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I have a real soft spot for the tactical genre. Generally, turn based strategy games lend themselves to this tag. It’s always nice to be able to think about what you’re about to do before you do it. The problem with real time strategy is everything feels a bit rushed and chaotic. Of course, sometimes this is purely the intention and that isn’t always a bad thing. This all being said, a new tactical arena game is about to hit Steam in the form of Tactical Monster Rumble Arena.

Freshly launched into Early Access, T.M.R.A (we’ll use that a bit for the sake of my sanity) is a step toward the fierce and frantic from Camex Games, the same folk who brought us the turn based tactical RPG Heroes Tactics. The aim with this title is to see who can get the most battles in during the shortest amount of time. In Tactical Monster Rumble Arena, there is always someone waiting in the wings to step up and spoil your day and it only takes five minutes to complete a battle. Whether you’re winning or losing you’re going to be experiencing a lot of fun very quickly.

Players will be forced to think fast and think smart as they maneuver orgres, wizards, archers, demons and more into fighting positions so they can launch volleys of arrows or dominate the field with spell and sword. To add a little something to the pot, in T.M.R.A you’ll be battling for more than just bragging rights. Your victories will grant you gold, medals, unlockable cards and more.

The roster of characters have been adopted from the best selling Monster Castle so people familiar with this game should feel right at home. In your minions you can expect a nice mix of cute, humourous and utterly lethal. This is also going to be one of those games that’s easy to learn but tricky to master, allowing for a lot of fun for challengers of all skill levels.

If you fancy a good old fashioned tactical throw-down, Tactical Monster Rumble Arena is available on Steam and in the Google Play store. For those of us that like our battles a bit more on the thinky side, this could definitely be a winner.

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Simple, yet addictive. These are the signs of a truly classic game, and Fortnite is such a game. Epic’s latest FTP battle royale on the PS4 has players fighting it out against 98 others in a free-roam(ish) world. You can ride solo, go as a duo or a squad of up to four. The game match-makes you with others and then drops you into the world. The aim of the game is to be the last one standing. It’s like PUBG, but a little more accessible.

You can choose where you go; follow the crowd or make a dash for an area that might be yours and yours alone. When you land, you start off with a pick-axe and a bad attitude. From there you can loot houses for weapons and health boosts, find crates as you go and also materials you can use to build structures to ensure your safety.

Watch your timing and where you land though; the game has a “storm” feature that takes away some of the free-roam nature of the game. It forces you (via death if you don’t) to head towards the “circle,” the eye of the storm where you’re safe from the weather, but not from other players. It essentially makes the map progressively smaller until you are dead or the winner.

It sounds really simple, and it is. Land, find stuff to shoot with and survive to the end. But it’s highly addictive gameplay and you can go at it with a variety of strategies.

My favorite is to make a beeline for a quiet area well outside ‘the circle’, loot places that no-one else is at, and make my way toward ‘the circle’, hiding in bushes and anywhere else until the last moments where I need to go aggressive and fight. It’s brought me a little success. It’s a harder sell to my team-mates when I’m playing duo/squads though.

My online mates are a little more dash-and-slash adventurous and that forces me into the uncomfortable position where I’m risking almost certain death on a regular basis. I’m getting better at it, slowly. The weapons range from a revolver, to assault rifle, to sniper rifle and grenade launcher. The health boosts go from bandages to med kids to shield potion. You have limited slots (5) so you need to decide what to take and what to leave behind.

Personally, I try to go for 3 weapons and 2 health boosts. I try to stick to assault rifles and shotguns, they suit my play style better. Health-wise if I can get a shield potion I down it right away. In duo and squad play you also can revive downed members of your team but it comes at a risk of being downed yourself as it takes about 9 seconds, during which time you are completely vulnerable to being picked off.

Fortnite isn’t just an online game; there is also story mode where you battle against progressively harder AI characters, and use micro-transactions to buy your way to glory; but online is truly where the magic happens with this game. The dev team at Epic Games is also pushing regular updates for the game so that there is always something new going on and tweaks to the way things work. They really are spending a lot of time on the game. So get 3 of your friends, set up a party chat and have a blast – literally – at a very addictive game.

