Games
Muramasa Rebirth (PS Vita; 06/21)

Movies: All DVD & Blu-Ray Release on 06/18 unless stated.
Monsters University (Theaters; 06/21)
World War Z (Theaters; 06/21)
21 and Over (DVD, Blu-Ray)
The Amazing Adventures of The Living Corpse (DVD, Blu-Ray)
American Idiots (DVD)
American Mary (DVD, Blu-Ray)
Body of Proof: The Complete Third Season (DVD)
The Brass Teapot (DVD, Blu-Ray)
Dino King (DVD, Blu-Ray)
Drop Dead Diva: The Complete 4th Season (DVD)
The Howling: Collector’s Edition (DVD, Blu-Ray)
Jack the Giant Slayer (DVD, Blu-Ray)
Jethro Tull: Around the World Live (DVD)
The Jungle Book: Adventures of Mowgli – Complete Collection (DVD)
Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness – Good Croc, Bad Croc (DVD)
The Last Exorcism Part II (DVD, Blu-Ray)
Love, Concord (DVD)
Marketa Lazarova (Criterion Collection) (DVD, Blu-Ray)
Movie 43 (DVD, Blu-Ray)
Of Human Bondage: Kino Classics Remastered Edition (DVD, Blu-Ray)
Rectify: The Complete First Season (DVD)
Safety Last! (Criterion Collection) (DVD, Blu-Ray)
Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated – Spooky Stampede (DVD)
Stoker (DVD, Blu-Ray)
Summoned (DVD)
Things to Come (Criterion Collection) (DVD, Blu-Ray)
Upside Down (DVD)
Workaholics: Season Three (DVD, Blu-Ray)

Anime: All Anime release on 06/18 unless stated.
Chrome Shelled Regios Complete Series (S.A.V.E Edition) (DVD)
Kill Me Baby Complete Collection (DVD)
Saiyuki Complete Collection (DVD)

Sources: GameStop, ComingSoon, AnimeNation

The post Weekly Haul: Week of 06/16 appeared first on Geek Citadel.

The post The Three Reviews – Remember Me, samurai_jazz, and The Yawhg appeared first on Geek Citadel.

Games
Animal Crossing: New Leaf (3DS; 06/09)
The Last of Us (PS3; 06/14)

Movies: All DVD & Blu-Ray Release on 06/11 unless stated.
This is the End (Theaters; 06/12)
Man of Steel (Theaters; 06/14)
Mr Hockey: The Gordie Howe Story (DVD)
Absolute Deception (DVD)
Betty & Coretta (DVD)
Beverly Lewis’ The Confession (DVD)
Burn Notice: The Complete Sixth Season (DVD)
Doctor Who: Inferno (Special Edition) (DVD)
Doctor Who: The Mind of Evil – Episode 56 (DVD)
Dr Who-Doctors Revisited 1-4 (DVD)
Fairly Legal: Season Two (DVD)
Ghost Hunters: Season 8, Part 2 (DVD)
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (DVD, Blu-Ray)
House of Cards: The Complete First Season (DVD)
Killing Lincoln (DVD, Blu-Ray)
Masquerade (DVD)
Misfits: Season Three (DVD)
Necessary Roughness: Season Two (DVD)
The Newsroom: The Complete First Season (DVD, Blu-Ray)
Ninja Masters (DVD)
Oz The Great and Powerful (DVD, Blu-Ray)
Paul McCartney and Wings: Rockshow (DVD, Blu-Ray)
The Philadelphia Experiment (DVD, Blu-Ray)
Power Rangers Super Samurai: Secret of the Red Ranger – Volume 4 (DVD)
Ring of Fire (DVD, Blu-Ray)
Rizzoli & Isles: The Complete Third Season (DVD, Blu-Ray)
Snitch (DVD, Blu-Ray)
Tom and Jerry: The Golden Collection – Volume 2 (DVD, Blu-Ray)
Transformers Rescue Bots: Energize (DVD)
The Unbroken (DVD)
Wedding Band: The Complete Series (DVD)

Anime: All Anime release on 06/11 unless stated.
Bleach Box Set 17 (Eps 243-255) (DVD)
Fushigi Yugi Eikoden Collection (DVD)
Lagrange – The Flower of Rin-ne Set 1 (DVD, Blu-Ray)
Mysterious Girlfriend X Complete Collection (DVD, Blu-Ray)
Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings Complete Series (Seasons 1-2) (DVD, Blu-Ray)

The post Weekly Haul: Week of 06/09 appeared first on Geek Citadel.

