GTA: London 1969 (1999)

This was a fun expansion of the OG Grand Theft Auto. This was top-down GTA with a late-1960s London setting. Yes, the red double buses, bobbies, and phone booths were there.

Also there were enjoyable missions with dialogue fitting these gangs and firms. Yeah, the missions in GTA and GTA 2 weren’t the most involved—things were still 2D—but there’s just something about 2D open world and that lack of fluid motion.

This early Grand Theft Auto approach will appear again in this list.

GTA: Liberty City Stories (2005)

Originally a PSP release, Liberty City Stories is prequel to Grand Theft Auto III, which was released roughly four years earlier. This story focused on low-rank Leone Family mobster Toni Ciprani. Toni has returned to Liberty City after four years in hiding following a situation where he killed a made man. At time, Ciprani wasn’t a made man and the killing wasn’t cleared—meaning he broke one of the tenets and had to go.

Sure, he could’ve faced his fate but fleeing to Sicily and letting things die down worked as well.

While the game played a lot like Vice City, the story was better than GTA III. This is in part because the protagonist speaks and seems more involved with the world than Claude Speed from III and later San Andreas. Another thing it had going for it is just the approach of playing through a previous time in the Grand Theft Auto 3D universe and seeing how things came to be in present day—the 2000s.

I will admit that the game is pretty skippable but for lore fans, if you can find it on PSP or PS2…maybe give it a play. It’s fun but I wouldn’t say essential.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (2006)

Another PSP and PS2 release by the studio duo of Rockstar Leeds and Rockstar North, GTA: Vice City Stories is the stronger of the two Stories games. However, with the 3D universe, that was just the case with games released after GTA III. Each game was an improvement over previous titles because Rockstar utilized mechanics from other games in the franchise.

Vice City Stories is centered around Vic Vance, an army corporal who was dishonorably discharged in a double cross for trafficking drugs. Since the game isn’t available to play now, if you’ve played Vice City, Vic is Lance Vance’s brother who was killed at the beginning of the game.

VCS takes place in 1984, two years before Tommy Vercetti’s arrival in the city and allows the player to experience the rise of the short-lived Vance Crime Family.

Again, this plays like an early-2000s 3D universe Grand Theft Auto title but it had a little something extra that really made this a fun time investment. San Andreas featured a couple of features that allowed the player to experience San Andreas through CJ: clothing stores, dates, cheeks, bars, lowriders, clubs, businesses, and gang wars with claimable territory that weakened the opps’ influence in the city.

While GTA: Vice City featured businesses, it was a simple affair of raiding a gang’s front, taking it over and investing money into it. San Andreas typically had more of a story involved in taking over businesses. In Vice City Stories, we have turf wars in the form of a more involved business system. Not only did players take a front over, they also invested in the upkeep and growth of the business both by dropping money into it and doing related missions. Not only that, these businesses had to be defended from opposing gangs.

This mechanic was something I wished returned in future GTA games and is my favorite part of the game. Aside from that, VCS also featured improved combat, with the hand-to-hand stuff taking heavily from San Andreas’ improved combat.

GTA: Chinatown Wars (2009)

This game launched on the popular Nintendo 3DS console. It’s the only game on this list that Rockstar has available for download via app stores. Chinatown Wars uses the GTA and GTA II top-down approach but mixes in some features that weren’t seen in either the 2D or 3D titles.

First, let’s getting a bit into the story. Huang Lee is the nephew of a triad boss living in Liberty City. He is visiting from Hong Kong to hand him a ceremonial sword that belonged to his father. While en route, he is ambushed and the sword stolen.

This results in a lengthy story with some interesting twists and turns along the way. Can’t have a GTA story without some kind of betrayal by perceived allies and/or FIB having the main character by the balls. Maybe Grand Theft Auto VI will break that trope.

Tasked with various jobs to make up for the dishonor of being ambushed, Huang experiences crime the American way. This brings me to a few mechanics I really enjoyed with one being something I wish would return in future titles.

In GTA V, it’s possible to get the cops off of you by making them crash in a chase. Chinatown Wars featured this and while it should’ve been easier because it was top-down, the streets got congested often in this game and could ruin a fun chase. However, the featured did its job well—when players had room to groove.

Another shared feature between the two is hotwiring cars. Being that it was the 3DS and using that stylus was just something developers or Nintendo insisted on, hotwiring in Chinatown Wars could be more involved before players rode off in their in their criminally captured cars.

The featured that impressed me the most and was a feature I loved in GTA-clone Scarface: The World is Yours was the drug trafficking. This was basically Rockstar Games Presents Dope Wars and it was great! Drug prices changed, CCTVs were a problem, suppliers taxed, rivals were salty, drug trucks could be hit—this was the most entertaining part of the game hands down. It was GTA criminal shenanigans and hustling but it was something unique to this game.

