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These days, FMV games have become quite popular, and they are improving in quality quite a bit. The idea of having real-life people as videogame characters and controlling an interactive movie is a lot of fun. Hacked The Streamer is a game that clearly shows how challenging and tricky the streaming world can be. Sure, at first glance, it all feels glamorous and a job where you make easy money. But clearly, it’s much more than that. It just goes to show that the challenges that you can face are hidden, but still very dangerous. Simply put, in Hacked: The Streamer we follow Beril, a streamer known online as PinkiePie. She is growing as a streamer and has just got access to her first large sponsor. She enjoys that success and wants to celebrate with the fanbase and the moderation team. But as that happens, we have a viewer threatening to expose her via a variety of personal revelations. That viewer wants $50000 from her, otherwise he will reveal the videos and possibl...

This scientist is starting to get on my nerves. He really wants to test how efficient taking out arachnids using nuclear missiles is, when I’ve already demonstrated that mixing chemical and radiation-armed mechs offers a clear solution to his bug problem. I’m easily taking out big groups of enemies, and rarely do the techs need to come in to patch up my forces. Even the lowly handlers, who basically suborn enemy drones, are more than capable of handling a few warriors on their own. The arachinds rely on numbers and access routes that cannot be destroyed to take back territory. So, the Eradicators need to remain mostly mobile, only using fortifications to block attack routes and make sure their supplies keep flowing. Starship Troopers: Terran Command - The Eradicators is developed by The Artistocrats and published by Slitherine Ltd. This downloadable content pack introduces a campaign, alongside new units, both linked to the Eradicators from the name. These are bas...

Road 96 was a game I enjoyed when it was released, and I was curious where the creative minds at Digixart will go with their next game. And now we have it, in the form of Tides of Tomorrow. The game is designed as a narrative adventure, but you get to follow in your friend’s footsteps, see their actions and decide what your own path is. That’s cool, because you rarely have some type of coop where you get to follow other people’s path without having to actually play at the same time with them. The narrative in Tides of Tomorrow is cool, because you have a great flood which turned the world into a giant ocean. Not a lot of people survived, but those that did live on tiny islands and boats. The islands are occupied by various factions like the Reclaimers, the Marauders, and also the Mystics. It’s a nice starting point, and as you play, you get to unravel a lot more depth and hidden facts or stories related to these factions. Tides of Tomorrow’s main strength is defini...

Killing the cows doesn’t make me feel good, even if they are loaded with explosives and determined to take my lone ranger out. I get into a rhythm of shooting where the boss is going to be next turn, then sidestepping, reloading, and shifting to make sure the cows can’t get near. I have three health packs ready to go, a shotgun in reserve, and I’m only using my big dodge when the situation is really dicey. Because my weapon also moves my character, it makes it easier to ensure bullets do not get near Marcia. Stand-up fights are not my biggest problem. She only has problems when levels feature a ton of indestructible environmental traps, because it’s easy to focus on enemies and take damage from them at the wrong time. Enter the Chronosphere is developed by Effort Star and published by Joystick Ventures and Gamirror. The title is in Early Access on Steam. The video game combines turn and rhythm-driven combat with a rogue-lite structure. The game starts with a giant ...

At first glance, Clockfall seems to be like any other action roguelite. And then, you soon realize that it has a time-travel mechanic along with a level timer. These things add a great twist to the experience, because you have to strategize and figure out new ways to stay alive, to the best of your capabilities. You’re dropped into a fractured world, where there’s a destroyed village and a mysterious clock, and you’re trapped in an endless cycle of repetition and death. You are playing through the loops of dungeon runs, and the core idea is quite simple. You have 3 minutes per level, battle enemies, gather resources and try to push deeper with each one of your attempts. It’s nice to see that unlike other roguelites, this one doesn’t require you to focus on stamina or health. Instead, time is your enemy, because every run is time-limited, so you have to figure out where to go, what to do and how to embrace that experience. If you hesitate or fight very powerful enem...