The post Geek Citadel Mini-Reviews: Marvel Heroes, Element4l, and Actual Sunlight appeared first on Geek Citadel.

The post Geek Citadel Mini-Reviews – Dragon’s Lair, Ballpoint Universe, and Bad Bots appeared first on Geek Citadel.

He’s been on a trail of a vicious serial killer with the same M.O., and this recent murder matches the killers pattern. This upstanding city detective with a lack of social skills, has to match his wits versus the Greenvale police department. It’s in these encounters that Deadly Premonition outmatches most video games. York is dedicated to his job to a great fault, and it’s clearly taken his personality to a strange place. The Sheriff and his Deputy are used to handling their problems directly, but this aloof outsider disrespects the city and the way they work. His grandstanding ways and their reactions to them is fantastically portrayed in the voice-work.

This game pulls no punches with mature themes. It surprisingly sells a murder mystery with the intricacy of a well-scripted television show. The flashes of violent crimes and descriptive tales of York’s previous cases is handled with such grace that it never borders on alarming. The thrilling murder case evolves by doing actual detective work. Questioning suspects, tracking a lead, solving puzzles, and profiling crime scenes is when Deadly Premonition is at its best.

At its worst… is everything else that Deadly Premonition attempts. Shoddy graphics, animatronic character animations, screen-tearing, heavy frame drops, terrible driving mechanics, maximum car speed at sixty mph, horrible inventory system, no fast travel, no way-point system (which wouldn’t be a problem if the cars were faster.), a slow time-limit clock, a worthless food and hunger bar, and a terrible pause menu. Even after all of those missteps, the combat is the ultimate disappointment. Instead of sticking to a deep seeded system of detective work, and a possible gunfight here and there with a perp, we are instead treated to a ghoulish dip into the supernatural world of Silent Hill Greenvale.

It doesn’t fit in with York’s case at all and apparently it only happens in his head. He runs around dark passages with a flashlight and a gun, and shoot the most abysmal A.I. monsters ever. Even with the horrible aiming mechanics, it’ll be near impossible not to get a head-shot on these dimwitted enemies. There are plenty of weapons thrown around the area, but the pistol has unlimited bullets and handles every situation without issue. The only time where York doesn’t have the outright advantage is when he’s facing off against an axe-maniac in a raincoat. This activates horrible quick-time events and analog quaking chase scenes that are not even remotely amusing.

It’s shameful how a game with such a great story and game play ideas for a detective mystery, turned out to be a freakishly ugly and boring horror shooter. If the combat doesn’t get you, the mundane travel system will, or the inventory, or the time-limit, and so much more. Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut receives a C- from Geek Citadel. Somehow, under all of these mistakes… lies a detective story worth unraveling.

Did you ever want to nurture and help a world develop by means of mystical abilities? Reus gives you the power to accomplish this feat. You are a planet that has control over god like creatures with the power of development and destruction. As a planet that often takes naps, you seek caretakers to tend to our creations while you sleep. The goal is to instruct your godlike creatures into creating a habitable planet for the humanoids of the realm. It’s in hope that when you awaken from your slumber again, it will be to a beautiful and prosperous civilization.

Reus is less about building structures, and more about creating an ecosphere that will help humans thrive. The goal is to attempt to complete as many projects as possible before the creatures go to sleep. Each completed project opens up a new development for humankind. After accomplishing a project for the humans, they will send out an ambassador to meet the giants looming in the background.

Collecting ambassadors unlocks skills that can help improve the agriculture. Setting up matching crops will create a symbiosis between them. This usually creates a higher food or mineral output from the combination of crops. The ultimate goal is to upgrade and produce as much resources as the humans demand.

It’s damn fun to try and meet human demand and see how they grow. More than likely no matter what you do, they will become greedy and rampage on their neighbors. You can watch it all happen, or you can take control of the situation by stamping them out under foot. Reus has a cartoonish art style, and the animations work fairly well for the simplified visuals.

