Search Results

Visual novels are very hit or miss with me. I’ll either be engrossed within the first half hour, or I’ll turn it off and never get the urge to start it back up. Until Then grabbed me within the first few minutes and engrossed me the entire way through. Until Then is a narrative adventure where you play as 15 year old Mark as he navigates his high school life: joking with his friends, tackling awkward situations, and navigating young love. As a narrative adventure, most of the gameplay revolves around the story, making choices, and interacting with other characters. That said, there are a few minigames thrown into Until Then to change it up a bit.There are various types, and it’s hard to predict when and what type of mingame might come up next. Games range from platformers, to rhythm games and even a take on Doki Doki Literature Club–well, kind of. These minigames rarely have any real stakes, but sometimes the outcome seems to have an effect on the story. But there’s a deeper mystery under all of this mundanity. It would be hard to know this unless you read the game’s description–at least for the first couple of hours of gameplay. The mystery comes in subtly at first–but then Mark starts to question his reality as his memory begins to clash with reality. Mysteries of the world and Mark are further explored through his smartphone. News clippings, social media posts, and even texts help flesh out the story and deepen Until Then’s mystery. While Until Then gripped me the whole way, I wasn’t on the edge of my seat. There is a bit of a plodding, introspective nature to the narrative that can sometimes get in the way of enjoyment. Brevity isn’t necessary, but Until Then really likes to linger on scenes and ideas, often taking them one step too far, even if the point is made. Some visual novels are very graphically simple, but Until Then uses a pixel art style that gives it a timeless look, and makes it really pop. Through different perspectives and some impressively detailed close up shots, Until Then manages to stand out among its peers. Developer PolyChroma games has used their roots in the Phillipines as inspiration behind Unitil Then, incorporating different locations on the islands throughout, and this ends up revealing some cultural difference. It’s nothing extraordinary, just things like comments about having loads of pirated DVDs as a usual staple. These add context, flavor and interest in otherwise mundane situations, and never take the spotlight off the main narrative. Until Then is definitely a standout visual novel. It has moments of genuine emotion and intrigue while using an impressive art style to tie everything together. It’s not perfect, with a story that’s slow to get started and a tendency to navel gaze. But Until Then is a genuinely enjoyable and unique visual novel that will be a treat to any fan of the genre. Until Then is available today on PC and PS5 A Steam copy of Until Then was provided to us for this review

I was able to preview Monster Hunter Wilds at Summer Game Fest and what I saw was out of this world exciting for what’s to come from the franchise. A faster, bigger, more expensive game that feels the most fluid that it’s ever felt. The first major thing to understand about Monster Hunter Wilds is that the maps have been expanded. They have removed the idea of hub towns and replaced them with in-map villages you can visit, so in the middle of a hunt you can stop into a village to upgrade gear before returning to the hunt. Since it’s a single free flowing map, that also removes load times and the constant stop and start of hunts. Hunts begin pretty organically actually. You will be assigned multiple quests, and then they will automatically activate as you enter combat, which takes a lot of the guesswork out of fighting the right monsters. As per usual, fighting the monsters is the main event, but now they are epic journeys. Monsters will cross the maps in packs, and will encounter other monsters organically, leading to massive blow out fights that are without your intervention. You can also egg monsters on into fighting which makes for a lot of fun strategies. While fighting you now have a lizard mount, which can be mounted and dismounted very quickly, and they can house a SECOND weapon. This is a massive change in the series considering you usually have to focus on one weapon pretty religiously, but now you can expand and be more versatile. You can even attack while on the back of your mount as they parkour around the environments. So you will be mounting, dismounting, swapping weapons, traversing environments, attacking packs of monsters while avoiding others, but on a bigger scale than ever. I say scale because there are now massive environmental changes and shifts that can occur. Day, night and seasons will change causing new monsters to appear during these shifts, but also giant storms will just naturally occur leading to full out set piece battles that are a sight to behold. In the preview, we saw a massive sand storm, darkening the entire area. Then as the combat continued, lightning strikes started occurring, hitting both monster and player alike. There was a lot on screen to take into account as other monsters started attacking during the storm, but it was so dynamic because the player could easily escape the storm to bright sunny skies seamlessly. There’s so much more still to dig into with this preview, an intense wounding system for focusing monsters down, deployable base camps and villages, but man, this is my number one game from Summer Game Fest. Period.

