Review: Total War: Warhammer III

Return of the King
Review: Rainbow Six Extraction

Developer – Ubisoft Publisher – Ubisoft Platforms – Windows PC®, Xbox Series S|X, Xbox One, PS4|5 Rainbow Six Extraction, oh how you surprised me. For those of you who do not know, Extraction was originally a mode that came and went in Rainbow Six Siege. Extraction is based off that lore and concept, and builds that one off mode into a full fledged gameplay experience. My initial thoughts coming into Extraction weren’t great. I thought it was just gonna be nothing more than that same mode revamped and turned into a game, but I was mistaken. Extraction has been on my mind even when I’m not playing, and has provided something unique in the co-op shooter space that most new entries have failed to provide. The handful of locations, comprised of several stages and substages. Each location together perfectly, with unique layouts and each area offering a diverse set of environments to clear out. The campaign is addicting, especially with a group. One of the reasons its so successful, is the tension each mission provides for your chosen operator. The game is a one to three player experience. Playing Extraction alone is simply okay, playing it with others dramatically improves the experience. The core structure of the campaign is what separates Extraction from all of the co-op horde shooters as of late. In Extraction, you and your squad must choose from a large variety of Operators, not too dissimilar to Siege itself. Each operator has a unique React skill, and various weapon options and upgrades unique to that character. Co-op play is also easy to get into, as Extraction offers full crossplay and progression with every platform. Thus far, all of that is pretty standard. What changes, is the tension of the gameplay and what happens once a mission is complete. Each extraction zone is divided into three sections. Performing all of the objectives in each section will provide a choice. Either extract and leave the mission early, or continue to the next section and dramatically increase the reward, but also the risk. This choice isn’t particularly novel, but what is novel is the persistence in between missions. In Extraction, even the easiest difficulties can have one alien almost one shot an operator. Playing sloppy or not using stealth will get characters hurt or killed. Once you complete or fail a mission, all of the health you had remaining is persistent. If an operator is too hurt for example, they are out of action and have to wait until they get healed before they can go out again. As each operator is unique and has their own leveling curve, this can really impact decision making on harder settings and extraction zones. Each player in a crew has their own set of operators to choose from, so my Pulse being hurt doesn’t mean my buddy can’t use his on a mission. If a character dies during a mission and you can’t carry the body with you to extraction, that character becomes M.I.A. While an operator is missing, they are completely unusable. Only by choosing that extraction zone again can you hope to rescue that operative. Extraction will always give you one character to use at any given moment, so thankfully it avoids becoming a rogue-like if you fail constantly, but the tension is palpable and adds an extra level of satisfaction into each play through .The Chimera parasite has spawned an alien like faction called the Archaeans. This faction is much more fleshed out than they were in Siege, with a large variety of enemy types to keep you on your toes. Harder difficulties modify the enemy types with unique traits or special abilities they don’t normally have otherwise. They provide a nice alternative to zombies. Using lean, wall damage and the fortifications from Siege create a unique moment to moment gameplay beat that differ from titles such as Vermintide or Back 4 Blood. Rainbow Six Extraction took me by surprise. Its a mixture of Siege style tactics with X-Com soldier management. Extraction is a great experience with friends, and provides a deeper, challenging take on the modern co-op shooter.