Which of the games have you played in the past? Where would you rank them? Are there any gameplay mechanics or characters you’d like to see return?

Let us know in the comments!

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

First, I’d like to mention I ran into some confusion about the actual ownership of EQ. Reports from the time of Sony selling Daybreak made it seem like the new owner of the studio—Enad Global 7—owns EverQuest. However, some of the phrasing makes it sound as though Daybreak is merely continuing the handling and development of the series.

I don’t know, that would kind of explain why EverQuest Next died a dog’s death while EQ fans sat around waiting on updates about development. Not so much Daybreak’s handling of the series but while being involved in a buyout and having several online games in rotation—is developing a whole new game really wise while making money from those active games?

While I wanted EQ Next to be completed and we should’ve been playing a modern EQ like five years ago, there was quite a bit going on at that time. With that said, here are some ways to bring the series out of the early 2000s without getting away from the core, fantasy MMORPG experience.

Just Make the Damn Game, Already

Listen, game development is a very involved process with many moving parts before actual work starts on the game itself—which includes more moving parts! But as I said, a third EQ game really should be experiencing its third to fifth anniversary by now. The game should’ve been finished but instead ended up scrapped. So now we just have the first two games that can only be played on PC.

Now, there was a good developmental reason why work stopped on it. The game as it was seemed to be pretty dated for an MMORPG in the 2010s. By that time, we had World of Warcraft, Guild Wars, Ragnorok Online, The Elder Scrolls Online, licensed MMORPGs for Star Wars, Star Trek, Dungeons & Dragons, Lord of the Rings, Phantasy Star Online, RuneScape, Albion, Final Fantasy XIV, and Black Desert heading up the Korean MMORPG invasion.

A new EQ would’ve probably had a hard time prying away fans from those series and who knows if the entire existing player base of the original EQ games would’ve come over. I mean, EQ II dropped, players gave it a whirl and most still preferred the first. Personally, I liked the second more but MMOs tend to hold their bases firmly until they’re left with the hardcore fans.

Yeah, it sounds simple as hell but…just make the game and send it.

Make EverQuest Available on Console

Gaming PCs have become somewhat more affordable now and the EQ games can be played on a lower-end rig because they’re older games. A new EQ probably won’t have that same accessibility and the EQ name doesn’t have the relevance to move folks to buy a new gaming PC. Mind you, even in the 2000s games like EQ and World of Warcraft weren’t relevant. WoW stuck around long enough and had the backing of Blizzard to where it became a popular game on Twitch in the early 2010s and on Justin.tv in the late 2000s.

The thing is WoW kept pushing and adapting to changes in consumer spending around gaming. It’s at the point where Blizzard can run ads for whatever update or return DLC they have planned. The same can’t be said for EQ. To draw in more fans, if Daybreak finally makes a new EverQuest, it might be wise to put it consoles as well since players will get a console as it’s ready for gaming out of the box and doesn’t require significant maintenance. It’s an accessible gaming device.

If the hypothetical new game is PC-only, then at least dust off EverQuest Online Adventures and put it in the PSN as free-to-play and have transactions. At the minimum, EQ should have a presence on PlayStation and at most it should be console in general—in 2024.

OK, No EQ on Console? Can We At Least Get Champions of Norrarh?

This is like the bare minimum. Champions of Norrath was a fun game on PlayStation2 and my introduction to action RPGs in the vein of Diablo—you know, ARPGs where the inventory has grids and your loot and gear has to get in where it fit in. Sure, we have modern Diablo, Path of Exile (goodness, that skill tree), and Last Epoch and I don’t see CoN being a competitor to those three but it could be revived as a live service game, sure.

I don’t even mean make a new game or anything, just update it to work as a live service game and update it regularly. Of course, there was only so much content in the game since it was on PS2, do Daybreak would be better off just making a new Champions of Norrath from scratch.

Who knows, maybe that’s an easier way to get to a return of any kind of EverQuest. I mean, the lore and gameplay is already there and players do rock with this kind of ARPG. They will buy the battle passes, season passes, and expansions. You just have to give them something that is flames.

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

Honestly, a lot of the titles Tripwire worked on didn’t catch my eye until I played Chivalry 2 and was caught up in this feudal version of the Battlefield games. Even that wasn’t enough to make me say “Let’s really look in their catalog and see if there’s any bangers.” So there Maneater sat for years until the summer of 2024.

Checking Out Maneater

Now, I enjoy nature and survival shows. My favorites were always Wild America, Meerkat Manor, and Survivorman. Listen, “Never Loud” Les Stroud could make a campfire with roughly anything you leave with him. One thing about that show: he’s going to make a fire and his first dwelling will always be poorly suited for the weather.

