Word Search by POWGI Review (PS4 & PS Vita)

This is one of those games that caught me by surprise because I just happened to see the trophy list on PSNProfiles.com before the game was released. The cute little doggie in the game picture made me click on the trophy list and the rest was just a given. I purchased this game day one along with my buddy @tjarvinen86 and had a friendly little competition to see who could get the platinum trophy first. He totally won, so kudos to him and after some time, well a lot of time, I finally got the platinum trophy for this game, so it’s time for a review.

Word Search by POWGI is exactly what the title says that it is. It’s a word search game made up of 324 puzzles. All the puzzles are different and you’ll have to find all different kinds of words within each puzzle.

I really enjoyed this game on the PS4, I’ll get to the PS Vita in a minute. This was just one of those games that I could relax and play. Games like this are good for stressful days as you really don’t have to think about anything while you play. For me, the background music got super annoying super fast so that was when I would just turn the background music off and put my headphones on and play. That way I had my own music and a way to destress, not to mention the puzzles were fairly simple.

The playability of this game for the PS4, still getting to the PS Vita in a minute, was super simple. All you had to do was scan the board for the word you were looking for, click the first or last letter, and highlight the word. If you had the right word, you received an orange highlight and you were good to go. There were also no bugs or glitches which was just so relieving after playing games that were plagued with bugs and glitches.

The graphics for this game were super simple. I did find that playing on the PS4 put a little strain on my eyes because of the way the board filled my TV screen, also the orange highlight on the words became a little too much at times and an option to change the highlight color would have been nice.

Both the PS4 and PS Vita version of this game had the same exact 34 trophies to get and all you had to do to get them was play the game and finish all of the puzzles. There were some special trophies based on playing style, but there wasn’t anything super difficult about them making this double platinum game super easy.

PS Vita Version

I also enjoyed this game on the PS Vita. For me, it was a great way to be productive while I watched a really boring TV show or movie. All I had to do was hook up my Vita and play. The game doesn’t really require you to pay that much attention to it so you can multitask while playing.

The playability of this game relied solely on the touch screen and this was one of the games where I wish it didn’t. I suffer from fat fingers and trying to highlight some of the words just didn’t work at times as I just highlighted the wrong word and had to do it again. This made for some rage inducing moments and just the option to use the controls on the PS Vita instead of the touch screen would have been nice.

I found the graphics to be more fitting for the PS Vita version of this game. The sizing for the board was perfect and put less strain on my eyes than the PS4 version. A change to a different highlight option would have been nice for this version as well as there was way too much orange on the screen depending on the puzzle size.

There was no multiplayer for this game, but for the PS4 version, there was some good old fashioned couch co-op for up to 4 people. This was a neat addition, but I didn’t utilize it as I haven’t found my player two yet. I’m sure she’s out there somewhere just waiting to play word search games with me.

Overall I give this game a 4.5 out of 5.

What’s Great:
+ On both the PS4 and PS Vita this is a cool little game that you can play to help destress yourself or to multitask with because it doesn’t require a lot of attention.
+ Playability on the PS4 is good and there are no bugs or glitches on the PS4 or PS Vita version of this game.
+ The graphics for this game are simple and the game doesn’t try to be something that it’s not. The graphics were better sized for the PS Vita though.

What’s Not So Great:
– Fat fingers and touch screen only play style on the PS Vita just does not work at all.
– The board sizing on the PS4 version can be a little off at times as it tries to fit your TV screen. This made the game difficult to play at times as your eyes start to strain. Not to mention the orange highlight that was covering the found words was just a little too much orange and it didn’t help that the color couldn’t be changed.

For the very low price of $7.99 you get both the PS4 and PS Vita version of this game and that’s great value right there. Especially if you’re a trophy hunter. Even if you aren’t a trophy hunter, this is still a great relaxing game to play. It suffers from a few mishaps, but nothing major. If you’re a fan of word search games or if you’re looking for a small relaxing game, look no further because this is that game.

Dying Light Review (PS4)

I started this game way back in 2016 and it wasn’t until last year, at the urging of my buddy @tjarvinen86, that I picked it back up and started playing again. Even though I now had some consistent help, it still seemed to be one of those games that would end up on my I Never Finished…Because blog. I busted my ass though and did a major grind on this game and even went as far as setting up a gaming session to get the platinum trophy. With the platinum trophy proudly mine for this game I can finally say, it’s time for a review.

In Dying Light, you play as Kyle Crane who is an undercover agent for the GRE. Quite literally dropped off in Harran, Kyle’s initial mission is to find rogue politician and newly established war lord Rais. That is until Kyle gets bitten by a zombie. Rescued by Jade, Kyle will be taken to the Tower to be treated and see first hand what’s been going on in Harran. Working with both the Tower and the GRE, Kyle will have to decide if he’s going to continue working with the GRE or go rogue himself and help the people of Harran.

I initially bought this game because even though I don’t enjoy horror games, I do like zombie games. I had already played both Dead Islands on the PS3 and this promised to be something different. Perhaps a better, more worked out version of Dead Island. Not all that different though in the end because if you’ve bashed in the head of one zombie using a wrench, which you totally have to do for a trophy this time around, it’s basically the same no matter what game you play. What this game did add though was a first person parkour to it making this this basically Mirror’s Edge with zombies. I did think the game was a decent one even though the story was a little stale and the main character was unlikeable. I found Kyle to be just as unlikeable if not more unlikable than L.A. Noire protagonist Cole Phelps. Kyle was just a guy that I couldn’t root for and by the end I really didn’t care about him.

The playability of this game was just awkward. There just something about first person parkour that just never seems to work out right. The initial button mapping was awkward and I found myself constantly falling off something, a radio tower, a bridge, a roof, you name it and I fell off of it. The only thing that worked really well in this game was the melee. Bashing in a zombie’s head or slicing off a limb with a sharp object was just glorious and a highlight of this game. The gun play on the other hand needed some work as it was basically just shooting from the hip the entire time. While this worked sometimes, it didn’t work all the time. Other than that the game suffered from some bugs and glitches, but nothing too extreme.