Review: Expeditions: Rome

Developer – Logic Artists Publisher – THQ Nordic Platforms – PC Expeditions: Rome is the latest game to come out from publisher THQ Nordic. It’s developed by Logic Artists and is described as a tactical RPG set in Rome. Expeditions is a long running series, and after Conquistador and Vikings, Rome takes this franchise to the next level. It may not have the brand recognition of Fire Emblem or X-Com, but Expeditions has become a name to take serious in the tactical RPG space. In Expeditions: Rome, players spend their time exploring Rome and its neighboring countries. You play as a young Legatus whose father is mysteriously murdered, and you take refuge with a handful of allies in the midst of suppressing a Greek rebellion. They operate out of a military base and this Greek campaign serves as a fantastic tutorial for all of the games various aspects. From tactical battles, huge narrative story branches, and long war campaigns where you must manage resources across your legions and territories.. Rome has a strong premise, and the narration that kicks off the adventure is colorful. If you are familiar with the over the top language of a Spartacus, you will find yourself at home here. The story and setting the table for the next 50-60 hours of tactical exploration the player will embark upon. The story line is important and your companions have a lot of story themselves. Outside of the hub, a lot of the story comes from banter between your party members as they discuss a wide range of topics, and react to how you are growing as a leader. One of my favorite aspects of the story is your group’s persistence and how much they develop as individuals and with each other. Bestia, a Gladiator who has earned his freedom, is a personal favorite and he will surely leave a lasting impression once more people get their hands on him. Overall the story is satisfying, with a variety of endings based on how you play the campaign out. If the voice acting was poorly written or acted the sparse storytelling would fall apart, but instead I was eager to hear the party converse about any numbers of topics. It was a pretty big motivation to keep going and explore each relationship more and more as the overall campaign progressed. The game itself is a unique blend of open exploration, stealth, and a healthy dose of tactical turn-based combat. To say it’s X-COM influenced wouldn’t do it justice. There are similar cover mechanics, overwatch, but most of the similarities end there. Unlike X-COM, Fire Emblem or many other turn-based tactical games that have followed, you don’t have an open-ended game with an endless array of randomly generated soldiers. Instead, you move around a map, then enter larger “zones” where your small, set cast of characters will walk around exploring for loot and stealthily picking off enemies. It provides a nice change of pace and is a pretty decent gameplay loop. If it seems pretty straightforward that’s because it is. Throughout the entire playtime the gameplay never really changes. You should immediately be able to tell if the style it offers is for you or not. The gameplay is backed by a leveling and gear system. While offering a bit of diversity and options, they are about as lean as the core gameplay itself. Just enough to get your feet wet but nothing that will have you taking out a DPS sheet and calculating numbers. This may have its root in pen-and-paper RPGs, but it’s a pretty simplistic take on tactics, RPG mechanics and gear. I didn’t find it to be too big of an issue. If it dragged on any longer that simplicity could have grown stale, but the game doesn’t overstay its welcome despite its lengthy playtime. You have a clear goal, and your progression is nice and tight for the entire journey. Some battles near the end can drag as the enemy count constantly grows. That can be frustrating, but the AI provides a decent challenge without resorting to cheats or obvious unfair CPU advantages.Final Thoughts Expeditions:Rome is not without problems, especially repetition as new war campaigns can feel like a slog. Its refreshing take on turn-based, tactical RPGs and its unique approach to Rome setting has left a strong impression. Logic Artists delivers an early 2022 delight with a deep, challenging tactical tale of revenge and the Roman landscape of 100BC. Expeditions: Rome is a stellar title from a promising studio, and the finest title in the Expedition franchise yet.
Review: Zombie Army 4: Dead War – Switch Version

Developer – Rebellion Developments Publisher – Rebellion Developments Release Date – February 4, 2020 Platforms – Xbox One, PS4, PC, Nintendo Switch Editors Note – Rebecca recently played the Switch version, her thoughts are here and our new updated score is below! During my original time with Zombie Army 4 I had a blast. It was full of headshots and up close shotgun destruction. The pace and secrets hidden in each stage added a ton of replay value and my only issue was the experience was too short. Thankfully, Rebellion has consistently added tons of exciting quality of life updates, levels and weapons to use. The sheer size of this game now dwarfs what it had at launch, and it’s perfectly playable on the Switch. Two key features helped make the transition easy. Steam save transfer was excellent as it allowed me to import