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Indivisible is the newest, completely crowdfunded game from Lab Zero, the makers of Skullgirls. The gorgeously hand-drawn game tells the tale of good-natured, rebellious tomboy Ajna, whose life is tipped upside-down when her town is attacked. This awakens a mysterious power inside her – the ability to absorb certain individuals into her being. This is information I received from official sources, because the copy of Indivisible we received is a backer demo that throws you straight into the action without any context. This is fine, obviously, because if you’ve been backing the game then you likely have an idea of what you were getting into and don’t need that context.

Voices and music are fairly limited and at this stage. I’d say they’re appropriate but unremarkable, though that may change with the full release of the game. I really liked the variety of party members you could pick up, ranging from a weedy archer to a lady tank to a kid with a weird pet and magic potions.

The battle system is strongly reminiscent of Valkyrie Profile 2: Sylmeria, in that each of your four party members is linked to one of the four buttons on the D-pad, and over the course of the demo they are able to attack more times per turn (indicated by the number of filled circles below the character on the battle screen). For the uninitiated this leads to a lot of fun button mashing, but just like with Valkyrie Profile, those who learn the intricacies of the battle system will be able chain together impressive combos and absolutely mince enemies.

I found the battle system to be the right balance of challenge and fun, and while the demo didn’t have much in the way of actual story, the background art and monster and character designs are cute and pretty. It’s fun to just get around the map in Indivisible, and based what I’ve seen on their official website, the rest of the environments are absolutely gorgeous and overwhelmingly creative. After the final boss of the demo, you get to see a little hint at Ajna’s special power before it cuts to black.

Indivisible is a beautifully crafted platforming RPG with a fun yet challenging battle system. I for one will be highly anticipating the full release. It’s sure to be an extremely fun, fast-paced game with wonderful places to explore.

Mixing sci-fi, mythology, and horror, Ultra Ultra’s survival game Echo strives to build a beautiful-yet-terrifying gaming experience. Within the first few moments, we learn that there’s a race of transhumans who believe in a magical palace where they can all go and exist in perpetual bliss if they prove themselves worthy. Our (anti)hero and narrator, En, wanted nothing to do with said paradise, though, and supposedly spent her entire life trying to get away from the dogma and fate chosen for her at birth.

The game begins with En waking up from a 100-year cryosleep to the soothing voice of a rather rude ship AI, London. Without much explanation, we learn that En has a plan to bring someone named Foster back from the dead. You know, because nothing bad has ever come from trying to bring someone back from the dead.

Now, I have to admit that I was about 15 minutes into the game and ready to quit. The buildup to anything interesting is very, very, loooong. While you learn to walk, literally just walk, from point A to point B several times over, London spends the time insulting you and showing just how much smarter he is, proving he’s going to be a great companion throughout the game. It’s a good thing, too…since he is literally the ONLY other voice in the entire game. You’d better get used to him real fast.

As you finally get into the Palace of Lore, you will discover that (surprise) things aren’t quite as sparkly and perfect as the legends described. Before you can figure out how to bring Foster (who currently lives in a cube on En’s back) back to life, you will need to figure out how to bring the palace itself back. But there’s a twist: as the palace starts to “come online”, odd creatures begin to form themselves out of the muck. These creatures eventually begin to resemble a very familiar shape and, of course, attack you.

But this isn’t just another “survive the baddies” type of game. Very quickly, you begin to notice that the creatures’ behavior begins to change with each “reboot” of the palace, and En declares that they seem to be learning…from her. This means that enemies who once just stood and stared menacingly at you from across a puddle in one round will run at you through the water in the next. Using a gun to mow down the creatures will teach them how to use a gun in the next round – something I guarantee you DO NOT want!

This style of cat and mouse is a unique one to me, so I found it very engaging. Deciding what is the least harmful thing to teach the enemy (like maybe jumping over a barrier) and what you absolutely need to do to reach your target destination is a very interesting balancing act. You could just go hog-wild during one round, sprinting around and gunning down everyone in your path, but you will most likely be very sorry for that during the next round. In this way, the game adds a whole new level of depth and complexity to what would otherwise be a slightly boring game.

With a smaller budget, Echo, does suffer from some rather repetitive (although beautiful) scenery. And the idea of being the only one on an entire planet with just a terribly self-important AI voice to talk to can quickly become monotonous. But the strategy required to make it from one level of the palace to another makes it all worthwhile.