Graphic wise I would say that while this game was impressive in 2016, in 2019 it’s pretty lackluster. Zombies and people besides the main characters become repetitive and so did the environment in the two different area’s of this game. While they aren’t the worst graphics, the slow motion when getting a good kill was a nice touch, they aren’t the best graphics either and have not held up well at all.

There are a total of 51 trophies for the base game and another tacked on 18 trophies for the DLC. While the trophies aren’t all that difficult, they will require a major grind especially for random events and at least three other people to play with. I had the biggest problem with the Homo Homini Lupus Est trophy, which had me saving 15 survivors from Rais’s men, because this is the least likely event to spawn. This was the last trophy that I needed for the platinum and I had to play the same mission over and over again to get it. This took me around an additional 10 hours to finish the game which was not fun.

The first time I played this game, I played with some random dude who then became my random stalker. The next time I played this game was with my buddy @tjarvinen86 and I had a blast with the co-op. This game was meant to be played with other people and it’s sad that the servers for this game are kind of dead and if you want to play with people you will have to setup a gaming session. Quick shout out to my gaming session buddies Coco, Eagle, and Hitman. There’s also a “Be The Zombie” mode, but I didn’t pay attention to it.

Overall I give this game a 3 out of 5.

What’s Great:
+ The story, although a little cliched is a decent one and better than Dead Island.
+ The slow motion melee is just glorious at times, especially when you get an awesome kill on a random zombie.
+ When you can find people to play with, the co-op is pretty fun even though you’re all basically playing as Kyle Crane.

What’s Not So Great:
– While in 2016 this game probably looked great, the graphics don’t really hold up to today’s standards and already look outdated. Not to mention the environments are stale and repetitive.
– First person parkour games rarely work out and this is a first person parkour at it’s worst. There’s also the face that while the melee is a highlight, the gun play is not.
– Kyle Crane is extremely unlikeable and it makes the game as a whole suffer because no one wants to play as a douchebag.

While this is a huge step up from Dead Island, it still wasn’t the zombie game that I was looking for. I wanted something with more story, with more depth to it, and this just didn’t have it. I feel like this game could have had so much potential, especially if it had some more RPG elements added to it. That being said, I will say that I’m pretty excited for Dying Light 2. I hope that the mistakes made in Dying Light have been rectified and Techland has learned from their mistakes. I would say that if you’re desperate for a zombie game that I would choose this over Dead Island any day. I’m not sure if you’re going to have to play Dying Light in order to understand Dying Light 2, but so far it doesn’t look like it so I would say if you want to play Dying Light 2 that you can just skip this game since you aren’t missing much.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Review (PS4)

I have to tell you that when I first seen this game at E3 last year, I was way overly hyped for it. I knew that I should be because if there has been a franchise that has let me down in the past the most, it’s been this one. The fact that Assassin’s Creed was moving in the direction of becoming a full blown RPG with a female lead and romance options really hit the mark for me though as I was desperately missing a good BioWare game that would do this in 2018. Did this game live up to my incredibly high expectations? After putting in well over 100 hours, I was finally able to get the platinum trophy for this game so that means it’s time for a review.

Taking place in 431 BC, that’s 400 years before Assassin’s Creed Origins for those of you trying to keep track of the timeline, you play as the descendant of King Leonidos. Playing as either Kassandra, my personal favorite, or Alexios you are a misthios. Of course this isn’t exactly by choice as both Kassandra and Alexios are quite literally thrown into this lifestyle. Things are looking up though when you’re hired by a wealthy man to kill The Wolf of Sparta. This will lead you on a journey to finding out who you really are, trying desperately to reconnect with your family, and trying to put a stop to the Cult of the Kosmos. All of this takes place in the beautifully crafted ancient Greece during the Peloponnesian War.

I don’t know how many times I’ve said this already, but I absolutely loved this game. Loved it. It was a new and refreshing addition to the franchise and the RPG elements only enhanced the game as it showed how certain decisions, not all decisions, really did matter and shaped the world around you. For example, without going too much into it, one of the first major decisions you’ll make is whether or not to let a family who may or may not be carriers of a plague die. Choose to be a good misthios, or a bad misthios depending how you look at it, and let them live along with letting them keep their money for themselves and refuse to get paid and you’ll come back to a Cephalonia that has been destroyed. This is also the first Assassin’s Creed game where I really cared about my character, how she acted, and the people around her because I was the one calling the shots. This made a huge difference for me and makes me continue to play the game as this is the first Assassin’s Creed that I actually bought the season pass for. Because this is an Assassin’s Creed game, you will play some parts in the future as Layla, who returns from Assassin’s Creed Origins, and I have to say that I can care less about these parts of the game and the modern day war that rages on between the Assassin’s and the Templars. There was a modern day twist that takes place and if Ubisoft is smart, they’ll run with it. Overall, I thought this game as a whole was highly enjoyable and can see myself sinking another 100 hours into the game as new quests and DLC are added.

The one thing that is consistent through all of the Assassin’s Creed games are the playability. They are basically all the same with some change ups here and there to keep everything fresh and relevant. Most of the fighting techniques first deployed in Origins follow you into Odyssey and that was just fine with me because it was a major improvement from the other games in the franchise. While the climbing is still a bit sketchy, even though this is a huge part of the game, gone is the insta death from falling off a building that is too high. I call this a win as the falling insta death was always rage inducing for me. Also, the naval battle! Let’s not forget about that as it borrows heavily from Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag and even manages to make that better. While all of this is good, there are still the occasional game breaking bugs and glitches that you’ve come to expect from an Assassin’s Creed game. Disappearing people, floating people, random game crashing, I’ve had them all happen. While annoying, for a game this huge they’re to be expected. At least they were few and far in between so it wasn’t something that was happening often.

The graphics have always been a highlight for me when it comes to this franchise. Ubisoft takes you to ancient places and turns them into a living, breathing, sandbox for you to run around and explore. I couldn’t think of a better setting for this game and ancient Greece was everything I expected it to be and more. Ancient Greece is beautiful and alive with people and the main characters of this game are simply flawless. Kassandra is absolutely breathtaking and sculpted perfectly while Alexios resembles what you would expect from a man of that time period. The cut scenes for this game are also beautifully done as your characters face is responsive to the situation and actually show signs of emotion.