my progress and continue where I originally left off. The second and perhaps more significant, was the addition of gyro aiming. Flick aiming is great for general use and accessibility, and my kids have a blast using this to line up sniper shots from afar. With the imminent release of Sniper Elite 5 soon, hopefully this gyro aim is incorporated into more of the series as well. End of Switch specific content Rebellion has been creating the popular Sniper Elite series for a long time now. The Zombie Army titles originally started off as stand alone DLC back when Sniper Elite 2 was out. After finding some success, they then created Zombie Army Trilogy and firmly established this as fun little spin off series. Zombie Army 4: Dead War is the latest in this series, and Rebellion finally takes this spin off and creates something worthy of it’s own name and worthy title alongside the Sniper Elite series. Zombie Army 4: Dead War takes place one year after Hitler was defeated an sent packing. It follows a new, original story line that will have players hopping across different European hot spots. From mundane areas like train-yards, all the way to the zombie shark infested canals of Venice. Zombie Army 4 has a much stronger campaign than it’s predecessors. In the previous games, most of the stages felt like horde modes stretched out over a large play spaces. Zombie Army 4 adopts a campaign format not too dissimilar from Left 4 Dead. Several acts comprised of multiple chapters will have players engaged in fun and exciting missions. These missions do a much better job of feeling cohesive. Each act’s chapters have clear missions and will always take you on a journey from the start all the way to the end. It helps keep the game fresh, and you will rarely get bored with being forced to stand around the same spots over and over again endlessly defending an objective. Each act also contains a multitude of challenges, secrets and collectibles. Rebellion has done a great job of filling each of these environments with tons of references to not just the Sniper Elite series, but other greats in the expanded Zombie universe. Zombie Army does contain a horde mode, and it feels influenced by Call of duty’s zombie mode to a degree. As you survive waves of the horde, opportunities will arise that allows for the team to open up new areas, create new choke points. It helps add some variety and keeps the mode entertaining as you mow through the undead by the hundreds. Regardless of what mode you play, the progression is account bound and carries across every mode. From replaying single chapters to bating the campaign, everything you do contributes to your overall level. Every single weapon has numerous modification an upgrades. Even items such as med-kits or mines have some unlocks and the sheer number of perks allows for great replay value. Zombie Army 4 also brings an idea to the table that should be replicated in every co-op title. In addition to the standard set of difficulty options, Zombie Army 4 allows you to choose the type of scaling you want the game to do. This allows for much more control over the experience, and let’s you tailor the experience to you and your friends skill level. For example, I’ve been playing in two player co-op and scaling the missions as if we have four people. This option is great and should be the new standard going forward. Visually Zombie Army 4 is clearly based off the newer Sniper Elite 4 and Strange Brigade engine. It’s a much nicer looking game than the previous titles, and slow motion shots right through some zombie balls has never looked better. On the Xbox One X, they have included performance and quality modes and it runs silky smooth and loads fast on console. Not all is well however. One issue I have is the floaty melee combat. Zombies can frequently damage you and hit you with melee attacks that always seem like they are clearly beyond their range. Some of this is mitigated because melee executions trigger health regeneration. This is still the weakest point of the game though, and no matter how strong you get the melee combat never feels impactful. The DLC is also a bit of an odd case. Sniper Elite has been getting more and more DLC, and this is perhaps the most intrusive it has been so far. Even at launch, the weapon selection is limited and each weapon category has numerous DLC guns that are just their reminding you to buy them. It’s one thing to have some, but to have so much day one when the weapon selection is limited rubs me the wrong way a bit. Despite my problems with the DLC practice and the wonky melee combat, I have really enjoyed my time with Zombie Army 4:Dead War. The Sniper Elite series is one of my personal favorites, and it’s nice seeing them take what was a spin-off series and elevate it much more ambitious heights.
Review: Halo Infinite

Developer – 343 Industries Publisher – Xbox Game Studios Platforms – PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X Master Chief is back. Halo Infinite has finally arrived. The storyline and the direction of its plot and characters have made big leaps from previous games that 343 have created. Master Chief and what feels like a UNSC resistance force is back on Zeta Halo. With new characters mixing with the Chief and a story that goes to places a Halo game has never ventured into.