Anyway, those shows didn’t feature sharks and I was never the biggest fan of Discovery Channel’s Shark Week. My favorite sea animal? The narwhal and the octopus but I don’t believe either of those two have such bad press that a cable network made a week around them. I’m just saying, folks.

So, I dropped back onto the PSN looking for an RPG to pair with Destiny 2: The Final Shape when I see Maneater in the listings. That was a shocker because I never expected the game to be an RPG. Curious about what kind it was, I checked out the summary and peeped a few screenshots. Well, graphically it was on par with what you’d expect of a game of the period. I wouldn’t say it was outdated at all but it didn’t exactly wow me either.

Of course, I’ve never been a big “Games need good graphics to be a good game guy” more games have looked pretty and been trash to mid at best compared to games that didn’t look the greatest or was appeared dated only to have a good story and gameplay. You’d think that shouldn’t happen but studios put a lot of time and money into games that don’t live up to expectations.

In short, Maneater didn’’t look awful. The gameplay didn’t appear too interesting but two terms drew me in: “open world” and “skills”. If it had said “skill tree” my hesitation would’ve turn into a need to play this just to see how it was done. Instead, I simply installed it to play when I wasn’t on go time in Destiny 2.

Hands-On in the Bayou with a Bull Shark

I finally sat down to play what was supposed to be a bit of Maneater but turned into several hours. The game’s story unfolds via the eponymous Maneaters vs. Sharkhunters reality TV show, based on any number of blue-collar adventure reality TV shows the Discovery Channel and the History Channel got busy with. Your antagonist is a Cajun shark hunter Scaly Pete.

Part of Pete’s motivation to kill sharks is the feud his father had with one of the sea predators. The shark that kicks off your adventure is the mother of the protagonist which is caught by Scaly Pete and killed. Surviving after biting off the hunter’s hand, your shark’s adventure begins in the fictional Fawtick Bayou.

Your objective in the game is to grow the bull shark pup into a powerful hunter and terror in the open-world aquatic environment surrounding the bayou. I’ll say the map is a good size, the tutorial wasn’t too lengthy and actually got you into the man-eating part pretty early. Surprisingly, the combat mechanics were pretty damn good as far as attacking while defense required some practice.

The best thing is that the controls weren’t overly involved. They didn’t have you doing anything particularly complicated to do what should be simple actions. Leveling up the shark took some work but the process itself is simple. The game has a couple of systems to keep the player involved and tinkering with the shark’s trait which I find very interesting.

My fascination with Maneater comes from putting to the theme with this game style and coming up with something that works and is playable—and I love stumbling across games like this.

Have you played Maneater? If so what were your impressions of the game? Also, what a game that you weren’t interested in at first that got your attention when you gave it a try? Let us know in the comments!

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

Legend of the River King Made Fishing Games Extremely Fun

Prior to playing this, I’d played a few other fishing games such as Sega Bass Fishing but that was more of an arcade-style game. It wasn’t even a fishing sim—which I would later play and found them enjoyable enough. However, it wasn’t something I was going to finish.

Legend of the River King had the appeal of being a Natsume game off the bat. I was playing Harvest Moon 64, a hard game to find at the time when I saw Legend of the River King GBC being mentioned along with Harvest Moon GB 2. I was planning to play that HM game but LRK was intriguing.

Getting into it, I found that it had a sliver of story—just enough to get you started on your adventure. Honestly, Harvest Moon was similar because after a while, the reason for you being there to take over the farm doesn’t really matter and it’s mentioned every now and then.

It drives you to straighten up the farm but its not an ongoing story for the game. That was the same case in Legend of the River King. You just have to retrieve a legendary fish to prevent natural disasters on this island—if I’m remembering correctly—but it won’t be easy at all.

You’ll make a lot of progress in the game with money and you have to catch fish to sell. As the game advances, you run into more methods to make money. The next one is in combat—which is somewhat odd that something that isn’t fishing-related made this one of the most enjoyable fishing games.

Before moving into the next method, the combat in this game is simple and works. Players just have to stop the moving fish on an enemy—usually wildlife—or their weak spot. That’s it! It’s the combat and leveling that move this game into RPG territory.

I mean, otherwise it would’ve been a slog of a fishing game. There’s also diving, a very profitable way to make money and deep-sea fishing. Once you get the hang of the fishing and combat mechanics, this game is pretty self-explanatory.

It’s also a game that came before the lengthy tutorials we find in-game now, so you’re diving right into the mess right after the brief opening. Then again, the mechanics in this game aren’t complex at all. If you’ve visited a store and upgraded your gear in any game, you’ll know to upgrade your stuff here as well.

Worth a Reboot?

The situation with Natsume Inc and Marvelous Inc saw a bit of a licensing situation over the Harvest Moon title resulting in two game franchises. The Legend of the River King series continued into the Nintendo DS era but following Legend of the River King 2, the combat was taken out and it became just a fishing game.

