Gears of War: E-Day Multiplayer (BETA)

What interested me going into this Multiplayer Beta wasn’t – you might be surprised to hear – the Multiplayer. It was, for me at least, a chance to see what Gears of War: E-Day looked like visually, how it performed technically and most importantly – how it felt to play. I never played Gears MP back in the day on the 360. So my primary interest in E-Day was – and remains – the story campaign.

This beta, I’m pleased to say, was a far more smooth experience than my last (see my recent Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls Beta post). I was able to install the beta client and perform the shader compilation prior to the open release so when it did unlock, I could hit the ground running. Signing in with an MS account was optional, not mandatory, but I chose to do so and it connected flawlessly.

The beta included a range of customisation choices and a handy benchmark utility with only a few (beta) locked options. And it featured quite a substantial range of content. There was a practice / training mode which was my first port of call with a short tutorial segment followed by various combat exercises.

It’s been many, many years since I’ve played a Gears game – not since Gears 3 in 2011. There’s a . . . I suppose you could call it ‘deliberate clunkiness’ to the movement system. It takes a little getting used to. Turning isn’t quick and the field of view is low, creating a somewhat sluggish and at times claustrophobic experience in combat.

But that’s the vibe they were going for – you’re a slab of meat in a heavy suit of armour getting up close and nasty. You do have some mobility – the classic dodge roll and sprint – but you’re not the most agile of soldiers. You’re designed to take a beating as much as dish one out.

Your guns have quite heavy recoil too – spraying and praying isn’t the best option as you’ll burn through ammo fast. Despite not playing a Gears game for over a decade, I fell back into old habits quite quickly – snapping to cover, blind firing around corners (the first time I gibbed a Locust around a corner with the shotgun felt just as satisfying as it did back in Gears 1) nailing the active reload and chainsawing my way through my opponents in one hell of a bloody mess.

So far, so Gears. Nothing particularly new or revolutionary. Just solid, satisfying third person action. This was enough for me to know that provided the campaign looked good, E-Day was a game I’d probably pick up – if not at release, at least in a future sale.

But, I figured I’d give the MP a try. Why not? And to my surprise, I enjoyed it quite a lot! The beta included a Versus mode with two maps and two modes – Team Death Match and Domination. It took a few games to get a feel for things, but I was soon rolling, sliding and gibbing other players through both modes with a grin on my face. There’s nothing fancy about it. It’s surprisingly old-school in terms of design. No gimmicks. Just pure MP carnage.

And then I tried the other mode included in this beta – Horde Siege. And this is where I ended up spending the next few days playing until the beta ended. Horde Siege itself is split into multiple modes and difficulties. There’s a tutorial version for new players and then a main version of Siege split into a shorter (Blitz) or standard (Siege) version.

In Siege the goal is to enter a map (one included in the beta) with a team of four players, complete various missions and then safely extract. But you’re not the only team on the map. There are two other teams of four also working on their own objectives and your paths will often cross. This isn’t a competitive mode but a co-operative one. As teams cross paths they’ll often help each other out and the map will sometimes throw up a large scale boss fight that every team can join forces to defeat and claim a reward.

You’ll earn a currency as you play you can use to buy ammo, equipment or mission limited upgrades for your squad. There is a level system in place both for you and for the various classes with unlocks including new weapons, weapon mods, armour mods and a variety of cosmetic customisation options. A lot of which can be purchased using ‘weapon parts’ that you’ll collect as rewards for completing missions in Siege.

The other included mode was Horde – which is exactly what you might expect. A simple mission to survive 10 waves of enemies. I only played this the once, but enjoyed it. In fact, I’d have loved to have played more, including more Versus matches but sadly the beta ended before I had a chance. But it’s safe to say I thoroughly enjoyed what I did get to play.

I do have my reservations regarding the longevity of Horde Siege as it currently exists. More maps and boss encounters would help but it is, by its nature, designed around a repetitive – if undoubtedly enjoyable – structure. It’s hard to see how they can keep mixing it up to keep players engaged long term. But maybe that’s not the goal. Not every game need to be an ever-ongoing live service experience, after all.

Overall, this beta gave me exactly what I wanted from it. E-Day still feels like Gears, and the technical and visual presentation is on point. I also discovered a very fun multiplayer mode I wasn’t expecting and although the campaign remains the reason I’ll be playing E-Day, I think I’ll be spending more time online with it than I first thought.