There are only a few modes available with Era, and Freeplay mode as the minimal selections. Era Mode pits the player against time to unlock as many developments and achieve a high prosperity. Freeplay allows you to create and play as long as you wish, but unlocking developments and new projects isn’t possible.

In the end, we have an excellent god game to play in short bursts. Longevity isn’t its strongest suit, but if games like Civilization are a bit daunting, this would probably be a better title to invest in. Reus receives a B- from Geek Citadel. As far as god games go, it’s a bit light on the content, but that doesn’t stop it from being a great investment.

What happens when humanity commits the ultimate mistake? Civilization collapses on itself and all that is left on the surface is scorched earth. Humans survive under the surface like rats, and mutated animals stalk the cities that they once lived in. The Dark Ones were the worst of the problems, and a man named Artyom helped thin them out by launching a missile on their nest and wiping them out. Unfortunately, the group he works for has discovered that one of them may still be alive. It’s up to Artyom to take on the task to eliminate the last Dark One, and end their plague once and for all.

It’s simple fact that humans never change. There are three groups still fighting each other even after making the planet uninhabitable. The Reich, The Reds, and The Order are fighting for supremacy of the human race. Artyom is a ranger in The Order, and on his quest to finish off the last Dark One, he gets caught up in the politics of the three groups. It’s a wild ride from start to finish, with Artyom constantly on the defensive against man and beast alike.

Metro is a persuasive shooter filled with ambience and lore. Every single corner rings out with a voice about how the world used to be, or what it’s like now that things have changed. Combat isn’t about expending as many bullets into people as possible. Ammo is scarce and the only means of payment in the world, so conservation is necessary. Shooting people in the face is best accomplished from the darkness. However, when all else fails and the bullets start flying, it’s a rewarding and satisfying experience that doesn’t overstay its welcome. Metro understands that purposefully placed combat, mixed with an inviting ambiance is all that a true shooter needs.

The title utterly nails the visuals, with some jaw-dropping sites and a thoughtful attention to detail. Disasters are an easy thing to depict by throwing shrapnel and broken down buildings everywhere. Metro shines at bringing acceptance and hope to a world that should have nothing to live for. An imperfect wasteland filled with grotesque mutations and down-to-earth character models creates a believable world. It’s no small feat that Metro achieves not just beautiful graphics, but also an immersive backdrop to accompany the imagery.

This title delivers on all fronts as not only a shooter, but as an experience piece. If you’re looking for a shooter that isn’t just about set pieces, this one will definitely prove to be a great choice. Metro Last Light receives an A from Geek Citadel. This highly entertaining shooter accomplishes atmosphere, tension, and adventure more than many in the genre.

The post Geek Citadel Mini-Reviews: Metro: Last Light, Reus, and Deadly Premonition appeared first on Geek Citadel.

Nancy the Happy Whore is a traditional adventure game. It’s filled with adult humor about drugs and sex without stooping to a crude level. It takes a lot from old school point-and-click titles like Discworld, Sam and Max, and many more. It even shares the look of many titles of yesteryear, but that credit goes to the Adventure Game Studios engine.You will guide our happy prostitute to different parts of the gas station and discover wacky characters who only seek to hinder you. The encounters are not as madcap as one would hope from the title, but it is engaging enough to push through the three hours of game play.

It features a fully voiced cast of characters, but there are only a few standouts among the bunch. Nancy and Susie are fantastic, and they nail their quips with the grace deserved of an adventure title. A few of the villains like the Cultists, Mr. Green, Mr. Blue, and the Clerk sell their characters very well. It’s the sound design that brings down the quality of the dialogue. Some of the actors recorded their material without pop-filters, and a few voices are incredibly low and barely understandable. It can really detract from the jokes told on the screen when the music blares over the character talking. The worst of the offenders is the “Geek”, who sounds like he’s in a room with a ton of echo and he’s speaking his lines with his regular voice. It’s horrible since he’s a major part of the story-line, and that’s a damn shame since a lot of the other villain voices would have been a better choice.

All in all, this is an charming title with a fair grasp on the adventure genre. It’s not rip-roaringly funny or anything, but it does have its fair share of laughs. In a way, the ludicrous nature of the game isn’t as fleshed out as one would hope. It’s a three-hour ride that doesn’t stretch its legs until the hour and a half mark. It’s a shame that there are so many sound design issues in the title, and that’s a no-no in a dialogue heavy adventure game. Nancy the Happy Whore receives a C from Geek Citadel. If you can overcome the apparent sound flaws, a humorous five-dollar adventure awaits.

