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Riot Fest was back again in Douglass Park with its classic carnival atmosphere. The stage set ups remained similar to previous years, with headlining double stages and cascading secondary stages, which led to some heavy trekking for some trying to see multiple artists in a row. Nonetheless, the Chicagoland crowd showed up in droves for such headliners as Foo Fighters and The Cure but how did it fare comparative to its previous years? The answer is found in its fine tuning of the formula. The stage design has always been an interesting one. It manages to remove a lot of cross sound but is just far enough away to be annoying. At the same time, their bathroom situation has improved with rows and rows of porta potties placed in strategically convenient spots. Rarely did we have to wait in line longer than a few minutes, which is a breath of fresh air. The prices for most things remain on par with what you’d see at concerts, overpriced but not out of the norm. The food was also an improvement with lots of variations of tacos, and burgers but with style. What did stand out were the bands. The Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age and the Cure are definitely some bigger pulls but snagging the rare appearance of the defunct indie sensation Postal Service was a massive drive for many. Considering Postal Service and Death Cab for Cutie share singers, it was nice to see them as a double bill. Throw in the cult followings of ICP, Mr. Bungle or 100 Gecs, and we have a jam packed festival with something for everyone. Another staple of the festival scene in the last decade has been full album plays, and that was in no short supply here. We had The Breeders, Braid, Quicksand, Rival Schools, Postal Service, Death Cab for Cutie, and Gorilla Biscuits all bringing replays of their classic albums. The rain couldn’t stop the crowds or bands alike, with many bands continuing their sets throughout. Riot Fest 2023 is another one for the books. In many ways, it was a classic Riot Fest, but the slight improvements of food options and bathrooms plus a first class line up made for a much easier experience.

It’s been over three years since Animal Crossing: New Horizons brought cozy games to the mainstream. I’ve been enjoying the trend, even though I end up playing more bad cozy games than good ones. Some cozy games are resorting to what seems like gimmicks to make them stand out. While “cozy game, but with dinosaurs” sounds awesome–I’m sad to report that I just couldn’t find the fun in Paleo Pines. Paleo Pines is a third person adventure game with some farming sim elements. It follows one of the very worn tropes that (I believe) started way back with 1997’s Harvest Moon: you own a farm, but it’s run down and you have to fix it up. While you’re fixing it up, you have to farm, meet the quirky townspeople, etc. The only main difference here is the introduction of Lucky. I have to admit: I would die for Lucky. Lucky is a parasaurolophus (no idea how to pronounce that) and she’s possibly the last of her kind. You’ve had her since she was an egg–and you’ve actually come to this island to find the others of her kind. While Paleo Pines’ premise does set it a tad bit apart from other games of its ilk, there really isn’t anything groundbreaking here–most of the gameplay checks the boxes of other games of its type. With, again, the main difference being the ability to collect dinosaurs. You do this by communicating with them through your musical flute. Also with you is your trusty companion Lucky. She’s not only your BFF, she’s also your ride. However, as you get more dinosaurs and tame them you’ll not only be able to ride them–but you can use them as farm equipment to take some of the tedium out of your daily chores. It’s a living, right? Paleo Pines is extremely charming at a glance, and looks good in short snippets or screenshots. However, it hasn’t endeared me with its floaty controls and strange baby people. While I can get over bad character design, having a game that doesn’t feel very fun to play–even if it’s supposed to be a “chill” game–kind of ruins the whole experience. The more you explore in Paleo Pines the more people you’ll find–and the more people you end up helping, the more of Paleo Pines opens up. There are a few distinct biomes in Paleo Pines, each with its own wild crops to forage and dinosaurs to discover–and tame. There isn’t a lack of things to keep you busy–but whether that busy work is fun really depends on your tolerance. I’m not saying that Paleo Pines is a bad game. In fact, it checks all of the proper boxes and does what it sets out to be: a bright colorful cozy game with dinosaur friends. If that’s good enough for you, than Paleo Pines should be good enough. But if you’re looking for something to replace Animal Crossing: New Horizons or you’re chasing the next best thing: this ain’t it. Paleo Pines is available today on Steam, Xbox and Nintendo Switch A Steam key was provided to us for this review

