ESCHATOS | PS4 Review

If ever there was a shmup that gave you more than what you paid for it would be Eschatos for the PlayStation 4. This QUTE Corporation triple package deal includes not one, but three fully realized shoot 'em ups. From classics like M-KAI's Judgement Silversword to their follow-up Cardinal Sins, and finally Eschatos you get to see the evolution of this series in full. While the mechanics might be more straightforward than most shmups in each entry it's the presentation and gameplay gimmicks that really set them apart as a genre pioneer. Never have I seen a simple two shot type, and shield inclusive shmup with the usual power-up gimmicks offer so much in return for dedication. And it is in that hearty content offering that this game truly excels.

Z-WARP | PS4 Review

SSDD. Same Shmup Different Day. That's what comes to mind when I think of Panda Indie Studio's latest entry in their ongoing, but disjointed series. Z-Warp, for what it's worth, is more or less a reskin of former Panda Indie Studio shmups like Crisis Wing, and Void Gore. Complete with slightly reworked mechanics, and scoring gimmicks. It features a story with a classic take on intros regarding the year 21XX, and an experimental space-warping ship that has gone missing on it's maiden voyage. As a pilot of the Z-Division it is your duty to locate that missing ship, and retrieve it's black box, so what transpired can be made known. It's a spacefaring shoot 'em up adventure into the bowels of the universe, quite literally.

The Ascent | PS4 Review

In what could possibly be one of the most awe inspiring blends of sci-fi, and cyberpunk I have ever witnessed "The Ascent" boldly does what a lot of games in the genre don't. It is a large scale isometric cyberpunk looter shooter RPG that takes place in what could best be described as a living and breathing industrialized world. The story itself unfolds in an intergalactic hub for corporations called Veles where travel weary indentured servants come to earn a living at the expense of freedom. In a way it's a blend of the story of corporate America done up with a Star Wars-like lore. Every square inch of it's metallic & rusty infrastructure is adorned with a bustling busy body of workers of various species, and alignments. All of which are individually a part of the chain of command. From the top all the way down to the grunts. Much like America the species in this action adventure act as races, and the hierarchy within reflective of the upper, middle, and lower classes. Ultimately adding a realism to the applied layers of fiction. 

Story-wise, as a hired hand for an unsavory alien taskmaster known as Poone it is your job to clean up the mess caused by a corporations downfall. What's at stake is the very lives of those on Veles who depend upon their paychecks to get by. That, and the vital supplies provided by the corporate bigwigs. Something that the citizens of Veles are as much a slave to as the corporations themselves ...

Wife Quest | PS4 Review

Wives, and girlfriends can be quite protective of their husbands, and partners. Jealousy is definitely a thing in some relationships. And as "Wife Quest" would have it such too is the case for the wife in this scintillating tale of a husband kidnapped by beastly babes. It seems farmer Fernando, and his short tempered waifu Mia have been being harassed by the local monster girls on a regular basis. Fernando, in particular. Everyone including Mia wants a piece of Fernando, and all Fernando wants is peace. Caught up in the clutches of a harem of horny hotties Fernando is fated to be rescued by his beloved in a topsy turvy take on the old damsel in distress situation. In essence Fernando is now the dude in distress awaiting rescue from his fair maiden. Mia is all up in arms for the job too as her temper knows no bounds.