Sharpen your sword as we take a look into the 2018 release from WarpFrog, Blade and Sorcery. This VR title moves to combine sword combat with magic and more, now as the game has reached its full-release stage. A title for almost every VR gamer to enjoy or at least peer into, Blade and Sorcery encourages its players to modify the game as they see fit, changing the environments from a Mediaeval sword fighting game to much more with mods that include Star Wars, Anime, even going as far as to introduce modern day weaponry such as firearms. Story and Environment As of the 1.0 update of June 2024 (for PC), the game mode “Crystal Hunt” has been released. This mode follows a new inclusion of lore, bringing in new factions to the game who will combat the lone player in their quest to unlock the world’s secrets, acquire new skills, abilities, weapons, and armour along their run of Crystal Hunt. From shirtless and armorless enemies from the Wildfolk, to the mysterious cult called “The Eye”, the experience will continue to change as the player progresses through the story including the difficulty. This even includes the use of boss battles. Along with the new update, new environments have been added to the player experience. As the dungeons are set in a seed system, players will almost always get a different labyrinth and experience when attacking a faction outpost. Gameplay Players are allowed to choose between a plethora of different ways to play and progress through their story or fight in the limitless sandbox mode. Blade and Sorcery centres itself around a gorey and bloody combat system, making the game an advisory against younger audiences as dismemberment and extensive violence resides in this title. The choice of weapons are nearly limitless including the encouraged process of modding the game through Modio or Nexus Mods. From bows, spears, shields, swords, daggers, and magic, it is truly up to the player’s imagination on choosing their way of progression through their playthrough. Sandbox The base and once-only game mode of Blade and Sorcery is the Sandbox mode. This mode includes the player’s choice of maps, weapons, gear, and abilities without the need of level progression or experiencing the story. Players can still experience Outpost missions and boss battles within Sandbox mode, even allowing the use of cheats to the player’s content such as godmode, no fall damage, or infinite mana. Mods With the vast selection of Mods and the highly inclusive and engaging modding community of Blade and Sorcery, the sky's the limit in terms of experiences. Blade and Sorcery encourages the player to mod the game, adding iconic weapons such as blasters and lightsabers from star wars, weapons from history such as katanas, wild west revolvers, or even modern-era firearms. There are even inclusions of mods that implement weapons, armour, and enemies from the Halo franchise, allowing the choice of jumping into the boots of a Spartan or Marine. Mods include others as well that are passive, such as increased gore mods, AI improvement mods, or immersive overhaul mods that can make the game more challenging for the player experience. Players can also implement custom maps, many of which can be directly from familiar environments or completely different yet impressive locations such as cyberpunk-esque cities and movie locations. Summary Blade and Sorcery is a very immersive game that most would describe as an essential experience for any mature Virtual Reality gamer. The gameplay is almost never-ending with the use of mods. As versatile as Blade and Sorcery is, it’s not without its own real-world limitations such as processing power. But, on a vanilla playthrough, the game feels immersive, delivering more to the player in terms of lore, combat, and diversity. Truly, as a VR game, Blade and Sorcery is by far one of the best VR fighting games on the market today. Pros • Quality immersive experience • Modding support directly in-game and easy modding capabilities via Nexus mods • Diverse way to play to fit the styles of all players Cons • Requires a decent computer to run base game with mods • Can be repetitive in some aspects, meaning more reliance on mods • The 1.0 Release update for Crystal hunt was not without its faults, having broken the already-limited enemy AI for a short term

KGK Dragon’s Reviews: Naruto x Boruto Ultimate Ninja STORM, the 2023 release from CyberConnect2, BNE LLC, and Namco Bandai Games America Inc. Jump into the 19th installment of the “Naruto: Ultimate Ninja” fighting game series and play as a multitude of different ninja. From fan favorites like the 7th Hokage, Naruto Uzamaki himself, to others such as the notorious Madara Uchiha. Select from a vast collection of costumes for each character that mark specific eras of your choosing. From Naruto’s original attire from “Naruto Shippuden” to his 7th Hokage attire as seen in “Boruto: Next Generation.” Revisit many memorable places in the form of fighting stages such as the different Chunin Exam locations or even Orochimaru’s hideout. For any fan of Naruto, this multi-platformed fighting game is worth a look. Take initiative and play through Naruto x Boruto Ultimate Ninja STORM Connections’ story mode and even partake in memorable battles as seen in the series. Fight as Naruto Uzamaki and Sasuke Uchiha and take on Obito Uchiha in an effort to halt Madara Uchiha’s ultimate plan or take a dive into the early stages of the series as Naruto and Sakura as they square off against