After playing El Paso, Nowhere I was pretty excited to see where El Paso, Elsewhere would take the story and gameplay. It’s a cool idea, and an awesome visual style that’s a nod to retro games – specifically looking like something you would play on Nintendo 64. It has a lot of good things going for it – unfortunately, it suffers from mediocre gameplay. El Paso, Elsewhere is a third person shooter that’s a strange melding of Max Payne and retro action horror games. It’s oozing with style, has a fantastic voice over and an awesome soundtrack that lends itself to mowing down hordes of vampires, werewolves, biblically accurate angels, and other supernatural creatures. You play as a hard-boiled protagonist that fell in love with the wrong woman. And she turns out to be the Lord of the Vampires. One day she decides to rip a hole through reality, and one three story Texas motel is turned into a trippy (and crumbling) labyrinth full of monsters and people to rescue. To get through these monsters you’ll need stakes, guns, and lots of ammo. And also painkillers that you gulp down prodigiously in one of many nods to Max Payne. There’s even a “bullet time” (we don’t call it that anymore, right?) style slowdown effect you can use while diving all dramatically. It’s all very cool. It’s just not very fun. If I could recommend El Paso, Elsewhere on style points alone, I absolutely would. However, it’s just not very fun to play. I remember after my first session I looked at the playtime expecting to see hours played, only to be surprised to find out I’ve been exploring El Paso, Elsewhere’s trippy motel for only 30 minutes. Oh man. There are a laundry list of things wrong with El Paso, Elsewhere, but I want to start with its enemies. There was a time when enemy AI in video games seemed to be getting better, but now I play so many games where enemies’ most sophisticated behavior is to run right towards me. Sometimes developers can get away with that, especially with satisfying gunplay. However, guns in El Paso, Elsewhere just don’t feel very impactful. To make it worse, early on ammo is extremely scarce. I spent many levels just running away from enemies. Why the hell can I do all of these cool dives if I don’t have the ammo to kill things? This gets better once you start getting more guns, but it leaves a bad first impression. The level design in El Paso, Elsewhere is just awful, too. I don’t mean just aesthetically, but in layout. It’s intentionally labyrinthine, but in the worst way. There is also too much reliance on having to collect items or find keys to progress. All while shooting enemies that (mostly) run at you in a straight line. It also doesn’t help that most of the floors in El Paso, Elsewhere look almost identical with little change. I get it–it’s the same, nightmarish location. After its initial shock value, though, it's extremely boring. I might seem to be overly harsh about El Paso, Elsewhere. This one hurts me. It’s just so damn cool. I wish I could recommend it just for the voiceover work done for the main protagonist, and the great soundtrack. However, a game is only as fun as its gameplay–and El Paso, Elsewhere also felt like a chore to play. El Paso, Elsewhere is available today for PC via Steam and on Xbox. A Steam key was provided to us for this review

Lower Decks Season 4 Episode 4 “Something Borrowed, Something Green” is a bit of a surprise. There were some hints at D’Vana Tendi’s backstory, but this episode removes all mystery, and lays bare Tendi’s Orion heritage–also giving us a unique glimpse into Orion culture that other Trek shows haven’t quite touched on. First of all–I love that T’Lynn has become a regular Lower Decks crew member. They really needed a “straight man” to act as a foil against all of the cast’s enthusiastic energy. Because let's face it, there’s not much these guys aren’t enthusiastic about, especially when it comes to science or exploring new cultures. That’s so damn wholesome, and so very Star Trek–and that’s what make Lower Decks great, along with its ensemble cast that has such great chemistry. I really dig what T’Lynn brings to the group. It’s been hinted at through the last few seasons that Tendi’s Orion background is a little bit cooler than she wants people to know. This entire episode is essentially all the juicy Tendi backstory you’ve wanted to know–and yeah, she’s totally badass. (I’m a huge Tendi fan, so I’m biased). In this episode, Tendi is summoned back to her home planet to help her sister, D’Erika, who has been kidnapped. Bridal kidnappings are a normal Orion custom, apparently, so she isn’t too worried. However, Mariner and T’Lynn insist on Tendi going on the rescue mission–and taking them with her. “Something Borrowed, Something Green” does reference a few previous Trek episodes in regards to the Orions, but this episode surprisingly stands on its own, and even manages to have a few poignant moments. Also, I can’t help but find Tendi’s embarrassment about her badass prowess to be incredibly endearing. She just wants to be a scientist, dammit! While Mariner, Tendi and T’Lynn are on Orion, Boimler and Rutherford enjoy a predictable and funny side plot that involves them having disputes as roommates–and hashing it out via holodeck conversations. In character. The same character. Yeah, it’s weird. There’s also a throwback to a semi obscure alien called a Chalnoth–this race originally appeared in the TNG episode “Allegiance.” Lower Decks doesn’t stop with the obscure throwbacks–and I hope it never does. As a huge Trek nerd it’s not lost on me that “Something Borrowed, Something Green” takes some huge leaps in revealing the Orion culture and home world. In fact, I think this is the first time the Orion homeworld has been depicted on screen–which is pretty awesome. And while the enemy that’s been hinted at since the first episode makes another appearance, there is little revealed. However, it seems closer than ever to running into the Cerritos and its crew.