Horror heavy hitters Blumhouse Studio have dipped into video games by crafting a full slate of titles that are a perfect fit for the indie horror scene. Described as “weird and subversive” the games come like their movies, with lots of different flavors of horror, from  murder farming sims to intense psychological nightmares. Blumhouse premiered their roster of games at SummerGame Fest, teasing 6 titles for this summer. Their first title, Fear the Spotlight features 90s horror with a classic teenage narrative full of twists and turns. Needless to say there’s never been a better time to be a horror game fan and Blumhouse is happily leading the charge.

It took me a second to realize, but Belle and Sebastian have been in the game for 28 years with a dozen albums under their belts and a hefty mount of singles that are as cherished as the songs on the records. With that sort of longevity and consistent quality, you know you're going to get a whirlwind of a show. Last weekend at the Salt Shed, Belle and Sebastian did that very thing, transporting everyone at the show to the spot when they first heard the band's beatific sounds for the very first time. Before the main event could take over, fans were treated to a double bill of openers. Most shows on the tour only featured one of the openers, but this night got something a little special. First was Haley Heynderickx and her small band serenading the crowd with beautiful songs. Great tracks off of I Need to Start a Garden really took hold of the reverent audience keen on adding Heynderickx to their must listen lists. The Weather Station  followed Heynderickx's gorgeous set with one of her own. Backed by a fuller band, Tamara Lindeman really took in the moment and delivered her songs with a conviction that was greatly appreciated. Sprinkling new songs in with some great favorites like "Tired To Tell You," "Robber," and "Parking Lot," really made for a well rounded and interesting set. Lindeman's lyrics are full of these little moments that grant you feeling a deeper understanding. Whether it's a love song relating herself to a bird ("Parking Lot") or lamenting the capitalist in all of us "Robber," Lindeman is just able to open up and find a morsel of truth we might have missed. During the latter portion of the set the Weather Station were joined by Macie Stewart, adding even more quality instrumentation to the incredible set. Then it finally came time for Belle & Sebastian to take the stage and they did not disappoint. With a band that has been pretty stable the last decade (featuring Stuart Murdoch, Stevie Jackson, Sarah Martin, Chris Geddes, Richard Colburn, Bobby Kildea, and Dave McGowan), there was no doubt we'd be getting a well-oiled sound machine. Honestly, we got a little more than that as Belle and Sebastian's sincerity and talents were as great as the first time I saw them nearly 20 years ago. Belle and Sebastian's set list was rife with favorites from all the eras of the band's masterful career. There were of course a few albums that weren't represented like their work associated with movies (Storytelling & Days of the Bagnold Summer), but for the most part we got an incredible look at the band's immense catalog. "If She Wants Me", a personal favorite of mine, details a break up and the insecurities that can plague the situation. It goes on into full sad boy lyricism while maintain the crux of the song and realistically so many of the band's songs "But life is good and 'It's always worth living/At least for a while'". At some-point in the set Murdoch leaned over to Jackson and remarked "Stevie do we suffer?" and was met with "It's terrible Stuart", once again jokingly underlining some aspects the songs' ethos. But no matter how much suffering their songs may hold, they sound hopeful and glorious. Everyone at the Salt Shed was going with flow that was masterfully lead by Murdoch. "Your Covers Blown" is dancey and energetic, making everyone in the audience move to it's grooves and pleas to leave the scene and join something better. "Pizza New York Catcher" oozes with unbridled love despite its hints at things not working out (although Murdoch assured the crowd it does). The Life Pursuit was my first Belle and Sebastian album (technically Push Barman to Open Old Wounds came out right before it but that was a collection of previous singles) after I found out the band and had voraciously listened to their previous catalog. The songs on that album mean a lot to me and the three that found themselves on the setlist really rang out with all the nostalgia gleaming. "Dress Up in You" was absolute prefect as Murdoch, with occasional harmonizing from Martin, laid out the friendship full of melancholy and resentment with pitch perfect accuracy. When the line "The men are surprised by the language/They act so discreet, they are hypocrites/So fuck them too" arrives so did the crowd eager opportunity to sing along. It's a moment of impassioned , even if it is coming from an exasperated situation. One of the biggest highlights of the night came when the stage was filled with audience members invited to join the band and dance along to songs. There was so much excitement and joy beaming form those on and off stage, catapulting "If You Find Yourself Caught in Love" into the stratosphere. The song started off with its twinkling keys before bursting forth with it's undoubtedly pro-love, anti-war anthem that raised everyone spirits. The encore ushered out the night with more favorites. "Fox in the Snow" a song that is so emblematic of the band that one couldn't help but sways away as the background display had little flakes gently snowing down. "This Is Just a Modern Rock Song" kept that vibe going, letting the atmosphere in the Salt Shed feel as light as a cloud before it was time to go. Here we were met with another The Life Pursuit track: "Another Sunny Day". The song full of love before it all goes away at its end felt fitting as all thing, including fantastic concerts, come to an end. While so many of Belle and Sebastian's song have these sad notes amidst the love and joyful instrumentation, it's important to remember the highlights. Thankfully this show was full of them. All photos by Julian Ramirez This post was originally published on Third Coast Review.

