With Forza Horizon 6 heading to Japan, see whether one should race and explore the land of the rising sun with our review…

Forza Horizon 6 Review

Similar to previous Forza Horizon entries, Forza Horizon 6 features a big racing festival players are here to take part in – this time in Japan.

While previous entries had amazing locales, Forza Horizon 6’s Japan setting is easily the best in the series.

It’s not just the setting; it’s how it is used alongside the festival to encourage exploration and a minute to relax and enjoy the scenery.

Featuring Forza Horzion 6’s main missions, the Horizon Festival lets players do races and challenges to earn points to unlock the next festival event. Once events are completed, new races in a different area open up to earn more points.

Then there’s the Discover Japan side of Forza Horizon 6. From quickly delivering food, to going on day trips with NPCs, to even the odd photo mission, these side missions break things up. While not all winners, I easily lost hours doing these quests.

Forza Horizon 6 is still the king of racing.

There are so many different options to tweak to driving, braking, and even lead lines in races.

Want to make things easy-breezy? Forza Horizon 6 allows players to only need to brake the tiniest bit, letting the car handle most of the heavy lifting.

Rather ramp up the difficulty and earn a ton of extra credits? That’s an option too.

Forza Horizon 6 lets you play your way – and works perfectly.

Throw in over 500 cars, and your perfect ride awaits.

Forza Horizon 6 provides a number of race options, from simple point A to point B races on roads, off-road tracks with laps, and (of course) plenty of drift spots and speed traps to hit.

While Forza Horizon 6 features online competitive races, I spent most of the review period doing co-op festival events.

Teaming up with other races for three events, I found myself that breaking stuff, drifting, doing huge jumps, and performing other tricks to net big points and a big payday. While I believe they only happen once an hour, they’re always worth jumping into.

Completing races in Forza Horizon 6 provides a list of recommended content. Players can chain missions and just grind the Festival this way, or can alternatively experience the new stuff around the area.

Forza Horizon 6 also features an Auto Drive functionality that lets players put a marker on the map and let the car go to that point. It works flawlessly, and fast travel to any discovered point on the map is also available. While players are encouraged to explore solo, the journey back is as simple as the press of a button.

Outside the racing, Forza Horizon 6 lets players buy new houses, find hidden barns, and do treasure hunts.

Houses provide a passive buff, like free wheelspins or additional credits for select races. One also lets you customize the whole area with different decorations and cars – while it definitely has its audience, I didn’t spend much time there.

Meanwhile, Forza Horzion 6’s barns and treasures provide clues that lead to special cars. Alternatively, one can purchase the treasure map and have them all provided.

No matter the approach, my favorite loot is the super wheelspin that grants three prizes – all the more reason to explore and find more cars.

Forza Horizon 6 is a top-tier racing game, complete with a great world to explore, rewarding secrets, and engaging gameplay.

To no one’s surprise, Forza Horizon 6 provides the best racing experience this year – even if Grand Theft Auto VI hits.

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MOUSE: P.I. For Hire Review

While MOUSE: P.I. For Hire doesn’t quite scratch that detective itch, its incredible aesthetics and lively cast make it well worth the trip to Mouseburg.

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The post Forza Horizon 6 Review appeared first on GamersHeroes.

Until now, that vision was never truly realized…

The original Jurassic World Evolution was a decent start – an average game with good ideas. Later on, its successor Jurassic World Evolution 2 offered marginal improvements, but ignored many of the original’s downfalls.

Scoring both releases 50/100 and 55/100 respectively, Frontier Development’s Jurassic World Evolution 3 was approached with reserved optimism.

Surely this time it’ll hit the spot, right?

Jurassic World Evolution 3 Review

Let’s get something out of the way…

The franchise’s biggest pain point comes with its poorly simulated attempts at guests – the single reason why this is a park management sim and not a wildlife conservation sim.

Sadly, that has not changed with this release. The guests are mere illusions, walking objects that serve no real purpose and exist only because they are expected to do so.

While one can create experiences of pure wonder and joy – even epic when it comes to the grandiose playground the Jurassic Park franchise is known for.

Despite that, 300 people will still be wandering around your staff-only facilities…because reasons.

Placing any guest service, like a food or drink vendor, will immediately net a profit based on the number of guests that are in the area.

This is regardless of whether guests actually physically appear in said area.

One’s beautifully curated viewing platform, with 15 visible dinosaurs and 4,000 appeal, will often be empty and lifeless.

This area has been all but ignored throughout the series – and it continues to be a disappointment in this release.

With that out of the way, Jurassic World Evolution 3 is the best game in the series – and it’s not even close.

Jurassic World Evolution 3 builds on almost every other area (sorry, combat is still a bit meh), pushing the franchise to new heights.

A lot of Jurassic World Evolution 3’s heavy lifting is done by the community, thanks in part to a fantastically designed set of building customization tools that provide near-endless creativity.

Merely days after its release, the Jurassic World Evolution 3 community has already created some truly epic designs.

Using Jurassic World Evolution 3’s tools in the well-constructed workshop, one can create everything from a near replica of the original park.

One can even include the iconic raptors from Jurassic Park’s kitchen scene, with raptors actually being able to walk around the kitchen.

It’s ridiculous – and we love it.

It would be easy to understate the importance of this impressive suite of tools, but they all add an unrivaled level of longevity and customization

Outside of Frontier Developments’ other titles, of course.

Put simply, Jurassic Wold Evolution 3’s suite of tools is a truly remarkable feat.

And they all do so much more!

Every problem seems less of an issue, every obstacle less relevant…there’s just so much potential to do just about anything.

With these tools in placce, they allow the rest of the game to shine like never before.