Even though the trophies are there I did not play this game for them. There are a total of 51 base trophies and a growing number of DLC trophies as new free missions are patched in and there are six episodes of DLC planned to be released for this game. Right now, the total number of trophies is at 74, but I expect this to grow to at least 100 by the time the game is fully completed. The trophies are what you could come to expect from an Assassin’s Creed game and will take you through the whole game. There are mission trophies, location trophies, sunken treasure trophies, and of course some random trophies thrown in there for fun. Throughout the game there is only one missable trophy, Aphrodite’s Embrace which requires your character to spend the night with another character. Good thing there were plenty of available women for Kassandra and I can say that my Kassandra happily bedded them all, even the bad ones.

The tacked on multiplayer that has been present in far too many Assassin’s Creed games is gone for good, fingers crossed, as Odyssey is yours alone. With so many NPC’s that you can interact with, it never really feels like you’re alone and makes the need for multiplayer disappear.

Overall I give this game a 5 out of 5.

What’s Great:
+ This is the first Assassin’s Creed that is basically a full RPG where the decisions that you make matter.
+ The story is an interesting one that has a ton of twists and turns and will keep you intrigued and continue to play to see how it ends.
+ The playability for the franchise continues to improve as fighting techniques get better and falling insta deaths are removed.
+ Ancient Greece is the perfect setting for this game and is just brought to life on the PS4. Every inch of the map is beautiful and the characters, both playable and NPC, are crafted beautifully.

What’s Not So Great:
– Assassin’s Creed can’t seem to stay away from the bugs and glitches. Though they are few and far in between, which is a huge difference from other games, they still exist.

This is a must play game. It doesn’t matter if you’re a huge Assassin’s Creed fan, a moderate one, or not a fan at all. This is just one of those games that as a gamer if you don’t play you’re missing out. This is coming from someone who hasn’t always been that praise worthy of this franchise. To be honest, this franchise had more downs than ups, but playing this game is something that you will not regret. Without the presence of a full new Assassin’s Creed this year, I would say that this is the perfect time to pick up this game and play. For once, I can’t wait to see what the future holds for Assassin’s Creed.

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel Review (PS4)

So by now, you have to know that I love Borderlands. You don’t just get video game tattoo’s of games that you don’t absolutely love. Anyway, I was super excited about this game because it took place during that in-between time of Borderlands 1 and Borderlands 2. Also, because it told the story of Jack and would act as a lead in for what would possibly be Borderlands 3. It took years, and the urging of my buddy @tjarvinen6, before I was able to get all of the trophies for this game, so that means it’s time for a review.

In Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, you get to play as Athena, my personal favorite, Wilhelm, Nisha, Claptrap, Jack the Doppelganger, and Aureila the Baroness. As one of these characters you’ll answer a call put out by Jack looking for Vault Hunters. When you head to meet Jack, you’re in for a surprise as his station is under attack by Colonel T. Zarpedon, her legion, and some weird alien. Jack will help you escape facing certain death himself and shoot you through space hoping you survive so that you can eventually see what’s going on with Colonel Zarpedon and as is the point with any Borderlands game, find a vault.

One of the things that I like about this game is that it’s told by Athena after she’s been captured by Brick and Mordecai at Lilith’s demand. This takes place in the future after the events of Borderlands 2 where Lilith is still pretty pissed that Roland was killed and it’s Athena’s second appearance since the Secret Armory of General Knoxx DLC. Not only that, but it gives you a different look at Jack as a character. I’ve never really considered him a bad guy and this game tells you the story of how he started off wanting to do something good for Hyperion and his final descent into what the player sees him as in Borderlands 2. It also tells the story of some well-known villains from Borderlands 2, Wilhelm and Nisha. This is the good that comes out of this game. The rest of the game though is highly debatable as it has a lackluster story, even more lackluster than Borderlands 1, and not enough story to really pull you into the game and make you care about what’s going on. That being said, even the shooting and looting fails in comparison to Borderlands 2 and makes you wonder if this will be a continuing trend for the hopefully upcoming Borderlands 3.

If you’re familiar with the Borderlands series, then this game will feel familiar as all of the main gameplay elements stay the same. The only new thing added was the need for oxygen since you’re playing is space. This at times puts a damper on the game as you run out of oxygen, depending on the power of your OZ Kit, and you frantically search for oxygen hoping that you don’t die. The class of characters gets switched up a bit this time as you don’t have the standard siren, tank, gun expert, and melee expert. While Wilhelm is your tank option, Nisha your gun expert, and Athena your melee option, there is no siren. Claptrap has random powers that serve as a hinderance most of the time to you and your co-op buddies, while Jack “inspires” people, and Aureila has an ice storm. These are an interesting change ad mix up for this game, but it’s not enough. All of this is over shadowed by a faulty and confusing map and another game where the driving is just awful. Not to mention the various different bugs and glitches that are at times game breaking.

The graphics are the standard graphics you can expect from a Borderlands game. This isn’t in anyway an insult because I love the graphics and art style for Borderlands because it’s different and refreshing in an age where everything has to look super real. This game doesn’t do that and instead offers graphics that are comic book like and I really love the feel to them. It enhances the game and makes it stand out from other games.

Let’s talk about the trophies for this game. There are a total of 51 trophies for this game, 64 if you count the 3 trophies that come from The Holodome Onslaught DLC and the 10 trophies that come from the Claptastic Voyage DLC. These are the typical trophies that you can expect from a Borderlands game and including story mission trophies, side mission trophies, leveling up trophies, and of course the crazy trophies that require you to do something crazy. All of these trophies require some time, dedication, some major grinding, and three co-op partners for one trophy. While these are pretty easy to get, some just pop from dumb luck like Collateral Damage and Elementalist, you’ll probably have the most difficult time with Who You Gonna Call which requires 4 people to complete the sub-level 13 mission. With the servers being pretty much dead for this game, I suggest setting up a trophy session via PSNProfiles.com

As with all Borderlands games before it, there is no actual multiplayer for this game in the traditional sense, but some good old fashioned co-op. This is one of the things that I love about Borderlands especially now that I have a buddy who isn’t so damn serious about this game. While playing this game alone is just fine, playing with someone with a similar playstyle is always better. The servers are stable enough as well that there’s no interruption or lag during playtime.

