Active XP: Resident Evil Village Review (+ Spoilers)

Joseph, Josh, and Chris dissect Resident Evil Village’s story, gameplay, and world in this spoiler-filled review.

Review code provided by Capcom

Spoilers start at 10:10

Direct Download Link

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Music

Theme Song made by Novila. soundcloud.com/novila-edm

Overview

Story

With this being a continuation of RE7, we’ll touch on how Village connects to it and how these two games fit into the overall series as a whole. We’ll also touch on how we feel about the game’s narrative, which story beats stood out to us and what we thought about the wacky ending.

Based on previous discussions, it seems like we have different views on how we enjoyed the game’s ending, so we’ll dive into this during the review. 

Gameplay

Let’s start off with discussing Resident Evil Village’s gameplay, which has mostly remained the same from RE7. Here is a great time to talk about The Duke merchant and upgrade system, the new weapons, and any standout sections of the game in terms of gameplay.

We’ll cover the boss battles, creature design, level design, and its scare factor. Does it feel like an action game? Does it feel more like survival horror? We discuss our favorite and least favorite sections of the game here.

The Village

With it being called Village, how do the Village sections actually pan out? Does the Village feel like a “character?” Does it warrant being the game’s subtitle? How are these sections handled gameplay-wise and narratively? 

Any other notable points

During this section, we discuss any other talking points such as gripe or criticisms we haven’t yet covered, or how we feel about the Mercenaries mode. We’ll use this time to mention anything that didn’t fit in the previous sections.

Main takeaways

Here, we’ll wrap up our overall thoughts on Resident Evil Village, and whether we’d recommend it. We’ll also mention who this game is for and who should skip it.

Active XP: It Takes Two Review

Joseph Yaden and Chris Penwell review Josef Fares’ latest epic It Takes Two. Spoilers: they absolutely loved it, but there are a few hang-ups to consider.

Review code provided by EA

Hosts:

You can find us on iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, Spotify, and Google Play. You can also subscribe through our RSS feed

Follow us on Twitter @ActiveQuestShow

Email us @ ActiveQuestPodcast@gmail.com

Rate us on Apple Podcasts, and Podcast Addict so we can continue to grow. Reviews are so helpful for discovery and opening doors in the industry for us!

Get our official shirt!

teespring.com/active-quest-shirt#pid=2&cid=566&sid=front

We are proud to be a part of the HP Video Game Podcast Network!: itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewArtistSeeAll?cc=us&dkId=4&section=0&ids=1482427275

Music

Theme Song made by Novila. soundcloud.com/novila-edm

It Takes Two EA Hazelight Active Quest Episode 113

Active Quest Episode 113: It Takes Two And Monster Hunter Rise Are Amazing And Why Won’t Sony Keep Their Legacy Online?

In this episode, Chris, Josh, and Joseph discuss Monster Hunter Rise, a new Pikmin AR mobile game, It Takes Two, and Sony pulling its online stores for PSP, PS Vita, and PS3.

You can find us on iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, Spotify, and Google Play. You can also subscribe through our RSS feed

Follow us on Twitter @ActiveQuestShow

Email us @ ActiveQuestPodcast@gmail.com

Rate us on Apple Podcasts, and Podcast Addict so we can continue to grow. Reviews are so helpful for discovery and opening doors in the industry for us!

Get our official shirt!

teespring.com/active-quest-shirt#pid=2&cid=566&sid=front

We are proud to be a part of the HP Video Game Podcast Network!: itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewArtistSeeAll?cc=us&dkId=4&section=0&ids=1482427275

Music

Theme Song made by Novila. soundcloud.com/novila-edm

Quick News

Epileptic PSA: Balan Wonderworld (Update)

Liana Ruppert

gameinformer.com/2021/03/25/epileptic-psa-balan-wonderworld-update

Report: Call Of Duty Returns To A WWII Setting This Year

Daniel Tack

gameinformer.com/2021/03/26/report-call-of-duty-returns-to-a-wwii-setting-this-year

Halo Infinite actor says game is launching in November 2021

Hirun Cryer

gamesradar.com/uk/halo-infinite-actor-says-game-is-launching-in-november-2021/

Back 4 Blood delayed until October

Austen Goslin

polygon.com/22350419/back-4-blood-delay-beta-release-date-turtle-rock

Upcoming Releases

A Pikmin AR mobile game is coming from Nintendo and the Pokémon Go team

Jeffrey Grubbz

venturebeat.com/2021/03/22/a-pikmin-ar-mobile-game-is-coming-from-nintendo-and-pokemon-go-dev-team/

News

‘Resident Evil’ Director Johannes Roberts Reveals Title and Details of Upcoming Film

Ellise Shafer

variety.com/2021/film/news/resident-evil-film-title-johannes-roberts-1234935345/#