The third episode of the fourth season of Lower Decks, “In the Cradle of Vexilon” sees the USS Cerritos helping the inhabitants of an artificial ringed world get their supercomputer back in working condition. It’s a classic “of course things are going to go wrong” situation, and while I would have appreciated a bit of subversion, “In the Cradle of Vexilon” manages to move along some character development for the recently promoted Boimler, who is tasked with leading his first away team. The world of Carazonia, a ring shaped artificial planet, has perfect living conditions controlled by a computer called Vexilon. This computer is starting to break down, and Starfleet has been called in to help fix it. Captain Freeman gets in a little over her head, and this eventually leads to an apocalyptic event that has to be stopped. Meanwhile, Boimler is tasked with leading his first away team, and he’s a little paranoid about people getting hurt under his command. In fact, he’s so paranoid that he refuses to delegate any tasks, and performs the entire away mission himself. When disaster strikes, of course, teamwork gets the job done. Mostly. Interestingly, one of the members of the away team–Ensign Taylor–is a Kzinti. This was a cat-like species that showed up in Star Trek: The Animated Series. They’re also a creation of classic sci-fi author Larry Niven who is well known for his Ringworld novels, which feature ring shaped worlds like Carazonia. Most likely not a coincidence, and the second time in as many episodes that Lower Decks overtly made a reference to a classic sci-fi author that contributed to Trek. While the action is happening on the ringworld, there’s a B-plot with Tendi, Mariner, and Rutherford being tasked with scanning a huge wall of isolinear chips to find a less than one percent error variance. While this side story has a clever use of obscure references like the Betazoid gift box and the Wadi game from Deep Space Nine, it feels a little out of character for Rutherford and Tendi not immediately falling into this task. However, they’re all recently promoted Lieutenants forced to do an Ensign’s work. I mean, I get it–it just feels like a bit of a contrivance for a task earlier season versions of Tendi and Rutherford would absolutely love doing. “In the Cradle of Vexilon” doesn’t advance the season arc at all, either. Unless there’s a sneaky detail I missed on my first viewing, that powerful mystery ship that was teased in the first two episodes is missing. Overall this is a decent episode, but it does some strange things with character motivations, but this isn’t the first time this or any other Trek has done that. Or maybe being a Lieutenant junior grade is really getting to their heads.

