Home Sweet Home (PS4)

Going into this review I was a little on edge, and reluctant to start. Though I'm a horror movie fan from way back, and have seen some of the most horrific movies known to man I always felt like games of this genre were a bit more frightening. They seem to be more immersive, and actually feel like they place you in the shoes of the protagonist who is trying desperately to escape whatever nightmare they might be a part of. I've seen countless live streams of horror games make even the most bold of gamers jump, and scream out loud. I've also noticed developers' ability to make the games more atmospheric, and more seemingly real than ever before. Thus is why I was hesitant.

I know a lot of questions are likely going through your mind reading this review. You are likely wondering how scary is "Home Sweet Home". Does it live up to it's horror theme? Does it do anything different? What you need to know in regards to this is that it is indeed scary. I'm not talking just about jump scares. There are mounting moments of tension, and a haunting atmosphere that only heightens the fear. The fear factor itself is more akin to the Asian horror genre as it deals with pursuing gory apparitions, and other Thai horror myth monstrosities. The added realism of the environments, and the accompanying noises such as heartbeats, and eerie chattering make your stealth trek back home all the more frightening. As far as doing something new the game doesn't really innovate outside of offering gameplay compatibility for the PSVR. It's mostly akin to games like 'Outlast', or 'The Evil Within' where you'll be using stealth elements to hide from the various haunts, and move about as you collect items, and solve puzzles related to said items.

Fast Striker (PS4)

Eastasiasoft's, and NGDevTeam's 'Fast Striker' was a surprise to me. Even though I've seen about every type of shmup (shoot'em up) available this particular one did something I can't say I've seen before. It was marketed by the PR as a 2D shooter with multiple scoring options, and multiple modes/stages. A statement which I personally didn't think was entirely accurate. Visually the game is more 3D than it is 2D despite it's pixel build. I know it's semantics arguing that point but 2D is what we normally call side-scrollers. This is more of 3D top-down shoot'em up. Along with that surprising revelation I found the game to be more like the oldschool arcade shmups. Not too old, but definitely oldschool. It was certainly better than the indie I thought it was going to be (having looked at the cover art). If you've ever seen one of the Japanese shmups you'll have an idea of what I'm babbling on about when it comes to the actual gameplay, and art style. In the end, after some internet browsing, I did find out I wasn't far off the mark. Fast Striker was originally released on the Neo Geo, and SEGA Dreamcast consoles by NGDevTeam.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (PS4)

The hype. The theatrics. Does Black Ops 4 live up to it all? That's likely the question going through the minds of those who are on the fence about buying into the new experience. With a team based multiplayer returning with 8 game types centered around a new specialist team based combat system, a Battle Royale mode that was meant to be a contender to Fortnite, and a Zombies mode that looked to be more serious than ever one would think there was proper effort put into the construction, and creation of these online only experiences. Unfortunately corners were cut, and that which seemed promising ended up feeling more like a gimmick than a properly fleshed out Call of Duty experience. A mixed bag of tricks that were thrown at the gamer with the obvious intention of having at least one of the three modes be enjoyable to them. While I found the main multiplayer alright, Blackout less than so, and Zombies good I can't help, but wonder what Treyarch was thinking.

The Assassin's Creed Odyssey Dilemma

Where do we draw the line? The line between influence, greed, and escapism? Do we allow gaming studios such as Ubisoft to continue nickeling and diming us over prestigious in-game tools/content? Do we allow their cultural, and political agendas to slip by in the guise of a "good game"? I ask all this as it should be asked. For if things like this go unchecked, and unchallenged who's to say someone, one day, will not choose to use this entertainment medium as pure propaganda to push undeniably harmful ideas, or at the very least ideas that are not widely accepted.

In the case of Ubisoft's latest entry in the Assassin's Creed growing lineage, or series (if you will) the developer does not shy away from stating that they are a culturally and sexually diverse development studio. They do not shy away from boldly displaying paid for store options at the main menu either. The boldness of these prideful agenda, and business based consumer directed broadcasts only serves as a red flag to what would otherwise be a decent action/stealth adventure. Why developers choose to step in the horse sh*t that is political correctness is beyond me. It is blatant audience targeting for agenda sake, and nothing less. A recently exposed Ubioft employee leak regarding diversity training in their ranks further points to this as being truth.