The Metal: Hellsinger VR Demo is a collaborative effort from game developers Lab42 and The Outsiders that takes the flat version of the game from 2022 and makes it virtual. Now your journey through hell blasting away demons in rhythm to metal music, you’ll be doing it full scale virtual reality.

You can get a taste of the game right now on Steam as the game devs have released a demo which includes the first two levels. The VR version of the game is more than just a straight port of the game. The devs are committed to using the new gameplay mechanics available in virtual reality.

Every weapon is retooled for maximum effect in VR. Each weapon will feel different to use. The developers have created a new hub dubbed The Unknown’s Lair for players to regroup and strategize before tackling the next level. The hub will also contain options for setting gameplay options as well as exploring lore. In keeping with the lair motif, the options take the form of arcane volumes.

Also available in the hub is weapon and level selection. Additionally, you can review your statistics. All of these functions are designed to work in a VR manner where you can reach and touch or grab items. The game devs are taking great pains to include a host of VR options that in today’s VR game market should be standard.

Hellacious Options

So there will be options for vignettes, snap/continuous turning, turning speed adjustment, head vs hand directional movement and more. For the game in particular because it is a rhythm based game, there will be options for beat indicator, aim assist, automatic/manual weapon pumping and height calibration.

Graphically, the game looks impressive when played on my Quest 2 using a AMD 7800 XT GPU. (Can’t wait to try this when the PC adapter for the PSVR 2 becomes available in August).The level design is such that even though the game is arena based, each stage visually flows into the next one. This approach gives a great feeling of more space than there actually is. The game depicts the hellish environments in an impressive array of colors, with the reds especially popping out.

The reds are notable because some enemies are winged demons that pulse internally with the red in time to the music. This provides a great visual aid when to time your attacks for maximum impact. From the levels available in the demo, there is a decent variety of enemy types that evoke, but do not copy, the Doom enemies.

One option available is a Beat Indicator, which is a reticule that overlays an enemy. It shows you the optimum moment to attack for optimal damage. String together enough maximum hits and you will get a prompt for a finishing attack. This is a combination dash and slash attack where you put down an enemy using your skull handled sword, the Terminus.

Metal: Hellsinger Weapons

Other included weapons in the demo are the Paz, a sentient skull that acts as a pistol. For the shotgun equivalent you have the Persephone, better known as the Queen of Death. For two handed firepower, there are the Hounds, Cerberus and Orthrus. The designers gave each weapon a demonic overall and they look very cool.

Two of the eight ‘hells’ are available in the demo and feature some of the music, which is a vital aspect of the game. For the first level, Voke, there are two songs by Mikael Stanne of Dark Tranquillity. Stanne along with Alissa White-Gluz from Arch Enemy each have a song on the second level, Stygia.

Music is a vital part of the game, and they have collected an impressive array of metal talent. The soundtrack includes work from such artists as the composer duo, Two Feathers plus vocalists like Serj Tankian from System of a Down, Matt Heady from Trivium, and Randy Blythe from Lamb of God.

As you move through a level, the music becomes more layered. It moves from simple rhythmic beats to add more instrumentation and then vocals. This is a great approach, as it heightens the tension as the enemies and action ratchet up.

Coming 2024

A specific release date has not revealed yet beyond sometime in 2024. Metal: Hellsinger will include most of the content from the original game except for the Leviathan mode. The game will officially support the Quest 2, Quest 3, PSVR 2, HTC Vive and Quest Pro. There will be DLC to purchase upon game launch.

Metal: Hellsinger comes across as a cross between Pistol Whip and Hellsweeper, both great VR games in their own right. Considering the positive reaction the flat game has received and what the demo shows, Metal: Hellsinger VR is ready to make a fun entry in the VR Rhythm game genre.

***Metal: Hellsinger key provided by the publisher.***

The post Riffing in the Abyss: Metal: Hellsinger VR Preview appeared first on COGconnected.

2024 has been a tough one for the PSVR 2. Many influencers post a constant stream lamenting that “PSVR 2 is dead” or “Sony has abandoned PSVR 2.” There is no denying things for VR in general have slowed down but that is expected given it is a niche market and overall gaming is in a downward trend.

The other popular misconception is that PSVR 2 has no games. With a robust library of over 200 titles, this simply is not true. Yes, the PSVR 2 library has a fair share of Meta ports but those ports also happen to be the BEST version of those games.  What the PSVR 2 library has is QUALITY over QUANTITY. Make a list of the top VR games and in the top ten, most of them will be PSVR 2 games. With the exception of Half Life Alyx, the most highly regarded games are on the PSVR 2.

To prove this claim, check out the top ten games on the PSVR 2. This list is based on Without Parole‘s recent top 25 list and my own personal preferences.

Top 10 PSVR 2 Games:

10. Walkabout Mini- Golf

Like golf? Social games? A variety of unique courses? Then check this game out. It is constantly getting new courses – some based on popular content such as Jules Verne’s – 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The best part is that you can play them with up to 8 players.

9. Synapse

Want to know what it feels like to be a Jedi Knight? This non-Star Wars game comes the closest to letting you realize that dream. With it’s eye tracking based interaction, you can lift, move, throw, or destroy environmental objects. You can also do the same to enemies. Darth Vader, eat your heart out!

8. Red Matter 1 & 2

Few games can capture the awe and wonder of being in deep space better than the Red Matter series. In this alternate future series you must travel to other planets, moons, and space stations to solve the mystery of the elusive and dangerous Red Matter. The games are a mix of exploration, action, and puzzle solving set against some of the most beautiful and awe inspiring backgrounds in real life scale, you will ever encounter.

7.  Madison

Horror and VR go together like chocolate and peanut butter. Take the most scientifically rated scary game, put it in VR, and be prepared to be scared. Bring diapers!

6. Legendary Tales

Looking for a full fledged RPG in VR? Legendary Tales will fill that bill with a mix of melee weapons, magic, castles, dungeons, and hordes of enemies to battle. All of this in a lengthy campaign.

5. No Man’s Sky

One of the most successful turn around stories in gaming, No Man’s Sky has not only been resuscitated, it has been revolutionized with the addition of VR. The PSVR 2 version is the prime VR experience and Hello Gaming keeps on providing constant updates. This is an evergreen game you can keep on playing.

4. Saints & Sinners – 1 & 2

The best VR zombie games ever. Skydance has nailed weapon physics with weapons that have a great sense of weight, heft, and inertia. Setting in the wonderfully atmospheric Cajun vibes of New Orleans, this two zombie games offer a primo experience.

3. Resident Evil Village

Capcom has done an amazing job of converting their Resident Evil games to VR. Resident Evil 7 on the PSVR 1 was awesome and, in my opinion, remains the scariest one to date. On the PSVR 2, the level of detail for RE 8 and 4 rival their flat screen counterparts. One could easily flip positions with RE 8 & 4. RE 8 is the more VR interactive of the two but I prefer the story and the lighting of RE 4 more.

2. Resident Evil 4 Remake

Resident Evil 4 Remake in VR  is amazing. After playing RE7 in VR, I could never go back to playing these games, flatscreen. RE4 looks fantastic in VR with the only knock that some of the game interactions revert to flat screen experiences breaking the immersion factor. However, getting to play this game at a real life scale is a real treat.

1. Gran Turismo 7

VR and simulation games with a cockpit are a perfect marriage. To be seated in a dream car depicted in real life scale is just amazing. Add in a force feedback wheel and pedal set and you can really believe you are in a powerful racing machine. This is another evergreen game that you can play forever.

Top 10 PSVR 2 Games Conclusion

There you have it. An impressive list of PSVR games, indeed. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many other great PSVR 2 games for you to check out.

What are your thoughts on the list? Do you agree with my selection? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook or Twitter, and don’t forget to subscribe to us on YouTube for more great video game content.

The post Top 10 PSVR 2 Games So Far appeared first on COGconnected.

School is out! Which makes it a perfect time to go to Hogwart’s Legacy. It is COGconnected’s duty, and and joy, to gather the hottest game deals into this one article to help you out. Here is a potpourri of games to play.  Here’s a mix of games you may be interested in – Hogwart’s Legacy leads the charge for Potterheads. But fear not for the rest of the you. There are some other great franchises to choose from – Miles Morales, God of War and an old standby – The Master Chief himself!  Hopefully, there will be a game or two that will pique your interest. 

Unicorn Overlord – $49.96 (Save 38%)

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch) – $70.00 (Save 12%)

Hogwarts Legacy – Nintendo Switch – $49.96 (Save 23%)

Just Dance 2024 Edition – Nintendo Switch – $39.99 (Save 50%)

Hogwarts Legacy: Digital Deluxe Edition – PlayStation 5 – $44.99 (Save 55%)

Dead Space PlayStation 5 – $39.96 (Save 11%)

God of War (PC) – $32.57 (Save 50%)

Cyberpunk 2077 (PC) – $17.49 (Save 65%)

HALO: THE MASTER CHIEF COLLECTION (PC) – $12.49 (Save 75%)

Did you grab some sales this weekend? Let us know in the comments below. If you’re looking for some hardware deals we’ve found some great steals available too right here!

Thank you for keeping it locked on COGconnected.

The post Jump into Hogwarts Legacy Now That School’s Out & It’s on Sale appeared first on COGconnected.

School is out and with it comes some monitor madness! So it’s time for some weekend hardware deals that will set you up for sizzling summer gaming. COGconnected has scoured the internet looking for any deals. This time, Samsung leads the charge with great monitor deals. You’ll find budget and medium tier deals below but if you want something more high end, they are having deals on those as well. In addition, there are some solid deals on gamepads and headphones too.

SAMSUNG 32″ Odyssey G55A QHD 165Hz 1ms FreeSync Curved Gaming Monitor with HDR 10 – $298.00 (Save 40%)

Samsung 24″ Odyssey G30A FHD 144 Hz Gaming Monitor – $148.00 (Save 41%)

KOORUI Computer Monitor 27 Inch, 100Hz FHD Gaming Monitor – $129.99 (Save 28%)

8Bitdo Pro 2 Bluetooth Gamepad for Switch/Switch OLED, PC, macOS, Android, Steam & Raspberry Pi with Storage Case (Black Edition) – (Save 30%)

8Bitdo Pro 2 Bluetooth Gamepad for Windows PC, Android, Steam Deck & Raspberry Pi –  $25.89 (Save 30%)

Xbox Core Wireless Gaming Controller – $58.88 (Save 21%)

Controller for Nintendo Switch, Switch Controllers Left and Right Support Vibration/6-Axis Gyroscope and Wake-up Function – $30.19 (Save 25%)

Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 MAX Wireless Multiplatform Amplified Gaming Headset for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Mac with 48+ Hour Battery – Pink – 600 SERIES MAX Edition – $119.99 (Save 25%)

Corsair HS55 Surround Gaming Headset (Leatherette Memory Foam Ear Pads, Dolby Audio 7.1 Surround Sound on PC and Mac, Lightweight, Omni-Directional Microphone, Multi-Platform Compatibility) Carbon – $72.24 (Save 24%)

Did you grab some summer sales? Let us know in the comments below. And be sure to check in again as we have frequent weekend deals!