The PlayStation 2 entry was fine but I maintain that LRK2 on the Game Boy Color was the best in the franchise. If anything, I think a reboot going back to the GBC games would be great otherwise let it remain dormant. It’s just not worth it for a light fishing game with no conflict or leveling elements to me. If the combat is gone, perhaps it should be more of a fishing sim.

Have you played any of the Legend of the River King games? If so, did they stand out to you? Is it a game where you could see a reboot happening? Let us know!

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

The thing about that is that combat plays a role in Stardew Valley but it isn’t the main thing. It can drive some stuff in the game but you can still enjoy your experiences without being super hardcore in the mines. Hell, the farm is your priority, honestly.

Started Valley Draws Inspiration from Other Great Unique Games

Stardew Valley is inspired by the Story of Seasons franchise—which pretty much came out of the Harvest Moon franchise. SDV takes the pixel approach of the early Harvest Moon games which were purely farming and slice-of-life and mixes it with Rune Factory and Story of Seasons’ mix of farming and adventure.

There is a very small pool of games in this vein. Throw in Graveyard Keeper and the mobile title Harvest Town. Some fans and veterans of this genre might include Animal Crossing in there but these games always had more depth to them. I know I’ve invested hours into Stardew Valley across PC, Android and PlayStation 4.

It’s a game that keeps you engaged when you make progress and can invest more in your farm or take the time to adventure and fish. There’s a little something for everyone without being intense or forcing the player into a grind.

I’ve always found this game and American Truck Simulator to be incredibly chill and a bit of a stress reliever from the more involved and intense games I play. Even in relation to other RPGs, the element of just farming and managing your resources is a break from say Dragon Quest or Diablo.

You’d think “Oh, I have to manage resources and money? Sounds involved.” It’s actually pretty simple. If you grow it, you can sell it. If you want more for something, you’ll have to invest what you made in stuff to improve the quality. The crafting aspect does add a little more involvement and resource management but I also found that to be direct.

Getting used to the farming, foraging and mining will see you with what you need for what you want to make soon enough. Building relationships adds some story and goals to your character’s life as well! Perhaps it’s that mix of simplicity, progress, goals, and freedom that results in me sinking so much time into the game.

Well that and having stats that can be followed, bonuses, and crafting. As you know, I love crafting. It’s also what saw me sink time into Harvest Moon games. If you play on a PC, you have the extra freedom of utilizing mods to really customize the game in different ways but playing on console is also a very enjoyable experience each time.

The Senses

Stardew Valley has a clean pixel art style that takes me back to playing Harvest Moon on a ZSNES emulator in the early 2000s. It’s very nostalgic if you started playing games in the early 1990s and I’m all for the retro stuff, obviously. I tend to play games with the music muted but even the music reminds me of the early Harvest Moon games.

It’s a great presentation and honestly, it’s my preferred look for this type of game. Story of Seasons, Rune Factory, and the post-Harvest Moon console games took the 3D route but I always enjoyed 2D HM more—even if HM64 and Rune Factory really blew me away on my first playthroughs.

At the moment, ConcernedApe is working on Haunted Chocolatier which seems like it will be in a similar vein but centered around a confectionary shop. However, something on the side in Stardew Valley such as the fishing or mining are worthy of their own titles. Hell, the Harvest Moon series kind of spanned the Legend of River King series and fishing was never so adventurous.

If you’ve played SDV, what was your experience with it? Let us know in the comments!

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

I’m certain that I’m not even halfway through the main storyline but I tend to get into all of the side adventures and random clashes as opposed to focusing on the main story. That is until I hit some sort of progress wall that requires me to advance the main story.

So, the more recent AC titles released since AC III really catch my attention. They’re similar to the Elder Scrolls and Fallout franchises in that you’ve got a lot of freedom to explore the world without there being this linear narrative that either keeps you on track or pulls you back to the story.

Mind you, when I first played these two—two of the four AC games I’ve actually finished—I was all in on the freedom of the open world. Mind you, this was late 2000s open world. Fallout 3 and Elder Scrolls III offered a lot to do outside of the main tasks although FO3 would eventually reel you in unless you had the DLC.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla takes place during the Viking invasion of England in the late 9^th century. It’s surprising that there wasn’t a deluge of titles inspired by Scandinavian folklore and history following the success of Skyrim. Sure, there were a couple of titles but I figured it would be like the zombie wave in games where there was either a zombie survival game or a zombie horde mode deal.

The Assassin’s Creed franchise really did its thing with Valhalla and the invasion setting featuring a great period story that advances the overall story of the Brotherhood vs Templars. However, the story wasn’t the thing that kept me playing.

