The Gamer Guide - Issue 11

The Preamble

So, you have stumbled across The Gamer Guide and you are wondering, “Why do I need a guide to gaming?” Well, we will not guide you on how to game, but we will keep you informed as to what the gaming industry has to offer to get you the best gaming experience! Now, the second thing you are probably wondering is, “How did The Gamer Guide start?” Well, it can be a slightly long story. However, the shortened version is that the journey of three Twitch streamers brought them together, and with their passion for gaming, their experiences of streaming, and their love for everything within the world of entertainment… The Gamer Guide was born.

But what exactly is The Gamer Guide? The Gamer Guide is a digital magazine that focuses on everything gaming and streaming. This includes the latest/upcoming releases, reviews on gaming accessories, streaming tips, and even interviews with streamers and industry professionals from across the globe. Our readership is predominantly other gamers and streamers, just like us! We understand that the love and passion for gaming extends far beyond just playing a game, and that is what we are all about!

So, who are the people behind this magazine?

Cal Howie - Operations Director

Cal, also known as EyeStayProd has been streaming since September 2020 and loves everything about it whether it be the community, the rage moments or even just having fun and brightening people’s days! Predominantly he is an Xbox Gamer and recently added the Series X to his arsenal, but he also has a PS4 for certain games as well as having the Nintendo Switch to hand! His game of choice is Apex Legends but is no stranger to RPGs and other games, such as every Pokémon game in the franchise, the Fable Series, Call of Duty amongst loads more.

Brandon Sawyer - Content Director

Brandon, also known as Sawyers Gaming Central or Sawyer for short has been streaming since April 2020 and absolutely loves everything about it from the communities to the gameplays and reactions even a couple of rages thrown in there on a couple of occasions, but mostly he just loves to have fun and make people laugh which he can be quite hilarious at times! Predominantly he is an Xbox Gamer where he mostly plays his Xbox Series X but also has a gaming pc, a Nintendo switch, and even a Playstation. Sawyer is mainly a variety streamer where his main love is Gears of war and RPGs and due to Sawyers background he has come on board with The Gamer Guide as the Content Director, so we’re sure you’ll all learn to love this familiar face and don’t hesitate to pop by and say hi!

Emily Welfare - Creative Director

Emily, also known as CreativeTrashGaming, started streaming in the latter half of 2020 with the goal of bringing a bit of joy and laughter to the world, as well as the aim of raising money for various charities.Her favourite types of games are those with a compelling story, or those that just make her inner Fantasy Nerd go ballistic. She also likes spooky stuff, not just in the gaming realm but in general, and has a podcast with her two sisters where they discuss all things horror. Emily loves to dabble in the art world often, creating digital art pieces and learning new crafts. A graphics designer in her full time job, Emily is an integral part of the team whom designs the entire layout of our magazines from top to bottom!

The Gamer Guide's Tabletop Corner panel at london mcm comic con 2022

We were extremely lucky to have had front row seats to a long-anticipated panel on the new and upcoming Dungeons and Dragons: Honour Among Thieves film at London MCM Comic Con October 2022. Directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, along with producer Jeremy Latcham, were all sat on the stage answering our many burning questions about the movie, talking about the process, the cast and the overall inspiration behind it. Not only this, but we were treated to a couple of exclusive clips from the movie itself (top secret!) just to tease us a little bit!

The three members on the stage were adamant that they wanted to make a movie that was a homage to Dungeons and Dragons, having been players themselves since they were children. They worked very closely with Wizards of The Coast on the use of their IP, visiting their offices in Seattle and having extremely in-depth conversations about what they wanted to do. It turns out that Wizards of The Coast actually added some elements to the official Icewind Dale setting (where the movie is set) in order to accommodate the movie, which is pretty cool! Jonathan talked about how he spoke with the representatives about wanting to be as accurate as possible, however they responded with, “Try to be authentic vs accurate!”

To them, it was more about the ‘Rule of Cool’ rather than trying to make every single detail accurate, so the directors ran with that advice when making the movie. I am in agreement with WoTC when they say that it is about what you do with the story of D&D rather than trying to be as accurate as possible. The fun of this game is that you can take the rules and bend them to suit your individual campaigns. It’s what makes it super unique!

When the crew first got the cast together, they wanted to ensure that they were all in the know about the very game that the movie was based on, so upon their first rehearsal, they simply played a game of D&D! Honestly, I couldn’t think of a better way to break the ice with everyone than playing a game together. The directors were delighted to find that the cast worked extremely well together when playing and knew that they had made the right choice in making them the main characters in the film. The filming process itself took over 7 months in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Due to them filming during the pandemic, the process took a little longer than it usually would, but they managed to power through it. They wanted to ensure that they had an emphasis on more physical effects rather than purely digital, having hired puppeteers in order to achieve some more of those authentic movements of some of the creatures. The directors spoke about wanting to put as many of the incredible monsters and beasts in the movie as possible, without seeming like they were attempting to lecture the audience about them and going overboard, which was a real challenge.

I honestly went into this panel feeling cautiously optimistic about this movie, but after hearing how much these guys love D&D and seeing some of the clips, I came out feeling very excited about it instead. As much as I haven’t seen the full movie yet, I feel as though this movie will be excellent and a true homage to a game that so many of us adore.

Now to wait until March 2023!

the gamer guide at mcm london comic con 0ct 2022

Back in late October team The

this year’s

take a

Guide was

enough to be

There was tons of people dressed up like many comic cons before we even saw an eight-foottall Chewbacca, God of War’s Kratos, a multitude of Peter Parkers, Bruce Wayne, Chainsaw Man, Silent Hill’s Pyramid Head and even a cosplayer costumed as the Deep with an octopus. One of the first things you realise, as was pointed out to me by a fellow cosplayer is that regardless of whether this is your first or fifteenth Comic Con experience, there is absolutely no shame in what you wear, and nobody will judge you on your chosen attire (within reason).

Let’s break down the weekend a bit more because it was a busy one. We attended from Friday to Sunday and we were adamant to spend as little money as possible. However, I ended up buying a ton of Dragonball merchandise including Criminal Damage’s new Dragonball range which I must say is fantastic! When it comes to money, it’s best to plan ahead and if possible, avoid ATM machines due to hidden charges and some food stalls only taking cash.

The weekend itself was an invaluable memory. Sentimentality triumphs over excessive spending. Once you’ve navigated a half-mile of queues (which can be bypassed pretty fast since it’s always moving), and you get inside, particularly for any newbies reading this, it can take a moment to adjust to the numbers. On Saturday, there were millions of people, and that’s not an

understatement. Sunday, it died down a tad, but it was still heaving. Unless you’ve researched and planned out your entire day before arriving, for most, the weekend will be spent walking. You’ll be clocking up some serious feet mileage. It’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with the two main buildings at the Excel Centre. The S building and the N building.

They probably have actual names, but let’s be honest, nobody’s thinking about that when you’re getting selfies with Chewbacca. Take some time to get your bearings and explore as much as you can. It’s best not to splash your cash on the first stall you find with your favourite things but to search around a bit more first. This way, you might find the same thing for a better price. I did come home with a few trinkets vas mentioned above Dragonball merch!

The biggest expenditure of the weekend for fans in my opinion will have been the photo op on Saturday afternoon with three incarnations of the Doctor from Doctor Who. Three out of ten off the list: Peter Davison, Sylvester McCoy, and Paul McGann. There is, sadly, a drawback to the photo op. You will pay a lot of money to queue, jump into a booth, and stand with them before your picture is taken. Then you’re escorted out, and that’s it. Done.

From my experience, it could be preferable to grab

Gamer

lucky

provided with some Press passes for

London MCM Comic Con in which we attended and can’t thank the MCM team enough for their great hospitality, So why not

moment to read below our take and what we got up to.

an autograph and pay extra for a photo. Autographs allow you to actually speak to them, and it’s overall a more direct, intimate, and personal experience. It’s a preferential thing, so it’s best to consider your options before you decide.

The rest of the weekend was occupied by a lot of walking, catching a glimpse of Tomska (the ASDF creator) amid long queues. I grabbed a snap of the TARDIS and new costumes for the 60thanniversary specials and played video games (Halo 3 on the Xbox 360 and Gran Turismo 4 on the PS2). If you didn’t know, you can play for free on a range of consoles from the Xbox 360, Playstation 2, 3, and Nintendo Gamecube. Queue up, grab a controller of choice, pick a case, and you’ll be given the disc to play. It’s a good opportunity to get all nostalgic for the consoles of yesteryear.

On Saturday evening however we managed to catch the World Cosplay Crown Championship Finals which you can read all about and see some amazing photos from our team on the next page.

To Summarise as someone who has only been once before, Comic Con is an experience worth living at least once or maybe twice in my case. Most importantly, the things to remember would be to spend wisely and set a budget, drink plenty of water and have some nibbles to hand. Be courteous to other cosplayers if you ask them to take their photo (often people are pretty friendly and will let you, but ask anyway), and most importantly, enjoy yourself. It’s all about what you take from the day. Big thank you to MCM once again for the press passes! and here’s to the next one.

The cosplay central crown championships 2022

One of the main attractions to this particular comic con this year was the final of the Cosplay Central Crown Championships. Throughout multiple other events, this competition has been seeking out the best of the best in the cosplay community, judging contestants by not just their skills in costume making (whether that is via accuracy or original design), but also in their performance on-stage. Contestants come from all over the world, representing their country with their incredible works of art. We were lucky enough to have the final at MCM Comic Con this year, with the announcement that further finals will be hosted at this event in the future.

First of all, I cannot begin to express how incredible all of the contestants were at the final. The amount of talent that graced us on the stage was truly amazing, both in the making of their costumes and the performances they gave. It must have been both incredibly daunting and exciting to be able to be on such a large stage with a big audience cheering them on!

It is hard to pinpoint the most memorable cosplays out of the bunch, because they were all so well done, but I will mention a few here, including our fabulous winner!