Overall I give this game a 3.5 out of 5.

What’s Great:
+ This game tells the story of what happened in the Borderlands universe between Borderlands 1 and Borderlands 2, along with the story of how Jack came to be the character we meet in Borderlands 2, and leaves this series wide open for a Borderlands 3.
+ There are 6 new characters for you to play this time around, some with skills that you’ll be used to and some with skills that are new.
+ The graphics are not only a highlight of this game, but the series as a whole as they enhance the actual gameplay.

What’s Not So Great:
– While the story for this game is good, it’s not the same caliber of storytelling that you are used to from Borderlands 2.
– The maps are just horrible for this game and can even be called useless at times as they really aren’t any help with finding objectives. Also the driving, did I mention that the driving for this game and the series as a whole is just horrible?
– There’s also the huge fact that this game suffers from game breaking bugs and glitches.

Not really the next chapter of Borderlands that everyone was hoping for, this is a decent entry in the series that tells the story it needs to tell and leaves things way open for the much anticipated Borderlands 3. That’s still a thing right? The only thing that I really enjoyed about this game was being able to play as Athena and being able to hear her side of the story. As a die hard Borderlands fan, this is the one game that I will not be going back to and really can’t recommend this game. The only good selling point for this game is that if you want Borderlands 2 or your PS4 is that this game comes with it so why not play it. Other than that, I would say to give this game a pass and continue to wait for Borderlands 3.

Burly Men at Sea Review (PS4)

I first noticed this game when it came out, but it was one of the ones that I skipped. Not because I thought it looked bad or anything like that, but because I wasn’t sure about it. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it and I wasn’t sure if it was worth the money. Anyway, when this game became available for free thanks to PlayStation Plus, I scooped it up and played it as soon as I was able to. I spent a day with this game, got all of the trophies, including the platinum, so that means it’s time for a review.

Burly Men At Sea are about these three burly sailors. They discover a message in a bottle during one of their outings and through this bottle they unlock a new folklore each time they set sail in their boat. In this point and click action adventure game, there are a bunch of different ends as the possibilities of what can happen to these three men are almost endless. Each new adventure will be an experience for them and for you as a player as each adventure ends and you get to start again as you write your own story.

I have to say that I just loved this game. I thought it was great because it told an awesome story about these three sailors who go on multiple adventures to tell their own story. Each adventure ends in a different way depending on the actions that you took during the course of that adventure. I loved that every action lead to something different happening. There were a bunch of stories to tell and each time as the sailors met their end, I just wanted to see what story would be told next if I tweaked just a little something here and there. While this game is hearty with different adventures and different ways for the sailors to tell their adventure, once you go through all of the adventures, the story and the game is over. There is no replay value after all of the stories are told.

This game was simple to play as it was just basically a point and click game and it worked perfectly. There were times where you had to switch things up a bit, but there was nothing really complicated about the playability of this game. There are no complaints in this department as everything worked as it should. While this is becoming more common as of late, it’s also still a rarity because there are so many games out there that just do not operate correctly and it makes games that do operate correctly even better. That being said, there were also no bugs or glitches when it came to this game so it was a win-win.

The graphics and art style for this game were just awesome. I loved the way everything looked and how the scenery changed for each different scene. A lot of work went into the simplicity of these graphics and the overall art style of this game and it just clicked. I always love when graphics are fitting to a game and not just made to look impressive because they’re going to be for the PS4. I’m a big believer that the simplest of graphics can look amazing if it’s fitting for the game, not the platform that the game is being played on.

Trophies, there are a total of 25 trophies for this game including a platinum trophy which is always a plus. I have to say that I went into this game because the platinum trophy was an easy one and I really needed a win because I was working on a bunch of different platinum trophies at the time that took forever and I just needed it, but after actually playing this game and seeing the story and the adventures that these men went on, this is one of those games where you shouldn’t play for the trophies. You should play for the story and see where each adventure leads you. Maybe you’ll get a trophy and maybe you won’t, but this is one of those games where you should actually play the game for yourself and then go back later, with a guide, and get the trophies that you’re missing. I will say that the trophies are a little hard to get because the descriptions are extremely obscure and you will have no idea what to do to get them. This is where the guide comes in. But at least play this game a couple of times on your own and experience it before grabbing a guide.

This game has no multiplayer which makes me a happy gamer. This is a beautifully told single player experience and it was meant to be played that way without being ruined by having some tacked on multiplayer.

Overall I give this game a 5 out of 5.

What’s Great:
+ The story telling for this game is just awesome. You play as three burly men who go out on different adventures and basically write their own stories after each adventure. The actions you choose throughout each adventure will dictate how the story ends.
+ This simple point and click game does have a few change up’s here and there with the controls, but nothing that is terribly hard to get a hang of. Not to mention there are no game breaking bugs or glitches when it comes to this game.
+ This game has a simple art style and simple graphics, but the thing is that both are fitting for the game and for the story being told so it works to enhance the game.

What’s Not So Great:
– After you finish all of the stories that are to be told, there really is no replay value for this game and when you’re done, you’re done.

I have to say that this is one of those rare PS+ games that I was not only looking forward to, but also really enjoyed. It was probably one of my favorite small games that I played last year and it was just one of those games that I was able to sink a few hours in and be lead on an amazing adventure dictated by the choices that I made throughout each adventure. That being said, this game is no longer free anymore and is $9.99. While I would say that this is a fair price for this game, the fact that after you finish the game it has no replay value makes the digital $9.99 price tag a little much for my tastes. I would say that if you really want to play this game and don’t care about the price to pick it up because there is definitely something for everyone in this game and something that everyone can enjoy about it. If you’re like me and don’t like spending money on digital games that can only be played once and have no replay value, wait until the game is on sale. This game is on sale a lot too, so just wait for a sale and pick it up so it breaks the wallet just a little bit less. Finally, if you picked up this game for free thanks to PS+ and you haven’t played it, what are you waiting for! Go and play this game.