Death is in the air and the war with a race of technologically advanced aliens has taken its toll on the Earth. The Human forces are barely able to push back the overwhelming forces of the violent invaders. Their last hope lies in the destructive capabilities of the weapon aptly named “Shockwave”. First Lieutenant Simon Lynx takes on the task of finding the only man who can operate the device, Doctor Zander. If Lynx cannot retrieve this scientist, the planet will be at the whim of the extraterrestrial terror.

Anomaly 2 names itself as a “reverse” Tower Defense, but it’s more of an on-rails RTS with a single unit under your control. Players take on the role of the Commander and can move freely about the map as they wish. The Commander can procure and upgrade various units, but they move and fire autonomously down a straight path. The tactical map halts the action and shows the available routes that the squad can pass through. Players can view upcoming enemies and mission objectives on the map. The strategy lies in creating an optimal fight or flight path that would do the least damage to the passing vehicles.

On the battlefield, Lieutenant Lynx can utilize his own skills to provide support to the bigger vehicles. He can repair damaged vehicles, disable enemies with EMP’s, and set a decoy to draw enemy fire. Each of the skills has a limited use, but Lynx can pick up extra stacks from the wreckage of his foes. The available machines available for combat come in the form of two different flavors. Double tapping on squad members will cause them to morph like Transformers and swap to an alternate firing mode. Some vehicles expand a shield across the squad, while others get up close and personal and spew flame.

You will need to pay close attention to everything on the field. The aliens have special units that will not suffer defeat against certain vehicles, so selling a vehicle and replacing it is usually the best option at hand. Drawing out the perfect path and knowing when to upgrade your vehicles crucial to victory. However, planning a route that leads into dense territory, or overusing the Commander skills will lead to some frustrating restarts. If you aren’t up for restarting missions to secure a better path for your squad… you may wish to steer clear of Anomaly 2.

Multiplayer pits friends against each other as the attacker and the defender. The Defender takes on the role of a traditional Tower Defense commander. Prepare to stack up a good squad of towers, and harvest resources for new and improved weapons. Players can click on certain deployed towers to emit damage bursts, or speed up the construction of unfinished towers nearby. The multiplayer only features four levels and one mode, but it’s a good change of pace from the single-player.
The broken down city-scape and the intricate character models make this one of the best-looking Tower Defense titles ever. It even has some appealing voice acting that pushes the presentation to an even higher level. The story leans on the generic side, but the strategic game play more than makes up for it. Anomaly 2 receives a B from Geek Citadel. It’s a great take on the Tower Defense genre, but unless you can stomach restarting missions that span over 15 to 30 minutes, it may be wise to give this one a pass.

The post Geek Citadel Mini-Reviews: Nancy the Happy Whore and Anomaly 2 appeared first on Geek Citadel.

Captain James T. Kirk of the Starship Enterprise and his Commander Spock find themselves up against the terror of the Gorn! The Vulcans created a technical marvel that could form a rogue planet into a New Vulcan. Much like the Genesis project from Wrath of Khan, this world shaping equipment can also do the opposite and devastate worlds. Kirk and his crew must stop the Gorn and retrieve the Helios machine before it is weaponized and used against an unsuspecting galaxy.

Don’t expect the dream story-line that many people were hoping for. Kirk and Spock are given a goal and they are expected to run through death and devastation to reach it. The plot is so basic that it entered one ear and went out the other. It however graces us with entertaining interactions between Kirk and Spock, and sparse snippets of the Enterprise Crew. The main reason to focus on anything that is spewed during the journey lies in the hands of the iconic characters. If you were looking for the well-paced action of the movie, you are going to have to keep scanning for the next game.

I’m not going to even kid myself and pretend that Star Trek isn’t a poor man’s Mass Effect. Actually, that’s incorrect, one of these titles is significantly cheaper and of a higher quality than the other. Star Trek is a generic corridor shooter with a ton of ideas that don’t pan out too well. A talent tree exists with a range of team-oriented skills, but the only two that really matter are the Tricorder and stealth modules. Everything is unnecessary, you can just as easily slide through the game without even realizing the rest existed. It’s clear that Star Trek had high aspirations with multiple genre combinations, but they all dissolved into a mess of PEW PEW and shoddy mechanics.

