QCF: Life Is Strange: Episode 2: Out of Time

he last time we saw Max Caldwell, she was coming to grips with confiding the truth about her time bending abilities to the closest friend that she has ever come to know, and the vulnerability on display is one of the central themes at work in Out of Time; the second episode to the saga of Life is Strange.

While a fate bigger than Max hangs over her head and that of Arcadia Bay, this follow-up installment seems to lose perspective on the stage that’s been set into motion, and the result is more baffling than it is effectual.

Without spoiling too much, Max is beginning to get more of a grasp on her situation, thanks to the comfort of sharing her unbelievable situation with Chloe Price; and much of the episode’s content focuses on where they go from there.

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QCF: Life is Strange: Episode 1: Chrysalis

eenage Adolescence is that weird phase that will most likely stick with us in life more than any other period of our existence, the one identity that everyone is most likely to blur in and out of in their adult life, for better, or for worse. Now imagine having the power to rewind back the flow of space and time to cater to your every whim and desire, or a chance to divert back the makings of a teenage crisis that you could never possibly stomach living down—that’s a promising proposition right?

Well, it’s never really ever that simple, and Dontnod Entertainment’s Life is Strange offers a unique twist on the foundation of choice-driven gameplay that emphasizes that one decision isn’t always easier than the other, and the result creates for engaging roller-coaster of discovery and tragedy.

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QCF: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3DS

 was on the fringe end of the crowd that played the original Majora's Mask growing up. Admittedly, I never really got into the game that much. The moon terrified me, and the three-day countdown instilled a sense of panic in young me that almost seems irrational now.

So while some Zelda fans approached this game as a nostalgic journey into a childhood classic, I entered into Majora's Mask 3D hoping to find something in the game that had escaped my 10 year old self.

After spending some time with The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D,  I can confidently say that 10 year old Alissa was an idiot for not absolutely falling in love with this game at first sight.

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QCF: Brandish: The Dark Revenant

ou may or may not know it, but one single name always gets my gaming emotions set to fever pitch. No, it's not Cave, Natch, nor is it Qute or 5BP. or anything else you might be thinking. No, fine sirs and madams, the name in question is, in fact, Falcom. I've been a humongous fan of the Ys series in specific for a very long time, and when Falcom flashed up on my PSP Go's screen for Brandish: The Dark Revenant followed by what looked and sounded like a lost Ys intro, I was understandably psyched.

Brandish: The Dark Revenant is a re-imagining of the 16-bit classic dungeon RPG originally released to a number of computers and consoles, such as the PC Engine, NEC PC-9801, FM Towns, DOS and, most notably, to the Super NES in 1995. It was also published and co-developed, at the time, by Koei. Even in the 16-bit era, Brandish separated itself from the huge influx of RPGs with its unique control and gameplay system. Basically, the game plays much like a first-person dungeon crawler like Wizardry or Arcana with many, many floors, secret rooms and even shops in unexpected places.

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QCF: Axiom Verge

hether you love it or hate it, the renaissance of independently developed indie games is still very much kicked into high gear, and new titles like Shovel Knight and Hotline Miami are keep everyone on notice.

And with indie games still heavy hitting the scene of console gaming, the inevitable swell of side-scrolling love letters coming out of the mix, but none more frequent then the fan-favorite sub-genre that’s fondly recognized by the portmanteau that every gaming enthusiast has come to know: Metroidvania.

While the argument for if whether or not the sizable wave of these games is doing more harm than good to the genre is still up for debate, one particular title has uniquely approached the formula in a different direction. A direction that magnificently caters to both the culture of the titular design, and the fundamental dynamics that drive its appeal; Tom Happ’s Axiom Verge, a title that beautifully integrates what it homages into an experience that you’ll keep thinking about it, even after it’s over.

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QCF: Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number

o matter what your standpoint on the matter is, it’s a fact that’s commonly accepted by a majority of modern society; violence is a part of life. Now when it comes to how people come to terms with this is an entirely different story, but I always found the concept of depictions that revel in graphically glorifying it as a point of illustration to be interesting; especially when it worked.

The argument on whether or not the gory aggression worked for Hotline Miami 2 though is a bit muddled, because when it works—it works.

And when it doesn’t, the title rings a bit hollow with a reverberation of pretension.

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Bullet Heaven HD, Episode 130 - QP Shooting Dangerous

gitated animals, armadas of killer bunnies, UFOs and a lack of pudding both physically and in the collective minds of a planet... What's a diminutive starving dog girl to do? The answer lies within QP Shooting Dangerous!! from Orange Juice and Fruitbat Factory... but how does it stack up?

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PPR 94

f there ever was a constant that we’ve seen within the world of video games is that it’s forever caught in a rat race of progression; constantly trying to outdo whatever was done before it.

And in some cases; redoing something we’ve seen all over again with a new coat of polish—actually, it’s safe to say that we’ve seen this, in a LOT of cases…

Join us here at PPR as we discuss the torrent of titles that have gotten a high definition facelift in the recent years, sometime re-releasing multiple times. Is it too much? Is this yet another sign of games facing a creative bankruptcy? Maybe, or maybe not, you won’t really know what we think until you listen to the episode, dummy.

In addition, we converse about a crap-load of games, Destiny, FFXIV: A Realm Reborn, Axiom Verge, Hotline Miami 2, Bloodborne, and more; and then there’s a bunch of childhood reminiscing over how terrible we all were as kids—what are you waiting for? Start listening!

Mail us at our new email Mailbag@presspauseradio.com, leave a voicemail at 469-PPR-TALK, and be sure to stop by at our Forums if you haven’t already registered and post your thoughts about the show. Finally, make sure to rate and subscribe to us on iTunes and YouTube, follow us on Twitch page and Twitter, and finally take part in our Facebook and Steam group!

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