Thank you for keeping it locked on COGconnected.

The post School Is Officially Out and This Weekend Is Monitor Madness appeared first on COGconnected.

Retropolis 2: Never Say Goodbye is the follow-up effort to The Secret of Retropolis from indie game developer Peanut Button. It is being released on all VR platforms and the version for this review deals with the PSVR 2 version. The game wears its inspiration on its sleeve as it opens with a Raymond Chandler quote. All facets of the game ooze film noir from the settings, the music, and the characters.

The Retropolis series is a point and click adventure series set in a retro future. You play as a, of course, a private detective but a robot private detective by the name of Philip Log. All the characters are robots. That includes the obligatory femme fatale, Jenny Montage. Jenny has a penchant for trouble and once again, it’s up to Log to save her.

Never Say Goodbye is rooted in the 90s style of adventure point and click games. The game places you in the center of a location where you cannot move. But you can rotate 360 degrees. Unfortunately, the game restricts turning to click turns, which coupled to your fixed position, feels very confining. It’s a bit jarring at first, especially if you come from a game where movement is much more open.

Once you settle into how to play the game, the story and the puzzles win you over. The writing in this game is top-notch. Due to the manipulations of the evil Mr. X, Jenny has effectively lost her memory. Also very strong is the voice acting in the game. The only one that you may quibble with, is the actor that does the voice of Log.

Film Noir Stylings

For noir type games, the music is vitally important. In such films, music functions as another character. Without it, no matter how good the locations are at conveying a dark or mysterious place, the element of tension and mood is not complete. Peanut Button must know this, because the music is spot on. You really get that dangerous, smoky yet sensuous vibe.

On the visual side, the hand-crafted art is great. There are black and white scenes, that mixed with the SF movie – Metropolis inspired city skyline shots, give off both film noir and retro-future vibes. The character designs also play into the genre archetypes for the detective, femme fatale, villain, police, and denizens of the city.

As great as the visuals are, there are some artistic choices made you may or may not agree with. The game has an intentional soft look, undoubtedly done to enhance the intended vintage look. Subjectively, the look may appeal to. However, my reaction is the developers are not taking into account the medium of VR. A soft look for a flat game is fine. However, because of the current state of VR tech, a clear image is hard to attain.

To better serve Retropolis in VR, they should choose an image with a sharp look. An image where the edges are accentuated would allow the three dimensionality and space between everything to really pop. If you’re familiar with what a Viewmaster is, the overlapping of two identical pictures creates sharply delineated layers of depth. Such a look would be ideal for Retropolis. Of course, this is totally subjective but I feel it to be the better approach.

Location, Location, Location

The game breaks into five chapters, each with its own locations. You will find yourself in various locations, like a jail cell, a lighthouse, Log’s office, and a bar. Mostly, the locations are standard fare for a noir mystery. What makes them unique is the mix of 1940s architecture with retro tech objects. Yet things like rotary phones are still prominent, further cementing the mix between new and old.

Once you arrive at a location, the game presents puzzles to you. Log interacts with the objects like Mr. Fantastic with the use of his robo-extendo arms. Objects and interactions vary. You may pick up pieces to use later on. Or you may be flipping levers or selecting an object like a card. Some puzzles are multi-leveled, meaning you need to go to another location to proceed. You may need another object or you may find clues to how to solve a puzzle on another floor.

To accommodate the need to take objects to other locations, you have a robot companion that acts as your inventory system. It also acts as a high level objective log. However, it only tells you what the overall aim is. It does not provide any of the sub-quests.

On the technical side, the game has very limited options. You can only use click-turning. An option for smooth turning would be nice. Also, the audio options are odd. There are no separate volume controls for the music and the voice acting.

Retropolis 2 Fits the Puzzle Game

Besides a few technical deficiencies, understandable for a small developer, Retropolis 2 is a splendid game. The story and characters are engaging. The puzzles are fair. And the whole vibe of the game is engrossing and entertaining.

If you are looking for a fun mystery that won’t take you ages to solve, then Retropolis 2 will fill that bill. Fans of film noir will find much to like here. So will fans of puzzle games. Will Log rescue Jenny? Only if you help him out.

*****PSVR 2 Code provided by publisher*****

The post Retropolis 2: Never Say Goodbye Review – Noire in VR appeared first on COGconnected.

It’s been a tumultuous 2024 for the gaming world. Playstation and XBox are into their third year with their latest console and both are struggling on several fronts. Tech-wise there have been only a handful of games available to flex with. Post Covid, the gaming market is struggling with lessened demand and fewer big title releases.

No area of the gaming market has been hit as hard as VR. A niche market at best, any downturn in the gaming market hits VR even more so. Still, not all is lost. There are some great VR games coming, most of them multi-plat.

On that positive note, here is a list of ten VR Games either hoped for or coming out this year or shortly afterwards. Some of them look to be top notch releases that could generate excitement that could cross over into the mainstream gaming consciousness.

VR Games Hopefuls:

10. Half Life Alyx on PSVR 2

Yeah, yeah. I know. This one is a pipe dream. With the PSVR 2 being out more than a year, the chances of this are near nil. But one can still dream, right?

9. Astrobot

The lack of any Astrobot game since the PS5 launched is a real head scratcher. Especially, after how well received the included Astro’s Playroom game with the PS5 was. While rumors and rumblings about an Astrobot game coming out this year exist, Sony has been mum. If there is a new game, Sony should release a version that supports both flat and VR modes.

VR Games Upcoming:

8. F1 2024 – PCVR

EA F1 games have recently added PCVR support post launch but the implementation has been a bit wonky. This year’s game will be launching with a VR mode from the get go. Here’s hoping EA has nailed the VR mode.
And hey! Some PSVR 2 love would be appreciated too!

7. Aces of Thunder – PSVR 2

VR is perfect for cockpit based games be it spaceships, cars, or planes. PSVR 2 lacks such games besides their flagship title – GT 7. A title which is more than enough reason to own a PSVR 2, BTW. So getting a multiplayer WWII flight game in VR is a big deal for the platform.

6. Alien: Rogue Incursion – Multiplatform

Horror is perfect for VR and the Alien franchise is perfect for both.
The VR version of Alien Isolation is a prime example of this. Little is know about the game to date and it likely won’t release till 2025.

5. Wanderer: The Fragments of Fate – Multiplatform

The original Wanderer released on PSVR 1 and was limited by the tech and the power of the platform. Despite all that, Wanderer still managed to dazzle with it’s scope and gameplay. Think of Quantum Leap mixed with Myst. Now with the power of the new platforms, Wanderer: The Fragments of Fate is more than just a re-imagining of the first game, it is the full realization.

4. Batman: Arkham Shadow – Meta

An announcement trailer just dropped recently so expect it next year. If it was being released this year, this would easily be in the number one or two spot. Because, hey it’s Batman!

3. Metro Awakening – Multiplatform

The Metro series is highly regarded and the dystopian setting is perfect for a VR game. This is a built from the ground up VR experience. Given the technical flair the previous games have shown, big things are expected from this game.

2. Arken Age – Multiplatform

Arken Age is a VR action-adventure game set in a terraformed fantasy world. This world is called the Bio-Chasm. Here you will engage in full physics combat using Arkenite infused swords & guns. The visuals are stunning and mixed combat of guns & swords look amazing.

1. Behemoth

This is the biggie! Pun intended. Brought to us by SkyDance – the makers of the excellent Saints & Sinners VR games. Excitement levels are high as the studio has been giving sneak peeks to VR influencers. They are under NDAs at the moment but rumblings say that could end the last week of May. Little is know about the game, except it looks gorgeous and there are whispers this is Shadows of the Colussus done in VR.

There you have it. An impressive list of VR games, indeed.

What are your thoughts on the list? Do you agree with my selection? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook or Twitter, and don’t forget to subscribe to us on YouTube for more great video game content.

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The post Top 10 VR Games Coming In 2024 appeared first on COGconnected.

Madison VR from Bloodious Games is the gaming direction VR enthusiasts have long championed for but rarely get. Most VR versions of flat games lay in the domain of modders. It is very rare for the studio to develop a virtual version of their flat game. So when Bloodious Games announced they were doing the VR version of Madison, VR gamers rejoiced.

Well, Madison VR is out, so how well did the transition from flat to VR go? Grab your Polaroid camera and let’s find out.

The original game came out July 2022 and the Science of Scare gave it the award as the “Scariest Game Of All Times”. That’s marketing gold. Fortunately for the game, when Madison scares, it really delivers the scares. No mean feat for a flat game, but if VR has proven one thing, when it comes to horror games, playing them in VR takes the scares to the next level.

Madison VR has been released on PC and PSVR 2. For the PSVR 2 version, Bloodious Games wisely tooled the game to run at a native 90 FPS and not at 60 FPS, reprojected to 120 FPS. This gives the game a very clean and sharp presentation. Most importantly, there is no ghosting. That sounds weird for a horror game, but the only ghosts in a VR Horror game should be those of a supernatural, not a technical nature.

Demons and Ghosts! Oh My!

Madison VR has ghosts, or demons, of the supernatural. Their presence is ambiguous though because the game is not just horror but psychological horror. In Madison VR, you play as Lucas from a family with a troubled history of mental illness and murder. You start the game in a darkened room with bloody hands and someone pounding at the door.

Turns out that someone is your father, and he blames you for something terrible. Something that harkens back to the mass murders that your grandmother is accused of. So right from the get go, you are in doubt about the sanity of Luca, the character you play. Does he suffer from the same affliction as his grandmother? This adds tension to everything you do and experience.

Darkness is a big part of Madison. The game takes place in your home and your goal is to escape. This means exploration and going into poorly lit rooms, corridors and crawl ways. In such circumstances, a flashlight, lantern, candle, cell phone, or lighter is available for navigation.

Madison gives a unique solution to light the way, which is the game’s defining gameplay mechanic, the flash and pictures of a Polaroid camera. The flash serves two purposes: it lights dark areas and also triggers events to happen. And it uses both to excellent effect to generate scares. Most of them jump scares. Some believe them to be the cheapest way to generate scares.

Madison VR Jump Scares

There is a definite validity to such a view as most jump scares are for shock value. They are in your face and don’t have any lasting impact on the story. On the flip side, they are a proven method to build tension. The best jump scares are those that happen at the edge of your vision. A fleeting glimpse of something evil, which you are not sure what it is, stays with you.

Madison VR employs a mixture of the two and those quick flash moments are definitely the ones that unsettle the player more. One of my favorite ones is someone, or something, flits across the screen too fast for you to make out. Beyond the impression, it is not human. Very scary.