Kakashi. Utilize your chakra and perform familiar jutsu, ninja items such as the kunai, or attack using a character’s unique attack animations. But with another note, Naruto x Boruto Ultimate Ninja STORM Connections has been acclaimed by many to be a “filler game” after the 2014 fan favorite “Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja STORM 4.” Some have even gone as far as to call the game a “glorified DLC” in comparison to its previous predecessor within the Naruto: Ultimate Ninja STORM series, highlighting the changes to gameplay mechanics and “dumbed down” controls for a much faster pace match. Many have also pointed out the lack of control in terms of defense, players often complaining about the easily combo hitlock mechanic.While the game has received quite the mixed set of reviews, maintaining a whopping 51% on steam reception.  Summary: Naruto x Boruto: Ultimate Ninja STORM Connections, brings back a vast array of familiar characters from the Naruto universe and fight in even more familiar locations. While holding its own criticisms, shows itself as a well-rounded installment to the Naruto: Ultimate Ninja series with a new-player friendly control scheme for the average casual gamer and Naruto fan.  Pros: • Over 100+ characters to choose from • Easy to use controls • New player friendly mechanics Cons: • Lacking in Story Mode content in comparison to Ultimate Ninja predecessor games • Very negative receptions to the game from returning Ultimate Ninja series gamers • History battles and Story battles seem rushed

The world within “The Walking Dead” franchise holds many stories. From Rick Grimes to Clementine to Lee, there are others that exist, such as “The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners.” a 2020 Skydance Interactive and Skybound Entertainment release. Playable exclusively in VR, see firsthand the world where the dead roam the earth and the living trudge their way through the undead world just to survive… “Fight the dead. Fear the living. Story and Environment The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners follows the story of the unnamed player character who simply goes by the title of “The Tourist.” The difference of the Tourist being Masculine or Feminine is up to the player, relaying the implication of allowing players to integrate themselves into the shoes of the Tourist. Travelling into the overrun and flooded city of New Orleans, Louisiana, the player must locate “The Reserve.” A military bunker full of supplies, weapons, and medicine that would surely give an edge to the player in times of the apocalypse. Travel amongst 9 different locations, scavenging, looting, sneaking, and fighting in places across New Orleans, while not completely accurate, are depictions of real world locations. The player may make decisions that pertain to how the story unfolds as they go, such as choosing which characters live or die. To add to the already harrowing hostile environment, the game follows a time and day-based system where time management is crucial. As each day passes, supplies and survivors dwindle, but the number of dead increases. Upon sundown, players may experience the “Tower bell” that chimes, drawing the dead in multiple numbers if the player fails to leave before nightfall. This either forces the player to manoeuvre their way to the exfil boat, or stay and fight the hordes to their content. Although, it should be mentioned that after both, the story, and the “Aftershock” content is completed, the game leaves a large void of direction other than simply looting buildings that the player would have already looted, shooting hostile human NPCs, or fending off the undead. Gameplay The overall feel of The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners really immerses the player, giving them a multitude of factors to consider when surviving. Hunger, thirst, health, and stamina play a vital role in maintaining one’s odds of surviving an expedition. Food and drinks found whilst on an outing retain a “dirty” debuff, making the player “sick” by decreasing the health bar. It isn’t until the player uses medicine that returns the health bar back to its natural state. Weapons, including firearms and two handed melee weapons, have a simulated weight, making them feel clunky and heavy. This is extremely evident when the player attempts to use a firearm, simulating the “tourist’s” inexperience of handling one.  The combat in The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners is definitely noteworthy. Gunfights draw zombies, essentially creating a three-way, sometimes four-way, battle between the living and dead. Weapons each have a durability metre, making the implication of choosing one’s battles all the more crucial. Ammo is limited, the dead are vast in number, and most good weapons and gear are tucked away and safeguarded by rivalling humans. Another thing of note is the stamina mechanic. While a player might have all the strength in the world to fight to their heart’s content, the game invokes a stamina metre, limiting the player’s abilities of combat and movement. Visuals, Graphics, & Immersion Running off of Unreal Engine 4, The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners delivers a great experience in Virtual Reality. The already haunted setting of New Orleans pushes an even more dreadfully spooky environment by invoking overwhelming darkness, zombies that can seemingly appear out of nowhere, and even more dangerous locations such