New STALKER 2 video, 15 new Game Pass titles, and everything else from the ID@Xbox showcase

Connor Sheridan

gamesradar.com/new-stalker-2-video-15-new-game-pass-titles-and-everything-else-from-the-idxbox-showcase/

Report: PS3, PS Vita stores will close for good this summer

Owen S. Good

polygon.com/22345099/ps3-ps-vita-psp-playstation-store-shutting-down-closes

Listener Questions

#1 Turner and Hooch Fan

@TurnerandDouche

Hey my gaggle of goofy gigglin gamers, my question is do you think that my copies of Turner and Hooch on VHS I ordered are stuck on the big boat in the suez canal? I ordered 51000 copies.

Zion Grassl

@ZionDood

What are your hopes for the new Resident Evil movie? I’m personally hoping it’s more focused on the horror of surviving the Raccoon City outbreak than the overall action of killing zombies.

#1 50 Cent Blood on the Sand fan

@curtiscent2

Kratos, Master Chief, Lara Croft, and Baby G-Unit (G is for Grogu. Always has been baby !) were all added to Fortnite in the last few months. 

When do you think 50 Cent is getting added?

Otto Kratky

@Otto_Kratky

Any PS3/Vita games are y’all scrambling to get? I’m trying to nab a PS3 now so I can get the R&C collection. Can’t beat the originals!

Alejandro Pizaña

@alekspizana

Is there any info on what’s gonna happen once the Stores close?. Will we be able to download our games afterwards?. Do you think it’s a good idea to get anything quickly before it closes?. What are you guys going to do with your own PS3’s – if you have any?

What We’ve Been Playing

Joseph:

  • Monster Hunter Rise (review code provided) 
  • Yakuza: Like a Dragon 
  • It Takes Two (review code provided)

Chris:

  • Monster Hunter Rise (review code provided)
  • It Takes Two (friend pass access through review code)

I’ll be covering Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins and Lost Words: Beyond The Page

Josh:

  • NeoGeo Pocket Color Selection Vol. 1 (review code provided)

Active XP: Marvel’s Avengers Review

Chris and Joseph feel optimistic about Marvel’s Avengers and love the campaign, but currently, it fails to deliver with its multiplayer mode.

Review code provided by Square Enix. Featured image by Square Enix and Marvel.

Hosts:

Joseph Yaden – twitter.com/josephyaden

Chris Penwell – twitter.com/PenwellWrites

Active XP: Ary and the Secret of Seasons Review

Chris reviews the disappointing Ary and the Secret of Seasons from Modus Games, eXiin, and Fishing Cactus. A review code was provided by the publisher.

Image from Ary and the Secret of Seasons by Modus Games, eXiin, and Fishing Cactus

Chris Penwell – twitter.com/PenwellWrites

You can find us on iTunesStitcherTuneInSpotify, and Google Play. You can also subscribe through our RSS feed

Follow us on Twitter @ActiveQuestShow

Email us @ ActiveQuestPodcast@gmail.com

Rate us on iTunes so we can continue to reach people, go to E3, get more review codes to provide coverage to you all and more. Reviews are so helpful for discovery and opening doors in the industry for us!

Get our official shirt!

We are proud to be a part of the HP Video Game Podcast Network!: https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewArtistSeeAll?cc=us&dkId=4&section=0&ids=1482427275

Music

Theme Song made by Novila. https://soundcloud.com/novila-edm

Ary and the Secret of Seasons Review Notes

  • Puzzles are a bit awkward. There was a lever that needed to be pulled but there isn’t a pulling animation until later on. So I had Ary walk into it to pull the lever. It was super strange and took me out of the game. The puzzles are terrible. I had to finagle my way through them rather than thinking of a proper solution. It doesn’t give you a clear thought process on what to do. I literally had Ary walk into a ball to make it roll. Then, I was given a tool to pull things across; that would have been nice earlier rather than awkwardly pushing Ary into a ball by running into it. 
  • Combat Isn’t that fun. Parrying, rolling, and striking. There aren’t any special moves. Combat is dull and there’s only so many times I can hear Ary say, “Son of a cow” before it gets old. 
  • It’s cool that the dialogue changes when you alter the season around characters. NPCs mention they’re cold when you make their area winter. You can also heat up their environment by using the summer ability. 
  • The characters and the animations are so adorable. 
  • The graphics are down right ugly at times. 
  • The art behind the bad graphics stands out. I loved seeing fireworks set in front of the castle. 
  • Frame rate is choppy, despite my laptop being able to run it easily. 
  • Repeating dialogue. “Son of a cow” was cute a few times, but when I hear it a dozen times over one play session…
  • Ary is so adorable. You could make plushies out of her and they’d sell. 
  • It carries such a light hearted tone 
  • The game is unfinished. Doors aren’t unlocking in the Winter Temple and it mocks me with an opening noise. I can tell something is on the other side by looking through the crack. 
  • After leaving the cathedral to upgrade Ary so I can fight the hyenas more effectively, I couldn’t go back in. Issues like this make me worry that I can’t continue the game. I’ve tried to progress but I’ve literally had a block that won’t let me through, hence reviewing this earlier than I’ve wanted to. 
  • Music is generic, repetitive, and mixed awkwardly from field to battle. I don’t know why they bothered marketing the album release as it’s painfully lifeless. 
  • Side quests failed at being interesting distractions to the main story. I would have loved to know more about the world around her rather than generic fetch quest missions. 