Another area which Madison excels is in the 3D audio. As always, sound is so important in horror games, especially in interior spaces such as the house you want to escape from. Distant creaks, the rain pattering on windows, the wind howling outside, and a telephone ringing in another room are all conveyed perfectly. They increase in volume and location the closer you get to them, as they would in real life.

The game creates a wonderful eerie atmosphere on the sonic and graphical fronts. So it’s more than a shame, Madison VR stumbles on the control and inventory front. Let’s deal with the controls first. While clumsy and awkward, you can at least adapt to them. Object interaction is unnecessarily clunky. Opening doors and drawers are too finicky, but you learn to deal with them. Going down a ladder is too obtuse. Rather than grab the first rung, as in most other VR games, you have to interact with a position in front of the ladder.

Control Clunkiness

Where Madison VR really stumbles is with the inventory system. When you pick up an object, you must place it in your backpack. Until you place the object in your backpack, you cannot move. This means an immersion breaking mechanic of constantly calling up the inventory screen. Most frustrating, especially when the object in question is to be used in the same room.

There are two other inventory design decisions that annoy. The first is you can only carry ten items. A rather small number. So if you are at the limit, then you must go to one of the safes and store excess inventory there. The other more irritating inventory mechanic is how you store items. They scroll in front of your field of view horizontally, like bullets in a gun cylinder. To select an object, it must be directly in front of you. As often happens, the object you want is either half way around or, even worse, just off screen so you have rotate through all the items to get to the one you need.

These two game mechanics not only break the immersion. They also let some of the dread built up leak out.

On the PSVR 2 platform, Madison VR makes good use of the tech available. Madison VR maximizes the use of the tech on the PSVR 2 platform. The HDR OLED screens deliver an image that seems almost photo-realistic. Plus those blacks! Oh my, those dark and dimly lit areas of the game are inky black.

Heavy Headset Haptics

The game also makes good use of the haptics. Of special note is how Madison VR uses the headset haptics. Sometimes your character is under extreme mental duress. So the game punctuates those moments beautifully by sending strong pulses to your head. It really works to unnerve you.

Many people claim that Madison VR is the scariest horror game ever. Such a claim, scientifically backed or not, still depends on you. As a veteran of many a horror game, it is certainly in the discussion. Smooth controls and an improved inventory system would make Madison VR a definite contender for the title of the scariest horror game ever.

*****PSVR 2 Code provided by publisher*****

The post Madison VR Review – Control Crippled Creeps appeared first on COGconnected.

Homeworld 3 is the latest game in the highly regarded 3D space combat tactical simulation series from Blackbird Interactive. As such, Homeworld 3 has an elevated bar of excellence to uphold. Cutting to the quick, or TLDR, fans of the series can relax, Homeworld 3 not only clears the bar, it pushes the bar higher.

Homeworld 1 & 2 has already seen remasters back in 2015. So Homeworld 3 not only must meet the quality of those remasters but, hopefully, exceed them. Homeworld 3 has the advantage of what current day hardware to do so. Not only from a graphical perspective, but from a gameplay one too. This means larger scale battles fought not only in space but also in introducing line of sight and cover strategies.

In Homeworld 3, the element of realism extends to the battles. Ship damage is persistent. Battle scars will remain from mission to mission until the damage is repaired. Your fleet and its composition track across missions. Lost ships and personnel are truly lost. The accumulative result is a game that ups and makes the stakes feel real. The game also contains deft little touches such as chatter from ships’ captains and smaller craft pilots, who pass along critical information.

The setting for Homeworld 3 is a timeline 100 years after the events of Homeworld 2. Karan, who is the protagonist of the earlier games, has become a myth and the basis for religious devotion. After the events of Homeworld 2, Karan led the fleet to examine a new spatial phenomenon, called, “The Anomaly.” It poses a possible threat, as reports have come in stating it can swallow up hyperspace gates and other planets. Karan did not return from the expeditions and listed as missing.

A New Crisis

In Homeworld 3, a fresh crisis has arisen. The Hyperspace Gate Network is failing. So they launch a new expedition to find Karan, if she still exists, with her cybernetic connection to her capital ship. Karan is the key to solving the crisis.

The game starts at the homeworld of Hiigara with a new Fleet Commander, Imogen S’Jet. She has just completed her cybernetic connection with the mother-ship Khar-Kushan. The whole introduction has a Star Trek: The Motion Picture vibe, where a newly refurbished Enterprise leaps into action ahead of schedule. To further up the dramatic ante, they send the fleet on a mission communications blackout. Someone or something has turned hyperspace into a weapon, and Imogen S’Jet and the fleet must prevent total galactic collapse.

With a tutorial that teaches you how the game interface works, the first mission trains you how to control the fleet. You’ll head to Facility 315, which is a Mothership Production Facility. Here you will install a module that allows the Khar-Khasan to come to full operational status.

You can see from the game menu and layout that Blackbird Interactive have taken great care to provide information in the clearest and cleanest manner possible. Also, the design of the screen layouts keeps clutter to a minimum. The main game screen has interfaces arrayed at the corners of the screen. The upper left corner contains items related to the mission at hand. This includes items such as Mission Objectives, game time, and fleet population. You can also pause the mission.

Homeworld 3 Game Menu

The upper right corner shows the overall status of the fleet. The fleet comprises the Mothership, carriers, Resource Controllers, strikecraft such as Recon, Interceptors, and probes. It also shows which of the Command vessels – the Mothership or the Carriers – are creating new strikecraft or probes. Also, from this menu, you command further research into vessel types to enhance their capabilities.

On the bottom left of the screen are Movement and Attack commands for the strikecraft. You can control the strikecraft individually or as a unit. Unit commands allow for the designation of formations and postures. Using each provides tactical advantages that you need to decide upon during battles. For example, strikecraft in an aggressive stance will not use cover. To do so, you must put them into a neutral stance.

When you pick a craft – be it a squad or an individual craft – a movement menu pops up in the bottom right hand corner. Here, options such as attack, move to a designated point, stop, patrol, guard, or use advanced capabilities are available.

In the bottom center of the screen are a Sensor Manager icon and Group Control icons. The Sensor Manager switches the view to a 2D representation of the mission area. This view simplifies the mission area and is a great aid in planning out mission strategies. It also highlights your fleet’s fog of war situation in terms of what your sensors reveal. It also points out any line-of-sight issues you must compensate for when making fleet movements.

Megaliths!

For line-of-sight combat, HomeWorld 3 introduces megaliths. These are the huge remains of space derelicts from an ancient civilization. Megaliths are the equivalent of battlefields with differing elevations. You can use them as funnels to trap enemies in or hide in the megaliths to use for ambushes.

The Group Control is a cluster of ten hot keys you can assign squads to. This allows for quick access to the squads. Most useful when the combat situation becomes intense. Remember, you can slow the gameplay down or outright stop the mission to allow for strategy sessions.

From the game’s main menu, you have access to the various game modes which include tutorials, the campaign, multiplayer, skirmish – against an AI opponent, War Games – an all new, coop capable multiplayer mode. The game allows the player to tailor the game to their own personal preferences. You can change key bindings to set up a control scheme that works best for you. There is also the choice to use the traditional control scheme of the previous games or to use the newly implemented one.

Blackbird Interactive commitment to Homeworld 3 is apparent with every aspect of the game. They have taken great effort to make Homeworld 3 the best Homeworld yet. The amount of improvements and enhancements over the previous games in the series is clear from every aspect of the game. They have big expectations for this game and a vision for its future.

Future Roadmap

Their roadmap for the rest of 2024 and into 2025 is a testament to that. There will be free DLC drops in June, August and Q4. July and October will see paid DLC made available. In 2025, the free and paid DLC drops will continue.

Homeworld fans can take heart the latest game in the series sets new benchmarks for the franchise. The new line-of-sight gameplay mechanics make for even more challenging space combat strategies. The gameplay depth is greater, the customization is deeper, and the replayability is longer. Homeworld 3 oozes quality across all aspects.

***PC code provided by the publisher for review***

The post Homeworld 3 Review – Superb Space Combat Simulator appeared first on COGconnected.

It’s almost May and that means school is almost out. So you may be looking for something new to play. It is COGconnected’s duty, and and joy, to gather the hottest game deals into this one article to help you out. Here is a potpourri of games to play.  Here’s a mix of games you may be interested in – Mario and Spyro top the deals this weekend. The whole Spyro trilogy is available on PC at one low price. Plus some summer outdoor sports like basketball and soccer. Then there’s Call of Duty action for the older gamers. Hopefully, there will be a game or two that will pique your interest. 

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch) – $69.99 (Save 13%)

Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch – $49.96 (Save 23%)

Luigi’s Mansion 3 – $65.99 (Save 18%)

Lego Marvel Super Heroes – Nintendo Switch – $34.99 (Save 22%)

NBA 2K24 Kobe Bryant Edition Playstation 5 – $66.99 (Save 16%)

EA Sports FC 24 Playstation 5 – $49.96 (Save 9%)

Stray – PlayStation 5 – $33.98 (Save 9%)

TEKKEN 8(PC) – $65.44 (Save 30%)

Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® III (PC) – $58.49 (Save 35%)

Spyro Reignited Trilogy (PC) – $17.49 (Save 65%)

Did you grab some sales this weekend? Let us know in the comments below. If you’re looking for some hardware deals we’ve got some great steals available there too!

Thank you for keeping it locked on COGconnected.

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The post Mario and Spyro Game Deals Lead The Way appeared first on COGconnected.

Mixture from game developer Played with Fire is a port of the Quest version of the game released in February 2023. The closest cousin in terms of gameplay is the Moss series of games. These games employ a single player coop style where you play as two characters. In both games you not only play as the in world character but also a form of omniscient being that sees the world from a god-like perspective.

While the games share similarities, they differ in terms of tone. Moss features Quill, an immensely likable mouse protagonist who shares a truly amiable relationship with your character. In Mixture, the relationship between the exiled moth knight, Sola and your character, the Alchemist Sephairos, is much more adult and complicated. You start out the game as antagonists. In fact, the Knights of Light defeated the Alchemists in battle.

The stylized art style of Mixture makes for sharp boundaries and definitions between objects. There is a decidedly more metallic tone to the environments in stark contrast to the lush and organic, storybook fairytale aspects of the Moss world. Along with the characters, this is a more adult and serious world.

The levels of Mixture are huge. Except for the opening level that takes place in a dungeon, the start of each new stage fills your view and goes beyond. There is also verticality to the levels that will require the two of you to work in tandem so that Sola that successfully through them. Besides, the environmental obstacles there are also enemies to be overcome.

Mixture Has Big Levels

The level design differs from Moss in terms of your perspective. In Moss, the game limits you to a single area in each level. So your view is like looking at a picture on a screen. Your position is at the midpoint and you have an equal view of all areas. In Mixture, because the levels are so large, your view continually changes. You cannot roam freely. This can cause moments where your view becomes obstructed because you are confined to a specific location.