If there is any constant in this world, it's Macie Stewart and Sima Cunningham's ability to evolve. It's something I've noted in every review of their experimental band Finom's albums. Each one offers something complexly new, but inimitably theirs. From their early beginnings with their self-titled EP to their full length releases Parts and Fantasize Your Ghost, Stewart and Cunningham have changed their sound even within their releases themselves, never truly letting their creation become stagnate, which in turn has resulted in songs that sound fresh with every re-listen. Even their name, which I have purposefully neglected to mention, has changed. They have gone from HOMME to OHMME to Finom, not necessarily under their own accord, but Stewart and Cunningham have rolled with the changes. Their latest release and first under their new Finom name, Not God, is a worthy addition to their catalog. Featuring production from Jeff Tweedy, who they have frequently collaborated with in the past, Not God really embodies the band's gentler side. That's not to say there aren't the expected moments of brilliant sonic dissonance, guitars crashing into each other, and the pairs' sharp lyrics. It's all there, but with a rounder and more polished sense of self. That album kicks off with "Haircut", the strongest connection the louder aspects of Finom's sound and their strongest singles. Odd and catchy as all hell, it really captures your attention as it's near nonsensical lyrics ("written following the stream of suggested words" from Stewart’s phone) can't help but put a smile on your face. "Yeah, I’m sorry but I’m not gonna wanna it’s the time of day I can get my haircut" the duo harmonizes in a hallucinatory repetition that lend credence to that absurd excuse. After that the album turns to the ethereal aspects of the band with "Dirt" and "Naked", albeit at stark ends of that feeling. "Dirt" yearns for love ("I want to be loved, I’m impatient") with the pairs voices soothing that painful waiting while "Naked" is seemingly fully in that love ("What a different way to live/Happy here with love to give") as it quickly treks along with sharp instrumentation. "Hungry" is one of the few tracks on the album that let's itself indulge in some uninterrupted guitar madness, really finding itself in a massively loud explosion at it's finish. "Not God" teases you with a guitar rise that could have come crashing down, but thinks better of it ans stay steadfast as the lyrics question everything: "If you’re not God, then what are you?". While both these tracks hearken back to earlier Finom stylings like "Haircut", they completely shed themselves of it, too. That's honestly one of my favorite things about Stewart and Cunningham, their ability to be so malleable as it embracve what makes them uniquely them while pursuing the new and different. Later on in the tracklisting comes "Cyclops",which is rife with violent fantastical/biblical imagery of it's title's creature and bloodied teeth before blurring the lines once the initial chorus of "Nobody cares about your band" launches. It then feels like it steps into a reality familiar to ours, ending shortly after another burst of that harsh chorus. It's the shortest song on the album, but it packs as much of a punch as the longer tracks. It's on the final song on the album, "As You Are", another high point in Finom's discography, where everythign falls into place. It's the band at their clearest and my favorite track on the album. The song sets the table with some dark imagery ("I killed the bugs I called my friends and used their guts as ink") before finding Finom at it's most meditative and subsequently loving. "I will love you as you are, deep into my grave" Cunningham and Stewart sing with a full understanding of its finishing statement as much as the day to day reality ("All that you do, I want to do"). There are so many lines in the song that emanate this joyful connection. The song reminds be of the closing track of Fantasize Your Ghost "After All", another song of theirs that feels like an outlier but remains as true to the band's ethos. It's a perfect ending with its twinkling chimes before only drums lead listeners off. You can listen to Not God on your favorite streaming platform or purchase the album over on Finom’s webstore, Joyful Noise Recording’s site, and Bandcamp. Finom will be performing at Metro on November 2nd. Tickets are $20 in advance. This post was originally published on Third Coast Review

