Welcome
Welcome to issue 175 of The GameOn Magazine!
We're already preparing ourselves for the onslaught
of Not-E3 coming in June, but for now at least we've
been able to play some games. Tune in next month to
witness the start of my annual breakdown!
We want your feedback!
Our articles this month have a look at backlogs, failed
games, "stealth", and Fortnite. We also have a couple
of recent anniversaries that people wanted to write
about, in the forms of Pokemon Snap and Metal Gear
Solid V: Ground Zeroes!
In the preview section you'll find Early Access takes
from Jacob about Aether, Bennet for Estate Agent
Simulator, Alyssa for Gods of the Twilight, and Jacob
again with Nightingale. And we got a nice, early look
at SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada, so Artura wrote about
that! I had a go myself, and while it's not as fast as the
anime, I'm looking forward to it!
Which brings us to our reviews, with Martin looking at
some Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley, and Alana
going a little Berserk Boy. Then, Erin took a deep
breath before reviewing KONOSUBA - God's Blessing
on this Wonderful World! Love For These Clothes Of
Desire!. While that's the longest title in this issue, the
shortest wrestled with Mick because it's WWE 2K24.
You've probably noticed the bigger titles, courtesy of
this page, and the cover!
There's plenty more, of course, so just get to reading
and GameOn until next issue!
If you could change anything about this
magazine, what would it be?
For instance: not enough news, or too many
articles, anything you want us to start adding...
Please email me personally, your email will not
be passed on to any third party.
steve@gameonmag.com
theeduor
Conbribubors
Created By Editor Editorial Designer	Steve Greenfield Andrew Duncan Andrew Duncan
Games Critic	Alana Dunitz
Games Critic	Alyssa Payne
Games Critic	Andrew Duncan
Games Critic	Ariel Mann
Games Critic	Artura Dawn
Games Critic	Bennet Perry
Games Critic	Bex Prouse
Games Critic	Dylan Pamintuan
Games Critic	Erin McAllister
Games Critic	Gary Sheppard
Games Critic	Jacob Sanderson
Games Critic	Joshua Render
Games Critic	Martin Heath
Games Critic	Mike Crewe
Games Critic	Violet Plata
228 out of 914 games played	24% 174 / 300 XP to next level	3,
Average price 0	Average price per hour ©	Hours on record	Average playtime	Today's prices
£11.23	£0.51____________________4.552h	20.0h	£8977
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Hours on record	Average playtime
4,552h	20.Oh
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Star Wars: The Force
Unleashed II Diaries Part
Four
By Andrew Duncan
Andrew continues a Star Wars
This is my ongoing exploration of Star Wars: The
Force Unleashed where I will chronicle my
playthrough like a text-based Let's Play. This time I
will begin Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II.
H
aving chased after Boba Fett to rescue
Juno Eclipse, I had managed to overcome
many boarding parties aboard the
Rebellion's capital ship Salvation, before deciding to
crash it into a planet...
To be fair, my target was more specific than just the
planet of Kamino, but as people abandoned the
ship, with Rahm Kota and PROXY aboard the Rogue
Shadow, I aimed the ship downwards and hit full
throttle. Of course, debris and ships required
moving out of the way using The Force, but as the
ship entered the atmosphere and the buildings
came rushing towards me, I smashed out through
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Issue 175 «May 2024
the cockpit window and went into freefall! The ship
smashed into Timira City and a whole swarm of TIE
Fighters flew out of the destruction. One caught me
on its wing, so I literally threw it away, presumably
because The Force.
killed a few more before hurrying down the
corridor. I arrived on a platform overlooking Kota
and the Rebels, who were under fire from snipers,
so I quickly killed those before the Incinerator War
Droid that was also there.
Somehow safely landing in a courtyard, I just so
happened to be close to a pair of AT-STs being
watched over by two turrets. The surrounding
debris made things a little easier, but not a whole
bunch... A third AT-ST joined the fun the moment I
destroyed the second, and after that a whole slew
of Troopers and an АТ-MP came out to play. Once
the area was clear, I moved some debris out of the
way and entered the facility.