While the economic challenges of the game are still few and far between (a positive cash flow is literally throwing down a few buildings, and you’re good to go) the complete and utter carnage and chaos is as glorious as ever.

Our sandbox park featured a small enclosure for the ridiculously cute Microceratus. On the other side of the path, a growing family of Dilophosaurus. Money was pouring in, and we were thriving.

Then a storm hit.

It took out the power, causing the Dilophosaurus to escape through the fence and break into the Microceratus enclosure. On that note, this was attached to a petting zoo for visitors…

Dinosaurs died, people were eaten, and we were hit with lawsuits to near non-existence.

Chaos defeated us that day.

There’s a magic to Jurassic World Evolution 3’s chaos, a combination of compounding events that can bring even the best managed parks to its knees – and it’s awesome.

Many of the elements surrounding dinosaurs and care in Jurassic World Evolution 3 remain the same. Dinosaurs require certain habitats to thrive, and attempting to balance these out across multiple species is rewarding and satisfying.

The introduction of Juvenile dinosaurs to Jurassic World Evolution 3 adds another layer of excitement to the mix.

Genetically breeding the ultimate attraction while watching all the new animations and interactions between different families and herds, it’s a seemingly small and simple feature at face value. However, this feature adds so much to the overall experience.

New attractions, a suite of impressive terraforming and community creation tools, new dinosaurs, new breeding mechanics…

Clocking approximately 40 hours into Jurassic World Evolution 3 as of this writing, we have barely scratched the surface of what we want to achieve.

That’s where Jurassic World Evolution 3 truly won us over…

Jurassic World Evolution 3’s combination of existing and new features creates a consistently busy – yet growing – environment.

There were always simultaneous projects going on at any given time. We were mentally checkmarking objectives as we progressed, always moving forward to that next grand idea.

There is still one area of criticism that needs to be discussed: Jurassic World Evolution 3’s console release.

Reviewed on the Xbox Series X, its 30 frames per second frame rate 30 FPS is very noticeable to the point we regret not buying it on PC first.

With the level of flora and fauna detail scattered across every map, graphical pop-in is quite intrusive. There is also a construction limit imposed on console platforms will be off-putting for those hoping to create something massive.

Coupled with the traditional woes of console management games, sluggish controls, and interface interaction when it comes to challenges building with precision, makes the console versions of Jurassic World Evolution 3 a tough call.

Jurassic World Evolution 3 is a great console release; there’s no denying that.

That being said, while it works well and does everything it needs to do, the PC version of Jurassic World Evolution 3 really lets this game shine.

Jurassic World Evolution 3 is the single best entry in the series to date – and it’s not even close.

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The post Jurassic World Evolution 3 Review appeared first on GamersHeroes.

Two Point Museum Review

That was the question I asked myself as I was booting up the game. A few years removed from my time in Two Point Campus, I’d forgotten the wit, charm, and just delightful experience offered in every Two Point Studios game – and Two Point Museum is no different.

Two Point Museum walks on familiar ground. Those with experience with the previous two games will immediately feel at home navigating the complex user interface and seemingly endless array of menus and sub-menus, but it all flows together well – even with a controller.

While the core mechanics are relatively predictable, everything from managing staff happiness and pay, to ensuring security stops anyone grabbing a five-finger discount, show Two Point Museum’s strength in always keeping things fresh.

Five unique museum designs, and several pop-up challenges, feel far more dynamic than the genre has any right to be – and I love it.

Passwater Cove, the aquarium museum, features a more compact approach to managing your exhibits. Large tanks, with each fish counting as their own attraction. Managing the food, heating, and social requirements of each type of fish.

Wailon Lodge, the spooky museum and easily my favorite, tasks the player with hunting down spirits. Storing them in appropriate polterguest lodgings, matching the decorations and interior to the time period the spirit is from.

Memento Mile, the prehistory museum, allows the player to fill it with awesome fossil and bone exhibits, focusing more on grander, more decorative areas for guests to explore.

Pebberley Heights, investing an alien artifact that sees Experts sent on Expeditions around the galaxy, meeting alien species and inviting them to visit.

Bungle Wasteland, an abandoned scientific facility, tasking players with researching new technologies to solve environmental problems. My museum here is in absolute disarray, so no screenshots.

Each location in Two Point Museum almost feels like a game in its own right, doing a fantastic job of providing a remedy to the otherwise exhausting nature of these games.

Jumping through the same hoops at each location, raising the Museum rating, attracting more guests – much of the fatigue is forgotten, as each location provides enough variety to feel like it’s worth starting fresh.

Switching between each location in Two Point Museum is as simple as opening the map and picking a location. The freedom to choose the challenges and objectives you want to tackle at any given time keeps things interesting and engaging every step of the way.

It does mean the traditional challenges take a bit of a backseat. I never had any difficulty managing finances, staff, or anything, really. Progressing in Two Point Museum feels effortless, flowing from objective to objective with relative ease.

It focuses more on the “action” side of the simulation experience. Unlocking and displaying new exhibits, exploring the world with Expeditions to unlock new technologies, and training staff to streamline and speed up the more time-consuming elements.

It’s a better game for it, but those hoping for a more by-the-numbers approach to the running and managing of the museum may walk away disappointed.

Expeditions play a huge role and is one of the few consistent core mechanics between each museum. You train an expert in a particular field and send them out via helicopter to discover new exhibits and unlock new technologies.

These are exciting throughout the campaign, unlocking new exhibits in a loot-crate style system is a lot of fun, and adding perks to exhibits to improve specific functions adds a lot of customization options, but none of it transitions to Sandbox Mode.

And that’s about the only real fault I could find through my time in Two Point Museum. Career Mode unlocks being specific to Career Mode makes the Sandbox option a tough sell.

