Beyond Skyrim- Bruma (english)

Skyrim breaths life!

Elder Scrolls Skyrim is probably one of the most modded game in recent history. After the creation kit had been released, people started to talk about re-making The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. However, the creators were dispersed and faced monumental job. Gradually it became clear that one team couldn't pull this together, so cooperation between teams was needed. Although current Beyond Skyrim consists of several projects, it is a strong sign of game development. And the product is indeed thrilling: northern side of Cyrodiil.

Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind DLC (english)

Return to Morrowind

Five years after Planemeld war our hero is once again called to help Vvardenfell. The ship, however, does sink and familiar Morag Tong agent Nayru Virian rescues the hero. At first, hero runs to the manifestation of Azura and learns that demigod Vivec is losing his power. Additionally, cloak&dagger policy between the houses is going on dangerously

Seems like we do have need of heroes… Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind is a hefty dose of nostalgy after 15 years. The game was played through the PC version early access.

Outlast 2 (english review)

Gore part 2

Blake Langermann acts as a cameraman for his wife when the couple explores rural areas of Arizona trying to find clues about murdered pregnant girl. After helicopter is brought down by unknown flash Lynn is missing and place is inhabited by a cult waiting for the Judgement Day. Of course they regard Lynns baby as the anticrist! Needless to say the religious violence is really important theme in this one.

Note: The article has a content warning.

Underrail (english)

Fallout like Metro

Underrail is an indie-project that I have been neglecting to report about. Well, the game is isometric role-playing adventure much like old Fallout 1&2. After some sort of apocalypse or other mishap humans live underground and fight against each other, mutant rats and cannibal gangs. The game begins when South Gate station accepts player character as a new occupant. After this our hero starts to make missions and scavenge around.

Mass Effect: Andromeda (english review)

80 hours of review

Elon Musks exist in future. Five colony ships are send from Milky Way to colonize Helious cluter in Andromeda galaxy. Six hundread years later Ryders family wakes up in another galaxy. Father Alec Ryder is a 'Pathfinder' for the Andromeda Initiative and both Sara and Scott still fledging explorers. The initiative has run to rocks since the whole space is made dangerous because anomaly called 'Scourge' which is indeed runaway dark energy. First contact to the local species called 'Kett' is immediately hostile and their leader shows interest towards the Pathfinder. The problems are not going to end soon because other space arks are missing and initiative leadership is not co-operating. The player can take either male or female Ryder and start deseperate project to find a home for colonists and turn the Helious cluster habitable!

Please note that the pictures in this review are both from earlier version and v.1.05! One can diffrentiate screenshots of with the shader quality.

P.A.M.E.L.A. (Early Access, English)

System Shock 2017

Despite the rather apalling name P.A.M.E.L.A. is hardcore scifi survival horror game. More than bit like in System Shock the main character wakes up from cyrogenic sleep in the futuristic town of Eden. Somekind of nanovirus pandemic has mutated all inhabitants to bloodthirsty monsters. The controlling artifical intelligence P.A.M.E.L.A.is the force behind awakening the main character. The goal of the game is to find out what has happened and save the city - somehow. The game is on early access at this moment and it's getting regular updates. I did produce a 'let's play'-video from the unboxing and first test. Keep in mind the video isn't current version.

Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited (english)

I was involved in Elder Scrolls Online beta-testing and I had keen interest about how to use the MMO for freeform roleplaying. In practice the game developer had huge layoffs before the publishing so the game was clearly broken. Maybe the worst wasn’t game itself but audience that wanted Online Skyrim, while the game was more of a traditional MMORPG. The monthly payment was also problem because most MMOs had switched to Free-To-Play model. The problems led to people leaving and bitching about the game - something that did make roleplaying difficult and spoiled the game for me. So how is the most expensive RPG of all times today? I ventured back to Tamriel to find out!

Children of a Dead Earth (english)

The Space is Hardcore

Have you ever wondered what kind of real spacebattle would be? Certanly nothing like something you see in Star Trek or Star Wars. ? Children of Dead Earth is a research dressed to game and it tries to ponder what kind of realistic space battle would be accordingly our current scientifical knowledge. The whole game is like antithesis of  science fantasy - even ships are basically cylinders and longest missions take few years!

EVERSPACE™ (english)

Bastard child of Elite Dangerous and FTL

"Rogue-like space shooter" is a term which isn't something that I am accustomed to hear. Rockfish Games did get its peculiar idea funded through crowdfunding. The base is space combat shooter with the elements of procedural level- and loot generation. How about the plot then? Well, still under developement I guess? The player is space sheriff that flies in the galactic no-mans land filled with destroyed capital ships from the epic war between humanity and aliens called 'Okkar'.

Explaining My Summer Car cultural refrences (english)

My Summer Car is an odd open world-car crafting-beer and job simulator from Finland. The game is set to 1995 when Finland had just joined to European Union and it’s main character is young finnish male. The game is culturally loaded and deals with real life issues of Finnish origin, most of which are not apparent to non-native finns and those things deserve closer examination and explanation.

White Noise 2 (english)

Who's afraid of Slenderman?

For me the first White Noise went under the raidar because I had reviewed similiar game called 'Damned'. Similiar in many ways White Noise was 4 vs. 1 game with four heroes and one monster. White Noise 2 aims to improve the concept.

Syndrome (english)

Amnesia in space

Engineer Gailen wakes up head hurting and memory lost from cyrogenic cold sleep. Cargo ship Valkeburg is drifting with systems down and there's bloodthirsty mutants wandering around in the corridors. Suppose this has already seen few times already? Syndrome is seventh published game from indie developer Camel 101. Stealth is hard playing style to master but luckly Syndrome does generate genuine interest with it's gameplay.

FATED: The Silent Oath (english)

Family values in Viking world!                                          

Ulfer wakes up in Valhalla where valkyrie offers him change to save his family. The cost is loose his voice. This starts family adventure set to viking mythology. Ulfer is trying to protect small group of refugees including his wife and kids. The home village has been destroyed in mysterious event and ancient giants, the jötnar, have appeared. FATED: The Silent Oath is designed from start to be VR-game and the interaction is happening with the controller and from comfy sit position.

Space Run Galaxy (Early Access) (english)

Truckers of the space!

Sometimes the one man projects do succeed. Space run was tower-defence game joined to
thespaceship management.The goal was to trucker stuff from planet to another. Space Run Galaxy is a refined sequel that adds shared world to the concept. We tested the early access- and the review version  of the game.

Good Robot (eng)

Robot Rebellion

Pyrodactyl is international indie-developer from India, United States and Canada. Merits include publishing of ‘Unrest’, that’s RPG set to ancient India. However Good Robot takes wholy diffrent approach: in 2031 humanity has contaminated our planet and Pyrocorp has dug up towns under earth’s crust with robots. However because computer virus robots decided to kill humans and last ‘Good Robot’ is called to fight against it’s kind.

Keep Talking And Nobody Explodes (eng)

How to break up with your friends!

 

It's probably that only professionals should dispose bombs but luckly there's manual of every types of bombs! Keep Talking And Nobody Explodes is a co-op multiplayer game that needs only one laptop. From the two players the expert player is tasked to read the manual without possibility to check on the screen! I did take the game to the Bytecamp and did test it with demanding crowd of 12-year olds.