As I reached the top of a security tower, Kota just
so happened to be in the one opposite me! He
deactivated the security field to allow me to
progress just as I finished off the Imperials, then I
Upon opening the doors into the next hallway, I
saw a large number of Imperials. So, wanting to
defeat them a few at a time, I backed into the
platform so they would follow. Spontaneously, the
Saber Guard died. An Incinerator War Droid
followed close behind them, and died at the exact
same point! For some reason, the room literally
killed them. Unfortunately, the Stormtroopers
wouldn't leave their position for the good of
science, so I had to kill them using the old ways.
Further along my route, a TIE Bomber destroyed
the bridge I would soon require, so while I dealt
with the Troopers on the next platform, Kota said
that he would see what he could do. However, »
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Take his starfighter. Scour the far reaches of the galaxy. Find the last of the
Rebels and destroy them.

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w e I с о m e t о
"bob’s game"
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hacking is our weapon
.... 5%
downloading
CONTROL TRAIN
L. attract
JAM COMMUNICATIONS • Я
TRAFFIC LIGHTS
HACKING
обсела
hacking earner,
control
citizen
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I
This has two effects; one, it makes the world feel
more alive. If there were one major complaint
about the Arkham games, it would be how empty
the worlds feel. I know this can be explained away
by everyone "leaving", but that still feels weak as an
explanation. It also allows the enemy's origins to
feel more organic and based on the plater, which is
perfect for Jason as he doesn't have any enemies in
this universe, at least not ones that fans would be
horrified to see die and it would let the player build
their own rogues gallery. Heck, you could include
the fear toxin-using Batman, who begins to hunt
you down if you kill too many people, etc.
Imagine you suddenly hear that your gang is
vanishing, they're being picked off one by one, and
eventually, you run into Batman, but he is different.
Something has happened to him. He is a monster
now, heck you could have even included the
Brainiac control here and have this be the lead-in
for that whole plot point. Regardless, having
Batman involved, as well as goons who get more
powerful as you either fail to take them out or
improve them on your own.
I'm not saying this is a perfect concept by any
means, and I once again want to state that I hold
no hatred for Suicide Squad and in truth this is
unlikely to ever happen now for a variety of
reasons. However, would this not be more fitting
and a better resolution for the character we already
knew and loved?
Or just make a Batman Beyond Arkham game...that
would work too. 
Issue 175 • May 2024
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A HIDEO КОЛМА GAME
METALGEAR SOLID
GROUND ZEROES
TACTICAL ESPIONAGE OPERATIONS


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A.JjJ J
»
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Articles
The Issue With "Stealth" in
Play-lt-Your-Way Games
By Joshua Render
Joshua has issues
I have an issue with stealth mechanics in
modern games, primarily in the "stealth vs
combat" reward mechanics we often see. Let
me explain.
If, like me, you enjoy a good old-fashioned
multiple-routes game where the choice to proceed
is up to you, then you might have come across the
same issue I have: stealth is the better option, to
the detriment of the faster-paced combat. Now, if I
am honest, I have had this issue for a while, but it
really came to a head in some games that I recently
played, and I thought, "Why not see what it is that
annoys me?'.
The first entry was Far Cry 6, a game I really wanted
to like, and there are parts that I legitimately
enjoyed. I loved Anton Castillo, Yara's dictator,
played by the fantastic Giancarlo Esposito. I even
prefer the setting to Far Cry 5's drug-induced cult
experience. However, the detection mechanics and
the push for stealth have really turned me off the
game.
It works as follows: you need to clear an area, and
the game offers several options for how to do this
— you can either go in all guns blazing or sneak
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around and take everyone out. In a perfect world,
these two would offer the same level of fun and still
be viable, but in the early game, they really aren't.
The issue is that enemies will call a helicopter on
you regardless of your level when you are spotted.
