Recent reviews by Capt. Howdy

Imagine this, it's the year 2010, Blockbuster for the most part is still around, Game Informer is still at it's peak, and I am roughly 9 years old. Around this time I was painstakingly awaiting the release of the then unreleased Red Dead Redemption, a game that to my knowledge was just going to be a follow-up to the 2004 classic, Red Dead Revolver, and boy was I shocked at how much that statement was hollow. I know what you're wondering, why the stupid backstory, to put it simply, when I was a kid, I was far too stupid to fully appreciate and understand just how grounded and nuanced it was compared to it's predecessor.

Now in 2024, Redemption has hit the PC market with the help of Double Eleven, and can I say that after the launch of the GTA Definitive Edition it's relieving seeing a port that not only works (even though there much to be said about that "Edition"), but feels like it's been completely left unaltered, which is surprising since this game is now three console generations old, but regardless feels just as good as it did back in 2010, which really gives me hope for more future collaborations between these guys and Rockstar, they know what their doing, although it is a shame that the Multiplayer couldn't be salvaged or the CO-OP campaign but that's fine since I believe more people would be interested in the main story and it's expansion.

To summarize both sections of this package, Red Dead Redemption on it's own still holds up, especially after 14 years, the story for the most part seems far more anxious, with stakes being high all throughout, I say this since RDR2 is a prequel to this game and if you are someone who only played RDR2 would may be in for a surprise at how much this game doesn't try to be an immersive sim like RDR2, it's the perfect middle ground for an experience that wants you to explore and have fun without the burden of these almost unnecessarily drawn out additions from the second, although skinning animals may be a little tedious with the same three animations playing out depending on the size of the animal. Some people may be gutted at the lack of customization that was seen in the second but I actually like the outfits in this since they work as a greater incentive to interact with the game worlds side activities, and I found myself enjoying the game far more this time around at the age of 25, because it's a great demonstration of positive reinforcement, since these outfits provide buffs and perks, with some seeming solely situational, and even if that's true it's a nice little payoff for exploring and interacting with a world that's actively hostile.

As for Undead Nightmare, it's....okay? I must just be old but for what it's worth it's a fun little addition, even if it feels like a bi-product of the zombie craze of the late 2000s to early 2010s, it's a relatively short expansion, not to the point where it feels like a waste of time, because it's certainly fun, a nice little distraction from the more realistic main story.

Overall with the argument being made that a 14 years old game is not worth 49.99 being somewhat valid, I will say that you will get your money's worth with RDR, whether you buy it at full price or on a discount, it's certainly a game that's stood the test of time, being a smash hit that left a lot of young and old gamers in 2010 cry, feeling a sense of fulfillment that was almost unprecedented at the time, I will say that it would be cool to see the multiplayer skins for Revolver be included as costumes, or Double Eleven and Rockstar can repurpose them for a Revolver remaster, which I would like to see, especially if it's handled by Double Eleven

For what it's worth, Loadout was an ambitious and dorky idea that was sadly mismanaged. I recall playing the game first on the PS4, and then on PC and immediately was thrown off on how differently both games had been updated, with this version, feeling VASTLY inferior to the console version, this was due in part for reportedly being remarked as a premium version of the game, and on top of that the nasty monetization leading to a lot of contention, but after some further digging it appears that they couldn't retain talent due to management.

But, despite all that, Loadout's concept on paper and in practice was entertaining, vulgar, and full of creativity that never really took off the ground, with that being the insane amount of customization the game allowed with your weapons which was INCREDIBLY fun when I played, but I quickly realized that this feature was a victim of P2W since you can buy crates to acquire parts that could make incredibly destructive creations early and I remember facing someone that had obviously went this route on console. I have heard their was a fan project that was trying to revive this game and if that's the case I would love to see how it's handled.

As it currently stands, God of War: Ragnarök's co-dependecy with PSN has made the experience super hard to fathom for me. In total I hit the three hour mark of the game when I spent a lot of it trying to troubleshoot the frequent crashes and launch failures that plagued this version of the game. I tried uninstalling and reinstalled, deleting a directory (which works temporarily), and waited for a patch which did not bring a solid fix for me. Gonna give it a few months before I try again, possibly when its on sale which is a shame because what I did play for the most part was quite enjoyable.

Remakes, something so modern that it's infectious. It was no surprise to me when this remaster was announced, and I know I mentioned "remake" in the intro but I feel that for the most part now a days both terms are so interchangeable that it really makes no difference to me. Dead Rising is a franchise that for the most part stayed consistent, even with it's largely forgettable fourth entry, and now Capcom has decided to kick-start the franchise's heart like the zombies that litter the Willamette Mall of the original, and for the most part the game was okay, certainly had the same feeling as the original just without the sillier presentation it was known for due in part to technical limitations, this time around thanks to the power of the RE Engine Dead Rising has a grungier, almost realistic depiction, somewhere close to Dead Rising 3 in my opinion.