Saints Row IV: Re-Elected Review (PS4)

So I started this game about 2 years ago when I first purchased it. I finished the game, then I got frustrated with the game, and then my buddy @tjarvinen86 kicked my ass into shape and said he would help me get the platinum trophy for this game because it was super easy and there was no reason why it should just be sitting in my backlog. So after going back to this game after 2 years away, that’s what I did. With the help of my buddy I was able to get all of the trophies for this game so that means that it’s time for a review.

In Saints Row IV: Re-Elected, you’ll continue your journey as leader of the most popular street gang in the world, The Saints. Basically picking up where the third game left off, you are now so popular that even the government wants your help. So that’s what you’ll do, you’ll help out the government for a small portion of the game before becoming the President of the United States in a weird little twist of events. All is going well as you basically try to run the country the same way you ran your gang, that is before aliens invade and basically destroy the whole world leaving only you and your gang buddies alive in a simulation. It’s now up to you to make your way through digital Steelport, save your buddies, reunite with an old friend, and defeat the evil Zinyak.

I have to say that I thought this game was great. It takes the crazy shit that goes on in each and every Saints Row game and just amplifies it by 100%. Not only that, but it throws in some RPG elements just for shits and giggles as it parodies Mass Effect and throws in some other sci-fi nerdy stuff to parody just for fun. What’s not to love about that? I thought that the story to this game, while crazy, was still super fun to play. Not to mention now you have super powers to go along with a digital simulation since it’s not the real world anymore. Need a car? Not anymore as you can just zip through the city as you run at super fast speed. Need to get up on a roof? Not a problem, you can super jump from the floor to the roof, or wall run on really tall buildings. Did I mention that you can also hover and kind of fly? You can do both of those things too. Some things remain the same though as you still have to take over parts of the city, but this time you’re taking them over from Zinyak and his aliens instead of other gangs. You’ll also be participating in those crazy mini games that have also been amplified by 100% like Insurance Fraud, Tank Mayhem, and a new Professor Genki bowl.

The playability of this game is similar to the other Saints Row games, but you now have to get used to using the super powers. It’s not that hard since you don’t get all of them at once so you’ll be able to adjust and they’re actually a welcomed change up because they make the game more interesting. Unfortunately though this game does suffer from some bugs and glitches. I hate the fact that I had to save my game every so often for fear of the game crashing, which it did through the main campaign on several occasions, in order to save my progress on challenges. Not to mention the servers are a little sketchy, but we’ll get to that in a little bit when we talk about the multiplayer.

Now I would say that these aren’t the best graphics for a game that’s on the PS4, but before writing this review I went back to the PS3 version of this game and holy hell I have to say that when comparing the graphics, you can see huge changes from the PS3 version to the PS4 version. That’s great considering that this is a remaster because I’ve played a bunch of remasters and I usually don’t recognize the difference. Maybe somethings are a little more clearer or a little more detailed, but this game got a huge overhaul. So while these aren’t the best graphics that I’ve seen on a PS4, they are way better than the PS3 version of this game.

Now onto the trophies for this game, there are a total of 51 trophies for this game, 71 if you add on both DLC’s that come with the game. Now the trophies are super easy just like my buddy said, they just require some work, grinding, and some major dedication. That being said, they are doable either by yourself or with a buddy. I have to say that if you have a major grind for trophies, it’s always more fun with a buddy so if you’re thinking about getting this game, make sure you have a buddy to play with so the grinding won’t be so bad. The trophies are what you can expect from a Saints Row game and have basic story missions trophies, crew loyalty trophies, just another parody of Mass Effect, and of course some crazy trophies thrown in there because it wouldn’t be Saints Row if there weren’t crazy trophies.

So while there is no multiplayer for this game, there is co-op. I always find that co-op games are more fun to play anyway especially when you have a buddy to play with. Special thanks again to @tjarvinen86 who already had this platinum trophy, but came back to this game just to help me get mine. While I easily got bored playing this game alone and gave up on it, playing in co-op mode just made this game more fun and was a real highlight of the game. That being said, there were some server issues and it took a while to connect to each other’s game, but when the game was connected it worked just fine. Now while co-oping with a buddy is fun, co-oping with random people is not. This is one of those games where you want to play with a buddy, not with some random person. This isn’t a serious game and a lot of random people playing this game are really serious, it was nice to play with my buddy and get to act like a complete jackass as we both had fun with it.

Overall I give this game a 4 out of 5.

What’s Great:
+ It’s Saints Row so it’s a crazy game. The storyline is crazy, the gameplay is crazy, and it’s your typical Saints Row game. If you’re a fan of Saints Row then this is great because it’s everything that you want in a new game.
+ The parodies are strong with this game and if you’re a Mass Effect fan, this game will be hysterical as it pokes fun of crew loyalty missions, romance options, and even the controversial Mass Effect 3 ending. Not to mention it also parodies a bunch of other sci-fi nerdy stuff and it was great.
+ The gameplay is basically the same from previous games with some added changes that are easily slip into the game making it still the same Saints Row game that you know how to play already.
+ While these aren’t the best PS4 graphics, compared to the original graphics on the PS3, there’s a huge improvement in this remaster. So huge that it’s noticeably obvious that this game had a complete overall to be brought over to the PS4.

What’s Not So Great:
– This game is filled with bugs and game crashing glitches that it’s a must that you save your game at least every hour or every time you complete a challenge because this game is that unpredictable.
– While the servers for this game work, they aren’t all that stable and you might have a hard time connecting to a buddy or a random is your looking to actually utilize the co-op function for this game.