The vehicle will not leave the area and will
seemingly hunt you wherever you might be hiding,
and you really can't take a punch. The result is a
situation where going in for some good ol' run-and-
gun shooting just isn't worth it, the choice is an
illusion. However, this could be solved by
rewarding you for playing it how it wants to be
played, but this is another area many games fall
short on.
My issue with the stealth game reward system can
best be shown in both Metal Gear Solid V: The
Phantom Pain and Dishonored. Both titles posit a
pseudo-moral choice reason for not going loud in
combat encounters and state that going non-lethal
is the better option for the player and the world.
However, this idea has an issue: nearly every
reward in the game is focused on killing people. In
Metal Gear Solid you are often rewarded with new
guns that you... just won't use it. Meanwhile,
Dishonored gives you traps and spells that will
penalise you by the end.
I find it infuriating when trying to go down a
specific gameplay route to have the game
continuously push the exact opposite play style on
me. It's irritating and means that my inventory and
weapon selection menus are just full of stuff I will
never use and then receive next to nothing to help
the stealth. Then there's the fact that many games
will offer more XP for stealth, and you hit a very
strange loop: you get more levels and, thus, more
rewards that you can't use. It just doesn't make
sense to me.
I can't speak on how to solve this issue, but I have
some ideas that might help; offer alternative
rewards for the player that strengthen their play
style. This can be in the form of specific perks or
weapons, and it certainly isn't a new concept. Some
games have tried to approach it in other ways, such
as the Deus Ex franchise, but it causes other issues
to arise, like the combat being too tough in the
harder difficulties.
For one final musing, I would simply like to say this:
if you have to have a level-based system, don't
bring DAMN HELICOPTERS TOO EARLY WITH NO
MEANS OF TAKING THEM OUT!
Okay, rant over. 
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Previews
Nightingale
By Jacob Sanderson
Publisher: Inflexion Games
Developer: Inflexion Games
Genre: Survival
Release Date: Out Now (Steam Early Access)
Platform: PC
Typically, I keep an eye on survival games;
they're a genre I enjoy playing, but more
often than not, I find them all a little too
similar. I've been following the development of
Nightingale since its World Premiere back in 2022,
as it looked as though it was going to make some
interesting changes to the formula, and after some
time with it, I can comfortably say that is the case.
biggest change for me was being able to place the
outlines for all of your pieces before adding the
resources, which makes building incredibly fluid.
Across the world, you can also find a multitude of
small points of interest, from enemy-occupied
areas to bastilles, which contain different puzzles
and challenges. These all reward essence, which
can be spent on learning new blueprints and
upgrading tools and clothing.
The world-building feels far more developed than a
lot of its competition; taking place in a Victorian-era
world, Earth fell to a disaster known simply as "The
Pale". People escaped into other Realms, some of
which were inhabited by the Pae, including Puck,
who helps you get to grips with the alternate
Realms you explore. This fantasy setting is made
more impressive thanks to the stellar visual design.
At its core, Nightingale is still a survival game, so
you can expect the usual grind. Like most in the
survival genre, there's a lot of chopping trees,
hunting wildlife, and hitting rocks. You'll spend a lot
of your time building, and there are a lot of quality-
of-life changes in Nightingale compared to other
titles which make this much less of a hassle. The
The more interesting content can be found around
the different Realms, from Fae Towers to Sites of
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Previews
Power. These all act as mini-dungeons, with
combat encounters, loot, and traps strewn around.
The combat is solid, with attacks all feeling very
weighty, yet enemy Al could use a little
improvement: enemies don't have any interesting
strategies, and mostly they either run at you or
awkwardly circle around you. Ranged combat is
mostly solid, however aiming feels a little floaty,
and shots don't seem to go straight all the time (this
might however be a skill issue...). Fae Towers
specifically reward Synchronous Lotus' which allow
you to craft unique Fae-themed items and
structures, such as Portals. These are tied to the
main exploration mechanic: Realm-walking. As you
explore and clear Sites of Power, you'll learn to
craft many realm cards with unique effects. Realms
are created by combining a Biome Card — either a
Desert, Swamp, or Forest — and a Realm card,
which have differing difficulty tiers, which affect
your rewards. You can also find Realmic
Transmuters, which can be used to add different
modifiers to the realm you're in. These can range
from increasing your damage, but increasing your
weight and limiting your movement, to plunging
the Realm into an eternal night, increasing resource
gains, but making you take damage over time. Sites
of Power also unlock buildable Augmentations,
which can be placed near crafting stations to
unlock new blueprints.