Starting with the third place winner, and representing Poland, we have Opiekun (@opiekun. studio), who cosplayed the one and only Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher 3. The moment he stepped out onto the stage, the lights pointed downwards as he knelt onto the floor and began to meditate, I knew we were in for a good performance. Thanks to the wonderful staff at MCM, I was able to sit directly in front of the stage to take photos, and got to see the costume up close. Every detail was thought about, and his performance as he attacked the training dummies sold it through and through.

Before his performance was a short video where he had the opportunity to talk about the making of the costume, the difficulties (if any) he faced, what new things he learned etc. It was really nice seeing the people out of the costume gushing over cosplay and how much they love it. In the end, he walked away with third place, and I’m so happy for him!

In second place, and representing Latvia, came Papavego who made an amazing cosplay of a Spear Marshall from Guild Wars 2. They accompanied their costume with a great performance of the Spear Marshall exploring and fighting off a skeletal creature, which was very entertaining!

The cosplay itself was incredibly detailed and full of colour. The moment they stepped out onto the stage I was incredibly impressed with how much attention to small elements there was. It also looked quite comfortable with the way they were moving in it but who knows about that one!

I was especially impressed with the armour and weapons. The details were not just painted on. Papavego mentioned that they had tried moulding and casting for the first time when creating the weapons and other parts of the costume. When watching their performance, I thought the whole cosplay just moved really well and looked fantastic under the stage lights, especially the golden areas!

Papavego mentioned that for this particular cosplay, they tried making the shoes from scratch for the first time, which ended up being one of the most sturdiest elements of the costume despite their fears of the opposite. Overall, they most definitely deserved second place in the competition with the amount of effort put into the outfit!

Representing the UK was AmazonianCosplay cosplaying Sansa Stark from Game of Thrones. I cannot emphasise enough how loudly I gasped when she stepped out onto the stage (it was slightly embarrassing, being next to other professional photographers and audibly gasping, but oh well)!

Accompanied by a spine-chilling performance where she gave a speech of Sansa’s journey from childhood to queenhood, Beth (AmazonCosplay) truly sold her cosplay to every single member of the audience and the judges! Her cosplay took a full 3 years to create, using every technique you could possibly think of. One year was purely dedicated to hand embroidering the red leaves on the inside of the sleeves. Beth did an obscene amount of research on the costume, going as far as choosing the same fabrics that were used in the show in order to make it as screen-accurate as possible. Thousands of beads and crystals weresewn into the costume along with 25 metres of feathers.

The main part of the costume that I was staring at the most was the armour, and for good reason. The detail was second to none, and when I found out that she had made this from actual steel, my jaw dropped! I couldn’t help but wonder how heavy that breastplate must have been to wear. Perhaps one day we will find out! Every single piece of this costume, along with the incredible performance, was phenomenal, and it seems that the judges agreed. Beth was rightfully awarded first place in the competition!

It was such a well-deserved win. It was so clear with every stitch how much time and effort went into this costume, and I’m so glad she got the recognition that she definitely deserves. Well done to you, AmazonCosplay!

As mentioned before, the calibre and talent that this competition held was incredible. Every single contestant was a winner, and I would not be doing them justice if I also didn’t mention them (unfortunately some of my pictures did not come out so well, so apologies for missing a few people!).

Representing Spain was Usafitxo, who made an amazing cosplay of Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. Her entire performance was full of colour and wimsy, with lots of props and best of all: bubbles! Her joyful presence on the stage truly made me smile, and the dress she had made was stunning! I especially loved the poppy details on the belt and back of the dress, as a little nod to that iconic scene in the poppy field!

With a stunning cosplay of Princess Zelda from The Legend of Zelda came Pinyamiu, repesenting Finland! She stepped out onto the stage with grace and poise, truly chanelling Zelda. The costume was so rich in colour and the details were stunning. The moment she began to dance with her fans, I was transfixed (I don’t think my pictures did it justice!).

From Hungary was Puffancs Cosplay, who walked out onto the stage as Ciri from The Witcher. Along with a performance of Ciri showing off her swordsmanship, Puffancs Cosplay had stunning

armour made from foam (though it looked like actual metal from the amount of effort she put into the weathering!). She also made all of the chainmail herself, whcih I can only imagine took an obscene amount of time!

Repesenting Italy was Kikyo, coslaying Sailor Moon. Her performance was lovely and really made me smile, as big Sailor Moon fan! I loved the little details that she put on her costume and she really sold it along with the performance.

Coming from the Netherlands was SweetMara cosplaying Clara from The Nutcracker. I loved her costume, especially with how the skirt moved when she twirled. The golden elements to it were highly detailed and I was beyond impressed with the performance as well. There were so many props and little elements that were used and it really sold the entire cosplay!

A few others have not been mentioned due to not having photos, but that doesn’t mean they were not any less impressive! ProsandConsCosplay (USA) had a beautiful cosplay of Love Nikki with an impressive amount of detailing, and Korawui (Switzerland) with her absolutely gorgeous cosplay of Miss Noir from Sakizo Illustrator. Every single one of these contestants were absolutely incredible and they all deeserved a place on that stage. I only hope that they heard and felt all of the love coming from the audience!

This month we worked with an amazing bunch of people from a wonderful Company called BigBadToyStore which many of you may have heard of if you’re from the USA, They sent us a bunch of goodies which we got the chance to dive into open up and review, so who are BigBadToyStore for those who do not know well let us introduce you.

After graduating college in 1999 Joel Boblit The founder of Big Bad Toy Store decided to try selling toys full time before looking for a “real job” (his exact words).

He started the summer with a few boxes of vintage Transformers and got to work. The summer was quickly consumed by purchasing large collections of figures and reselling them individually on eBay. Packing and shipping orders by day and listing auctions by night. By the end of summer Joel had amassed a small storage unit worth of inventory and had shipped thousands of figures out to auction winners. He then spent the next 3 months buying and selling on eBay and then decided that it was time to expand and begin selling brand new items at retail. It was this decision in the fall of 1999 that led to the creation of Big Bad Toy Store with his brother Dan Boblit. Dan created a basic ecommerce website for them back in 1999 which led to the first launch with a pallet of Beast Machines Transformers from Hasbro.

The first shipment of Beast Machines sold through almost immediately and then they knew they were really onto something! In 2000 Dan then launched an updated version of the site. From 2000 to 2005 they used the website to greatly expand our selection and infrastructure. During this time, Joel and Dans parents Lynn and Terry quit their jobs and came to work with them living out the big American dream. They then proceeded to fill up their garage, house, and eventually a renovated barn with inventory.

Their business was rapidly growing out of control and caused them to struggle to keep up with it. The family of four were all working very hard Joel quote that it must have been at least over 100 hours per week for 5 years trying to manage the incredible growing pains. This business was completely self-funded through scary amounts of six-figure credit card debt as well as home equity credit lines and high interest personal loans. Thanks to extremely hard work and great customers the risk eventually paid off and BigBadToyStore made it through those difficult formative years. They then went on to build a 12,000 square foot warehouse in 2003 and began to hire outside employees.

During this same period of time Dan spent around 10,000 hours programming the website that has become so familiar to so many today. Their long time Pile of Loot site launched in October 2005 and was a huge step for BigBadToyStore. This site introduced the Pile of Loot, Collector’s Grade, and an ever increasing pre-order selection. This version of their site ran from October 2005 to early 2017 and millions and millions of toys were shipped out during that time. In 2007 they had even doubled their warehouse to 24,000 square feet and then added on again in 2011, bringing the total square footage to 52,000 square feet. The warehouse has continued to grow in recent years, bringing their now total of 120,000 square feet plus an additional off-site storage. The warehouse is currently stuffed full of awesome items waiting to be added to collections.

The Team over at BigBadToyStore noted that they have had so much fun over the years building this family business into the much larger organisation it is today. And even their parents are still working as hard as ever even though the father of the founder Terry who has now retired from BigBadToyStore still comes in and ploughs the snow and even mows the lawn at the warehouse. Not to mention their mother Lynn who still works as the General Manager and is a caring mentor to many of Their employees. Dan handles operations, website development, and makes sure everything goes according to plan. Joel oversees relationships with vendors, finance, purchasing, marketing, and long term strategy. They have an amazing group of employees who help make BigBadToyStore run smoothly each day and are very thankful for them.

The team would like to note that they have built this company on trust and our relationship with their customers old and new. They value your opinions and will do whatever they can to keep you happy.

Package Grading

Many retailers tend to ignore the importance of collecting or not be operationally designed to support collecting. This is what makes BigBadToyStore different: they recognize collecting and have the functional systems in place to accommodate the collector. Their entire website, warehouse, and system are built around the idea that a collector should be able to choose the condition of their product and receive it in that condition when they open their package.

Summary

This wonderful company really looked after us here over at The Gamer Guide by supplying us with some of their products from Halo to Star Wars and even Dragonball which all came very carefully packed nice sturdy boxes handled with care we couldn’t fault them at all, all items arrived super quickly and to the UK with full tracking and zero damages what more could you want, they seem to be also unbeaten on price and have in stock many products many do not have. We highly recommend that you check these great bunch of people out for all your gaming, anime and or movie related merchandise, from action figures to porcelain Totoro kettles they really do it all!

OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF NEW GAMING RANGE: RODE X!

After more than three years in development, RØDE has announced the launch of its highly anticipated streaming and gaming division, RØDE X. Building on RØDE’s legacy as the world’s leading audio brand for content creators, RØDE X is dedicated to developing high-performance audio solutions specifically for streamers and gamers. The launch marks the first time in its history that RØDE has introduced a sub-brand to its iconic portfolio and is a significant step in the evolution of the company.

RØDE X distils the same passion for innovation, accessibility and Australian-made quality that RØDE is renowned for into a new range of cuttingedge audio solutions that meet the unique needs of streamers and gamers. The new division employs a dedicated streaming and gaming R&D department appointed to developing a brand-new product line, of which the first three products are available worldwide today: UNIFY, a virtual mixing solution custom-designed for streaming and gaming, and two new professional USB microphones – the XDM-100 dynamic USB microphone and XCM-50 condenser USB microphone.