3/10

Active XP: The Last of Us Part 2 Spoilercast – A Huge Deep Dive Into The Story & Characters

Joseph, Josh, and Chris are joined by Michael Koczwara from The Hollywood Reporter and Vaughn Hyde from Indie Pod and have a huge almost 3 hour deep dive on one of the best games of the year, The Last of Us Part 2.

Hosts:

Joseph Yaden – twitter.com/josephyaden

Josh Nichols – twitter.com/Mrjoshnichols

Chris Penwell – twitter.com/PenwellWrites

Special Guests:

Michael Koczwara (The Hollywood Reporter, IGN, and more) – https://twitter.com/SuperZambezi

Vaughn Hyde (Indie Pod, Go Beyond, and more) – https://twitter.com/HydeLegion

Music:

The Last of Us Part 2 – Sony Interactive Entertainment and Gustavo Santaolalla

Featured Image: Sony Interactive Entertainment

Active XP: Shantae and the Seven Sirens Review

Chris reviews a new entry in the long-running Shantae series, Shantae and the Seven Sirens

You can find Chris on Twitter – @PenwellWrites

A free code of the game was provided by WayForward. Thank you so much for sending one our way!

Music from:

Island East level from the Shantae and the Seven Seas soundtrack by WayForward.

Active Quest Episode 72: Is The Outer Worlds Switch Port Tolerable? Game Gear Micro is a Joke, and Last of Us Part 2 Diversity

Joseph tells us what The Outer Worlds Switch port is like, they all laugh about the Game Gear Micro, and the crew discusses the importance of BLM and diversity in gaming.

Joseph Yaden – twitter.com/josephyaden

Josh Nichols – twitter.com/Mrjoshnichols

Chris Penwell – twitter.com/PenwellWrites

You can find us on iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, Spotify, and Google Play. You can also subscribe through our RSS feed.

Follow us on Twitter @ActiveQuestShow

Email us @ ActiveQuestPodcast@gmail.com

Rate us on iTunes so we can continue to reach people, go to E3, get more review codes to provide coverage to you all and more. Reviews are so helpful for discovery and opening doors in the industry for us!

Twitter: @ActiveQuestShow

Get our official shirt!

https://teespring.com/active-quest-shirt#pid=2&cid=566&sid=front

We are proud to be a part of the HP Video Game Podcast Network!: https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewArtistSeeAll?cc=us&dkId=4&section=0&ids=1482427275

Music

Theme Song made by Novila. He did an awesome job, so here’s a shoutout! https://soundcloud.com/novila-edm

Quick Notes

Over 700 Games In Charity Bundle on itch.io for $5

Brian Shea

https://www.gameinformer.com/2020/06/06/itchio-bundles-more-than-740-drm-free-indie-games-for-5-to-raise-money-for-racial

Console Versions of Valorant Being Tested

Chris Carter

https://www.destructoid.com/console-versions-of-valorant-are-being-tested-but-not-fully-confirmed-593283.phtml

Quick Upcoming Releases

Modern Warfare Season 4 Delayed (new release date leaked)

Anthony McGlynn

 https://www.pcgamesn.com/call-of-duty-modern-warfare/season-4-date-leak

Pokemon Sword & Shield Isle of Armor Release Date

Brian Shea

https://www.gameinformer.com/index.php/2020/06/02/pokemon-sword-shield-the-isle-of-armor-expansion-hits-june-17

News

Kingdoms of Amalur Re:Reckoning Announced

Charlie Hall

https://www.polygon.com/2020/6/4/21280297/kingdoms-of-amalur-remaster-release-date-re-reckoning-xbox-one-ps4-pc-price-leak

Game Gear Micro Announced

Matthew Kato

https://www.gameinformer.com/2020/06/03/sega-releasing-game-gear-micro-in-japan

Naughty Dog Not Trying to Score “Diversity Points” with The Last of Us Part II

Zarmena Khan

https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2020/06/06/druckmann-on-last-of-us-2-story-diversity/