Review: Chorus

Developer – Fishlabs Publisher – Deep Silver Platforms – PC, Xbox, Playstation Chorus, originally shown during the Series X premier showcase and known for confusing everybody with the look of it’s title card. Now that I’ve spent a dozen hours with it, I can firmly state that Chorus is not as confusing as the title card implied, and is in fact a tremendous throwback to classic space bound action adventures. Chorus is a semi-open world game, with several massive hub worlds featuring towns, quests, side missions, random encounters and various NPC’s to speak with and meet. It honestly surprised me when I first started playing, as most space flight games fall into two camps as of late. On the one hand, you have titles such as Elite Dangerous, and the many games that followed suit. Hardcore space sims, sandbox in nature with very little narrative thrust. On the other hand, you have rogue-lites. Games with strong gameplay but not many inter-connected systems and their run based nature don’t lend themselves to a narrative arc by an large. Chorus is a throw back to a different time. When games such as Warhawk, Starfox 64, Colony Wars, and Wing Commander. Space opera’s used to be the norm once upon a time, and it’s quite a long time since the genre has seen much growth. From the very moment you begin the game, Chorus thrusts players right into the thick of it. Playing as Nara, a chosen warrior piloting for a vast cult known as The Circle. After an explosive intro, you are placed in the first hub. Nara, now an exile from her former cult, is in hiding and scavenges to get by. Without getting into specifics, she has to reunite with her most powerful weapon, a sentient ship that can enhance her powers known as “Forsaken.” Once united with her ship, Chorus goes from a space opera to a full blown character action game in a ship. Players get introduced to a mechanic known as a drift trance. This mechanic completely transforms the moment to moment gameplay of Chorus. When activated, you enter a trans like state that allows you to take deep cuts and normally impossible angles while remaining locked onto a target. Developing your skill at the trance is key to progressing through the campaign, as it becomes essential to survive most combat encounters. This isn’t the only power you gain however, through out the campaign multiple abilities will unlock that provide a nice suite of powers to augment the more traditional weapons and flight this genre provides. As you venture into various hub spaces and engage in more traditional open world activities, you gain tiered upgrades and power-ups for your weapons, ship and powers. Chorus at no point tries to become a sprawling RPG. Upgrades are straightforward, and the arsenal at your disposal is small and focused. Lasers for shields, kinetic weapon for hull, and missiles for larger targets. Using this triumvirate of weaponry alongside Nara”s power set and mobility create a completely different flow to combat. Each encounter feels exciting instead of cumbersome, and the expanded power set brings a satisfying power fantasy to the end game content. The expanded tool-set is important, because Chorus is actually challenging. You are a small fighter, and even later on you can’t really take much direct hits. Most space games can feel a bit easy, with the only challenge provided comes from a lack of upgrades. The enemies in Chorus are ruthless, and if you stand still for a moment they will hound you relentlessly. Chorus is also a great looking game. Playing on the Series X, not once did I encounter any performance issues regardless of how massive the battles became. The music is stellar as well, with a game titled Chorus, the main theme resonates and the tribal choir’s and drums provide a very unique audio backdrop than the average sci-fi adventure. Not all was perfect however. The side quests and mission chains they can lead too were just okay at best, and they would frequently break and cause mission failure states over and over again. Multiple side missions where you have to follow a target would lead to a fail state despite having the target right in front of me for no reason at all. These failure states happened less following the day 1 patch, but still happened enough to frustrate. Despite the issues I encountered with side quests, the main story and the core gameplay and story were incredibly satisfying to experience. Nara and her story arc, the spells mixed with technology combat and the great visuals all come together to create a well paced homage to a long lost genre.