The Anime Central convention was this past weekend as of this writing, and with it came a plethora of cosplayers and nerdy enthusiasts from all over. Despite being an anime convention, ACEN is more known for its cosplay.  With arguably the most cosplay out of any of the localized conventions, ACEN generally stands above all the rest. Along with that, it’s also one of the few cons that goes 24 hours which then also leads into its title of being one of the more salacious enthusiast cons around, so why on Earth would I bring my mother? For context, my mother and I haven’t always seen eye to eye growing up. She started going through menopause at the exact right time for me to be an angsty angry teen, but nowadays, being a father myself, we’ve definitely hit that best friend stride. I’ve finally grown to understand where she was coming from, and she’s settled into a more adventurous lifestyle in her retirement. Despite being a supportive mother to two very nerdy sons, she never once accompanied me to a convention. That was usually my fathers domain. Then, two years ago, she asked to finally tag along and experience what I always loved in that type of community atmosphere. Enter ACEN, one of the biggest conventions in the Chicagoland area. Along with C2E2 and Fan Expo (formally Wizard World), ACEN stands as a pillar of nerdy gatherings, and one I wanted her to experience. Encompassing the majority of the Donald E. Stephens Convention center and the attached Hyatt, it stands to host famous voice actors and celebrities alike. With areas to play board games, video games, choreography competitions, cosplay photography, contests, shows, theater rooms, and even two accompanying night raves, there’s a lot to be said about it as an event. I had warmed her to the experience with the Fan Expos and C2E2s but now it was time to dive into the weird world of ACEN. On the walk in, I provided her with a primer of the necessary lingo, and things to expect. She was familiar with the cosplay but less so on the sheer magnitude. I was practically getting whiplash as she ping ponged around trying to get photos of all the cool Star Wars costumes she recognized. A little liquid courage from some Gin and Tonics plus some food cart Sushi and we were off to the show floor to explore. There’s a lot to see at a con like this. Vendors selling art work, homemade crafts, fashion, and of course, like any good shopper, we had to see it all. This led to a lot of questions regarding sexy body pillows, furries and BDSM attire.  Which brings me to one of my favorite things about the con community: Inclusivity. To best answer any questions she had, we engaged with the community, asked questions and were happily given thoughtful answers. The fans want to engage with everyone. As long as you are genuine, the courtesy is returned right back. Throughout our experience, I was able to give some brief interviews with other parents who were there with their young children. What came of these conversations were glowing praise on how the fans treat their own. With mutual respect and care. The parents felt safe, and were excited to share in their children's interest white engaging in a positive culture. The show floor had tons of family activities for all ages, so no matter the fandom, there was something for you. We concluded our trip with the Oriana Peron cosplay drag show, which blends the classic nerdy cosplay with a full drag presentation. Musical numbers spilled out from the stage into the audience, with lots of participation from the crowd. My mother clapped along to each song, while the cast performed impressively. Jumping off the stage into splits, impressive dance maneuvers and cartwheels were only some of the impressive feats that were displayed at the show. My mother, along with the rest of the crowd was left in awe. I did later return for the rave, but I chose to leave my mother out of that particular event. In the end, she really enjoyed her experience at ACEN. We came for the cosplay but left with a comradery that comes from something like an ACEN or Fan Expo. Community. Nothing will ever replace the community felt in these kinds of fandoms. A desire to share in something you love with other like minded individuals and having my mother there only emphasized this value. Leave your gatekeeping elsewhere, here, as they say at Olive Garden, you’re family. We came, we saw, we conquered. Until next year ACEN!