Oh, and the staff; it’s always the staff.

While not a serious problem, it’s one annoying enough to mention. Staff would often do, well, nothing? Everything? I don’t know.

I’d hire and train a specific Assistant to work on the front desk, speeding up their ticketing process to get more visitors into the museum. I’d assign the appropriate work placement and area. Five minutes later, they’d be off selling items in the gift shop.

Another time, my crowning jewel of a gift shop completely fell apart. I’d researched a unique technology that let me place devices around the museum that spews out chemicals (totally organic and harmless, or so I am told), scents that “motivate” guests to buy more gifts.

I’d have a queue of 15 marks visitors, all happy to bow to my capitalist machine, only for my assistant to sit at the desk and do nothing. It’s a minor problem, one I expect to be addressed relatively quickly, but annoying nonetheless.

It did take a bit of time to retrain my brain from the typically efficient and organized elements of management simulation. Maximizing every inch of space, building everything in squares – Two Point Museum rewards a more organic approach to design and structure.

Wider, more open areas boasting several exhibits, all benefiting from carefully placed decorations, fact boards, and donation bins. It adds to the already rewarding experience of discovering and adding each exhibit, adding another layer that benefits from prior planning and careful construction.

Two Point Studios just doesn’t miss – Two Point Museum is another funny, deep, and incredibly creative dive into the simulation genre that’s sure to be another hit.

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The post Two Point Museum Review appeared first on GamersHeroes.

Following the launch of the incredible Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, Obsidian Entertainment’s Avowed is almost the complete opposite of Warhorse Studio’s Bohemian epic.

And that’s exactly what many players are looking for.

Avowed Review

Avowed promises a refined, orchestrated role-playing experience, with every area crafted to perfectly suit its set pieces and enemy placements. Featuring a compacted RPG experience (settling around the 25-35 hour mark for story completion), Avowed is the perfect remedy for players exhausted with the seemingly never-ending open-worlds of games like Assassin’s Creed and Kingdom Come Deliverance.

It’s not my type of RPG, but it’s impossible not to appreciate the level of quality and detail present throughout Avowed.

Avowed tasks players with taking on the role of an envoy to the Aedry Empire that has been sent to the Living Lands to investigate the Dream Scourge, a mysterious plague wreaking havoc on an already divided land.

Often seen as oppressors by the native people, the Aedry Empire looks to tame the Living Lands, bringing law and order to its people – whether they want it or not.

Avowed features an incredible story, one heavily influenced by player choice. In particular, Avowed’s story is delivered in such a way that I was never really sure what the “right” or “wrong” decision was. As a lawful good goody two shoes, I frequently walk the path of the ever-righteous paladin – but Avowed doesn’t make things that simple.

Avowed’s main choices – huge decisions that impact the very lives of the people of the Living Lands – are almost segmented, cornered off to specific regions. While the overarching theme remains the same, choosing to aid the Aedry Empire in its goals to conquer save the people of the Living Lands, or working with the natives to solve their many issues. These choices branch out to offer a world of delightful intrigue and discovery.

This presents a unique narrative opportunity for players. Although they may feel one way toward the overall story, these individual events and the circumstances of the local people often require a bit more thought than a simple good or bad choice.

Would you choose the immediate suffering of hundreds to secure a future for thousands? Even that is not black and white.

Many prominent characters from Aedry would prefer aiding the people of the Living Lands, while others want to rule with an iron fist.

The uncertainty of each choice in Avowed, and the unclear impact it has, is a thrilling ride. So much care and attention is given to the final scene, the culmination of the players’ choices throughout the entire game, seldom do games have such a satisfying conclusion.

Avowed’s story would probably be its greatest asset – if it wasn’t for its combat.

Avowed’s combat isn’t just good; it’s one of the best the first-person RPG genre has ever seen. It’s familiar, utilizing dodge and parry mechanics alongside elementally driven combo attacks, but it hits a quality level very few can match.

Every part of Avowed’s combat feels refined and polished to near perfection. An arsenal of weapon types gives players the option of 13 unique weapons, six which are one-handed and can be dual-wielded in various combinations.

Each weapon boasts its own attack speed, damage rating, and defensive abilities, promising near endless choice throughout the campaign.

Despite this impressive selection, I spent much of Avowed with a 2H flame sword and a book of fire spells. Throwing out fireballs, calling down fiery rain from above, charging in with a 2H swing, even though I opted for a routine-like approach to my combat ability rotation, every fight was engaging, and so much fun.

It’s not without its drawbacks, however.

The limited active weapon slots, allowing players to equip two slots of weapon types, are hindering and frustrating through much of the early hours. By choice, I would equip a large two-handed weapon in one slot, and either a gun or a bow in the second slot.

Eventually, I was funneled into swapping out my ranged weapon for a grimoire, despite having no interest in playing a mage character. This was due to the constant need to interact with the environment, a feature that would otherwise be a lot of fun.

Charging up damaged power stations to open doors, freezing water to access new locations, burning away thorny bushes, all required a constant switching between my desired weapons and the weapon the game was forcing me to choose.

This is somewhat alleviated as your list of companions grows, utilizing their abilities to clear obstructions and open new pathways, but this becomes equally limiting. I often felt forced to pick characters whose abilities answered some of the more common elemental obstructions, instead of those whose company or combat abilities I enjoyed more.

Although, eventually, being forced down the route of always wielding a grimoire in Avowed did encourage me to change my build.

And oh boy, was it worth it! So much fire.

When you’re not saving or condemning the world of Avowed, it’s time to help locals.

On that note, Avowed’s questing system plays it very safe. You arrive in a new area, visit the central hub, grab all the side quests, and venture out to chase objective markers on the map, with very little thought or effort required from the player.