Review: Jurassic World Evolution 2

Developer –Frontier Developments Publisher – Frontier Developments Platforms – PC, Xbox, Playstation After a long stay on a hidden tropical island, Jurassic World Evolution 2 has finally escaped. The world is different, but the name of the game remains. Build an park, capture dinosaurs, and try to keep them from eating the neighborhood. In the time since the previous game, the entire park genre pretty much exploded. RTS and Sim games went into a second resurgence as of late and it’s now a crowded genre. The first game was a fun but flawed title, and with the resurgence of the genre, it would need to be more than a fun concept to have any chance in a suddenly crowded genre. Playing through a variety of modes keeps the action fresh. Campaign actually provided the bulk of the game’s variety. Each story mission had a special look, characters, and a multitude of different creatures and areas of expertise that touched and taught the entire span of the game. Alas, despite it’s unique flair and outstanding visual presentation, Jurassic World did have some clunk areas and the two halves of the game, dinosaur management and park creation, lacked a depth needed to truly sink lots of time into the game after a single playthrough. Right away this sequel stand out more in every regard. More unique traits and flair help the game standout. The dino’s that live inside your park. Whether they are eating food or getting beat up by predators, they truly stand out due to the excellent visuals. The entire game essentially follows on the original premise. Park management is akin to the standard park simulators. Expand your island, and capture dinosaurs and devious predators to thwart any damage to park visitors. As you generate research and build up cash, you get to explore and find a much more varied roster of creatures than the original. As your size grows, more frequent attacks and tougher dinosaurs can cause serous issues. It’s a fun mechanic, and it really provides a bridge that make the two different forms of management come together. Every choice in one area will have an effect on the other. Even more than different dinosaurs and environments, those choices are what drive the gameplay variety and already want me to experiment with completely different builds and play styles for subsequent sessions. The end game is a lot of fun, and as the park grows and the visitors gather, I would still enjoy watching dinosaurs get into battles over territory. Jurassic World Evolution 2 is a marked improvement from the original. It’s not perfect, and some bugs did crop up although they never caused an real issues. If you enjoyed the original, despite it’s flaws, then this is a great entry for old fans and newcomers to the thriving park builder genre.
Review: Battlefield 2042

Developer – DICE Publisher – Electronic Arts Platforms – PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, Playstation 4/5 *Editors Note* A new patch released on the morning of 11/25 has really cleaned up numerous technical issues and networking lag. A huge balance patch has also smoothed over some significant balance and the game feels improved. The score has been updated to reflect that. – Rebecca *End Note* After taking some time off, we finally have a new Battlefield. For well over a decade EA and an assortment of studios deliver a new Battlefield title that tries to give a fresh spin on the long running franchise. Sometimes this works out great, such as Bad Company or Battlefield 1. Sometimes this approach ends in disaster, such as Hardline or Battlefield V. Battlefield is the biggest change since Bad Company many years ago. Dice has taken some big steps with their latest title. Creating a new title and giving it the 2042 name carries a lot of promise. It also brings a lot of expectations to live up too. If they were to drop the ball, the fabled Battlefield name could be sullied permanently. With a brand new consoles in tow, 2042 seeks to unite old ideals with new tech to revitalize this tried and true series. Outside of conquest and breakthrough, not much else is brought over from the previous game. The emphasis on grounded, modern combat is all here. The opening provides the backdrop on why the world is at war, but with no campaign to speak of, this is merely window dressing for the rest of the games aesthetic. Helping 2042 come to life are the great visuals. Battlefield could look nice at times, but it never had a live tornado providing a visual spectacle before. Great models and animations help sell the atmosphere across every mode. Every gun looks sleek and more importantly the power of each shot is seen and felt every time you use them. Once again Dice pushes the entire series forward by embracing new tech and visuals. Multiplayer is bigger, but not always better than previous installments. The multiplayer suite is large and expansive, with great weapon selection and some stunning maps. 128 player Breakthrough is fun, with Portal providing plenty of fantastic throwback action. Most of the game design feels built around the massive 128 player count however, and unfortunately the rest of the modes feel like they suffer as a result. The modern realism angle naturally lends itself to a fast time to kill. The lethality combined with huge maps containing tons of hiding spots can lead to disaster. Most of the game’s problems stem from two issues. Huge empty spaces in the maps, and a terrible UI across the board. It’s not uncommon in a match to get spawned in a corner of the map and have a whole adventure before you get back into action. Add to that the absurd number of vehicles, snipers, no autobalanced teams, and most matches can feel like a snowball. It creates a losing situation both ways. I’ve won more games than I’ve lost, and either way it comes across as unsatisfying. Conquest and Breakthrough rarely end in anything other than a complete lopsided victory. Rounding out the package is Hazard Zone. Not quite a battle royale, it features 32 players divided into squads of 4 in sectioned off pieces of the multiplayer maps. Players compete for data drives, and then must carry those drives to one of two extraction sites to secure a victory. Editors Note Hi! Rebecca Ellis here to chime in. For disabled gamers, Battlefield offers extensive options. One of the major new features is bot support and co-op vs bot matchmaking. This ensures players of all skill levels can still have a great time. Portal mode offers extensive customization options with bots as well to make the experience tailored towards those who may have special needs. Excellent HUD customization and subtitle support help make Battlefield 2042 a fun pick up and play game for any player. Thanks for checking in on Rebecca’s accessibility minute! End of section Hazard Zone is ultimately pretty shallow, offering none of the depth of Warzone or even Fortnite. After a few rounds of Hazard zone, most players will simply find more engagement elsewhere. The game also suffers from various technical issues. 2042 is rife with severe audio and visual hitches during the gameplay. This is one of the biggest franchises in gaming. It’s inexcusable and even after early access most issues have yet to be patched or fixed. Various UI issues are abound, and the new specialist system clashes with the kit system severely. The most fun I’ve had in 2042 has been in Portal mode playing Bad Company 2 rules and maps. I just wish the actual new game that is on the same disc was half as entertaining as the classics. Battlefield 2042 has elements of a good game, and in the technology moves the franchise forward in big ways. Unfortunately technical issues and some questionable design elements prevent it from being an all time classic. In a few months those issues may vanish, but as of right now they exist, and all we can do is hope for severe improvements.