The Skill Tree and Abilities Are Where Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Really Shines

I’m a sucker for a skill tree. This feature in addition to some good crafting and an interesting open world will have me lost in a game for days and maybe weeks. A game with all three in abundance tends to become my go-to game when I just want to explore and get into some combat or side quests. I’d say AC Valhalla makes a good attempt at that title.

The crafting is decent enough, you have to provide ingots to advance gear to the next tier at the blacksmith but upgrades are left to you and generally require that you have the materials on hand. AC Valhalla is very much a stealth-action title which leans heavily into the RPG elements but not to the extent of featuring a crafting or blacksmith skill tree.

No, the skill tree in this game is based around combat, stealth, and survivability. It’s a simple enough focus but it stretches in multiple directions among the Raven, Bear, and Wolf constellations. These constellations are linked to your gear which—aside from your starting gear—bears the emblem of one of these animals.

Points spent on any of the constellations improve gear worn by the main character Eivor. However, the Bear skill tree only impacts gear with the Bear on it and not all gear and so on. I’ve been going a Raven-Wolf route after initially spreading the points out and I’m enjoying my adventures in Viking-torn England a ton.

The boosts to stealth damage, weapon damage as well as the skills that can be unlocked in these skill trees really make how I like to attack situations—a mix of up close brute force and ranged stealth—exciting. It also pushes me to respec points and try something different or try out different weapon types. You start with the bearded axe and I’ve gotten very comfortable with it but there are a lot of other weapons in the world and even some mythical ones.

Again, this is an open world game with a lot to do. I’m not even getting into raiding or how Ubisoft really embraced sea combat being a part of the franchise that players love. The developers handling this franchise just get better with navigation and varied combat with each title.

Of course, I still have to check out AC Mirage which I’ve heard is a return to core AC but as it stands with Valhalla—on just the skill tree alone and what can be done with it—I’d say check it out if you haven’t yet or give it a revisit when you’re browsing your backlog.

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

Let’s look at the three pros of the game that I’ve noticed in playing with fellow writer, Tardell Swift. Note, I’m in my third character playthrough using a trickster again. My second playthrough was with the devastator.

Class-based Replay is Encouraged in Outriders

The game has four classes to choose from: technomancer, pyromancer, devastator, and trickster. I’ve yet to play with the technomancer and pyromancer even though they’re more range-oriented classes who are effective at a long range. I’m big on stealthy, melee-oriented, damage-dealing classes in games. Maybe they can fight at longer range if necessary but melee and damage-dealers are meant to be in the action.

I’m sure I’ll play with them eventually but as mentioned my focus has been on tricksters and devastators. After playing with the devastator—which is a tank, basically—I had the confidence to really give the trickster a try from scratch.

Yeah, I still had a trickster but when you learn more about builds and allocating points, you kind of want to do it again from scratch. You know, do it right from the start. In my current third playthrough, I’m building my character around certain gear attributes and focusing more on using anomaly power than pure firepower and it’s making for a trickster that is different from my original.

On that note, I also have more experience and confidence in combat so I’m playing differently.

Mods, Mods, and More Mods!

The mods system in this game is amazing. It’s not unusual for someone to eventually use all the mods only for these mods to seem new in different playthroughs. That’s because some mods are better suited for certain class builds. Whatever direction you’re taking your Outrider, there’s a mod for that and a skill combination for it.

The first tier of mods are all related to your class’ anomaly skills while the second tier contains utility perks. Your bullets can inflict elemental or anomaly damage, drain more health, give you defensive abilities, and improve survivability in firefights. The third tier is a mix of improved versions of the first two tiers and what you want to get to.

Those mods tend to drop in legendary—yellow—tier gear. Mods are found on gear which can be dismantled to obtain the mod which can then be applied to other gear while crafting. Also worth noting is that each piece of gear either bolsters your armor or firepower and come with three random stats that will improve—or harm—your character’s stats.

So, if your class is meant to fight close range and gets health back from close-range kills, a piece of gear that improves long-range might not be that useful. However, you’re free to use any stat combination you wish. You just have to develop a play style you’re comfortable with.

It’s a dope system.

Loot Galore

One thing that hurt Outriders is that it can be viewed as a third-person version of Destiny 2, a particularly popular looter shooter. Loot plays a major role in Outriders as it all factors into your character’s survivability and combat effectiveness. Gear always contains attribute bonuses and mods that will improve your Outrider and their skills.

So, heading to the market to get better hear, finding loot in sh** boxes or as drops from enemies is always a joy—until you actually get to look at it and it has a stat combination and figure “Ehh, I can scrap this.” Scrapping gear not only gives you mods but also resources for crafting. So, it’s a good idea to scrap purple- tier and above gear you don’t need and sell off everything blue tier and below.

Something to note about crafting: in the case of purple-tier gear, you have slots for two mods. If you modify one slot, the other will be locked. It’s a bit restrictive but it forces the player to commit to the weapon for a period—although better gear will always drop.