Now Playing: REPLACED

I shared my impressions of the demo for REPLACED back in March and I summed up that post by saying that whilst the demo had left me wanting more, I had a sense that the game may prove more style than substance and that it would ‘likely live and die on its narrative aspects rather than its gameplay’. So let’s see if I was right, eh?

REPLACED is undoubtedly a very stylish game – with striking pixel art visuals, cinematic framing and an appropriately pounding synth-driven soundtrack – this is a game that never fails to impress visually or audibly during the ten or so hour play time.

And yes, it’s undoubtedly true that the style of REPLACED does elevate the overall experience. But it’s also true that REPLACED does possess the substance needed to carry you through, both in terms of gameplay and narrative.

Set in an alternative 1980s, you play as Reach, an artificial intelligence that finds itself inhabiting the body of its human creator and forced to go on the run from the sinister Phoenix Corporation. What Reach was created for and why the Phoenix Corporation so desperately wants him back aren’t aspects I’ll touch upon here because I don’t wish to spoil the experience.

But I also don’t want to oversell things. The story is very good, but not amazing – it’s nothing we haven’t seen before. There aren’t any surprises and no great twists. But the story is well paced, well presented and well told and sometimes, that’s all a game needs.

There’s a feeling of ‘heaviness’ to Reach in the way he moves and fights. Every action feels deliberate and demands a degree of precision. It’s an interesting choice given that fluidity and speed are the more recent ‘go to’ development choices when it comes to movement and combat mechanics.

Not here. REPLACED offers little leeway and can be unforgiving – frustratingly so at times, I admit. The game offers a mix of platforming, combat and puzzles. Puzzles are few and far between and very simple to solve. Platforming consists of jumps, swings and good timing. Combat operates like a 2D version of the Batman Arkham games with alert indicators, counter moves and a few special gadgets to mix things up.

The platforming is fairly easy once you get a feel for the ‘heaviness’ of the movement, and the game does utilise the modern ‘yellow paint’ system to highlight exactly where you can and can’t go. That said, the highly detailed and visually busy environments can sometimes make it unclear exactly where you’re supposed to jump next at times, leading to some unfortunate deaths.

I also encountered some buggy situations when using the pick axe – a traversal and combat tool that you’ll collect early in the game – not always connecting with the environment, leading to more unfortunate deaths. I also encountered one bug where Reach refused to grab a pipe I needed to slide down, falling to his death several times until I managed to get him to connect.

Checkpoints are fairly generous though, and there is a chapter select option which, if you do hit a traversal bug and get stuck, a quick reload should fix the issue. I don’t think there’s anything seriously wrong here – just a few little things I hope the developers can smooth out.

Combat is surprisingly fun and offers just enough depth and variety to see you through from beginning to end. You’ll start with a simple baton and melee attack, but as you progress you’ll unlock the pick (for cutting through enemy shields or armour) a gun (for limited range attacks and stylish finishing moves) and then extra ‘gadget’ abilities that I won’t spoil here.

Enemy variety also offers just the right amount of variety to keep you engaged – this is a game that knows how to pace itself in pretty much every department. Be they combat or traversal mechanics, new environments or new enemy types, REPLACED always has a new trick up its sleeve.

Combat, like movement, has a ‘heaviness’ to it and, given the limited shots of his gun (which needs to recharge) Reach relies far more on melee attacks and precise proximity in combat. I played REPLACED on Hard and that’s actually the difficulty I’d recommend for everyone because it’s really not that hard – but it does force you to consider distance and the slower pace of movement (Reach won’t dodge, duck or strike instantly, so timing is key).

Reach can counter enemies that attack with a ‘yellow’ indicator, but ‘red’ attacks can only be dodged. It’s simple, but effective. Like so much of REPLACED, it’s a tried and tested system that’s fun and satisfying, but it’s all wrapped up and elevated by the impeccable presentation.

That said, there are times where, like the platforming, the visually busy environments and the cinematic framing can actually be detrimental to the experience as – in certain situations – it makes it hard to read enemy indicators. Enemies also ‘linger’ in the background of a fight before stepping in – and sometimes it’s hard to read which enemies are active and which aren’t leading to you attempting to strike enemies that are actually in the background.