Sometimes you need the right balance of calm and invigorating music to make your weekend settle just right. This past weekend the Salt Shed was home to an evening full of amazing musicians that did exactly that. Sold out far in advance, Waxahatchee and Good Morning took to one of the best venues in the city and gave the crowd an evening of perfect songs. The evening started off with Australian band Good Morning, really setting the stage for the evening softer and more melodic atmosphere. While the band is typically the duo of Liam Parsons and Stefan Blair, for this opening tour spot they had a full band to make their dreamy and tender jams all the more impressive. Performing tracks primarily from their latest album Good Morning Seven, Good Morning deftly maneuvered through the set. While I was initially unfamiliar with the band, I was instantly hooked by their sound which had that throwback feel of hidden gem of a bygone decade. "$10" finished off their set, underlining their laid back presentation with a delicate exclamation point. The sold out show felt truly special as I walked through the crowd. Ready to swoon their nights away to Katie Crutchfield's voice and guitar, the diverse crowd was full of listeners new and old. It was the type of crowd Waxahatchee rightfully deserves. Now it should come as no surprise that Chicago came out in droves for Waxahatchee as she has a strong connection to our fair city. Last year, Crutchfield was unexpectedly at Empty Bottle performing with Bonny Doon. Her touring band features a few familiar Chicago musicians like Colin Croom, Clay Frankel, and Spencer Tweedy with Eliana Athayde and Cole Berggren filling out the remainder of the lineup. So as they stepped on to the stage to the tune of Cheap Trick's "Southern Girls", the Chicago vibes were more than alright. Crutchfield started off her time on the Salt Shed stage with Tigers Blood's opening track "3 Sisters". It seems like with every Waxahatchee release there is a song that feels like ether the perfect opener or finisher to a live show. "3 Sisters" easily fits that bill as it's familiar cadence and Crutchfield's unwavering voice gives the song an anthemic feel. The setlist was full of Waxahatchee 's latest output, eschewing her early albums in favor of her more refined sound. Now for most early fans like myself, I could see that being a slight to her more indie rock beginnings. But considering just how pristine and focused her work on Saint Cloud, Plains (with the incredible Jess Williamson), and Tigers Blood it was a welcome treat. In fact she played the entirety of the Tigers Blood for the Salt shed crowd that night, full immersing them in the album's unbridled confidence. Having seen Plains a couple years ago, I was ecstatic to hear a pair of songs off the project again. Espcially since they were "Line of Sight" and "Hurricane", two songs that rank high for me in the Crutchfield and Williamson's songbook. "Hurricane" in particular with it's notions of being too much to handle but still worthy of love felt completely perfect tucked in the latte half of the night. "Baby, I'll come back to you" echoed through the room with purpose, delighting the packed house. The encore sent everyone off with a trio of songs: "Oxbow", "365" and "Fire", capping off one of the more beautiful nights I've had at the Salt Shed. These photos and review were originally published at Third Coast Review.

Do you remember 2020? I'm sure we all do. But do you remember that feeling of "when am I ever going to get out and do something again?" specifically? We do, and as a journalist who covers conventions of all sorts, I was particularly sad my con season was no more. Then along came LudoNarraCon, an online convention just for narrative games that I could attend in my PJs (by then in its second year). I still got the panel experiences, the sense of community on the Discord - and I got to experience a bunch of amazing games, some I'd go on to own and beat later down the road, or even review post-release. We've been in this thing for five years now, and the selection of games Fellow Traveller, who runs the con, brings to the table never disappoints. You'll see some familiar faces from years past, including selections from last Ludo like Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical and Death Trick: Double Blind, along with brand new games that are pre-release, sequels to much loved indies like Genesis Noir's follow-up title, Nirvana Noir, and - well...more! But that's not all you'll get - and we encourage you to dig deeper into this online convention. Fireside chats and panels are just as worth attending as the ones we suggest you go to at "IRL" cons. Narrative games aren't just one thing or another - there are all types of actual games from RPGs to visual novels and cozy games - all tied together with a strong narrative. If you're someone who can't put down a good book or binges an entire series - these are games you can really sink your teeth into, and the fireside chats and panels give you a unique and often overlooked opportunity to speak with the devs and creators themselves. We especially encourage people to get involved if they have any interest in game development, as it provides a priceless opportunity to understand more about what makes a game work, and what makes a narrative sing. Every single year, we find at least a few games that make us appreciate games as art even more, and take our breath away. We'll be hard at work in our comfy clothes, stuffing our faces with snacks and digging into demos while we listen to the Ludo crowd tell us about their journeys and their art, and even if you can't attend the whole thing online, we suggest you check out the lineup, find some things you're interested in and dip your toes in the water. We'll see you there!