The Tricorder is as true to the show as possible, it can scan any and everything in the path of our space-faring adventurers. Get used to seeing a blue grid, because the Tricorder is overused as a collection and puzzle device. Need to hack an item, use the Tricorder, need to interact with something, Tricorder, need to find an objective, Tricorder, need to ressurrect a buddy… you guessed it, Tricorder. It can do everything in the series, but it feels like a crutch in a video game.

In a galaxy full of genius technology, every single instrument of operation breaks and needs a manual fix. The Tricorder acts as a repairing tool that initiates absurdly boring hacking mini-games. A variation of snake, match the image, and the cooperative balance puzzle make an appearance constantly during the campaign. I never thought I would loathe interacting with a door in any form, but Star Trek made it possible.

Let’s talk about how awful this title plays technically. My immediate decision once I took control of Kirk was to attempt to jump, and it turned out to be the stiffest, slowest, and most robotic animation I’d ever seen. I figured that it was only in the game for show, but I was sadly mistaken. Star Trek tears a page out of the Uncharted handbook as gracefully as a drunken elephant walking a tightrope. Kirk and Spock lack any sort of dexterity when it comes to leaping chasms, so expect them to fall quite often. It doesn’t matter if you time it correctly either, as the buggy nature of title will make sure that Kirk and Spock fall to their doom.

Which brings me to another sorry truth about Star Trek – It’s a bug-filled mess. The A.I. is so stupid that it will run past Kirk, or completely forget about the battle and marvel at his beauty. You know that fantastic Tricorder you need so much? It stops functioning at the end of missions, or the U.I. will disappear and it’s impossible to interact with the level. The rag doll is absolutely ridiculous but funny in a way, and enemies will climb on walls that don’t exist.. That’s not even the full tally, but I don’t have the time to talk about everything. Oh, and there is a space battle that is pure chaos and barely explains how to play it. Here is a tip, turn off your shields or it is impossible to fire any weapons from the Enterprise, you’re welcome!

I’ll admit that the Enterprise crew – for the most part- share their real world counterparts looks. Kirk looks like Chris Pine, Spock looks like Zachary Quinto, and Scotty looks… like Simon Pegg with a warped head. Likenesses aside, the vistas of each location are underwhelming and murky. If anything the only real standout visuals are the pre-rendered cut-scenes, and the on-rails space drop sequences.

Overall, if you’re a fan or just want to find a way to get into the series, this is game is going to have the opposite effect.  Fans will hate it for all the inaccuracies of even the new films, and the people that don’t like Star Trek will dislike it even more. It would be illogical to take on this scrappy mish-mash of genres. Star Trek the Video Game receives a D from Geek Citadel. If this is the journey to the Final Frontier, I’ll make sure to boldly go home.

Don’t Starve is actually less about starving, and more about surviving the harsh world laid before you. You do spend a ton of time scrounging for food, but exploring and preparing for combat is a must. You take on the role of a character that is left to die on an island filled with monstrous creatures. The first night is all about building a campfire and assuring that when the lights go out, something in the dark will not gobble you up. After that, it’s all about building your character to take on the world.

Crafting is the most important part of Don’t Starve. Building your first weapon to take on the perilous creatures is impossible without engineering a Science or Alchemy Machine. This is where the meat of the creation lies, these wondrous machines can create prototypes of structures, newer weapons, and even farms for sustainability. Every prototype allows a specific set of items to create it, and this usually requires our unsuspecting survivalist to face off against the wild.

Unlike a great many other “survival” titles, Don’t Starve rewards you for remaining cautious. Your character only has one life to live; this life extends by discovering randomly placed touchstones. If your character dies, he can return to the stone, thus breaking it in half and rendering it useless. One more trip to the Grim Reaper and the game ends, and it is off to the experience tally screen. The longer the unwilling protagonist survives the better the chance at earning a new character. All progression and items disappear, but you unlock a new avatar with a varied skill-set and different dialogue options.