Overall, REPLACED is excellent and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it. It’s a game that’s clearly been a labour of love for the developers, crafted down the years with care and precision. It’s not without its flaws and yes, it can be argued that the core of the game lacks a degree of substance and relies on its presentation and style to carry it through.

And yes, there’s some truth to that. But even so, if you’re gonna lean on style, you wanna make it the best – and few games can say they’re as stylish as REPLACED. That said, whilst the style may catch your eye, it’s the surprisingly solid gameplay and engaging narrative that keeps you playing.

8/10

MARVEL Tokon: Fighting Souls (BETA)

‘Download MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls OPEN BETA! Download and Play Now!’ After wrapping up the Dead Space remake, seeing this notification pop up was a pleasant surprise. I was eager to jump in. Could this be the next Marvel vs. Capcom? Would it play as good as it looked? I downloaded the beta and installed it immediately.

What follows was supposed to be my impressions of the MARVEL Tokon: Fighting Souls Beta. Instead, it’s my impressions of trying to play the MARVEL Tokon: Fighting Souls Beta:

I click Play. Nothing happens. Oh wait – it’s just installing a few prerequisites. It’s fine. The game begins to load. Here we go! The splash screen appears. PlayStation Studios! It’s stuttering but – probably just compiling shaders. MARVEL GAMES! More stuttering!

Okay, we’re finally at the Main Menu. Let’s see what – oh, it’s frozen up. Okay, let’s – oh, it’s a firewall issue. I can fix that. Okay. Let’s try this again. Start it up. Less stuttering. Good. Main Menu. ‘Press Any Button’. Press button!

Nothing. Oh wait. Something. A pop-up window. ‘Sign in to your PSN Account’. What if I don’t have a PSN Account? ‘Create a PSN Account!’ But do I really need to create a PSN account just for a beta? Seriously? An account I’ll likely never use again? Cancel.

‘ATTENTION: You must sign in to PlayStation to access online features’. Okay, but what about OFFLINE features? Can’t I just skip the sign-in and try out the single player versus CPU mode? Back to Main Menu.

‘Press Any Button’. Press button! A pop up window. ‘Sign in to your PSN Account’. GROAN! Okay, fine – ‘Create a PSN Account’. Nothing happens! Let’s try again. Nothing happens! Cancel. ‘ATTENTION: You must sign in to PlayStation to access online features’ I’M TRYING!

Quit game. Restart. Try again. Same outcome. Go on Steam forums: ‘Can’t make a PSN Account’. ‘Stuck at Main Menu’. ‘Can’t Launch the Game’. ‘Crashes after logging in to PSN’. ‘Can’t Play the Game’.

I’m an old man now and I don’t have the patience for this shit. Right click. Uninstall.

I know it’s only a beta, but come the f**k on. If you’re going to make an online account a requirement, you’d better make it work! If Sony want an all digital platform going forward, they sure as shit need to overhaul their online infrastructure.

Now Playing: Dead Space (Remake)

When I reviewed the original Dead Space on this blog way back in 2013, I gave it a very positive review – and, if you’re curious, you can read that review here. It was a game I always wanted to replay but never quite got around to, so when I saw the 2023 remake go on sale recently, I figured it would be a perfect way to revisit the title today. It only took me . . . thirteen years! Where does the time go, eh?

Thirteen years is a long time and honestly, what I remember about the original isn’t much. I remembered the name of our protagonist – Isaac Clarke. I remembered it was set on the USG Ishimura – an interstellar mining ship. I remembered the plasma cutter and dismembering monsters. I remembered zero-g sections. I remembered the ‘Marker’ – the mysterious artefact the Ishimura discovered.

I remembered the sounds and the flickering lights. I remembered the oppressive, industrial atmosphere. It was the ‘vibe’ of the game that stuck with me more than anything. It was classic survival horror at its best. Tense. Dark. Punishing. But beyond that? I didn’t recall the other weapons, characters, levels or progression. For me, playing this remake was almost like playing Dead Space again for the very first time.

So this review is more so of the game – does it still hold up now in 2026? – than it is a review of how the remake compares to the original. Because I don’t recall the original clearly enough to make a fair comparison.

What I can say though is that this remake does what all great remakes do – it fools you into thinking this is how the original looked and played. When I first loaded up the game I thought to myself – does this really look much better than the original?