I did experience some crashes early on which eventually got better, I would blame this on the Engine being pushed to it's limits with the high body count, and for the most part it wasn't too much of a hindrance, but with a new look comes the obvious quality of life improvements, such as being able to move while aiming with a firearm (which can be disabled), auto-saves, the time system getting a "fast-forward" option, and PP stickers glowing for easy identification. As someone who adores the original I will say it was strange how quickly I leveled up in the game but it didn't bug me too much, the addition of a durability bar for weapons was also nice, but I will say the hud was a little weird, my only complaint would be how the health bar would just go across in a straight line as you advanced, instead of it being two lines but that's just a mild complaint.

The biggest point of contention for fans is "censorship" with the word "woke" being thrown around like a pair of dice, and listen, I understand that media is changing, but the 2016 re-release of the original game on Steam has minor censorship, yet I hear no complaints on it. The biggest take away's with this Remaster is the removal of lewd material such as Isabella's thong riding up her ass, the Erotica category being removed which did change a cutscene with Kent a little (and it was a little silly how they tried to hide it), Cliff's dialog being changed to avoid the use of "communist" terms, and the biggest change being to Larry Chiang (The Butcher), understandably these changes came due to investors, not some "woke boogeyman" and at the end of the day these changes are so inconsequential, the games still the same gory horror game with just a modern face lift, I know the "yellow paint" discussion is thrown around a lot and I agree that it's unnecessary in this game, especially when you have a GPS and obvious things to mantle onto.

At the end of the day it's an okay remaster, and if your a fan of the original I believe you will enjoy it to some capacity like I did.

Warhammer as a franchise has had many different takes and variations on the source material, with a lot of it usually falling into the same rhythm most of the time. However the original Space Marine title released in 2011 was a stand-out experience that sadly ended on a cliffhanger, with 2023's Boltgun serving as a shadow sequel to the former, but bow in 2024 we got the much anticipated follow up that despite everything it does right, had me feeling a little muddled in some parts. Space Marine 2 picks up two centuries after the originals bitter sweet ending, with Titus serving a self-imposed exile with the Deathwatch, and after nearly dying he is saved via the Rubicon surgery, going from an Astarte's to a Primaris, a major upgrade for himself. Now just like the previous game he leads a small squad against a Tyranid invasion with a lot of the previous games story beats coming full circle and honestly the story in this game is S-Tier, even though I'm not the biggest lore fanatic, having finished the prior game gives a lot of context that you will need, however the campaign for the most part is short, with some welcomed character appearances that I will not spoil.

My biggest issue with the campaign is the lack of progression throughout the 8 hour romp of bug stomping fun. Don't get me wrong, the combat in this game is incredible, you really do feel like a walking tank with a conscious, but the variety of weapons, primarily Boltguns just all feel the same, and playing the game on a harder difficulty doesn't earn you anything special, however in conjunction with the main campaign you have Operations mode which puts you in the shoes of Titus's other battle brothers, performing tasks related to the main stories events which I find far more engaging as well as rewarding, even if it does get a little grindy after a while. Just having the feature to upgrade your equipment made it a far more rewarding from my perspective, you feel like your getting stronger through your hard work which is just top notch, and the inclusion of being able to change your chapter colors is also welcomed, especially when you can make your own custom armor setup, it just felt more engaging and personal to me, and this isn't a knock against the campaign, it was still a highly polished experience.

The other mode to explore is the multiplayer which allows that same kind of customization as Operations, but new outlets have reared their ugly heads with complaints of the other Space Marine's feeling like paper, and listen I get it, the game is suppose to be a power fantasy with you being the ultimate weapon but not everyone can be damn near impervious, it would really muddle the experience and for the most part I don't mind this decision since you need to think about it from the context of the lore I suppose, these are Space Marine's, men with weapons that fire high yield explosives, so it would make sense that their weapons are effective against one another y'know? I really wish there was a horde mode like the previous game, and hopefully more Operations are added in the near future, because I feel the six missions already available might get a little old, or at least give us more opportunities to earn requisition points to help expediate the mundane grind. Overall the game is well crafted, but I would recommend waiting for a sale.

Before anyone comments on my low playtime I shall preface this review by saying I have completed the game on console along with it's DLC, it's to my understanding that Steam only allows reviews once they've been played to some capacity, and I do intend to play this game to it's completion at some point in the near future. With that out of the way I will open up by saying that Outlast is genuine horror experience, playing into the fears of isolation, and the dark. It's a formula that we're all familiar with, with you playing as a defenseless individual tasked with avoiding forces that you cannot stand against, similar to Amnesia: The Dark Decent.