“We are incredibly excited about the launch of RØDE X,” said RØDE CEO Damien Wilson. “For more than three decades, RØDE has been the goto audio brand for the world’s creators. We have made it our mission to provide professional audio solutions to musicians, filmmakers, podcasters and broadcasters. Listening to and learning from creators is what we do and has led to the development of groundbreaking products like the VideoMic, RØDECaster Pro and Wireless GO. Now we’re doing the same for streamers and gamers.”

The hero of the RØDE X launch range is UNIFY. Designed to be the ultimate audio software for streamers and gamers, UNIFY consolidates functionality that would otherwise require multiple applications into one easy-to-use solution. This includes routing and mixing up to four USB microphones or other audio devices and up to six virtual audio sources (including game, chat, music and browser applications) in one intuitive interface; creating independent sub-mixes for different outputs, including their livestream, headphones and chat; adding studiograde audio processing to microphone channels; triggering on-the-fly voice* and sound effects; multitrack recording and more. UNIFY is the most advanced audio software available for streamers and gamers, offering cutting-edge features with RØDE’s legendary user accessibility and ease of use. The software comes free with all RØDE X products or is available for purchase as a monthly or yearly subscription for use with any other USB audio product.

“UNIFY is a huge step forward for streaming and gaming audio technology,” said Senior Product Manager Chris Beech. “Throughout development, we spent countless hours researching exactly what streamers and gamers need from audio software and worked tirelessly to implement every feature while ensuring it is as simple to use as possible. From professional streamers with complex technical requirements to casual gamers who want to take their audio to the next level, UNIFY is the perfect solution.”

Alongside UNIFY in the range are two brand-

new microphones: the XDM-100 and XCM-50.

The XDM-100 is a professional dynamic USB microphone that delivers rich, broadcast audio ideal for streaming and gaming. It features premium circuitry with RØDE’s ultra-low-noise, high-gain Revolution Preamp™ and high-resolution 24-bit/48 kHz analog-digital conversion ensuring pristine audio quality. Its studio-grade dynamic capsule and tight cardioid polar pattern offer excellent clarity with superior rejection of room noise and keyboard or mouse clicks, and it comes with a high-quality pop shield and shock mount for mitigating unwanted pops, knocks and bumps. A high-power headphone output provides flawless zero-latency audio monitoring and playback, complete with hands-on level control and microphone mute functionality.

The XCM-50 is a professional condenser USB microphone also optimised for streaming and gaming. It delivers highly detailed voice reproduction with incredible warmth and presence thanks to its full frequency response. It too features a high-power headphone output complete with a level control and mute button, and an internal pop shield and capsule shock mount provide protection from pops, knocks and bumps. To make getting started even easier, the XCM-50 comes with a desktop tripod and features an integrated 360-degree swing mount for flexible mic positioning.

Both microphones feature powerful internal digital signal processing (DSP), which can be unlocked using UNIFY. This allows users to add advanced APHEX® audio processing to their voice –including a compressor, noise gate, high-pass filter, and the legendary Aural Exciter™ and Big Bottom™ effects – with full granular control over every parameter for crafting their own signature sound. Together, UNIFY and a RØDE X microphone offer a complete audio solution for streaming or gaming with the full capabilities of a professional broadcast studio.

These products are the first in the RØDE X range, with more slated for release in 2023 and beyond. “The launch of RØDE X marks an exciting new era for RØDE,” said Damien Wilson. “In addition to these two incredible microphones and UNIFY, we have a suite of groundbreaking products currently in development that are going to shape the future of audio for streaming and gaming. This is just the beginning.”

The XCM-50 is available now for US $149 and the XDM-100 is available for US $249. UNIFY is available to download from rodex.com/unify. It is free with any RØDE X microphone or can be purchased on a subscription basis for AUD $7.99 monthly or AUD $69.99 annually.

Our wonderful friends over at RØDE were kind enough to hook us up with a XDM-100 & a XCM50 plus a lifetime subscription to UNIFY. We can’t thank them enough for working with us yet again on another amazing launch from RØDE.

So what do we think well after trying and testing both microphones you can really see the difference in the two with the dynamics of both being very premium and selecting either option would really enhance your studio, the XCM-50 is much smaller and compact and does not produce the bang you

get for your buck if opting for the XDM-100 which is much more premium on quality sounds and a bigger unit.

if you are on a budget then i would highly recommend the XCM-50 much more advanced than RØDEs previous NT Mini but if your willing to drop a few more then go for the XDM-100 it will really boost your content and sound quality and the price youtube pay for this beats anything on the market at the moment in time, once again RØDE gets our high 9/10 TGG stamp of approval. So what are you waiting for head over to their store and or socials which are listed below.

www.rode.com

Facebook: @rodemic

Twitter: @rodemics

Instagram: @rodemic

YouTube: @rodemicrophones

behind the sims summit 2022

For the past 22 years, The Sims™ has been an incredible platform of creativity for generations of players that expands opportunities for player experimentation, self-discovery and imaginative expression.

While we are proud of the impact the game has had on people around the world, we are constantly challenging ourselves to find new ways for players to explore life without boundaries. We are all-in on The Sims, and will continue to build innovative, creative play and meaningful stories for the future. If you missed Behind The Sims Summit hosted by comedian Phoebe Robinson, you can watch it below.

Here’s a look at what’s to come for The Sims.

• The Sims 4 base game is now available for free, with more content being developed into the foreseeable future

• The next generation of The Sims is currently in development

• The Sims is building on its relationships with creators

• Exciting new updates for The Sims Free Play and The Sims Mobile

The Sims 4 Base Game is Now Available for Free, With More Content Developed into the Foreseeable Future

Beginning October 18, The Sims 4 base game will be available to all new players to download for free on PC via EA App or Origin™, Mac® via Origin, Steam®, PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One systems.

With The Sims 4 base game launching for free, now is the perfect time for new players to experience the magic of The Sims and discover new ways to play, tell stories, and build your dream creations. We are committed to bringing new content in the form of packs, kits, free updates, and Sims Delivery Express drops to The Sims 4 into the foreseeable future. As a sneak peak of what’s to come, during the Behind The Sims Summit we took a look at early concept developments that will be featured in future The Sims 4 expansion packs. We’re also excited to share that infants will be arriving in early 2023! As a thank you to our players for their support, celebration rewards are available across The Sims 4, The Sims Free Play and The Sims Mobile including a variety of tattoos to adorn your Sims, and a special Plumbob ceiling fan - all free, and already available in your games!

The Next Generation of The Sims in Development

The Sims team is building the next generation game and creative platform, reimagining The Sims that players know and love with even more new ways to play.

The game, which is currently in its very early stages of development, has a working title “Project Rene.” This name was chosen to be reminiscent of words like renaissance and rebirth to represent the team’s renewed commitment for The Sims’ bright future. Project Rene will fundamentally evolve how Sims think and behave, how players create and customize their worlds, and innovate in entirely new ways. To start, we are experimenting with creative tools, a key part of The Sims’ DNA, and taking a look at what has worked before and how we can offer more flexibility to help with building and decorating in-game.

With Project Rene, players will have the choice to play solo or collaborate with others and will have the ability to play their game across supported devices. The Sims has always evolved to reflect our players and their experiences, and we are building on that foundation to encourage creativity and the ability to tell meaningful stories. This is just a first glimpse of what the team is working on, and we will continue to share more information on the game’s development and milestones along the way.

Evolving Our Relationships with Creators

For the first time in The Sims history, there will be a new destination for The Sims 4 players to download mods and custom content in a moderated, curated space through our new collaboration with Overwolf, the operators of CurseForge, a mod manager and discovery platform for user generated content. For years, The Sims community has been expanded by modders and custom content creators, and today marks a big step forward in recognizing and celebrating their contributions. We’re empowering creators to give to the community by introducing a destination to host their incredible creations and allow even more players to download user generated content for The Sims 4.

We will not require modders and creators to move to or use the CurseForge platform. This collaboration is intentionally providing a supplementary experience to existing avenues for modding as well as providing a moderated

platform with an additional level of security. When downloading custom content there is some risk, so always back up your data, and proceed with caution as you venture into the world of mods. When the platform launches, it will include content from some of your favourite creators. More to come on that and some very exciting special events soon! Be sure to follow The Sims 4 and Overwolf for updates.

Exciting new updates for The Sims Free Play and The Sims Mobile

We wanted to share new updates and new improvements coming to The Sims Free Play and The Sims Mobile. Available from today, players of The Sims Free Play can look forward to improved appearances of Sim’s faces for preteen, teenager, adult and elderly life stages for the first time since the games’ release! As part of our ongoing efforts to improve representation; hairstyles, glasses and earrings are also now shared across all genders. In addition, the annual “Christmas in the Heir” seasonal quest will be coming to the game in December 2022 with a new special story. Plus, build and live in your own luxury superyacht, a feature that is coming to the game in early 2023. Download or update your game from the app store today!

For The Sims Mobile, we heard what our Simmers want and we have a big update. We all love balconies and with the new build/buy addition coming to a phone near you during the holidays this year, Simmers can customize balconies and decorate them with beautiful barriers.

The game awards 2022 recap

The Game Awards 2022 have just wrapped up, and we have provided coverage of the big event as it happened. This show was in line with previous events. We saw a handful of awards sandwiched between numerous world premiere trailers and advertisements. And it wouldn’t be The Game Awards without random celebrity appearances, such as Al Pacino and Michael Madson. The Last of Us HBO series also showed up for good measure.

As far as the winners are concerned, Elden Ring took home the crown for game of the year. God of War Ragnarök was the other big title of the night as it won numerous awards. Kratos voice actor Christopher Judge also took up the most time with his acceptance speech, but we don’t need to talk about that much further. In terms of exciting game reveals, we saw new trailers for Star Wars: Jedi Survivor, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty and Final Fantasy XVI. We also saw several new indie games get announced. Overall, we saw a diverse range of games people can look forward to in 2023 and beyond. Below, you’ll find our live posts from the event. You can also watch The Game Awards in case you missed it.

