February 2015 Video Game Reviews

Space Hulk: Ascension
Full Control / Games Workshop
Reviewed on: PC
Street: 11.12.14
Space Hulk is a combination of Aliens and chess-like strategy, proving that we can have an incredibly stylized game with an immense dark story and require insane amounts of strategy to win. Space Hulk features player-controlled military units fighting Deadspace-like monsters in objective based levels. Each character can only move a certain number of spaces or uses different abilities, so not only is it incredibly important to have good group synergy, but being able to predict potential pitfalls from any angle is also key. While the game has an odd religious overtone to it, it doesn’t get too far in the way of the real premise, which is to place units and crush aliens. The art style and world is incredibly interesting and the music, while not being anything but dark tones and intense rhythms, perfectly sets the scene. This is made for someone looking for a challenge and strategy—FPS junkies need not apply. –Thomas Winkley

Strife: Veteran Edition
Rogue Entertainment / Night Dive Studios
Reviewed on: PC
Also on: Mac
Street: 12.12.14
When it originally debuted in 1996, Strife was a revolutionary game that sought to use the Doom engine to build a first-person RPG. Conceptually, this was way ahead of its time—the first-person shooter/RPG is something that has recently gained traction with games like Bioshock and Destiny. It’s impressive that Rogue Entertainment was messing around with that idea back in the mid-‘90s. That being said, the game doesn’t offer any initial backstory about where the player is and what he is doing, so it’s easy to fall into the Doom habit of murdering everything in sight. As it turns out, that’s a bad thing to do in Strife. Throughout the game, your character is given missions that offer different rewards, and killing everyone in sight tends to limit these opportunities. For those who want to get into some old-school deathmatches with Strife, the Veteran Edition comes equipped with a few different multiplayer modes that can be fun to knock out with a few buddies. While Strife: Veteran Edition is a lovingly rendered version of an underground hit, it’s something that only those who are nostalgic for the first-person shooters of the mid-‘90s are really going to enjoy. –Alex Springer

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
The Astronauts
Reviewed on: PC
Also on: PS4
Street: 09.26.14
Ethan Carter is a blend of scenery built for desktop wallpaper and supernatural exploration that I can most closely compare to Myst or Riven. The beauty of this game lies not only within its incredible scenery, but within the creepy tone set by the amazing sound design. Also, the idea that you are going to explore a world all alone with no guidance to figure out what happened leaves an additional sense of wonder as you uncover facts about families, demons and the “Sleeper.” While this is literally the key game mechanic, it is also worth noting that the lack of guidance can lead to mild frustration if you’d rather be guided through the story. The monologuing by Paul, the main character, only serves to add to the eerie mystery of this gorgeous world. This is a game that anyone should take time to explore. –Thomas Winkley