The simplicity of this system is sometimes overshadowed by bizarrely placed quests and enemies that create an often jarring experience. All too often, quests at my level would be the other end of the map, forcing me to either bypass or slog through higher-level difficulty quests en route.

This became less of an issue later in Avowed as my build and gear began to shine, making the higher tier quests as easy as the lower tier ones. Nevertheless, it still felt a bit off in the early hours.

That’s mostly because I just never seemed to have enough items to upgrade my gear. I completed every bounty board I could find, grabbed every quest in passing, looted more chests and enemies than I could count, but it never seemed enough.

All too frequently I would be forced to invest my entire stockpile of upgrade supplies into one or two weapons, removing much of the opportunity to switch up and explore other weapon types.

That’s until you randomly find a weapon on the floor that’s as powerful as the one you just spent 15 hours upgrading. It’s an odd system, one that I’m sure will be uniquely experienced by each player depending on choice of weapons and luck of what they find, but it’s yet another issue that seems to vanish as the hours pass.

If there is a single area of Avowed that blew me away, it was the jumping and movement. It’s more akin to parkour than traditional clunky first-person movement.

The accuracy and momentum of jumping is tuned perfectly, giving the game confidence to deliver some truly unique set pieces. Whether you’re sneaking through dangerous traps, jumping between small ledges, or leaping across great chasms, Avowed’s movement feels grounded and realistic every step of the way.

It passes that confidence of design directly to the player, adding a level of verticality to both the exploration and combat of Avowed rarely seen in first-person games.

Avowed takes a few hours to find its feet, but once it does, this RPG provides an unforgettable journey that never outstays its welcome. Avowed features a jaw-dropping world to explore, complete with a solid cast of intriguing characters and choices that will remain with you long after the credits roll.

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The post Avowed Review appeared first on GamersHeroes.

Is Indiana Jones and the Great Circle worthy of the series, or should you skip it like you did the last movie?

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Review

The game starts with a classic:

Indiana Jones makes his way into a temple, looking for an artifact. After a tutorial, the big rock we’ve all come to know and love chases you out.

Boom: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.

With the artifact in tow, players head back to Marshall College to return to work. On your first night back, a massive man sneaks in and attacks you, stealing a completely different artifact from the College and leaving before you even know what’s going on.

Getting one’s bearings, you figure out what was stolen and then find a clue. The burglar had a pedant revealing he was from the Vatican, giving you a new area to check out.

Taking place in 1937, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle pits players against Nazis and Mussolini’s fascists. Mussolini has already taken over Rome, so you have to sneak in as a priest. Here, you run into Gina Lombardi, a journalist who is looking for her sister.

You agree to help her since you know her sister as well, and the two of you adventure together. You are also introduced to Emmerich Voss, the leader of the Nazi’s in the area and the big bad of the game. He is an archaeologist as well and is searching for The Great Circle.

Similar to Wolfenstein, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Review is in first person, so you can literally punch some Nazis instead of just talking about it on the internet.

Combat in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle feels fantastic, packing a punch.

While I always want to brawl when given the chance, gunplay is also a highlight, as players can feel the weight of each gun differently.

Of course, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle features the whip. You can disarm, trip, slap, and even distract enemies with it. It’ll be your most useful tool and trusted ally – especially when climbing.

Along the way, players will use said whip as a grappling hook to get up and down and all around the areas of the game.

There’s only one downside; its stamina. Running out hurts, and it makes Indiana Jones and the Great Circle a surprisingly vertical game because of it.

Thankfully, the stamina system in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle works, taking the best elements of of Dishonored 2 when one explored the town for loot and cash. The areas in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle aren’t massive open-world sections, but they still get the job done.

The Vatican gives you a city to explore, with buildings, quarries, shops, and other spots. Then you hit Gizeh, which is the desert, Pyramids, and the Sphinx. There’s a jungle and the College to explore as well, and exploring is encouraged.

One of the first tools you get is a camera, which will give you hints for quests but also earn you skill experience. You can spend that on skill books you find or buy throughout the game for buffs. You have basic ones like increased HP or stamina, but unique ones like retrieving your hat to get up after a KO. Given enough time, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle lets players become an unstoppable force.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle also incentivizes exploration with quests and cash.

Cash is on a per-area basis, so the money from Rome won’t be spent in Egypt, and vice versa. Said money can be used to buy map locations and new equipment like a lighter. Then, you can find quests, relics, mysteries, and other spots like an underground boxing ring.

Put simply, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle features a wealth of content beyond the main story. Some of the side content is worth doing for more than skill points and cash.

There is stealth in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, but there are no instafail areas. Since you can change disguises, the stealth is pretty good. Clubbing someone in the back of the head feels good; it’s just hard to stay motivated when wed rather be brawling.

Note that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle features both guided and nonguided modes at the offset. With guided mode, you keep waypoints and markers for key objectives.

However, those looking for a real challenge should turn to a guide; some of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s puzzles were hard enough with the markers.

Thankfully, Gina will occasionally be with you to provide hints. While we were stumped a few times, everyhing eventually clicks – be ready to use your brain!

When it comes to quibbles, this title does not let you skip cutscenes, and there is a fair amount of backtracking around quests. There was one instance where we ran back and forth from the Sphinx at least three times in one mission.

While there was a single crash, this title’s autosave was only a minute behind – so it didn’t hurt too bad.

Indiana Jones and The Great Circle goes to show that MachineGames has an eye for fortune and glory. Not only is this title another great addition to Xbox Game Pass, it’s an absolute must for fans of the infamous Indy.

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The post Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Review appeared first on GamersHeroes.