Cultivate, decimate, or explore to discover the beautiful artwork of Don’t Starve. A crisp painting reminiscent of an Edgar Allen Poe story mixed with the unusual characterizations of Tim Burton. The simple act of picking fruit from a bush is incredibly well animated, and the outlandish creatures look like bizarre drawings come to life. The sound design is quirky and memorable as each character releases a musical tone when they speak or the distinct sounds of anger when a monster feels threatened.

The world is tailor-made by the player from the get go. You choose how much danger you’ll encounter in the menus, or if you even want to be bothered at all. My only gripe lies in the backpack system. The characters can’t wear a backpack and equip armor at the same time, which convolutes the inventory system unnecessarily. Despite that one flaw, this is a true  survivor sandbox that promotes exploration and experimentation. Don’t Starve receives an A- from Geek Citadel. Food may not always be in constant supply, but you will never be starved of amusement.

*These titles were given to us by the Publisher to review.

The post Geek Citadel Mini-Reviews – Star Trek and Don’t Starve appeared first on Geek Citadel.

If you thought it was hard to be a surgeon in the real world, try being one with only one hand and no assistance. It takes thirty minutes before the arm of the surgeon stops flailing about like a wet fish. Even after getting a handle on the wobbly inaccurate arm, it’s still fairly hard to get a grip on a medical tool and use it correctly. Get used to restarting missions due to blunders mostly outside of your control. Succeeding in a surgery is a matter of anger inducing experimentation.

No matter what you do, it’s going to be wrong until you can figure that only one – out of many bladed tools will actually slice an aorta. If you do make that genius discovery by stabbing a man with as many surgical instruments as possible, you can fumble fingers about the insides of the patient to pull free an organ or two. After finally tossing body parts all over the room, you can throw in the transplanted piece and proceed to the next level. Starting the next mission starts the journey all over again in a similar fashion, and unless you’re playing this like a wacky YouTube video… you’ll start to see this title as an iPad game that made it to the PC. Attempting to play this title with any sort of serious intentions is completely unwise.

The other option is to spend ten dollars of your money on a wacky game about blundering around knocking things off desks, and purposely or accidentally driving a drill into the exposed heart of a sleeping man. The graphics are bland but the physics are notable, and they can do some zany things without much coercion. Surgeon Simulator 2013 receives a D+ from Geek Citadel. I understand that the title was made as a joke, but the morbid laughs wear out within an hour, and we’re left wondering where’s the beef?

You are living a normal life, sipping on your delectable coffee, and BAM a speed car runs you down. Before your body can hit the pavement, the world has shifted into a hellish maze. Welcome to God Mode a challenge arena for the descendants of exiled deities of Mount Olympus. Four challengers head into five different mazes to take down demonic waves of enemies in hopes of earning glory and gold. Don’t expect any sort of camaraderie either, this isn’t a test of teamwork, it’s a test of greed and power.

It’s you against the world in God Mode, so set your sights on an enemy and run it down with a hail of bullets. It’s impossible to earn experience points by “tagging” an enemy with a gunshot. No matter the amount of damage done to the foe, if you do not get the killing blow, all that hard work diverts to someone else. Experience points allow players to unlock new gear and weapons, but only gold will make them available for use. The weapon selection is sparse but each weapon can be upgraded for more damage and ammo. The outfits on the other hand, do not alter much outside of adding a bandolier, a wacky face, or bulky shoulder plates. The challengers can also use special skills after building a rage meter, like a defense shield or a healing aura.

Combat is your standard fare third-person shooter. It’s clunky but adaptable after playing a couple of mazes. You cannot use cover like in most titles, instead players will utilize a slow and heavy roll to avoid incoming damage. It’s not a captivating system, but it works for the basic design of the combat. Players can pick up health, coins, ammo, and armor scattered around the stage. Each maze activates a random event that changes the dynamic of combat. In one section players will fling off unlimited bullets, in the next they will lose the ability to obtain item pickups, or instead face off against combatants wearing funny hats. The unpredictability of these events adds a bit of excitement to an otherwise basic shooter.

If anything, the presentation of God Mode is its strongest selling point. The visuals are not gorgeous, but they are slick, crisp, and clean. Large abominations loom in the backdrops, buildings explode and crumble, and luminescent sparks crackle from spells and explosions. It’s too bad that all the happenings on-screen can bog down the frame-rate, and reveal ugly bugs that can destroy an entire run. The sound design combines a jumble of roars and gunshots, and an often-nauseating commentator that wears out his welcome very early.