Review: Forza Horizon 5

Developer – Playground Games Publisher – Xbox Game Studios Platforms – PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X Another year, another Forza, it could be so easy to grow weary and exhausted by the sheer amount of Forza titles that have hit the shelves in the past 10 years. One year, Turn 10 brings out a Forza Motorsports title that at its worst is usually very good. Then the next year another entry from Playground Games Forza Horizon series comes and takes us on another vacation with some of the world’s hottest cars. The consistency of the Forza series has always been impressive. The problem with always being so consistent, however, is each new game introduced can have a hard time truly separating itself from the rest. You always get the typical improvements and upgrades you expect from a sequel. Better graphics, more cars, some refinements to existing systems, and more along those lines. After the Forza series has taken a much-needed break, the power of next-gen has arrived. Playground Games must have felt a certain kind of way about the situation because the already excellent Forza Horizon 4 has been obliterated with Forza Horizon 5. Forza Horizon 5 takes us away from the rolling green hills of the U.K. and into the southern paradise of Mexico. Like every other Forza Horizon title, the love they give each game’s home country is on full display. The slang, the music, the culture, and the history are all front and center no matter where you look in Horizon 5. The U.K.-based team made sure to give Mexico the treatment such a historic location deserves. Now to really talk about what they changed about Forza Horizon 5 let’s talk about what they have kept. The absolutely stunning visuals have returned. The PC and Series versions perform incredibly right out of the gate. I have yet to encounter any technical issues with 5. On the Xbox Series X, they offer you a 4k, 30fps locked mode or a very welcome 60fps performance mode. Either mode is stunning. The same great physics system returns. With several improvements carried over from previous entries, the feel of every single car is handled to perfection. The tuning allows you to control how much simulation vs arcade feel you want to go for. The assists all return and haven’t changed much from previous iterations. The much-hyped seasonal approach to the open world is back with but adjusted. Each season in the game is truly unique, but seasons such as Fall and Winter obviously work differently in Mexico. Beyond the visual differences, each new season brings its own set of challenges and handling models to challenge everybody. New locations open up, and old ones fade away. Even races, events and barn finds will change, with some of those open-world events only appearing in a specific season. Audio, visuals, and controls all work seamlessly together to truly immerse you in the Horizon experience, just as well as they always have in the past. Now that we have got that out of the way, let’s talk about what’s new. Previous Horizon games, despite their excellence always had a couple of things truly keeping them from perfection, career progression, and online integration. Previously each Horizon title had you compete in various events strewn around the open world, in an effort to gather enough fans to expand the Horizon festival. Each time you upgraded a Festival site, another tier of events, open-world challenges, and showcase events would populate the surrounding area and then you rinse and repeat until you get to the end of the game and compete in the Horizon Championship race. The problem with that format was the progression didn’t feel satisfying. Gathering enough fans, and expanding Horizon sites felt inevitable, but never fun in the moment. The way the game never really forced you to try different vehicles or play-styles would eventually make progressing through the festival races more of a chore, than a fun task. They always had a ton of content, just never a clear direction for said content. Cross-country races, street races, speed traps, and bucket lists would all co-exist with no clear motivation for wanting to pursue any of these different styles outside of your own desire to perform that activity at a given time. On its own, the old method wasn’t broken, or even bad by any means. By Horizon 4 though, that formula was feeling stale, and it was something nagging at me the entire time I spent in Horizon 4 and it ultimately kept me from caring much about any festival sites or events I unlocked. Horizon 5 finally upends the old career system on its head, and is one of the biggest changes the series has seen since its