I’m old. And that means I grew up watching cartoons that sound and look exactly like Mythforce. I haven’t really seen another video game attempt that same aesthetic, and Mythforce nails it. Hands down. I think the only thing it’s missing is a muscular shirtless dude and probably more big cats or something. But despite being tonally spot on, it’s a bad game. Mythforce is a first person roguelite action game with an emphasis on cooperative gameplay. Team up in groups of four to take on rooms full of exploding plants, skeletons, living mushrooms and more as you kick ass to a pseudo 80’s soundtrack. You can choose between some pretty basic hero archetypes like a rogue, hunter, mage and a paladin-like knight. I mean, it’s based on the classics, so you have to use the classics, right? Each of the four classes has their own weapons, set of skills, etc. It all just sounds so fantastic on paper. But it falls apart once you start to play. There are so many things that went wrong with Mythforce it might seem like this review is unfair. Hell, I even read some of the Steam user reviews and thought to myself, “this looks great. Really! How bad could it be?” After all, games like Warhammer 40,000: Darktide sit with a mixed review score, even though the combat in that game feels fantastic. Mythforce, however, did not have the same care put into its combat systems. They’re not bad, and I’ve certainly played worse–but that’s never a great endorsement. Nothing feels impactful, even when there’s an amazing amount of effects on the screen. Honestly, if the only problem was with the combat, I could still recommend Mythforce. But I have issues with the enemies, the levels, and even the gameplay loop itself. The enemies in Mythforce, though designed to fit into the 80’s cartoon aesthetic, are mostly terrible. The enemy AI seems very dumb, with enemies charging at you. Thankfully there are some ranged enemies that stay back and change up the pacing a bit. The levels themselves are also horrible. Its just room after room of stone and plants. Most of the time the layout of the room doesn’t even matter, because enemies will coming streaming at you, to their death, one after the other. Another issue I have with Mythforce is its very gameplay loop. Thematically it makes no sense to put these heroes into a “die and repeat” type loop. I didn’t grow up watching my heroes fail week after week. I was watching their nemesis make an ass out of themselves as they threw themselves at the stalwart heroes on the screen. Any wound they suffered (if at all) was temporary, and hardly a setback. If anything, playing as a villain in a Saturday morning cartoon would feel way more appropriate. What I’m saying is: Mythforce looks great, sounds great, but is very bad. It’s not Early Access, so I can only hope that its developers make some substantial changes to bring it up to its potential. Either that, or someone should totally rip off this art style and do the concept justice. Mythforce just ain’t it. Mythforce is available now on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, Xbox One X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4/5. Steam keys were provided to us for this review.

Few shows make me laugh out loud so frequently as Lower Decks, and that was especially so in “I Have No Bones Yet I Must Flee,” the second episode of the latest season of Star Trek: Lower Decks. This episode does what Lower Decks does best: pays homage to classic Trek while also poking fun and subverting its tropes. “I Have No Bones Yet I Must Flee” sees Mariner freshly promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade–a rank she has attained before, but always loses. On purpose. This time, First Officer Jack Ransom is determined to have Mariner keep her rank, no matter how insubordinate she acts - something Ransom discusses with Shax while wearing skimpy workout clothes, an obvious homage to the famous Crusher and Troi stretching scene from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Mariner overhears the conversation and thinks Ransom is determined to demote her–so she gladly obliges. And as usual, antics ensue. Ransom, Mariner and a new character named Ensign Gary are tasked with freeing a couple of humans who were “accidentally” captured into a Narj’s Miraculous Menagerarium, a typical “menage” situation as Ransom calls it. However, once one of the creatures escapes, Ransom, Mariner, Gary and Narj have to run from a predatory creature known for “drinking bones.” This is extremely hilarious situation that's funnier on screen than I can describe without spoilers. There are also a couple of B plots going on in this episode that meet up with each other occasionally. Boimler, after his recent promotion, is struggling with finding a room that is suitable for habitation, while Rutherford attempts to earn a promotion to catch up with his friends who are all Lieutenants now. There are some great character moments in this episode, and it really shows off Lower Decks' fantastic ensemble cast. Obviously, the episode title is an homage to late, great sci-fi author Harlan Ellison, as it's a riff on “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream,” Ellison’s most famous work. But among trekkies he’s probably best known for the time traveling episode of Star Trek the original series “City on the Edge of Forever.” Ellison famously hated what Roddenberry did to his screenplay. However, despite sharing a name and a few tropes from the original Star Trek, “I Have No Bones and I Must Flee” is an homage in name alone. Looming over this season is a threat that has yet to be identified. While the mysterious ship encountered at the end of the episode isn’t anything we’ve seen before, it vaguely resembles a clown head to this author–or maybe the head of a Ferengi. It doesn’t have any visual indication of being a Ferengi ship, however–and it's still quite possible his new threat is something we haven’t seen before. It remains to be seen, and we look forward to finding out more.

