Tag Archives: PlayStation 4

Man Of Medan (Dark Pictures Anthology)

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Man of Medan—first game in this anthology series from Supermassive Games, dropped in 2019. You’re following these five college-age knuckleheads—Alex, Brad, Julia, Conrad, and Fliss—who are out on a dive boat in the South Pacific, chasing a WWII plane wreck. Things soon go south, Pirates show up, a storm hits, and boom, they’re stuck on an abandoned freighter, the SS Ourang Medan. Supposedly based on a real ghost ship legend.

Gameplay-wise, it’s classic Supermassive. You’re making choices, hitting quick-time events (QTEs), and praying you don’t get your favorite character killed The story branches like crazy—every choice feels like it could kill someone or save ‘em. You’re picking dialogue with this “head or heart” compass thing, which sounds cheesy but actually works for those clutch “do I trust this sketchy dude?” moments and is a new concept that has followed onto the other Dark Pictures games. The QTEs can be tense as hell. Miss one, and your character might die. They added some accessibility stuff later, like QTE warnings and easier controls, which is nice for folks who don’t have the reflexes or prefer for a more casual gameplay. The game pushes its branching narrative hard, but some choices don’t impact the story as much as you’d expect. You’ll stress over a decision, only to find it loops back to the same outcome or has minor consequences.

Still, the relationships the charicters have with each other is affected by your decisisions and reactions to certain events, Stronger relationships can mean characters are more likely to save each other in clutch moments. For example, if Alex and Julia’s romance is solid, Julia might risk her neck to pull Alex out of a bad spot. But if you’ve been a jerk, like making Fliss and Conrad beef over dumb decisions, they might not lift a finger when the other’s in trouble, leading to some brutal deaths. It’s a little silly since I doubt once character would abandon them over an argument they had earlier, but this is horror movie logic.

Multiplayer is where this game gets wild. You got Shared Story mode, where you and a buddy play online, controlling different characters, and you can totally screw each other over without knowing it. Then there’s Movie Night mode, where you pass the controller around with your crew.

The ghost ship’s got this grimy, claustrophobic vibe—think Dead Space but wetter and with more jump scares. The character models are pretty good, especially since they’re motion-captured by legit actors like Shawn Ashmore, who was previously in the Quantum Break game. The atmosphere’s on point, with flickering lights and creepy noises that’ll make you check over your shoulder. But, man, the pacing? It’s slower than me trying to get through a 5K. The first half drags like a bad PKA tangent about crypto—takes forever to get to the spooky stuff. Without spoiling, the big narrative reveals lean on horror tropes that feel recycled if you’ve seen movies like Ghost Ship or Event Horizon. The supernatural elements and the “is it real or not?” angle aren’t as clever as they think they are.

Overall, Man of Medan is a fun, spooky ride with your boys, especially in multiplayer, but it’s not topping Until Dawn. If you’re into interactive horror and want something to play while arguing with your friends, it’s worth grabbing on sale

Road 96

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Road 96 drops you into Petria, a fictional dystopian country that’s basically “Authoritarian Land: The Road Trip.” You play as a bunch of runaway teens trying to cross the border, hitchhiking and making choices that supposedly shape the story. It’s got this roguelite thing going on, where every run’s different, and you’re juggling energy and cash while chatting up a cast of NPCs. Sounds cool on paper, right? But let’s not get all starry-eyed yet.

One of the many decisions

The game’s big selling point is its procedural storytelling where it shuffles dialogue and events like a deck of cards. Sure, it’s neat that no two playthroughs are identical, but don’t let that number fool you—it’s not like you’re getting unique novels. A lot of it feels like variations on the same vibe: you meet quirky characters, make some choices, and maybe get arrested or die if you screw up. The core loop—hitchhike, talk, minigame, repeat—gets old faster than you’d expect for a game hyping itself as endlessly replayable.

The narrative’s got this heavy-handed political edge, screaming “oppression bad, freedom good!”  I’m not saying it’s wrong, but it’s about as subtle as a sledgehammer to the face. You’re dodging cops and picking sides in a revolution, but the game’s politics feel like they were written by a college freshman who just discovered dystopian novels. It wants to be 1984 meets The Breakfast Club, but it lands closer to a Reddit thread about “the system.” The game tries to make every choice feel like you’re saving the world when half the time you’re just picking whether to steal a candy bar or not.

The game keeps track of your progress with different teenagers

The gameplay mostly sees you walking, talking, and playing minigames like pumping gas or bartending. Some of these are fun, like when you’re hacking a computer or dodging cops, but others feel like busywork to pad the runtime. The resource management—keeping your teen fed and funded—sounds intense but ends up being a minor annoyance. You’re not exactly strategizing like it’s XCOM; you’re just scrounging for bucks to buy a burger. And the “abilities” you unlock? Stuff like lockpicking or hacking sounds cool, but they’re just dialogue shortcuts, not game-changers.

The game’s story is set in 1996, which influences the world around you. Characters rock flannel shirts, ripped jeans, and chunky sneakers, with one of the main NPCs, Zoe, sporting a red bob and a rebellious attitude that’s pure 90s punk-grunge. It’s not over-the-top like a Saved by the Bell set, but it’s convincing enough to feel like you’re flipping through a 1996 zine. You won’t find super-specific references like Tamagotchis or Pogs cluttering the scenes, which might’ve added authenticity. It’s a bit sanitized, like the game’s afraid to lean too hard into the era’s weirder quirks. Still, the vibe works—it’s recognizable without being a caricature.

Petria’s authoritarian regime feels like a nod to the era’s dystopian sci-fi flicks (The X-Files was peak 90s paranoia), and the election plot echoes the political awareness that started bubbling up with stuff like Rock the Vote. Minigames and interactions also sprinkle in 90s flavor. You’ll play arcade cabinets, flip through cassette tapes, or mess with old-school tech like rotary phones. One sequence has you answering a quiz that feels like a warped version of a 90s game show, which is a nice touch. The game’s humor—sarcastic, a bit goofy—lands like something you’d hear on Beavis and Butt-Head.

Replayability’s a big claim here, and it’s got some legs. You’ll need at least six runs to see an ending, and choices do change how the election or characters’ fates play out. But let’s be real: after a couple runs, you’re seeing the same beats with slight remixes. It’s not Skyrim levels of freedom. If you’re the kind of guy who replays games to see every ending, cool, but I’m unsure most people will care enough to grind through all the permutations. Seven hours for the main story, maybe ten for completionists, and that’s if you don’t get bored.

Road 96 is a fun little road trip with some heart, but it’s not the masterpiece it thinks it is. If you’re into indie games and don’t mind some preachiness, give it a spin. Currently it’s on PlayStation Now/Plus Extra and was previously on Gamepass.