I would say that out of all the Saints Row games, that this is probably my favorite one. I love the story and the crazy antics that Saints Row brings and I love how this game parodies a bunch of stuff including Mass Effect. That being said, I guess the parodies would be lost on someone who hasn’t played Mass Effect or lived through the Mass Effect 3 ending drama. Even if you haven’t played Mass Effect or seen the sci-fi movies that are parodied in this game, it’s still a fun game to play and if you’re a Saints Row fan I would highly recommend it. If this is your first Saints Row game, I would say that you’re going to be a little lost on the game story wise as it relies heavily on the fact that the player has played the previous games, but it’s still a playable game. Just expect to be a little lost every once in a while. Since I’ve only played the third Saints Row game, some of the earlier stuff was lost on me, like when it went back to stuff that happened in Saints Row 2, but it was still enjoyable. I would say that if you’re a fan of games like GTA, then this might also be a game for you because it has the same aspects of a GTA game, just in a more funny setting and universe. That being said, this game, like all games, isn’t for everyone so if this isn’t your type of game, then it’s just not your type of game.

What Remains of Edith Finch Review (PS4)

I picked up this game a little while ago on sale and pushed it to the side until I was a little tired of the games that I was playing and wanted something that wouldn’t take too long to play, but still had a decent story. I decided to play this game because I heard a couple of my buddies raving about this game so I decided why let it sit on my system even longer then it had to and decided to play. After playing for a little over two hours, I was able to get all the trophies for this game which means it’s time for a review.

What Remains of Edith Finch is a first person walking simulator. There are a lot of these games lately right? Anyway, in this game you play as Edith. Edith has just lost her mother and has been given a key to her old family estate. An old family estate that she used to live in until some tragic accidents happened and her mother forced a young Edith to leave the place she absolutely loved. She’ll wander around the estate as she’s finally able to access areas of the house that were off limits to her before as a young girl and learn about the Finch’s who came before her and what happened to each of them as they each have a story to tell, even Edith.

This game is a little weird to start off with, but once you get into it, it’s a really tragic game that tells the story of what has to be one of the most cursed families ever created. Every single one of the Finches who lived in this old family estate has died for some weird reason and you’ll get the chance to play out each untimely death. Some of the deaths are weird and not even all that well explained out as it leaves it to the player to kind of figure out what happened and some are just disturbing as you can kind of tell what’s going to happen as the story begins while others are just plain sad. The overall feeling of this game is just weird and sad at the same time as it’s kind of a downer.

The playability of this game is pretty simple considering that it’s a walking simulator. You’ll have to do some other things that aren’t really explained to you as you go through each of the Finch’s stories and find out how they met their untimely death. You’ll eventually have to learn for yourself and while this is frustrating at times, once you get the hang of the game, it’s not really a problem. The only thing that the lack of instruction does is intrude on the story a little as when you have to learn new controls for different stories, it just puts a little hinderance on the actual story of the game. Other than that there were no bugs or glitches in my seamless playthrough of this game.

The graphics for this game have to be one of my favorite graphics for a game. The art style is just beautiful in this tragic tale as each story is different and the art style for each story differs as well. Always played in the first person perspective, there are times when you’ll play through a comic book style of storytelling and another part where you’ll play by looking through a camera. The way that the art style and graphics of this game changed so easily and flawlessly was a big hit with me and I really enjoyed it.

There are a total of 9 trophies for this game, but this is one of those games where the trophies really don’t matter and you shouldn’t just play this game for the trophies even if they are super easy. You should play this game because it’s a beautifully tragic game that has a pretty amazing story to tell even if it is a downer and left me a little depressed at the end. Anyway, this is one of those games where you can basically get all of the trophies, except one, in the first playthrough. If you happen to miss a few, which I did, you can go back through chapter select and get them so you don’t even have to play the whole game again.

Once again another game with no multiplayer which makes me extremely happy that I’ve been on this binge of single player games.

Overall I give this game a 4 out of 5.

What’s Great:
+ This is a heavily story based game that tells the tale of the tragic lives of the Finch’s as Edith returns to her family estate to find out more about her family and record the events of what happened to them.
+ Some stories are straight to the point, some stories are a little more obscure, and others are just plain sad making this game diverse, but also just a really sad game and sometimes sad games are OK.
+ While at times I wasn’t a fan of the gameplay or the story itself, I was a huge fan of each and every different scene in the game and the graphics that came along with it as the art style changed depending on the story that was being told. I thought that this was creative and actually brought a lot to this game.

What’s Not So Great:
– This game is a walking simulator in a sea of walking simulator games and although it stands out it has its moments of making you try something new only to find yourself asking possibly out loud, “What the hell am I supposed to do!” when the game turns into something that’s not a walking simulator. The change-up was always sudden and threw you for an unexpected loop.
– The situations in this, although not always to the point, are really tragic and are a major downer. I know that this game is supposed to be like that, and while this really isn’t a bad thing it’s just a little warning that this game really isn’t for everyone and might be a little too depressing or might a little too close to home for some people

This was one of those one and done games and I really enjoyed it, even though it was extremely tragic and left me feeling a little depressed and empty at the end. I would say that the highlights of this game was the well-crafted story as well as the graphics and art style of this game. The ever-changing gameplay of this game was a bit of a downer and did ruin some of the scenes that were short lived as you tried to learn new controls for a segment that maybe lasted a few minutes at most. I would say that if you’re looking for a game that is heavily story based and don’t mind a little sad and depressing then give this game a try because it’s worth it. If you don’t like walking simulators or sad games because sometimes they can hit too close to home, then I would say to give this game a pass.

Goosebumps: The Game Review (PS4)

This is the last of PlayStation Halloween games that I got on sale. Like I, Zombie, which you can read my review of here, I’m not sure how much I paid for this game, but believe me it was cheap. Anyway, I just didn’t get this game on sale, I got it because as a child growing up Goosebumps were the books that made me the avid reader that I am today. I would get a new book almost every week as I devoured book after book after book. I wanted some nostalgia and I got it on sale so why not. I also got all the trophies for this game, so that means it’s time for a review.

In Goosebumps: The Game, you get to choose your character, pick from a high school teenage boy or girl and give him or her a name. You’ll never actually see your character so it’s basically just for reference purposes as you make your way through this point and click type of game. After a mysterious moving van crashes in front of your house, your house now turns into a haunted house straight out of a Goosebumps book. You’ll have to make your way through the house and face various different obstacles before finding out that Slappy is behind all of this. It’ll be up to you to stop Slappy and all of his evil doings.