Ink Inside has a very interesting story, because it was meant to be a Nickelodeon cartoon, but it got reborn as a videogame. However, it still has a cartoony visual style, which allows the game to set itself apart. However, the action RPG style and interesting gameplay truly makes it immersive and downright interesting, especially if you’re tired of the same old game formula. The game takes place inside notebooks that are filled with drawings, all of which were made by Hannah, a little girl. What’s really impressive here is that the drawings came to life and they can easily move in between notebooks without a problem. However, something called The Great Unfolding happened and because of that, travel has become a whole lot more difficult. There’s also a blight called the Sog which affects all the doodles within these notebooks. Basically, the Sog is turning doodles into monsters. Our hero is called Stick, and he is the first unfinished doodle, who is here to try and...

As a fan of metroidvania titles, I am always excited to see what comes next, and one of the more surprising additions to the genre in recent months was Mio: Memories in Orbit. This new title is adding a very engaging story, along with a stunning aesthetic, all while offering us some exciting and rewarding experiences that everyone will enjoy. The first thing that will impress you in Mio: Memories in Orbit is definitely its visuals. The game does a very good job at offering an enchanting, storybook-like world that you explore, and it’s unlike any other game that you will find out there. I appreciate the visual style, and the fact that you can explore many locations like a beautiful garden or an icy metropolis, which add plenty of variety to the gameplay. The game world never ceased to amaze me, and the same thing is valid when it comes to the enemy design. There’s always some new, interesting enemy to find out, and defeating them requires a bit of strategy and atten...

'83 is a game that has been in development for quite some time, and it brings us the 40 v 40 squad-based extravaganza we always wanted. The title offers accessible realism, and it’s designed to be enjoyable for newcomers, but also deep enough to provide depth for experts and people who enjoy squad-based titles. Right off the bat, the idea here is that we are in an alternate cold war scenario. We have Russia and the US battling each other in a variety of different spots, highlighted with some beautifully designed maps. What I enjoyed about these maps is the tactical depth they offer. You have plenty of spots for flanking, but also open areas where you have to rely on trenches or other ways to get around. For me, it made the game feel very realistic. The fact that it’s more of a hardcore game means that you don’t have a lot of visual aids which would be offered in a regular FPS. Battles feel grand, and that’s thanks to the large maps, where you can find tanks as well...

Dealing a lot of damage at the start of each turn to all enemies is a great way to win fights. But it can only work if the player’s moon can survive when opponents act, which in turn requires a decent selection of cards with the shield rune. I’ve even upgraded a Scathing Storm to give me 4 shield, although I’ve already played it, and it will be some time until it returns from the discard pile. Unfortunately, even after using a shape to draw another card, I come up short. My stellar monster opponent will deal two times 11 damage, and I only have 8 shield. Losing moon health is not the end of the world, but I can only replenish 25 hitpoints before the boss fight. Thankfully, I win this fight on my next turn, using three classic bolt cards. I hope that no monster groups are involved in the next fights, because guarding against four opponents is really hard. I also need to get a little lucky with card upgrade opportunities. At master 4, there are still plenty of cards ...

I’ve always been fascinated by public transport and how it works, the vehicles they use and the various systems they entail. And with Bus Bound, the fantasy of being a bus driver comes to life, and in a great manner no doubt. The game offers a good number of licensed buses, and you get to explore a fictional city that comes to life in a way that’s not only interesting, but fun as well. The game starts off with you sitting on a bus and being called to offer bus services in the city of Emberville. Thankfully, the tutorial is pretty expansive, and it does a good idea of teaching you the ins and outs of using a bus. Not only do you need to build the bus infrastructure in the city, but you also have to drive the bus. It’s a simulator, so don’t expect narrative arcs or cutscenes. You don’t even see your character stepping out of the bus. But the main focus in this game is driving properly, stopping at the bus stations and keeping people happy. Most bus simulators try to ...