THE GAME AWARDS 2022 WINNERS LIST

• Games for Impact: As Dusk Falls

• Best Esports Athlete: Jacob “Yay” Whiteaker

• Best Esports Team: LOUD

• Best Esports Coach: Matheus “bzkA” Tarasconi

• Best Esports Event: 2022 League of Legends World Championship

• Best Audio Design: God of War Ragnarök

• Best Independent Game: Stray

• Best Debut Indie Game: Stray

• Best Performance: Christopher Judge, God of War Ragnarök

• Best Action: Bayonetta 3

• Best Art Direction: Elden Ring

• Best Role Playing Game: Elden Ring

• Best Score & Music: God of War Ragnarök

• Content Creator of the Year: Ludwig

• Best Multiplayer Game: Splatoon 3

• •

• Best Mobile Game: Marvel Snap

• Best Narrative: God of War Ragnarök

• Best Action/Adventure: God of War Ragnarök

• Best Ongoing Game: Final Fantasy XIV

• Best Community Support: Final Fantasy XIV

• Innovation in Accessibility: God of War Ragnarök

• Best Sports/Racing: Gran Turismo 7

• Best Game Direction: Elden Ring

• Best Esports Game: Valorant

• Best Family Game: It Takes Two

• Best Fighting Game: Kirby and the Forgotten Land

• Best Strategy Game: Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope

• Most Anticipated Game: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

• Game of the Year: Elden Ring

We covered The Game Awards 2021 around this time last year, and the show had its ups and downs. It was unbelievably long and spent more time on advertisements than it did on actually distributing awards. On the other hand, we did see some cool game announcements, including Sonic Frontiers, Star Trek: Resurgence and Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade’s PC port. We have to assume that the show will follow the same basic format this year, so we’d recommend having a game at hand to keep you busy during all the ads.

One game that fans are hoping to see tonight is Final Fantasy XVI. The next entry in the mainline Final Fantasy series is currently slated to debut in summer 2023 and will be exclusive to the PS5 for at least six months. We’ve seen a few isolated clips of the game’s story and gameplay, but we’ve yet to see an extended preview of either element. Naoki Yoshida, the game’s producer, will make an appearance at The Game Awards tonight — and that’s about all we know so far. We expect that Yoshida, whom fans affectionately call “Yoshi-P,” will discuss FF16, but that’s not a guarantee. After all, Yoshi-P is also the director of Final Fantasy XIV, the ongoing MMORPG. But we think that tonight is probably FF16’s time to shine. Call it a hunch.

One game we know for sure that we’ll see during The Game Awards is Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. This sequel to 2019’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order will continue Cal Kestis’ journey in a galaxy far, far away. EA has promised a gameplay reveal later tonight. If we had to guess, we’d say that Jedi: Survivor will be a third-person action/adventure game with big, explorable levels and refined lightsaber combat — but this time around, maybe either the platforming or the combat will feel a little more fluid than before.

That’s admittedly not our most daring guess tonight, but Fallen Order was a fantastic game. “More of the same, but slightly better” is exactly what fans — including us — probably want to see from the sequel.

Another confirmed game for the Game Awards tonight is Baldur’s Gate III. The game has been in early access for quite some time, adding features piecemeal. But more than two years after Larian Studios first offered players the chance to buy the game, there’s no release date in sight. However, the company has suggested that 2023

will finally be the year that BG3 gets a full launch, with a complete story, and every promised race and class available. This is good news for Dungeons & Dragons fans, who have been waiting for a faithful video game adaptation of the popular Fifth Edition ruleset for a while. For fans of the first two Baldur’s Gate games, though, it’s less of a sure fire pitch, as it doesn’t seem to have much to do with the first two titles.

Tonight promises to be a big year as we should get our first glimpse of titles made specifically for PS5 and Xbox Series X. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for cross-gen games to go away so we can have games that fully utilize current-gen systems.

As for the awards themselves, I hope they get some more air time since the actual awards portion normally seems like an afterthought. The PlayStation Demo Fest has gone live in time for The Game Awards. Right now, you can check out indie games like Thirsty Suitors (pictured above), Season: A Letter to the Future, Bramble, and You Suck at Parking.

The demos are now available on the PlayStation Store. The titles nominated for game of the year include: Stray, A Plague Tale: Requiem, Horizon Forbidden West, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Elden Ring and God of War Ragnarök. It’s a bit insulting that so many awards get given during a preshow, but that’s how this program works. Sydnee Goodman kicks off The Game Awards pre-show. We’re shown a glimpse of the next Dead Cells DLC, which seems to be a cross-over with Castlevania. I’d say this is a good way to kick off a show!

Marvel Snap predictably wins best mobile game of the year. I say predictably since everyone on Twitter seemed to be playing it. Returnal is coming to PC. This is yet another PS exclusive coming to computers. This one is noteworthy because it’s the first PS5 exclusive to come to PC, whereas previous PS exclusives were on PS4. Does this signify a change in direction?

Multiversus wins the best fighting game of the year. I played the open beta and found it good at what it presents, even if I don’t care for Smash Bros. clones. But shout out to the team for winning! Okay, this is awesome. There’s a new Hell boy game coming! I love how it captures the art style of the original comics. Let’s hope this is good.

After this, we got a barrage of esports-related awards. Hilarious how they just rattled off the winners. No one accepted the awards.

We have a number of world premiere trailers for Horizon: Call of the Mountain, Post Trauma and Viewfinder. The most notable is clearly Horizon: Call of the Mountain since it’s a PS VR2 exclusive. Relic Hunters, Scars Above (pictured above) and Atomic Hearts get some new trailers. Not sure if these are part of the show or simply ads, but nice to see them regardless.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League gets a new trailer. Most importantly, this trailer lead to a tribute to the late great Kevin Conroy. Mister Conroy will voice Batman in the game, which is certainly a good thing.

Among Us: Hide n Seek gets announced. I don’t understand the appeal of this game. I find it very ‘sus.

We also get a trailer for a game called After Us, which looks kind of interesting. Definitely not ‘sus. The pre-show ends with a preview of Street Fighter 6. We see new fighters and new content. Expect this one to land in June. Now, let’s get ready for the big show!

Geoff Keighley then takes the stage to kick off The Game Awards. He introduces some special guests, like Phil Spencer, Christopher Judge, Hidetaka Miyazaki, and Animal from Sesame Street.

Al Pacino, yes that Al Pacino, takes the stage. He discusses the importance of performance, so I’m guessing he’s about to list the nominees for best game narrative.

Christopher Judge wins best performance awards for his portrayal of Kratos in God of War Ragnarok. This is well deserved!

I’m surprised they’re letting Christopher Judge go on for so long. I hope this doesn’t mean they’ll cut the other presenters short. But it was nice to see him up there! We get our first glimpse of the next Hades game, named Hades II. This one seems very much in the game of the original, so fans of Hades should enjoy this one. I didn’t care for Hades so I’ll skip it. Sorry.

Judas is the new game from Bioshock creator, Ken Levine. This one has been in development for a long time so it’s great to see it finally see the light of day. Absolutely a spiritual successor to Bioshock, which I’m all for. I look forward to hearing more about Judas.

Arcane: League of Legends wins best adaptation. Kind of an upset over Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, but I’m happy for those involved in this project. Also happy for the fans of the show and game. Star Wars: Jedi Survivor gets a brand new trailer and it looks phenomenal. I was a huge fan of Jedi Fallen Order and cannot wait to play the sequel. It will run on Unreal Engine 5 and be exclusive to current-gen consoles. It arrives on March 17, 2023.

Earthblade is an upcoming indie game. It seems like another Metroidvania title, but it certainly looks gorgeous. I’ll keep an eye on it.

Dune Awakening gets a trailer. This is a survival open world MMO, which I suppose makes sense for the world of Dune. No release date for this but we’ll keep you updated.

Now this is huge. Death Stranding 2 gets a trailer. It was unclear if the game would get a sequel considering the first didn’t sell too well, but I guess dreams do come true. As is usual for a Hideo Kojima game, this title looks appropriately weird and creepy. And of course, it has a giant mech... because Kojima.

Hideo Kojima comes on stage to discuss Death Stranding 2. Or rather, not discuss anything as he was tight-lipped about the upcoming title. He did tease another game in the works as well. No idea what that could be but colour me excited. Matt Sophos takes the stage to accept the award for best narrative, which God of War Ragnarok won. This was my personal favourite story of 2022 so as far as I’m concerned this award is well deserved.

We get a rapid fire announcement of some game awards. I’ll spend as little time on these as The Game Awards did.

• Elden Ring: Best art direction

• Moss Book II: Best VR game

• Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope: Best sim game goes to Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of hope

• Final Fantasy XIV: Best community support

Tekken 8 is announced. I was more of a Virtua Fighter guy so I never got into the Tekken series. But unlike my beloved Sega fighting game franchise, Tekken at least gets new games. This one looks fun.

The award for games for impact goes to As Dusk Falls. I hate to admit that I’m not familiar with this title. Regardless, it’s good to see an indie game get shine at The Game Awards. Baldur’s Gate 3 is finally getting a full release in 2023. Baldur’s Gate is a legendary franchise so it’s awesome to see the latest game come out. I played the beta many years ago and look forward to the finished product.

Way finder is a new game from comic book legend Joe Madureira. This looks like a mix between Diablo and World of Warcraft. If you know Joe Mad, then the fact he’s behind a game like this is not surprising. Still, I was hoping for a new Darksiders game.

We get a brief musical performance for Diablo 4. I’ll admit, I have no idea if the singer is famous or not. I’m not hip with what the kids are on about these days. But, hey, at least Diablo 4 looks cool! Another round of awards.

• Gran Turismo 7: Best sport game

• Splatoon 3: Best multiplayer game.

• God of War Ragnarok: Best audio design.

• Ludwig: Best content creator of the year.

• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom: Most anticipated game.

Bayonetta 3 wins best action game of the year. This award was presented by both Joel and Ellie from The Last of Us TV show and video games. Doug Bowser accepts the award on behalf of Platinum Games. We get a trio of announcements. The first is from Bandai Namco, who briefly discusses Blue Protocol, a new online MMORPG. This seems like what you’d expect from the genre, which is either good or bad.

The second trailer is for a game called Remnant II, which seems to be heavily inspired by Dark Souls. I suppose this game distinguishes itself by having firearms... though Bloodborne already did that. Lastly, we get a trailer for a new Transformers game... which is playing an... interesting cover version of Wanted Dead or Alive from Bon Jovi.

Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores launches April 19, 2023. What’s notable about this is that this is a PS5 exclusive i.e. it won’t be coming to PS4. Hopefully this is another sign that we’re done with cross-gen games.

There’s a new trailer for The Super Mario Bros. movie. This trailer sees Mario in a town full of Toad people. It’s still weird to hear Chris Pratt voicing Mario but I think I’m getting used to it. This movie looks authentic to the games, which is more than we can say about the Sonic the Hedgehog movies. God of War Ragnarok wins best score. The game had an incredible soundtrack so this win was welldeserved. Also, this game is crushing the awards so far. I won’t be surprised if it takes home the big prize when this is all over. But we shall see!

We get some back to back trailers for Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden (pictured above), Warhammer: Space Marine and Meet Your Maker.

There’s a new Crash Bandicoot team battle game coming. I don’t really know what to make of this but it seems fun.

God of War Ragnarok wins another award, this time for best accessibility in games. Sony’s firstparty titles have become more accessible in recent years and the latest God of War game takes this ethos to the next level. Another well-deserved award.

Michael Madson takes the stage to introduce Crime Boss: Rockay City. This game has an allstar cast of Hollywood elites... even Vanilla Ice and Chuck Norris! Expect this one to arrive on March 28, 2023.

• Another slew of winners.

• Elden Ring: Best RPG

• Genshin Impact: Players voice

• Stray: Best independent game

• God of War Ragnarok: Best Action/Adventure game

• Final Fantasy XIV: Best ongoing game

Elden Ring wins best game direction. It’s awesome seeing Hidetaka Miyazaki on stage to receive the award. Also fun to see the award presented by former Nintendo of America president, Reggie Fils-Aime.

We see a new trailer for Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty. Actor Idris Elba lends his voice and likeness to this one, which is pretty awesome. Expect this DLC to drop in 2023.

FromSoftware announces Armoured Core VI is coming. People have been asking for this game for years so it’s pretty exciting to see it finally manifest. It’ll be interesting to see the studio release a mech game after non-stop Soulsborne titles. Consider me curious!

The new Final Fantasy XVI trailers look absolutely insane. I have to maintain professional composure,

but rest assured I’m extremely excited for this game. June 22, 2023 cannot come fast enough. And finally Elden Ring won game of the year! FromSoftware’s masterpiece took the win. Elden Ring was celebrated by the gaming community so it’s good that it won this award.

So that wraps it up for 2022s Game awards. It was a shame that we didn’t see a few games here and Xbox was pretty much a no show which is concerning even though they boast that there is so much lined up for 2023. We hope you enjoyed this read and we will catch you at the next one!

MICROSOFT OFFER SONY 10 YEARS OF COD

Microsoft says it offered Sony a deal that would keep the Call of Duty series on PlayStation consoles for the next ten years.

Microsoft’s proposed $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard is currently undergoing scrutiny in 16 regions across the world. One sticking point for competition regulators, including the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and the European Commission, is the Call of Duty franchise.

Microsoft offered to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation for the next ten years

Authorities are worried that Microsoft could make the Call of Duty franchise exclusive to the Xbox platform, giving Microsoft an advantage over its competition. In recent months and weeks, Microsoft has made continued promises to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation consoles to assuage both regulators and Sony. In September, it was revealed that Microsoft had offered Sony a deal to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation for “at least several more years” beyond Activision’s existing agreement with Sony. PlayStation boss Jim Ryan didn’t like that deal, calling it “inadequate on many levels.” Last month, Xbox boss Phil Spencer pledged to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation for “as long as there’s a PlayStation to ship to.”

Now, speaking with the New York Times, Microsoft has gone into a bit more detail about its latest offer to Sony, revealing that on November 11th, it had offered Sony a 10-year deal to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation. Sony declined to comment on the claim.

Sony has fiercely fought back against the acquisition at every opportunity. In September, Jim Ryan said, “Giving Microsoft control of Activision games like Call of Duty, this deal would have major negative implications for gamers and the future of the gaming industry.” In response to the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority publishing its reasons behind launching a secondary investigation into the deal, Microsoft hit back, calling the CMA’s concerns “misplaced” and that the regulator “adopts Sony’s complaints without the appropriate level of critical review.” Microsoft also accused Sony of misleading regulators, saying that the company has “overstated the importance of Call of Duty to its viability.”

In a statement to the New York Times, Ryan said it was “not true” that Sony had misled regulators, adding, Microsoft is “a tech giant with a long history of dominating industries” and that “it is highly likely that the choices gamers have today will disappear if this deal goes ahead.”

COULD we SEE AN XBOX STORE ON MOBILE?

As revealed in filings with the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) over Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft plans to build an Xbox mobile gaming store to compete with Apple and Google. In a response to the CMA (spotted by The Verge), Microsoft revealed that the acquisition would help expand the company’s presence in the mobile gaming space and that it plans to “scale the Xbox Store to mobile, attracting gamers to a new Xbox Mobile Platform.”

Microsoft wants to bring the Xbox Store to mobile

In the filing, Microsoft said: “The transaction will improve Microsoft’s ability to create a next generation game store which operates across a range of devices, including mobile as a result of the addition of Activision Blizzard’s content.

“Building on Activision Blizzard’s existing communities of gamers, Xbox will seek to scale the Xbox Store to mobile, attracting gamers to a new Xbox Mobile Platform. Shifting consumers away from the Google Play Store and App Store on mobile devices will, however, require a major shift in consumer behaviour. Microsoft hopes that by offering well-known and popular content, gamers will be more inclined to try something new.”

Activision Blizzard has numerous successful mobile games under its belt, including the likes of Call of Duty: Mobile and Candy Crush Saga.

Microsoft says it sees the acquisition as a way to expand its presence in the mobile gaming space.

“The transaction gives Microsoft a meaningful presence in mobile gaming. Mobile gaming revenues from the King division and titles such as Call of Duty: Mobile, as well as ancillary revenue, represented more than half of Activision Blizzard’s revenues in the first half of 2022. Mobile customers account for around three-quarters of its MAU,” Microsoft said.

“Microsoft currently has no meaningful presence in mobile gaming and the transaction will bring much needed expertise in mobile game development, marketing and advertising. Activision Blizzard will be able to contribute its learnings from developing and publishing mobile games to Xbox gaming studios.”

Taking on Apple and Google’s app stores would be quite the challenge, but The Verge reports Microsoft could allow developers to run their own app stores on its Xbox mobile platform and offer their own payment systems to process purchases made in apps. This could potentially sway a lot of developers to Microsoft’s platform if it goes ahead with the idea. In more news surrounding the CMA’s probe into the deal, Microsoft claimed that Sony’s existing deal with Activision prevents the publisher from putting Call of Duty on Game Pass.

Few studios in the world of video game development have the same diversity of portfolio as Asobo Studios. Whether you’re talking open-world racers, like FUEL; openworld flight simulators like Microsoft’s Flight Simulator; or linear narrative rat-puzzle games like A Plague Tale: Innocence; it’s almost impossible to pigeonhole the French developer. Usually, not hyper-focusing can be a recipe for disaster, but in 2019, with A Plague Tale: Innocence, Asobo proved that they could try their hand at anything. Not only did Innocence pass us by initially, but it did a lot of other people too. Its origins were very much of the cult hit status before it started to attract a much broader audience. It’s no surprise, then, that one of 2019’s most pleasant surprises has received a sequel.

A Plague Tale: Requiem picks up with the dynamic brother and sister duo, Amicia and Hugo, not long after the events of the first game. While it might not have been too long in-game, it was clearly long enough for Amica and the majority of France to lose their French accents, which honestly, was a nice touch in Innocence. It’s an odd adjustment to make at first, but after a few hours, Innocence’s French accents will be but a distant memory although we admit, we much preferred Innocence’s approach.

Requiem follows a pretty similar path to the first game in terms of tone, story beats and set-pieces - it’s a game that heavily focuses on the story and world building, while the stealthoriented gameplay takes a backseat. And to be completely honest, that’s more than okay with us. Because in its story, and the emotion delivered by the main characters in another set of stellar performances, lies Requiem’s true strengths.

The only real complaints from a story perspective are the introduction of certain characters and elements completely out of the blue. One character in particular, who actually becomes a major character for the back half of the game, is introduced as if you should already know who they are, when in truth, aside from the odd mention of their name, 95% of the time you meet them they have a helmet on. So, the non-helmeted reveal is just frankly baffling.

In truth though, that’s a minor complaint in the grand scheme of things. The emotionally charged performance from Charlotte McBurney and the gripping narrative tower above any issues we may have had with the game’s oversights.

A Plague Tale: Requiem is definitely a case of come for the story, stay for the story, and while the stealth-oriented gameplay is perfectly enjoyable for the most part, it’s very mechanical and prescribed, as if each scenario has a set way to deal with it. There’s almost a touch of rock, paper, scissors to the whole thing. “Oh, that guy walking through the rats with a torch, he clearly needs to have his torch extinguished.” There’s a lot of that, or enemies patrolling dangerously close to a large pot of tar, clearly indicating how you should deal with them. So much so that you can pretty much play the game on autopilot.

To be fair though, this gameplay is actually quite satisfying for the most part. Setting traps for enemy soldiers, and stalking them while in the bushes, does a great job of linking the narrative sections together. My only real wish for Requiem would be that I wish they had included a lot more puzzles. Chapter 11, a highly puzzle focused section of the game, is perhaps Requiem’s highpoint, and it’s almost

as if the game peaks there.

When it relies on throwing waves of enemies at you, Requiem’s flaws in that regard become more apparent. Those latter game combat sequences are easily the weakest aspect of the sequel. A greater focus on puzzles, and less reliance on combat and slow walking and talking scenes, would have lifted A Plague Tale: Requiem to even greater heights than it currently achieves.