As much as I loved the Goosebumps books growing up, this game was seriously not for me. I didn’t like the style of it, I didn’t like the point and click puzzles that were impossible to figure out without a guide, and I just didn’t like the overall story of the game. The Goosebumps fan that’s still inside of me was horribly disappointed and let down by this game that was really a waste of 5 whole hours that I could have been doing something else. That could have been 5 hours in another game that I actually enjoyed and would have made some progress on. This put a stop to it though and the overall experience of this game was just meh. There’s really nothing to write home and brag about this game because as I said it’s just a standard point and click game.

While the playability of this game was simple enough, the puzzles were so obscure at times that if you don’t use a guide you’ll never know what you’re doing. This gets boring and tedious really fast as simple puzzles become frustrating. I will say that for a point and click game on the PS4 though that it worked rather well and everything felt really well done and thought out. I would have liked for there to be some more hints here and there on what needed to be done, but that’s just me. I did enjoy the fact that this game was bug and glitch free which gives it a few extra bonus points because I swear if there were bugs or glitches in this game I would have smashed my controller into a million little pieces.

The graphics for this game were pretty simple and that’s ok. The Goosebumps characters matched up to the cover art for the books that they were featured in and the overall game looked good. Is it a AAA game that has amazing graphics? No, but it’s a simple game that has fitting graphics. Everything that needed to be detailed was and that was a huge plus for this game as it made you live out a proper Goosebumps experience.

SO MUCH READING! There is so much reading in this game that it just got to be really tiring. There was some really bad voice acting, but the rest was just like reading a book and seriously if I wanted to read a book I would read a book not play a video game where I had to read every single thing. Now don’t get me wrong. Sometimes reading isn’t bad in games like when you’re playing Dragon Age: Origins and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim where your character doesn’t talk, but at least the people around you do. This whole thing except for some of the beginning and the end was just all reading and it got to be so much that I skipped a lot of the text.

There are a total of 41 trophies for this game and if you don’t play it right you’re going to miss a lot of the trophies and the game is going to get frustrating really quickly. It’s really suggested that you use a guide for playing the game. I can see wanting to play the game for the first time without using a guide that that’s perfectly fine, but after that I suggest using that guide so that you won’t have a problem getting the trophies that are really easy and a really easy platinum to add to your collection.

Another game that I picked up with no multiplayer. I almost can’t believe it. Three games in a row. I’m extremely proud of myself because I really do not like multiplayer games or games that feel like they have this added on multiplayer that doesn’t need to be there. I’m really happy to say that this has seriously been a good year for single player games.

Overall I give this game a 1 out of 5.

What’s Great:
+ This game is for hardcore Goosebumps fans both old and new even though you might feel a little lost depending on the last time that you’ve actually read a Goosebumps book. For me that was probably a good 20 years ago.

What’s Not So Great:
– This game relies heavily on you being a die hard Goosebumps fan and knowing every single thing about almost every single book if you want to make it through this point and click game without using a guide.
– Some of these trophies and puzzles are so obscure that I really can’t see anyone fully completing this game without using a guide and this takes a lot of the fun out of the game if you can’t experience if to the max by yourself.
– There is so much reading to do in this game that you’ll end up skipping half of the reading because it’s tedious and just boring.

I would say that if you’re an old Goosebumps fan like myself that you just skip this game. It’s seriously not worth it and you really won’t remember all that much of what’s going on. The only thing that was memorable for me was seeing Slappy who was featured in a book I read a really long time ago. Everything else really feel flat on me and that kind of took a lot of the enjoyment out of the game for me. If you’re really desperate to play this game because of your love for point and click games and Goosebumps, I would say to wait until this game goes on sale because even for the easy platinum, it’s not worth the current $14.99 price tag. If you’re not a Goosebumps fan and you’re not a point and click game fan, then I would say even though the platinum is an easy one, why bother going through all the trouble and just skip it.

I, Zombie Review

This was another one of those games that I bought during the PlayStation annual Halloween sale. I also bought and finished Doodle Devil, which you can read about here. At this point I’m not even sure how much I paid for this game, but I know that it was cheap and I also knew that this would be an easy 100% to add to my profile. So after a little over a day of playing and getting all of the trophies, it’s time for a review.

I, Zombie is a little puzzle strategy type of game where you play as a zombie, the leader of all the zombies, and go through each level in order to create more zombies or get to someone without being detected. To do this you’ll have to be skillful and try to see each level at all different angles. It’s not a hard game and there are enough levels to keep you busy as you try to figure out each level and get the ultimate goal of getting all three stars on each and every level.

I enjoyed the time that I spent with this little puzzle strategy game. I thought that it was fun and while some levels were simple and to the point, others were not and required a lot of strategy and a lot of time to think. This was fun and made the game exciting as I tried multiple time to get three stars on each level. While there are enough levels to keep you busy if you don’t grind your way through the game, I still would have liked to see more levels. Especially because there are summer and winter levels. What happened to spring and fall? Adding these two more seasons would have added some more levels and gave this game more attention because of more levels.

The playability of this game is both simple and complicated depending on the level that you’re playing. When you’re playing your head zombie, things are easy because you go and recruit your other zombies and make them follow you around turning unsuspecting people into more zombies to create your zombie hoard. When you’re playing as your head zombie but have to rely on the other zombies to do all of the work in order to free you from a situation, things become a little more complicated and frustrating. This is also one of those games where you feel like when you do a puzzle you have to rush and do it, not only because of the speed run trophies which I’ll get to in a moment, but because you just have this urge to get the level done as quickly as possible. It’s a weird feeling, but I had this a lot during the game and it made me make stupid mistakes. That being said, if you take your time, or follow a guide, this game is pretty easy and once you get used to the style of puzzles, they aren’t all that hard to figure out.

The graphics for this game are simple and that’s OK because this is a simple game. This isn’t a AAA game and the graphics don’t need to reflect that. I like simply designed games that have simple cartoony graphics sometimes because they’re kind of like a rarity now a days. That being said, I still thought the graphics had a lot of detail to them and the team that worked on these graphics really cared as they designed the different people and the different zombies that they became. For a super small game, a lot of detail went into the graphics and it went a long way too.