A quick hop on YouTube made me realise how very wrong I was. Dead Space 2023 is a fantastic visual overhaul not just in the sense that it looks great, but because it perfectly captures and enhances the feeling of the original in a way that the visuals of the time couldn’t adequately capture. It’s Dead Space as it was meant to be – and how I always remembered it looking, even if it never did look this good!

And there are other things too – like Isaac now speaks! Although I was sure Isaac was silent in the original, his dialogue feels so natural and integrates so smoothly into this remake that I questioned my memory again – was he really a silent a protagonist in the original? In this case, I was right! But once again – the remake was tricking me into thinking this was just how it was because it did it so well.

As for other tweaks and changes I really can’t say without replaying the original to compare scene for scene. I understand the movement and aiming system has been enhanced, and I know some level layouts have been altered a little to ease up on backtracking. But what I can say is that nothing in this remake stood out as being ‘added’ or ‘out of place’ to me. Everything flowed together naturally, like this was just how it was supposed to be.

If that’s all you want from a remake then Dead Space 2023 delivers – it’s respectful of the original with smart, meaningful tweaks that enhance the core experience, without trying to overshadow it or misguidedly ‘improve’ it by making sweeping or unnecessary cuts, changes or additions.

As for the question – does Dead Space still hold up now in 2026? The answer is simple: yes! Not a ‘yes, but–’ . . . just ‘yes!’ Dead Space remains a great survival horror game and – although I hate to say it because it makes me feel old – should be rightfully regarded as a classic of the genre. But it did release back in 2008 meaning it’s coming up on 20 years(!) old. That’s more terrifying to me than a necromorph!

If you’ve never played Dead Space or, like me, are an old fan looking to replay it, then this remake is the perfect way to do so. The game is well paced with a steady stream of new weapons, foes and environments. Despite largely taking place in a single location, Dead Space mixes things up by bouncing Isaac between various decks – engineering, crew quarters, medical – all of which offer their own twisted and tense challenge. It’s very reminiscent of System Shock 2 in that regard – and you all know how much I love that one!

It does feel more ‘action’ focused than the original did – the necromorph encounters in the original were all scripted whereas in the remake, there’s an AI ‘Intensity Director’ running in the background that keeps you on your toes by monitoring your progress and ramping up the stress as and when it feels you need a fright. As a result, enemies don’t always spawn in the same place twice and even the environment can change with slight tweaks to lighting or fog effects.

It certainly gives the game more replay value when you can’t be sure exactly what the game’s gonna throw at you. For me, it felt like the ‘Intensity Director’ – which sounds like a sex toy – always thought I was doing a little too well and would sometimes spawn just a few too many enemies in, making it feel more like an action horror game at times than a survival one.

And that’s the direction the series took after the first game, with Dead Space 2 (also reviewed in 2013 – here) leaning even harder into action than horror, and finally 3 which I never played because it seemed to stray even further from what I loved about the original. Given that plans for any remakes of Dead Space 2 or 3 are currently shelved, it’s a shame this remake stands alone. But even so, if you’re a fan of survival horror, this is well worth your time.

8/10

Steam Summer Sale: Damage Report

A rather lean Summer Sale this year with just four purchases. I had planned on picking up several VR games too, but with the UK feeling like a raging inferno at the time of writing, I’m in no mood to strap a heated screen to my face – those will have to wait until the Autumn.

First up is the Dead Space remake. I reviewed the original back in 2013 and liked it a lot. I’ve been meaning to replay it ever since and with this highly regarded remake on sale for only 4.99, I figured this would be the best way to do so.

And the Resident Evil 4 remake is a similar situation. I played the original on the GameCube at release but haven’t revisited the title in years. I did play a demo of this remake and was a little on the fence about it, hence me waiting for this sale. I’m curious to see if I enjoy this as much as the Resident Evil 2 remake, or if it leaves me disappointed like the Resident Evil 3 one.

Next up is REPLACED. I enjoyed the demo I played and wrote about recently, so this was an easy purchase and, amusingly, the only technically ‘new’ game I bought this sale because next up is Final Fantasy VII: Remake Intergrade the first part of a remake trilogy.

I’ve never played the original so I’m curious to see how I feel about a ‘remake’ I’ve seen described as taking a very different path, with significant changes to gameplay, story and structure. I’ve had this on my wish list for so long now, I figured I should finally give it a shot.