During the downtime between hordes of baddies, En and London discuss a little bit about the past. This backstory, what little we are able to get of it, seems extremely interesting and made me really wonder why I wasn’t playing THAT game. While Echo has its interesting moments, I was overall just going through the motions by the halfway mark, and there’s basically no story to what is happening in the current moment. It would really be awesome to be able to play the story-rich prelude I kept getting glimpses of.

Finally, let’s talk ending. Something I’ve been dreading since before I started this review, it seems many people really liked the ending of this game. I am not one of those people. Without spoiling anything, let’s just say that the ending made me feel like the 6 or so hours I had played through of this game were largely pointless. Again, that is just me, and I seem to be an outlier in this opinion. You’ll have to play it to decide for yourself. However, there were plenty of questions left unanswered, and quite a lot of story left to explore, so I find myself looking forward to more by Ultra Ultra and hoping for a sequel (or better yet, prequel) to Echo.

This review is based on a retail copy of the game provided by the publisher.

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Today, ATLUS have announced the long-awaited release dates for the upgraded port of Radiant Historia for the Nintendo 3DS: Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology. Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology will release in the Americas on February 13th 2018 and in Europe on February 16th 2018. It will be available physically and digitally for Nintendo 3DS for $39.99 (with commensurate European prices).

Tekken 7 battles are about to get even hotter (and decidedly more sword-based) when Noctis Lucis Caelum from Final Fantasy XV joins the action as the next guest fighter to enter the arena. Joining the likes of Akuma from Street Fighter, and armed with his signature Engine Blade, Noctis will trade blows with the likes of Yoshimitsu, Devil Jin, Jack 7, and the rest of the Tekken 7 fighters. Because for whatever reason, Noctis has also found a need to enter the King of the Iron Fist Tournament in Spring of 2018. Honestly, it’s probably an equal or better reason to join than Josie had.

BANDAI NAMCO have uploaded a trailer introducing Noctis to the Tekken 7 fold, which includes a fun intro with a few key characters from Final Fantasy XVand a showcase of Noctis facing off with some Tekken series favourites.

The Sim genre is a very mixed bag for me. I kind of get why some people really enjoy sitting in their room micro-managing life. There’s something kind of appealing about playing God. What I never quite understood was the desire to allow that to become a real addiction: the reason for this being that you get so involved in the virtual life of someone else that in extreme cases you kinda stop living yours. Take the Sims series. It was a brilliant game, certainly in its early days and I had fun with it, but I had friends that I’d almost argue had a wee bit too much fun with it to the point where I wouldn’t see them for days. I’m hoping the rather odd mentality might be made fun of a bit in Fictiorama Studios new title Do Not Feed the Monkeys.

Sadly, technical problems shut down my last stream early. But don’t despair; I’ll soon post a video of a brand new player testing out Duck Season for the first time.

Until then, let’s take out our frustration on virtual tanks in Battlezone. I’ll be streaming this VR juggernaut this Wednesday at 7:00 PM Central. As always, you can check it out here, or at twitch.tv/tvgbgaming.

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Those of you wishing you could watch your favorite shows while on the go with your Nintendo Switch are in for a treat as today (out of nowhere) Hulu has become available to download on the Switch’s eShop.

When the Switch was first announced, video streaming apps like Hulu and Netflix were surprisingly absent with Nintendo saying they wanted to focus on making a solid game system first and while there were no promises, there was a chance those streaming apps could come in the future.

For those of you like me who have yet to grab a bigger memory card for your Switch, the Hulu download is only 39 MB, and it is supported in either docked or portable mode.

The addition of Hulu tells me that other streaming apps like Amazon Prime and Netflix coming is no longer a matter of “if it will come”, but instead, “when will it come?” Personally, I am holding out hope for a Youtube app to come out relatively soon.

As a guy who has had an absolute ball playing his Switch this year, I have to say Nintendo is delivering on every point this year. In the first eight months of the console-handheld hybrid being out we have gotten some amazing Nintendo games, fun indie games, and now streaming services for when you’re not in a gaming mood.

If you want to check out Gamespot’s article where I first found out about this, you can find it HERE.