Microsoft Flight Sim 2024 Review

We did not play the original Microsoft Flight Simulator released 2020, so the skies of the 2024 release were new to us

While a campaign is available, it simply serves as tutorial that runs pilots through the “basics” of the game. The only thing basic about it is the flying – and that’s a stretch.

Beyond that, players will question how one will ever remember everything. From removing the blocks from under the plane wheels to unplugging the exhaust pipe before takeoff, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 goes deep. However, with enough trial and error, flying becomes second nature.

At that point, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 becomes really enjoyable.

After passing certifications and doing some flying, players can begin missions that earn credits. These can then be used to buy more planes and get more certifications for new plane types, helicopters, and the like.

While some are easy, like dropping off skydivers or doing escort missions, others task players with picking up injured people and drop them off at a hospital – always a bit dicey on a controller.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024’s missions are a great addition to the title, definitely keeping one busy – even if they don’t pay much.

The crux of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is flying anywhere on Earth you want to go. The flying itself takes a bit of getting used to, especially since each plane is handles differently.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024’s best option is the free flight mode. You just pick a plane, pick a spot to spawn in at, and then start flying. It is very relaxing until you fly too high or take a turn too quickly and start hearing “Stall! Stall! Stall” right before you drop like an anvil.

It’s a lesson you only need to learn once.

While you can visit anywhere in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024’s Free Flight mode, the World Photographer mode takes a more direct approach.

Featuring a series of challenges, players will set out to find real-life monuments like the Pyramids or the Golden Gate Bridge. One can even leave one’s plane and explore the monuments on foot.

We visited a Japanese temple with a float plane, which we never expected to be flying. The only downside is you’ll want to visit these places in real life – at least, until you look up ticket prices.

As for other objective-based game types, one can check activities in the main menu. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 features a few different race types with leaderboards, with races against a ghost rather than other players.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 also features landing challenges. These are not fun and low altitude to boot, having players flying low for bonus points.

Despite that, low altitude does give players a fast jet, with climbs, with one blacking out for climbing too quickly. We originally thought we were respawning, but catching our breath got us our vision back. It’s a pretty cool feature, adding to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024’s authenticity.

There were issues logging into Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 at launch, but they did not appear in the coming days during our review period.

Despite that, note there are issues when you are on the ground like pop in and textures refusing to load. However, this could be due to our always-online nature – the fault could very well lie on our end.

Do note Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is always online; if you can’t connect, you can’t play.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is an absolute must for all Xbox Game Pass subscribers. Not only does it feel great, it will leave pilots with a strong feeling of wanderlust and a yearning for their next flight.

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The post Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Review – Winging It appeared first on GamersHeroes.

The development studio GSC endured several development delays, cyberattacks, a server fire that wiped out an entire floor, and evacuated nearly 200 families to continue development in a safer environment.

In today’s faceless, hyper-connected online world, it’s easy for people to forget that real people pour their lives into creating these games. However, not all games are created under equal circumstances, and not all studios face the same challenges. The fact that this game was released at all is deserving of high praise and a testament to the resilience of the development team.

The love and passion for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is evident throughout, but games can only be delayed for so long. A mix of brilliance, brutality, and a buggy mess, mar a game that may eventually define the genre…but not just yet.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart Of Chornobyl Review – A Brilliant, Brutal, Buggy Mess

Crouched in the corner of a dusty wooden cabin, I watch through the barely ajar door as the pulsing red glow of the Emission storm floods the night. The howling wind relentlessly pounding against the walls, making every creak and groan of the timber sound like the cabin’s about to collapse.

Crawling through rusted sewer tunnels, I keep to the shadows, avoiding the dangerous green glow of the radiated water below. The faint scratching of… something echoes through every passage. Unsure which path leads to safety, I pause in front of a grilled exit, offering the smallest comfort of protection—from one direction, at least. I’m out of ammo, out of medical supplies, and have no idea how deep this sewer goes.

These heart-pounding moments are S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl at its very best. The attention to detail in both the audible and visual components of the environments is jaw-dropping, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is one of the most atmospheric games on the market today.

In one moment, I felt as though I was treading through the halls of a pure horror game, and minutes later I was ducking and diving between crates dodging enemy fire. It brings together a strong core of horror, survival, and action, but doesn’t really look to push to perfection in any discipline.

Exploring the world is equal parts brutal as it is fascinating. Avoiding mutants, taking out human patrols, watching in awe at some of the more spectacular anomalies that haunt the landscape.

Therein lies the downfall of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, I’m not sure the anomalies were designed to smash through the fourth wall and undo so much of the game’s brilliance.

I witnessed enemies spawning several feet in front of me, out of thin air, which is almost as impressive as seemingly duplicating themselves in the process. Taking down one with a well-placed headshot, I watch as the body falls, only to see another standing in the same location.

Quests remain unfinished due to missing objective items or AWOL NPC’s. The game gets to a state where attempting to open the map or inventory takes upwards of 40-50 seconds. These bugs in any other game would be enough to dismiss it entirely however, despite these issues, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl manages to be one of the most enjoyable games I’ve played this year.

Enjoyable is probably not the right word; S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is an arduous journey.

It’s challenging, frustrating, and infuriating at times, but it’s this willingness to push the player through the negative emotions to adapt and evolve that hits so hard for me.

It reminds me a lot of the incredible Dragon’s Dogma 2 in the way it ignores the all too convenient design of modern games. It’s not going to hold your hand; you are going to fail, you are going to die, and you will either love the game more for it or hate it entirely.

However, even with the welcoming challenge of a game that pushes limits outside a simple test of reflexes, the challenge is often pushed to a point of failure as the game’s core design philosophy clashes with mechanical designs that just don’t make any sense.