From a technical perspective, the game is a bit of a mixed bag. Watching thousands upon thousands of rats decimate areas of France is a wild ride but having the game hang for seconds at a time at the most inconvenient spots is incredibly frustrating. The Xbox Series S version suffers with some crazy screen

tearing issues at times too, which definitely dilute the experience somewhat. And don’t get me started on the amount of times the AI got in my way when trying to navigate the game world!

Technical gripes aside though a Plague Tale: Requiem is a really admirable sequel to 2019’s A Plague Tale: Innocence. With an utterly heart wrenching story, a beautifully crafted original score, and some iconic cast performances, it’s a game that will almost certainly leave an impact on you. Aside from some baffling design choices, like its over-reliance on combat in the latter stages, and under reliance on puzzles, it’s hard to fault Asobo Studios’ latest entry in the franchise. We truly can’t wait for the inevitable third game!

Overall TGG Rating

A Plague Tale: Requiem is a mighty fine follow up to Innocence and will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Sure, there’s the odd interesting design choice littered throughout and the game has the odd technical issue, but other than that, Requiem is a great way to spend a weekend.

Audio

9/10

A Plague Tale: Requiem’s original score is all kinds of brilliant, from start to finish. Throw into that a superb performance from McBurney and co. and Requiem will leave a lasting impression on the ear drums.

Visuals 8/10

Considering this is a next-gen only title, it’s not really breath-taking. However, we imagine most of the next-gen aspects are in Requiem’s ridiculously impressive rat technology.

Playability 7/10

When the game relies on its stealth mechanics and environmental takedowns, it’s a joy to play. But as soon as it spams enemies your way, the game’s flaws really bubble to the surface.

Delivery 8/10

An excellent story with plenty of tension, some great set-pieces and some really cool puzzles, A Plague Tale: Requiem is a solid follow-up to Innocence, but with plenty of room to improve in what will be their inevitable third game.

[Version tested: Xbox Series X]

Reviewed by: Brandon Sawyer

2018’s God of War unearthed new layers of depth in its hero, Kratos, and God of War Ragnarök fleshes out the raging ‘god killer’ even further, while his relationship with son Atreus grows increasingly fractious. We find the musclebound father and his teen offspring in the shadow of the titular apocalyptic event, enduring the biting cold of Fimbulwinter, a three-year permafrost that has engulfed the land. Meanwhile, Odin has designs on learning the truth behind all creation. What follows is a wonderfully epic mythological yarn, unfolding across every one of the Nine Realms, from the snowy climes of Midgard to the hostile jungles of Vanaheim, the hellish fires of Muspelheim and the industrial dwarven realm of Svartalfheim. Building upon what’s come before, God of War Ragnarök is a triumphant sequel, with its fair share of new ideas, a vastly expanded world and narrative, and that same fantastically crunchy, uniquely gratifying combat.

Like the previous game, God of War Ragnarök adopts a semi-open-world structure, enabling you to freely travel between realms, navigating the larger areas by boat or wolf-drawn sled. And while there’s some familiarity in the places you’ll explore, developer Santa Monica Studio has gone to great lengths to ensure that they look and feel different, whether it’s the frozen Lake of Nine or the elven realm of Alfheim – it’s great to revisit old haunts to see how they’ve been transformed by Fimbulwinter and the intervening years. Meanwhile, Kratos and Atreus find themselves grappling with a doomladen prophecy, which, naturally, revolves around the coming of Ragnarök itself.

As Atreus strives to understand his fate, and whether he can change what has been

foretold, Kratos realises that protecting his son is growing increasingly difficult, and at some point he may have to let go. As such, there are moments that expose Kratos’ vulnerability, as he comes to terms with the futility of his efforts, and the futility of an unavoidable war. God of War Ragnarök’s story is superb, hitting all of the right beats in a well-paced and engaging saga-closing chapter, which leaves just enough threads dangling tantalisingly. When you’re not following ‘The Path’ (which is Ragnarök’s main mission arc) and engaging in spectacular boss battles with the likes of Thor, there are myriad side quests, or ‘Favours’, to complete, all of which prove enormously worthwhile, some earning armour pieces, others granting valuable upgrades.

God of War Ragnarök’s RPG aspects are more intricate and far better presented than they were in its predecessor, while the combat is a touch faster, and more fluid, more responsive, more flexible. Ostensibly, the refinements to the formula may seem subtle, but through direct comparison the improvements are obvious, conspiring to make the sequel a smoother and more inviting experience. It’s also far simpler to travel between realms, bypassing the faff of having to visit Tyr’s Temple every time you want to venture to a new region. Everything about Ragnarök is tighter and more polished –there’s very little to fault here.

But it’s the attention to detail that’s truly astonishing. Every one of the game’s realms looks utterly stunning, the art direction, by Raf Grassetti, frequently serving up jawdropping sights, be it a foreboding crimson sky, a vertiginous snow-capped mountain, or a colossal whale-like creature rising from a lake.

God of War has always revelled in building its sagas on a grand scale, and Ragnarök is no different, conjuring incredible vistas, towering characters, and even taller stories throughout its vast Norse world. Meanwhile, new abilities, items, and even a divine new weapon freshen things up, while presenting new traversal skills and opportunities for Metroidvania-style exploration.

Each visit to dwarven blacksmiths Brok and Sindri brings with it a series of decisions to carefully ponder, too, as you choose the optimum armour and shield configurations to suit your playstyle, as well as the ideal set of enchantments to slot into your amulet. There are countless builds you can assemble for Kratos, favouring raw strength over defence, or vitality, luck, and survivability to aid you in battle. Enhancing the frosty Leviathan Axe and fiery Blades of Chaos also becomes an involving affair once again, as you endeavour to increase Kratos’ power for the conflicts that

lay ahead. Atreus, too, has much more to offer, with sonic and sigil arrows – the former ideal for stunning enemies, while the latter amplify elemental effects when struck.

Kratos and Atreus’ new weapons and abilities also unlock further puzzle-solving potential, assuming you want to open every Nornir Chest, explore every nook, defeat every one of the dozen Berserker bosses, and complete the myriad excellent side quests. And frankly, why wouldn’t you? God of War Ragnarök’s diverse world is a place you’ll want to immerse yourself in and absorb in its entirety, it’s utterly and unreservedly outstanding. A dazzling achievement, God of War Ragnarök expands upon everything that made 2018’s God of War feel like such a watershed moment for Santa Monica Studio, developing the relationship between father and son in a meaningful and wonderfully emotional way, making for yet another essential PlayStation exclusive.

Overall TGG Rating

God of War Ragnarök is everything a sequel should be, refining the combat, traversal mechanics, and RPG systems introduced in the 2018 game. And while there’s nary a hint of what’s coming next, on the strength of this, Krato’s journey surely won’t end here.

9/10

Audio 9/10 Bear McCreary returns with another soaring orchestral soundtrack, while the game’s cast of performers are sensational across the board. Visuals 9/10

Absolutely stunning. Ragnarök’s take on the Nine Realms is the stuff of dreams, especially on PlayStation 5.

Playability 9/10

You wouldn’t have thought that Santa Monica Studio could do much to improve upon the last game, but it has, in practically every conceivable way. It’s brilliant.

Delivery 9/10

A bigger game than its 2018 predecessor, Ragnarök is no less laden in detail and beautiful sights to ogle. This is 30-40 hours of pure spun gold. [Version tested: Playstation 5] Reviewed by: Brandon Sawyer

For years on end, Call of Duty has been reliably churning out blockbuster campaigns, and, even when they’re not quite as good as the others, they’re usually a cut above the competition. As a sucker for a CoD campaign, and an enjoyer of 2019’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, it was with no lack of excitement that I plunged boots-first into Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. It’s a direct follow-up that continues the story of crack military team Task Force 141, and its gruff members Captain John Price, John ‘Soap’ MacTavish (yes, they’re both called John), Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley, and Kyle ‘Gaz’ Garrick. That excitement rather quickly ebbs away, however, as a palpable air of familiarity, and dare I say it, boredom, creeps in during Modern Warfare 2’s first dozen or so missions.

Modern Warfare 2’s single-player campaign isn’t necessarily bad, but its story is well-worn, and its many set-pieces have been done in previous instalments and executed better. At times, it seems as though developer Infinity Ward is systematically working through a checklist of highlights from the original Modern Warfare trilogy, albeit with enough of a twist to set them apart. But the obligatory ghilliesuit mission is in there, as is a lengthy ‘Death from Above’-style mission aboard an AC-130 gunship, and even one reminiscent of Call of Duty 4’s blistering opening mission aboard a tanker adrift in a roiling sea. Of course, none really measure up to their original counterparts.

Variety appears to be the primary watchword

for MWII, and, while you’re rarely doing the same thing from one level to the next, not all of it sticks the landing. Much has been made of the game’s impressive rendition of Amsterdam, but it’s a mission that’s over inside of ten minutes. Conversely, a painfully pedestrian vehicle-based chase sequence long outstays its welcome, with silly truck-to-truck jumping and vast stretches where you’re simply driving along an empty road. The overall result is an uneven, hit-and-miss campaign, boasting some great moments interspersed between some of the game’s flabbier and uninspired sections. A handful of visual bugs conspire to make this feel like one of the least polished CoD campaigns in recent years, while having to wait, as a ‘joining game session’ message pops up, to start the single-player mode just seems bizarre.

Still, in your endeavour to prevent the villainous Hassan carrying out his plan to use stolen US missiles to launch an attack upon the west, there is fun to be had. To its credit, Infinity Ward has made a concerted effort to keep things fresh. One mission in which you’re left alone and without a weapon, scavenging for resources with which to craft various devices like prying tools, smoke bombs, and explosive mines triggered by mousetraps, is a particular highlight. Chuck in a handful of separate objective-driven online co-op missions and the promise of getting to die over and over in multiplayer, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 ticks all of the usual boxes.

If, like me, the campaign and co-op serve as a proving ground before delving into the snake pit that is multiplayer, then you’ll be in for the standard rude awakening, as the action comes thick and fast, as ever. And, if you’re a casual CoD player, prone to dipping their toe only occasionally, then prepare for the usual cycle of ‘spawn, die, spawn, die, spawn, die’, as you attempt to find your bearings. But, should you manage to find your rhythm, Modern Warfare 2’s online competition proves immensely rewarding, with numerous modes and playlists to try your hand at. The usual suspects – like Team Deathmatch, Domination, Control, Kill Confirmed, Hardpoint, Search and Destroy, and Free-for-All – are present and correct, alongside large-scale modes like Invasion and Ground War, and elimination-based fare like Knock Out and brand-new mode Prisoner Rescue.