Now Playing: Alien: Rogue Incursion (VR)

In Alien: Rogue Incursion VR (Part One) you play as Zula Hendricks, a former Marine on a mission to rescue a friend from an alien infested research facility. She’s accompanied by Davis, a friendly Working Joe synthetic – the creepy low budget androids as seen in the fantastic Alien: Isolation.

And Rogue Incursion does feel like a spin-off of Isolation as the game not only references Amanda Ripley, but also utilises a lot of similar mechanics and visual design. There is a non-VR version available called the ‘Evolved Edition’ but I can’t imagine this experience, which was designed and balanced primarily for VR, translates into a non-VR format in a way that’s half as much fun.

The story side of the game is a little weak. It’s certainly not helped by making the same mistake many other VR games tend to which is to dump all the set up to the plot into an introductory sequence with limited interactivity. Because when playing a VR game, that initial period is when players are getting a feel for the game – the controls, movement, any necessary comfort options – and trying to do that whilst a character delivers exposition usually results in a ‘wait, can you repeat that?’ situation.

As a result, when Zula first stepped out of her ship and into the facility, I still wasn’t entirely clear who I was, where I was or what my goal was. The way Zula and Davis interacted made me wonder if there was a prologue comic or novel setting up their characters and their previous interactions with Amanda Ripley.

And – yeah, it turned out that there is! More than one, in fact – none of which I’ve read, which might be why so much of what they referenced was totally lost on me. That said, it’s not a bad little story. It is, however, as the title suggests, only ‘Part One’ of the story and, sadly may be the only part given the recent financial troubles and lay-offs of the development team.

Despite the ‘Part One’ tag, Rogue Incursion does offer a decent campaign that has a clear conclusion even if it does end in a way that sets up a sequel. It took me just over six hours to complete on the easiest difficulty, but there’s plenty of replay value if you want to spend time tracking down the various collectibles and accessing every locked area of the facility.

I put the game on the easiest difficult because I just didn’t have the patience for dealing with the bullet sponges the aliens become when you jack it up. Combat is, unfortunately, the weakest part of the experience. This is far more ‘Aliens’ than ‘Alien’ and you’ll be blasting xenos with your classic pulse rifle very early into the campaign.

You’ll also get to use a revolver and shotgun and proximity grenades. The shooting feels a little wonky. There’s this weird ‘snap to aim’ system whereby the game simulates Zula bracing the rifle against her shoulder but it’s still off centre of your view, so I never found it comfortable or accurate to use – in fact, I’d say it’s easier not to use it.

The real problem with the combat is the aliens – they look decent enough and are animated well enough but . . . they’re also kind of dumb. And I think there’s too many small, obvious encounters as you progress. The music cues always give them away and then let you know when it’s safe. In a game like this, you want to constantly feel on edge, unsure where the next attack might come from.

But the game loses some of that tension when it forces you into small, regular, easy to deal with and clearly sign posted encounters. It becomes a little too predictable. That’s not to say the game doesn’t have its moments of genuine tension, panic – even fear. Crawling through dark vents and then hearing a rapid ‘thud thud thud’ behind you only to spin around and see a xeno scurrying straight at you is a genuine ‘nope!’ moment.

Those are the moments where Rogue Incursion really shines and it really needed more of them. I understand the desire to keep the player engaged, but you don’t need to do that by continually drip feeding little combat encounters every few minutes, especially when they’re so easy to see coming. Less is often more, particularly in a horror game.

Visually, Rogue Incursion looks good. Not great, but good. And unlike another VR game I played recently (Metro Awakening) it gets the brightness levels just right. Yes, it’s dark – as it should be – but never so dark that you can’t see what’s going on. The game really nails the atmosphere. Dark, smoky, blinking lights – and it’s all enhanced by good audio and music.

Your progression is based on acquiring new tools or key cards to access new areas. It does sometimes feel like it amounts to a lot of fetch quests but the game does also have some really good set-piece moments too – like being trapped in an alien nest. It does, unfortunately, also feature some rather tedious and frustrating back tracking towards the end of the game – and if you want to get every collectible, you’re going to be doing even more.

Although it does feel like it drags towards the end, there is a satisfying final boss fight to be had. And despite my gripes with it, I can still see myself wanting to replay it in the future to find all those collectibles. If you’re a fan of Aliens, if you liked Alien: Isolation and if you’re looking for a solid first person VR game, then Rogue Incursion is worth checking out.

7/10