On that note, it’s best to really look at the gear to see if it’s worth scrapping or wearing to replace your present gear. Often you’d have gear that has been working for you and you just set about improving it. You might play in a way that you can sacrifice improved armor just to keep a piece of gear that has the perfect combo of mods and stats.

With that said, yellow-tier gear comes with three slots and two are locked if you modify one. It makes crafting more important and strategic in nature since you have to really think about improvements. As a result, it’s not unusual to be based a camp for an extended period while others get their crafting in.

If you’ve played Outriders or currently play, what are your three pros from the game? Let us know in the comments.

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

We’re going to look at three cons in Outriders and it’s a mix of programming and gameplay. Let’s dive in.

Motion Is a Problem in Outriders

Technically this is a minor issue but a recurring one because of how annoying it is. The motion in the game can be really good when it’s an open space with few obstacles. However, sometimes when presented with obstacles, your character seems to forget how to transverse it.

Part of this lies in some mechanics such as running to take cover only for the character to stand there and eat bullets instead of ducking. That’s a common issue that can cause a combat wipe with you and your party having to start over. Sometimes it from the beginning of a particular leg in a mission and other times you’re just outside that part and don’t have to mow through enemies.

The other instance is just getting over obstacles in general. In some battles you’re able to jump over barricades or cover of a certain height—easily. Hell, you might even be able to scale a small ledge to get to a higher level in the battle. However, there are times where your character will stand at a ledge or whatever of similar height to others you’ve jumped over only for you to combat roll.

That degree of inconsistency in something that should be allowed regardless is a bit frustrating in and out of combat. Even worse is if you’re running and suddenly stop because of an obstacle your Outrider, a thawed-out super-powered super soldier should be able to just walk over.

The Radar Tells You Little

There isn’t a minimap as you’ll see in most games but a radar map. This thing doesn’t show paths or anything useful. It’s just a circle with the radar cone pointed north. Red dots indicate enemies, white dots or arrows are points of interest that are outside of your proximity, and yellow anything is related to missions or mission objectives.

Now that wouldn’t be a problem if Outriders just dropped you into instance after instance for missions. Instead, you have to travel everywhere by foot until you reach as banner marker and can fast travel—which is necessary in this game because why rip and run around the map then have to refer to the actual map?

It would’ve been easier to just have a minimap in the corner. When playing, my brother is usually the squad leader and responsible for moving the team to and from missions. He played Outriders when it originally dropped and knows the plot, mechanics, bosses, and typically develops our strategy for dealing with enemies.

In short, he’s very experienced with this game but the map and having to locate where to go exactly for our next objective can be a problem. The minimap/radar map doesn’t help and sometimes level design can provide an extra hindrance to our evening adventures.

The Attack Range for Elites is Ridiculous

The enemies in Outriders tend to provide the right amount of challenge. The World Tier system scales the enemies in difficulty which allows for higher tier loot from drops. When scaled the enemies are typically a few levels higher than the players. That isn’t the problem—although there are a few.

Your regular grunt enemies and, heavies, and captain-level elites can be handled with skill and strategy alone or in a team. However, there are elites and heavies that have these insane attack ranges. A reasonable one are the Ironclads and some captains who use your standard guns and the minimum.

Many have an area of effect stomp or something to clear out players who are really going to town on them. The remedy is always to run or roll out of the red attack circle around or in front of them. It becomes a problem when fighting the monster elites who can have a far-reaching attack in addition to calling in more and more grunts or adds.

The best solutions are to be mindful of your distance from the elites or interrupt them whenever you can. Trying run from the attack when you’re close up and shooting the boss is pretty much a waste of time in most cases. A devastator has the sturdiness to stay close enough and continue damaging the boss a little longer but not everyone wants to run a devastator.

Bonus: Spitting and Melee Enemies

A quick bonus, while they’re not a con and are just as they are in the game. Melee enemies—human and monster—as well as spitters—monsters—can hit ridiculously hard. You really have to pay attention when the melee enemies come out because they close distance fast and hit hard as hell. Not only that but they never come alone.

With that said, they’re far less annoying than spitters who can either be ground-based or flying but have range and power. The flying ones are the worse but they’re both equally annoying and not particularly fun to fight. However, once you take them out you really feel like you accomplished something.

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

1. Graphics and World Design:

“Spider-Man 2” offers even more enhanced graphics than its predecessor. The bustling city of New York feels alive, with realistic lighting, reflections, and intricate details. Swinging between skyscrapers, you can’t help but appreciate the game’s visual fidelity and the way it captures the essence of the Big Apple.