If you like puzzle games, especially asymmetrical cooperative puzzle games, the We Were Here series is a fantastic effort. There’s one problem: it can be pretty hard. And while I like to play co-op puzzle games with friends, sometimes very hard puzzles can throw them off. And the We Were Here series can be pretty brutal at times. We Were Here Expedition:The Friendship is a great introduction into the world of We Were Here, while providing an experience that isn't as punishing as its mainline entries. And the best part is that it’s free until October 16th. We We Here Expeditions:The Friendship is mostly like the other We Were Here games: you have to play cooperatively with a friend, using in-game voice. The voice is depicted as walkie-talkies, which I absolutely love. And it’s a great visual indicator that you will need to be able to talk to your partner to be effective at this game. The Friendship does change the We Were Here formula in some pretty significant ways. In the other games, puzzles were obstacles that you either figured out or you were stuck. In The Friendship puzzles need to be solved to progress–but there are score thresholds. This allows you to pass a puzzle without as much expertise, but also creates the ability to go back and beat your previous score. The We We Here series features some corny voice overs and some pretty spectacular contrivances to move their plot along. Unfortunately you’re forced to endure it, and in the case of The Friendship you have to endure it while riding in a tunnel of love style amusement park ride. This time around the voice over does provide some fundamental hints on how to play We Were Here, but it’s mostly just stating the obvious. I can’t really complain about free, and The Friendship is a pretty good puzzle game–even if it’s very short at less than three hours long. It also feels a bit like an advertisement for the rest of the We Were Here series, but I’m not even mad at that–more people should check them out. We Were Here Expeditions: The Friendship is available today, and is free on Steam until October 12th.

So, maybe it’s a bit of culinary curmudgeon in me that’s not really ever been a fan of taking something that’s already good, like an Oreo, or a cola, and then altering it to be every flavor under the sun just for collectability and novelty’s sake. I mean, if the thing is a definite improvement, say, Double Stuf, or adding chocolate, sure. But if you’re just trying to make people go “WEIIIIIIRD..” well...should we be selling this en masse? I mean, I’m all for innovation. But at what point does something become less a flavor/variation of something like an Oreo and more something else, like a star shaped grape sandwich cookie with a clear gel instead of creme filling? And take it with a grain of salt since it’s Papa John’s old adage, but “better ingredients, better pizza.” I tend to think quality - real, sincere food quality, is what makes something worth writing home - or to you all, about. So I’m not one of those to flock to the store to get every limited edition version of every snack food and drink that hits shelves- it’s not in my nature. If the flavor has an actually descriptive name, like Strawberry or even something that hints at flavors like “tropical” then I’ll pick it up at my leisure, and if I get mad enough about this edition’s flavor being “the scent of the pavement after a summer rain in the desert” then I’ll get that one too - (Looking at you, Coca Cola Limited Edition Ultimate XP flavor, and you, Coca Cola Move which is the flavor of “transformation” - so, mostly to you, Coca-Cola, though Oreo also takes things to egregious extremes) Imagine the rage which stirred in my soul, then, when I saw this press release from Coca Cola, introducing their latest “flavor.” Prepare your souls. Y3000. It;s what the future “tastes and feels like,” according to Coca-Cola’s marketing team, who have collectively gone out of bounds. “Coca‑Cola® Y3000 Zero Sugar was co-created with human and artificial intelligence by understanding how fans envision the future through emotions, aspirations, colors, flavors and more. Fans’ perspectives from around the world, combined with insights gathered from artificial intelligence, helped inspire Coca‑Cola to create the unique taste of Y3000.” So fruity and artificial in a strangely familiar yet vaguely threatening way? Like most of these turn out? But also surprisingly flat, given that it’s zero sugar? But perhaps I’m being too harsh on this beverage concept. Maybe the future tastes like some amazing fruit combination that just hadn’t been thought up yet and who am I to judge? I’ve fallen victim to plenty of food fads to include “make everything with sundried tomatoes” “all the pandemic sourdough” and the only now waning “bacon is the reason I live” thing. It’s just.. AI generated Coke? Are we collectively ready for that? I don’t think I am. Regardless, you can procure the Y3000 from Coca Cola vending machines that are probably not linked to Skynet AND look out for an upcoming fashion collaboration with AMBUSH featuring some limited edition gear...for some reason.