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Most of the reviews you will probably read on Hand of Fate 2 are going to entail direct comparisons with its predecessor, Hand of Fate. Let this review be a breath of fresh air for those of you that have not played HOF, because I hadn’t either. However, if you’ve played HOF, you may still find this review helpful. Let us know in the comment section below. Defiant Development’s HOF2 is a hybrid card game/action adventure game with some light RPG elements. There is really a mix of everything here, but to succinctly describe it is difficult.

You play the game against (or with, depending on your point of view) the Dealer, a dark figure who sounds like he has an even darker past. The Dealer serves as the narrator and will doll out cards, tokens, and challenges as you navigate your way through a variety of scenarios arranged on a game board. There are a bunch of scenarios for you to navigate and complete, and each offers a specific challenge element (or gimmick as I’ve seen others refer to it as), so not all scenarios play the same way. This is a great way to break-up some of the repetitive elements inherit to a game like this.

Because this is my first introduction into the HOF games, I was not expecting anything other than trading cards and battles. This was all I encountered while searching screenshots on the interwebs. As I alluded to previously, I was pleasantly surprised by what the game dealt me, including the different scenarios, the “choose your own adventure” challenges, and the strategic management of resources like health and food.

Assuming you’ve never played before, each scenario is played out by a deck of cards, with each card being revealed as your token moves along the path as laid out by the Dealer. I admit, there is a certain thrill involved with each card being turned face up, revealing what reward or challenge awaits the player. Board game players will understand the anticipation of a card flip when the odds are stacked against you, or if you feel you’ve finally found the card you are looking for!

The other cards that you pick up and/or “win” along the way include equipment, gold, or scenario-specific cards. Certain cards, like equipment cards, can be incorporated into the deck that you build for each scenario and will be anxiously waiting for you to uncover it as you complete challenges. While your character might always start the scenario with a cruddy shield, you’ll likely pick up another from your deck as you advance. There is a good mix of items and equipment for you to use, but I wish there was some sort of option to start the campaign with better equipment that doesn’t penalize you (ie, using up one of your bonuses at the start of the campaign).

When you jump into combat, it feels like a brawler. I echo those who have said this feels like an Arkham game, using tactful attacks mixed with blocks and dodges. I would mix in a Fable feel to it as well, being a fantasy setting and already drawing similarities to Arkham as well (although they technically did it first).

While you’ll start with pure melee attacks, you’ll eventually mix in some magic as you take on a variety of enemies. In some cases, you will get to choose your equipment load out before you fight, employing certain weapons that gives you advantages against the enemy. There isn’t a lot of variation in the types you’ll fight and how they are setup, but for a game like this, I think that is okay. Also, these encounters can be repetitive depending on the scenario you are playing, like every other encounter being the same set of barbarians (called Northerners) as the last. However, there are boss battles, so make sure you get yourself a good set of equipment before you reach the end of the scenario.

Aesthetically, the game looks good. I’m sure they improved upon the predecessor in this department. The sound design is also spot on as the thrown dice were hitting the wooden table or during the dramatic flip of the card (bet you can hear this in your head. Inventory and menus are easy to navigate, and you can apply filters to the cards in your deck to help sort through them.

HOF2 borrows more than just the mechanics of a card game. As a busy gamer, I really enjoyed that each scenario felt like a self-contained game: I was able to jump into a scenario or two and then jump off if need be, just like sitting down to play a round of a card game. I never felt like I was on a continual cliffhanger with save points and having to lay awake at night plotting my next move. Of course, you can spend hours going through the scenarios, finding different ways to complete them for more tokens or just to test out another path.

In the end, Hand of Fate 2 is a good game. I think the price point shows where this game is at in the spectrum of gaming, and I think that it offers a lot of content that some big budget games can barely scrape together. If you are a fan of board games, strategy games, or just enjoy the digital adaptations of board games, you’ll love this game. Others who are big fans of action RPGs or RPGs in general should tailor their expectations, because the depth of your character doesn’t exist in a normal character sheet, but in your deck of cards.

Hand of Fate 2 is available for PlayStation 4 in North America and Oceania regions, and via Steam. An Xbox One version, as well as European PS4 release, will be available soon.

This review is based on a retail copy of the game provided by the publisher.

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