The opening dungeon level serves as a training area to become familiar with the controls sets of the two characters. Sola’s has a limited move set compared to yours. She has a parry and dodge move to start with. You can expand her move set by collecting seeds. As a moth, she also can glide. For your part, as an alchemist, you can mix compounds to create elixirs with unique properties such as glue or making objects bouncy.

You will also be able to lend Sola a literal hand to cross gaps. To create elixirs, you need to gather material via your magnetic ability. The elements are minerals scattered throughout each level. As you relearn your abilities, a new formula opens. The formulas are accessible through a bracelet around your dominant hand. You grab a test tube with the R1 trigger button and move the tube into the selected formula.

Once you have crafted an elixir, you must throw the tube at an object for it to work. Unfortunately, aiming is not always accurate. Part of this is has to do with the normal throwing option. If you throw normally, part of your swing is out of the headset’s camera range. Thus, a lot of the force of your throw is lost. Once I changed my throw to start from my chest, the force of my throws felt more natural.

Tricky Throwing

To get proper aim remains a challenge. Fortunately, Playing With Fire took this into account and has an Aim Assist option that marks your target before you throw. The throwing mechanic could have been greatly enhanced if the game utilized the PSVR 2’s eye-tracking ability. Games like Call of the Mountain and Synapse prove how intuitive eye-tracking is when implemented properly.

There is a greater emphasis on combat than puzzle solving in Mixture, especially in the first half of the game. The balance between the two shifts as you traverse the four biomes that comprise thirty levels. New gameplay mechanics come into play as you expand the character’s skill sets to face the new enemies and environmental challenges.

There are beings made of living metals and gigantic boss battles. Some levels will have Sola half-piping sections of them. The levels are set up to allow for exploration and item collection. You’ll also open an option to visit any level upon game completion so that you can collect any missing items.

Much of the story is relayed through text box dialog. There are no character voices. This approach distances the player from the story, especially if you skip through it. Understandable given how much text there is for the game. Also there is little in the way of spatial audio. This is due to all action taking place in front of you. It’s a bit weird to have the sound so forward heavy in a VR game but it is understandable given the game design. The music score is good if nothing too memorable.

Quest Port

Mixture is a challenging game and you should expect a fair bit of experimentation to figure out correct solutions. There are regular checkpoints in each level so you won’t need to restart a level over every time you die.

This appears to be a straight Quest port. There is no haptic feedback, nor is any use made of the adaptive triggers. The biggest omission is the already mentioned lack of use of eye tracking. In addition, there is no use of dynamic foveated rendering. On the plus side, there are no reprojection issues. Frame rate appears to be a native 90 FPS.

If you like one player coop games in the style of Moss, then Mixture may be worth checking out. There are too few games of this type, be it flat or VR. Mixture may have less personality than Moss, but the gameplay is overall solid minus the throwing mechanics. Mixture provides a solid challenge and an interesting world.

***PSVR 2 code provided by the publisher for review***

The post Mixture (PSVR 2) Review – Moss Mate appeared first on COGconnected.

Operation Serpens was first released on PCVR by developer GINRA-TECH back in September 2020. Billed as an arcade shooter, this is a fast-paced game. The developers initially released the game as a fixed location wave shooter but have since updated it to include movement within its stages.

You play as a member of an elite armed force assigned to take out the leaders of the evil terrorist Snakes Organization. The game starts with a forced tutorial that familiarizes the player with the weapon controls. From there, you move onto the first level to capture the first Snake leader. After a quick briefing from your Commander, it’s up to you to neutralize all the enemies to allow the leader’s capture.

The first stage takes place on the third or fourth floor of an office building overlooking a city street with a similar building across the way. There is a mix of civilians and henchmen at the ground level. Henchmen also pop up in the windows of the building.

Upon being offered a sniper rifle to clear out the henchmen, you quickly realize the limitations of the arcade controls. The wild gun spray of automatic weapons and the too-close magnification of the sniper rifle scope make those guns frustrating to use. It also means not hitting pedestrians is a near impossibility. I found the best results with the handguns. While still difficult to aim, I minimized collateral damage.

Moving Around

In VR shooters, players prefer the gunplay to be as realistic as possible. This includes mimicking reloading actions through hand motions. However, such motions take time and are out of place in a frantically paced arcade shooter. So a button press or lowering the weapon to your waist does the reload action.

Despite the update to include locomotion in Operations Serpens, it is quite apparent that the level design did not account for player movement. Most levels are quite small, so the payoff for mobility is quite limited. In the first stage, you can move between the two windows. In other, even smaller stages, you are in an elevator, the back of a truck, or outside a doorway. The major benefit is being able to dodge incoming fire.

Even in these larger areas, including locomotion, the limitations of the level design are made clear. There are geometry issues and clipping happens frequently, hobbling movement. You have to take constant corrective actions to overcome them. This proves to be problematic in the later stages, where you have to do a lot of climbing. Not quite The Call of the Mountain level of climbing, but a lot. Expect to fall through the environment geometry and take hits from enemy weapons fire through said geometry too.

Beyond the standard weapons, there are also grenades, flashbangs, and, a surprise inclusion, a drone. They all work pretty well except for the drone. With the grenades and flashbangs, you can manually pull the pin or use a button input. In addition, you can store them in your mouth, which may surprise you with how often or useful it is to do so. Sadly, the developers missed a great immersion opportunity to not let you pull the pins using your teeth.

Max Payne/Matrix Time

Grenades do the expected damage while flashbangs give a great tactical advantage. In sections where you are heavily outnumbered, the flashbang slows down time for ten seconds, evening things out, similar to the bullet time effect in Max Payne or The Matrix.

Let’s talk about the drone. In theory, this seems like a great gameplay addition. In practice, however, the drone is too slow. You control it with a PDA device that has a left and right joystick. The controls are very finicky and, along with the slow speed of the drone, make its use more frustrating than fun.

Rounding out the controls are the displays on your right and left wrists. Your right wrist shows your percentage completion while the left shows your health status. This allows you to determine exactly how far you are into each level as well as decide when it’s time to collect health packs or riot shields.

From a haptics perspective, its use is rudimentary. There is no use of the adaptive triggers when you fire a weapon. Each round fired gives a brief rumble, but it’s the same rumble no matter which weapon you use.

Gameplay Modes

Three gameplay modes are available. You’ve got the main gameplay mode, which is a seven-stage campaign featuring three difficulty settings. You can also play the campaign in zombie mode. The second mode is a shooting gallery for those that fancy leaderboard competitions. You have three lives to kill as many animated dolls as possible in a bar setting. Finally, there is the wave shooter multiplayer mode that supports cross-platform play. In this mode, you and three other players defend a mall against enemies with limited ammo. This is easily the most engaging and interesting section of the whole game.

Graphically, the game harkens back to the arcades of the late 80s and early 90s. The environments are cartoonish, with no textures and dynamic lighting. Character models exhibit the same traits. The style chosen makes sense as the game is aping the arcade look of a bygone era. There is a certain charm to it, but if you want realistic graphics, best look elsewhere. The framerate is solid and smooth with no reprojection.

Gameplay audio is serviceable, but directionality is unimportant as enemies appear from all parts of the screen. The screens are so busy that it is easier to ignore the audio and just visually track enemies. The gun sounds even wash out the soundtrack.

The VR gaming landscape has changed a lot in the last couple of years. When Operations Serpens first came out, it probably made a bigger splash. Nowadays, VR vets expect more from their games, even retro ones like this. Operation Serpens has a certain charm to it and if you are looking for a mindless retro arcade style shooter, this one should fit the bill for you.

***PSVR2 code provided by the publisher for review***

The post Operation Serpens Review – Beheading the Snake appeared first on COGconnected.

Balatro is the clever marriage of card deck building and poker from developer Localthunk. Obviously, poker has the allure of high stakes strategy, luck, and competition and deck building has a similar draw that lasts past a current hand.

For the uninitiated the term, balatro comes from a Latin term for a professional jester or buffoon. The wealthy paid balatrones for their jests, and the tables of the wealthy were generally open to them for the sake of the amusement they afforded.

The beauty of Balatro is that even if you have little or no prior poker experience, the game loop will teach you the basics. Everyone understands the concepts of pairs, which is the foundation of the game. From there, getting three or four of a kind, a straight, or a full house are smaller steps.

Now pair the rules of poker with a deck builder mechanic and the real hook of this game begins. In poker, hands live and die in each round. In Balatro, you can carry special or wild cards for the entirety of a run. A run in Balatro comprises an ongoing series of 3 challenges. The first two challenges are the Small and Big Blind. The third challenge is the The Head.

Balatro’s Poker Start

Each challenge sets a point amount the player must meet to continue the run. Initially, for the Small Blind, the point amount is 300. For the Big Blind it is 450 and for The Head it is 650. Survive a round and the point amounts for each challenge increase. These increases may seem daunting but as you build your special cards deck, your ability to score points increases almost geometrically.

You start an initial round with no special cards. You start with eight cards played face up. In each round, there are four hands to be played, along with an allowed number of discards of three. For each discard, you drop three cards at a time. It is at this point the game is at its most poker-like. You can play only the cards that make up a poker hand. This means that two up to eight cards could be laid down.

In the early rounds, drawing cards of the same rank is the best way to attain the points needed. Scoring is based on a combination of the value of the face plus the poker hand played. So a pair will give ten points for each card times the value of the card. The more difficult a poker hand is to attain, the higher the payout, with a straight flush being worth a hundred times the value of the eight cards.

Balatro gives you some tools to help with your strategy. There is a Run Info popup window that displays the values of all the poker runs. Additionally, if you select the remaining card deck, another popup window shows a summary of the four card suits and which cards have not yet been dealt. Both are useful references to help guide you to build a poker hand. You can also sort cards either by rank, the default, or by suit.

Poker Purists

For poker purists, you can also choose to play the blinds without special cards in a seeded manner.

At the conclusion of each round, results in a cash reward. This is based on the value of your played poker hands plus a bonus of one dollar for each unplayed hand left when you reach the score point of the blind. With money in hand now, the real fun begins as you can now start building your special deck.

Between rounds, the Shop screen pops up. Here you can use your winnings to buy special cards. The special cards comprise several categories. There are, of course, the jokers. These are wild cards that come in a variety of attributes. Some give out higher payouts for poker hands. Others give extra points for say, face cards. Others give a bonus for a variety of things like beating the blind before playing all your hands.

Then there are packs for purchase. They can be either packs of standard cards, jokers, arcana packs, or celestial packs. Standard packs allow you to choose a card to be added to your opening hand. Celestial packs add planet cards that give additional payouts for played poker hands. There are also vouchers for sale which let you buy cards or decks from the shop.

Deck Builder Wild Cards

You can have up to seven special cards. Five of them can be jokers and the remaining two slots for other special cards. With the right combination of card you can build quite a powerful cadre of cards that deliver large scoring bonuses. The trick is to amass such a collection while still being able to beat the ever-increasing scoring limit of the blinds.