However Outlast pats itself on the back by indulging in some the most harrowingly grotesque visuals, and for a game released in 2013 I'm surprised it wasn't slapped with an Adult Only rating, especially with the displays of sexual violence, as well as regular displays of mutilation, there won't be a singular hallway or floor covered in mass amounts of viscera or blood which makes the the setting of Mount Massive Asylum not just more haunting, but memorable. Adding to the intense anxiety of the dark is your "light source", that being a camcorder with a night vision function, which really taps into films like Grave Encounters and The Blair Witch Project which is a creative decision I applaud for be frighteningly inventive, becoming a trademark of the series. You really can get lost in the worlds lore and visual storytelling, heavily backed by atmospheric sound design.

These details are carried over wonderfully into it's expansion which on it's own is a great companion piece to the main game, often intersecting perfectly with Miles Upshur's story. If you haven't played Outlast I believe you owe it to yourself to give it a try, you won't be disappointed.

Not sure if I can call this game a product of development hell, I mean it would make sense since this game was in early access for 11 years, a span of time in which I went from being a punk ass teenager to a full fledged adult, and for the better part of that decade long development it's gone through numerous changes, going from an incredibly rough project to a refined survival experience that many would say was well worth the wait. It's not doing anything particularly new, being a project that was conceptualized at the height of YouTube's love for Minecraft and the media's now well worn love for zombies, it's DNA thrived because of these moment's in our historical love for let's play's and the undead but now 11 years later it can proudly stand on it's own two feet. There's nothing more rewarding than rebuilding a destroyed structure into a ram-shackled safe haven, fulfilling all our post-apocalyptic day dreams of surviving on our own or with friends.

I would say it's maybe a little more casual than say Project Zomboid, but that's not really a bad thing, it's unique in it's right, giving your far more freedom than the aforementioned comparison. Definitely recommend.

Monster Hunter: World was my first introduction to this long running franchise, and for my first time playing a game of this kind it's certainly a welcoming experience for newcomers, especially with MH: Wilds on the horizon, I find myself coming back to Worlds because of it's accessibility and still highly active player-base. I may not be the most experimental player with me mostly preferring long swords and dual blades, but that only scratches the surface for the many options at your disposal ranging from bows, clubs, great swords, and instruments, which is further achieved by the numerous armor options you can obtain throughout your journey. I will say I hate the lack of a skip cut scene option since a LOT of cut scenes are painfully drawn out, so much so that I can prepare food in the interim while they play out. But besides that you will find a community of people that love playing together to take down big monsters with the promise of earning far greater gear, it's the ultimate practice of rewarding players for their hard work and it's truly intoxicating. Monster Hunter: World has character, character that will keep people engaged especially 6 years after it's release, and it's Iceborne expansion perfectly enriches the experience even further. Highly Recommend.

When the original Forest came out, it was more or less a cult hit, mixing ideas from horror properties such as Cannibal Holocaust and largely slept on Descent films, melding open terror from the surrounding forest and claustrophobic anxiety of the numerous cave systems you and friends could explore, it was an experience that I and many of my friends will never forget, now in 2024 the sequel finally dropped, with updated visuals and a more refined formula that was well established in the prior game, adding more versatility and freedom to the survival aspect. I played it near the end of it's Early Access life cycle and I know some people had listed some issues, some that at the time of writing this I personally don't recall, but I will say Endnight's matured a lot since the original, adding in features that have enriched the overall experience especially for my friend and I.

To put it simply, at it's core it's still the forest, with a good facelift. Cannibal's no longer look woefully generic thanks to a lore reason that I will not disclose, but to give context that works as a good comparison, this is what The Lost World was to the original Jurassic Park, especially since your on "Site 2" this time around, making the comparison more legitimate, your not in the same location, but it's sister location, with horror's that we are quite familiar with, and like Todd Howard would put it "it just works" and just like The Lost World that game has a little more action with the inclusion of more modern equipment such as conventional firearm's which makes sense since again like The Lost World you play as a member of a mercenary group, not a survival savvy father figure which is a nice change, and yeah sometimes it may feel like it weakens the horror atmosphere due to those inclusions but I honestly welcome, it help's keep it fresh and interesting, even if you can just Indiana Jone's your way out of most confrontations with the flick of pistol or shotgun.

At the end of the day I highly recommend Sons of the Forest, especially as someone who enjoyed the previous entry, and hopefully with it's success Endnight tries other things for future projects.

Trepang2 is a love letter to John Wu and Monolith's F.E.A.R with an extra dose of adrenaline. The plot is simple. Your Subject 108, here's your gun, go shoot all the things. Nothing too ground breaking if you want to dig deep into the lore and motivations which feel more like a side dish, where the action and gameplay is the main course. From start to finish your tasks are quite literally reduce X amount of goons into crimson paste and skedaddle back to home base, usually this fights have you facing off against boss enemies and other eldritch horror's that do come out of left field, but besides that the game is just that, a fast paced shooting gallery, where you are a meat grinder on legs. Nothing more, nothing less. It's damn good fun for an almost 10hr game with horde/survival missions to keep occupied post game, as well as some fun unlockables you can still earn through challenges. Highly recommend.