God Mode is a run-of-the-mill shooter that has very few distinctions that separate it from similar titles. The Horde mode aspect is done better as an extra multi-player mode in fully realized licenses. For a game designed around the feature it stands at half-mast with its approach.  God Mode receives a C- from Geek Citadel. This incredibly simplified shooter about gods is as mortal as it gets.

Xeno Clash II has one of the most confusing stories that I’ve ever witnessed. A giant bird creature named “Father-Mother” earns itself a place in jail for kidnapping children from their homes. Ghat and Rimat are the children of Father-Mother, and they are not taking too kindly to their parent’s lock-up. They break into prison to free it from the grips of the Golem – a creature that wishes to bring law and order to the savage inhabitants of Zenzoik. Ghat and Rimat want to protect Father-Mother, and find a way to take down the Golem.

It’s strange to be on the opposite side of something I’ve always considered to be wrong. Chucking someone in prison for kidnapping kids always felt like a no-brainer to me. Ghat and Rimat have been in Father-Mother’s care for a long time, and it’s understandable that they’ve grown attached to her. In all rights, the Golem wants what is best for them, but he is forcing them to adhere to his beliefs instead of letting them make the choice.

The heavy themes of the storyline could be appreciated better if the voice work was anything but ineffectual. Ghat is tolerable but the rest of the cast forgot how to express their emotions properly. Rimat is the worst of the offenders, because it sounds like she’s reading the script for the first time through a hollow can. It’s a shame too, because as much as I appreciate what the story is trying to do, the characters involved just don’t give a damn.

Zenozoik carries a beauty about it that one could only describe as “peculiar”. It’s a beautiful realm filled with the twisted splicing of humanoid and animal. Halstedom is a large slum style city held up by brick and mortar and decorated in the skulls of the dead. It’s just one of the bizarre paradises that make up the unconventional setting of Xeno Clash 2. The orchestrated music rises with the crashing of fist on flesh, but I had to turn it down a notch to hear some of the softer-spoken characters speak.

Combat takes the form of a first-person brawler. It’s similar to beat-em ups, but it takes a ton more skill to actually play it. Smashing on the buttons in hopes of a vicious knockout is a fool’s gamble. The enemy A.I. will dodge rampant blows and leave Ghat or Rimat breathless. Throwing punches and kicks takes a percentage of the stamina bar, and the more devastating the ability the bigger the chunk. Learning to bob and weave, block, and deflect blows are the keys to victory. Enemies will also move to surround our heroes, so they can’t stand around waiting for a solo attack like a Bruce Lee movie. They don’t care if a fight is already in progress, they will attack whenever they are in range. Therefore, it’s up to you to control the tide of combat and knock them off their guard.

It’s key to learn the nuances of the combat system. Timing a dodge after an enemy attacks and piling on a combo while they are exposed is a delight. The movement may not be smooth like silk, but you can avoid blows and barreling elephant men with ease. I would have preferred more kicks to the repertoire but the available moves serve their purpose. Weapons are available in clam chests or if removed from the grip of a felled foe. They pack quite a punch and range from strange bone guns, to skull pulverizing hammers. Since the title is designed around melee, the weapons run out of ammo or break after a small amount of uses, so they are only beneficial against stronger opponents.

A rudimentary system is in place that allows Ghat and Rimat to upgrade their skills. You do not earn skill points from fighting, but from random skulls hidden in various locations. Regardless of how you earn them, they can upgrade stamina, strength, and even leadership abilities. Since I am sure that, everyone is familiar with strength, stamina, and the like. I’ll explain the meaning of leadership. Leadership allows Ghat or Rimat to convince other fighters to ally with them against a common foe. The higher the leadership skill Ghat has, the greater the chance at picking up a powerful comrade for tougher battles.

Combat is the major selling point of the title, it’s an incredibly intense experience that emphasizes a unique gameplay style. The story weighs on your personal beliefs as a human, but it also makes you sympathize with the Ghat and Rimat who clearly have Stockholm syndrome. It’s just a shame that the voice over ruins what the story it’s trying to convey.

On the other side of the spectrum, this title features full on cooperative combat from start to finish. Although, I cannot really attest to how playable it is, because no one else would play with me for long on the test server. Despite that, Zeno Clash II receives a C+ from Geek Citadel, this title has an exciting albeit stiff fighting system, but the weak actor performance flattens an otherwise intriguing storyline.