Building a potent special is not so easy. Like the hands drawn with the regular card, the special cards offered are entirely random. It is up to you to determine which mix of special cards will work best. There are even more special cards and bonuses available. Some of the bonuses are rewards for playing so many runs or face cards. Other bonuses are different colored playing decks that award more points.

Fortunately, the game supports saves so that if you have built a powerful deck, you can come back to it later. However, once you lose a blind, you also lose all your special cards and have to start over. Balatro definitely has that one more try game hook to it. Much like real poker does. And you can do runs in a couple of minutes, which adds to the gameplay hook.

Graphics are done in a retro CRT video gambling machine style. You can even increase the CRT scan lines from the Options menu. The interface and letters have that blocky font that adds to the retro look. Additionally, the unobtrusive looping background music and lava lamp backgrounds exude a hypnotic zen-like vibe that further entices you to keep playing.

Balatro Is Addictive

The graphics are the only knock I have against the game. While I understand the vibe, the game is going for, an option to play the game with cleaner graphics would have been a welcome one.

Balatro is addictive. I’m not much of a poker or deck builder player, but I find the combination of the two irresistible. If you have an interest in either, then this game is sure to entice you. Especially since the game is out on every platform and is available now.

***PC code provided by the publisher for review***

The post Balatro Review – Deck Builder’s Poker Delight appeared first on COGconnected.

With the holiday season well behind us, things have slowed down on the gaming front. So you may be looking for something new to play. It is COGconnected’s duty, and and joy, to gather the hottest games deals into this one article to help you out. Here is a potpourri of games to play.  Here’s a mix of games you may be interested in – like NHL 24 or NBA 2K24, which is good to get into a March Madness mood, or cyborg do battle in franchise games like Terminator or Robocop. Hopefully, there will be a game or two that will pique your interest. 

NHL 24 (PS5) – $49.96 (Save 23%)

NBA 2K24 Kobe Bryant Edition (PS5) – $68.24 (Save 15%)

Dead Space (PS5) – $44.98 (Save 50%)

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch) – $69.99 (Save 13%)

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch) – $66.99 (Save 16%)

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury – Standard Edition (Switch) – $39.96 (Save 20%)

The Chant (Xbox Series X|S) – $23.33 (Save 42%)

Dying Light 2 Stay Human: Reloaded Edition (PC) – $19.99 (Save 75%)

RoboCop: Rogue City (PC) – $38.99 (Save 40%)

Terminator: Resistance (PC) – $17.49 (Save 65%)

Did you grab some sales this weekend? Let us know in the comments below. If you’re looking for some hardware deals we’ve got some great steals available there too!

Thank you for keeping it locked on COGconnected.

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The post Cyborgs Do Battle – Terminator and Robocop Deals appeared first on COGconnected.

Hello gamers! Once again, it’s time for some weekend hardware deals. We’re on the downslope of winter as we head into March madness. COGconnected has scoured the internet looking for any hardware deals to snazz up your gaming space or make it more comfortable. You’ll find some great peripheral pickups for PC, or even better, multiplatform hardware deals available as of this article. If your gaming chair has become threadbare, check out the 44% off deal on the gaming chair – available in four different color schemes.

LG UltraWide 34WP65C-B 34 Inch 21:9 Curved FreeSync 1ms 160 Hz WQHD(3440 x 1440) Gaming Monitor, Black – $479.98(Save 26%)

LG Ultragear 32GN600-B 32 Inch(31.5) QHD VA 5ms with 1ms MBR 144Hz 165Hz Gaming Monitor AMD FreeSync, Black – $339.99 (Save 24%)

Joycon Controller for Nintendo Switch, Switch Controllers Joypad Left and Right Support Vibration/6-Axis Gyroscope and Wake-up Function – (Save 16%)

GamingChair Ergonomic PU Padded Leather Racing Gaming Chair with Extendable Footrest & Reclining Backrest – $159.99 (Save 44%)

Logitech 945-000023 G Saitek PRO Flight Yoke System– $195.99 (Save 40%)

Dell 31.5″ 1440p WQHD 165Hz 2ms GTG Curved VA LED FreeSync Gaming Monitor – $349.99 (Save 27%)

Razer Viper Ultimate Wireless Optical Gaming Mouse with Charging Dock – $99.99 (Save 50%)

Corsair K70 Bluetooth Backlit Mechanical Cherry MX RGB Red 60% Mini Wireless Gaming Keyboard – $139.99 (Save 46%)

Dell 32 4K UHD Monitor – SE3223Q – $349.99 (Save 27%)

Beats Studio³ Wireless Over-Ear Headphones – Matte Black- $199.99 (Save 42%)

Did you grab some sales? Let us know in the comments below. And be sure to check in again as we have frequent weekend deals!

Thank you for keeping it locked on COGconnected.

• For amazing videos, head over to our YouTube page HERE.
• Follow us on X HERE.
• Our Facebook page HERE
• Listen to our podcast on Spotify or anywhere you listen to podcasts.
• If you are a fan of cosplay, check out more of our cosplay features HERE.

The post Weekend Peripheral Pickups – Get 44% off Gaming Chair appeared first on COGconnected.

Tomb Raider I-III Remastered by game developer Aspyr is a respectful upgrade to the original Tomb Raider games. The original Tomb Raider trilogy was the pinnacle of action-adventure, platforming games of the late 1990s. Before Uncharted, before the recent Tomb Raider games, there was the original Tomb Raider trilogy of games. The Tomb Raider games were the next step up from the traditional point-and-click Indiana Jones 2D adventures of the 1990s.

The remastered version of the Tomb Raider trilogy includes the secret levels and expansions for each game. So this package includes:

1) Tomb Raider I + the “Unfinished Business” Expansion

2) Tomb Raider II + the “Gold Mask” Expansion

3) Tomb Raider III + “The Lost Artifact” Expansion

Lara Croft is a name that is as synonymous with adventure as Indiana Jones and Nathan Drake. And all three have made the jump to the silver screen with varying degrees of success. The original Tomb Raider game landed in 1996 and was developed by Core Design. It received great aplomb for its then-innovative 3D graphics. Tomb Raider sold 7 million units worldwide and remained the best-selling title in the Tomb Raider franchise until the 2013 reboot.

Three Dimensional

The game was also praised for its controls and gameplay. The ability to move in three dimensions was a big breakthrough in video games. No longer trapped in one plane of a game world, Lara Croft could scale heights, which leads to more complex game mechanics. Exploration and game combat became both more challenging and engaging.

While the controls received praise for their time, they are definitely tied to the era of tank controls, which were the best solution possible for transitioning two-dimensional controls to handle an added dimension. Not only do tank controls make movement through three-dimensional environments clunky, but they affect combat too.

In the Tomb Raider games, Lara faces a variety of enemies, man and animal. However, while the game is rendered in three dimensions, Lara can only interact two dimensionally. This means that when you fire a gun at an enemy like a wolf or bear, your aim only matches the x and y axis. The enemy could be above or below you. As long as you aim where they are, regardless of vertical location, you will hit the target.

So with weapons drawn, Lara automatically locks onto targets. Weapons have infinite ammo and, when in use, prevent her from doing other actions that need the use of her hands. So she cannot interact with the environment to stop from falling or using switches to open doors, etc. The game handles verticality as an action. When Lara jumps or dives, the x and y axis reset to the new height once she lands.

New Graphics, Same Gameplay

Each game has Lara traveling around the world to exotic locations in search of treasure and artifacts. Each location contains secret areas that don’t affect the main quest, but usually provide Lara with perks. These games also include the now-familiar tropes of ancient legends tied to archaeological items such as masks, idols, goblets, etc.

The temptation to bring these games up to current-day standards of fully realized three-dimensional gaming must have been strong. Aspyr wisely chooses to leave the gameplay nearly untouched. The level design would need rework to handle such a change. They did change one aspect, though.

They allowed the option for a modern control scheme. Tank controls are a thing of the past. Once you have played games that allow you to control the camera, it’s very hard to go back. Recent remakes of the earlier Resident Evil games that made the same decision are a testament to including the option for modern controls.

Each of the three games includes Lara Croft’s mansion. The mansion does double duty as the training ground for the game mechanics. It is here you can practice Lara’s move set. There are areas for tumbling, jumping, climbing, swimming, and, of course, gunplay. If you venture here first, the scope of the remaster is revealed. You can see it in the graphics and experience it with different control schemes available.

Tomb Raider Environmental Upgrades

For the remastering itself, the graphical enhancements are most noticeable in the environments themselves. Sure the Lara model is updated, but it’s the details now revealed with the higher graphics and textures that really bring these games to life. The enhancement is easy to see in the comparison photos in this review. You can witness the difference on the fly in the game with a simple button press.

The remasters also include some other quality-of-life enhancements, such as a new photo mode, achievements, and a camera lock. Speaking of the camera, it remains an issue. Inherited from the original design, you will often find clipping to occur when Lara is in tight spaces.

These games are the intermediary step between 2D point-and-click games and today’s fully realized 3D games. There is a lot of pleasure to be derived from replaying these games with a fresh coat of graphical paint. The Tomb Raider and Uncharted games stand on the shoulders of this trilogy.

Tomb Raider I comes with the Unfinished Business expansion that adds four bonus levels in two extra chapters. In Tomb Raider II, the Golden Mask expansion adds five bonus levels in a separate mini-adventure. In the last game, Tomb Raider III, the Lost Artifact adds six bonus levels that add to the adventure.

Top Notch Trilogy

For veteran gamers, Tomb Raider Remastered I-III is a great time capsule of a very popular trilogy of games that moved the action/adventure genre forward. For recent gamers, this collection is an excellent way to experience the games that the modern action/adventure games of today evolved from.

You can consider this a true labor of love as Tomb Raider Remastered I-III starring Lara Croft will be fittingly available on all platforms on Valentine’s Day.

***Tomb Raider I II III Remastered PC code provided by the publisher.***

The post Tomb Raider Remastered I-II-III Review – Upgraded Treasures appeared first on COGconnected.

Bulletstorm VR from Game Developer Incuvo has landed on multiple platforms – PC, Quest, and PSVR 2. It is a port of the 2013 flat game and embodies the 1980s era of pop culture. It’s big, brash, and laced with testosterone expletive deleted software. The flat game is an on-rails shooter that rewards players for coming up with creative and gory kills.

It is a perfect vehicle for converting a flat game to VR. Unfortunately, said conversion leaves a more than a little bit to be desired on the non-PC platforms. This is a tough review to write because I’ve been an advocate for hybrid games where a VR Mode for Triple A games is the best path to pushing VR Gaming into mass adoption.

The PC version of Bulletstorm VR has been better received than the Quest and PSVR 2 releases. The situation mirrors the same reception that another VR Game from Incuvo, Green Hell, also received. It seems that there are different development teams for the various platforms and this is the reason proposed for the quality disparity.

