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

Gallery: Forza Horizon 6

Now Playing: Forza Horizon 6

After writing such a glowing First Impressions post for Forza Horizon 6, I’m at something of a loss for what to write about in this review without simply repeating myself. Because everything I said in that post still applies now – Forza Horizon 6 oozes quality. It’s one of the most polished and technically proficient games in terms of performance you’ll play on PC this year.

It’s a fantastic driving game with an amazing map to explore and a significant variety of content to get stuck into. The new driving model is great, with a greater emphasis on proper tuning, and the wristband system and car class requirements improve the sense of progression as you expand your garage. It looks amazing. It sounds amazing.

The character models still look like ass, though! It is a little strange, given how often the character models appear throughout the game that they look so, so terrible – if there’s one area where the Forza Horizon series can most definitely improve, it’s this one!

I’ve seen a feeling expressed online that Forza Horizon 6 is ‘too safe’ or ‘too familiar’ to those who have played the series for years and I can understand those arguments to a degree. As someone who has only played Forza Horizon 5 prior to this title, even I must acknowledge that there is a sense of familiarity between the two games.

That said, these are not yearly releases, and with nearly 5 years between the release of Horizon 5 and 6, I’d say that’s enough time for that feeling to fade – providing it’s not the only game you play! And Forza 5 was (I believe?) the most successful game in the franchise to date. Given the rising cost and risk of modern game development, I can understand taking a ‘if it ain’t broke’ approach to design.

I think if you’re going to acknowledge that Horizon 6 is a ‘safe’ sequel, then you should also acknowledge that – because both are true, and one informs the other.

That said, I think there is a big question about where the Forza Horizon series goes from here, because even though I loved 5 and love 6 even more, even I can’t help but feel that the same kind of template design but on a new map may not be quite enough for the next one. It feels like they’ve pushed this existing framework as far as it can go and need to seriously re-evaluate and innovate in the next entry.

What form would that take? Honestly, I can’t say and I don’t know, and given the apparent success of Horizon 6, which may even surpass 5 going forward, I also wouldn’t blame them if they continue to stick to the tried and tested – but I also wouldn’t be as excited to play it. I think this is a dilemma that the very talented team at Playground Games need to figure out, but I also have faith that they can.

I’m currently at more than 60 hours clocked in Forza Horizon 6 with all wristbands obtained and all races completed. I have a few drift challenges to work on – you can’t quite cheese the drift point system in 6 as easily as in 5 (boo!). I also have quite a few ‘story’ missions left to play. Like Forza 5, these are fun little diversions, but there’s no great substance to them.

My favourites so far are the driving tours giving you a relaxed insight into the local areas of Japan the map represents. You can sit back, engage auto-drive and just enjoy the stunning scenery and learn a little about the area you’re exploring. I’ve seen some suggestions that rather than these short, disparate little ‘stories’, Playground could build a proper ‘narrative campaign’ that ties into the player’s core festival progression. And that could work – but is that really what the majority of players want?

I think that’s the tricky balance they need to find – between an unrestricted sandbox where players can tackle content as they please versus a more structured sense of progression. Because even in Forza 6, I’ve seen some unhappy with how the wristband system locks them out of content until they advance in rank, or annoyed by the class restrictions that force them to utilise different vehicles rather than the few they prefer.

But that’s a problem for people smarter than me to solve, eh? Overall, Forza Horizon 6 is another fantastic entry in a fantastic series that just keeps going from strength to strength. I don’t know what the future holds, but I’m excited and hopeful for where they go next.

9/10