Now for the trophies, there are a total of 11 super easy trophies for this game. All you really have to do is play the game, finish the game in a certain amount of time, and get three stars on all of the levels. While the speed run trophies can be tricky, you have the option to go back and redo the levels in order to get a better time on them. You also have the opportunity to go back and get three stars on each level so it’s a totally doable trophy list. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to get all of the trophies for this game.

This is another game that has the lack of multiplayer and this makes me happy because I do love the single player games where I can just play by myself so, this game gets another yay for being single player only.

Overall I give this game a 3 out of 5.

What’s Great:
+ This is a great puzzle strategy game that allows you to play as a zombie and each level has a different way of it being solved in order to get three stars.
+ For a small game that has simple graphics, a lot of attention was paid to the details of how each character looked like before they were zombies and after they were zombies showing that a lot of time and care went into the making of this game.
+ There are no bugs and glitches for this game which is always a plus and a bonus seeing as how games have so many bugs and glitches in them it’s always a relief to play a game that has none of that.

What’s Not So Great:
– While there are plenty of levels to keep you occupied, there could have been more especially since this was a seasonal type game. Apparently this game forgot that there isn’t just winter and summer, but also spring and fall. This was a complete mistake on the games behalf to not make this game longer by adding different seasons and more levels.
– The speed run trophies, while simple to get are a real downer on the game and kind of ruin it especially when you have to go back to on level only to save the level by a few seconds and have your overall time for the season cut by a few seconds. This puts a hinderance on the game when you have to go back and see how you can do the puzzles faster.

This is one of those games that isn’t the greatest, but it also isn’t the worst game either. It’s a decent game that could have been more, but it just wasn’t. That being said, I did enjoy my time playing this game for the price that I paid. I would say that if you enjoy puzzle strategy games then this is a pretty decent game to play, but not for the full price of $4.49. If you can find this game on sale again, I would say to go for it, but for a game that really only takes a little over a day to complete, paying $4.49 for it just seems a bit much. If you’re not a fan of puzzle strategy games, then just skip this one because if you don’t like that genre then this isn’t the game that’s going to get you into puzzle strategy type games.

Doodle Devil Review (PS4)

This game was a total impulse buy because it was on sale for $1.79 during the PlayStation Halloween sale. Playing Doodle God on my PS Vita, you can read my review of that game here, I knew what I was getting into. I didn’t really have high expectations for this game. How can you have high expectations for a game that cheap, but I was able to get all the trophies for this game in a little over an hour so that means it’s time for a review.

In Doodle Devil, you basically play the devil. Just like in Doodle God, you have to use the elements given to you to make new elements. It’s kind of like this big science experiment game. The only twist this time around is that you’re basically making stuff that is considered “evil” There are a bunch of elements to create and so many combinations to do so in, but it’s really not that hard of a game. The main point is to create all of the elements and finish the game.

I thought this game was OK, I mostly like it for the science aspect of it. You use two elements to create one or more different elements and the pattern continues. You just have to keep doing this until the game is basically over. It’s not that hard of a game, you can basically just use a guide in order to complete the whole game, but if you choose to not use a guide then it gets a little complicated as you’re trying to figure out what element goes with what to create something new. This could basically take hours. While that’s not bad, I could also see this becoming tiring since the combinations are just about endless and while you might hit the first couple easily after that the new elements might not be so easy to get.

The playability of this game is simple as it’s basically just a point and click game. Choose the category that your element is in, choose the other category that your other element is in and combine them. BOOM, new element! Not really a whole lot to do with this game, but at least it functions properly and there were no bugs and glitches that made this game a pain to play. I would think that it would be really hard to mess up a point and click type of game, but you never know. I will say what made this game just a little difficult was not knowing where all the elements are. What took up most of my time was trying to find where the element I needed was located. I think the layout of the screen could have been a little different to make finding the elements less difficult.

The graphics for this game are OK at best. They aren’t the worst graphics, but they aren’t the best either. The artwork is simple because it’s not a PS4 game really. It was ported over as a mobile game that went to the PS Vita, which I’m sure the graphics look better on there, and then ported over again on the PS4. The graphics were made for a much smaller screen and you can tell because everything is super small and a little hard to read. In some ways the graphics get in the way when you’re looking for an element but the writing is small and you really can’t find it.

There are a total of 13 trophies for this game. They’re all super easy to get especially if you follow a guide. If you don’t follow a guide, you’ll probably have to play this game twice since one of the trophies is to make 50 elements in a row. To avoid doing this, just use a guide. You still get the same game experience and you can get all of the trophies in one shot.

There is no multiplayer for this game and I really don’t see how multiplayer could be incorporated with this game so we’re just going to skip this section completely and just say yay for there not being multiplayer.

Overall I give this game a 2.5 out of 5.

What’s Great:
+ Unlike Doodle God, you get to play as the Devil and make the bad things that are in the world. Most of them are funny like censorship and then of course the seven deadly sins, and some of them are not so funny.
+ It’s a simple little point and click game that works well and doesn’t have any bugs or glitches that hinder you from playing the game.

What’s Not So Great:
– The graphics for this game were made for the small screen. Sorry, but it’s true. I’m sure this game looked great on a mobile platform and even the Vita, but the PS4 just didn’t’ work as everything was super small as it tried to take up a bigger screen.
– This game could become a little tedious at times if you’re trying really hard to make elements by using different combinations and you just can’t do it. To get all the trophies you will definitely need a guide.

Overall this is just an OK game. It’s not a great game and it’s not a horrible game. It falls right in the middle of that and for $1.79 that’s OK. If you paid more for this game though, I would assume that you’re probably annoyed that it only took a little over an hour and there’s no replay value. It’s not like if you play again you can make different elements. Anyway, I would say if you want to waste an hour of your time and pick up 13 easy trophies that will give you 315 points to go for it, but make sure you get it on sale so you don’t regret it. If you like point and click type games, you might also like this game, but if not I would stay away from this game and move onto something different.