Whenever tech giant Apple releases something major, it usually comes with a slick ad that worms its way into the cultural lexicon. The company’s catalog spans generations at this point. Dancing silhouettes dominated billboards and television when the company first released the iPod. In the 90’s, Apple burrowed the phrase “think different” deep into our brains. When it first released the Macintosh, the accompanying ad played on themes from 1984, depicting a woman smashing the face of big brother by throwing a sledgehammer at a large screen. This week, Apple announced the new iPad Pro with an ad attempting to show how the device contains all the elements one might need to create…anything. “Just imagine all the things it’ll be used to create,” wrote CEO Tim Cook on Twitter Tuesday above a video of the commercial. The ad slowly pans over a record player to the tune of “All I Ever Need Is You” by Sonny & Cher. The shot eventually widens to reveal a host of items - a piano, trumpet, books, paint, drum set, television, guitar, globe, a classic arcade game cabinet with the words “game over” onscreen, and more - sitting on a large hydraulic press. As the music plays, the press crushes everything slowly. Paint splatters over everything. Glass from the game and a television pops and crunches. Camera lenses explode. The top of the press finally meets the bottom, pauses for a moment, and slowly lifts up to reveal a thin iPad. The implications are both obvious and crushingly dystopic. Most of us have been walking around for a decade or more with a device in our pockets that can tell the time and weather, give us directions anywhere, play music, take photos and video, and access humanity’s largest evolving archive of knowledge, among other things. We take it for granted in the same way earlier generations took the ubiquity of broadcast television and radio. Those of us that grew up as the analog world became digital witnessed an explosion of creativity, affordability, and access to worlds we may have never otherwise wandered through. This ad however, doesn’t show that. Books exploding into pulp because one can theoretically access them on an iPad doesn’t mean people will actually have access to them. Creating, recording, or performing a song on an iPad or laptop is a completely different experience than doing it with a guitar or piano. Admiring a portrait on a screen is different from hanging one on the wall of your living room. Watching the destruction of the tools of creativity in slow motion isn’t just jarring, it gives us the idea that none of them are necessary anymore and have less value. “This is not making things better. This is just making some people insanely wealthy, at the expense of all of us,” wrote actress and director Justine Bateman on Twitter, including a screencap of a 2017 op-ed written in the New York Times by Eve Ewing. “Tech and AI means to destroy everything.” Actor Hugh Grant also posted to Twitter about the ad, saying it shows “the destruction of the human experience. Courtesy of Silicon Valley.” A few people have already recut the ad to show it in reverse, where instead of the hydraulic press crushing everything, it slowly reveals the items, suggesting they’re springing forth from the iPad. And though that version is many times better than the original, it still doesn’t exactly feel right. While a digital version of something analog opens up access to an incredible array of tools for creativity for people who might not be able to afford the money, time, space or have other impediments to use or enjoy them, they don’t replace them. Nor do they replace the talent and skill it takes to master them. And though they open up new avenues for creation all to themselves, the idea that we need nothing else but a pocket computer to create art, music, literature, photography, and more cheapens everything. For Wall Street, corporate behemoths, and various techbros, this seems to be the end game. As they continue to push LLMs and other types of generative AI on the world, they extract as much value and meaning out of art and culture as possible. They’re selling the idea that not only can literally anyone write a book, make a picture, or create a video game without much or any skill or effort, but it doesn’t matter what that creation is, so long as it vacuums up a pile of money and spits it out onto the stock market.