Prisoner Rescue pits two six-person squads against one another, as the attacking team attempts to seize and extract a bound captive, and the defending team strives to prevent that from happening. At its best, it’s a game type that demands teamwork and strategy, rather than running headlong into enemy fire. At its worst, you’re lumbered with too few players on your team, and no one bothering to revive fallen teammates. Attackers have the most difficult battle, as extracting two prisoners to score points is a tall order. Meanwhile, the defenders need only eliminate the opposing team to bag the victory. The balance comes via the scoring system - first to 500 wins, which means you don’t necessarily have to get the prisoners out to do that. With each successfully extracted

prisoner chalking up 100 points for your team, however, it’s certainly the best way to earn your squad a chunk towards the target.

Should you fancy mixing things up, some multiplayer modes have third-person mode playlists to dabble in, so if the standard first-person action is wearing thin, you can always shift to a different perspective. Using the gunsmith, you can also customise your loadout, personalising your weapons with sights, muzzles, magazines, stocks, barrels, and so on – there are always adjustments to make, if you want to give yourself an edge, and more of a fighting chance amid the online melee. Or if you simply want to experiment a bit. This is another full-blooded and robust Call of Duty multiplayer offering, then, and, if you always get a kick out of mastering maps and overcoming your opponents, there are more than ample thrills and spills to be had.

That’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 in a nutshell. The campaign is serviceable, but unevenly paced. The three co-op missions are enjoyable and well put together. And multiplayer is that same brand of slick and immediate, consistently infuriating and uniquely challenging but never not enjoyable. It’s not for everyone, of course, and if you’re a CoD naysayer, then Modern Warfare 2 is unlikely to change your mind about the franchise and its unending succession of yearly releases. But for everyone else, this is every bit as complete and delectable a first-person shooter confection as in years gone by, even if the campaign doesn’t quite hit the mark.

Overall TGG Rating

Call of Duty returns for yet another year, and while the campaign feels a little bit like a case of diminishing returns, the strength of two-player co-op and multiplayer pulls Modern Warfare 2 through.

8/10

Audio 8/10

The score is suitably cinematic and the voices are suitably gruff. Weapons also sound great. In fact, the overall sound design is very good.

Visuals 8/10

Call of Duty carries a weight of expectation when it comes to visual fidelity, and Modern Warfare 2, for the most part, doesn’t disappoint, despite a few minor bugs.

Playability 9/10

Yep, this is Call of Duty, alright. The same smooth and immediate FPS gunplay and frenetic multiplayer as always. You already know what you’re getting here.

Delivery 8/10

A slightly bland campaign - albeit with a couple of neat twists - enjoyable co-op, and the usual fast and furious multiplayer. Again, you know what you’re getting, although it’s messily presented.

[Version tested: Xbox Series X

Batman is dead, but the rot in Gotham City still runs deep. Who better to uproot it, then, than the Dark Knight’s most gifted proteges? Batgirl, Nightwing, Red Hood, and Robin –the Gotham Knights – operating under the auspices of Bruce Wayne’s loyal butler Alfred Pennyworth, are, for all intents and purposes, the new Batman, armed with similar gadgets and acrobatic abilities, and a thirst to bring peace and justice to the city’s besieged streets. Ostensibly, Gotham Knights is a spiritual successor to Rocksteady’s Arkhamverse, but once you dig beneath its surface, you’ll soon discover that it shares only a few similarities. In many ways, Gotham Knights is deliberately different, but playing second fiddle to Batman was never going to be easy.

Not all of it is good different, however, whether it’s having to jump through a lot of hoops to unlock additional traversal abilities you’d normally take for granted, combat that doesn’t quite measure up to the bar set by the Arkham games, and fairly repetitive objectives. That said, Gotham Knight’s combat systems have their own merits, and, if you can snap out of the Arkham mindset, it soon starts to click. There’s a ripping original yarn to get swept up in, too, involving some of the usual suspects, and, at the heart of it all, The Court of Owls.

A shadowy underground cabal pulling the strings in Gotham, The Court of Owls serves as the Knights’ primary antagonist, but there are numerous other criminal factions, alongside stalwart Batman nemeses, at work in the city,

from Harley Quinn to Clayface, Mr. Freeze, and the Penguin. Working out of a base of operations known as the Belfry, you’ll build cases on the evidence board, liaise with Alfred, and use the batcomputer to plan your next move. Gotham Knights further differentiates itself from the Arkham games with a smattering of RPG elements, so at the Belfry, you can also craft new suits, melee weapons, and ranged gadgets using salvage you’ve looted.

Cowls, gauntlets, boots, chest symbols, and colours for each hero’s suit can also be swapped out and transmogrified, so you can assemble a look that’s all your own; then, if you like, you can show it off to a friend in coop. Mod chips can also be applied to your suit and weaponry, augmenting your attributes and raising your power level. It might all sound fairly convoluted, but it’s all simplified to a point where it feels like a background concern, albeit one you’ll have to keep an eye on as enemies level up with you.

With the presence of a levelling system and RPG trappings like XP, you can undermine the entire combat system by playing a mission you’re over-levelled for and laugh as you defeat enemies with a single strike. Nonetheless, few things beat thrashing around Gotham on your batcycle, or using your grapnel to leap between buildings. Complete certain challenges, and you can also earn ‘Knighthood’ status, acquiring a unique traversal skill like Robin’s ‘Slideway’s teleportation, Red Hood’s ‘Mystical Leap’, Batgirl’s glide, or Nightwing’s glider. There’s an

awful lot to Gotham Knights, and while some of it may seem slightly superfluous, most of it is, thankfully, a lot of fun.

A lot of that enjoyment will ultimately hinge on how well you gel with the game’s combat mechanics, which abandon Arkham’s ‘freeflow’ concept for something erring slightly more toward the button-mashing end of the spectrum. The fundamentals involve ‘timed strikes’, the idea being that you string together combos by hitting the attack button the moment before your initial strike lands. This lends a certain rhythm to Gotham Knights’ fisticuffs, and, when mixed with ranged attacks (Robin’s slingshot, Red Hood’s handguns, Batgirl’s batarangs, and Nightwing’s wristmounted darts), it’s also quite flexible and varied. There’s an approximation of Arkham’s predator gameplay, too, with silent takedowns or loud ambush attacks from stealth, which are never not satisfying.

Connecting Gotham Knights’ story are nightly patrols, in which your chosen character ventures out into the city each night, foiling various crimes, spanning relatively petty stuff like carjacking, break-ins, and back alley muggings, to more serious premeditated crimes like bank robberies, murder, corruption, illegal hacking, kidnapping, and organ trading.

Each night has its own set of crimes and challenges to complete, and once you’re into your tenth or eleventh successive patrol, things do start to get a bit tiresome.

It helps that developer WB Games Montreal’s rendition of Gotham City is superb - a decaying urban sprawl beneath a roiling sky, ripe with secrets to unearth and hidden nooks to explore. The studio’s love for DC and the extended Batman universe is more than evident, really digging into the lore and smaller details. And while the final boss is one of the worst we’ve had the misfortune of experiencing in recent memory, much of what Gotham Knights has to offer is hugely gratifying, even if you’re not playing as the Dark Knight himself.

Should you be craving more of the same lightning in a bottle that Rocksteady conjured with its Arkham series, you’ll find partial appeasement here, even if it inevitably doesn’t quite reach the same lofty heights. There’s a lot to like in Gotham Knights – its characterisation and narrative are well executed, its mechanics are sound, and its open world is excellent. You may not have the Batmobile, you might not have the Batcave, and, let’s face it, there’s no substitute for the Caped Crusader himself, but Gotham Knights still does a fine job in making you feel like a hero worthy of the cowl.

Overall TGG Rating

You may spend a lot of your time comparing Gotham Knights to the Arkham series, and that’s to be expected. But this is a different beast, and something to be relished on its own terms.

7/10

Audio 8/10

The orchestral score evokes grand cinematic vibes, while the voice performances are uniformly excellent.

Visuals 7/10

Gotham City looks remarkable, although it can be prone to the odd minor graphical glitch. Being locked to 30fps isn’t an issue either – it runs perfectly well.

Playability 7/10

In fairness, the combat and traversal takes some getting used to. And it’ll either come to grow on you or become increasingly tiresome. For me, it was a little of both.

Delivery 7/10

There’s certainly no shortage of content, from optional boss battles to a vast litany of crimes to foil, as well as numerous secrets. And there’s New Game+. However, it does start to get a bit samey.

[Version tested: Xbox Series X

Reviewed by: Brandon Sawyer

Justin Roiland, who’s best known for Rick & Morty along with Community’s Dan Harmon, has been trying to crack the games market for quite some time now. His Burbank-based studio, Squanch Games, seems to be upping the ante with every new game, with each title becoming more and more ambitious than the last. Their aim? Comedic games that really speak to players with a random and edgy sense of humour. And if anyone has that in their locker, it’s Roiland. High On Life sees you jump into the shoes of a young adult, moments before earth is invaded by the G3 cartel, and you get thrust into the role of bounty hunter, having picked up a talking gun - AKA a Gatlian space alien - from an alien corpse. Your task is simple: take down all the evil G3 cartel’s head honchos and save the earth from Garmantuous. In short, you travel from location to location to whack some evil aliens. And that’s the crux of it.

The core mechanic of this first-person shooter is your relationship with the game’s Gatliansyour talking guns. Each gun has multiple fire modes and can be upgraded and modded in the main city hub, Blim City. But more than that, they effectively become the voice of the main character, constantly throwing out observations about the world around you and interacting with everyone you come across.