Infinity Ward says Call of Duty will get better at flagging racist usernames

Julia Lee

https://www.polygon.com/2020/6/3/21279783/infinity-ward-call-of-duty-racism-names

Listener Questions

What We’ve Been Playing   

Joseph

  • Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
  • Days Gone
  • The Outer Worlds (Switch)

Chris

  • Dark Nights with Poe & Munro (review code provided by D’Avekki Studios)
  • Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition
  • Cuphead
  • Mystery game

Josh

  • Night in the Woods
  • The Last of Us: Remastered

Active Quest Episode 70: PS5 Processing 100x Faster Than PS4, THQ Nordic Has 69 Unannounced Games, Golf with Your Friends Impressions

Joseph and Chris are joined by special guest Michael Cwick from Digital Days Gaming to discuss the vast quantity of THQ Nordic games, the crazy power of the PS5, and new Call of Duty rumors.

Joseph Yaden – twitter.com/josephyaden

Josh Nichols – twitter.com/Mrjoshnichols

Chris Penwell – twitter.com/PenwellWrites

Guest – Michael Cwick – https://twitter.com/The1stMJC

Check his podcast Digital Days Gaming out: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/digital-days-gaming/id1485471298

The show’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/DigitalDaysPod

You can find us on iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, Spotify, and Google Play. You can also subscribe through our RSS feed.

Follow us on Twitter @ActiveQuestShow

Email us @ ActiveQuestPodcast@gmail.com

Rate us on iTunes so we can continue to reach people, go to E3, get more review codes to provide coverage to you all and more. Reviews are so helpful for discovery and opening doors in the industry for us!

Twitter: @ActiveQuestShow

Get our official shirt!

https://teespring.com/active-quest-shirt#pid=2&cid=566&sid=front

We are proud to be a part of the HP Video Game Podcast Network!: https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewArtistSeeAll?cc=us&dkId=4&section=0&ids=1482427275

Music

Theme Song made by Novila. He did an awesome job, so here’s a shoutout! https://soundcloud.com/novila-edm

Quick Notes

Dark Souls Series Reaches 27 Million Units Sold

Will Harrison

https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2020/05/19/dark-souls-franchise-sales-units-sold/

Iron Man VR Gets Demo, Bundle Announced

Nicole Carpenter

https://www.polygon.com/2020/5/21/21266307/marvel-iron-man-vr-demo-psvr-bundle-release-date

Final Fantasy XIV is Free Right Now Until May 26, 30 Day Free Trial of Membership

Will Harrison

https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2020/05/22/final-fantasy-xiv-free-online-starter-edition-psn/

Twitch Prime Subscribers Get Over 20 SNK Games For Free

Kimberley Wallace

https://www.gameinformer.com/2020/05/22/twitch-prime-to-offer-over-20-snk-games-for-free

Quick Upcoming Releases

News

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Rumored as Next Title

Tom Phillips

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-05-20-this-years-call-of-duty-is-called-call-of-duty-black-ops-cold-war

New Game+ Expo To Announce Stuff from SEGA, ATLUS, and more

Gavin Lane

http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2020/05/new_gameplus_expo_to_feature_14_publishers_this_june_including_sega_atlus_and_snk

PS5 Processing is 100x Faster Than PS4 

Matthew Kato

https://www.gameinformer.com/2020/05/22/sony-playstation-5-processing-is-100-times-faster-than-ps4

Embracer Group (THQ Nordic and Deep Silver) Have 69 Unannounced Games in Development

Jordan Oloman

https://www.ign.com/articles/embracer-group-has-69-unannounced-games-in-development

Embracer Group Full Year Games’ Revenue Rose 31%

Matthew Handrahan

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-05-20-embracer-group-expects-more-acquisitions-after-31-percent-increase-in-annual-games-revenue

NPD Results April 2020

Jeff Grubb

https://venturebeat.com/2020/05/22/april-2020-npd-u-s-game-spending-breaks-records/

Joseph

  • Red Dead Online

Chris

  • Songs for a Hero (code received from developer)
  • Golf with Your Friends (code provided by Team17)

Michael

  • Tidal Shock
  • Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Active XP: Yooka Laylee and the Impossible Lair Review

Josh and Chris review Playtonic Games’ beautiful 2D platformer Yooka Laylee and the Impossible Lair. Review code was provided by Team17.

Note: Dan Murdoch and Matt Griffin composed music for the game too!

We are proud to be a part of the HP Video Game Podcast Network!: https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewArtistSeeAll?cc=us&dkId=4&section=0&ids=1482427275

Music

LYFO – High -> https://soundcloud.com/lyfomusic/high

TeknoAXE – Edge of Tomorrow: http://teknoaxe.com/Link_Code_3.php?q=1242