One of the old adages of game development is if you do too many things, you end up doing none of them particularly well – that is, too many concepts and genres tend to spoil a game. Sometimes, however, a developer breaks this rule, throws all their ideas together and they stick – but Heading Out is not one of those games. That might sound harsh –  and don’t get me wrong: Heading Out has its merits, but it just tries to be too many things. Heading Out, at its core, is a racing game with rogue lite elements, and some visual novel/narrative game elements. It really tries to do a whole lot all at once. It’s ambitious, and lots of its execution actually comes together into a coherent game which is impressive enough considering all of the disparate elements. There is also a strong sense that Heading Out is meant to be cool. It's very stylized, with the racing segments in black and white, and random encounters illustrated in a digital hand drawn style. But it feels like it's trying really hard to be cool, and the whole thing comes off a bit corny, in an endearing way. Dialogue delivery is an issue, and mostly full of misses. It doesn’t help that the dialogue is written sloppily, with clumsy,  heavy-handed social commentaries. Even as someone who agrees with most of the political ideology espoused in Heading Out,  I still felt uncomfortable with just how hard it leaned into it. This will certainly reduce its review score. Which is too bad, because it should have a low review score because it’s just an ‘okay” game. The basic gameplay premise is that you’re a racer and you are outrunning your fear. You even have to answer somewhat personal questions about what you’re potentially outrunning. It adds some personal touch to the story, but again, ends up feeling simultaneously invasive and eye roll inducing–most of the time.The story is told by a narrator with a southern drawl. He invokes memories of Bastion. Every bit of description and dialogue is read by him, except for the radio’s talking heads. As you travel across the States toward your ultimate goal, you will have the opportunity to choose your route. Each route has different opportunities for random events, and careful planning should be considered so you have enough money for each stop. This is represented using an overworld map where you actually do most of your traveling. You can actually control the speed of your little dot as it travels across the map –  but go too fast and you’ll burn up extra fuel and get the attention of the cops. Any problems that arise that you can’t solve through money can be solved through racing. If you don’t have money for fuel, you can run from the cops. If the cops try to stop you, you can decide to run instead of waiting to be detained (as fear is ever creeping towards you). Heading Out’s racing is its marquee feature, and it’s a surprisingly good racing game. It’s not great–just good. The different cars you can unlock handle well, with a difference between pavement and road. There are many different camera angles, even a cockpit view–something that was completely unnecessary, but absolutely awesome. As you race across different states the scenery changes. But it’s a cosmetic illusion, as most tracks are very same-y, with none of them really standing out. Damaging your car in a race can have lasting effects. If your car totally breaks down, fear will catch up to you and your game will end. You also have to worry about fatigue–you need to sleep or use items to stay awake to outrun fear. While you drive across the states your reputation is important. The more good deeds you do, the better off you are generally. You can also do things that will make you seem like a dick, often for short term gain. In fact, it’s pretty obvious that doing the “right” thing helps in the long run moreso than any short term gains. But it also sometimes means more racing. Heading Out isn’t a bad game. It tried to do something different, and it’s “okay” as a result. It does get a little heavy handed in its political messaging, which I feel like takes away from any potential message it could have. While driving in Heading Out feels fun, its very basic and gets repetitive very quickly. If you want a unique narratively driven, rogue lite driving game you might want to wait until something better comes along–if that combination even manifests again. Heading Out is available now on PC via Steam. A Steam key was provided to us for this review

Small Cheval has always been smaller and more available to its predecessor Au Cheval yet sticks to its upscale burger roots. Now as of March 8th 2024, the 8th Small Cheval location has opened up in Rosemont, IL on the corner of River Road and Higgins. We were lucky enough to attend the friends and family soft opening and it’s been an exciting time for establishments in the Rosemont area. With the opening of a Stan's Donuts and a Shaq owned Big Chicken all in a row in 2023, there was a Small Cheval promised to open in the year following. Finally we can say, we’ve been and really enjoyed a lot about what the potential of this new high end burger joint can bring. Inside the restaurant, the decor was that of an outdoor picnic area, with bench style setting and massive tables that encourage eating with strangers as well as big groups. For those that want to sit alone, booths are also available. The counter where you order is made up to look like a hometown lemonade stand, giving it that home grown feel. What isn’t a homey feel is the price, with single smash style burgers coming in at $9.49. This sadly is par for the course since the days of the original Au Cheval, but coming here with the family, expect to pay upwards of $50 for the meal. The menu is relatively limited to burgers, fries and shakes, which gives a focus so they can ensure that the quality is there. With this new opening, the Rosemont area will continue to grow into a hotbed of fine dining and entertainment. I really enjoyed the food during my visit. The shakes provided a thick rich flavor, and the burgers and fries were simple but still delicious. In a world of Kumas Corner and The Drop Ins’ NADC burgers, Small Cheval does a decent job of competing. It may not be the best, but it’s got a fighting chance of sticking with you, especially in a family atmosphere. Check out the salted caramel shake!

