Tag Archives: Xbox One

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.

Ridge Racer 6

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Ridge Racer 6 is a fast-paced and adrenaline-fueled racer that’s easy to pick up and play, but difficult to master. The game features a wide variety of cars and tracks to choose from, each with its own unique handling and feel. The controls are responsive and tight, and the drifting mechanics are especially satisfying. However, some may find the game’s AI to be a bit too aggressive and unfair at times, especially at the last section of the world tour.

Like other Ridge Racer games, it features a mini arcade game based on a Namco property, in this case it’s the original Pac-Man. The interface is very similar to Ridge Racers on the PSP, with a very similar menu structure and HUD design, this would also carry over to the iOS version.

The game makes use of its own brands of cars that feature unique handling and statistics, with some cars performing better at drifts. Some examples of fictional cars that are known to be included in Ridge Racer 6 include the Kamata Fiera, the Danver Bayonet, the Assoluto Bisonte, the Terrazi Wild Gang, and the Himmel 490B. Each of these vehicles has its own unique strengths and weaknesses.

  • Harborline 765 – a city course that winds through a harbor area.
  • Southbay Docks – another city course that features tight turns and narrow streets.
  • Highland Cliffs – a mountain course with plenty of twists and turns.
  • Sunset Heights – a coastal course with plenty of jumps and high-speed sections.
  • Midtown Expressway – an urban course with long straights and wide corners.
  • Seaside Route 765 – a coastal course that takes place along a scenic seaside highway.
  • Lakeside Parkway – a course that features a long straightaway and tight turns around a lake.

The World Tour mode is a game mode in Ridge Racer 6 that allows players to compete in a series of races across a variety of different locations and tracks. In this mode, players progress through a series of Grand Prix events, with each event consisting of multiple races that take place on different courses. I believe this is also the first Ridge Race title to feature online lay over the internet, using Xbox Live, which remains active to this day.

As players progress through the World Tour mode, they earn points and unlock new cars, upgrades, and tracks. The difficulty of the races increases as players advance through the Grand Prix events, providing a challenging and engaging gameplay experience. In addition to the standard races, World Tour mode also includes a variety of special challenges and events, such as time trials, drift challenges, and lap battles. These challenges offer a unique twist on the standard racing gameplay, and provide an additional layer of depth and variety to the World Tour mode.

The Nitro game mechanic in Ridge Racer 6 is a system that allows players to temporarily boost their car’s speed and acceleration, giving them a strategic advantage during races. The Nitro system works by filling up a meter that is located on the game’s heads-up display (HUD) when players perform certain actions, such as drifting or drafting behind other cars. Once the Nitro meter is full, players can activate the Nitro boost by pressing a button, which causes their car to accelerate at a significantly faster rate than normal. This can be particularly useful during key moments in a race, such as when players are trying to overtake opponents or catch up to the pack.

In addition to the standard Nitro boost, Ridge Racer 6 also features a “Full Nitro” mechanic that can be activated when players have filled their Nitro meter to its maximum capacity. Full Nitro provides an even greater speed boost than standard Nitro, and can be particularly useful for closing large gaps between players or pulling away from the pack.

The game was only ever released for the Xbox 360, but was ported to the Xbox One as an Xbox 360 backward-compatible title. This isn’t Xbox One X enhanced which means it does not benefit from the higher resolution the Xbox One X provides.

Many of the tracks and cars appear in Ridge Racer 7, a PS3-exclusive game. Some of the music tracks that feature in R6 could also be downloaded for the PS3 as DLC.

Speaking of DLC there are numerous unlock codes to enable machines to be unlocked, and you can also purchase additional songs that were featured on the PSP version of the game.

The song downloads are rather large for their size, which makes me think these are using a lossless format, or they feature additional files. I always assumed Xbox 360 games used the WMA format for audio, or at least the Xbox version of it which should result in a smaller file size. It could also be for surround sound or additional channels, as the songs have additional effects when you fire off Nitorus.

A quick warning, the DLC become attached to your save file and you cannot load your save without them, this becomes more problematic as the Xbox 360 store becomes more ‘broken’. In order to redownload the DLC I had to navigate through the download list in the Settings/Account section of the Xbox dashboard. They no longer appear in the game information tile of the dashboard.

A better way is to purchase them from the Xbox One store (console or Web) which will then push them to the top of the download list on the Xbox 360, which makes it easier to download. Remember to save the files to the same storage location as your gamesave, the hard drive or memory unit is best.

Also a nice touch, you can change the race announcer from the standard voice to the robotic system voice, or Heiachi from the Tekken series. And there’s an option to lay the Mac-Man game from earlier.

Overall, Ridge Racer 6 is a fantastic racing game that’s sure to please fans of the genre. The game’s stunning visuals, tight controls, and satisfying drifting mechanics make for a truly exhilarating experience. While some may find the game’s AI to be a bit too aggressive, it’s a small price to pay for an otherwise fantastic racing experience. As it stands, it was a great launch for the Xbox 360, and a taste of what HD gaming would bring for racing games.