inception. The new progression system doesn’t exist in a vacuum anymore. The brand new accolade and expedition approach to the open world and the much improved online integration combine to transform the minute-to-minute Forza Horizon experience. The online connected world from 4 is back and much more lively than ever. The connected online plus campaign experience goes a long way to completely changing the Forza experience on a fundamental level. Every step of the way during your career, the festival finally feels like a festival. Players are always around, doing their own thing, hanging out near barn finds, and taking massive jumps, and the Rocket League quick chat system they have implemented keeps it civil and easy to communicate with anybody around. If you find a player you like, a quick tap of the D-pad will allow you to invite them into your convoy, which is the new term they use for co-op play. Returning from Horizon 4 is the co-op, as now it allows players to connect and play through the entire career mode together. Even expeditions, special event races, and more. Every single different open-world event or race you can partake in is back from the older games. Joining them is the
Review: Age of Empires 4

Developer – Relic Entertainment & Worlds Edge Publisher – Xbox Game Studios Platforms – Windows Store, Steam Age of Empires IV is a long running and classic RTS series that has thrived as of late due to excellent remasters. Even though I’ve got my hands on the previous games briefly, I did know that Age of Empires Online wasn’t quite the game fans wanted, and then the series went dark for quite a long time. A lot of AOE fans were very happy however, that Microsoft announced part 4, and then started doing significant work to restore Age of Empires and it’s classic status for a modern era. Thankfully, AOE IV is a worthy followup to a storied legacy. AOE IV comes with the usual assortment of modes you would expect from a fully featured RTS. Similar to Company of Heroes, also developed by Relic, it contains a multitude of different campaigns from various factions. Even better, is the format of the campaigns themselves. Each one, such as the 100 year war, features extensive live footage shot documentary style. This presentation is fantastic as it lends an air of authenticity and real history to all the proceedings. This is one of the games best features and helps it stand out amongst it’s predecessors. On top of the fantastic narrative angle, the actual core mission design is superb and challenging. A.I on standard or higher difficulties will be a challenge, with good tactics and positioning rather than blatant cheats. Each mission unique objectives and locations to try out, if you want to sit and try to master every campaign mission…good luck. Even early on, the game will test your skills and tactical decision making on the fly with varied and changing mission objectives. Age IV is not about sitting back and building a huge base and pumping out a huge army that you will attack move across the map to eventually win. Tactics are king here, with missions often starting off with a very limited number of units. Add on top of the resource management, map control and scouting can get challenging quickly. Thankfully none of the challenge comes from poor PC performance or technical issues. Considering the huge amount of options, the control scheme has been pulled off very well and becomes second nature, especially if you are a fan of Age II. Training mode is helpful and recommended as it will make sure you aren’t completely overwhelmed as soon as a battle starts. In addition to the different factions you also have multiple choices when you advance an age, in the form of unique one off buildings that grant very different buffs. They are varied and offer different tactical options and even contain unlocks that can change up the gameplay significantly. Age of Empires IV is also a very beautiful game. All the different factions look completely unique. Small infantry units are easy to identify and watching some of the massive large scale battles is a treat to the eyes an ears. Siege fights can erupt and each catapult shot makes a nice impact. Similar to Company of Heroes, the audio is also top notch. Every gun, sword fight, artillery strike an unit call outs are authentic. Even small touches such as unique voices for the different nations add tons of heart to the moment to moment gameplay. Age of Empires IV is a welcome addition to a classic and beloved series. It plays well and doesn’t sacrifice any of its visuals or depth. It stands with Halo Wars as a great RTS to play, even as a casual fan of RTS titles.