It isn’t perfect, as an Early Access title it lacks
optimisation in some areas, from the occasional
frame drops and sending my GPU's fans spinning
through the roof. It also is stuck as an always-
online title, even when played solo, which makes
the already long loading times even longer. There
are also a few awkward-looking or entirely missing
animations, such as the doors and trees falling, but
it's nothing that ruins the experience or immersion.
Despite these few issues, Nightingale looks as if it
might carve out a very good niche for itself.
With a charming world and a unique story,
Nightingale has made a great start with its launch
into Early Access, with a variety of content, and a
bunch more to come in the future. 
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RESJAURAlilONIENHANGERI
Improves crystals restoration,
reducing by IOS the amount
needed to level up.
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Reviews
doing damage. Hopefully, that's part of the Day
One patch.
This is all cool, but they're worthless without a goal
to complete, so it's time for some quests, and by
Yods there are a lot you can take at a time. There
are so many quests that require you to travel from
village to village, taking care of one thing so you can
do another, doing favours for various people
around the world so that everything doesn't blow
up and you get cool stuff. I had so many ongoing
main quests that I sort of lost track of it all, and
guess what? For completionists, you need to collect
more than you need on fetch quests to bring out
the full potential of your reward. You don't really
feel like a hero with an awesome jetpack and
highly-moddable guns, but an errand boy... with an
awesome jetpack and highly-moddable guns. A lot
of quests are pretty cool, but there is so much that
feels like busy work. At least travelling around the
world is fun to do if you decide to mix it up and not
use fast travel.
Onto the side stuff, there's a lot you want to do if
you want to make Slade into a serious powerhouse:
Complete platforming challenges to make your
jetpack better and increase your max HP, take out
bases to collect the resources needed to improve
your combat abilities and weapons, collect plants
and other junk for crafting and selling, and whole
lot more. The optional challenges are pretty fun,
although I did notice you could cheese a few of
them. Some platforming challenges required
certain skills like the Shield Dash, but with enough
energy, maybe a different skill, and abuse of the
terrain, you can easily beat quite a few you
technically aren't ready for.
Onto technical performance. With an AMD Ryzen 7
3800X 8-Core Processor and an NVIDIA GeForce
RTX 2070 SUPER, I barely met the minimum
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Reviews
requirements to play the game and I ran into some
performance issues while my settings were put on
Low. Decent length loading times and pop-in were
expected, but I didn't expect times when my game
that should make things better, but I wanted to
bring this up just in case.
That being said, I really like my time with Outcast -
would go down to seven FPS in certain areas and
for my game to freeze for several minutes until
suddenly resuming. This happened on early play
sessions, but as time went on, it got much better.
However, I ran into some really annoying glitches,
such as the aforementioned tracking bullets not
working, invincible enemies, missing map markers,
the summonable Galenta not coming until I
reloaded the game, and people speaking but not
moving their lips. Now, be aware that I was playing
a pre-release version, and there is a Day One patch
A New Beginning. It's a fun open-world adventure
with fun movement mechanics, good gunplay, and
a world you can really dive into if you're all for it.
The story can be predictable and a little cliche, but
it does what it does well. It has some really
annoying issues, but they can be overlooked for a
nice adventure in a beautiful world worth
protecting.
Outcast - A New Beginning is available on
PlayStation 5, Steam, and Xbox Series X | S. 
Outcast - A New Beginning is a fun time and
something fans of the first game may enjoy. It
has some issues, but it’s worth experiencing
and protecting Adelpha from anyone who
wishes to destroy it.
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Thanks for reading!
See you next monbn!