2. Gameplay Mechanics:

The swinging mechanics have been refined, offering more control, fluidity, and realism. Combat has also seen improvements, with new moves, abilities, and gadgets that allow for a broader range of strategies against enemies. The integration of these mechanics ensures that players are always engaged, whether they’re in the midst of a high-octane battle or simply exploring the city.

3. Storyline:

Without giving away spoilers, “Spider-Man 2” promises a deeper, more intricate storyline that challenges Peter Parker’s morality, relationships, and identity as Spiderman. The game introduces new characters and villains, some of whom have never been seen in the video game world before, providing fresh narratives and challenges.

4. Side Missions and Activities:

One of the highlights of the first game was its array of side missions and activities that kept players engaged outside the main storyline. “Spider-Man 2” continues this trend, offering even more diverse tasks, challenges, and collectibles, ensuring that players always have something to look forward to.

5. Character Development:

The game delves deeper into the psyche of Peter Parker, offering players a more intimate understanding of his struggles, joys, and growth as both a young man and a superhero. This character development is enhanced by top-notch voice acting and motion capture performances.

6. Replayability:

With multiple difficulty levels, challenges, and choices that affect the storyline’s outcome, “Spider-Man 2” offers high replayability value. Players can return to the game multiple times, trying out different strategies, exploring alternative story paths, and unlocking various achievements.

7. Sound and Music:

The auditory experience in “Spider-Man 2” is nothing short of phenomenal. The game features an original score that captures the emotions, tensions, and exhilarations of Spiderman’s journey. As you swing through the city, the dynamic music system responds to your actions, crescendoing during intense battles and quieting down during stealth missions or emotional cutscenes. Additionally, the ambient sounds of New York – from distant sirens to the chatter of pedestrians below – add another layer of immersion.

8. Multiplayer and Co-op Features:

While the main allure of “Spider-Man 2” is its single-player narrative, the game does introduce some multiplayer elements that are worth noting. These co-op missions allow players to team up with friends to tackle challenges, bringing a fresh dimension to the gameplay. It’s a testament to the developers’ commitment to catering to various gaming preferences.

9. DLC and Future Expansions:

The developers have already teased upcoming downloadable content (DLC) for “Spider-Man 2,” hinting at expanding the story and introducing new characters and missions. This promise of additional content not only extends the game’s lifespan but also ensures that players will remain engaged for months, if not years, to come.

10. Accessibility Options:

In an era where inclusivity in gaming is rightly becoming a focal point, “Spider-Man 2” shines with its array of accessibility options. From customizable controls to subtitle sizes and colorblind modes, the game ensures that a wide range of players, regardless of their physical abilities, can enjoy the Spiderman experience to the fullest.

11. Value for Money:

Considering the depth of the main storyline, the plethora of side missions, the potential for multiplayer adventures, and the promised future content, “Spider-Man 2” undoubtedly offers great value for its price tag. It’s an investment in hours of entertainment, emotional engagement, and thrilling gameplay.

12. Technical Performance:

The game runs smoothly on various platforms, showcasing the developers’ dedication to optimizing the experience for players. With minimal loading times, stable frame rates, and almost no bugs reported at launch, “Spider-Man 2” stands as a benchmark for technical excellence in the gaming industry.

13. Game World Interactivity:

One aspect that sets “Spider-Man 2” apart from other open-world games is its high level of interactivity. Almost every element in the game world responds to the player’s actions. From dynamically changing weather patterns to NPCs (Non-Player Characters) that remember past interactions, the game creates a living, breathing environment that players can genuinely feel a part of.

14. Skill Progression and Customization:

The skill tree in “Spider-Man 2” is expansive, allowing players to customize Spiderman’s abilities to suit their gameplay style. Whether you prefer a stealthy approach, direct combat, or a mix of both, the game provides ample opportunities to mold Spiderman into the superhero you envision.

15. Costumes and Aesthetics:

A nod to fans of the Spiderman lore, the game boasts a wide array of costumes, each with its unique attributes and references to various Spiderman arcs and eras. This feature not only offers aesthetic pleasure but also impacts gameplay, as certain costumes grant specific advantages in battles or exploration.

16. Community Engagement:

The developers have actively engaged with the player community, taking feedback, hosting events, and even integrating fan-created content into the game. This two-way interaction has fostered a strong bond between the creators and players, enhancing the overall gaming experience.

17. Environmental Storytelling:

Beyond the primary narrative, “Spider-Man 2” excels in environmental storytelling. Scattered throughout New York are subtle clues, graffiti, notes, and easter eggs that hint at broader stories within the Spiderman universe. These details encourage exploration and reward players who take the time to delve deeper into the game world.

18. Emotional Depth:

While action and adventure are at the forefront, “Spider-Man 2” doesn’t shy away from exploring the emotional challenges faced by Peter Parker. The game delves into themes of responsibility, loss, love, and sacrifice, making it not just a visual and interactive treat but also a deeply emotional journey.