If you’re not familiar with Voyager’s episode “Tuvix” you’ve missed out on one of the longest running debates among Star Trek fans. Personally, I think Janeway made the right decision. Afterall, if you squint and look at it at just the right angle, the Tuvix issue can be seen as a bit of a modern sci-fi trolley problem. However “Twovix” goes full trolley problem, and even ends up validating this author’s view of Janeway’s supposed misdeed. In “Twovix” Ensign Bradward Boimler is hoping for a promotion, promised one by the Cerritos’ first Ransom if nothing goes wrong. Predictably, a whole lot of things go (hilariously) wrong. The USS Cerritos is tasked with escorting the decommissioned starship Voyager. I really like it when a spin-off has you catch up with old characters, and seeing the USS Voyager again felt good. And obviously, Lower Decks will not pass up the opportunity to prodigiously reference Voyager. Overall, there are a lot here that Voyager fans might get a kick out of, including some cuts that can be considered moderately deep. The Clown (portrayed originally by Michael McKeen) makes an appearance, along with Janeway’s Irish holodeck, er, lover. Even Doctor Chaotica makes an appearance with the appropriate retro black and white projector filter that Tom Paris loved so much. But the entire plot revolves around the moral dilemma from Voyager Season 2 Episode 24 “Tuvix.” I always was under the impression that Janeway was in the right in “Tuvix.” That's the episode where Tuvok and Neelix and an orchid they were carrying get turned into a single entity that calls itself Tuvix. Like I mentioned earlier, it’s a bit of a trolley problem type scenario, but with a military spin. She lost two members of her crew – one of them being one of her most trusted and capable officer. To destroy this “new” entity for sake of crew effectiveness was essential. I mean, Tuvix had no commitment to loyalty, and he wasn’t even a Starfleet officer – despite what his memories were. That isn’t even considering Tuvok’s family. A Starfleet officer would be willing to make the sacrifice for his crew, and Tuvix was not – being forcefully separated while begging for his life. Sure, Janeway was coldhearted, but it was what had to be done. And “Twovix” validates that a tiny bit. In “Twovix” that same scenario plays out in a completely different way. When Chief Medical Officer Doctor T’ana and Chief Engineer Billups get “Tuvix’d” they form a new entity calling itself “T’illups.” Captain Freeman doesn’t know how to solve the problem, so she wants to see “how Janeway did it.” And Janeway's method turns out to be horrifying. Obviously, T’illups wants nothing to do with this, and begins “Tuvixing” other crew members to rise up against their potential murderers. In typical Lower Decks fashion, old Star Trek storylines are examined with some fun being made. In this case, the Tuvix “problem” is set to 11 as Vulcan lower decks crewmember T’Lynn solves their version of the problem by combining ALL of the already combined crewmembers into a large mass. Of course, they all get separated, and it’s a happy ending. However, I’m a little bummed that the moral/immoral action was taken by a Vulcan, and not by one of the main crewmembers. Maybe it’s the writers’ themselves commenting on how Janeway’s solution was the “logical” one. I might be stretching a bit. “Twovix” is certainly a love letter to Voyager fans. And even though I’m not the biggest fan of Voyager, I loved it. The closing scene had a bit of poignancy for me and possibly for other fans of Voyager that felt a little let-down by that show’s abrupt ending. Seeing USS Voyager finally home, on earth, was something I’ve waited over 27 years to see. Lower Decks continues its trend of heartfelt and clever storytelling, while still exploiting its format to maximum effect. Lower Decks led the way for modern Trek to shine the way it has, and I’m looking forward to what looks to be a great season.