Too often, the choice was clear but miserable: push forward to the next story location, driven by the intrigue of post-nuclear fallout, bizarre anomalies, and the fascinating characters populating the world, or spend 45 minutes trekking back to a camp to repair gear and restock on ammo.

Ammo is a big problem, especially during extended story sequences when you don’t have the time or desire to return to camp. Combat is already a challenge, mostly due to a mix of sometimes brilliant but oftentimes abysmal AI enemies, but to survive in these story sections is monotonous.

Several times throughout the game, I found myself resorting to knife attacks against heavily armored enemies. At other moments, I wiped out entire rooms, looting each body for ammo, and then scavenging their weapons to extract additional rounds from the clips. This created a repetitive loop of three to four minutes of ammo looting in nearly every room. The mundane repetition is a stark contrast to a game that is anything but mundane.

Sometimes this was due to my eagerness to follow the story, other times it was due to extended story sections that played out over many hours. I didn’t rush through, I farmed a few hundred thousand Coupons (the currency of the game), but it never felt enough.

This was more of a struggle toward the latter stages of the story. The early game narrative is rather disappointing, as you spend much of your time chasing down a single device and a group of people that attacked you.

Towards the end, however, the desire to reach the next chapter and learn of the next event was impossible to resist.

I really needed to see what was coming; instead, I was forced to walk 1.2km to a safe house to resupply, farm for resources, and repair.

During the review access period, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl welcomed numerous updates and patches, more than I can remember for most games this close to release. A day-one patch was also released, which addressed many of the more glaring issues. In addition, several thousand fixes have been applied.

While S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl has vastly improved from its patches, it still suffers from technical issues. From flashing textures tp poor performance during cutscenes and dialog, it’s a long list.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl was a hard game to score.

It’s not a typical 7/10 game, a game we’d usually consider a universal recommendation for any fans of the genre.

It’s not an 7/10 because we ignored the bugs and glaring technical issues.

It’s an 7/10 because, despite these problems, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is still an experience deserving of high praise.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is a fantastic game that flirts with greatness but falls short of being truly incredible. Longtime fans of the franchise will relish the brutal challenge the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. universe is known for, while newcomers might find the bugs more horrifying than the world itself.

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Even a week after I finished the story, I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about it. There are moments I loved, story memories I will cherish, but I don’t think I’ve ever sworn at my TV as much as I did playing this game.

Metaphor: ReFantazio Review

Metaphor: ReFantazio is a heavily narrative-driven RPG experience with traditionally bizarre JRPG pacing that is as exhausting as it is impressive.

You could spend several hours in many of the dungeons if you go in unprepared, slogging through enemy after enemy as your supplies and patience slowly dwindles. Exploring repetitive dungeon design one nearly identical corridor after another is tiring, and thrilling?

It’s that constant desire, the relentless urge to get this bit done and move on to the next. Sure, the end of a three-hour dungeon run sucked, but after 45 minutes of cutscenes and dialogue, the beginning was bliss.

It’s a strange combination of highs and lows, one many JRPG players will be familiar with, but it’s ultimately what will decide whether this is a game for you.

Metaphor: ReFantazio is a marathon and not a sprint. The story builds slowly but the pay-off is pure Persona. It’s an incredible adventure, one filled with surprisingly deep companions, and a twisting and intriguing political narrative. A reflection on what our society has become, and what it could be.

I don’t think it’s going to make any great strides in introducing the JRPG style to those yet to brave the waters, but for the fans, it’s everything it needs to be.

Rarely is my first thought in approaching a new game the visual style. It’s important, a defining feature for many of today’s biggest releases, but nobody does it quite like Atlus, the Quentin Tarantino’s of the video-game space.

Metaphor: ReFantazio drips with style and class. Every element of the user-interface, every carefully constructed loading screen, every bizarre or outright hideous monster design.

Everything in Metaphor: ReFantazio is done with a level of flair and creativity almost unrivalled in this industry.

It helped define Persona as one of the most iconic and successful JRPG franchises of all time, and Studio Zero have not missed a beat with Metaphor. While the environmental graphics suffer with the inclusion of a last-generation release, the overall style, characters, and animation design are flawless.

Studio Zero continues to show a willingness and ability to innovate the turn-based genre, when it feels as though most of the industry has turned its back.

Metaphor: ReFantazio’s combat is some of the most intense and strategically layered the genre has seen for years.

There are two main elements to the combat system: Action and Squad. Action is a real-time combat lite, allowing players to move around and slash at enemies with a primary weapon. It’s never primarily used as a means to defeat most enemies, more so as a method of engaging in combat with the upper hand.

It’s not as simple as running around mindlessly slashing at anything moving. Using different weapons and different styles of approach maximizes the chance of avoiding damage and beginning combat with stunned enemies.

This is simply the first couple of layers of the innovative combat system. Once the Squad combat starts, the turn-based element, it continues to evolve. It features the traditional tactically driven decision-making of the turn-based genre. Choosing the best time to attack, buff, heal, or defend, but with a level of consequence seldom seen.

Every enemy has its own arsenal of abilities, a list of elements and attack types it’s either weak or strong against, but this is much more than simply increasing or reducing damage.

Hit an enemy with an attack they are strong against, and you may miss a turn. Hit an enemy with an attack they can repel, your entire team loses its turn.

This is huge, both offensively and defensively. It greatly increases the value of characters built to dodge or sustain damage, allowing them to double up as action economy sinks for your opponents. Metaphor: ReFantazio rewards understanding and investigation of each enemy type unlike any other.

A carefully constructed symphony of Persona and Shin Megami Tensei’s best combat elements sees Metaphor: ReFantazio deliver one of the most innovative turn-based entries in years.