Ugly Visuals

Whatever the reason for the quality differences, the version reviewed here is the PSVR 2 one, and it is disappointing. Ugly visuals and low-level textures saddle the game, which give it a blurry and jagged appearance. The game is also not properly optimized for PSVR 2. This results in dropped frames in larger areas. There are also constant loading screens within a stage that present themselves as immersion breaking black screens.

I have also experienced game crashes under different circumstances. One time it happened during a busy combat moment while the other crash came when the game displayed an in-game video clip.

Something to note about the video clips, Bulletstorm offers a great option to view the cutscenes in 3D. That is outstanding and should become a standard option for all flat games converted to VR. Sadly, the implementation of the 3D clips is subpar. They are low detail and blurry. Even worse, they are often blown out with blinding white levels.

There are other technical letdowns that affect the game’s personality. Another annoyance is the sound effects and music. They often do not synch to the game and they sound off in seemingly random matter. The disappointment doesn’t end there, though. Enemy AI is just plain terrible. They stand around or run up to you and do nothing. Oft times they also do not react to gunfire hits.

Unfinished Game

Finally, the game looks way worse than flat screen version and this is not only because of the low level textures. There has been no attempt made to employ dynamic lighting. All the shadows are static. These factors leave the environments flat and lifeless. This is really apparent if you compare the graphics of the flat version game to the VR version.

The game feels fundamentally unfinished and could use another six months of development and polish. Incuvo publicly acknowledged the myriad issues on Twitter. They pledged to document all the issues raised by gamers and promise to correct them in future patches.

We shall see. They made the same pledge about Green Hell and there has yet to be any significant corrections made on the non-PC versions.
All those issues aside, when things do work properly, the game can be fun to play. Remember, this is an over the top arcade shooter and the gameplay is fun but dated. You play as the protagonist, Grayson Hunt, in the first person. Hunt is a former elite mercenary who is now rogue. He is rogue because he learns his former commander, General Victor Sarrano, used him and his unit to kill innocent civilians instead of military targets.

Your ship crash lands on Stygia, which is described as a hell planet. The goal of the game is to make your way through hostile territory and confront the general. You’ll face multiple enemies and set pieces that are designed to allow you to wreak the most gruesome havoc possible.

Dual Wielding Damage

One of the new features of the VR version of the game is the ability to dual wield weapons, something not possible in the flat version. You’ll be able to tote a gun in one hand and an energy weapon called the Leash in the other. Using the two weapons in tandem allows for devastating destruction.

The weapons are the strongest part of the game, especially the Leash. Think of the Leash as a whip composed of energy. You can lasso enemies from quite a distance and fling them either towards you or into the environment. This allows you to impale enemies on spikes or barbed wire or electrical wire or throw them over the side of structures. You can also fling explosive barrels.

For close in combat, you can kick enemies either by stunning them or pushing them into environmental objects. The more inventive you are in dispatching enemies, the greater the reward. There is a Skill Kill Point List which you can reference as a guide for actions left for you to accomplish.

So there is a good basis from the flat game for having a lot of mindless fun. However, the issues mentioned above short-circuit any sustained enjoyment of playing the game. In its current state, on the PSVR 2, I cannot recommend this game. Your best bet if you want to play the game now is to get the PC version.

Fingers Crossed for Fixes

Hopefully, Incuvo will honor their pledge to fix the game and in short order. There are teasing moments of fun that shine through all the current issues with the game. If they ever get fixed, then Bulletstorm could still turn out to be a fun game.

***Bulletstorm VR PS5 code provided by the publisher***

The post Bulletstorm VR Review – Bold and Brash, But Buggy appeared first on COGconnected.

VR Skater SL Pro Series Tour DLC from DEFICIT Games brings more content to VR Skater. That includes more maps, more gameplay modes, more leaderboards, new PSN Trophies, and the ability to skate the new maps in both directions.

As mentioned in our game review – here – the game is as close as being on a real skateboard you can get. VR Skater simulates an activity that is mostly controlled by one’s lower body with your hands. And does so brilliantly. All thanks to the PSVR 2’s motion controllers that handle steering, speed, and braking more naturally than ever before.

While VR Skater handles the mechanics of skate boarding with aplomb, the game environments are somewhat flat. There are no pedestrians, no vehicles – moving or otherwise, or any activity. The environments are static and sterile. The biggest deficiency is you can only travel in one direction.

DEFICIT Games have addressed that failure with the release of the VR Skater SL Pro Series Tour DLC. The Pro Series Tour comprises five new maps that allow the player to go in either direction. These maps are based on courses from real-life professional street skateboarding championships. They are enclosed spaces with ramps to gain air, railings to grind on, obstacles – such as spikes – to jump over, and half-pipes at each end to reverse direction.

There are five skating parks in the Pro Series Tour that expand upon the gameplay. Each track has five modes, one of which is a practice mode. All the track surfaces are smooth concrete, which enables the player to attain the desired speed to pull off tricks, aerial moves, and, most importantly, facilitate the opportunity to chain them in combos. Combos really let you rack up points.

More Modes

There are two gameplay modes in the Pro Series: Mission Run and Pro Run. Mission runs focus on such things as collecting objects in the environment in a specified time period. These include such things as the letters that spell out VR Skater. The Pro Run challenges you to pull off a series of moves with a specified score target.

What this DLC has accomplished is to elevate VR Skater up to the Virtual Reality Equivalent of the Tony Hawk series of games. Each of the pro maps will test all your skateboard skills. To get a real gauge of your skills and see how you rank against the world, there are fifteen new leaderboards that include three ranked modes for each map.

To be the world’s best VR Skater and sit atop the leaderboards will undoubtedly take much practice and many runs. For Playstation trophy hunters, there are also four new PSN Trophies to collect.

PRO content has been to the Skate Shop. Besides the previous decks and trunks, there are nine new SL Pro exclusive ones to really make your board stand out from the crowd.

Coming to PSVR 2 & Steam

For PSVR 2 players, the VR Skater Pro Series Tour DLC released on January 15th, 2024. There will also be a VR Skater PRO bundle that includes the base game and the DLC.

PC gamers can rejoice too later with the game coming out of Early Access on February 22nd.

DEFICIT Games have made a great effort to expand upon the initial release of the game, which lacks the freedom one associates with a skateboard game. The DLC also elevates the challenge level and raises the game to a level from where comparison with the big skateboarding videogame franchises is now valid.

***VR Skater PS5 code provided by the publisher***

The post VR Skater SL Pro Series Tour DLC Review – Big Leagues appeared first on COGconnected.

Happy New Year! Christmas and New Year’s Eve have come and gone. Did you get the games you wanted for Christmas? Have you already finished them? Even though most of the game sales are winding down, there are still some deals to be had. It is COGconnected’s duty, and and joy, to gather the hottest games deals into this one article to help you out. Here is a potpourri of games to play.  Some are new – like Alan Wake 2 or Hogwart’s Legacy. Others have been around for a bit, like GT7 or Miles Morales. Hopefully, there will be a game or two that will twig your interest. Remember winter is finally coming and you’ll need something to while away the hours!

Gran Turismo 7 Standard Edition – $49.69(Save –  45%)

Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Edition – $68.24(Save – 15%)

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’S Fury – Standard Edition – $69.99(Save – 13%)

Super Mario Odyssey – Standard Edition – $68.68(Save – 14%)

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze – Standard Edition – $73.95(save – 8%)

Farming Simulator 23 – Nintendo Switch – $39.96 – (Save 20%)

The Evil Within 2 Steam – $8.24(Save – 85%)

The Quarry – Steam – $19.99(Save – 75%)

Alan Wake 2 – Epic Store – $53.59(Save – 20%)

Hogwart’s Legacy – Epic Store – $47.99(Save – 40%)

Did you grab some cool fall sales this weekend? Let us know in the comments below. If you’re looking for some hardware deals we’ve got some great steals available there too!

Thank you for keeping it locked on COGconnected.

The post Weekend Game Deals – A Potpourri of Games to Play appeared first on COGconnected.

Happy New Year gamers! Once again, it’s time for some weekend hardware deals. It’s January of a new year and surprisingly we’re still waiting for the first big snowstorm of this winter. Even though the holiday sale period is over and deal are winding down, COGconnected has scoured the internet looking for any lingering deals to complement any new Christmas tech you received. You’ll find some PS5, PC, or even better, multiplatform hardware deals available as of this article. Racers, check out the deal on the Thrustmaster Wheel!

PlayStation 5 Console – Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Bundle – $649.96(Save 11%)

Thrustmaster T300 RS – Gran Turismo Edition Racing Wheel (PS5, PS4, PC) – $499.96(Save 23%)

Thrustmaster Ferrari 488 Gt3 Wheel Add-On Uni –  $285.60(Save – 16%)

LG Ultragear 27GR93U 27″ UHD(3840X2160) 4K Gaming Monitor with 144Hz – $699.99(Save – 22%)

MSI G274QPX, 27″ Gaming Monitor, 2560 x 1440 (QHD)– $399.99(Save – 25%)

MSI G321CU 4K 32″ 16:9 Curved 1500R Gaming Monitor – $539.99 – (Save –  21%)

soundcore by Anker Q20i Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling Headphones, Wireless Over-Ear Bluetooth – $49.99(Save – 38%)

JBL Quantum 400 Wired Over-Ear Gaming Headset – $79.98(Save – 47%)

ASUS ROG Rapture GT-AX6000 Dual-Band WiFi 6 Extendable Gaming Router, – $299.99($Save – 14%)

Logitech G X52 Flight Control System– $209.99(Save – 9%)

Did you grab some fall sales? Let us know in the comments below. And be sure to check in again as we have frequent weekend deals!

Thank you for keeping it locked on COGconnected.

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The post Weekend Hardware Deals – Wheelie Good Deal on Thrustmaster Wheel – 23% Off appeared first on COGconnected.

The Resident Evil 4 Remake VR Mod from the Capcom game studio is another testament to their technical prowess. Fresh from winning Game Of The Year nomination for their remake of the legendary Resident Evil 4, Capcom shows how well AAA games translate to Virtual Reality.

You can check out COGConnected’s written and video  reviews for our previous thoughts on the game.

Now, on Dec 8, 2023, a mere nine months after the release of the remake, Capcom delivers a free VR Mode for the PS5 and PSVR 2. This is their third VR update. You have to go back to the PSVR 1 and Resident Evil 7 for their first effort. A highly successful one. Even though it’s only six years ago, it seems like ages ago.

What Capcom accomplished on the creaky technology of the PSVR 1 with its external camera and light based tracking remains nothing of amazing. For the first time in the Resident Evil universe, players could step into a fully realized, true to scale experience. Despite Capcom’s continuing excellent work with VR releases, the RE7 one remains the most impressive because of the technical limitations of the PSVR 1 platform.