*Each of these games were provided to us for review by the Publisher.

The post Geek Citadel Mini Reviews – Surgeon Simulator, God Mode, Zeno Clash 2 appeared first on Geek Citadel.

These “specialists” want to expand their criminal empire. They seek to accomplish this by searching for like-minded hooligans. Each character has their own section explaining the various heists. New characters appear during special quests that require you to save them from capture. These rescued characters will become integral pieces of the narrative. For example, The Gentleman has a yacht that the crooks can use to escape to a safer location of Monaco. It all ties together well into quirky Ocean’s Eleven style dialogue, with the gang of thieves getting a lot more than what they asked for.

Taking on a heist is both simple and daunting at the same time. Your approach will vary depending on which character is currently on the field. Before the player is a large blueprint, but as the crook moves along the area, a greater scope of the room reveals itself as long as the character can see it. Depending on where the thief is standing at the time, the stage highlights more of the available zone. The more open the area the higher the chance of discovery by wandering guards or security cameras. Hide in bushes, slink behind pillars, or slip through doors to avoid watchful eyes.

The various skills of the burglars change the very dynamic of each map. The lookout can see guards through walls, The Mole can dig dug his way through levels, and the redhead can seduce anyone into doing her bidding. The main goal in each stage is to complete the heist and escape, but there are coins the thieves can steal on the way to the goal. It is possible to grab most of the coins in early levels with all character types, but later on, it can be near impossible without the right skill set and a ton of patience. The same goes for completing levels that embed focused A.I. types like police officers with guns, or attack dogs that can track the scent of a discovered robber.

Monaco can become increasingly difficult during the later levels, but that is what makes it so damn compelling. Restarting a run because of one mishap is a frustratingly amusing part of the game. You get a feeling of accomplishment from conjuring a pattern that allows your thief to slink around trip-wires, dogs, and rotating surveillance cameras that conveniently restrict your path. There isn’t a sting of defeat to be found, you’ll want to restart and pick a different class and try various paths to success.

If running around solo is a little too difficult, the option to bring along four other roguish types is there. The optimal reasoning behind playing Multiplayer is to plan the perfect heist. I assume that is something that could work with a well-oiled team, but I was met with frenetic groups without a hint of organization to them. Usually this would leave me with the shivers and a disgusting feeling in the pit of my stomach, but somehow the on the fly shifting of strategy and chaotic cooperation random people proved to be nothing but pure amusement. Single-player may be fun, but cooperative play is how Monaco shows off its true sites.

The true spirit of each character skill rears both strength and weaknesses. The Lookout illuminates the wealth of traps and guards for other players, so that The Cleaner can knock them out, while The Hacker blacks out security to create a distraction for The Gentleman to snatch the loot. Unlike Single-Player, the game doesn’t end just because a crook meets his end. The other players can resuscitate their deceased buddy and get him back to his thieving ways.

It’s a blast but some of the characters prove to be less useful in these situations than others. The Redhead can charm anyone, but the player doesn’t have control of who. Even if you do charm someone, that person can only open doors for her and will stand idly by while bullets penetrate her face. The Mole only has his uses in heavily walled areas; and The Gentleman is most useful for using his disguise to save a wounded friend.

Monaco features vivid sprites that move across the map from a top-down view. Lively colors burst into the slate gray blueprint of the zone like a vibrant flashlight. Everything can quickly become an abstract painting filled with detailed pixelated objects intensified by brilliant illumination. The jazzy compositions can shift intensity into a high-tension drilling of piano keys that fortifies the chaos on-screen. Sound design plays a big part of the game play, with the crackling of footsteps of nearby guards, or the muttering of French when they’ve discovered a burglar. It’s definitely impressive and something that you won’t ignore during the experience.

This tense and pleasing puzzler adds a different twist on the stealth genre. It’s difficult alone but offers players the opportunity split the take four ways in cooperative play. Monaco: What’s Yours is Mine receives an B+ from Geek Citadel. A vast title of immense wealth and depth waits for you, and for $15… that’s practically a steal.

[/box_light]

The post Geek Citadel Reviews – Monaco: What’s Yours is Mines appeared first on Geek Citadel.