I should probably mention just how brutally difficult this game can be. I messed around across most of the difficulty settings, but even on Easy, my lack of preparation and intel caused me to wipe during several battles, and then there was the final battle…

It took me two days to defeat the boss at the end of the story, and I had to drop the difficulty to Storyteller mode to get the job done. Metaphor: ReFantazio is punishing, and frustrating as all hell, but about as satisfying as a turn-based RPG is ever going to be.

This was after spending nearly 70 hours maxing out the best Archetypes and gathering the best gear. No substitution for skill, I guess.

The Archetypes, the game’s class system, brings with it a blend of the familiar with a dash of the surprising. Watching as characters tear out their heart and transform into strangely armored thingies, seriously, I have no idea what they are, is glorious.

Carefully planning progression routes, so each character has the requirements to unlock the next tier of their preferred Archetype, is the sort of micromanagement RPG players dream of. Decisions made in the early hours of the game, choosing what direction to take characters, pays off nearly 60-70 hours later.

It’s a robust, powerful set of systems that truly give players the freedom to create, manage, and evolve a cast of characters. Despite my struggles with the latter stages of the game, I had characters that were nigh on invincible, my favorites, characters whose stories I loved and enjoyed.

I also had characters I didn’t really like, and they typically died after a couple of slaps. For players with the time, ability, and understanding, Archetypes are the pinnacle of an RPG class system.

Metaphor: ReFantazio is a deep, stylish, and rewarding adventure, but it’s not for the faint of heart.

The post Metaphor: ReFantazio Review appeared first on GamersHeroes.

That’s very much how I feel about Creatures of Ava. While the game is not without problems, the story reminded of me of why these games are so important.

Creatures of Ava Review

When developers aren’t pressured to chase AAA juggernaut success, and can instead just tell a passionate and meaningful story, that’s when video games stand apart as the greatest entertainment medium on the planet.

Following Vic’s adventures through the world of Ava as she fights to save its creatures and the natives from a planetwide infection called The Withering is an experience that will remain with you long after you finish the game.

It’s a story of human heart, passion, and our constant drive to fix our mistakes, to right our wrongs, even if we still don’t truly understand the world around us.

The world of Ava is beautiful, captivating in places, and filled with charm and character. Exploring across the different biomes, Jungle, Desert, Swamp, and Grasslands, is an enjoyable and worthwhile endeavor, hampered only by the bizarre decision to cut slices of the world away through story progress.

While each area is unique in the creatures and puzzles Vic faces, exploration incentives remain the same throughout. Permanent Upgrades in the form of increased health, stamina, and backpack capacity, and various collectibles and photography opportunities to learn more about the world of Ava and the creatures that call it home.

During the early hours of the game, I really enjoyed exploring the Grasslands region. Saving the creatures, finding the permanent upgrades and lore collectibles, taking snaps of the creatures to fill out my Avapedia. I felt like I was running around as Spyro in a world of Pokémon Snap.

All of which quickly became a chore when the game’s multiple pivotal story moments forced me to cut off parts of the world, never to return.

This point of no return conundrum is one faced in many games over the years, but typically in the final moments of the game. Having several, in a game that runs about 18 hours, felt very oppressive.

It all makes sense from a narrative perspective, and the story is easily the game’s most defining aspect. However, constantly being faced with the choice of finding items I’ll never have the opportunity to find again, or following the heart of the story, felt contradictory to the game’s empathic nature.

Part of that decision-making process was made easier by the rather disappointing impact of the upgrades. The increased health, stamina, and backpack capacity was nice, sure, but you can get through the entire game without much of it.

Couple that with the fact that you need to invest skill points, alongside finding the collectible items, and it became all too easy just to ignore them entirely.

Thankfully, the rest of the skill tree was more impactful, albeit difficult to complete if you don’t spend the time completing areas fully before progressing.

Various upgrades improve Vic’s ability to craft items, tame creatures, and solve puzzles, but much of it still felt unnecessary.

I couldn’t help but feel much of the time dedicated to these systems could have been better spent on the game’s namesake, the creatures of Ava.

Each region is home to a variety of unique, colorful, and gorgeous creatures that Ava can interact with. During my adventures, I encountered 21 unique species, each as mesmerizing and intriguing as the last.

Each creature makes sense, feels like it belongs, and has a real impact on Vic’s progression. Although, as the hours passed, the initial awe and that fuzzy feeling you get when you pet something cute, was replaced by mechanical understanding and expectation.

Once tamed, Ava is able to connect with these creatures, controlling them for a short time and gaining access to their Co-Op Ability.

These abilities are just additional skills to solve puzzles, making the creatures feel more like tools than living, breathing entities. Using creatures to navigate pathways Ava is unable to use, breaking down walls and pillars, moving heavy boulders, it synergizes perfectly with the environment, and learning how these skills behave early in the game was really rewarding.

The puzzles are all very simple, minimal stress, and almost calming and relaxing in places — and this is from someone that absolutely hates puzzles. That said, I would have enjoyed more complexity to some puzzle elements of the game. However, if you’re easily frustrated by puzzles but still enjoy the positive returns of solving one, this is the perfect adventure for you.

That is, sadly, the only purpose the creatures serve. You save enough to complete a region, use some to solve puzzles, and you move on.

At the beginning of my adventure, I was enamored with the opportunity to snap as many images of these gorgeous creatures as I could, only to ultimately leave somewhat disappointed at the lack of unique character and environmental interaction.

Take a snap of one infected with the Withering, take a snap of one not infected, and you’re done with the camera.

Although much of your time is dedicated to exploring and solving puzzles, Creatures of Ava does feature a combat system.

Well, it’s sort of a combat system? You don’t really fight, but you do kinda fight? I’m not really sure what to call it. A pacifying system?