I don’t think an umbrella-turned-firearm would be my first choice to avenge a dead wife, but it’s a perfectly viable choice in the self-proclaimed “noir punk” world of Gunbrella, an action platformer from doinksoft, developer of Gato Roboto. Gunbrella invokes in my mind an image of Shovel Knight, except you’re a guy with a gun…brella. There’s a few similarities–they’re both side scrolling action games with a quirky style. But Shovel Knight excelled at world building, and never let its style of humor get in the way. Gunbrella, however, forces you to embrace the quirkiness through repetition of cutscenes and constant dialogue. If it was something I could mostly avoid I wouldn't care so much, but if you don’t talk to the NPCs in Gunbrella quests won’t proceed, and you’ll even miss the best stuff the game has to offer. Gunbrella is at its best when you’re moving, shooting, and fighting. The eponymous gunbrella works as your trusty weapon – it's a shotgun with a moderate spread. However, it also acts like a shield AND a way to dash or float upwards. If you open your umbrella right as a projectile hits it, you’ll shoot the projectile back. You can also use it for movement, floating up into the air like some sort of gun-toting Mary Poppins. Combat in Gunbrella sometimes feels as fast and vicious as Hotline Miami’s–though enemies aren’t nearly as deadly. Gunbrella does eventually become a more difficult game, but I had to play it for a couple of hours before it ramped up its challenges. The hardest parts of Gunbrella are probably the boss fights–usually fights against animated piles of meat, and occasionally the extra difficult NPC. There are some Dark Souls influences in Gunbrella, like the ability to rest at benches (and sometimes beds) to create a checkpoint and renew health. However, enemies don’t respawn like they would in a soulslike, instead rotting away with rats or crows picking over their permanently dead corpses. It’s a refreshing change from games that try so hard to get some of that soulslike magic into their own games, but it also means there’s less time to dash and shoot–which is easily the best part of Gunbrella. Gunbrella very much wants its players to be invested in its world. Choices you make in Gunbrella have consequences – helping out certain NPCs can prove to be helpful in the long run. It’s nice that in Gunbrella it feels like I can do good deeds and not have them punished, as doing the “right” thing often gives some sort of benefit. I would have preferred if I could take Gunbrella’s quirkiness where I wanted, and leave it where I didn’t–but being forced into long strings of dialogue after meeting endless amounts of NPCs really dragged down the pacing for me. I just wasn’t that interested in the why as much as the whole gunbrella part. Gunbrella’s not a bad game–in fact, it has moments where it was excellent–but it’s not a great game. And that’s almost worse. Gunbrella is available today on PC via Steam and on Nintendo Switch. A Steam key was provided to us for this review

So Gun media has a thing with horror movie IPs and asymmetrical horror games, that’s apparent. Their previous entry into this niche sub-genre, Friday the 13th, developed by Illfonic, didn’t do so great after a lawsuit destroyed any chances of that game getting further updates. That’s was a bummer, but The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Game sounded like a great follow-up. Developed by British studio Sumo Nottingham, Gun had new talent working on yet another horror IP–so what could go wrong this time? I would love to say that asymmetrical multiplayer games were more common, but sadly, there hasn’t really been any great examples since Left 4 Dead, Left 4 Dead 2 and Evolve. There’s an argument to be made for Dead by Daylight, but it doesn’t quite capture the feel of a team working against another team. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Game does scratch the itch for that a bit. In The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Game you can play as four survivors trying to make their way out of the house of the murderous Sawyer family. Or you play as the family themselves in a 4v3 format (four survivors, two family members and Leatherface) Each survivor and family member has their own strengths, weaknesses, and abilities to exploit. It’s all pretty run-of-the mill, and makes some characters shine over others. There are also environmental hazards and obstacles that either the survivors or family can exploit, depending on the context. For instance, survivors can run under obstacles that might block family members, while the family can open/lock doors–or even just bust through obstacles. I would love to speak to the longevity of this game, but The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Game servers are mostly empty. They have even turned off crossplay between PC and console players due to hackers running rampant on PC. So if you own the game on PC, you’re just shit out of luck until these issues are patched out. And by that time, who will care? This game doesn’t have the longevity to last past a few months. It’ll have a DLC or two and then get lost to the next streaming sensation. Something that Dead by Daylight did right was have a general IP. There are only so many ways you can exploit The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. And while the game did a great job in its visual recreation of the movie, it didn’t really capture the feel of the film.Sure, it kinda looks like the movie, but the claustrophobic horror and dawning realization of the family’s depravity are all lost to character select screens and character abilities. At least Friday the 13th had schlock built in. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre invoked an acute sense of dread that would be hard to recreate in a game, let alone an asymmetrical multiplayer game. At least I know this game will never be popular enough that Leatherface will make his way into Fortnite. Hey, it wasn’t all bad. I did get to go to a pre-release party and meet Kane Hodder and some of the cast of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre as well as some actors that did work for the game. I also met some influencers with questionable marketing suggestions and $75 dollar an hour consulting fees. Also, we didn’t get prerelease keys, and smaller publications were relegated to getting post-release keys, guaranteeing that we’ll lose out on the The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Game’s moment. Because that’s all it really had, just a flash and it was gone, off of the radar of most gamers, and into obscurity where it belongs. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Game is available now for Xbox Series S|X, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, and for PC via Steam.