Final Thoughts:

“Spider-Man 2” isn’t just a game; it’s an experience. It masterfully blends storytelling, gameplay, and technical prowess into a cohesive package that appeals to gamers of all kinds. Whether you’re in it for the thrill of swinging between New York’s skyscrapers, the emotional rollercoaster of Peter Parker’s life, or the sheer joy of being Spiderman, this game delivers on all fronts. It’s a testament to the power of video games as a medium of art and entertainment. So, if you haven’t already, swing into action and get your copy of “Spider-Man 2” You won’t regret it.

Staff Writer; Amos Brown

A gamer at heart, you can find this brother playing games on both the Playstation and XBox game consoles. One may contact him at; ABrown@AfroGamers.com.

Focus Entertainment has taken to that same mantra in several games. Vampyr actually plays similarly to The Surge. It’s something I noticed from the UI, skill tree progression, and even more obviously: combat. There are elements that Focus Entertainment likes in its games and developers within its family of publishers and developers such as Spiders, Cyanide, Giant Software, Don’t Nod, and Deck13.

The Technomancer is the Blueprint for GreedFall

Actually, The Technomancer was the blueprint for most of the publisher’s action RPGs. Released in June 2016, it’s a sci-fi story set in a dystopian Mars taken over by large corporations with power and influence of governments. Countries and settlements hinge on the favor and backing of these mega-corporations.

A large part of these companies’ ability to amass such power are the technomancers: basically superhumans who can wield fantastic and destructive powers. They are often trained from childhood in how to use their powers as well as receiving weapons, hand-to-hand, and stealth combat training. They are then utilized as super soldiers for the corporations.

They do this with the knowledge of their origins and how they are destined to be weapons of war. However, there is hope in your character Zachariah becoming a kind of heroic leader who gathers a group of able adventurers and fight against the overlords.

Except, that’s just part of his story. Really, the fights with the mega-corporations are a side effect of his interactions and decisions as well as the need to protect the technomancers’ secret.

This is a game with a lot to its adventures and it serves as a blueprint in that sense as well. GreedFall has a lot of lore to it and features both the relationships and alliance relationship mechanics of The Technomancer. In TT, you have to manage your relationships with your teammates as well as with different factions on the island.

A few things impact these factors. Conversational choices and decisions in related side quests for a character. You tend to get a boost to the relationship just by completing their side quest favorably. As for the factions, they each have some quest for you and avoiding violence with them helps.

However, having too strong of a relationship can impact your standing with another force since certain outcomes can impact their standing on the island. Also, all characters are associated with a faction and assisting those groups can reflect favorably.

These features are all polished in GreedFall and has a few similarities to the relationship system in Vampyr.

However, it just works for the games published by Focus Entertainment. This is the third must-have feature for action, action-RPG, and any open-world game the relationship system. The first is the nemesis system from the Shadow of Mordor/War games and the other are the turf wars from GTA Vice City Stories and GTA San Andreas.

Just think: the civil war in Skyrim could’ve played out better with a stronger focus on fighting over and defending turf constantly. You could say the same about the faction conflict in Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 3, and Fallout 4.

Black Marks on The Technomancer

The Technomancer isn’t without flaws as it’s a game that doesn’t feel like a fully polished game at times. I’d say this is often down to the combat early on. At times the dodging can be mediocre while the attacks become more impressive as you level up and invest in attributes and skills.

Oh yeah, can’t forget that Focus mechanic: multiple-point systems. When you level up, you get two kinds points every other level. There are points for natural attributes and points basically for skills. GreedFall would expand on this system and it would be featured in other action RPGs from the publisher.

Let’s just call it Focus-type skill trees. Again, they have a type of game they like to put out and those games work for them. However, a common negative across their action RPGs is this failure to fully grasp dodging. In several Focus games, dodging becomes such a difficult skill to pull off at times, it ends up becoming the most important thing to master.

This was the case in Vampyr with that game’s movement being stiffer and far from arcade-y and the dodging being mediocre for its often close-range combat. At long-range, the dodging was decent. The same can be said about The Surge. In The Technomancer, dodging can be a bother at any range but it depends on the enemy.

Also, it depends on your combat build and gear. You’d think that would make sense but it actually seems to just compensate for blah dodge mechanics. The blocking is fine. It’s very weird because you’d think it would be uniform for a specific part of a mechanic—defense.

Even more weird is that this seems to be an issue with other Focus action RPG titles where you really have to learn the combat mechanics. With that said, if it becomes familiar in The Technomancer, you’ll take to other titles smoothly. This could be the source of my frustration with Vampyr early on. While I’ve played TT in the past, I didn’t connect that they were similar in some ways down to the combat.

Have you played The Technomancer? What did you think of it and is it worthy of a sequel? Let us know in the comments.

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.