The early Atari consoles–especially the 2600–were home to a lot of games that are undeniable classics. They’re just not really played anymore because they’re so “simple.” A lot of these games were boiled down to the most basic gameplay elements, with few bells and whistles–which was mostly due to technological limitations at the time. Lunar Lander was such a classic, and it gets an update with the new Lunar Lander Beyond update. The original Lunar Lander was simple: you had to land your craft within a certain time limit and without running out of fuel. Hitting the ground too fast would result in failure, and with gravity constantly fighting against you, it was a test of patience and skill. Lunar Lander Beyond is surprisingly faithful to its roots, but it makes a few baffling decisions which take away from the fun. In Lunar Lander Beyond your goal is much the same as in Lunar Lander–you have to navigate your ship while working under simulated Newtonian gravity. That means when you let off of the thruster you’ll still be traveling in the direction you were thrusting unless you change the direction of the thrust or hit something. Hitting a wall in Lunar Lander Beyond doesn’t cause instant death–instead it gives your ship a bit of damage (based on how hard you hit the object) and your pilot suffers a bit of a mental toll that is measured in sanity–and I think this is where Beyond loses itself. The sanity meter in Lunar Lander Beyond ruins the entire game for me. If you take too much damage your pilot will eventually go insane with “space madness” and eyeballs and mouths start to appear as pink elephants replace other objects. It’s all very cute, and would have been fun for a level or two. But to have it as a main mechanic breaks the game for me. Not only that, but the sanity level carries over for your pilot. So if you make a lot of mistakes in one level, you’ll have to send that pilot off to get mentally reevaluated, which puts them out of capacity for four missions. It's too bad, because there was a lot of potential here. Crew management can be fun if handled well, and the idea between gathering a fleet of different ships, each with their own handling characteristics attracted me.  You can also gather new pilots with their own experience bar and sanity meter. They also get new traits as they complete more missions and gain experience. It doesn’t help that Lunar Lander Beyond can be a bit frustrating to play. There are some power-ups you can equip your ship with that can help out a bunch–like the one that allows you to come to a complete stop, or another that shields your ship and gives you invulnerability as long as you hold down the button. The only problem is each of these abilities use up precious fuel. You can grab new fuel during missions, but it’s still a vital commodity. Once you’re out of fuel you’ll drift until you eventually explode. No fun. Actually “no fun” is the biggest problem I had with Lunar Lander Beyond. Which is too bad, because it's more than just a neonified reskin of an older game. The art and story were done with care. And while some of the art tends to look a little flat, I enjoyed the overall aesthetic. That said, I did not enjoy the imagery that comes up with a maxed out sanity meter–not because it was disturbing, but because it’s just so damn corny. Lunar Lander Beyond had some real potential, especially with its varied objectives. It changed up gameplay enough from level to level to make it interesting: sometimes you’re tasked with just landing, other times your goal is to intercept asteroids to protect a colony, or to pick up survivors and successfully drop them off later. It’s just not enough to combat the real issues I have with Lunar Lander Beyond. I wish I could be recommending Lunar Lander Beyond, but it just has had too many baffling decisions made during its development to ever come out as a good game. I wouldn’t think it would be hard to mess up such a tried and true concept, but here we are. You’re better off just finding a Lunar Lander clone online and playing it out of your web browser. Lunar Lander Beyond comes out tomorrow for PC via Steam, Xbox Series S|X, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch. A Steam key was provided to us for this review