Capcom Ups Their VR Game

The PSVR 2 allows Capcom to up their game. The bridge between the visual quality of the flat versions of RE 8 and RE 4 is smaller and smaller. While RE8 looked great, the Resident Evil Remake looks even better. The visual difference between RE8 and RE4 is obvious. Part of this may be because of the game settings and part may be because of Capcom’s increasing proficiency with their VR conversions.

The two major visual differences between RE 4 & 8 are the lighting and the visual detail. RE 4 has a lot of open areas with foliage and they look fantastic. The trees, their leaves, the grass, the weeds and other foliage have a near photo-realistic detail. Shadows look fantastic and they are accentuated by the flashlight lighting, all accentuated by the deep blacks of the PSVR 2’s OLED display. It’s the best seen in VR to date.

From the opening title screen, you know you are in for a treat. The iconic path that Leon takes from the police car to the first house awaits you. I just stood there for a few moments and did a couple of 360s just looking around at everything. The shadows and shafts of light shining through the trees really sets an eerie mood.

The Remake added some modern gameplay tweaks to the game that COGConnected has previously covered. You can find them here. Most notable are the enhancements done to the gameplay mechanics with the knife. These upgrades really shine in the VR version.

More Intense Combat

Combat against life-sized villagers and larger-than-life figures and creatures has never been so intense. The intensity magnifies by including real life weapon reload mechanics. Rather than just a button push, you can opt for ejecting a spent magazine, grabbing a fresh one from your belt, slamming it into the weapon and then cocking the weapon. A simple set of actions that become frantic when a group of villagers swarm you.

Given that the RE 4 is twenty years older than RE 8, some concessions exist. A shotgun reload only requires you to chamber one shell instead of each one individually. This lack of VR interactivity, which VR Gamers refer to a game being VRAF, is no doubt tied to RE 4’s age.

The VRAF factor in RE 8 is higher than in RE 4. In RE 4, you can usually only interact with the items that have a purpose. Containers that contain keys or treasure are one such example. Another would be valves or levers that open doors. This holds true for things such as notes or photographs that you pick up to read or look at.

For cut scenes, RE 4 is more restricted to the number that is converted to VR than RE 8. RE 8 had a mix of conversion of cut scenes where some are left in 2D and others in VR. 2D scenes display as a large cinematic. The transition between VR and 2D is quick and seamless.

Multiple Points of View

RE 4 offers some options for which viewpoint you prefer to take depending on the situation, usually for boss battles. If you prefer, you can tackle these in a third person VR mode or 2D cinematic. If you have your VR legs, the third person VR mode is the way to go.

There are a couple of instances where Leon switches to third person mode. The first is when he is doing his roundhouse kick. Capcom also handled ladder climbing in third person along with stealth attacks with a knife.

One of the neat tricks of the Capcom development team was to actually lower Leon’s first person point of view. They made it lower than his eye level to make things seem even larger. This makes the villagers more menacing. Of course, it also adds to the size of El Gigante and other boss characters.

Capcom handles the inventory system in virtual reality backed by a black background. In this virtual space, you can handle objects as the flat game. You can rotate objects and zoom in and out for closer inspection.

Sounds Good Too

The game audio is also fantastic. Capcom game positions environmental and opponent audio cues spatially correct around you. The 360 soundscape really adds to the mood and atmosphere of the game.

Audio cues are further enhanced by the PSVR 2’s controller and headset haptics. Beyond the expected feedback from weapons, there is the use of environmental cues. You’ll feel the concussion from explosions in the headset. As well as wind blowing too, plus vibrations from vehicles such as the police car, the mine car, and the jet-ski. Nifty additions to the sense of immersion.

RE 4 takes advantage of VR in several more ways. Puzzles are now presented in a three-dimensional manner. You can rotate dial puzzles at the same time with both hands. Puzzles that require you to insert and rotate cubes at different angles can also be held and spun in your hands.

The game also has more options with figurines collected. You can view them life size in even greater detail. This also includes Leon’s model, which you don’t get to see as much in the game as you play him.

PSVR 2 = The Best Version of RE 4 Remake

You’ll have to forgive me for how effusive I’ve been with this review. PSVR 2 fans have been waiting for the promise of the PS5 platform to deliver AAA First Party Gaming. Except for a few titles like GT 7 and RE 8, the PSVR 2 library comprises mainly smaller titles. Games of the quality of Resident Evil 4 are a showcase for what PSVR 2 can do.

To sum it all up. As good as the flat version of the remake of Resident Evil 4 is, the VR version is the superior way to the play the game.

*** A PlayStation 5 code provided by the publisher for review***

The post Resident Evil 4 Remake PSVR 2 Review – RE 4 Made to Feel Real appeared first on COGconnected.

Pinball M pinball tables are a new Pinball FX line of tables from Zen Studios. The M stands for Mature and the tables in the initial collection certainly cement the label. This line of adult tables can expand on the content and presentation of tables not possible in the original game. This is also a good move from a business perspective too. Zen Studios has taken a fair amount of heat for its mercenary business practices. This stems from them not providing an upgrade path from the previous console gen to the current one. Plus, their pricing for tables pushes the envelope too.

There are five M tables. All five M tables are fantastic. The first one – Wrath of the Elders – is free and the only one not based on a known IP. The other four tables are based on known properties. The other four tables require purchases, either separately or get a slight discount if purchased in a bundle called Death Save. If you are a horror fan or desire pinball tables with more adult themes, Pinball M is the answer. A quick dive of each table will show why.

Pinball M Lovecraftian Table

This is an edgier, so-called Director’s Cut, of the safer version of the game found in the main Pinball FX game. The Wrath of the Elders is an eldritch theme horror game. Like Lovecraftian tales, the gameplay is based on you controlling your sanity. You have to battle tentacled creatures and collect runes to save yourself.

Dead by Daylight

First up is the Dead by Daylight table. It’s based on the Behaviour’s asymmetrical multiplayer and even includes whether you play as the survivor or the killer. The gameplay is based around hitting the proper lanes to either pursue or escape. The table also includes features from the source game, such as repairing generators.

Duke Nukem

For the first-person shooter fans, there is the Duke Nukem table. This is a fun table capturing the humor of the videogames. Duke Nukem’s Big Shot, which apes the low-poly models from the games. The table includes a first person mini-game where you play as Duke. You get to go wild on enemies just like in the videogames.

Chucky Love

The remaining tables are based on movies. There is the Chucky table. Chucky’s Killer Pinball is the largest table in the collection. In it, you need to reassemble a mask in the middle lane. Once complete, missions open which are based on movie scenes. There is an LCD screen that displays the movie scenes. All a Chucky doll views the table action off to one side.

The Thing! Yeah Baby!

The last table is my personal favorite. It’s based on the amazing John Carpenter 1984 adaptation of The Thing. The movie is in my personal top ten of all time and this table does an amazing job of catching its mood. It has brilliant touches, like snow falling around the table and the whoosh of the flamethrower when it is lit.

The table also features snippets from the iconic score plus iconic quips by the Kurt Russell as McCready. Plus, it too, like the Chucky table, has a LCD display that shows scenes from the movie. In fact, the table starts with the iconic opening scene from the movie with the alien ship crashing to the planet and then the burn-in title letters.

Parents Take Content Heed

In summary, each of these tables is gorgeous to look at and listen to. The physics are on point and this M line of tables will appeal to all players. A warning to parents, certain tables like The Thing include harsh language with F bombs aplenty.

To bolster player interest, each table has its own campaign. They give you cosmetic unlocks that require different gameplay mechanics via different gameplay mechanics. You earn credits when you play and they too allow further customizations. Things such as special ball trails or unique lighting.

Beyond the table specific campaigns, there are daily challenges where you compete against leaderboards. The challenges use special restrictions, such as scoring as many points as possible with a limited amount of flips, a limited amount of balls, or in the shortest time period possible.

From the main menu, you can access the tables you own, the Daily Challenges, Events – which is not implemented yet, the Vault, and Tournaments. The Vault is where you spend your credits to customize your play area with banners. Tournament mode allows you to set up multiplayer matches. The Home screen is also the game’s social screen where such things as the Community and News Feeds are found.

Pinball FX Vs Pinball M

Some may find Pinball M being a separate entity from the parent Pinball FX annoying. Splitting a game’s player base is always risky. It is a tad inconvenient to have two separate apps to play the tables, but the division is understandable given the difference in content. The truly annoying thing Pinball M shares with Pinball FX are the loading times.

The length of the loading times is tied to synching up your data with the game servers. The load times harken back to the previous gen. It can take up to a minute or so for data synching to complete. This seems especially egregious when all that is being loaded are pinball tables.

Fantastic Potential for Future Adult Tables

Those quibbles asides, the new tables are fantastic. The potential for future releases is very exciting. For myself, The Thing table is already a high mark. Tables from other horror franchises or tables based on R-rated movie franchises like John Wick or maybe other video games such as Grand Theft Auto will entice new players.

If you are a pinball fan, Pinball M is a no-brainer. The tables, their campaigns, and the extra play modes make for a solid package. If you’ve never been a pinball fan but have fond feelings for any of the franchises mentioned, Pinball M may be the game to convert you.

***Pinball M PS5 code provided by the publisher***

The post Pinball M Review – M is for Mature appeared first on COGconnected.

2023 Great Year of Gaming

As 2023 winds down, it will be remembered as one of the best for gaming. The number of great titles in this year has been staggering. Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Baldur’s Gate 3, Spider-Man 2, plus remakes of Dead Space and Resident Evil 4 are just the tip of the iceberg. Yes, 2023 is a very good gaming year.

But there’s more.

VR Gaming

There is another area of gaming that also had a great year – VR Gaming. With the launch of the PSVR 2 and the Quest 3, the new hardware moved VR Games closer than ever to match their pancake big brother. And with the promise of even greater strides to come.

So if you are new to the world of VR Gaming or have bought a family member a VR Headset, you may be wondering what games to buy. Have no fear! COGConnected is here! Launch titles such as Gran Turismo 7, Resident Evil 8, and Call of the Mountain are a must. But what about the latest and greatest?

Below are the ten most recent releases of the last month or two that are definitely worthy of adding to the present list. Or buying for yourself.

Happy shopping!

10. Ghost Signal: A Stellaris Game
For starters, the first game is an overlooked gem. This is a space battle combat roguelike game that has a great combination of strategy and compelling story that keeps you coming back to further advance your progress. The controls are intuitive, the graphics are crisp, and the music is excellent. For all the strategists out there, don’t let this one get by you.

9. Lego Bricktales (Meta)
Here’s one for the youngsters or young at heart. Previously released flat, it now comes to the Meta platform. If you own a Meta Quest 3, there is the added bonus of a mixed reality mode that merges your virtual Lego creations with your home.

8. Demeo Battles (All VR Platforms)
The first game, Demeo was a big hit as it took the table top D&D experience and converted to a digital format. In Demeo each campaign takes three to four hours to complete. Demeo Battles takes the Demeo experience and condenses it down to quicker, faster paced thirty minute sessions.

