you hungry…and thirsty! Provide the appropriate infrastructure in the park, with food stands, souvenir shops and the right staff (e.g. gardeners), so that your guests will always feel at home.
The best managers have always got everything under control! The only way to ensure your park is a success is to always keep an eye on all the goings-on in the park and know how to manage them with skill. The comprehensive management system is structured intuitively, while still offering a challenge for more experienced players.
A theme park where there’s always something to be smartened up! A whole load of items such as statues, fountains, lamps, fences, rocks and plants allow you to design the park just as you like it.

Hands On:
Everybody poops. This should be the first rule of any decently defined simulation which tries to have a solid AI. If a game requires players to build bathrooms, then you know they are trying for at least a certain degree of realism. Adventure Park, in turn, requires restaurants, bathrooms, trash cans (particularly outside the Puke-A-Wheel), cleaning crews, gardeners for foliage, and lots of repairmen to keep the coasters on the tracks. That being said, you can also avoid most of the micromanaging by just making sure you have a solid staff and put a potty near any food sources. You can concentrate on the thing you are really playing the game for: designing your dream coasters.

There is both campaign and free play modes to choose from, which is great because sometimes you want to complete the specific tasks that the creators intended and sometimes you just want to make a beastly coaster with massive Gs that barely stays on the tracks and requires two expert technicians to keep from crumbling apart. The campaign mode does a great job of coming up with challenges and a wide variety of maps to work with as well as very unique scenarios. The free play does a terrific job of maintaining the laws of physics so that you can’t make a coaster that would leave Newton cursing at you. Be warned, however, as you can make coasters that physically hurt your riders if it is too extreme.

Adventure Park does a nice job of giving you options when it comes to plants and decorations so that for example one of the options is a jack-o-lantern but there are multiple colors, faces and sizes to choose from so that all your decorations don’t look alike, you have a chance to really create your own unique vision.

Last Call:
Adventure Park is a solid theme park simulator that allows you to both play a structured game if you want completing challenges and still allows you the free play option that makes it possible to make the park of your dreams without worrying about failing missions. There is depth to the game such as needs for trash cans, bathrooms and price setting but at the same time it doesn’t bog you down so greatly that you lose the joy of making roller coasters, which is really the draw to this type of game in the first place. I recommend this for any city or theme park simulator fan.

[easyreview title=”Adventure Park Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″ ]

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Sid Meier’s Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies Review (PC/Steam)

2013/11/09

Ripper71

News, Reviews, Windows PC News, Windows PC Review

Sid Meier’s Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies was a surprising pleasure to play. It is hard to imagine a turn-based dog fighting game as being particularly exciting – generally, when you think of the action in a dog fighting game, it is the enemy doing a high speed pass and strafe as you try to climb on their six and let loose with your guns. You still get to do that in a way, just in a top down more strategical sense.

Description:
Take flight over the treacherous Pacific waters where ace pilots redefine historic World War II battles! Skillfully pilot the most iconic American and Japanese fighter planes of the Pacific War while representing the army or navy. Upgrade your fighters and promote your leading pilots so they master new skills needed to ambush an enemy VIP, rescue POW pilots or torpedo bomb enemy targets! Can you turn the tide of war? Or will you go down in flames to an enemy ace?

Features:
– Enlist in over 180 missions set in iconic WWII battles like Pearl Harbor, Midway and Guadalcanal
– Expertly pilot fleets of American or Japanese aircraft while representing the army or navy
– Earn promotions, equipment upgrades and advanced Ace maneuvers
– Personalize your pilot profile and aircraft to set you apart in battle
– Single Player campaign & Hot Seat Multiplayer missions with leaderboards

Hands On:
This time you are trading in your biplanes for the dogs of WWII as you fight the Japanese using all the aerial maneuvers of some of the best aircraft ever built for sky combat.
You start the game with a rookie crew, two of which get a specialty and two of which have to earn them down the road. You select a nation and armed force, how difficult you want the game to be between easy and impossible then you start turn-based strategic gameplay to see just how well you hold up against the AI or if you choose a friend who can take turns at the keyboard. When you get a hit it cuts to a short animation showing your attack before going back to top down battle. You have a beginning set of moves you can do such as banking left and diving but you learn ace tricks and gain such abilities as being able to do a loop or a roll. In early missions these don’t prove so necessary but it later ones it can mean the difference between winning or splashing down.

Players can concentrate on leveling just one or two of your pilots but it is best to get your whole four man squadron some stick time otherwise you might find yourself needing to take up three pilots in later missions and only having two that aren’t green. The gameplay is hexagonal turn-based with limited movement, it doesn’t tell you that action points are being used but if you have played the Jagged Alliance series or many of the other Sid Meier titles this is quick and easy to pick up and surprisingly addictive for what seems like simple turn-based play.

Last Call:
Sid Meier’s Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies isn’t an original gameplay or concept because it doesn’t have to be. Fans of this kind of strategic hexagonal turn-based action will eat this game up and come back for seconds, thirds, heck there are four air forces to choose from and multiple difficultly levels, replay is practically guaranteed for fans of this genre. Count me among them, I plan to go back and test my metal in the Pacific skies again real soon.

[easyreview title=”Sid Meier’s Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″ ]