as claustrophobic schools or houses that have long since been abandoned that now remain infested. In many cases, the player will be forced to use a flashlight that must remain tended to. To keep the player on their toes, the developers implemented a timer system on the flashlight which requires the player to grab and shake the device to keep it activated for long periods of time. While the zombies have been masterfully done, humans can seem very “dumb” or unresponsive to situations. This can break immersion regularly as in many cases, entire groups of humans can be overrun by a measly one to two walkers. But beyond that, other immersive aspects include the use of zombie camouflage, lower quality firearms jamming often, and the even the simplicity of applying bandages by having the player manually wrap it around their arm. Summary The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners is quite possibly one of the best VR zombie survival games to this day. With well-rounded mechanics that simulate the stressful and difficult nature of surviving in post-apocalyptic New Orleans. Not for the faint of heart, Saints and Sinners is, within itself, a good zombie survival title, even for those who do not take interest in the story of “The Walking Dead.” While post-main story and Aftershock content, the game may seem repetitive, it does not lack in terms of immersion, even going as far as catching even the most experienced of survivalists off guard at times. Pros • 10-20 hours worth of content to explore and enjoy • Multiple choice route for the main story, each with different outcomes that may affect the player positively or negatively • Immersive and spooky environment with well done mechanics and controls • A better title than the sequel by leagues Cons • Post-Story and Aftershock content makes the game lacklustre  • Human NPCs can mostly feel inhuman with their actions and reactions to situations which can sometimes break immersion • While gunplay can be immersive due to weight, it can, at times, seem to be too much, making weapons seem heavier than they should

The afterlife is one of the biggest mysteries that linger over the world to this very day… Developed by Kinetic Games, Phasmophobia, takes a peek into what goes bump in the night. Rally with three other players or brave it and go solo as you scour through houses, abandoned asylums, even prisons and campsites to uncover the cause of what's been haunting the site. Grab your flashlight and steady your nerves as we go through this award-winning 2020 title. Contracts & Environment Within Phasmophobia, the main concept of progression of any sort is its ranking system. In order to unlock maps and equipment, players must accept or create their own contracts via the planning board. The game has 12 different maps in which to play from. They range from large to small, affecting the payout and xp gained from a successful contract. Each ghost gives subtle clues using the environment. Temperature, orbs only visible through the lens of a night vision camera, and even more activity that are unique to very specific ghosts. Luckily, the game offers custom contracts to make things easier for new players or to push the limits of the most experienced ghost hunters. With custom contracts, players control the entire aspect of how their ghost hunting experience will go. From ghost and player speeds to even making the ghost friendly with the inability to harm players, or force parameters that would otherwise seem rare such as ghost events and activity. Gameplay When ghost hunting, players must deduce the ghost type down to evidence, the ghost’s hunting behaviour, and using whatever clues are present during the investigation. Beware, for when the ghost hunts, the players are most vulnerable as the ghost will begin their search in a deadly game of hide and seek. The only defence the players have are hiding places outside of the ghost’s line of sight, using sage and crucifixes to prevent the ghost from hunting, or running by utilising couches or tables to “loop” the ghost. In all senses, the associated behaviours and evidence of the ghost is always reliable to which ghost is being investigated. For more experienced players, they may even limit the amount of evidence from three, two, one, or even granting zero evidence. This forces them to rely only on the ghost’s hunting behaviour and the chances of unique traits or events the ghost may reveal during the investigation. That being said, Phasmophobia brings almost a new experience every investigation as each ghost has different ways they reveal themselves, whether it’s the ghost’s speed, mannerisms, or even if they react to your electronics or voice, there are a plethora of experiences. It is even playable in VR! Visuals & Graphics Running off of the renowned Unity Engine, Phasmophobia runs smoothly, even with 4 players and max equipment. The graphics bring clarity and comfort at its current state, allowing the eerie environments of a haunted house or abandoned asylum to flourish and bring a deeper sense of immersion to the investigation experience even for an indie game. With the dark atmosphere, a flashlight or at least some form of illumination is almost essential for navigating spacious areas within the dozen maps of Phasmophobia.  Summary  Phasmophobia is truly an edge-of-your-seat indie horror game. It truly captures the essence of what a horror game should be. Sitting as a “ghost hunting simulator,” Phasmophobia is an amazing experience to play with friends or even an eerie thrill to play alone. It should be noted that Phasmophobia is VR compatible, meaning players can choose whether or not to enhance their gameplay through a far more immersive setting. With that in mind, for a ghost hunting experience, Phasmophobia is truly a noteworthy title. Pros • VR compatible • Single-player and Coop compatible • Limitless replayability • Reactive controls and reliable ghost generator Cons • VR comes with few handicaps such as harder door controls and survivability rates • When playing in random lobbies, there are chances of running into a cheater who may ruin the ghost hunting experience • The Mimic (The Most Universally hated ghost type)