7. The 7th Guest VR (All VR Platforms)
The 7th Guest 1993 PC Games is one of those seminal PC games everyone has heard of like Myst. The 2023 VR version feels like the game the original developers wanted to make but couldn’t because of the technological limitations of the time.

6. Five Nights At Freddy’s: Help Wanted 2 (PSVR 2)
Five Nights At Freddy’s scared gamers in the flat version. Imagine how much scarier it is when you are in the world of Five Nights.

The post Top Ten New VR Games For Christmas 2023 appeared first on COGconnected.

Nightdive Studios has developed an excellent track record as Remaster Masters and Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion is their latest one. It is another feather in their cap or an arrow in their quiver, if you prefer. Especially so, since Turok 3 was a Nintendo 64 release whereas the previous two games had PC releases.

Turok 3 was released in 2000 on the N64 console. The game completed the trilogy, though it takes a markedly distinct path from the first two installments. For starters, you don’t play as the same Turok as the previous game. An elaborate and lengthy prologue, especially if you consider the time they created the game, sets up the game. Joshua Fireseed, the Turok from Turok 2, dies saving his siblings from an Oblivion Spawn attack.

Danielle and Joseph flee in their car, but an Oblivion monster attacks them. Just when it seems they are to share their brother’s fate, a female character appears and saves them. She is Adon, a female alien who helped Joshua in Turok 2. She teleports them to the Council of Voices. They hold a meeting on how to deal with the ongoing threat of the Oblivion. The only way to accomplish this is to choose the next Turok. It is here where the player chooses whether to play Turok as Danielle or Joseph.

Each character has their strengths. Danielle is older and larger and has a grappling hook to get around while Joseph is younger and smaller and can squeeze through tight places. Weapons between the two are also slightly different. These differences are marginal, so the bulk of gameplay remains the same. Danielle allows for a more direct approach versus the stealth style of Joseph.

Change of Scenery

The game also differs from the previous two in location. While the first two games took place in the Lost Lands, Turok 3 mostly takes place on Earth. This location change was driven by a different level design philosophy. While the first two games were driven by the level design of the Doom games, Turok 3’s game design was driven by Half-Life. So the first two games had pre-designed levels, whereas the levels for this game were created as required by the designers.

Another new addition to the game is world events that take place outside the player’s sphere of influence. Police activity can be seen when they enter buildings and engage the enemy. They scripted some events while some depended on the player’s actions. The other big difference is the game length. While the first two games take between four to eight hours to complete, Turok 3 will take about two to three. The use of two characters is transparently apparent.

As to the remaster itself, Turok 3 benefits the most. Now released from the shackles of the N64 console, and that includes the upgrade the expansion pack provided, the remaster rocks. Of course, the game looks so much better visually but the biggest benefit of the remaster is a consistent frame rate.

The N64 version may have been one of the better-looking games, especially with the expansion pack, but those visuals came with a cost. They gave visuals priority and the frame rate was secondary. Ironically, the improved visuals with the expansion pack acerbated the frame rate issue. The remaster fixes the frame rate issue and Turok 3 now runs with a smooth and consistent frame rate.

Frame Rate Fixed

Couple the smooth frame rate with the improved visuals and Nightdive once again showcases their technical prowess. Not only did they up the texture resolutions, but they also added dynamic lighting and shadows. These changes make the levels look much more realistic. They even touched up the character models within the confines of honoring the game’s original look.

Nightdive includes a host of options that allow the player to tailor the game to run as best as possible on the platform of their choice. You can change Display options such as Antialising, Motion Blur, Depth of Field, etc. You can also change the FOV and for purists, there are CRT Emulation Settings. One odd omission is the exclusion of a hotkey to switch between the original and remastered versions.

One area of sound they could not do much with is the voices. They still keep some of that tinny tone from the source files. Fortunately, the rest of the game’s sounds and music are reworked to bring them up to modern standards.

Nightdive remains incredibly faithful to the original, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t take the opportunity to tweak and correct some of the original game’s deficiencies. The updates are mostly nips and tucks to improve gameplay by a better distribution of weapons, ammo, and health. They also included some extra levels like the Lost Lands. A nice bonus and the Lost Lands look great.

No Multiplayer

If you are hoping for an improved multiplayer mode, prepare for disappointment. Multiplayer in Turok games was never a big selling point. The levels were small and the frame rate issue made them a miserable experience. These factors probably guided Nightdive into deciding not to include them. A lot of work would have been necessary to bring them up to stuff. Still, it’s a bit of a disappointment when you consider they had done so for other remaster projects.

Nightdive Studio continues their excellent remaster work and for that we are thankful. The care and attention they bring to each new remaster is always on display.

Turok 3 is the weirdest and least liked of the Turok games. Killing off a main character from the previous installment in the early going is never an easy sell. Think Alien 3 and The Last of Us 2. That hindrance aside, this is easily the best version of Turok 3 we will probably ever see.

Nightdive’s excellent work aside, this is a remaster of an OK game. If you’ve played the previous two installments, remember that going into this one. The deficiencies of the original game in terms of storytelling and overall design are still present. If you keep that in mind, be prepared to enjoy the best version of Turok 3 possible.

***Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion code provided by the publisher***

The post Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion Review – Turok Touch Up Completed appeared first on COGconnected.

Hello gamers! Once again, it’s time for some weekend hardware deals. It’s almost mid-November and we’re still waiting for the snow to fall. Before you get hit with a big storm, now is a good time to stock up on hardware goodies to make all the time you’ll be spending indoors go faster. COGconnected comes to the rescue, like we always do, with the hottest hardware deals that will help you out. You’ll find some PS5, PC, or even better, multiplatform hardware deals available as of this article. Listed below are ten hardware deals to help you transition from fall to winter.

PlayStation 5 Console – Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Bundle – $649.96(Save 11%)

Sony LinkBuds S Truly Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbud Headphones – $168(Save 44%)

Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 USB Wireless Amplified Gaming Headset –  $79.96(Save – 38%)

LG 27UL500-W 27-Inch UHD (3840 x 2160) IPS Monitor – $299.99(Save – 33%)

MSI Optix MPG ARTYMIS 273CQR Anti-Glare 1ms 2560 x 1440 Ultra Wide 165Hz – $359.99(Save – 36%)

Samsung 32″ Odyssey G7 Curved Gaming Monitor – $599.99 – (Save –  33%)

DualSense Wireless Controller – Various Colors(Except White) – $69.96(Save – 26%)

JBL Quantum 400 Wired Over-Ear Gaming Headset – $79.98(Save – 47%)

Razer BlackWidow V3 Tenkeyless TKL Mechanical Gaming Keyboard – $79.99($Save – 43%)

Logitech Canada RGB Throttle and Stick Controller – $284.99(Save – 29%)

Did you grab some fall sales? Let us know in the comments below. And be sure to check in again as we have frequent weekend deals!

Thank you for keeping it locked on COGconnected.

• For amazing videos, head over to our YouTube page HERE.
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The post Weekend Hardware Deals – Awesome MSI 1440P Gaming Monitor – 36% Off appeared first on COGconnected.

Kill It With Fire from developer Casey Donnellan Games tailored a well balanced game to carry out its goal. The game has been around for a while. First, it has been released flat on every platform. Casey Donnellan Games have also done it in VR for the Meta and Steam platforms. Now it is making the leap to VR, and this review is for the PSVR 2 version. When you ask someone what creatures freak them out the most, the top two answers would be spiders and snakes. The phobia is so strong for each of them that there is a whole sub-genre of movies that pit characters against them.

Kill It With Fire knows this and adroitly balances between a game scary but also very fun. The game employs a cartoony, brightly colored visual style that softens the overall tone. How strongly a gamer reacts to stomping out spiders will totally depend on whether you instinctively abhor them.

Where the game tightens the tension, is with the sound design. The game’s music, which uses strident violins, enhances spider sightings. Its effect is excellent. When those violins kick in, you get a visceral reaction much the same as the music cues from movies such as Jaws or Psycho. It really invokes the sensation of a multi-legged creature scurrying across the floor. Or maybe up on you!

Keeping the fear factor in mind, Kill It With Fire, has an option to turn off that particular music cue if you find it too unnerving. Or maybe it becomes too irritating for you. Personally, I think it does the game a great disservice to turn that sound cue off. The music in the game is an upbeat, jazzy, spy type affair that is an excellent contrast to the spider music cue.

Scare Versus Comfort

Another comfort option is the one that deals with spiders that jump. If jumping spiders are too creepy for you to handle, you can disable it. Again, if you do so, it takes away an awesome creep factor, dare I say it, jump scares. If you can remind yourself that it’s only a game, then do your best to leave this setting enabled.

Let’s talk about the spiders. There are a variety of them, but they all look very similar to one another. The arachnids scale up in size as you gain better items to dispatch them. They move realistically as they scurry around the room. They crawl up, over, under, behind, and in between items.

The game starts in your typical bungalow style home with each room filled with interactive objects. All you have is a pair of gloves that come equipped with a spider radar to start with. The game prompts you to hunt out and kill spiders. Kill so many spiders and you open up more weapons. One of the first items is a hair spray flame thrower in honor of the game’s name.

The first levels are small. You move around a living room, a bathroom, and an office. Weaponless, you can use your fists or can pick up household items to squash spiders. It’s up to you to suss them out and dispatch them. You can use household items like TV remotes, speakers, game controllers to squash them. It makes some for tense moments as the spiders zip around the room and climb furniture to escape you.

Going Bigger

From there, everything gets progressively bigger: the stages, the weapons, and the spiders. Quickly enough, you power up enough, and killing spiders changes from being scary to becoming comedic. It’s an understandable evolution of the gameplay. The experience is meant to be fun instead of scary. Personally, I would have preferred the game to take the scary route and pay off with a Lord of the Rings – The Return of the King – Shelob level of confrontation.

As your array of weapons grow – flame thrower, guns, ninja stars, and bombs to name a few. With such an arsenal at your disposal, the difficulty level drops while the collateral damage increases dramatically. This is how the game combats the boredom that can arise with a repetitive gameplay loop in several ways.

First, the game is short. You can complete it in a handful of hours. Next, the game gives you objectives that require you to be creative with your kills. One example is you have to kill six spiders with a gun, but only with five bullets. You access the objectives through your Arachno-Gauntlet.

Finally, the art style and aesthetics of the game are geared towards a younger crowd. Ten to twelve-year-olds will have a blast with this game. This is not a deep game, but it ties in adroitly with the fear of spiders and the desire to get rid of them.

Kill It With Fire Is A Well Balanced Game

Casey Donnellan Games has tailored a well balanced game to carry out its goal. Kill It With Fire hits the right mix of fun and length. If you are an arachnophobe, this may not be the game for you. If the idea of squashing spiders for fun appeals to your darker side, this is the game for you. Kill It With Fire is available on all platforms, be it flat or VR. And now it has come to the PSVR 2. Happy Hunting!

***Kill It With Fire PSVR 2 code provided by the publisher***

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