Many of the creatures that inhabit Ava are infected with The Withering, a deadly infection that causes creatures to become aggressive and attack Vic on sight.

In order to tame these creatures to solve puzzles or just get that warm feeling of helping innocent animals, Vic needs to “attack” them with the Nafitar, a ceremonial stick of sorts.

It’s an intriguing extension of the game’s puzzle system, one that works really well. The Nafitar can pacify multiple creatures at once, if you’re able to catch them in its beam. It definitely feels like Vic may have been a Ghostbuster in a previous life.

It’s a balance of trying to tame the creatures in the quickest way possible, while trying to use specific abilities to counter certain creature traits.

For example, certain creatures are infected with an advanced form of The Withering, requiring the use of the Krist ability to break through an additional shield before the Nafitar can begin the taming process.

Other creatures may be incredibly fast, requiring the use of the Ushun ability to briefly levitate them above ground, giving Vic a chance to tame them before the next attack.

While initially skeptical at how challenging or in-depth this system could be, by the end, it was one of the game’s features I enjoyed the most.

There is so much to love about Creatures of Ava. The 2D cinematic scenes are a work of art, the world of Ava beautiful from start to finish, and the puzzles a perfect balance of accessibility and challenge. I just can’t help but feel so much time was spent in areas of the game that really didn’t need it.

Creatures of Ava is a heartwarming love letter to the action adventure games of old. A captivating tale of empathy and reflection, its story will leave you pondering its teaching moments long after the credits roll. This title is pure charm, hampered only by a number of shallow features that feel like they don’t belong.

The post Creatures of Ava Review appeared first on GamersHeroes.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II Review

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II follows the story of Senua from the original Hellblade. She begins her journey in a slave ship, going to who knows where. She aims to find and kill all the slavers, so step one is complete.

As with most things in Senua’s life, this doesn’t go to plan. The ship encounters a dreadful storm that slams it into the rocks and spreads its inhabitants into the sea. Exhausted and defeated, you are flung onto the shore, looking for rest.

Sadly, there is no rest; the waves crash into you and threaten to drag you back to the sea if you don’t get up and move. You drag yourself out, then make it off the shore and start looking for survivors. 

The beginning section of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is agony for Senua, and the player feels every part of that. There are no markers, tutorials, or prompts; just fog, rain, and the voices in your head.

It is very frustrating, and I can see a lot of players getting turned around and even outright lost despite the size of the map being pretty small. On top of that, you are thrown into combat with no tutorial or button prompts, just the voices in your head telling you that you need to hit harder or dodge quicker.

The whole section felt like moving through mud, and Senua’s frustrations matched my own as I slowly made my way off the beach. 

It turns out this was all by design.

During the production of The Godfather, director Francis Ford Coppola was adamant that Michael needed to go to Sicily. We needed to see Micheal return to a normal life before having it ripped out from under him. We needed to see, just like Micheal, that there was no going back.

The studio kept saying there was no room in the budget. Luckily for us, Crazy Joe Gallo was gunned down, and the money was suddenly found. Sicily would be the catalyst for Michael to accept his role in the family, from being an outsider to the Don. I don’t know if this island has a name, but the island is Senua’s Sicily. 

Before we go any further, though, let me explain the combat because even after beating the game, I still don’t fully understand it. The combat is intense and hectic, with the voices telling you what will happen if you lose.

“They will eat you,” one of the voices told me. Such close and visceral combat would likely feel like that, the constant threat of what happens if you lose—the manic swinging of a person trying desperately to survive against a creature of darkness.

One word comes to mind: RAGE. Unfilited and pure, you feel the struggle and the anger bubbling inside you as you desperately try to find an opening against your opponent. 

The aura, attitude, and essence of true combat are there, but it doesn’t always make for fun gameplay. Thankfully, there’s an easy mode if you are struggling.

That may be the point. Maybe the developers want you to understand that the battle isn’t easy. Whether it’s combat in the arena or combat in your mind, the fight never truly ends. All you can hope for is a moment of respite from the constant storm bashing you against the rocks. 

Outside of combat, you have exploration and puzzles. There are a couple of side objectives to find, like the totem poles that talk about the land you are in. There are also these special trees that light up and bloom if you find them, but I found three the whole time.

The puzzles start out very frustrating because there are no prompts or indicators. There is one early one where you need to light a torch with your torch. Sounds simple, right? But when you walk up to it, there is no prompt, so you hit the button at the wrong spot, and it doesn’t work.

Well, what do I do now? Obviously, after figuring it out, you know, for the rest of the game, but the first time might leave you confused.

Something unexpected happened to me about halfway through the game. I was going through a cave and had to give up my light at certain sections. A strange sort of calm came over me as I walked through the pitch-black cave towards my goal. I realized that this whole struggle and journey had been about one thing: acceptance.

Not only accepting your fate but embracing it and becoming the person you are meant to be. Everything clicked after that cave, and I fell in love with the journey, even if the combat was still a train wreck. I’ve beaten the game now and am still unsure if I am bad at parrying or if it is only meant to work at certain spots.

The Stoics speak of the lower and higher self, about raising above the lower self to be who you truly are. Watching Senua ascend from her lower self to the higher self, to accept her place in the world—not just accept it but embrace it—was truly a sight to behold.

During one of the earlier sections, I was walking through a broken-down village, and one of the voices said, “Life is just endurance here.” Life is just endurance everywhere, which is what the game is trying to tell you. Yes, things suck for you, but they suck for everyone else also. It’s through the struggle that you become who you are meant to be. 

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is a classic example of the old mantra: get past the start, and you’ll love it. If you have Xbox Game Pass, you have no reason not to try this game.

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The post Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II Review appeared first on GamersHeroes.