The sixteenth instalment to the renowned and beloved Rainbow Six Franchise developed by Ubisoft Montreal, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege brings about another competitive tactical FPS title to the competitive gaming scene. Competitive 5v5 multiplayer skirmishes, seasonal events, ranked play, the returning game mode “terrorist hunt” with co-op capabilities and even more locations to attack or defend. Game Modes & Environment Tom Clancy’s Rainbow SIx Siege has had multiple game modes during its runtime with around 30 being the total amount that Siege has seen and only 4 being base game modes. Bomb, Secure area, Terrorist hunt, and Hostage, yet, only Bomb remains as the sole ranked game mode, leaving the others only playable through custom matches or casual matchmaking. While 30 game modes seems like plenty, most are only playable or have been only playable through seasonal events. Many game modes have only ever made an appearance once, such as the “outbreak” game mode which essentially brought a zombie mode to Rainbow six, but had only been the precedent to the “Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction” title, a game which followed the same concept. The environment to Rainbow Six Siege follows multiple locations across the globe, bringing about a new operator(s) every season along with lore through the use of cinematic videos. Operators from many tier 1 special operations groups from across the globe are present within Rainbow Six Siege’s lineup of playable characters. These include members of the Renowned American Navy SEALs, Russian Spetsnaz, and even the French GIGN Counter terrorism unit. Among the many maps within Rainbow Six Siege, there are multiple locations in which players may find themselves attacking or defending. A service area in the rural territory of Australia, a snow-covered Chalet in Eastern France, even the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Gameplay The gameplay for Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege is smooth, with excellent gunplay, but questionable hitscan during its runtime with some hiccups remaining to this day. Although, it should be noted the level of creativity used in developing and designing the concept of special operator gadgets and abilities. From what has been shown by the many players of Rainbow Six Siege, they can be even more creative using said abilities when it comes to creating strategies and methods to offence or defence. Each operator is given a set of weapons, equipment, and unique gadgets to choose from. SMGs, carbines, shotguns, marksman rifles, and assault rifles are among the selection with two or three primary weapons available to each operator during selection, each one having their own impact on the vast environmental destruction present when playing Rainbow Six Siege. Many floors and walls can be destroyed by explosives, gadgets, heavy calibre weapons, or simply punching a hole in the wall. Visuals & Graphics Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege runs off of Ubisoft’s Anvil 2.0 game engine. Other Ubisoft titles, including For Honor, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint, and both Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Origins. The graphics are clear and clean, offering clarity and reliability when in an intense skirmish. After its release, Rainbow Six Siege has collected a multitude of cosmetic items for weapons, clothing, and headgear. As of now, there resides over 1,000 cosmetic items in Rainbow Six Siege, including Elite sets and weapon skins. Players can customise their operators’ headgear, uniforms, weapons skins, and even add attachments to each and every weapon the player feels best comfortable with. Summary Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege stands out as a masterclass in tactical gameplay, offering a unique blend of strategy and teamwork. The emphasis on environmental destruction and the diverse roster of operators create a dynamic experience that rewards both skill and communication. With a thriving community and continuous updates, the game evolves, ensuring that each match feels fresh and intense. Whether you're a seasoned veteran or new to tactical shooters, Rainbow Six Siege delivers a gripping experience that challenges players to think critically and work together, solidifying its place as a staple in the genre. Pros • Competitive and immersive gameplay • Diverse selection of playable operators • Heavily active community even after nearly 10 years post launch • Continuous support from Ubisoft Cons • Heavy learning curve • Finding cooperative teammates when matchmaking as a solo player • Intimidating amount of microtransactions • While active, the community for Rainbow Six Siege is notoriously labelled as “toxic”