There isn’t really a lot to High On Life’s gameplay outside of the shooting, in truth: it’s a lot of shooting, and as the game goes on, a bit of platforming using the game’s jetpack and mouthy knife to traverse ziplines, and so on. Sure, every few hours you’ll pick up a new Gatlian and have a new gun to shoot - which will change the game somewhat briefly - but the problem with High On Life boils down to one thing: the combat just isn’t that satisfying. It’s okay, if pretty damn generic, but for a game that relies solely on its shooting, that’s not a great start.

You could probably argue that High On Life is more of a boss rush shooter, as the game pretty much plays with you picking up a bounty, fighting your way to said bounty, then killing said boss. Rinse and repeat. That would be great if the shooting was satisfying, but even putting the shooting woes aside, the boss sequences aren’t all that interesting either. It’s just a lot of jumping and shooting projectiles galore into bullet sponge bosses. It’s such a shame as well, as the creativity when it comes to the design of the bosses - in terms of looks, and their backstories, and dialogue - is exactly what you’d expect from a Roiland game. Top notch.

Okay, so there is a little more to High On Life

than just shooting. If anything, where High On Life actually excels, is in its exploration and world building. Everything at every turn is trademark Roiland. Fans of the Intergalactic Cable episodes of Rick and Morty will feel right at home here with the Gatlian lines of dialogue and the enemy quips. In the main hub, Blim City, pretty much everyone has unique recorded lines, making the city actually feel pretty alive. Sure, everyone sounds like Morty (or some other voice you’ve heard on Rick & Morty), but if you’ve experienced anything Roiland-related in the last 5-years or so, you’ll know that’s just how he flows.

Aside from Blim City, there’s some pretty cool semi-open-world locations to boot too, each with their own living and breathing characters; like the Mackincheese Brothers in Old Town; or Linda, the Care Bear-like Moplet secretary who seemingly keeps being enslaved on Zephyr. There’s a surprising amount of depth and plenty of secrets in the game too, like being able to warp an entire cinema into one of the large open-areas, like in Port Terene - fresh with a movie, and irritating moviegoers talking throughout. If you like Roiland’s humour, this will be right up your alley.

That said, for a game that relies so much on its humour - because it’s clearly not relying on its shooting mechanics or gameplay - it’s not the funniest game I’ve ever played. Or even close to it, for that matter. I’d have a smile here and there, and there were a couple of funny moments towards the end of the game, but from someone who adores Rick & Morty, it really didn’t resonate with me for the most part. Even the classic 4th wall breaking Roiland quips tended to fall a bit flat on their face. And if you’re not a Roiland fan, good news, you can turn down the enemy and gun chatter in the main menus. Regardless of that, I do wish the script was significantly better throughout though.

My main issue with High On Life isn’t that it’s not funny or amusing - I mean, I did laugh a few times, but not nearly enough for a game so reliant on in-game jokes - it’s just that it’s not really that enthralling to play. At times it can be fun, and some of the movement stuff later on does elevate it somewhat, but for the most part the gameplay is incredibly bland, and the boss fights are more of a chore than a highlight. High on Life is the very definition of the word “okay.” It’s bang average.

Overall TGG Rating

High On Life is easily Squanch Games’ most ambitious project, but aside from the environments and the world-building which match that ambition, the first-person shooter itself is incredibly generic, and not funny enough to make up for it.

6/10

Audio

7/10

Perhaps one of the best parts of High On Life is its audio. Not only is it difficult to fault the voice acting or delivery, but the original score is wonderfully wacky too. Proper sci-fi vibes throughout. Colour me a fan.

Visuals

7/10

Weird, wacky, and colourful. There’s some real creativity in the worlds and environments, just don’t expect them to blow you away graphically.

Playability 6/10

Weird, wacky, and colourful. There’s some real creativity in the worlds and environments, just don’t expect them to blow you away graphically.

Delivery 6/10

Too much shooting and reliance on pretty awful boss fights, in truth. A lot of game breaking and buggy encounters. The game does break away from that formula for brief moments, and that’s where the game shines - like a certain scene where you get embroiled in a bureaucracy mini-game. More of that, less of the inane shooting next time, pleas

[Version tested: Xbox Series X] Reviewed by: Brandon Sawyer

The Callisto Protocol’s protagonist, Jacob Lee, wheezes several hours into this hardcore scifi horror, having endured all manner of horrific torture at the bubbly hands and tentacles of the mutated creatures stalking the corridors of Black Iron Prison. An inaugural effort from the recently formed developer Striking Distance Studios, The Callisto Protocol is lodged firmly in the wheelhouse of former Dead Space creator Glen Schofield, who here serves as the game’s director. Isaac Clarke’s mucky fingerprints are also all over the creaking mechanical doors, slime-encrusted ventilation shafts, and malfunctioning control panels of Callisto’s overrun high-security facility, offering a similar strain of sci-fi terror to the one that Schofield and his team birthed fourteen years ago, with EA Redwood Shores (later renamed as Visceral).

Where Isaac begun his ordeal, lumbering through the rusted hulk of the USG Ishimura planet-cracker vessel, with a Plasma Cutter - a weapon perfectly suited to severing the spiky appendages of the alien necromorph menace that found its way on-board - Jacob emerges from his cell with no such precision tools at his disposal. Instead, he’s armed with more conventional ballistic weaponry, designed less for the surgical removal of limbs, and better suited to pure blunt force. There are numerous nods to Dead Space, be it the health gauge embedded in the nape of Jacob’s neck, the anti-gravity pull of the GRP gadget mounted on his forearm, or the wonderfully aggressive and cathartic stomp – still the perfect way to diffuse tension, while bursting carcasses like fleshy floor piñata to find useful health, GRP batteries, and ammo pickups.

Inevitably, ammunition is in short supply, although you can spend scavenged Callisto Credits on printing more at a reforge station, albeit at the expense of valuable weapon and tool upgrades. And you won’t get far with just a standard-issue Hand Cannon – it’s not nearly as handy as a Plasma Cutter. Upgrades make your treacherous journey through Black Iron Prison and its surroundings marginally more survivable, but you can have all the resources you could possibly ask for, and still find yourself constantly under pressure. The Callisto Protocol is tough, presenting a challenge even at its easiest ‘Minimum Security’ difficulty. Dare to ramp it up to ‘Maximum Security’ difficulty, and you’re in for a torrid old time of it.

Bullets tear through flesh and bone, making every shot feel impactful, as projectiles thump into the glistening, infected hides of Black Iron’s misshapen denizens. Tentacles burst from the stomachs of certain enemies; a panicinducing sign that they’re about to mutate into something more horrifying and lethal, if left unchecked. Others stumble around blind and can be silently stabbed in the back, and some scuttle on the ceilings, waiting for an opportune moment to fall on your head. Every one of Callisto’s mutated monstrosities is an utter bastard, and will bash your skull to pieces, rip off your arms, or gouge out your eyes given half a chance. Shooting them to mulch is never not satisfying.

Striking Distance doesn’t shy away from rampant, unadulterated gore, whether it’s the shredded skin of your foes, or Jacob’s exposed brain, ripped face, or violently torn-off limbs upon meeting a disturbing demise. Kudos to

Jacob actor Josh Duhamel for giving it some gusto, shrieking bloody murder whenever his chiselled Hollywood visage is battered, smashed, or just generally fucked up. You’ll die a lot, too, the odds not exactly being stacked in your favour. Master the electrified riot baton and your ability to dodge side to side like a pro boxer by holding the left analogue stick, and you can save precious bullets, but that means getting up close and personal, which, generally, isn’t a great idea.

By the time you’ve acquired the GRP and better weapons like the Skunk Gun (there are only five weapons, and none hold a candle to the Dead Space series’ Line Rack, Disc Ripper, or Javelin Gun), things get more interesting, as you can hurl enemies onto spiked walls, into whirring gears, and other deadly contraptions for lovely instant environmental kills. Still, at the very least, a flamethrower wouldn’t have gone amiss. Its arsenal of weapons isn’t particularly exciting, then, but you’ll be engulfed in The Callisto Protocol’s unrelenting intensity and non-stop brutality to give it too much thought. It helps that The Callisto Protocol is an impeccably paced survival horror experience - Striking

Distance evolving the lessons it learned on Dead Space to startling effect, but disappointingly failing to deliver a compelling final boss showdown, a perennial video game horror trope. Callisto’s final boss is completely rubbish – even Dead Space’s maligned flappy final beast isn’t as crap as the lumpen, cheap creature you’re presented with for TCP’s coda. It’s a sour note in what is, for the most part, an expertly orchestrated 10-12 hour ride.

A lack of replay value also proves to be a sticking point – the absence of New Game+ or even a chapter select seems like a silly oversight. Nonetheless, The Callisto Protocol is a stunning visual showcase and a fantastic example of how to do a cinematic experience right. It can be frustrating at times, the frame rate is prone to moments of treacly choppiness, and that final boss is a load of old arse, but none of these things preclude The Callisto Protocol from being a bravura slice of relentlessly scary sci-fi that will duly shred your nerves and tingle your spine. By the time the credits rolled, I was with Jacob - I hated that fucking place, but I had a damn fine time trying to escape from it anyway.

Overall TGG Rating

An unflinchingly violent and gruesome survival horror that ratchets up the tension from the get-go and doesn’t let up, The Callisto Protocol is superlative stuff, and a must for anyone with even a passing fancy for Dead Space and its ilk.

8/10

Audio

8/10

A soundscape that keeps you constantly on-edge, all taut strings and environmental clanks and hisses designed to ramp up the tension until... boo! This is audio design at its best, fitting the sci-fi horror setting to a tee.

Visuals 8/10

Absolutely stunning. In terms of raw cinematic flair and presentation, The Callisto Protocol is exemplary stuff. It’s just a shame that the frame rate can occasionally stutter when playing with the default resolution mode.

Playability 8/10

Tight, chewy shooting mechanics and a solid melee system make for an enjoyable dose of survival horror, despite Jacob’s deliberately slow movement and some nasty difficulty spikes.

Delivery 7/10

While it lasts, The Callisto Protocol is a hell of a ride, but there’s practically no replay value. This is a game that could have definitely used a New Game+ option. I guess we’ll just have to wait for the Season Pass.

[Version tested: Playstation 5]

Reviewed by: Cal Howie